|| *Comments on the 2010 Carfax 400:* View the most recent comment <#124> | Post a comment <#post> 1. suomynonA posted: 08.15.2010 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So, Kevin Harvick can only win restrictor plate races, eh? 2. Alexei posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the top 10 didn't change that much this weekend... hopefully Denny can win some of the next three races to get a lead over JJ (of course we all know he's going to win, but hey? we can dream...) 3. Elliott Sadler posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, Will you stop calling the worst driver of 2010 now, since I have a top 10 unlike Kevin Conway? 4. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joey Logano: KISS MY ASS!!!!!!!! Yes, your incident with Newman was a racing incident, with you getting loose under Ryan. Yes, Ryan is off base for being mad about that, seeing as how he has done the same thing before. But your interview was a gigantic steaming pile of dog shit. It wasn't time to race? Was the green flag out? Then it was time to race you p***y. He must really think he is the greatest thing in racing since sliced bread. Can we just get rid of Joe Gibbs Racing? Why do I have the sinking feeling that all these blunders by the #48 team- driver hitting the wall, bad adjustments, bad strategy, bad pit stops -are gonna disappear once Loudon gets here? It's like they're making all their mistakes now instead of the cha$e. 5. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Will you stop calling the worst driver of 2010 now, since I have a top 10 unlike Kevin Conway?" No. 6. petty43 posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) refreshing to see other teams outside of gibbs and hendrick dominate the series here lately. this track used to have really great racing and today was a little better than usual but man nothing like it was in the 70's. also logano is a moron for thinking people should just move over, i am not even addressing how stupid that is. he has a long ways to go before he can be great, this is CUP series man, not NATIONJOKE. espn post race coverage sucks and finally although this is stating the obvious, man, dale junior is definatley NOT a chip off the old block. he flatly told mardy snider he does not give a shiit about the chase and just wants to go home, i found him more revolting than kyle busch and even JPM, just wish somebody with desire got to have that ride, worst choice hendrick has made since wally dallenbach jr. 7. Eric posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I called it right on Jamie McMurray. I expect Jamie to get top 10 next week at Bristol. I remembered a chat that Jamie was on Espn after his Indy that had Jamie typing that he considers the Bristol night race the next big cup event. Kevin might be in middle of a career year right now. I don't expect this to be Kevin's last win of 2010. 8. petty43 posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i would also like JGR's drivers to just go away, that organization has really been hard to like since the days of dale jarrett. 9. petty43 posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) yes big shock jamie macmurray (benny parsons voice) was once again inconsistent. 10. Bronco posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This win ends the notion of Harvick only being able to win on RP tracks. This is his first top 5 and laps led at MIS in 7 years. First top 10 finish of the year for Elliott Sadler, with the cool Petty Blue scheme. That makes 4 drivers eligible for the FLOPPER award - Labonte, Smith, Sideways Sam, and KeSLOWski. Labonte has done a few start and parks this year, Smith is with a team running all the races with owner points for he first time, while KeSLOWski and Sideways Sam just stink up the show while their teammate outruns them almost every weekend. Nice to see Carl running so well. 6 top 10s in a row and counting. And whoever called out a mediocre run for inconsistent Jamie Mac last week was dead right. DSFF I agree. Maybe his philosophy of not racing hard is what has him outside the top 20 in points, without having sniffed a win since that New Hampshire rain miracle. 11. Anonymous posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great runs by Truex, Sadler, & Ragan. 12. Timmy Quivy posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've giving a shout out to Patrick Carpentier, who took a very subpar car and completed 199 of the 200 laps without tearing it up or doing anything stupid. Great run for the Canadian road racer. Same can be said for Tony Raines, who had the #34 looking slightly less uncompetitive than usual. 13. Mike posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Gibbs drivers are a bunch of cry babies. I guess they expect everyone to let them go and not race hard. What a bunch of idiots. 14. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #18 car of Kyle Busch started 18th and finished 18th. Also the first win by an American car company at Michigan since the 2009 lifelock 400. Overall a pretty good race for Michigan, especsially at the end. 15. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.15.2010 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Maybe his philosophy of not racing hard is what has him outside the top 20 in points, without having sniffed a win since that New Hampshire rain miracle." That's true. I've tried to not dislike Joey. It's not his fault he was born to a wealthy family and has been groomed to be exactly where he is at now since he was 5, never having to fight and claw his way up the ladder until he got to Cup. But his attitude is really grating on me. Joe Gibbs needs to get his drivers together and tell them to man up. No more complaining about hard racing too early in the race. No more complaining about hard racing too far back in the pack (like Denny last week complaing about racing for "only" 8th). No more complaining about hard racing at ANY point in which the green flag is out. Explain to them how lucky they are to be in top notch Cup equipment, and if they don't like their situation (Kryle complaining about something every week), point to the door and offer them the chance to walk out. 16. JP88 posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow that was a fun race to watch...Congrats to Sadler on his first top-10 and I wish Ragan beat Logano for 10th. Kurt Busch blowing up sucked for him as he is on a free-fall in the standings, but I believe unless any catastrophe the top 11 are locked into the chase. I'm not sure who is gonna get spot 12...Bowyer runs good but not good enough, Martin looked like Conway today and McMurray and Newman are very inconsistent...and then there's Jr. (enough said) I'm offically counting out Newman, Jr., Reutimann, and Montoya. I think Kahne and McMurray has outside chances since they can prove they can run up front and win but I think Kahne might be the sleeper to make it. Martin could still make it but he needs a bad finish from Bowyer. Bowyer will be #12 unless problems because he will run solid and have 3 top 10 or 15 finishes. 17. New 14&88 posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just what is it in the water at Joe Gibbs Racing that makes most of their drivers elitist pricks...Joey's interview made me want to tear off my ears gawd. Anyways...congrats to Harvick on getting a non-plate win and clinching a chase spot.And nice Top Ten finish for Elliot Sadler. What does Jeff Gordon have to do to win a race. 18. JP88 posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 7. Bronco posted: 08.15.10 - 5:25 pm "First top 10 finish of the year for Elliott Sadler, with the cool Petty Blue scheme. That makes 4 drivers eligible for the FLOPPER award - Labonte, Smith, Sideways Sam, and KeSLOWski. Labonte has done a few start and parks this year, Smith is with a team running all the races with owner points for he first time, while KeSLOWski and Sideways Sam just stink up the show while their teammate outruns them almost every weekend." You can't really discredit Labonte and Smith. Labonte is having his season because he is in underfunded crap and Smith I think is doing an admirable job in the Furniture Row stuff...Keselowski and Hornish have to step it up but both do have many Top 15 finishes and were on the brink of Top 10's and even a Top 5 that was turned upside down with 3 to go...lmfao 19. Eric posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What Jeff Gordon need to do for winning a race is not having his crew make any strategy decisions. 20. CFob posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "First top 10 finish of the year for Elliott Sadler, with the cool Petty Blue scheme. That makes 4 drivers eligible for the FLOPPER award - Labonte, Smith, Sideways Sam, and KeSLOWski. Labonte has done a few start and parks this year, Smith is with a team running all the races with owner points for he first time, while KeSLOWski and Sideways Sam just stink up the show while their teammate outruns them almost every weekend." Wow. The more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2009, David Stremme had four top 15s on the same team, with a best finish of 14th. Brad's had one more top 15 and a better best finish. Not to mention an average finish that is three positions better than Stremme. No, Brad's not setting the world on fire, but the statistics show that he is improving the 12 team from where it was a year ago. Anyway, can Joey Logan say the phrase "You know?" more in one interview? 21. joey2448 posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Post #14 - yea i am a jeff gordon fan, and this winless streak just absolutely puzzles me...it's not like that team is running bad like jr, but he just can't seem to get that 83rd career win! it's FRUSTRATING as hell.... also, joey logano needs to get with the program...i like him, but he says ryan newman always races him hard. i can't remember many incidents that were caused due to ryan racing like an idiot. newman is a good racer, like mark martin. 22. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The problem for Brad in this race is that his splitter broke and it never got fixed. And although it is embarrassing that he doesn't have a Top 10 this deep into the season, he hasn't been awful. They just can't break through that 14th-25th place area. He was running in his normal spot this year, 18th, when he fell back dramatically, which I guess is when the splitter wore off. 23. Smokefan05 posted: 08.15.2010 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The problem for Brad in this race is that his splitter broke and it never got fixed. And although it is embarrassing that he doesn't have a Top 10 this deep into the season, he hasn't been awful. They just can't break through that 14th-25th place area. He was running in his normal spot this year, 18th, when he fell back dramatically, which I guess is when the splitter wore off." Would have gotten a top 10 at Atlanta hadn't a "certain" incident happened. Robby Gordon S&Ped both his cars in this race. But hey didn't Phil Pearsons do it? 24. Neal posted: 08.15.2010 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was a typical Michigan race. It irritates the hell out of me when the broadcast crews act like MIS is this fantastic track. It's not. The wavearound rule is a goddamn joke. Everyone talks about how great the quality of racing is because we have so many cars on the lead lap at the end. Well no shit...when you give 10-15 cars a free pass to unlap themselves under caution it becomes easy to keep an assload of cars on the lead lap. Sure you get 3 and 4-wide racing...for about 5 laps after the green flag flies. Then it gets all single file, strung out and boring. Open-wheel races at MIS (and Fontana) are leaps and bounds better than stock car races there. 25. Bronco posted: 08.15.2010 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "In 2009, David Stremme had four top 15s on the same team, with a best finish of 14th." Check your facts, Stremme's best finish of 2009 was 13th twice; at the February California race and in the August Michigan race. KeSLOWski's best finish this year is a 12th at Darlington - hardly what you would call an improvement. He's also wadded up about as many cars as Stremme did last year. "Brad's had one more top 15 and a better best finish." Like I said, having a best finish of 12th instead of 13th isn't anything to get excited about. "No, Brad's not setting the world on fire, but the statistics show that he is improving the 12 team from where it was a year ago" The only thing the statistics show is that he doesn't have a top ten this year, despite having a new crew chief and team, along with the extra seat time that comes with running the full Nationwide schedule. Perhaps less effort spent into beating Carl on Saturday might translate into consistent top 20s on Sunday. This is the third race this year that HMS hasn't placed a car in the top 10 - Atlanta and Indy were the others. Given that only one team has won this year and isn't able to finish consistently, the other leads tons of laps but can't seal the deal on a win, and the other two aren't much better than 15th place cars most of the time, it shows how far they've fallen in a short time. 26. Cooper posted: 08.15.2010 - 7:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch spent most of this race complaining rather than racing. His pit crew gains him like 5 spots per stop, and he then complains his car sucks after he pancakes the wall. I don't know who's worse you know? you know? Joey Logano or you know? Kyle Busch, you know they're both pretty bad you know? Joey Logano was crapping his pants when Ryan was talking to him. I thought Ryan was going to throw him across the racetrack. Overall a great Michigan race. 8/10 27. CFob posted: 08.15.2010 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Check your facts, Stremme's best finish of 2009 was 13th twice; at the February California race and in the August Michigan race. KeSLOWski's best finish this year is a 12th at Darlington - hardly what you would call an improvement. He's also wadded up about as many cars as Stremme did last year." By bad, my finger hit a 4 instead of a 3, no need to get so defensive. Actually he's "wadded" up the same amount of cars as Stremme, just Brad got a bit more help than Stremme did, but we won't go into that. "Like I said, having a best finish of 12th instead of 13th isn't anything to get excited about." Did I say I was excited? I'm saying it's an improvement. Despite what you may think, race teams turning things around in a heart beat is the exception, not the usual. "The only thing the statistics show is that he doesn't have a top ten this year," Wait, is there another meaning for the word "statistics" I was not made aware of? Because I believe they do actually show more than Brad not having a top ten... That's why they keep track of more than just top tens. "...despite having a new crew chief and team," Remember above when I mentioned an immediate change in racing is the exception? Well, changing a crew chief and joining a new team are actually things that typically cause short term performance detriment at the expense of long term improvement. "...along with the extra seat time that comes with running the full Nationwide schedule." Because the HUGE driving differences Cup cars and Nationwide cars haven't been spoken of regularly for the last two-three years? "Perhaps less effort spent into beating Carl on Saturday might translate into consistent top 20s on Sunday." Probably. 28. Greg Gruver posted: 08.15.2010 - 8:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm trying to figure out how both the Robby Gordon cars go out with brake problems on a track where you really only need the brakes to pit. As slow as those cars are the could just downshift to pit. 29. Cooper posted: 08.15.2010 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 28. Greg Gruver posted: 08.15.10 - 8:13 pm I'm trying to figure out how both the Robby Gordon cars go out with brake problems on a track where you really only need the brakes to pit. As slow as those cars are the could just downshift to pit. It's simple, Robby was to cheap to buy brakes this week! 30. Anonymous posted: 08.15.2010 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What an awesome race.. We saw action all day long and after the race as well. Over 20 lead changes, the INSANE restarts.. That was good ole Michigan racing that we always use to see. Alot of fun to watch and again great coverage by ESPN today!! If you people bitched about that race then you truly are not real race fan! 31. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.15.2010 - 10:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's also wadded up about as many cars as Stremme did last year." He's crashed 5 cars this year. In the Daytona 500 he blew a tire, at Atlanta Edroids flipped him, at Talladega and the Fircracker 400 he was caught in The Big One that he didn't start. Only Sonoma was his fault (and that was one ugly ass race for him). So it's not like he's a crash artist. "Perhaps less effort spent into beating Carl on Saturday might translate into consistent top 20s on Sunday." You are awfully late to this party. Us Brad fans have been saying this for a while. And besides, he has finished in the Top 20 in over half of his races this year. Is that great? No, but I wouldn't call that inconsistent. "despite having a new crew chief and team" That's not always a good thing. Most of these guys are new to each other, and they still haven't figured it out yet. 32. Spen posted: 08.15.2010 - 10:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actully, he's been involved in ten cautions so far this year. That is however, an improvment on Stremme, who had 23 wrecks in 33 races. (A higher caution-to-race percentage than Buckshot Jones!) 33. BAFF posted: 08.15.2010 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The difference is that Brad is a rookie, who can be excused for having a tough first season. Stremme, on the other hand, was a driver who repeatedly showed he didn't deserve a top-tier ride before the '09 season had even started, and did nothing throughout the year to change that. 34. RaceFanX posted: 08.15.2010 - 10:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) With his victory here Harvick clinched a spot in the 2010 Chase. Harvick had been asked by a young fan if being the points leader at this time before the chase was stressful. Happy replied that it wasn't, he was so in control of his own destiny he was basically "on vacation." The fan responded that he'd never seen a driver win a race "on vacation" to which Harvick responded to watch him that day. Kevin then backed up that statement. Jack Roush returned to the race track for the first time since his Wisconsin plane crash a few weeks earlier and gets to witness a great run by his cars with all four Roush Fords in the top-11. Minus a late fading by Ragan and it easily could have been all four in the top-10. On the other side of the coin Roush's old friend Mark Martin had a very rough day. Mark came into this race in Chase position and qualified pretty well only to smack the wall very early in the race. The GoDaddy #5 was able to continue but the black and lime green Chevy didn't handle right after the incident and it made for a long day. Kyle Busch also had a great run ruined by contact with the outside wall. The Interstate Batteries team had their lime green #18 Toyota in and out of the pits faster than any other car during every round of yellow flag stops but a late bump to the wall by Rowdy spoiled the good run. The day was even worse for Kyle's brother Kurt. The elder Busch brother was running 15th early was the engine on the blue deuce literally went up in flames. The engine failure and small fire put Kurt out of the race before even all the start-and-parks had called it a day. Tony Stewart showed signs of his usual pattern of coming on strong in the latter half of the season. Smoke led 36 laps, only the third to this point in 2010 that he led more than 10 laps in a race. His teammate Ryan Newman had a great save when he spun after contact with Joey Lagano but managed not to hit anything. Jeff Gordon made a great drive through the field despite starting near the back only to have his day ruined by a flat tire late in the race. Even with his EnTenze sponsorship deal Kevin Conway was fired by Front Row Motorsports in the week leading up to this race for almost causing the #34 to fall out of the top-35 in owner points after also struggling with the team's #37 and #38 efforts earlier in the year. Conway was replaced for this race by Tony Raines (who previously almost won a Cup race at MIS in 2005) who drove the now unsponsored #34 to a 31st-place finish. Even now out of the series, Conway is probably a lock for RotY because of Keselowski's being ineligible for the award. Elliott Sadler's Petty Blue look was to promote the opening of a new racing exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum. If you are ever in Michigan take the drive to Dearborn and check out the museum, even before the new racing exhibit it was a racefan's dream with such vehicles as Bill Elliott's 212 MPH #9 Coors 1987 Ford Thunderbird, the fastest NASCAR race car ever, and the red #1 Ford GT40 that A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both on display along with such other historic items as the chair Abe Lincoln was shot in and the literal "last breath" of Thomas Edison. 35. 18fan posted: 08.16.2010 - 12:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This weekend all three point leaders won in their respective division. I wonder when the last time that happened. Bowyer's team missed a golden opportunity to get a fairly large advantage for twelfth before missing the setup at the end and taking a 5th-8th place car to a 13th place finish. That's really all to say that hasn't been said, another snoozing MIS race with few battles for the lead. Harvick and Hamlin's battle there for a little bit was exciting, but no other time was the battle for the lead really even a battle. 36. Jill posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ok this was very late in the post race so I'm not sure if everyone heard it, but in an interview with Marty Smith tonight Dale Jr. has passed the point of no return. The question was "How do you asses your chase chances now?" To which Jr. replied and I quote "I don't know, I really don't give a shit about it. I just uh, I'm just going home. I busted my ass all day long so I'm just gonna hit the house." Now I have never been a Jr. fan, but after tonight I have lost every shred of respect for this man. I feel sorry for every Jr. fan out there, because this man has just admitted he could care less about any of you or NASCAR. The only thing he cares about his fortune that the sport (and his many fans) has provided. Dale Sr. must be rolling in his grave, and if I was Rick Hendrick I would park him next week. Now I realize that would never happen, and some of you might think I'm crazy for suggesting such a thing. However, I think this could be Jr's last chance at a wake up call. If my favorite driver Jeff Gordon ever had the audacity to speak these words I could not continue being his fan. I have been cheering for Gordon for over a decade, but if he said these words that would change in a heartbeat. I am loyal to my driver, and in return I expect him to respect me as well as the rest of his fans. He had a horrible finish, but he was pissed off about it. That is the way it should be. I know there will continue to be Jr fans out there, but you should know, how little he cares about all of you. You disgust me Jr!!! I have fun rooting for some drivers to win and others to crash, but I can't even root for you to do bad. After all you just don't â??give a shitâ? and I have no interest in having someone like you involved in this sport. 37. Mike posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Comment #36 is gonna start a war. Lol 38. petty43 posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) jill i echoed some of those thoughts in post number 6. i could not agree more with you i saw that interview and i just rolled my eyes because he has become the ultimate tool, honestly i like kyle busch and jpm more than junior, he is definatley not a chip off the old block. 39. Red posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jr. replied and I quote "I don't know, I really don't give a shit about it. I just uh, I'm just going home. I busted my ass all day long so I'm just gonna hit the house." Ever since Junior signed with Hendrick, he's sounded like he just doesn't give a shit. Even when he has a good finish, he still sounds like a guy who wants to curl up in fetal position. I also can't believe his fans continue to worship the ground he stands on, when he gives them nothing in return. Please Dale, just do everyone a favor and retire already. Is anyone else totally sick of hearing about the battle for 12th in points? I swear Mark Martin's damaged car got more coverage than the leaders did, and they kept showing the obnoxious "points as they run" graphic about every ten laps. I also hate how ESPN constantly harps on the 10 Chase bonus points for winning, as if that's the only reason a driver would want to win a race. Remember when taking home the trophy actually meant something? ESPN fails to realize that the entire world doesn't revolve around the freaking Chase. I've always criticized RCR for being too conservative, but today's performance by the #29 car was very impressive, especially considering their history at Michigan. They're finally starting to go all out for wins. I think Harvick is now a legitimate title threat, which I wouldn't have said even a couple months ago. Like several others have mentioned, Joey Logano's comments made me reach for the nearest bucket. It's a RACE, so how can you get mad when someone RACES you? Joey's been spoiled in A+ equipment his whole life, and can't seem to cope with the fact that now the other cars go as fast as his. I'm surprised his dad wasn't there to save him from Ryan kicking his sissy ass. 40. Anonymous posted: 08.16.2010 - 3:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I do remember a race where I thought Ryan was racing harder than he should. I don't know that it's even possible at a track as wide as Mich. 41. nascar8899 posted: 08.16.2010 - 4:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) To be fair to Kyle Busch, he only bitches about his car, usually when it sucks. Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano always complain about the way others race them. I think Kyle knows he can't hardly complain about that, considering he races as hard as anyone on the track around others. Personally, I'll take a guy who hates settling for second and complains about a s***ty car, to drivers that b***h about the way other drivers race. Busch's problem is a lack of maturity, and will probably get more tempered as he gets older (you're telling me you didn't have a worse temper when you were 25?), but Hamlin and Logano just have one of those outlooks on racing that makes people hate the boring personalities and racing of modern day NASCAR. It's about winning and driving your ass off, not settling in for a safe and clean top 15 so you can make the Chase. Kyle Busch is good for the sport, even if you hate him. 42. Bronco posted: 08.16.2010 - 4:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's crashed 5 cars this year. In the Daytona 500 he blew a tire, at Atlanta Edroids flipped him, at Talladega and the Fircracker 400 he was caught in The Big One that he didn't start. Only Sonoma was his fault (and that was one ugly ass race for him). So it's not like he's a crash artist." Ok, and if you were to analyze all of Stremme's DNFs, not all of them were his fault either. And Edroids? Wow, that's really mature of you, isn't it? 43. Jill posted: 08.16.2010 - 8:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you petty43, and I went back to read your comment. Exactly! Kasey Kahne has no should be going to Hendrick next year, but he can't because Hendrick is already full. He should absolutely take Jr.'s spot. Kahne is around Jr, in points but he at least was over the top disappointed about finishing 14th. He understood that he could have gave himself a chance at the chase with a top 5. Now you might say that makes him equal to Jr, but it doesn't. I would like to point out Kahne has always finished the highest out of all of his teammates, and once he gets a good ride he will impress the masses. Just think about it this way. Both players have similar results but one is higher in points has much worse equipment, (Kahne) and the one who is lower doesn't give a shit about the team. (jr.) Believe it or not NASCAR is a team sport. The driver may be the supper star, but it is still a team sport. And I would trade a player who isn't concerned about where he finishes in a heartbeat. 44. Anonymous posted: 08.16.2010 - 10:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ comment #36 Yeah, I wanted to punch Jr. in the face after I heard that comment. 45. Dave posted: 08.16.2010 - 10:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Why do I have the sinking feeling that all these blunders by the #48 team- driver hitting the wall, bad adjustments, bad strategy, bad pit stops -are gonna disappear once Loudon gets here?" I think you have that feeling because that's exactly what's going to happen. (Unlees of course Kurt Busch decides that Loudon is a good time for payback) Now that could be fun. 46. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.16.2010 - 11:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jill, you are absolutely correct and dead on in your assessment of Driver 88. It's like the old quote goes (I can't remember the exact quote or who said it), you learn more about people's character in the tough times than the good ones. When Driver 88 struggles, he just totally packs it in. Hendrick should have canned him and put Kasey in that car for next year. Think about what their 2011 lineup could have looked like: JJ, Gordon, Mark (and a team not saddled with trying to get Driver 88 up to speed as they have been this year), and Kasey. Yikes! 47. Anonymous posted: 08.16.2010 - 12:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't know if this is the quote you are looking for DSFF but I know there's one that goes "adversity doesn't just build character, it reveals it" 48. BAFF posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) hahaha, Bronco, the home of the utterly ingenious and hilarious "KeSLOWski" is going after someone for an "immature" driver nickname 49. 18fan posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There is an article on NASCAR.com about Denny Hamlin saying that the ECR engines have way more power than the Gibbs engines and said that when you lose ground to cars that are handling worse than you is a perfect example. 50. Smokefan05 posted: 08.16.2010 - 1:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Post #36 that really doesn't suprise me. Jr. just doesn't care anymore and it's really sad. Oh Bronco you usually call Brad by "immature" nicknames, so why can't we use them on Carl? 51. DieselDan posted: 08.16.2010 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Read somewhere that chronic alternator problems is a symptom of a team using traction control. 52. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.16.2010 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I don't know if this is the quote you are looking for DSFF but I know there's one that goes "adversity doesn't just build character, it reveals it" " That's the one! Thanks! "hahaha, Bronco, the home of the utterly ingenious and hilarious "KeSLOWski" is going after someone for an "immature" driver nickname" Exactly. I don't have a problem with biting nicknames (Dale Mears, Sideways Sam, Scott Slow, John Wrecks Weekly). But to use them then criticize others for doing the same is pretty lame. 53. Bronco posted: 08.16.2010 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Exactly. I don't have a problem with biting nicknames (Dale Mears, Sideways Sam, Scott Slow, John Wrecks Weekly). But to use them then criticize others for doing the same is pretty lame." I don't have a problem with nicknames like Sideways Sam, Scott Slow, Collision Braun, Wrecky Stenhouse and KeSLOWski because there is some truth to all of them. Unless you have personally tested Carl Edwards for steroid use, calling him "Edroids" makes no sense. As for Dale Mears, well I've already chronicled how ridiculous that nickname is, so no need to go any further there. 54. Cooper posted: 08.16.2010 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Backwards 55. BAFF posted: 08.16.2010 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The difference is that "Edroids", regardless of it being true or not, is actually funny, unlike "KeSLOWski" 56. Talon64 posted: 08.16.2010 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad Keselowski had a 18.8 average finish last year in 12 starts between the #25 and #09 teams with 4 top tens, two at RP tracks (although a rookie being able to grab good finishes with little help is impressive) but a great 7th place finish in his first Darlington start and then 6th due to fuel mileage at Loudon. Then he stepped into the carcass of the #12 that Stremme left behind for the last 3 races, but who'd expect good results then? The #12 team's struggles isn't Keselowski's fault, or if there is any blame then it's only inexperience that's at fault. I'd like to see Jay Guy given a real shot as Keselowski's Cup CC, but you have to wonder if they might move Paul Wolfe up if things don't improve. 57. Hugo Stiglitz posted: 08.16.2010 - 4:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jay Guy aint the answer at CC...he didnt do a good job in the crap 78. beyond me why penske hired this guy. (no pun intended) 58. Talon64 posted: 08.16.2010 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kevin Harvick gets his 14th career Cup Series victory and 3rd of 2010. It's the 2nd most wins he's ever had in a season, his career best being 5 in 2006. It's Harvick's first win at a non-plate track since Phoenix in November of 2006. It's just his 3rd top five in 20 Michigan starts, first since finishing 2nd in this race back in 2003. It's RCR's 92nd career Cup win. Denny Hamlin finishes 2nd, his best finish since winning the first Michigan race this season. It's his 4th top five and 6th top ten in 10 Michigan starts. Carl Edwards gets his 6th straight top ten and 3rd straight top five. It's his longest top 10 streak since 2008 (he had a 6 race and 7 race streak that season). It's Carl's 8th top five and 11th top ten in 13 Michigan starts, lowering his average finish there to 6.3 (best all time of drivers with at least 10 Michigan starts). Greg Biffle has top fives in 3 of the last 4 races. It's his 4th top ten, 3rd top five in his last 5 Michigan starts. Matt Kenseth becomes the 33rd driver in Cup Series history to reach 100 career top fives. His top 5 % of 25.8% is 45th all time. It's his 10th top five in 23 Michigan starts. Tony Stewart gets his 10th top ten in the last 12 races. He's gone from 18th to 4th in the standings over that stretch. It's Stewart's 16th top ten in 24 Michigan starts, 7th in his last 9 starts there. JPM has back-to-back top tens for just the 2nd time this season (best of the season is 3 in a row). It was his 4th straight top 5 start. JPM's 11.3 average start this year is 4th best. Unfortunately he has the worst differential between average start and finish among full time drivers; he averages a drop of 7.8 positions from start to finish. Kevin Harvick has the best differential, averaging a pick-up of 9.5 positions. Martin Truex Jr. gets his 2nd top ten in the last 3 races after none in the previous 10. It's his 3rd top ten in 10 Michigan starts, first since 2007 when he finished 2nd in both races that year. Elliott Sadler gets his first top ten of 2010, his first in the last 26 races. Unfortunately he's still on pace to tie his worst finish in the standings in 29th; he finished 29th with only 1 top ten in 2000 while driving for the Wood Brothers, failing to qualify for one race. Joey Logano has only had back-to-back top tens twice this year yet his longest streak without one this year is only 4 races; he's averaging 2.14 races between top tens in 2010. David Ragan was the only Roush car to finish outside of the top 10, finishing 11th for his best finish since a 6th at Talladega back in April. Jimmie Johnson has just 1 top ten finish, a 10th, in the last 6 races. Kasey Kahne won his 18th career Cup pole; he's 3rd in poles won since 2004 (Newman with 28 and Jeff Gordon with 22 are the only ones with more). But it's the 2nd straight race he's started from pole that he hasn't led a lap after leading at least 4 laps from his previous 16 pole positions. Marcos Ambrose gets his 10th top 15 finish of the season. 59. the_man posted: 08.16.2010 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Ragan on an 11th place finish: â??All in all, we made our UPS Ford a little better throughout the day. We just didnâ??t start out that great and we could never really get a handle on the car. It was a good effort by our team, but I just wish we could have gotten that top-10 finish.â? 60. Cooper posted: 08.16.2010 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On a note related to next week... Brian Keselowski will attempt to make his first ever Cup Series start in his own #92. If Brian is successful, he'd be the first driver since Jim Inglebright in 2002 to make his first career Cup start as a driver/owner. 61. rectal bleeding posted: 08.16.2010 - 7:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i think a jimmie johnson kurt busch championship rivalry for the next 4-5 years would be super 62. petty43 posted: 08.16.2010 - 10:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) that would probably empty the bleachers. 63. martin-n-rusty posted: 08.16.2010 - 11:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If I was Rick Hendrick, money be damned, I would kick Jr. out now. Its now obvious that Jr. doesn't give a damn, and the last thing I would want on a race team if I owned one would be a driver that didn't give a damn. It's clearly obvious, if it wasn't already, that Jr. needs to see a shrink BAD. This is not the Dale Jr. we know of a few years ago. We know he is talented, its just his head is not in it at all now. 64. Kit posted: 08.17.2010 - 1:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr. is getting to the point where he can no longer ride on his name alone. 65. Smiff_99 posted: 08.17.2010 - 10:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) There are 2 ways to restore Junior to prominence. ONE---Pops comes back as Crew Chief with Jr. as Car Chief. or TWO---Junior drives a #3 car for Childress. Unfortunatly, Junior said Daytona would be the last time he EVER races a #3 car, while Pops has said repeatedly that he doesn't want to CC in the Cup series with the COT. So bottom line? One of these men needs to go back on their word in order to save Junior's carrer. Otherwise, he's done. And for the record, I'm not one of these 'there's magic in the #3 car' gotards.....I'm simply going by what Junior said after the Daytona race. Something along the lines of "anything less than a win would've been a disappointment or failure" or something to that effect. IF ONLY HE HAD THAT MENTALITY ALL THE TIME!!!! 66. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.17.2010 - 10:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The biggest thing is that bugs me is that before the season, Rick gave Dale Mears the engineer from the #5 team that won 5 races and finished 2nd in points to the 4 time champ. He also restructured the entire 5/88 garage just to get the #88 up to speed. Did Dale Mears take this as a cue to step it up and get in the game? Of course not. He has been as bad as ever from an attitude standpoint. Mark and the #5 team are struggling like hell, with a winless season and a serious chance of missing the cha$e altogether, and all Dale Mears can say is "I don't give a shit". What a loser. And don't give me that "He has 18 wins" bullshit. 15 of those came in his first 5 years. That means he is obviously talented, which makes him even more of a loser. With his talent, and the incredible equipment he is driving, he could put his nose to the grindstone and help find an answer. But he doesn't want to put the effort in. And now he is causing another driver and team to be brought down with his sorry ass, and he doesn't care. Unfortunately it is too late for Rick to do the right thing and shitcan him, putting Kasey in that car for 2011. But I would say to ALL the employees in the 5/88 shop "F**k the #88 car, we will never be successful with it while we have a driver with that attitude, put all your focus and energy in getting Mark back up to speed, into the cha$e, and in the hunt again". 67. Smiff_99 posted: 08.17.2010 - 11:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, Hendrick definatly screwed Martin over with the personnel changes. The proof is in the pudding: Mark Martin (after 23 races) 2009........4 wins-4 poles-6 top fives-11 top tens-464 laps Led 2010........0 wins-1 pole--5 top fives-7 top tens--59 laps led 68. petty43 posted: 08.17.2010 - 12:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i second that post(66) DSFF that is just what needs to happen but we all know it wont. boy i hope mark makes the chase and gets a shot at a cup, he at least has the right attitude. 69. Ryan posted: 08.17.2010 - 1:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll take Harvick over Kenseth any day of the week. I've said it before and I'll say it again. 70. Matt posted: 08.17.2010 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I disagree Ryan. Let's compare some numbers. Championships won: Kenseth 1, Harvick 0 Career victories: Kenseth 18, Harvick 14 Career top 5 finishes: Kenseth 100, Harvick 72 Career top 10 finishes: Kenseth 183, Harvick 145 Career laps led: Kenseth 5,714, Harvick 3,371 Number of seasons each driver led over 1,000 laps: Kenseth 2, Harvick 0 Number of seasons each driver led over 500 laps: Kenseth 5, Harvick 2 Number of seasons each driver led the series in total victories: Kenseth 1 (2002), Harvick 0 Number of times each driver finished the season in the top 5 in points: Kenseth 3, Harvick 3 Number of times each driver finished the season in the top 10 in points: Kenseth 6, Harvick 4 Number of times each driver has made the CHA$E: Kenseth 5 (All in a row by the way), Harvick 3 (4 if you want to say he's already clinched a spot this year) Number of times each driver has finished outside of the top 15 in points (This is a big one for me): Kenseth 0, Harvick 2 I understand that Kenseth has had 387 starts compared to Harvick's 345 and that he has a slight advantage in some of the compiling stats but really, how can you look at this and tell me you would take Harvick over Kenseth? 71. Talon64 posted: 08.17.2010 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's officially official now: Marcos Ambrose is going to drive the #9 for RPM in 2011. Stanley Tools is going to be the primary sponsor. And Budweiser is officially heading to the #29. Here's how it'll look next year: http://jayski.com/schemes/2011/cup/29budweiser-side.jpg It's weird having a red #29 car. The #9 Evernham/GEM/RPM car had already been red so when Bud moved over there it was a good fit, but this'll take some getting used to. In 2 1/2 seasons with Budweiser, Kasey Kahne has 4 wins and 4 poles while finishing 14th in the standings in 2008 and 10th in 2009; he's currently 16th in the standings this season. 72. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.17.2010 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth all the way. In addition to Matt's stats in post #70, Kenseth doesn't become a team cancer when things aren't going well, asking for his release every 3 years. Plus his "bad" seasons are still pretty respectable, while Harvick goes all out when things are down ('02 and '09). Plus Harvick has a lot of LONG winless streaks. Kevin has the streakiest career I have ever seen from anyone. From year to year you NEVER know what you will get. Who else has ever led the points standing for 20+ races in the same season they broke a 115 race winless streak? He had a phenomenal rookie year when considering the unexpected circumstances under which it happened, and followed that up with the ugliest sophomore slump ever. The next year he finished in the Top 5 in points, then finished 14th in points two years in a row with a grand total of one win in that time. He then had his best season as far as pure speed in '06, winning 5 times, then winning a thrilling '07 Daytona 500, then he didn't win for another 3 years. Now he is the title favorite. Trying to predict how things will go for him is a crapshoot. 73. Smokefan05 posted: 08.17.2010 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "while Harvick goes all out when things are down ('02 and '09)." To top off the 02 season, Robby finished ahead of Kevin in the points and out won him in the 03 season. 74. Mike posted: 08.17.2010 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As usual, people over analyze and nit pick everything Dale Jr says. I'll break it down with common sense. He had another frustrating day, he was asked about his chase chances and stated 'I don't give a shit' simply because he knows their chances of making it are slim to none, especially with how bad they've been running lately. I actually agree with him because their not in championship form so making the chase is pointless. I'd rather see them start building on next season and try to win a race before the years out. If he said 'I don't give a shit about my car and my team' then that would be a different story. The bottom line is none of you people actually KNOW him. The people that KNOW him have stated OVER and OVER again he's put more effort into racing than he has his entire career. I think I'll choose to believe people who actually know him instead of people who are just guessing. With that said, I am concerned he's starting to get discouraged. I know he didn't expect this when he went to Hendrick and he stated he couldn't handle another season like last year, so yes that interview was alarming in the sense his confidence may be beginning to tank. Hell my confidence would tank too if I was struggling at HMS. 75. Kowski posted: 08.17.2010 - 9:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lets see, Logano goes into the corner too hard looses it and takes out Newman and it's Newman who's racing to hard? Hey kid he gave the bottom 3 lanes how much room do you need? 76. Mike posted: 08.17.2010 - 10:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If I was Rick Hendrick, money be damned, I would kick Jr. out now. Its now obvious that Jr. doesn't give a damn, and the last thing I would want on a race team if I owned one would be a driver that didn't give a damn." I don't give a shit about the chase because my driver isn't running well enough to win the title. That must mean I don't care about NASCAR. Lol. 77. Kit posted: 08.17.2010 - 11:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I don't give a shit' simply because he knows their chances of making it are slim to none, especially with how bad they've been running lately" THEY'VE been running? How about how bad HE'S been running? He's in a f**king Hendrick car for crying out loud. He should be running in top 15 in points in any given year. Even with bad Hendrick equipment he shouldn't be lower than 15th in points. "I'd rather see them start building on next season and try to win a race before the years out. If he said 'I don't give a shit about my car and my team' then that would be a different story." You could have made this EXACT statement last year and the year before that. "he people that KNOW him have stated OVER and OVER again he's put more effort into racing than he has his entire career." HAHAHAHAHA! Do you actually think that the people who actually know him are going to openly say negative things about him in public? Of course not! Effort doesn't mean shit if you're not there mentally. I put in a lot of effort trying to open up a bottle of Cruzan one night so I could make a drink... but I was already drunk. I wasn't there mentally to open the bottle properly. But I put in a ton of effort! Mike, everything you have said in your post is a broken record for the past several seasons. The only constant here is Dale Jr. It's not his race cars, it's not his team, it's not crew chiefs, it's not circumstances on the track. "With that said, I am concerned he's starting to get discouraged. I know he didn't expect this when he went to Hendrick and he stated he couldn't handle another season like last year, so yes that interview was alarming in the sense his confidence may be beginning to tank. Hell my confidence would tank too if I was struggling at HMS." And Dale Earnhardt just raced. He didn't give a shit about confidence or being discouraged. He just belted up into the race car and raced. It's pretty pathetic that a driver who has won 18 races and at one point had potential to win a championship is getting as emotional as a housewife watching "Steel Magnolias." Mentally he's the polar opposite of his father. He doesn't have to live up to his father's career but at the very least he could live up to his mental toughness. I know he's your favorite driver, Mike, and I respect that, but hearing this shit every season is getting old. 78. Mike posted: 08.18.2010 - 12:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "THEY'VE been running? How about how bad HE'S been running?" Oh yeah, like any other driver would get in that car and do better. You put someone like Casey Mears or Sam Hornish Jr in the #88 and it's outside the top 35 in points. Kasey Kahne wouldn't do any better either. "You could have made this EXACT statement last year and the year before that." 2008 was not a bad season. Yes the Chase was a disaster but for most of the season they were in the top 5 in points and won a race. It wasn't a great year but it wasn't a bad year either. Ever since Darian Grubb left the team he has ran like shit. NO I'm not blaming Darian's departure for the #88's struggles, I'm just pointing out that fact. "HAHAHAHAHA! Do you actually think that the people who actually know him are going to openly say negative things about him in public? Of course not!" I respect your opinion, however I'll trust what guys like Mark Martin say about him. "He doesn't have to live up to his father's career but at the very least he could live up to his mental toughness." Mental toughness eh? Lol. Most of you wouldn't last 1 day in his shoes, including myself. "Effort doesn't mean shit if you're not there mentally. I put in a lot of effort trying to open up a bottle of Cruzan one night so I could make a drink... but I was already drunk. I wasn't there mentally to open the bottle properly. But I put in a ton of effort!" How do you put in effort if your mentally somewhere else? For example if I'm at school but I'm mentally somewhere else then I'm putting in little to no effort. If Dale was driving the car and he's mentally somewhere else he wouldn't have a ride because he would have tore up a bunch of cars. "I know he's your favorite driver, Mike, and I respect that, but hearing this shit every season is getting old." I respect your opinion too. I just get sick and tired of people nit picking and blaming him for every little damn thing. Could he be a better driver? Absolutely, every driver has room for improvement. Putting the 100% blame on him because he's in a Hendrick car? Absurd. 79. Mike posted: 08.18.2010 - 12:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And Dale Earnhardt just raced. He didn't give a shit about confidence or being discouraged. He just belted up into the race car and raced." He didn't? When Dale went winless for nearly 2 years he questioned his ability to drive and Richard had to convince him he was still a great driver. He obviously gave enough of a shit to the point he nearly retired because he thought he didn't have it anymore. 80. martin-n-rusty posted: 08.18.2010 - 7:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike, regardless of whether my guy's chances of making the chase would be slim or not, if I heard him essentially saying "I quit", I would kick him out for being a quitter. And Jr. has had a track record of this, at least in a Hendrick car. It's time Hendrick tells Jr. "Get your head examined, or get out". It's sad to see such a talent like Dale Jr. waste it all away with a horrible mindset. 81. I Seize the Day posted: 08.18.2010 - 11:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "2008 was not a bad season. Yes the Chase was a disaster but for most of the season they were in the top 5 in points and won a race. It wasn't a great year but it wasn't a bad year either. Ever since Darian Grubb left the team he has ran like shit. NO I'm not blaming Darian's departure for the #88's struggles, I'm just pointing out that fact." I could be wrong, but I don't believe Darian was ever associated with the 88 team? I know he was CC for the 25 before it turned 88, but then again, I don't remember Darian's role in 2008? 82. Mike posted: 08.18.2010 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I could be wrong, but I don't believe Darian was ever associated with the 88 team? I know he was CC for the 25 before it turned 88, but then again, I don't remember Darian's role in 2008?" Darian was moved to an administrative role at the 5 and 88 shop after the 2007 season. Then of course he left to go to SHR after 2008. 83. I Seize the Day posted: 08.18.2010 - 1:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks for clearing that up. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. I guess thats what beer and medication will do to ya. 84. Mike posted: 08.18.2010 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Mike, regardless of whether my guy's chances of making the chase would be slim or not, if I heard him essentially saying "I quit", I would kick him out for being a quitter." He did not say I quit. He said he doesn't give a shit about his chase chances. Before he made this comment he's stated on multiple occasions he could careless about the chase if he's not running good enough to win the championship. I guess it's the way he said it this time that's caused a buzz. "And Jr. has had a track record of this, at least in a Hendrick car. It's time Hendrick tells Jr. "Get your head examined, or get out". It's sad to see such a talent like Dale Jr. waste it all away with a horrible mindset." I respect your opinion but I'm not buying it as of right now. He's the most popular driver and pretty much carries the sport on his shoulders. It takes mental toughness to carry that with you on a daily basis. 85. Anonymous posted: 08.18.2010 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's the most popular driver and pretty much carries the sport on his shoulders." This actually would help explain why the sport is going in the shitter 86. petty43 posted: 08.18.2010 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) if juniors mental toughness is being tested in ANY way it will likely fail, he has very little. i actually think he is kind of a dipshit. He is an overgrown child who acts and PARTIES like one. he will never get it back together i will stand by that comment for the rest of my life. the dale earnhardt jr of 2000 to 2005 is gone and we will never see him perform at that level again, i am tired of people defending this little bitch, because thats really what he is, remeber daddy did not get the silver spoon but junior did, and he really wont be relevent ever again in my eyes, actually i wish he would retire because he really does not do anything to bring that name sucess anymore. also hendrick is my favorite org and i would rather see kahne in that car he would be much more sucessful, he has been more sucessful in RPM equip than junir in hendrick equip over the same time span. junior still has not even won a race in that 88 car yet. 87. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2010 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The people that KNOW him have stated OVER and OVER again he's put more effort into racing than he has his entire career." Those people that KNOW June are called "hangers-on" or "moochers". June is their meal ticket, so they will kiss his ass, and also cover his ass. When the gravy train quits rolling for him, they are screwed. So of course they will say that. "so yes that interview was alarming in the sense his confidence may be beginning to tank." MAY BE BEGINNING???? You're a little late to this party. "He should be running in top 15 in points in any given year." Exactly. Even drivers like Brian Vickers and Casey Mears finished in the Top 15 in those cars. And they are both at the bottom end of mediocre. "You put someone like Casey Mears or Sam Hornish Jr in the #88 and it's outside the top 35 in points." Uh, CASEY WAS IN THAT CAR IN 2007!!!! He finished in the Top 15 in points. "Putting the 100% blame on him because he's in a Hendrick car? Absurd." If they wren't really trying at HMS to help June's situation out I would understand, but Rick has put a full court press on that 88 car, going so far as to bring down the #5 team to help June out. "When Dale went winless for nearly 2 years he questioned his ability to drive and Richard had to convince him he was still a great driver." It wasn't that he believed he couldn't drive, he was afraid that his injuries from his horrific '96 Talladega crash were holding him, and by proxy, his team back. And BTW, in those "nearly two years", he still finished 4th and 5th in points respectively. BTW: In case you didn't notice, I'm referring to Driver 88 as "June" now. I like this for 3 reasons: 1) His Dad called him "Junebug" as a child which leads me to 2) he still acts like a child so it is appropriate to use a takeoff of one of his early childhood nicknames and 3) it sounds like a girl's name. 88. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.18.2010 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I put in a lot of effort trying to open up a bottle of Cruzan one night so I could make a drink... but I was already drunk. I wasn't there mentally to open the bottle properly. But I put in a ton of effort!" HA! Great example. When I'm drunk, I put in a ton of effort into not missing the toilet while I take a 5 minute beer piss. But that rarely works. But that must suck to have it right in front of you and not be able to open it. 89. Mike posted: 08.18.2010 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Uh, CASEY WAS IN THAT CAR IN 2007!!!! He finished in the Top 15 in points." Just because he was in that same car means nothing. The team Casey Mears had in 2007 and the team Dale Jr had in 2008 was different, and it's totally different now after the off season personnel changes. The whole landscape of the shop changed after 2007. 90. Mike posted: 08.18.2010 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "BTW: In case you didn't notice, I'm referring to Driver 88 as "June" now." Thank you. That's much better than Dale Mears. 91. TonyStewartFanForver posted: 08.18.2010 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony needs to mate with Natalie Portman...A Tony Jr would be produced and he would make Jimmie Johnson look like a stinkweed. (on and off the track) 92. petty43 posted: 08.18.2010 - 6:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) post 87 made me laugh out loud 5 minute beep piss thats funny 93. Jill posted: 08.18.2010 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) â??If Dale was driving the car and he's mentally somewhere else he wouldn't have a ride because he would have tore up a bunch of cars.â? First of all I Jr has proven he will have a great ride no matter how bad he does. Tell me this if Jr comes to the track, mentally focusing on every race, How come he canâ??t even manage to do a simple task like coming in for a pit stop. In the 2009 Daytona 500 he started off by missing his pit all together. Later in the same race he pitted outside his box and received a one-lap penalty. In attempts to make the lap up he wrecked Brian Vickers on the back straight away causing â??the big oneâ?. Mentally there? You be the judge. In fairness Jr. had a very good excuse for missing his pit; all the signs were pink. Now while this wasnâ??t exactly true, Jr. lets pretend for your sake it was. If every sign was pink how come 42 other drivers didnâ??t miss their pit? If he is really mentally focused at Hendrick then how can he have possibly screwed up this many times in the BIGGEST race of the year. It is no wonder he finished 25th in points last year. I donâ??t care who you are, but in the words of doctor Phill: If your teammates finish 1st 2nd and 3rd, but you finished 25th youâ??ve got a problem. 94. Mike posted: 08.19.2010 - 12:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I never made any excuses for Jr missing his pit stall. It was inexcusable and he is 100% to blame for that. He had a car capable of winning the Daytona 500 and he took himself out of contention, then he proceeded to cause a big wreck. It was his fault and he took responsibility for it. 95. Ryan posted: 08.19.2010 - 1:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 70. Matt posted: 08.17.10 - 2:15 pm I disagree Ryan. Let's compare some numbers. "Championships won: Kenseth 1, Harvick 0 Career victories: Kenseth 18, Harvick 14 Career top 5 finishes: Kenseth 100, Harvick 72 Career top 10 finishes: Kenseth 183, Harvick 145 Career laps led: Kenseth 5,714, Harvick 3,371 Number of seasons each driver led over 1,000 laps: Kenseth 2, Harvick 0 Number of seasons each driver led over 500 laps: Kenseth 5, Harvick 2 Number of seasons each driver led the series in total victories: Kenseth 1 (2002), Harvick 0 Number of times each driver finished the season in the top 5 in points: Kenseth 3, Harvick 3 Number of times each driver finished the season in the top 10 in points: Kenseth 6, Harvick 4 Number of times each driver has made the CHA$E: Kenseth 5 (All in a row by the way), Harvick 3 (4 if you want to say he's already clinched a spot this year) Number of times each driver has finished outside of the top 15 in points (This is a big one for me): Kenseth 0, Harvick 2 I understand that Kenseth has had 387 starts compared to Harvick's 345 and that he has a slight advantage in some of the compiling stats but really, how can you look at this and tell me you would take Harvick over Kenseth?" All these stats are pretty much moot when you consider Kenseth drove for Roush when Roush was pretty dominant. I still like Harvick's complete resume' considering his sources. The guy has won on every type of track there is basically. A win at Darlington and he can easily retire right then and become an instant Hall of Famer without any questions raised. 96. Ryan posted: 08.19.2010 - 1:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 94. Mike posted: 08.19.10 - 12:41 am "I never made any excuses for Jr missing his pit stall. It was inexcusable and he is 100% to blame for that. He had a car capable of winning the Daytona 500 and he took himself out of contention, then he proceeded to cause a big wreck. It was his fault and he took responsibility for it." I don't remember him taking responsibility for it 97. I Seize the Day posted: 08.19.2010 - 9:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) A win at Darlington wont make Harvick a Hall of Famer Ryan. If that is the case, Kyle Busch will be in the Hall of Fame, and while both have raw talent, they are not elite drivers. I beleive there are only four current drivers that will make the Hall of Fame - Johnson, Gordon, Martin and Stewart. Not included in this are former Champs Kenseth, Ku. Busch and B. Labonte. So quite frankly if Harvick makes it with just a few more wins I will consider the HOF a joke. 98. Sean posted: 08.19.2010 - 12:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I Seize The Day, I don't think the Hall will be anywhere near as exclusive as you do. The drivers in this generation like Harvick and Kenseth will probably retire around 2020 or so, and there will probably be a five-year waiting period before retired drivers can be inducted, which means they probably wouldn't be eligible until around 2025 or so, meaning there would be 14 more classes (70 inductees) before talking about them. There will obviously be a heavy bias towards drivers in the hall because those are the people in the sport who get the most attention, and by the time Harvick and Kenseth become eligible, most of the true legendary drivers will already be inducted (not to mention that both of those drivers will likely raise their credentials in that time and finish with between 20-30 wins). In the next 70 inductees, expect about 35 Cup drivers, 10 minor-league drivers, 10 crew chiefs/engine builders/engineers, 10 car owners, and 5 people in other roles (i.e. promoters/track owners/announcers). So my guess would be more or less the following will be inducted by 2025 (I think Gordon/Johnson/Martin/Stewart will all be retired by 2020): Cup drivers - Bobby Allison, Davey Allison, Buck Baker, Buddy Baker, Geoff Bodine, Neil Bonnett, Red Byron, Bill Elliott, Tim Flock, Harry Gant, Jeff Gordon, Ernie Irvan, Bobby Isaac, Dale Jarrett, Ned Jarrett, Jimmie Johnson, Alan Kulwicki, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Fred Lorenzen, Mark Martin, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Tim Richmond, Fireball Roberts, Ricky Rudd, Tony Stewart, Herb Thomas, Curtis Turner, Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Joe Weatherly, Rex White, Cale Yarborough. I think LeeRoy Yarbrough, Jack Smith, and Speedy Thompson will have to wait due to their personal controversies (mental illness, racism, and intentionally causing a wreck that nearly killed Herb Thomas due to Kiekhaefer's team orders, respectively). Others like Jim Paschal and Dick Hutcherson will be snubbed even if they maybe shouldn't be since they didn't make the 50 Greatest Drivers list. Marvin Panch? I wanted to list him but I'm not sure who to omit from my list above; I simply think all of those I listed are better. Probably ditto Marshall Teague, who had far too short a career for me to want to list him here. Jeff Burton? I know he has enough wins but I still wouldn't rank him over anyone I listed, and I don't think he'll get too many more wins before he retires. Other modern drivers? (Busch brothers/Kenseth/Harvick/Kahne/Biffle/Edwards/etc...) I didn't list any of those because I think most of those will still be racing in 2020 and therefore not eligible in 2025. Junior will probably get in due to his name recognition alone (not to mention that I think he will retire before 2020) but I don't think he deserves it. Even if he does, I'd induct Kenseth, both Busch brothers, Burton, Harvick, Kahne, Biffle, and Edwards AT LEAST before him, in addition to all those listed above. When you consider that I expect lots of guys with 10-20 wins to be inducted, Kenseth and Harvick don't seem far-fetched. In fact, I'd call Kenseth a lock already (but Harvick has more to do; I think he'll probably do it though). Minor-league drivers (yes, I know some of these won in Cup, and I know some of them probably won't get in): Jerry Cook, Ralph Earnhardt (in my opinion he doesn't deserve it and only gets the hype he gets due to his son's success, but he's still in), Ray Elder, Richie Evans, Red Farmer, Ray Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Hershel McGriff, Larry Phillips, Bob Welborn. I would replace Ralph Earnhardt with Tiny Lund, but Ralph is more likely to get in I think... The 50 Greatest Drivers list didn't recognize minor-league drivers enough, and Elder and Phillips are probably two of the more ridiculous omissions. Elder managed to win 2 Cup races in Winston West equipment not to mention winning six Winston West titles and usually BEATING Hershel McGriff (who made the list; I do think McGriff deserves it, but if he does, Elder does too). Larry Phillips is talked about by Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace as one of the best short track drivers ever and won 5 Winston Racing Series titles in the '80s and '90s (VERY impressive when you consider that hundreds of drivers compete for that title a year). Can't see why Elder and Phillips were ever snubbed in the first place, especially considering Ralph Earnhardt, A.J. Foyt, Tiny Lund, Cotton Owens, and Glen Wood made it, which were all somewhat questionable... Crew chiefs/engine builders: Tim Brewer, Jake Elder, Ray Evernham, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Chad Knaus, Banjo Matthews, Gary Nelson, Kirk Shelmerdine, Smokey Yunick. But MAN, it was hard leaving Ray Fox, Jeff Hammond, Buddy Parrott, Todd Parrott, Andy Petree, and Waddell Wilson off. I think several of those are unlikely to get in due to the bias towards drivers anyway. Larry McReynolds and Robin Pemberton get lots of hype and may get in for that, but there are TONS of crew chiefs I would induct before either of them. Car owners (I listed Owens and Leonard Wood here to free up more space on the crew chief side): Richard Childress, Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, Bud Moore, Cotton Owens, Raymond Parks, Jack Roush, Glen Wood, Leonard Wood, Robert Yates. I think Penske will have some trouble with no championship. I personally wouldn't induct Raymond Parks simply because he was the first champion car owner, but he just died and I think it's likely he'll get in this year as a result. I would instead choose Ralph Moody, who I think made a bigger impact on NASCAR history. I REALLY hope Carl Kiekhaefer doesn't get in, even though he had the first successful multi-car team, given his general corruption (and yes, you can comment on me listing Hendrick or Roush given some of their controversies, but they both made a bigger long-term impact than Kiekhaefer did). Other - Chris Economaki, Bob Jenkins, T. Wayne Robinson, Bruton Smith, Humpy Wheeler. Old school track owners like Harold Brasington and Paul Sawyer, no matter how nice, will probably never be inducted. Smith and Wheeler are too prominent figures to be ignored, even if I don't like them. Robinson deserves to be the third NASCAR official inducted I think, given he is largely responsible for much of the '80s/'90s NASCAR glory years thanks to the Winston Million, etc... Economaki gets in as the classic NASCAR media guy, while Jenkins gets in over Ken Squier for NASCAR television coverage, simply because I think Jenkins was both better and made a bigger impact, since ESPN televised more races than anyone else in the "glory days". If you consider all the above or probably a similar list will be inducted by 2025, do you REALLY think Harvick and Kenseth are stretches? They'll be competing with guys like Marvin Panch, Dick Hutcherson, Marshall Teague, Buddy Parrott, Waddell Wilson, Roger Penske, Mike Stefanik, etc... They won't be competing with David Pearson or Cale Yarborough or Bud Moore or the Wood Brothers or Richie Evans, who will all already be in. And given that, they're a lot more likely contenders than you think. 99. BAFF posted: 08.19.2010 - 12:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd think Harvick is similar in talent and results to one Geoff Bodine, who I wouldn't put into the Hall (though he's close). Now, if Harvick wins the title this year, well, ignore what I said before. 100. I Seize the Day posted: 08.19.2010 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You make some valid points Sean. I can't really argue you on that. But what about guys like Hornaday, Sprague and Ard? Do you think they will get voted in with their Truck/Busch accomplishments? 101. Sean posted: 08.19.2010 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Correction in the Other category: T. Wayne ROBERTSON* Man, that embarrasses me. 102. Sean posted: 08.19.2010 - 1:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hornaday? Yeah, I'd induct him. The Craftsman Truck Series has made enough of an impact to deserve a representative or two, and he along with Mike Skinner are the most obvious choices. Both are deserving. Ard? I would also induct him. He was one of the Busch greats. With Hornaday and Ard, I just don't think they were among the top ten minor-league drivers, but that doesn't mean those are the ONLY ten minor-league drivers I'd induct. Sprague? I don't think I'd induct him. Hornaday and Skinner were both better and I don't know that the trucks need a third representative in only a 15-year history. Then again who I'd induct and who the voters induct are not necessarily the same thing. I would induct Geoff Bodine and Ernie Irvan, and not Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but I think due to name recognition Junior will get in and I could see either Bodine and/or Irvan being snubbed, even though they were both WAY better. 103. I Seize the Day posted: 08.19.2010 - 1:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To get in the HOF, it seems as if being the first of something is almost as important (if not more important) than actually having a nice statistical resume. With that said you have to wonder if, stats aside, they would look at Kyle Busch because of his first Toyota and COT win. I know earlier I said he doesn't belong and I still stand by it, but I just wonder if NASCAR will look into that. Travis Kvapil too, getting Toyota's first overall win in the Truck Series. 104. Neal posted: 08.19.2010 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean - I like Bob Jenkins but picking him over Ken Squier is a huge slap in the face. If it weren't for Ken Squier, NASCAR wouldn't be where it is today. He was the one who convinced CBS to air the 1979 Daytona 500 flag-to-flag. 105. petty43 posted: 08.19.2010 - 2:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) hey sean while i hate speedy for what he did to herb at shelby i do not think it would keep him from the hall, he just was not that great. he should not go in in period, same for jack smith whether he was racist or not, he was not good enough. we cannot put every driver who won 18 races in the hof, that would be like baseball inducting every 300 hitter of 200 game winner. i would also not include geoff bodine ernie irvan or junior. leave kulwicki out for me this is a hall of fame not hall of great for one year, take away 92 and kulwicki becomes a very unimpressive driver, to bad we will never know where he could have ended up, but i dont think he did enough, championships are great but wins are really what matter and his win percentage is very below average. curtis turner and bob welborn are not hall of famers, neither is paul goldsmith in spite of how much smokey liked him. as big as you are on larry philips, surprised you did not mention the kosiski bros or steve carlson. for me harry gant is right on the border if a driver was better than harry he is a hofer, if not leave him out. fonty flock should be in though, he won big races like darlington raliegh lakewood langhorne and lehi 106. petty43 posted: 08.19.2010 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) also does anybody here feel that donnie allison is a hall of famer? dick rathman? 107. Horace posted: 08.19.2010 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I feel bad for Kevin Conway...I dont think he got a fair shake at FRM. Give him time to gel with his team and he could really go somewhere. 108. Talon64 posted: 08.19.2010 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I feel bad for Kevin Conway...I dont think he got a fair shake at FRM. Give him time to gel with his team and he could really go somewhere." Yeah he was really looking like he would break through and pffffft LOLOLOLOL I can't type that with a straight face. 109. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2010 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "A win at Darlington and he can easily retire right then and become an instant Hall of Famer without any questions raised." Um, no. Even if he wins the Cup this year (the way they are running, it's their's to lose) I don't think so. You have to realize this is his 10th season in Cup and he hasn't even won 15 races yet. Fellow 2001 rookie Kurt Busch got his 15th win 4 and 1/2 years ago. To me, he is way too inconsistent and streaky to even be under consideration for the HOF. I know the reasoning is "he has won on every type of track, and has won Indy and Daytona", but his career needs further examination. He won the Brickyard in '03 and didn't win again for 55 races. He won the '07 Daytona 500 and didn't win again for another 115 races. Plus, although he has won on every type of track, he hasn't dominated anywhere. He has 2 short track wins, 3 one mile track wins, 4 one and a half to two mile track wins, 1 unrestricted 2.5 mile track win, 3 plate wins, and 1 road course win. He's a jack of all trades and a master of none. 110. DaleSrFanForever posted: 08.19.2010 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ralph Earnhardt (in my opinion he doesn't deserve it and only gets the hype he gets due to his son's success, but he's still in)" Ralph is the greatest Southeastern red clay/dirt driver ever. Seeing as how NASCAR started on Southeastern red clay/dirt tracks, he should get in. If only they had kept records back then, we would see how jaw dropping his numbers were, and this wouldn't even be a discussion. The most conservative estimates I've heard have him winning 800+ dirt races. He was the Richie Evans of dirt track racing. And in my opinion, being Dale's Dad may have hurt him historically. Seeing as how everything about Dale gets romanticized so much, lots of people assume he is being overblown with everything else. Just remember, it wasn't until the late 80's that Dale quit being known primarily as "Ralph's Boy". 111. Talon64 posted: 08.19.2010 - 7:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick's probably got another 10 years left in his Cup career so if he wins the championship this year then he'd have plenty of time to pad his stats. Don't forget he also has his Nationwide numbers which will help, even if most of them have come while he's been in Cup. Well knowing fans won't think that'll be a factor but the voters will probably consider them. A Cup championship would make him just the 2nd driver to win both a Cup and Nationwide championship (Bobby Labonte's currently the only one). And there's his success as a Truck Series owner, and his Nationwide team's bound to win the owners championship sooner or later. 112. Eric posted: 08.19.2010 - 11:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kevin Harvick isn't a future hall of fame driver yet unlike Kurt Busch. Kurt Busch has the better career of the 2 drivers and is already has a resume that will put Kurt into the Hall of Fame. Kevin has a lot of prime years left as a cup driver. Kevin will be 35 in December. 35 usually is an age that a driver is still in his prime.A cup driver really declines in his late 40's in most cases. All Kevin needs is more cup wins. 14 cup wins isn't enough, but there is a lot of time to increase the win total. Kevin's minor league resume is good as a driver. only 1 of 2 Nationwide championship should count because his 2006 championship was when he was a cup driver for all 36 races. Kevin also is a 1998 K & N Pro Series West series champion. If Kevin wins a cup championship, I think he gets in. If he wins this years championship, he will have 4 career Nascar Championships with 3 of them being in different Nascar series. Kevin's truck and Nationwide wins after 2001, shouldn't looked at as a driver. Kevin raced in minor league series after 2001 as regular driver and had an advantage over other Nationwide drivers while he was racing with RCR in the Nationwide series after 2001. Kevin's 2001 Championship in Busch should count because the plan was for Kevin being a full time Busch Series driver, not being a cup regular. Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death caused Kevin to a cup regular 1 year earlier than he would have been and should looked as a special circumstance as a cup driver in 2001. Kevin's minor league after 2001 should treated like Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle and others that won races in minor leagues series while being a cup regular that isn't under circumstances that the car owner and driver had no control over. 113. Talon64 posted: 08.20.2010 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A Cup championship pretty much locks any driver into the HoF. I mean, you'd have to be the biggest one hit wonder ever not to be. Kurt's been inconsistent year to year too but the move to Penske and their inconsistency has been the key reason. And Kurt's still found a way to win at least once in each of the last 9 seasons and win multiple times in 7 of them. Most importantly, Kurt's only 32 years old so he could reach 40 Cup wins by the end of his career and possibly add one more championship. Kurt also had the best rookie season in Truck Series history, with records for wins (4), poles (4), and points finish (2nd) in 2000. He also won the IROC championship in 2003. The active drivers who are HoF locks right now are: Jimmie Johnson Jeff Gordon Bill Elliott Tony Stewart Mark Martin Terry Labonte Bobby Labonte Kurt Busch Matt Kenseth Jeff Burton is RIGHT on the bubble for a pure lock, he had great years at Roush then a big dry spell before reviving his career at RCR. But he got his first Cup win in 1997 and after 13 years he's still competitive enough to be competing for more, so longevity is the biggest factor in him getting in. And recently retired drivers like Dale Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd are locks too. Then here's the guys who are on HoF pace but still need to accomplish more to get there: Kyle Busch Carl Edwards Dale Earnhardt Jr. Denny Hamlin Greg Biffle Kasey Kahne Ryan Newman (had to think about whether to include him, but he's T-10th in all time poles) 114. Eric posted: 08.20.2010 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nascar driver don't go to the Nascar Hall of Fame by poles only and Ryan Newman can't get in as result. Newman is a one year wonder. Here are my locks for the HOF and are correctly active as a driver: Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Bill Elliott Mark Martin Kurt Busch Terry Labonte Bobby Labonte Matt Kenseth Ron Hornady Jr. (He is locked in as a truck series driver, despite it will take a long time to get in) borderline drivers is currently active: Jeff Burton (needs a couple more wins) Active Drivers on the path to the HOF if they continue to win: Kyle Busch (already has as many wins as Dale Jr. and is only 25) Denny Hamlin (Gibbs has the equipment for it to happen.) Active Drivers that may or not make it into the hof: Carl Edwards ( depends on equipment and if his head is on straight) Greg Biffle(depends on equipment and needs some major wins on resume) Kevin Harvick(He will be off this list off if he wins a championship this year) Kasey Khane (depends on HMS for equipment) Dale Earnhardt Kr. (He is fading badly, only hope to win now is on plate track or gets lucky) 115. Talon64 posted: 08.20.2010 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fan perspective is one thing, but I think voters will consider him for being of the best qualifiers of all time. He led the series in poles for 4 straight seasons, including a rookie record 6 in 2002. He also holds rookie records for top fives with 14 and top tens with 22. 116. Kit posted: 08.20.2010 - 11:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nascar driver don't go to the Nascar Hall of Fame by poles only and Ryan Newman can't get in as result. Newman is a one year wonder." Only because Penske found an advantage in 2003, way above most other teams that year. I actually thought it would be Newman with Johnson's career stats right now. 117. Eric posted: 08.21.2010 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree that Penske found an advantage 2003, Kit. I remembered reading about it back in 2003. I thought same thing as you did Kit with Newman having Jimmie Johnson's stats at one time. 118. Eric posted: 08.21.2010 - 1:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talon64, I knew before you told about Ryan Newman being on the best qualifiers ever. Voters don't look at qualifying as the first thing for a driver. Voters didn't look at Qualifying with Richard Petty despite being the all time leader in poles. Voters made a first ballot HOF because of 200 wins, and 7 championships. I called him a one year wonder because of what he does one race day. Newman's 2003 season was a career year and he never got that close to wins another season. I remembered Newman wining a lot of races that year because of his crew chief calls from the pit box with fuel mileage. Newman wins poles, but he falls back. Newman's 14 wins may look like he has a shot to get into the HOF if he gets more wins, but the way he won races is makes his rain totals deceiving and is actually the reason why Newman hasn't won a lot of races since the start of 2004. Most of Newman's wins were by fuel mileage, rain shorten, or by great pit strategy for the final pitstop by amount of tires taken. Newman will be lucky if he get 4 or 5 more cup wins in his career despite having a lot of prime years left. It is caused by the fact the amount of races decided down to fuel mileage has went down since 2003. It is either caused by wrecks or debris cautions. 119. Daniel posted: 05.21.2012 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #32 Mike Bliss & #46 J.J. Yeley Out using fastest 43: #7 P.J. Jones & #37 David Gilliland 120. 13 posted: 11.18.2012 - 11:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) as of 11/18/12 Kurts engine failure here is the last for Penske 121. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 04.24.2014 - 2:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew 64 Tony Raines Toyota TBA Larry Gunselman 122. Anonymous posted: 03.09.2017 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Race that Landon Cassill credits with restarting his career 123. Anonymous posted: 03.09.2017 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ignore that, wrong Michigan race, my bad 124. Anthony posted: 03.10.2017 - 2:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was gonna say, how can starting and parking be considering restarting one's career. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: