|| *Comments on the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500:* View the most recent comment <#131> | Post a comment <#post> 1. I Seize the Day posted: 11.14.2010 - 6:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Devastating for Denny. 2. Anonymous posted: 11.14.2010 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) ESPN apparently does not count 2004 as being part of the Chase years, since they keep calling this the closest Chase in history. The top 5 entered Homestead within 90 points that year, and the top three were only 21 points apart. I guess ESPN won't let facts get in the way of excessive hype. 3. BRANDON3.24.43.48 posted: 11.14.2010 - 6:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great job rr on getting these results so quickly. Logano is really coming around these past few races. Watch out next year, 20 could be dominant with his talent and JGR equipment. 4. RaceFanX posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Edwards ends a 70-race losing skid dating back to Homestead in 2008. He sweeps the weekend in the process and for the first time in Cup adding on to his famous backflip by going into the stands to celebrate in the crowd. This race became a bit of a fuel milage gamble late. While Edwards made it to the line to win, 2nd place Juan Pablo Montoya ran out and had to settle for 16th. The fuel milage had a major effect on the title chase. Denny Hamlin dominated the race but his FedEx Toyota did not get good milage and a late pitstop dropped him from a top-5 well back. Jimmie Johnson almost ran dry but switching to conservation mode he had enough to make it and place 5th. An earlier pit miscue for Kevin Harvick actually paid off, his team topped off whne they pitted to fix a loose lugnut and as such had no fuel issues. Kasey Kahne go the actual fuel can stuck on his #83 Red Bull Toyota during one of his pit stops and had to drive around the track once before coming back in to have it removed. Jamie McMurray came back to get a top-10 despite a bump with the Turn 2 wall that caused the deck lid of the red #1 to start falling off. The crew was able to fix it and get the spoiler back in proper position. Dale Jr. had a special fan-designed Diet Mt. Dew paint job on his car for this race as part of the "Paint the 88" contest. Brendan Gaughan made his first start in Cup since his full-time campaign in 2004. The black and gold South Point Casino Chevrolet was sadly knocked out quickly by a trip into the Turn 1 wall courtesy of a flat tire. 5. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would just like to take this opportunity to compliment Denny Hamlin, somebody I very openly dislike, for his post race interview. He effectively walked the line between not being an emotionless robot (like JJ) and not being a jerk (like Kyle, Tony, Kevin.....). He was clearly devastated and rightfully so. For 300 laps he was in position to drop the dagger, but circumstances out of his control prevented that. But he gave the interview, didn't throw anybody under the bus, while showing that he is human and very affected by the results, as he should have been. THAT is what us fans are looking for. From a speed perspective, I think the 11 team still has the inside track. They have the most speed of anyone and are still the leaders. I'm not sure the 48 team can lead the most laps and win this year. The question is how they recover from this devastation. It is pretty ironic it was Chad's strategy, the same guy Mike Ford totally called out last week, that allowed them to close up in points. And also this crew swap is looking brilliant now. The 24 team's pit stops sucked all day while the 48's were probably the best. Congrats to the 99 team. I said something like this on one of the NWide pages not long ago, and I'm gonna say it now: I look for Roush and the Fords to come raging back next year. The 17 and 16 are looking a lot better, as has the 99 for some time. Even the 6 car has gone from "sucks" to "mediocre". I think this is a preview for next year. 6. Anonymous posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is really the first time in five years that Jimmie has had to go into Homestead and actually race. It'll be interesting to see just how good the 48 team actually is at that track. 7. potatosalad48 posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fuel strategy really paid off as #99 went 89 laps w/out pitting and got his 1st win since Homestead-Miami in 2008. The 48 did as well and finished 5th, narrowing the 11s lead from 33 points to 15 after the 11 pitted for fuel and finished 12th. Helluva championship battle going into Homestead. 8. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "But he (Hamlin) gave the interview, didn't throw anybody under the bus, while showing that he is human and very affected by the results, as he should have been. THAT is what us fans are looking for." Did you not listen to him on the cool down lap or the press conference? He basically said they shouldn't have pitted. And called out his crew chief during the cool down lap and press conference. He also threw a water bottle like a little kid when he couldn't get his way. The 11 team very well should have stayed out, but someone thought it wasn't worth it. Hamlin didn't act like a points leader in his interview nor a champion. He acted like a immature little boy who acted like he lost the title. 9. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And congrats to Kevin Harvick on winning his first traditional Nascar title. If they would give the points leader the same amount as the driver(s) with the most wins during the first 26 races like they should, this three way race for the Chase title would be a lot closer between the three. Instead of being 46 out, Harvick would be 26 out. 10. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Although I don't like Johnson, I like what he said about Hamlin this week. "I hope he doesn't sleep at all every night, I hope he hears every car part, rattle every lap." Now that's some good entertainment. 11. Bronco posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A long overdue win for Carl and his 99 team. After having only about 6 laps led at the half way point of the season, he got things turned around in a hurry and has the second best average finish this season, and he capped it off by avoiding going two consecutive years without a win. Carl's last three wins now have all come as a result of saving fuel, Phoenix this year and Texas and Homestead in 2008. This is his second straight weekend sweep, having done it at Homestead in 2008, and the first win for Aflac as a primary sponsor. Johnson's streak of wins in the fall Phoenix race gets broken, however he scored his 9th straight top 5. This is the first time he hasn't led since the spring race of 2007. Major heartbreak for Hamlin, who dominated the race but lost it on fuel mileage. Even bigger heartbreak for Brendan Gaughan's whose comeback after nearly 6 years was cut short by a lap 1 crash. Kevin Harvick would have clinched his first Cup championship by posting the best average finish since Labonte in 2000, however he has to win the race next week if he wants the championship. Very nice comeback for Jamie Mac to finish 10th after knocking the spoiler off his car and falling a lap down. He now has more top tens than he did in any season driving the 26. ESPN's crap about this being a close points battle is getting annoying, apparently they weren't around in 2004. 12. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "ESPN's crap about this being a close points battle is getting annoying, apparently they weren't around in 2004." This is just propaganda they are using to build them up. NBC had the coverage then I believe. This is however the closest race since they changed the seeding format and giving points for wins in the "regular season". 13. Schwab posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joey Logano scores his fifth consecutive top ten finish and continues his weekly improvement of one position. Starting at Charlotte his finishes have been 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, and 3rd today. Jimmie Johnson scores his eighth consecutive top ten finish. Kevin Harvick scores his seventh consecutive top ten finish. In the eight Sprint Cup races that Denny Hamlin has led 175 laps or more in a single race, he has failed to win in five of those races. In comparison, Jimmie Johnson has led 175 laps or more in a single race fourteen times in his Sprint Cup career and failed to win four of those races. 14. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Normally I would say Denny is done after what happened today, but he does have Joe Gibbs in his corner. A man of character, faith, and leadership. I love it that there is finally going to be some pressure involved in the last race of the season, that it will actually be worthwhile to watch. Homestead has some great racing too. The new track reminds me a little of the old Atlanta track. 15. Eric posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Roush has figured things out on the cup side. Carl Edwards winning a cup race has now changed the sprint all star race fan vote for next year. The biggest name drivers not being 2011 all star race at this time is Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, and Joey Logano. Joey logano now has his 5th top 10 in a row. I see him making the chase next year.Nice comeback by Jamie McMurray. Espn is changing racing history in Nascar because Espn didn't cover a cup race from 2001 to 2006. Espn is known their propaganda. This typical Espn and Espn hasn't been great in years. 16. Greg Gruver posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I fail to see how everyone says that Carl swept the weekend. There was two other races at PIR that he did not win! 17. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JJ closes the points gap this week, so next week is going to be exciting to watch for sure. I love that JJ actually has to race his ass off for this one rather than having a 70+ point lead going into Miami like he has in previous years. He just better hope Denny doesn't have the speed he had this week, and that he makes another mistake like he did today. And for the first time in his career, Kevin Harvick has a reasonable shot at the title going into Miami. 18. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan, I hadn't heard those comments. Thanks for letting me know about them, I will look for them. But I'm still impressed by his initial interview. 19. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I love that JJ actually has to race his ass off for this one rather than having a 70+ point lead going into Miami like he has in previous years." I'm sure he likes the position he is in now than he was with 20 laps to go today. I'm sure he will be more than gladly to try and race his ass off and win after how forunate he was today. "The biggest name drivers not being 2011 all star race at this time is Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Bobby Labonte, and Joey Logano." They'll find a way to get them in. 20. Ryan posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ryan, I hadn't heard those comments. Thanks for letting me know about them, I will look for them. But I'm still impressed by his initial interview." They were on ESPN after the race, and on SportsCenter the very first thing right after the race. Go to ESPN.com and then Nascar, I'm sure they have video footage of it. 21. Eric posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RCRandPenskeGuy, Denny didn't make a mistake today. Denny had bad racing luck because drivers can't save 12 laps of fuel. 22. Cooper posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's pretty simple for both the #48 and #11. Bring your best engine, your best chassis and let it all hang out. Basically if Jimmie leads the most laps and wins, the #48 is the champion. Denny looked rattled. All their momentum they had built up was taken away from having to pit with 15 to go. Unfortunately for Kevin I don't think its possible for him to win this thing because he would most likely need both Denny and Jimmie to have a problem or a real off day. At the 1.5 mile tracks this year, here are the statistics between the two: Denny Hamlin: 19th,21st,1st,18th,8th,43rd,12th,4th,1st Laps Led at these races: 153 Jimmie Johnson: 1st,12th,2nd,37th,25th,3rd,2nd,3rd,9th Laps Led at these races: 209 So as much as I've heard people saying that the #11 is better at the 1.5 miles, all that talk is incorrect. If you credit both drivers with a lap led, as I'm sure they'll both find ways to lead a lap, this is what the averages and mathematics say: Denny average finish: 14th Jimmie average finish: 10th Jimmie will therefore gain approximately 13 points, leaving him short by 2. I will listen to the power of mathematics and predict that Denny Hamlin will be the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion by 2 points. 23. Bronco posted: 11.14.2010 - 8:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin ties the late Dale Earnhardt with 428 top 10s, although he needed a lot more starts to accomplish that. I think the Homestead race will play out like a few of the truck races at Homestead from years past, with teammates blocking on restarts and in the pits to help their team car finish better. Also, there's no telling what might happen with the 3 attempts at a GWC rule. 24. Madison posted: 11.14.2010 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @13 I'm gonna say Joey will win the 500 XD Congratulations to Kevin Harvick for winning the championship. Also congratulations to Carl for winning his first Cup race since 2008. Good to see him in victory lane after all that's happened to him this year. I'd also like to acknowledge Brendan Gaughan's first start in 6 years. I hope Kevin can get him in that car at least part time next year. 25. 18fan posted: 11.14.2010 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shame to see some drivers not get the finish that showed how they ran all day (Ky. Busch, Hamlin, Burton, who brought back some memories to me from when he would drive from the back to the front in the 99, and Stewart) while some guys got better finishes than they ran all day (Logano, Biffle) Newman probably had a 5th-8th place car but used better mileage to get his best finish since his Phoenix win. It was funny that the 42 team was so confident they could make it and then didn't, so he got the finish he probably deserved. Carl Edwards last three wins have all come with one of the best cars and the best fuel mileage. Solid top 20 finish for Bobby Labonte and Phoenix Racing. I thought it was comical how slow Jimmie was going there for a few laps. I think Carl has fourth in points locked up, so it will be a battle for 5th-9th and then 10th-12th. Jimmie Johnson's 16th top five of the year broke the tie with Kevin Harvick for the most in the series, but Harvick will automatically be the only driver with 25 top 10s this year. Speaking of Harvick, his average start dropped to 20.8, which is the lowest until you get to David Ragan at 24th in points, but his average finish of 8.8 is the best since Jeff Gordon's 7.3 in his 30 top 10 season of 2007. If Harvick doesn't win the championship, it would be the fourth year in a row that the driver with the most top 10s did not win the championship. Jimmie Johnson in 2006 was the last driver to have the most top 10s and win the championship, and 2006 was also the last season that a driver did not have 25 top 10s. 26. Anonymous posted: 11.14.2010 - 11:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick could score the most points in both the chase and the regular season and still lose the title. Stupid system. 27. RaceFanX posted: 11.15.2010 - 12:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jamie McMurray caused the only debris caution of the day throwing his water bottle out the window. Being that he did it on the backstretch at over 100 MPH naturally the little plastic bottle blew its contents in spectacular fashion when it hit the pavement. Oddly he wasn't penalized for it. 28. Unser1 posted: 11.15.2010 - 12:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) History is on Hamlin's side heading into the finale, even with the Chase only twice has the points leader going into the final race lost the title (D.W. in 1979 and Davey Allison in 1992, both due to spins/wrecks). 29. 18fan posted: 11.15.2010 - 1:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anybody else tired of Rusty saying "flat flying" in every sentence and tired of Brad Daugherty's crappy analysis. 30. Ryan posted: 11.15.2010 - 1:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Harvick could score the most points in both the chase and the regular season and still lose the title. Stupid system." I was thinking the same thing... How ignorant this sport has got. It used to be called the fastest growing sport in America. It really hit it's peak during the 90's. Nascar can't just blame it on the economic problem either. They have done well before when the economy has been bad other times in this nation. They can only look in the mirror when they want to blame someone. Raising ticket prices, raising the costs of engine and chassis development for teams, too mnay 1.5 mile tracks, closing down and taking away races from tracks that help get its start, making up rules and procedures as they go along, making a post-season, trying to appeal to people that doesn't care, and getting too political has really cost Nascar over the last few years. 31. Anonymous posted: 11.15.2010 - 2:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @27 I'm surprised NASCAR gave him the lucky dog when he was the cause of the caution. 32. Frank posted: 11.15.2010 - 6:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anticipating destroying comment from DSFF on Hamlin after he'll watch Denny's reactions right after the finish. In my opinion Hamlin is done - being still points leader he reacting like he had blow-up on the final lap and fell 50+ points behind. Almost all the Chase he and Ford talked how happy they will be to be close to 48 going to Homestead and what we've seen yesterday? Love to see how Jimmie and Chad will apply pressure on #11 - it will be the best final since 2004. My big boooo on Kyle Busch for team tactics on restart when he gave up the lead to Hamlin and then blocked Edwards hard. Before that I could say that everyone who think that Kyle will play team orders is crazy. Kurt Busch had strong start of this race but fell fast on long run. Looks like #2 was fast in the beginning of this year thanks to Tryson's work. When other teams continued their progress Addington had nothing to offer. So maybe Kyle was right to release him... Agreed that Harvick was lucky to face lugnut issue. Bit reminds me Logano's win when he was fuelled to top after spin and stayed as long as he could. 33. ii posted: 11.15.2010 - 6:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @30 I agree, NASCAR was still somewhat successful in 1975, when they shortened races by 10% due to fuel spikes in prices. Congrats to Edwards on his first win in over 2 years. 34. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.15.2010 - 7:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Anybody else tired of Rusty saying "flat flying" in every sentence and tired of Brad Daugherty's crappy analysis." Yes, yes, and YES!!! 35. Smiff_99 posted: 11.15.2010 - 8:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm tellin' ya....he's got that hot rod flat flyin'!" *GAG* 36. Cornys5 posted: 11.15.2010 - 9:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually it is the closest as far as the difference from 1st to 2nd. Johnson (from 2nd place currently) can clinch the Championship by winning and leading the most laps I think. (If there's a tie Denny Hamilin will win the tie-breaker of most wins). 37. Kevin posted: 11.15.2010 - 9:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am glad that Carl Edward got the monkey off his back. Say what you want, I have said it too, he is a great driver and that can not be denied! 38. Sheamus posted: 11.15.2010 - 10:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey fella Its a shame Denny ran outta gas. 39. the_man posted: 11.15.2010 - 11:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Ragan on a 25th place finish: ā??We just didnā??t start the race out that great today. In traffic, we just didnā??t have it right and we were all over the board setup-wise. This is one of our toughest tracks on the schedule and we know that. Weā??ll just have to take a look at this race, Loudon and Richmond. We just donā??t run quite as quickly as we should at these places. Iā??m looking forward to going to Homestead where I think we can contend for the win, and Iā??m proud of everyone today.ā? 40. Willy on Wheels posted: 11.15.2010 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Moldy Bread blows. Denny Hamlin has 8 wins, Kyle Busch has three, both are in the top 7 in the Chase and Hamlin has a good shot at the title. Logano, on the other hand, has 0 wins and only 7 top 5 finishes (compared to Hamlin's 14 and Busch's 10) and he's 16th in points. He's not a rookie anymore, he is a bust. 41. Ryan posted: 11.15.2010 - 2:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Moldy Bread blows. Denny Hamlin has 8 wins, Kyle Busch has three, both are in the top 7 in the Chase and Hamlin has a good shot at the title. Logano, on the other hand, has 0 wins and only 7 top 5 finishes (compared to Hamlin's 14 and Busch's 10) and he's 16th in points. He's not a rookie anymore, he is a bust." What are you smoking? He has eight top-11 finishes out of his last 10 races including tracks like Martinsville and 'dega where those tracks aren't traditionally kind to young guns. Get ready for a breakout season for Logano next year. 42. Anonymous posted: 11.15.2010 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joey has more points in the last 10 races than all but the top 3 chase contenders. He even has more than Bowyer would without the penalty. He doesn't blow.... 43. Talon64 posted: 11.15.2010 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny's lucky his point lead is even 15 points, it's a good thing he led the most laps while Johnson and Harvick didn't lead a single one. Denny can clinch the championship if he wins the race, or finishes 2nd and leads the most laps. Denny and Jimmie could also tie for the point lead, most likely to happen if Jimmie wins and Denny finishes 2nd but both have equal lap led bonus points; Denny would win the tiebreaker because he's already clinched the most wins in a season. I'm going to call it right here: Carl Edwards will win the championship in 2011. That's based on the near-perfect cycle his Cup career's been on over the last 6 years: 2005: Multiple wins, contends for championship and finishes 3rd (ties for 2nd but gets 3rd on tiebreaker) 2006: Winless, finishes outside top 10 in points 2007: Rebound year where he gets back to victory lane 2008: Multiple wins, contends for championship and finishes 2nd 2009: Winless, finishes outside top 10 in points 2010: Rebound year where he gets back to victory lane In 2011 Carl will have multiple wins and contend for the championship, and like he went 1 up on 2005 in 2008, he'll go 1 up again to 1st. BTW I hope I'm really wrong about this but if it happens then at least I'll have called it. LOL Joey Logano's had 11 finishes of 25th or worse this year which really sunk him in the standings. But he's 4th in points scored in the Chase. I guess the #20 team kept the ability to have late-season surges when Tony left. 44. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.15.2010 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ""Anybody else tired of Rusty saying "flat flying" in every sentence and tired of Brad Daugherty's crappy analysis."" For once I agree with DSFF. Even Mikey is saying "flat flying" and "that cat rocks" and all that crap... Another snoozer of a Phoenix race, with Hamlin and Edwards completely dominating. Also, nice debris caution caused by Jamie Mac. B. Gaughan (what a name) was a goner early in the race with a tire down. Really mediocre runs for Earnhardt, Truex, and Allmendinger. Bad breaks for Hamlin, Montoya, and Burton. 45. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.15.2010 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kinda coincidental that the three first s&ps were within 5 laps... @30 and 33 I agree, totally. The cha$e is screwed. In '06 the margin would've been 4 points, Johnson over Kenseth. Instead, it was 164 or something like that. Screw the cha$e Brian France. 46. Talon64 posted: 11.15.2010 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Edwards picks up his 17th career Sprint Cup victory, tying him with Marvin Panch and Curtis Turner for 43rd on the all time wins list (12th among active drivers). Carl Edwards likely avoids becoming the first Cup driver to win the most races in a season and following it up with 2 straight full win-less seasons, after ending his 70 race winless drought dating back to Homestead in 2008. Ryan Newman gets just his 2nd top five in the last 28 races since he won the first Phoenix race, and ends his streak of 4 straight finishes of 20th or worse. Joey Logano extends his career-best top 10 streak to 5 races, and top 5 streak to 3. He picked up his 10th career top five in 74 Cup starts. Greg Biffle has back-to-back top fives for the first time since Indy and Pocono back in July/August. He needs one more top five to have 3 straight seasons with at least 10. Jimmie Johnson's 8 race top 10 streak, and Kevin Harvick's 7 race top 10 streak, are each their longest since they had 9 in a row in late 2008. Matt Kenseth has his 4th top ten in the last 7 races. Mark Martin is 5th in points scored during the Chase with 2 top fives and 4 top tens in the last 6 races. Kurt Busch has his first top ten in the last 7 races, and just his 2nd in the Chase this season. Jamie McMurray's 12th top ten is the most he's had in a season since 2004 (career-best 23). Denny Hamlin has his 2nd straight season with at least 1000 laps led. It's the 5th race this year where he's led at least 100 laps but the first time he failed to win. Denny is just the 2nd JGR driver to have the most wins in a season (Tony Stewart with 6 in 2000). Bobby Labonte gets just his 2nd top 20 finish of the season. 47. I Seize the Day posted: 11.15.2010 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Another snoozer of a Phoenix race, with Hamlin and Edwards completely dominating. Also, nice debris caution caused by Jamie Mac." Its called cars going around in circles. Thats one thing thats chaps my ass about some "fans." What in the blue hell do you expect? I thought it was a damn good race, and I don't even like Edwards. 48. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.15.2010 - 10:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I read Denny's press conference comments. "I did my job". Yikes. Yeah, it is true, but so much for the "all for one" attitude. I have a feeling something is up with Mike Ford and Denny. At Dover, he blasts Denny publically for blasting RCR publically. Then after Texas, he blasts the 48 team publically himself. Of course in the very next race, he loses the chance to drop the dagger on the 48 by being outsmarted by Chad Knaus. Karma must really suck. This championship will be won and lost during the week. The 11 team must get Denny's head back on right. He has to look at it as it is: he has the lead and a faster team. He doesn't need to look at it as "Damn, we should be 70 points ahead instead". Denny has to get over this quick. It will be interesting to see how those two cars handle. On the other two 400 mile low banked intermediates in the cha$e, Kansas and Cali, the 48 was actually faster than the 11. Also, this will be a day race which benefits the 48. They have had a horrible time this year handling day into night races where the track changes a lot. But do they have enough speed to win or finish 4 spots ahead of the 11? That is a big question mark. Hard to imagine the 11 struggling like they did at Kansas and Cali. In other words, this will be interesting!! 49. Bronco posted: 11.15.2010 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Anybody else tired of Rusty saying "flat flying" in every sentence and tired of Brad Daugherty's crappy analysis." That doesn't bother me as much as Dale Jarrett always saying "a little bit" and Jerry Punch's overuse of of the words "heavy contact" no matter how big or small the crash was. On the side, I wish there was a way for them to use Tim Brewer in the telecasts a bit more, either in the studio or in the broadcast booth for a race or two. "I'm going to call it right here: Carl Edwards will win the championship in 2011. That's based on the near-perfect cycle his Cup career's been on over the last 6 years:" I sure hope so. Having a guy like Carl as champion would be very popular for the sport. 50. 18fan posted: 11.16.2010 - 1:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chad seems to only be able to stretch fuel at Phoenix, since he also stretched it to win the spring race in 2008. We know he can't figure mileage at Michigan, running out in the June race of 2007, having to pit early in the June race of 2008(Junior's last win), and running out while leading both races in 2009(so that's three straight June races that they ran out either leading or running second). Fuel mileage in the Coke 600 also hasn't been great for the 48. Figuring how to stretch fuel mileage is his only weakness as a crew chief. 51. nascar8899 posted: 11.16.2010 - 7:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What are you smoking? He has eight top-11 finishes out of his last 10 races including tracks like Martinsville and 'dega where those tracks aren't traditionally kind to young guns. Get ready for a breakout season for Logano next year." I wouldn't pay any attention to what that dips**t says. He's either a anti-JGR troll, or one of the biggest morons to ever grace this site, and I've read a lot from DaleSrFanForever and Bronco. At least those two possess the ability to look at and interpret stats, something Willy on Wheels apparently has no concept of. 52. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.16.2010 - 8:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "On the side, I wish there was a way for them to use Tim Brewer in the telecasts a bit more, either in the studio or in the broadcast booth for a race or two." I do too. He actually provides informative information that pertains to what is going on at that moment in a race. But the biggest thing I wanna see is Ricky Craven in the booth. I think he has done an oustanding job in the broadcast booth for the NWide races he was given and as an analyst. Unfortunately he doesn't have the name recognition of "Rusty Wallace" or "Dale Jarrett" so this is unlikely. But I can always dream! "Figuring how to stretch fuel mileage is his only weakness as a crew chief." I think that is more of JJ's weakness than Chad's. In the two Phoenix races where they actually succeeded in saving fuel, Chad had to literally scream at JJ to get him to slow down and tell him the exact lap times to run. I noticed at the 2 Michigan races last year, JJ got too caught up in trying to outrun Biffle and Vickers respectively, and burned too much fuel. 53. 12345Dude posted: 11.16.2010 - 8:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is going to be an interesting endinb. I have had a feeling for a couple races that Denny Hamlin might be maturing. Do you think this is true, or do you think I'm dreaming? I don't know, I hope he's finally growing up. Nascar needs less immature guys. And yes I'm sick of flat flying. Or that cat is flying. Please stop Rusty. 54. I Seize the Day posted: 11.16.2010 - 9:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think that is more of JJ's weakness than Chad's. In the two Phoenix races where they actually succeeded in saving fuel, Chad had to literally scream at JJ to get him to slow down and tell him the exact lap times to run. I noticed at the 2 Michigan races last year, JJ got too caught up in trying to outrun Biffle and Vickers respectively, and burned too much fuel." Good point here. I have noticed when Johnson is leading in fuel mileage races and is flat flying, he usually runs out. The Phoenix races he was top 10, but not a race winning car, so he was able to coast his way around. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. As for Tim Brewer, I can't take him seriously. He looks like an elf and enjoys his manicures. 55. Art D posted: 11.16.2010 - 12:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Post 43: "2005: Multiple wins, contends for championship and finishes 3rd (ties for 2nd but gets 3rd on tiebreaker) 2006: Winless, finishes outside top 10 in points 2007: Rebound year where he gets back to victory lane 2008: Multiple wins, contends for championship and finishes 2nd 2009: Winless, finishes outside top 10 in points 2010: Rebound year where he gets back to victory lane" Nice find. But I think this falls under the catagory of '90% of statistics can be made to say anything... 50% of the time'. 56. Smiff_99 posted: 11.16.2010 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 12345 Dude, I've thought that, too. A lot of people will try to say he hasn't changed (in reference to his post-race antics at Phoenix) but seriously.........how would YOU feel if you had the 4-time defending champion on the ropes all day, only to have it all (all but 15 points) go away with 14 to go. I'd have been pissed too. Everybody seems to have the same universal complaints about Busch AND Hamlin, but as far as I'm concerned, Hamlin's light years ahead of Busch in the maturity category. He's been proving it all season long. 57. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.16.2010 - 3:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I Seize The Day, it was a good race...not really great racing for NASCAR overall though for this season. Anyone else think Logano is winning the Daytona 500? 58. Smokefan05 posted: 11.16.2010 - 3:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ I agree. Hamlin should be upset and angery that the hammer could have been dropped on JJs hopes for a 5th Cup but someone didn't get the fuel mileage correct and he got hosed. Now he shouldn't be angery all week, he needs to stick to his game plan like he did at Martnsville. At Homestead he needs to win the pole, lead the most laps and (above all else) finish ahead of Jimmie anyway he can. Denny wants to beat Jimmie and he has the speed and team to do it. Coach Gibbs needs to sit him down tell that he can still beat Jimmie. Gibbs will get his point across and Denny will listen. 59. Talon64 posted: 11.16.2010 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Don't forget Kevin Harvick in this either. 46 points means he can't simply outperform both Denny and Johnson to win the championship, but it's more than close enough that Harvick can jump into the drivers seat of this thing if the other two have issues. Or if fuel mileage plays a part and Harvick's on the winning end while Denny and Johnson are on the losing end. Gil Martin deserves a lot of credit for turning around the #29 team, and frankly for the job he's done the last 4 seasons; Getting Clint Bowyer and the #07 team into the top 5 in points in back-to-back years and turning Harvick back into a title contender. 60. Anonymous posted: 11.16.2010 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Guys, you're talking like idiots. Kevin Harvick is the champion. I have no idea what this "Chase" is. 61. I Seize the Day posted: 11.16.2010 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey anon, go watch college football or something, you oughta enjoy that joke of a system. 62. Smokefan05 posted: 11.16.2010 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Hey anon, go watch college football or something, you oughta enjoy that joke of a system." Agreed. the BCS is WAY more "fixed" and "gimmicky" then the Chase is. Atleast with the Chase, its settled on track, the BCS is settle by computers and not on the field of play like it used to be. 63. Anonymous posted: 11.16.2010 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's pretty pathetic that the only way you can legitimize the Chase is by comparing it to the BCS, the shittiest postseason format known to mankind. That's like saying Zimbabwe's economy is in better shape than Afghanistan's. 64. Baker posted: 11.16.2010 - 9:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Willy...get a clue. Congrats to Kevin Harvick on clintching his first ever Nascar Cup Championship! Oh wait...thats right Nascar doesn't give the best driver in the series for the entire season that award anymore. 65. Spen posted: 11.16.2010 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Willy might have a point. Hamlin & Busch both have over 1000 laps led this season, while Logano's total is currently 53. Granted, being a second year driver, I'm not expecting him to be at the same level as his teammates, but considering how strong Gibbs has been this year, I'd have thought he'd have at least contended for a win or two. Yes, he has been fairly solid and consistent, but I haven't really seen anything that we didn't see out of David Ragan in '08. Now, I expect Logano to end up considerably better than Ragan, but I'm saying right here and now, that I don't believe he will ever be a champion. 66. I Seize the Day posted: 11.16.2010 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey anon, I liked the old system. But I think the Chase is just fine too. I don't need to legitimize it with the BCS...How about this - Who gives to shits if the points are reset? I don't, as long as I get to watch my watch my races each Sunday. Hell, they could award the champion off of most top 25's for all I care. 67. I Seize the Day posted: 11.16.2010 - 10:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Imma making alot of enemies this week. But seriously, stop bitching about the Chase. The old system isn't coming back. As bad as alot of you think it is now, wait until NASCAR tweaks some more, then youll be sorry. If you don't like it fine. But why show up on NASCAR boards? 68. Ryan posted: 11.17.2010 - 12:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 65. Spen posted: 11.16.10 - 9:28 pm "Willy might have a point. Hamlin & Busch both have over 1000 laps led this season, while Logano's total is currently 53. Granted, being a second year driver, I'm not expecting him to be at the same level as his teammates, but considering how strong Gibbs has been this year, I'd have thought he'd have at least contended for a win or two. Yes, he has been fairly solid and consistent, but I haven't really seen anything that we didn't see out of David Ragan in '08. Now, I expect Logano to end up considerably better than Ragan, but I'm saying right here and now, that I don't believe he will ever be a champion." Both of you must be smoking the purple haze or OG Kush 69. Smokefan05 posted: 11.17.2010 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Imma making alot of enemies this week. But seriously, stop bitching about the Chase. The old system isn't coming back. As bad as alot of you think it is now, wait until NASCAR tweaks some more, then youll be sorry. If you don't like it fine. But why show up on NASCAR boards?" Fans will complain no matter what. -_- 70. Jarrett88fan posted: 11.17.2010 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I couldn't agree more with post #58. Two possible scenarios have Hamlin winning the Cup outright: 1. Winning the race despite not leading the most laps. or 2. Leading a lap and finishing right behind Jimmie. I seriously hope fuel mileage doesn't factor into the outcome of the race and it is decided in the last 30 laps green flag. 71. Talon64 posted: 11.17.2010 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ""Willy might have a point. Hamlin & Busch both have over 1000 laps led this season, while Logano's total is currently 53. Granted, being a second year driver, I'm not expecting him to be at the same level as his teammates, but considering how strong Gibbs has been this year, I'd have thought he'd have at least contended for a win or two. Yes, he has been fairly solid and consistent, but I haven't really seen anything that we didn't see out of David Ragan in '08. Now, I expect Logano to end up considerably better than Ragan, but I'm saying right here and now, that I don't believe he will ever be a champion." Both of you must be smoking the purple haze or OG Kush" Willy's a moron, but Ryan's got a point. Logano and Ragan's first two seasons are definitely similar; okay rookie season but solid sophomore year. But it took 3 seasons for Ragan to win a Nationwide race in good Roush equipment, and he was already a full time Cup driver by then. Logano only needed 3 starts as an 18 year old to win in Nationwide, and although the way he did it wasn't impressive Logano does have a Cup win to his credit. Don't forget how hard it must've been for Greg Zipadelli to go from being the CC of one of the best race car drivers of all time to a teenager. If it's taken this long to get the chemistry going then so be it, but apparently it's going strong now because 2 JGR drivers have shown up for the Chase and one of them is the guy that isn't even in the Chase. 72. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.17.2010 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talon64 is right, Logano has the crew chief, the team, the car...all he needs is the chemistry and the maturity, and we might have a future Richard Petty. 73. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.17.2010 - 8:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop. If they still had the old system (which I wish they did), teams would approach the first 26 races differently. The 48 team sure as hell wouldn't have been using an R&D setup in the SIXTH race of the year. They also wouldn't have blown 3 stright motors in the summer of '04, or had such a mediocre summer in '08. I think Gil Martin gets the "lol" of the week with comments about the 29's season this year: "I think if you go back and look, it's almost been one of the best seasons that RCR has ever had in its history." You have got to be freaking kidding me!!! Yes, they have done an outstanding job this year, especially compared to last year's disaster. But it doesn't even rank in RCR's all time seasons. They have 3 total wins. They have only led a little over 350 laps all year. So spare us Gil, and don't insult RCR's history like that. I understand it must be tough always being in the shadow of a towering legend. but still. In one stretch of just 7 races in 1987, an RCR team won more races and led more laps in just those 7 races than Kevin has won or led in any season for his entire career. 74. Talon64 posted: 11.17.2010 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You have got to be freaking kidding me!!! Yes, they have done an outstanding job this year, especially compared to last year's disaster. But it doesn't even rank in RCR's all time seasons. They have 3 total wins. They have only led a little over 350 laps all year. So spare us Gil, and don't insult RCR's history like that. I understand it must be tough always being in the shadow of a towering legend. but still. In one stretch of just 7 races in 1987, an RCR team won more races and led more laps in just those 7 races than Kevin has won or led in any season for his entire career." I think this could be one of RCR's best seasons ever. But we'll never know because Dale Earnhardt isn't driving the car. lol 75. Willy on Wheels posted: 11.17.2010 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is going to be epic. I can't wait. I just hope Jimmie the Johnson chokes like Kyle Busch trying to get into the chase or Brian Vickers once he got into the chase last year. 76. Shmonko posted: 11.18.2010 - 8:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop. If they still had the old system (which I wish they did), teams would approach the first 26 races differently. The 48 team sure as hell wouldn't have been using an R&D setup in the SIXTH race of the year. They also wouldn't have blown 3 stright motors in the summer of '04, or had such a mediocre summer in '08." Unbelievable. The guy who deals almost exclusively in hypothetical bullshit on this site every day, saying we shouldn't talk about hypotheticals because when it comes down it, it's pretty obvious that Jimmie Johnson would have won the championship this year without the Chase, and probably 2004 too. You're one hypocritical biased hack, DSFF, and the fact that there are still people on this site who can't see that amazes me. 77. Smiff_99 posted: 11.18.2010 - 11:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm tellin' you guys, he's a JJ fan. ONLY a JJ fan would claim he would've won the title the last 4 years under the old format. HELLO!?!?! Jimmie's best friggin' tracks are in the chase......THAT'S THE REASON WHY HE'S EXCELLED IN IT! Just because he and Chad experiment every so often in the regular season DOES NOT mean that whenever he doesn't dominate, he's experimenting. Guess what? HE'S NOT PERFECT. He's not a god! He's the LUCKIEST S.O.B. to ever set foot in a race car. Talented, yes. Lucky? THE LUCKIEST. Bewteen competitors' blown engines, cut tires, pit miscues, or opportune 'debris' cautions, I've seen JJ be the benefactor of 'right place, right time' more than I care to remember. Under the old format, EXPERIMENTING OR NOT, Jimmie would NOT be a four-time titleist. Get over it! 78. Smokefan05 posted: 11.18.2010 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I dislike the old and current system (the only system i liked was the first Chase system). But IMHO JJ has 2, 08 and 09. 06 and 07 don't count because they got busted for cheating. So IMHO Matt has 2, Jeff Gordon has 5 and Jimmie has 2, Kurt has 1 and Tony has 2. Yes i'm using the Chase in my statement but it's the current rules that everyone else uses. "Bewteen competitors' blown engines, cut tires, pit miscues, or opportune 'debris' cautions, I've seen JJ be the benefactor of 'right place, right time' more than I care to remember." Sometimes you have to make your own luck, and Jimmie makes his own luck more than anyone else. 79. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.18.2010 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I dislike the old and current system (the only system i liked was the first Chase system). But IMHO JJ has 2, 08 and 09. 06 and 07 don't count because they got busted for cheating. So IMHO Matt has 2, Jeff Gordon has 5 and Jimmie has 2, Kurt has 1 and Tony has 2. Yes i'm using the Chase in my statement but it's the current rules that everyone else uses." a. JJ would've still won in '06, by 4 points. Screw the cheating. b. How would Kurt have 1 and Gordon have 5? Kurt should have 0 and Gordon would have 6. The old system can whip all of you guys. Especially Smokefan. 80. Spen posted: 11.18.2010 - 5:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "06 and 07 don't count because they got busted for cheating" In that case Clint Bowyer was the champion, since Gordon was caught as well. 81. Talon64 posted: 11.18.2010 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Prism Motorsports is shutting down after the season. In 76 starts since 2009 they had only 4 finishes, so how the hell did they expect to survive, let alone make any gains to becoming a legit team, when they S&P'd nearly every race? 82. Smokefan05 posted: 11.18.2010 - 8:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "a. JJ would've still won in '06, by 4 points. Screw the cheating." There is a thing with me and cheating, get used to it. "b. How would Kurt have 1 and Gordon have 5? Kurt should have 0 and Gordon would have 6." Kurt wins using the then first Chase format, Jeff wins the 07 because Jimmie got busted for cheating. So Kurt has 1 and Jeff has 5. Get it know? "The old system can whip all of you guys. Especially Smokefan." Hate the old system, period. Thank Matt Kenseth for "points racing" his way to a Cup. And i hate points racing, either most wins, or best average finish is best to determine champ. ""06 and 07 don't count because they got busted for cheating" In that case Clint Bowyer was the champion, since Gordon was caught as well." Well concider my paradigm shifted. 83. Smokefan05 posted: 11.18.2010 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ Oh so Jeff still has 4 and Clint has 1 Cup. Since Spen mentioned Jeff getting busted for cheating. 84. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.18.2010 - 10:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm tellin' you guys, he's a JJ fan." No, I'm just objective. I busted his balls ON THIS VERY PAGE for his inability to save fuel, and gave 100% of the credit for his two Phoenix fuel mileage runs to Chad. I've also always pointed out that he is a bad drafter. Of the active Cup drivers, he barely breaks the Top 20 in drafting ability. "ONLY a JJ fan would claim he would've won the title the last 4 years under the old format." Where have you been? I have said over and over that isn't true. There is no way he was touching Gordon in 2007. Under any other system, '07 was Jeff's. But JJ would have won in 2004. They had a 250+ point lead in the summer, then suddenly blew 3 straight motors. Under the old system, they keep witht heir regular reliable motors and run off with the Cup a la Kenseth in '03. Four straight titles? No. 4 titles? Yes. Gordon has 5 (and we get to quit hearing about the "drive for five"), and most importantly Kurt Busch has ZERO!!!! "Jimmie's best friggin' tracks are in the chase......THAT'S THE REASON WHY HE'S EXCELLED IN IT!" First of all, explain to me why they replaced Darlington after the '04 cha$e (he had just finished sweeping Darlington that year) with Texas (perhaps HMS' weakest track). And why have they replaced Cali in the cha$e (5 wins) with Chicago (no wins). And secondly, those are his best tracks because those are the tracks the 48 focuses the hardest on because they are the ones that truly matter. Seriously, why are they so good at Cali, but not at Michigan? Why are they so strong at Kansas, but have a goose egg at Chicago? Why are they so good at Dover, but so bad at Bristol (even their one win this year was kinda lucky)? Whatever tracks they put in the cha$e are the ones the engineers on the 48 team would put the most emphasis on. "Guess what? HE'S NOT PERFECT. He's not a god! He's the LUCKIEST S.O.B. to ever set foot in a race car. Talented, yes. Lucky? THE LUCKIEST." Luck only takes you so far. It doesn't take you to 50+ wins in 9 years. "Under the old format, EXPERIMENTING OR NOT, Jimmie would NOT be a four-time titleist." Wrong. Were it not for the cha$e, they wouldn't throw away races in the first 26 like they have done. It's pretty funny some of the "problems" that plagued them in the "regular season" in years like '04 and '08 magically were resolved when it mattered. Under the old format, the 48 wins in '04, '06, '08, and '09. And who knows about this year. They were in R&D mode by race 6. JJ seemed really bored over the Spring, leading to a ton of mental blunders that buried him in traditional points. Judging by his performances when it truly matters, I'm guessing that doesn't happen under the old system. "Get over it!" No. "You're one hypocritical biased hack, DSFF, and the fact that there are still people on this site who can't see that amazes me." I'm amazed I have somebody that basically follows me around these boards to trash me. Kinda sad really. 85. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.18.2010 - 10:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) More fun facts about "one of the best seasons that RCR has ever had in its history": An RCR car has led more than 100 laps in just 3 races this year: Bowyer's 177 at Loudon (before being busted for cheated), and Burton at both Martinsville races, 140 and 134 respectively (finishes of 20th and 9th). In 1987 an RCR car led more than 100 laps in 15 of the 29 races. In 6 of those, an RCR car led more than 200 laps. In 3 of them they led more than 300 laps, and in the Bristol night race, they led more than 400 laps. Nice try Gil. 86. Bronco posted: 11.19.2010 - 12:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "No, I'm just objective. I busted his balls ON THIS VERY PAGE for his inability to save fuel, and gave 100% of the credit for his two Phoenix fuel mileage runs to Chad. I've also always pointed out that he is a bad drafter. Of the active Cup drivers, he barely breaks the Top 20 in drafting ability." Lol, an objective guy wouldn't be calling JJ the idiotic name of "Superman" - which you have done on a couple of race and driver pages already. Far as I'm concerned, you're a fan of his. Not that there's anything wrong with that, its just that you shouldn't go around denying it. "I think if you go back and look, it's almost been one of the best seasons that RCR has ever had in its history." Comparing a season from 1987 to a season 23 years later? Really? Wow. Gil's remark is valid, considering the incredible turnaround for the #29 from 2009 to 2010, and what's more remarkable is that they done that despite qualifying like shit every weekend. The #29 hasn't had a top 10 start since the August Michigan race, yet they finish in the top 10 in almost every race, no matter how deep in the field they are. On average, they pick up 12 positions every race while JJ loses 3. How about that? In 1987, the #3 entered the season as the defending champions, so it was to be expected that they would have a good year. No one expected the #29 to have this type of season coming into 2010. 87. Shmonko posted: 11.19.2010 - 6:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF post 73: "I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop. If they still had the old system (which I wish they did), teams would approach the first 26 races differently. The 48 team sure as hell wouldn't have been using an R&D setup in the SIXTH race of the year. They also wouldn't have blown 3 stright motors in the summer of '04, or had such a mediocre summer in '08." DSFF post 84: "Where have you been? I have said over and over that isn't true. There is no way he was touching Gordon in 2007. Under any other system, '07 was Jeff's. But JJ would have won in 2004. They had a 250+ point lead in the summer, then suddenly blew 3 straight motors. Under the old system, they keep witht heir regular reliable motors and run off with the Cup a la Kenseth in '03. Four straight titles? No. 4 titles? Yes. Gordon has 5 (and we get to quit hearing about the "drive for five"), and most importantly Kurt Busch has ZERO!!!!" Looks like DaleSrFanForever's new outlook lasted all of 11 posts before he was back to his same old BS. Told you guys, he's a hypocrite. Always has been, always will be. 88. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.19.2010 - 9:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Looks like DaleSrFanForever's new outlook lasted all of 11 posts before he was back to his same old BS. Told you guys, he's a hypocrite. Always has been, always will be." Please read the second sentence of post 73 very carefully. "Lol, an objective guy wouldn't be calling JJ the idiotic name of "Superman" - which you have done on a couple of race and driver pages already." It's the same name he has been called by Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Superman himself (I only made one of those up). Those are his competitors, the guys who are desperately trying to knock him off. If they call him that, it says something. "Far as I'm concerned, you're a fan of his. Not that there's anything wrong with that, its just that you shouldn't go around denying it." Please find the page where I listed my 10 favorite drivers. JJ didn't even crack the Top 10. I just appreciate greatness when I see it. A good parallel: Ben Rothlisburger (I'm sure I misspelled that and I don't care). I don't like him personally at all. He is another athlete who got famous quick so he never bothered to grow up. He is an extremely creepy guy. But if I had to choose any QB for my team as they are at this very moment, I'm choosing Ben. He makes the plays that truly matter, and that is a sign of greatness. 2 rings already, and more to come if he doesn't a) kill himself doing something stupid (a real possibility) b) get thrown in jail for 10+ years for committing a sex crime (a real possibility). Now I don't dislike JJ like I do Ben, but he just doesn't capture my attention outside the car at all. I think it's appropriate Lowe's is his sponsor. He shows about as much personality publically as some of the inanimate hardware they sell. To me, JJ could have done a lot more for NASCAR publically than he has. Everyone who knows him away from the cameras says he has a crazy fun personality. But he won't show it publically, and hasn't over these past 5 years where he has been by far the dominant driver. That is part of the reason for NASCAR's decline. Their top driver is boring (although he is slowly beginning to show his personality in interviews, which actually frustrates me even more). But I am a life long NASCAR fan, and I appreciate watching true history being made (not the "history" ESPN babbles on about during meaningless NWide races), and the fact is, what the 48 is doing will be talked about for many years to come. So I appreciate getting to watch that. And one other thing, the thought of Hamlin or Harvick holding the Cup trophy makes me wanna puke. So I'm a temporary JJ fan for a few weeks here. But next year? GO MARK!!!!!!!! 89. Cooper posted: 11.19.2010 - 9:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, so when is the public burning of DSFF. How are we going to crucify him? Never seen so many people attack another person like this before. What are we really arguing? Their is no justifiable solution to this problem because no one has the ability to make an assumption a reality. We will never know who won the championships if the old system was in place. You can't assume that Jimmie's summer struggles are for real or whether they are from experimenting. All we can do as fans is use the system they have and make opinions on those. Jimmie is a 4 time champion, and that will never change. That team outran 30 other teams, four years in a row and they still don't get 100% credit. Now, that right their is the problem we should be discussing. 90. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.19.2010 - 9:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Comparing a season from 1987 to a season 23 years later? Really?" In his comment, Gil said "in its history". Besides, that is just 1987 I was referring to. I can think of 10 seasons in RCR's history that were better than this one off the top of my head. Yes, the turnaround has been incredible. I tip my hat to RC and everyone working there. But they need to realize what has happened at RCR before them. I'll make a comparison. I'm guessing you are a hockey fan (if not, I apologize for Canadian sterotyping. Seriously.) What would you think if, this year, the Montreal Canadiens had the 3rd best record in the NHL, didn't blow anybody out, scored less goals than 10 other teams, did a great job of not beating themselves, and basically flew under the radar all year. Then if somebody said it was one of the best years from the Habs in their history. How would you react? "The #29 hasn't had a top 10 start since the August Michigan race, yet they finish in the top 10 in almost every race, no matter how deep in the field they are. On average, they pick up 12 positions every race while JJ loses 3. How about that?" Uh, yeah. When you start that far back, of course you'll pick up positions if you are any good. 91. Shmonko posted: 11.19.2010 - 10:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Please read the second sentence of post 73 very carefully." You mean the part where you say we should stop talking about what ifs in the Chase era, the part that proves my point because you immediately went back on it? Yeah, I read that part very carefully, because it was probably the most important part of what you said that exemplifies the double-talk made-up bulls**t that you so regularly peddle on every page of this site. You never wanted anyone to stop talking about things that "could have been" or "probably would have happened" because that is all you talk about, all the time. Your entire persona on this site is based on some false reality that you make up in your mind so you can convince yourself that you are always correct about everything. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that you went back on your word so quickly, otherwise you'd have nothing to talk about. 92. Smiff_99 posted: 11.19.2010 - 10:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, I apologize if I came off as a dick. I'm not one to jump on attack bandwagons and I did on this and I regret that. I'm a bitter bastard (anyone will tell you that) over JJ's reign and I'm just sick of talking about him altogether. You reference more than most, hence my aggression towards you. I will never sit here and deny JJ's talent or poise. He's got it. I'm just so sick of hearing it everywhere else that when I come on here (where I feel a mojority of us are anti-Jimmie) and hear it all again, I get pissy. Do me a favor (you AND everyone else) and don't take anything I say as personal. Even if it comes off that way. I'm simply venting. In a perfect world, the Chase would've never happened, Winston would've never left, Earnhardt would've pushed JR and Waltrip to the win rather than blocked for them, Davey Allison would've never gone to see Neil test that day at Talladega, and JJ wouldn't be a 4-time defending champion. But alas, the world we live in is not perfect and I need to learn to accept it for what it is. That being said, does anoybody else feel that (aside from some questionable debris cautions and a pesky pothole) this year has been pretty exciting, start to finish? Between McMurray's resurgence, Gordon's quest to get back to victory lane, Hamlin's recovery from surgery, the return of the spoiler, Harvick's resurgence, and everything related to 'Boys, have at it', I've been entertained all year. It's too bad all the bitter hold-outs from the bygone era aren't watching or attending the races anymore, because for the most part, they've been good. 93. I Seize the Day posted: 11.19.2010 - 10:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "In a perfect world, the Chase would've never happened, Winston would've never left, Earnhardt would've pushed JR and Waltrip to the win rather than blocked for them, Davey Allison would've never gone to see Neil test that day at Talladega, and JJ wouldn't be a 4-time defending champion. But alas, the world we live in is not perfect and I need to learn to accept it for what it is." Amen brah. "That being said, does anoybody else feel that (aside from some questionable debris cautions and a pesky pothole) this year has been pretty exciting, start to finish?" This has been one of my favorite years in a long time. That will all change if Johnson wins Sunday. 94. Smiff_99 posted: 11.19.2010 - 1:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This has been one of my favorite years in a long time. That will all change if Johnson wins Sunday." I'm in the same boat.......although I won't forget how great a season it was, if Johnson ends up on top again, for me, it'll be like having a turd on top of my sundae rather than a cherry. 95. Anonymous posted: 11.19.2010 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#92 What a great post. Pure, raw, and honest emotion. 96. Matt G posted: 11.19.2010 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not a fan of any of the top three drivers but a part of me really doesn't want to see Denny win just because I think the tantrum he will throw if he loses will be highly entertaining. 97. Talon64 posted: 11.19.2010 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm not a fan of any of the top three drivers but a part of me really doesn't want to see Denny win just because I think the tantrum he will throw if he loses will be highly entertaining." LOL I've got a hard time deciding who I want to win more, Denny or Kevin. Denny's got the wins not only this year but since the 2nd half of 2009. The 11 team's been the best since that period but that'll go away in an instant if they blow the championship. But Harvick's been so consistent this year that I have a hard time believing Denny or JJ could've beat him under the old point system. And he's stepped up in the Chase too, still running top 10 all the time and top 5 most of the time. I HATE HATE HATE HATE that I can't watch the Cup race this weekend because IT'S NOT EVEN ON for me. TSN's shoved the Cup race over to TSN2, which I don't get, because of the CFL playoffs. And I don't have internet at home right now so online feeds aren't an option (atdhe.net has been a godsend when I've been able to use it). I'm going to have to wait until either the Cup results come up on the ticker on one of the sports networks or wait until the SPEED Report to see who won the championship, and that moment will either get me jumping up and down in happiness or completely crush me. I'll either be venting happiness or pure, unadulterated hatred on Monday because as much as I have huge respect for Johnson for his success and feel like he's one of the greatest drivers of all time, I will be incredibly pissed off. It might be the first time I actually thrown something over a race result since Hornish beat Marco at the line in the 2006 Indy 500. 98. I Seize the Day posted: 11.19.2010 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talon, my man. We got to get you out of Canada. As much as you research this sport, its a travesty that you can't watch the race this weekend. I feel for ya brah. You need to come down to the south! 99. Smokefan05 posted: 11.19.2010 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Do me a favor (you AND everyone else) and don't take anything I say as personal. Even if it comes off that way. I'm simply venting." We all have to vent dude. I vented on a race page here not so long ago and no one attacked me for it. Yeah, i'm sick of JJ winning and his fans proclaiming he is better than Richard Petty or Big E (someone on the SPEED boards is guilty of this). But i don't complain because it gets me nowhere. In terms of Enjoyment i too have enjoyed this year. The 4 Chase races i've watched i've enjoyied greatly. I haven't watched the rest because there is no reason for me too. (school takes importence over racing) Next year should be just as good racing wise if not better. However since i'll be finishing up my studies, i hope to come here get the "low down" on what happens. (the SPEED boards no longer hold my interest, except for Talons pick'em game) 100. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.19.2010 - 6:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Smokefan, I get it now, but Bowyer wouldn't have one due to the 12th spot in the Cha$e. Kenseth would have 2, Gordon 4, Bowyer 0, Busch 1, Johnson 3 (I think), and Stewart 2. Why do these comments get allowed again?? Everyone knows that Harvick will win. I Seize The Day, also add that Kulwicki would have sudden illnesses and not be able to attend the next race, and then it's perfect. Who hates the Cha$e that will post? I just want to make sure DSFF isn't best friends with NA$CAR due to "Superman" winning those 4 titles. 101. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.19.2010 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone else think that Johnson starting 6th, Harvick 28th, and Hamlin 36th is going to be bad? 102. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.19.2010 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's alright Smiff, we're cool. "I'm simply venting." I understand. That is what I do a lot here and get killed for it (not that I care). To me, that is part of what a discussion board is all about. When something pisses you off, you can come here and vent. I respect your viewpoint. You are sick of the 48 domination. As for me, I've just become numb to it. After so many years of rooting for them to fall on their faces I realized I was just pissing into the wind. So now I'm just sitting back and trying to take in a segment of NASCAR history that will be talked about for a long time to come. "In a perfect world, the Chase would've never happened, Winston would've never left, Earnhardt would've pushed JR and Waltrip to the win rather than blocked for them, Davey Allison would've never gone to see Neil test that day at Talladega, and JJ wouldn't be a 4-time defending champion." That is some heavy stuff, and I agree with all of it. I keep telling myself not to dwell on the past, but I can't help it. I would have loved to have seen how so many driver's careers would have played out if not cut tragically short. Obviously the biggest victims in these are their families and close friends, I have not lost sight of that. But what if Davey got to play his career out? He was just entering his prime and already had 19 wins for an organization that had been quite shaky and had just developed a STRONG foundation under Yates. Looking at how they were for the rest of the 90s, that's a lot of wins and championships. "That being said, does anoybody else feel that (aside from some questionable debris cautions and a pesky pothole) this year has been pretty exciting, start to finish?" I agree. By this time in the season in the last 3 years, I just wanted the year to end. This year I am actually excited. It has been a good year. There are still some ills that need to be cured, but they have taken some good steps in the right direction. 103. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.19.2010 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You mean the part where you say we should stop talking about what ifs in the Chase era" Alright Smonko, time for a counting lesson: Sentence #1: I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". Sentence #2: I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop. I admitted I'm as guilty as anyone. And I was referring specifically to the cha$e because it changed people's mindset to the season realizing the overall 36 race point total is (unfortunately) meaningless. "Their is no justifiable solution to this problem because no one has the ability to make an assumption a reality." Exactly. It's kinda funny, but kinda sad seeing people get so bent out of shape over this. I'm just giving my opinions on things that might have happened had certain things not happened (like Tony losing his mind in '06, or Kyle Busch never realizing his fifth birthday has come and passed). How many times have people tried to figure out how it would have went down had Portland took Michael Jordan in the draft instead of that guy whose name I can't remember, but was injury prone throughout college, and even worse as a pro? How many times have people tried to figure out how many yards Walter Payton would have rushed for if he hadn't played on such crappy teams for 3/4 of his career? That is part of sports. 104. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.19.2010 - 6:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh, one other thing: KASEY KAHNE!!! I think next year will be pretty good for him and his team. Kasey, that team, and Toyota have a really good attitude about this arrangement. They know it is just one year, but they are really intent on making the most of it. 105. Talon64 posted: 11.19.2010 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kahne got ripped off for the season-long pole award. The tie breaker used to be 2nd place starts, then 3rd, then so on until broken, but at some point since Kahne won the pole award in 2006 the tiebreaker changed to highest-finisher in the points standings. So McMurray gets the season-long pole award. Congrats to him but I had no clue they changed it. 106. Smokefan05 posted: 11.19.2010 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Who hates the Cha$e that will post?" I do. I liked the first system they had but when Tony missed the Chase they made it top 12 then it just started to suck. And the fact that they don't change the tracks up makes it worse. "Smokefan, I get it now, but Bowyer wouldn't have one due to the 12th spot in the Cha$e. Kenseth would have 2, Gordon 4, Bowyer 0, Busch 1, Johnson 3 (I think), and Stewart 2." In 07 he finished 3rd, since Jeffy Poo and Kimmie got caught cheating, makes Clint the Champ. If JJ wins it this year he has 3. But however people will have their own opinions about who has what amount of championships. But hey, didn't Richard Petty win his 7 Cups under 5 different systems? Even he got hosed once or twice (when BP won his only Cup, you could say Richard was hosed). 107. Sean posted: 11.20.2010 - 12:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Does anyone else think that Johnson starting 6th, Harvick 28th, and Hamlin 36th is going to be bad?" No. Harvick has been getting top tens from really bad starting positions all season. Hamlin drove from 38th to win at Homestead last year, even leading the most laps, and drove from mid-pack to the lead rather quickly even last week at Phoenix. All three of them will be competitive. The only places starting position may still matter are the road courses, short tracks, and one-milers like Phoenix and Loudon, and if you're really good (or in really good equipment), you can still make it to the front on those tracks. 108. Spen posted: 11.20.2010 - 1:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "when BP won his only Cup, you could say Richard was hosed" Nope. '73 would have been Cale's first championship. Petty was cheated out of '63 by a stupid point system, but he picked up '74 by another silly system, so it evens out. 109. Shmonko posted: 11.20.2010 - 2:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Alright Smonko, time for a counting lesson: Sentence #1: I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". Sentence #2: I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop. I admitted I'm as guilty as anyone. And I was referring specifically to the cha$e because it changed people's mindset to the season realizing the overall 36 race point total is (unfortunately) meaningless." Deeeerrrr, way to prove my point again, numbnuts. Is that seriously your rebuttal? Are you really that dumb? You act like the two things you said are someone how independent of each other, and just because I reference your second sentence by including the context of what it was referring to from your first sentence, that's supposed to be your big, "gotcha!"? Jesus christ, you can't even argue competently anymore. You dig yourself a hole and try to get out of it by using a shovel. By the way, how about you actually stick to what you said, instead of just sticking to it when it's convenient for your arguments? 110. awesomegordonfan posted: 11.20.2010 - 6:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean, I know Harvick had another start that was not top-20, but Hamlin started 37th, and I don't know if he'll catch up again. 111. I Seize the Day posted: 11.20.2010 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shmonko, if you don't like what the guy has to say, just ignore him. Its kind of annoying coming on here to see people argue about whether they are a closet Jimmie Johnson fan or not. Just stick to actual racing. 112. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.20.2010 - 10:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Deeeerrrr, way to prove my point again, numbnuts. Is that seriously your rebuttal? Are you really that dumb? You act like the two things you said are someone how independent of each other, and just because I reference your second sentence by including the context of what it was referring to from your first sentence, that's supposed to be your big, "gotcha!"? Jesus christ, you can't even argue competently anymore. You dig yourself a hole and try to get out of it by using a shovel. By the way, how about you actually stick to what you said, instead of just sticking to it when it's convenient for your arguments?" What the hell was all that? It doesn't even make any sense. I read it and re-read it about 4 times, and I have no idea what you are trying to say. 113. Shmonko posted: 11.20.2010 - 11:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What the hell was all that? It doesn't even make any sense. I read it and re-read it about 4 times, and I have no idea what you are trying to say." Wow, so you really are that stupid. I figured someone who had supposedly finished college could make sense of some basic language, but I guess not. It really is like trying to argue with a little kid. If you truly can't figure it out (and I think you can, you're just acting like you can't), re-read everything you said, and the re-read everything I said, maybe while keeping a dictionary close to by for those tough words like, "context," "referencing," "rebuttal," and "competently." It'll come to you, don't worry. The English language is nothing to be afraid of. 114. Kit posted: 11.20.2010 - 12:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Jimmie is a 4 time champion, and that will never change. That team outran 30 other teams, four years in a row and they still don't get 100% credit. Now, that right their is the problem we should be discussing." He didn't outrun 30 teams per se. He only had to cruise into the top 12 after 26 races then beat 12. This isn't the old points system we're talking about where race #5 had equal importance as race #28. 115. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.20.2010 - 2:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Wow, so you really are that stupid." Yes, I have a lot of trouble understanding gibberish. "I figured someone who had supposedly finished college could make sense of some basic language" You are right, the language you use is VERY basic. Unfortunately it does not follow a coherent pattern. And, just for the record, not only have I finished college with a 4 year Bachelor degree in Biology, I am currently working on an Associates degree in emergency medical science. 116. Shmonko posted: 11.20.2010 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You are right, the language you use is VERY basic. Unfortunately it does not follow a coherent pattern." Oh really? Well I guess moonshine has ruined your brain because it was quite coherent. Want to me explain it to, step by step? Let's start: DSFF (post 73): "I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop." ...and later "Where have you been? I have said over and over that isn't true. There is no way he was touching Gordon in 2007. Under any other system, '07 was Jeff's. But JJ would have won in 2004. They had a 250+ point lead in the summer, then suddenly blew 3 straight motors. Under the old system, they keep witht heir regular reliable motors and run off with the Cup a la Kenseth in '03. Four straight titles? No. 4 titles? Yes. Gordon has 5 (and we get to quit hearing about the "drive for five"), and most importantly Kurt Busch has ZERO!!!!" Me: "Told you guys, he's a hypocrite. Always has been, always will be." DSFF: ""Please read the second sentence of post 73 very carefully." Me: "You mean the part where you say we should stop talking about what ifs in the Chase era, the part that proves my point BECAUSE YOU IMMEDIATELY WENT BACK ON IT? (note: caps added for emphasis) Yeah, I read that part very carefully, because it was probably the most important part of what you said that exemplifies the double-talk made-up bulls**t that you so regularly peddle on every page of this site." DSFF: "Alright Smonko, time for a counting lesson: Sentence #1: I hate the cha$e, but I don't think we should be saying "oh, under the old system, X would have won". Sentence #2: I'm as guilty as anyone of this, but we should stop. I admitted I'm as guilty as anyone. And I was referring specifically to the cha$e because it changed people's mindset to the season realizing the overall 36 race point total is (unfortunately) meaningless." Now here's where you seem to get confused because you're such a f***ing idiot. It's not important that you admitted that you're, "as guilty as anyone of this," the important part is WHAT YOU SAID IMMEDIATELY AFTER. You know, the part that proved my point that you were a hypocrite because of reasons already explained here. So hence my response: "Deeeerrrr, way to prove my point again, numbnuts. Is that seriously your rebuttal? Are you really that dumb? You act like the two things you said are someone how independent of each other" Now does it make sense? I hope so, because I really can't simplify it for you any more. Your patronizing, "time for a counting lesson," was supposed to be some sort of "gotcha!" because you couldn't follow a simple chain of events, and you thought you could turn what I said against me, as if I somehow missed the part where you admitted you were guilty of dealing in your made-up BS. But that wasn't what was important to begin with. You're a hypocrite, and apparently, a simple-minded moron who can't read, or argue a point effectively (no way you actually went to college, not after seeing how you struggled with these simple sentences). So in short, congratulations, you're the reason people stereotype NASCAR fans. 117. Ryan posted: 11.21.2010 - 1:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just watched the '92 Hooters 500 to get pumped for tommorrow, and I am very pumped. We don't get a close points race like this very often... In the last 30 years there hasn't been a lot of close points battles going into the race. 1980- Earnhardt goes into Ontario with 29 point lead over Yarborough, finishes 5th to win 1st title by 19 points and everyone is stunned that he kept up the pace all year with the likes of Petty, Yarborough, Waltrip, and Allison who were in their prime. 1982- Darrell Waltrip had a 22 point lead over Bobby Allison going into Riverside. Waltrip finished third and Allison finished 16th in the race as Waltrip went back to back. 1984- Terry Labonte had a 42 point lead going into the last race at Riverside over Harry Gant. Gant had a big oppurtunity in the next to last race at Atlanta to take over the points lead over Labonte but blew up late in the race. 1985- Darrell Waltrip had a 20 point lead going into Riverside over Bill Elliott in a season to never forget for Bill Elliott. He won 11 races including the Daytona 500(richest), Winston 500 (fastest) (making up 2 laps under green), and the Southern 500 (oldest) to win the 1 million dollar bonus for winning three of the four prestigous races, Coca-Cola 600 (longest) the other. Waltrip finished 7th while Elliott finished 31st to win by 101 points. 1989- Going into the last race, Wallace had a 78 point lead on Martin and 79 point lead on Earnhardt. I know this is some what comfortable lead going into the last race, but Wallace made it interesting early going down three laps and Earnhardt led the most laps and won the race with Wallace finishing 15th and winning by only 12 points. One can look and see that Earnhardt had a lot of misfortune down the stretch, especially at all three tracks in North Carolina late in the year, especially at N. Wilksboro and the Rock. 1990- Dale Earnhardt came into Atlanta with the points lead by a slim margin of six points. He just left Phoenix the week before with a clutch performance win to take the points lead while Martin and his team made some cruical mistakes at the end of that race. Earnhardt finished third in this race and kept Martin in check all day to win his fourth title by 26 points. 1992- Six drivers came into the last race of the season with a chance to win the title. Allison, Kulwicki, Elliott, Gant, Martin, and K. Petty. Allison had just won Phoenix and had a 30 point lead over Kulwicki and a 40 point lead over Elliott. The race at Atlanta is by far the greatest race I have ever watched. There were so many story lines with this race that made it great. Kulwicki would lead 103 laps to Elliott's 102 laps and finish 2nd, while Elliott won the race, but Kulwicki kept his 10 point advantage over Elliott by lead the most laps. Allison, meanwhile got caught up in a wreck when Ernie Irvin spun and collected Allison to take him out of contention for the race and title. 1996- Terry Labonte went into Atlanta with a 47 point lead over Jeff Gordon. Labonte had a clutch performance at the Rock with four races left to cut Gordon's lead to one point. He out performed Gordon the rest of the way and secured his second title with a 5th place finish to win by 37 points over Gordon. On top of that Bobby Labonte won the race. What a day for the Labonte's. 2004- Five drivers had a chance going into the last race of the year. Ku. Busch, Johnson, Gordon, Earnhardt, and Martin. One could say that Earnhardt really missed his chance at Atlanta when he and Edwards gor together and cost Dale at least 100 points and the point lead, but more than likely he would have blew it at Homestead. Busch led Johnson and Gordon by 18 and 21 points. Johnson finished 2nd and Gordon finished 3rd, while Busch finished 5th. Busch was very fortunate in the early part of this race, he came down pit road to pit for a flat and his tire came off and went out onto the track to cause a caution, he then pitted and came back to get 5th. Had Johnson or Gordon won this race they would have been the champion. Johnson and Gordon both made a nice run at it at the end but they could do nothing with Biffle that day. Busch won by 8 points over Johnson. 2010- Hamlin enters Homestead with a 15 point lead over Johnson and 46 point lead over Harvick after blowing a chance to have nearly a 60 point lead coming out of Phoenix and needing a finish of about 10th or better to clinch the title, instead he will have to race hard for the title. So, once out of every three years in the last 30 years there has been a close points battle going into the last race of the season. Seize the moment and enjoy it, they don't come every year. 118. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.21.2010 - 9:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "...and later "Where have you been? I have said over and over that isn't true. There is no way he was touching Gordon in 2007. Under any other system, '07 was Jeff's. But JJ would have won in 2004. They had a 250+ point lead in the summer, then suddenly blew 3 straight motors. Under the old system, they keep witht heir regular reliable motors and run off with the Cup a la Kenseth in '03. Four straight titles? No. 4 titles? Yes. Gordon has 5 (and we get to quit hearing about the "drive for five"), and most importantly Kurt Busch has ZERO!!!!"" I said that because Smiff (whom I have since made peace with) claimed I thought JJ would be a 4 time consecutive chance under the old format, so I defended myself by repeating what I had been previously saying on older pages. So your "simple chain of events" theory only works IF YOU INCLUDE ALL THE LINKS IN THE CHAIN! So congrats to you. You just wasted an entire long post that holds no merit because you conveniently left important "links of the chain" out of the "simple chain of events". "It's not important that you admitted that you're, "as guilty as anyone of this,"" Yeah, that part isn't important at all. Me admitting that I do the same thing, yet you throw it in my face like I'm trying to hide it. That isn't important at all because it shows you are just wasting time right from the start. "the important part is WHAT YOU SAID IMMEDIATELY AFTER." Which was directed at Smiff claiming I think JJ would have 4 straight titles under the old system. I had to defend myself and repeated what I had said in the past. This is a crucial link in your "simple chain of events" which was made even simpler because you took a lot of crucial links out. "Now here's where you seem to get confused because you're such a f***ing idiot." No, that is where I got confused because that was a response to Smiff yet you acted like I was saying it just for the hell of it and attacked me for it. I didn't understand where in the hell you were coming from, but now I realize you are simply hell bent on insulting me. Now it makes sense. You are a troll. You never had any dog in this fight, you just wanted to throw as many childish insults at me as possible. Which you did, so congrats I guess. I thought you were actually truing to discuss something. THAT is where I made a mistake. "and you thought you could turn what I said against me, as if I somehow missed the part where you admitted you were guilty of dealing in your made-up BS." And you thought you could turn MY words against me, words directed at somebody else, but you are either just a troll looking to start childish pissing wars, or so egocentric that you think everything posted here is directed at you, even though I had Smiff's original response DIRECTLY ABOVE MY SUPPOSEDLY INCRIMINATING QUOTE! Better luck next time Einstein. 119. Spen posted: 11.21.2010 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is hands down, the most pointless arguement I have ever witnessed on this site, and I've been here since '04. 120. 18fan posted: 01.21.2011 - 2:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was Kyle Busch's only top 25 start in the last 5 races. 121. Smokefan posted: 06.02.2011 - 11:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Evan if Denny Hamlin won the race, he steel wouldn't win the championship. 122. Daniel posted: 05.21.2012 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #46 Michael McDowell, #66 Jason Leffler, #87 Joe Nemechek Out using fastest 43: #34 Tony Raines, #71 Brendan Gaughan, #81 Terry Labonte 123. DennyHamlinDisliker posted: 03.08.2014 - 12:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One word CHOKEJOB 124. Anthony posted: 05.04.2018 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting that Terry Labonte had 1 fastest lap! 125. Bodyblower posted: 04.21.2020 - 10:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ron Hornaday practiced the 39 car. 126. LindseyNelsonsJacket posted: 05.01.2020 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad Keselowski's sponsor for this race was Penskecars.com Evidence: https://i.imgur.com/h9Szchv.png?1 127. Foote posted: 05.01.2020 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Penske is excellent with sponsors (he's excellent at everything), but the #12 ran mostly unsponsored from 2009-2010. But when Budweiser aligned with Kevin Harvick in 2011, Shell/Pennzoil left RCR for Penske and the renumbered #22 remains sponsored by them to this day. 128. JSPorts posted: 05.01.2020 - 5:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The #12 wasn't exactly unsponsored. Alltel got bought out by Verizon, but that voided Penske's grandfather clause with NASCAR that would've allowed them to continue running Alltel colors. Verizon shifted to IndyCar & the Nationwide Series, but the funding from Verizon allowed them to continue running the Cup car. It was a Verizon paint scheme, just without Verizon logos. 129. Corey posted: 05.01.2020 - 5:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think they were unsponsored. In 2008, Verzion acquired the majority of Alltel. This probably included the sponsorship contract of the #12. Since the couldn't change the name on the car due to Sprint's series sponsorship, the car just ran with the Penske name. 130. possum posted: 05.01.2020 - 8:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @129 - that's correct. Verizon probably could have abrogated Alltel's contracts, but instead they chose to honor it and build a longer-term deal with Penske in Nationwide and Indycars. 131. Foote posted: 05.01.2020 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting. You learn something new every day! I thought finding issues were a primary cause of the #12 stinking from 2009-10, but Kes was a rookie and Stremme lacked talent and maybe it was just that simple. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: