|| *Comments on the 2011 Kobalt Tools 500:* View the most recent comment <#182> | Post a comment <#post> 1. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.12.2011 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think they've been sneaking Ross Kenseth into that #17 car on qualifying days this year. He looks so much like his Dad (although he is a lot taller) nobody would ever know. 2. 18fan posted: 11.12.2011 - 4:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last year in this race the Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were the only cars that could keep up with Carl Edwards, this year they qualified 33rd and 34th and Kyle will start last after an engine change. 3. 18fan posted: 11.12.2011 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt Kenseth's 3rd pole of the season almost matches his career total coming into this season. He is the 4th driver, after Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, and Greg Biffle, to win 3 poles this season. Kenseth's pole gives Roush-Fenway its 10th pole of the season. 4. 18fan posted: 11.12.2011 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Matt Kenseth's 3rd pole of the season almost matches his career total coming into this season. He is the 4th driver, after Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, and Greg Biffle, to win 3 poles this season. Kenseth's pole gives Roush-Fenway its 10th pole of the season. 5. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.12.2011 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Overall PIR looks really good. That dogleg in the back being so much wider is going to be interesting. The track toke rubbed (boy how many of you are eating crow now?) Watching the n'wide race now, still a single groove track (mostly) but more racing could fix that problem. 6. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.12.2011 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Roush has been unusually good at qualifying this year. Did I step into an alternate universe? lol Six of Roush's poles this year have been by Kenseth and Biffle who each have 3, while four more have been recorded by Edwards and Ragan(!) who each have two. That's impressive considering Roush cars are built more towards the race than qualifying. Roush has got their shit together this year. 7. I Love Japan posted: 11.12.2011 - 5:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) BV was on his Twitter claiming he has a fast car for this weekend. I'm skeptical, but even if he does, he'll find a way to screw it up. 8. Schroeder51 posted: 11.12.2011 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How about Sam Hornish? 9. joey2448 posted: 11.12.2011 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How is it that the qualifying record wasn't broken? They were running much faster than that in practice. 10. Anonymous posted: 11.12.2011 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new banking in the dogleg!!! It adds so much character to this track. It's up to the drivers to police the limits of what should prove to be a very exciting section of the speedway. 11. Anonymous85 posted: 11.12.2011 - 9:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872 I think you are right about Gordon not being a factor in these final two races I just don't think he has the fire that will get him to the front besides he whines and moans worse then both of the Waltrip brothers 12. Mr X posted: 11.12.2011 - 10:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I really thought the Phoenix repave was going to turn out terrible, I am thrilled to state that the track rubbered in beautifully. I still think the repave was completely unnecessary, the old track was still more of a drivers track, and the tire wear on this new surface is basically zero. Not to mention Phoenix wasn't in need of a repave and it wasn't like Phoenix was in need of any character. However the race tomorrow I think will be very interesting, the lack of available lines and the relatively slow speeds, means a bad handling car will go backwards, and a good car will go forwards regardless of track position or the lack of tire wear. I do believe this race will be run out on the track as opposed to pitroad, which I really feared wouldn't happen. Congrats to Sam Hornish on a well deserved win, and good job to PIR for not screwing up their track. I don't think this new track is better, but it's certainly no worse, and something will probably have to be done about drivers cutting through the appron in the dogleg. I'm really hoping for some hot weather tomorrow, we'll probably get it but this track appears to be very temperature sensative. The groove appears to get wider with heat and sunlight. 13. 00andJoe posted: 11.12.2011 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Qualifying notes: -Cole Whitt qualifies for his first career Sprint Cup race. -Andy Lally spun coming off of turn 4 on his second lap, blew two tired and was rollback'd in. -David Gilliand got very loose in turn 2 on his first lap, turned around, drove back to the start-finish line and started over. -Denny Hamlin was very loose throughout almost his entire warm-up lap, and finally spun out in turn 4 as he was already trying to turn around to start over and get two full laps (which he did). 14. 00andJoe posted: 11.12.2011 - 11:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #71 sponsor: School Media 15. cjs3872 posted: 11.13.2011 - 12:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh contrare Mr X, I think Phoenix did screw up the track on the backstretch. I believe that unless grass is put on the inside of the backstretch, something terrible might happen, because of how the drivers are shortcutting the course. Remember how IMS put those grass strips in each of the turns. A big part of the reason why was to make the drivers drive the track at Indy the way it was originally intended to be driven. If you thought what happened near the end of the 1999 Daytona 500, when Jeff Gordon nearly got forced into Ricky Rudd's disabled car, you haven't seen anything, because I believe that soneone will run over a disabled car if they contnue to shortcut the course like they did today. And I'm also concerned about the Cup race, not just because of the shortcutting of the course, but also because of the three blown right front tires in today's Nationwide race. I think theat youl'll see more of the same, unless NASCAR throws MULTIPLE competition cautions. I don't think it will be as bad as Charlotte in 2005 [especially the fall race] or Indy in 2008, but I think there's almost certainly a bad situationa regarding tire blowouts, and I don't think the blown tires today were from brake heat. Not all three. 16. NicoRosbergFan posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordo started 20th in February. Could still win. 17. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 10:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Should be interesting to see. The good thing is Phoenix sent a zamboni like machine on the track to lay down rubber in the grooves. It seems to have worked wonders. I hope Michigan, Pocono, and Kansas are paying attention. This is the answer. Should be a fun day. New-ish track, tight points battle, and still a lot of people racing to prove something. Plus the 1992 Hooter's 500 page is trending here. Mainly because I managed to turn a "Kirk Shelmerdine is underrated" discussion into a long winded dissertation on how Dale's '86-'90 was the best 5 year run by any driver in NASCAR's modern era (with Kirk as the crew chief). I think cjs would enjoy that one. 18. cjs3872 posted: 11.13.2011 - 11:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, you must be joking about how Dale, Sr.'s run from 1986-'90 was the best five-year run in the modern history of the sport, because, while it was great, no doubt, it's far from the greatest. I wouldn't rank it higher than fourth or fifth. At the top, obviously, is Jeff Gordon's run from 1995-'99 in which he won a staggering 47 times, and led the series by himself every year, a feat no other driver has EVER accomplished. And if you want to stretch it to seven, counting 2000-'01, it's 56 wins over seven years, leading the series six times. No driver is ever going to average 9.4 wins a season over five years, or eight wins over seven years again. Second on that list would be Darrell Waltrip, who from 1979-'83 won 42 times, won two championships and finished second twice, and was the last driver to win more than ten times in consecutive seasons [1981-'82]. Third would be Jimmie Johnson. His championships [most of them] may be a fabrication of the Chase, but nothing else is. While not as dominant as Gordon, Waltrip, or even Yarborough, or Pearson during their streaks, Johnson was clearly as superior as the rest of them. Fourth is Earnhardt's run, with Cale Yarborough's run from 1976-'80 rounding out my top five. I rank Yarborough's run slighty ahead of Pearson [1972-'76] because he ran all the races, though if you average Pearson's numbers during his greatest modern five-year run to match a full season, Pearson's run from 1972-'76 would be slightly better. 19. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 12:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The competition wasn't as stacked like it was during Dale's run as I lay out on the 1992 Atlanta page. Plus Darrell's '81 to '85 was better. Two less wins but all three championships and a better overall average points finish. Besides, '79 and '80 was still Cale's era. And I didn't include Pearson because they ran partial schedules back when that was an advantage. I'd take '65 thru '69 for him, but it is hard to compare pre modern and post modern era races. 20. potatosalad48 posted: 11.13.2011 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Phoenix did a great job with the repave. I absolutely love the new dog leg. Also, there appeared to be a second grove developing in the racetrack during the KN&N West race last night. We'll have to see if it develops again now that the rubber has been washed away. 21. Anonymous posted: 11.13.2011 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rain is rapidly weakening as dry air is moving into the area. This race should be a go. 22. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.13.2011 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It'll take about half the race for a groove to come back (hopefully). But like the N'wide race yesterday, at the end of the race racing should be better then the first half of the race. (not hopefull, almost certain). :-P 23. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Geoff Bodine loses it and spins. No surprise here. I'm having flashbacks. 24. 18fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bold move by Tony to get the lead. 25. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Helluva move by Tony, but I wouldn't have done that with Geoff Bodine in the middle. He must not have watched NASCAR in the 80's and early 90's. 26. 18fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) AJ Allmendinger is running really strong right now. 27. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just like old times for Bodine. 28. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Twas a valiant effort Geoffrey. At least you can take comfort in the fact you are smarter than everyone else. At least in your own mind. 29. LordLowe posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Hendrick Motorsports House of cards is starting to collapse 30. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great job Brian Vickers! (sarcasm) 31. Mr X posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This sport will be better when Brian Vickers is no longer involved. Good riddance to bad rubbish. 32. New 14&88 Fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Vickers needs to have his ass kicked, jeeze what a moron! 33. 18fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Atta boy Brian, further proving why he won't have a ride in Cup next year. 34. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He just stopped going down the backstretch."-Brian Vickers BS story of the year. 35. LordLowe posted: 11.13.2011 - 4:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not suprised by this Typical Vickers 36. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good job Vickers. You had a Top 10 car that you just destroyed by retaliating against a car with no brakes that was gonna have to go to the garage anyways. That is why you never amounted to anything and why you will have no ride next year. 37. Anonymous posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was great seeing Geoff "DNF" Bodine out on the track again. You never know what Bodine crash is going to be the last one you ever see, so you gotta appreciate days like this. 38. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two motors in a weekend for Kyle Busch. 39. 18fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle's great drive is now over. 40. BON GORDON posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What the hell is wrong with Gordon's car? Its running 31st. It's like somethings broken. 41. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think it's between Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch for last in the Chase. I believe Gordon will get it. 42. New 14&88 Fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle's and the 18 team's crudy weekend comes to a sadly fitting end with motor problems, would of liked to see them at least get a top ten. Smoke and Edwards are currently running one-two. 43. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Vickers, you will never be the champion and the man Kenseth is. You will be forgotten as soon as you leave. Kenseth will be remembered for a long time. 44. BON GORDON posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No Busch will be last for sure. I think Gordon can pull 10th in points. 45. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good riddance to Vickers, you won't be missed. 46. OldSchoolNascarDude posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For a man who desperately needs a sponsor and a ride for next year, Vickers isn't doing himself any favors. 47. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Tony is losing the handle. It is just the 99's year. 48. Mr X posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NO Andy Petree GoodYear didn't "nail it" with the tire, racing isn't as exciting when tires don't slow down. I almost wish every tire had a nail in it. 49. 18fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch goes from leading the race to a midpack finish because of running out of fuel and then a speeding penalty. 50. New 14&88 Fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Way to Go Kasey Kahne!!! 51. 18fan posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great win by Kasey Kahne and the whole #4 team. Another great win by the RPM team and another strong run for Jeff Burton. 52. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Red Bull Racing's last hurrah? 53. LordLowe posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) No one really deserves this Championship IMO to much stroking going on 54. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Happy for Kasey. When he wins at HMS next year, he will have the manufacturer grand slam. At least Red Bull has somebody that doesn't bring them complete shame. 55. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A. J. Allmendinger reaches double digit numbers in Top 10s for the first time in his career. 56. Bronco posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) LOL at Ryan not knowing where polar bears live! 57. Randy posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) She does not really love polar bears! 58. Ryan posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This Nascar championship battle, excellent... The last two years has been great. I knew Edwards would do well this week because he has a good history here, but I wasn't so sure Tony would do well. With Edwards' recent success at Homestead I'll give him the edge next week. 59. Mr X posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Newman said "up in the antarctic." He needs to consult a globe. 60. Randy posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This just in!!!! Ryan Newman has been informed that a polar bear is not the same as a Grizzly Bear and is shocked since he does not like those scary white bears that live in the snow. 61. Schroeder51 posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Up in the Antarctic...you're kidding me. 62. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Newman is not as smart as he thinks. It is fitting he said that on a day in which Geoff Bodine had a throwback performance. 63. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Ryan is one of those guys who acts like he is so much smarter than everyone else... lol 64. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Goes to show how much of an air head Ryan Newman is. Needs to go back to school. Overall, good race. PIR gets an A+ on the re-paving job. (unless your picky) Well NASCAR is going to get what it wants, 2 heavy-weights (no pun intended) to go for the championship. And it is NOW OFFICAL, JIMMIE JOHNSON IS NOT GOING TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Sebasten Loeb wins his 8th straight. (yes it said this before, but it needs to be repeated). 65. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great win for Kasey Kahne and Red Bull. At least Red Bull can say they at least employed one driver during their Sprint Cup tenure who can keep his head on straight most of the time. Time will tell if he succeeds at HMS next season. Brian Vickers should just go away and retire already. He started that whole thing between him and Kenseth anyway by being a big wrecking ball at Martinsville, and the flashback ESPN showed was actually Matt paying him back. I guess since Brian's "retaliation" at Martinsville was an epic fail, he thought he'd try again today. I see this as the final few pages of the final chapter in the mediocre Cup career of Brian Vickers. I will definitely be watching the race at Homestead next week from flag to flag, as I did today. This championship battle is getting interesting, and best of all, SOMEBODY ELSE BESIDES JIMMIE JOHNSON IS GOING TO WIN IT! 66. Randy posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good day of racing. The racing gods took Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull mojo in Abu Dhabi during the morning's F1 race and gave it to Khane. 67. DaleJrFan20 posted: 11.13.2011 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, it's official, our lord and savior, Jimmie Johnson, has fallen! Hallelujah! In other news, Brian Vickers is a piece of shit, Geoff Bodine drives like crap, the repaving made this track a lot more interesting, and unless Carl wins at Homestead next week, we will have two trolls battling it out for the championship, with Carl trolling the chase by not winning a single race in the chase, and Tony for the overly obvious reason of showing that the first 26 races mean absolutely nothing. Personally, I don't mind either one winning the championship, so it's a win-win situation in my book. 68. Anonymous posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So awesome to see Kasey win finally! 69. DaleJrFan posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know I will be bashed for this but it Rick Hendrick is back to giving Dale Jr. bad cars. Really none of he Hendrick cars did all that good today with Jimmie's 14th being the best of them. Some of the blame for Dale Jr. not winning could be that he has lost some of his desire but Rick is to blame as well for not letting Dale Jr. get as good as cars as Jimmie. I'm afraid with Kasey comming over next year Dale Jr. won't make the chase and barley if at all finish top 20 in points. Hopefully Dale Jr will get back what desire he has lost (if any) and Rick will let him have as good cars as Jimmie every race. 70. DaleJrFan20 posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay...that's odd... Guy below my first post =/= me. Might just change my name for convenience sake. 71. 00andJoe posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #34 sponsor: Front Row Motorsports #55 sponsor: Aloft Tempe Hotel 72. 00andJoe posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) (That should be "Aloft Hotel Tempe" for the #55 - brain burp!) 73. 00andJoe posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was a pretty good race. Would have been better if Tony hadn't adjusted himself out of a win, but... Oh, and did anybody catch what it was reported Jay Frye said about next year's plans for RBR? That if they find a buyer Cole Whitt will be in one of their Cup cars? Our worst fears for Whitt coming true. 74. I Love Japan posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How can you not hate Brian Vickers? Hello. It's me again, I Love Japan, leader of the anit-BV brigade. Every race Brian Lee Vickers does something stupid. You can expect, I'll be on his Twitter tonight calling him a cheapass, a pansy, and a piece of a shit. I hate Vickers with a passion. When I saw him bump Kenseth, I was laughing at how dumb he is. I TOLD you all he would find a way to screw it up. Didn't I? DIDN'T I? BV is a dumbass, and is a disgrace to NASCAR. He is a little piece of shit. NASCAR will be happy when he retires. And from now on, start giving me credit when you criticize him. I am the leader of the anti-BV brigade after all since I had the misfortune of following him for so long. 75. KahnesGal4 posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I waited two long years for this! Watch out next year, I think Kahne can win 6 races. And can someone tell me how what Vickers did today was different than what Busch did last week? Why was he not parked for at least the rest of the race? 76. jabber1990 posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Vickers did it under the Green Kyle Busch is more hated than Vickers 77. I Love Japan posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why Kahnesgal I would be happy to respond to you. #READYFORAWAR. Kyle Busch has talent. Brian Lee vickers doesn't. Kyle Busch can win races. Brian Lee Vickers can't. Kyle Busch drives with passion. Brian Vickers justs wants to be famous. Don't get me started on Vickers. He is a piece of shit. And if you or anyone defends him, You should get your eyes checked. Kahne will have a monster 2012. I have already said that. Any questions? Good. You are dissmissed now. Run along and play. 78. I Love Japan posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jabber1990, who cares if Kyle Busch is more hated then Vickers. He' s only more hated cause he's more notable. 79. Urethra Franklin posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Methinks it's time for Geoff Bodine to hang it up. 80. I Love Japan posted: 11.13.2011 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #78, probably. LOL, he's 62 years old. 81. Bronco posted: 11.13.2011 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the first time in the Chase era, JJ is not eligible for the championship going into Homestead, so today officially marks the end of his 5 year championship reign. He cannot finish any higher than 3rd in points this year, and could possibly even drop to 6th with another one of those unforced spins that he has done so often this year. Its ironic that the driver who won at least two of his championships by not scoring the most overall points may finish lower in points than his overall point total, which stands at 2nd. Paul Menard gets his first top 10 since Pocono in August. Reutimann gets his first top 10 since Kentucky in July and will likely be his final top 10 with MWR. This race was very typical for Reutimann's teammate, start up front, run in the top 5 until the first pit stop, and then get progressively worse and worse. This is Kasey's first win not in the #9 Dodge, and if he wins in the #5 he will join Newman and McMurray as current drivers to have won for three different manufacturers. If Kahne were in the chase, he would be third in points, still eligible for it at Homestead. This is Red Bull's first win since August 2009 at Michigan with Vickers driving. It would be a shame to see a half decent team like that disappear over the offseason, I think Villeneuve or Pastrana is going to end up buying it. 82. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.13.2011 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Why was he not parked for at least the rest of the race?" I think he should have been. No excuse for that in my opinion. Besides, he already tried to take a swipe at Matt in response to Matt's retaliation to Brian being a wrecking ball at Martinsville and spun himself out. When I was watching the race and saw Brian do that, I actually yelled, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GARBAGE?! BRIAN STARTED THIS WHOLE THING WITH HIM AND MATT!" 83. I Love Japan posted: 11.13.2011 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RCRguy you quickly are gaining my respect :D 84. cjs3872 posted: 11.13.2011 - 8:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) LordLowe, the reason there may be more stroking going on is the point system, because, except for the win, there's simply no incentive to go out and take a chance on passing someone late in the race unless you're clearly faster. As long as the difference in the points is the same for the leaders as it is in the back of the field, there isn't going to be any incentive. Well, it looks like David Ragan's time at roush Racing may end the same way it began, andf that's with a pile of wrecked race cars, as he and Regan Smith crashed on just the third lap of the race going for a mid-pack position. By the way Kahne's win, his 12th, is the first in NASCAR's top series for car no. 4 since Bobby Hamilton, Sr. won at Martinsville in the spring of 1998. Of course, 15 years ago, Hamilton brought another, more famous car number back to victory lane after over 12 years. That car number, of course, was 43. And Kahne drove for Petty the last two years, winning twice in 2009, and may have a lot to do with Carl Edwards winning the championship, if in fact he wins it, since it was Kahne and Kenny Francis that gave Roush the info they've been using for the last 16 months when they were struggling mightily. However, DSFF you are mistaken about Kahne winning in all four makes if he wins in a Chevrolet next year. He did not win a Cup race in a Ford, though he came close several times last year. 85. Ryan posted: 11.13.2011 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Carl trolling the chase by not winning a single race in the chase." It's not like he hasn't been trying... Since Bristol he has had three 2nds, two 3rds, one 4th, two 5ths, one 8th, two 9ths, and one 11th at Talladega. His average finish in the Chase is 5.2. He entered the Chase finishing 9th, 5th, and 2nd at Bristol, Atlanta, and Richmond. There's been only two races he hasn't led a lap in the Chase. He came out alive at Talladega and finished 9th at Martinsville (which had to feel like a win), and at Kansas he got 5th when most of the race he had problems. He's done every thing it takes to be a champion so far. And just because he hasn't won a race this Chase and only one all year shouldn't mean he isn't deserving. I think he could have won today if Keselowski wouldn't have raced him real hard when he was trying to get by him at the end which cost him some time to Kahne before the last pit stop and he didn't want to force the issue (Who would blame him?). 86. LordLowe posted: 11.13.2011 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) CJS I think things at Hendrick motorsports are starting to unravel and the problem may be Chad Knaus I think you mentioned that it was because of Him that Gordon left his own shop and went to the 5 cars shop and it just seems like Knaus has a really fragile ego which is starting to poison hendrick motorsports. P.S. How about a 1 thousand point bonus for a driver who wins a race 87. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.13.2011 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Sherriff Of The Unemployment Line is just mad because he knows he is done and he never did anything worth a shit in Cup. He craves fame above all else, but he has neither an interesting personality nor the abilty to gain attention by doing anything of note on the track. So he is just trying to create as much noise for himself before his long overdue exit from Cup. At age 28, he already falls under the category. Of "washed up and not worth a shit to begin with". Maybe his actions against Matt will allow him to watch Cup races from his couch in the coming years and feel a sense of superiority over Matt despite the fact that Kenseth is a champion, won many races without his bumper, and is still getting to race in Cup. Enjoy these weeks of outrage Brian. Because you will be forgotten the minute you are gone. 88. Evan posted: 11.13.2011 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *Lets give credit to Kasey Kahne for taking a team thats half decent and winning with it. Lets all wish Kasey best of luck with Hendrick Motorsports next year. * Likely Team Red Bull's Final win, a team that began in 2007 with Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger as its driver and it had a terrible start as the first Toyota startup team along with MWR. Team Red Bull has 2 trophies to its credit, one with Brian Vickers and one to Kasey Kahne this year and just one Chase berth in 2009 when Vickers DROVE himself in the Chase and add a Sprint Pit Crew Championship in 2009 to its credit as well. * Team Red Bull was the second race team to be owned by a sponsor you can add Target Chip Ganassi Racing in there too. It was also the first team to be owned by an Austrian, Deitrich Mateschitz. Unfortunately, their worst move was not resigning AJ Allmendinger a potential star and letting him go, Scott Speed proved he was unready for stock cars and that set them back a bit(although some was not his fault) * The points lead is still -3 and Stewart still has a shot to win the title going to Homestead, though Carl won there last year. * Kyle Busch finishes 36th in his return to competition with an engine failure. * Kasey Kahne's 1st and possibly only win in a Toyota and not in a Dodge and not with Ray Evernham(though there is a possibility a few wins will come with HMS. Also first win on the new config. * Also Kasey Kahne win means that NO ONE swept the races at the tracks that have multiple dates this year. * Dale Earnhardt Jr. runs a retro Mountain Dew scheme but finishes 24th. There are too many mouths to feed at Hendrick Motorsports, Junior needs to be at a team where he is the top driver, here at HMS, he's basically 3rd or 4th on the totem pole. At best, Junior will ALWAYS be the third spoke in the wheel at HMS. Question, where will that be, and is Junior content with running midpack all the time while Johnson and his other mates are racking up the wins? Gordon was able to win 3 times and Johnson still got 2 wins in a down year. * 1st win for #4 since 1998 when Bobby Hamilton won in the Kodak car for Morgan McClure Motorsports, lots of history behind that number, the 1991 Daytona 500 win with Ernie Irvan and Back2Back 500s with Sterling Marlin...most of it with McClure Motorsports as they owned the rights to that number even at its shutdown in 2008. 89. Mr X posted: 11.13.2011 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good job Kasey Kahne, I do believe they will run well next year, and will also be more of an asset to Jeff Gordon in the 524 Shop. I also really hope that this helps get Red Bull Racing some funding, but on one condition, that Brian Vickers is fired. Funny how David Reutimann in an MWR POS outruns Mark Martin in HMS equipment. If Mikey wasn't bringing over Clint right now he would look really, really, really stupid, as opposed to just really stupid. Funny how the spring race at Phoenix produced 28 lead changes across 12 drivers, as opposed to 14 lead across 7 drivers. After the Cup race I'm changing my tune, PIR gave away what I thought was one of the best tracks on the circuit. PIR already had loads of character, a flat one mile with a dogleg in the backstretch, and two turns with different banking and turning radius. PIR was already on its own as a track. It was more of a drivers track. The race today was pretty good, but thats only because the corner speeds were slow enough to prevent aero from becoming a bigger factor. There was a fair amount of racing out on the track today however nowhere near as much as in the spring and the hard tire created too much random strategy bs where almost anyone can stay up front once they got there. Today was very good for the first race on new pavement and with some hotter weather it could've been better IMO, but to me the track was as rubbered in as it will get, the PIR crew put in a lot of effort to rubber this track up, and it still was no wider then the old track. PIR did good with the repave, but they didn't need it, and the new track is nothing compared to the old track. I don't understand why every drivers track needs to wiped from the circuit. 90. dUDE gUY posted: 11.13.2011 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Newman finishes in the fifth position for the 7th time this year. 91. Mike posted: 11.13.2011 - 10:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @#88: Target does not own a stake in Ganassi's team, despite the name. Also, Valvoline was part-owner of the 10 car during its MB2 and Evernham days. 92. bob posted: 11.14.2011 - 12:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) awesome cole whitt could be a full time cup driver next year woo hoo! 93. NicoRosbergFan posted: 11.14.2011 - 5:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mr X, It is because most drivers aren't talented enough to run on a "driver's" track. 94. NazRacePhan posted: 11.14.2011 - 8:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Without the chase, Carl Edwards would have CLINCHED the championship, leaving Phoenix with a 59 point lead, and despite the momentum, TOny would be 4th in points. INTERESTING!! 95. NazRacePhan posted: 11.14.2011 - 8:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ALSO, despite missing a race, Kryle would be 7th in points 96. cjs3872 posted: 11.14.2011 - 11:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) LordLowe, it's obvious where a large part of Hendrick Motorsports' resources are going, and it's not to any HMS team, but rather to Tony Stewart's team, since Stewart still has a chance of the championship in what is essentially Hendrick equipment. After all, this is the second consecutive race in which no Hendrick Motorsports team car led a single lap, and no HMS car finished on the lead lap in this one. Their best finisher in this race was Jimmie Johnson, who was 14th. actually, this was not a good race overall for drivers in the Chase. Certainly you had Stewart, Carl Edwards, and Ryan Newman all finish in the top five, but no other Chase driver finished better than 12th. For instance, three of Richard Childress' four cars finished in the top ten, but the one that didn't was the team's lone Chase representative, Kevin Harvick. This might have been the first race in the Chase since it's inception in 2004 at somewhere other than Talladega in which as few as three Chase drivers finished in the top ten. And I also don't like the idea of big bonuses for winning, so far as points go, because that encourages cheating, and I'm against anything that encourages cheating. Maybe jack up the number of points up to five from three if you continue to use this system. The bigger problem in my view is the point spread throughout the rest of the top ten. There should be a difference of three points per position throughout the top five and two per position for the rest of the top ten. 11th through last is fine just the way it is, if they're going to continue the one point per position points payout. An Mr. X, the track at Phoenix needed to be repaved sooner or later, or it risked coming apart just like Darlington, Martinsville, Charlotte, and most infamously, Daytona did in recent years. What I don't like is the reconfiguration of the backstretch, which allows drivers to shortcut the course. Actually, what they did by widening the main striaghtaway was a great thing. I'd also watch Atlanta for a possible repave in the future, because how much longer can that aging track surface hold up? They've aleady started to repave Michigan, and California needs to be repaved, as well, especially if IndyCars are returning there next year. Pocono is also being repaved. I like the idea of having MORE oddball tracks on the circuit, like Darlington, Pocono, Indy, Martinsville, and the road courses, as well as tracks with personality, but every track has to be repaved every now and then, or like regular roads, it's going to come apart. The delicate question is, and always will be, WHEN to repave these tracks? 97. Ed Hinton swimsuit calender photographer posted: 11.14.2011 - 11:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) don't know if mentioned yet, but who could of imagined how big Edwards getting the win in Vegas in a race that Stewart dominated could decide the championship. If Stewart wins that race back in March, he is the one with the 3 point lead going into Homestead. 98. Scott B posted: 11.14.2011 - 12:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF said: "Enjoy these weeks of outrage Brian. Because you will be forgotten the minute you are gone." I don't think it's coincidence that Red Bull is using the last couple of races to showcase Cole Whitt, they know Vickers is not marketable anymore. I just hope being rushed up to Cup doens't damage Whitt's career if he does end up running the top series full time in 2012. That seems like a longshot, though. 99. Jocke Persson posted: 11.14.2011 - 1:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #94 But we have the chase. Ryan Newman looked/sounded like a bafoon during the post-race interview with Little. And I was moved by Kahne's post-race interview. I've lost my granddad on both my mothers and fathers side. But it felt like a weird reply/response from Vince, after Kahne made the dedication. Vince actually said "Congratulations". Didn't he hear a word of what Kasey said? 100. Scott B posted: 11.14.2011 - 1:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was an odd moment, there may have been a producer talking to him in his earpiece that didn't allow him to hear what Kasey was saying. 101. Talk4Tar posted: 11.14.2011 - 2:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "But it felt like a weird reply/response from Vince, after Kahne made the dedication. Vince actually said "Congratulations". Didn't he hear a word of what Kasey said?" He was congratulating Kasey on the win and ending the interview. How was that weird? 102. Talk4Tar posted: 11.14.2011 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You can expect, I'll be on his Twitter tonight calling him a cheapass, a pansy, and a piece of a shit." Wow. You're cool. 103. Scott Bonin posted: 11.14.2011 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian Vickers is no better then Kyle Busch. I bet Geoff Bodine's sponsors were happy with all the tv time he got them. 104. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.14.2011 - 3:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I don't think it's coincidence that Red Bull is using the last couple of races to showcase Cole Whitt, they know Vickers is not marketable anymore. I just hope being rushed up to Cup doens't damage Whitt's career if he does end up running the top series full time in 2012. That seems like a longshot, though." It's still unknown as to whether or not Red Bull will even exist in some capacity after this year. If they get a buyer, they need to thank Kasey for keeping the team respectable this year. And if that happens, hopefully they won't make the same mistake with Cole Whitt that Red Bull did with Allmendinger and Speed. 105. Scott B posted: 11.14.2011 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Some guys would have just "phoned it in" knowing they had other plans for next season, Kasey Kahne and Kenny Francis obviously have higher standards. They've done everything they can to help the rest of the team, whose jobs are in limbo. 106. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.14.2011 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Mr X, It is because most drivers aren't talented enough to run on a "driver's" track." Drivers who race (reguardless of racing series) are more talented then you, me or anyone else on here. Or are you just hating because you can? "An Mr. X, the track at Phoenix needed to be repaved sooner or later, or it risked coming apart just like Darlington, Martinsville, Charlotte, and most infamously, Daytona did in recent years. What I don't like is the reconfiguration of the backstretch, which allows drivers to shortcut the course. Actually, what they did by widening the main striaghtaway was a great thing." as long as it doesn't have green grass (real or fake) or curbing (rubble strips) drivers will use it, unless NASCAR says other wise. I see no problem with cutting the dog leg. NASCAR will not look stupid when a big wreck happens, drivers are the ones who use it. Lets them pay for their own mistakes. "I'd also watch Atlanta for a possible repave in the future, because how much longer can that aging track surface hold up? They've aleady started to repave Michigan, and California needs to be repaved, as well, especially if IndyCars are returning there next year. Pocono is also being repaved. I like the idea of having MORE oddball tracks on the circuit, like Darlington, Pocono, Indy, Martinsville, and the road courses, as well as tracks with personality, but every track has to be repaved every now and then, or like regular roads, it's going to come apart. The delicate question is, and always will be, WHEN to repave these tracks?" I agree, tracks NEED to be re-paved before all of us collect Social Security (kidding). But seriously, i'm actually fine with tracks being proactive, instead of reactive. Now places like Kansas it doesn't need it, ACS doesn't need it *yet*. But EVENTUALLY every track will be REPAVED. I'm sorry but i don't want a NASCAR track to look like a public road with patches and what else have you. 107. Evan posted: 11.14.2011 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I stand corrected. 108. DaleJrFan20 posted: 11.14.2011 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It's not like he hasn't been trying... Since Bristol he has had three 2nds, two 3rds, one 4th, two 5ths, one 8th, two 9ths, and one 11th at Talladega. His average finish in the Chase is 5.2. He entered the Chase finishing 9th, 5th, and 2nd at Bristol, Atlanta, and Richmond. There's been only two races he hasn't led a lap in the Chase. He came out alive at Talladega and finished 9th at Martinsville (which had to feel like a win), and at Kansas he got 5th when most of the race he had problems. He's done every thing it takes to be a champion so far. And just because he hasn't won a race this Chase and only one all year shouldn't mean he isn't deserving." Thats not the point I'm trying to make. What I meant was that this is a big middle finger to the people who whined about Matt's 2003 Championship run and how the chase was "implemented because of it" (which of course, wasn't the reason). Goes to show consistency should always be above just winning alot. 109. Talon64 posted: 11.14.2011 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kasey Kahne picks up his 12th career Sprint Cup Series victory and 1st of 2011. His 12 wins since 2004 are the most by any non-HMS/JGR/Roush/RCR driver, although he'll be driving for HMS for 2012 and beyond. Kahne has now set RBR single season records in top 5's (8), top 10's (14), laps led (340) and (currently) avg fin (15.9). Although Vickers finished 12th in points in 2009 by making the Chase, he would've been 16th without it; Kahne currently sits 14th in the standings. It's Kahne's 1st win at Phoenix in 15 starts; it's just his 2nd top 5 and first since he finished 5th in his 1st career start there (5 top 10's, 19.1 avg fin). Carl Edwards picked up his series-leading 6th runner-up finish of 2011; his 7 top 2's is tied with Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson for the most. Carl also ensured he'll lead 2011 in top 5's (18) and top 10's (25), the 2nd time in 4 seasons he's accomplished the feat. Carl finished in the top 2 for a 2nd straight Phoenix Chase race. Phoenix becomes the 5th track (out of 23 he's competed at) where Carl has at least 10 top 10's (1 win, 6 top 5's, 12.3 avg fin). After just 2 top 5's in the first 24 races of the season, Tony Stewart has 6 in the last 11 (including 4 wins, and all his top 5's in 2011 are podiums). He's led 333 of 646 laps over the last 2 races, and leads all drivers with 471 laps led over the last 5 races (led only 377 in the first 30 races of the season). Tony picked up his 8th top 5 in 20 career Phoenix starts (11.3 avg fin). After just 1 top 10, a 9th at Watkins Glen, in the first 31 race of 2011, Jeff Burton has 2 top 5's and 3 top 10's in the last 4 races to go from 24th to T-21st in the standings. Unless he can gain 10 points on Mark Martin and hold off David Ragan (tied with Burton) and Martin Truex Jr. (5 points back), he'll finish outside of the top 20 in points for the first time since 1995 (32nd). It's just Burton's 2nd top 5 in his last 13 Phoenix starts (5, including 2 wins, in his first 12). Ryan Newman's 17 top 10's this year are his most since 2002 & 2003 (22 in each season). With one more top 5, Newman would have 10 in a season for the first time since 2004 (11). Newman now has 4 consecutive top 5's at Phoenix (3 in his first 15 starts, 18.6 career average finish there). AJ Allmendinger extends his career high to 10 top 10's in 2011, his 2nd straight and 4th in the last 7 races (13.9 avg fin). AJA has started on the front row in 3 of his last 4 Phoenix starts, and now has 2 straight top 10's there (none in his first 5 starts, 16.0 career avg fin). David Reutimann picks up just his 3rd top 10 of the season (19 in the previous 2 seasons combined). It's his 3rd top 10 at Phoenix, his 2nd most at any track, in 9 starts (19.4 avg fin). After having 13 top 10's in his first 83 Cup starts, Marcos Ambrose has 12 top 10's in 2011 alone! It's his 4th top 10 in the last 7 races, and he's scored the 11th most points in the Chase (5th best among non-Chasers). It's his first top 10 in 7 Phoenix starts, but he only has 1 finish outside of the top 20 there (14.3 avg fin). Paul Menard's top 10 is his first in 14 races; however, his 4 top 15's in the last 6 races has taken him from 23rd to 18th in the standings to give him a shot at finishing top 20 in points for the 1st time in his career. It's his first top 10 in 10 Phoenix starts (23.0 avg fin). Clint Bowyer is tied with Kasey Kahne for the 3rd most top 10's so far in the Chase with 6 in 9 races, scoring the 6th most points (2nd best among non-Chasers). He'll go into Homestead 13th in the standings but just 5 points ahead of Kasey Kahne for best-of-the-rest honors. It's Bowyers 5th top 10 in 13 Phoenix starts (15.9 avg fin), 3 of them in the last 5 races. Cole Whitt becomes the 2,871st driver to start a Cup race. But 1,038 of them only have 1 career start, including Whitt as of right now. Matt Kenseth tied Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle for the series lead in poles with his 3rd of 2011, also the 7th of his career. 110. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.14.2011 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What I meant was that this is a big middle finger to the people who whined about Matt's 2003 Championship run and how the chase was "implemented because of it" (which of course, wasn't the reason)." bullshit, big steaming pile of bullshit.(Sprint also gets blame for this as well) "fans" complained and whined about how boring it was and trust me, if it were by the "old system" Carl would already be champion and "fans" would be bi##hing it up. Sorry not buying that at all. 111. Jocke Persson posted: 11.14.2011 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #101 "He was congratulating Kasey on the win and ending the interview. How was that weird?" Well how about Vince saying, instead of just "congratulations" (which was more appropriate in the beginning instead) -Well said, Kasey. I'm sure the viewers at home give him their thoughts this evening. Congratulations. I don't know, but it sounded wrong to my ears is all. When a guy dedicates a victory with a lump in his throat, to his passed away grandpa, you don't just say "Congratulations". 112. hyperacti posted: 11.14.2011 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone know why Whitt's car didn't have logos on it? 113. 18fan posted: 11.14.2011 - 10:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) hyperacti, that's an excellent question. I didn't know who it was for a while until they finally showed a side shot of Cole's car and I saw the number 84 on the side of it. Cole is entered at Homestead as well in the #84 car. He pretty much has 9th place in Truck points locked up, which is good for a guy who has such little experience in pavement racing. 114. LordLowe posted: 11.14.2011 - 11:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well CJS every points system that they have used (past present & future) is very complicated and complex but it is what it is personally like I said no one really deserves the championship this year and if I had it my way I would throw the title off a bridge into a river or bury it in a landfill because that's where it belongs this season. 115. irony posted: 11.15.2011 - 1:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Vickers obviously did a good job of making it sound like an accident on his radio. By my count he has just as many of on-track incidents this year as Kyle and should get the same treatment. Minus the off track incident and ruining the points battle in a lower series of course. BTW, fans (the people who make this sport happen) never asked for or have ever liked the Chase. Many fans (the people who make this sport happen) believe that wins should play a bigger part in the point system, which I disagree. 2003 overall was the most exciting season in NASCAR history to me. Six drivers had a shot at the Busch Series title, and 4 had a shot at the Truck Series title. NASCAR (the people living off the fans) wanted to better compete with the NFL at this time of year. With this great new technology called DVR, it's easy enough to watch both. 116. 00andJoe posted: 11.15.2011 - 1:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Homestead entry list is out. 48 cars: -Sorenson in the #7 -Bayne in the #21 -Skinner in the #37 -Kvapil in the #38, Yeley in the #55 -Whitt in the #84 -Setzer in the #92 -Grant Enfinger in the #93 117. Anonymous posted: 11.15.2011 - 4:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, can't believe you don't care who will win the Cup - clearly Carl is way less nice person and he dangerously wrecked your guy twice last year. Are you so calm now because of Brad's performance? :) As for me, I am definitely with Tony - not just because he is better than Edwards but because he nailed Chase system perfecly - mediocre performance in regular season, whip them all when it counts! Previous who did that as good was Clint Bowyer in 07 and example of the worst handling current system came from the same 2007 and Jeff Gordon (outside Kyle Busch, of course, who genuinely sucked every Chase) cjs, do you have any information about rearranging resources form factory HMS team to SHR satellite other than watching performance in Phoenix race? Agree with you about weird dogleg cutting, but surprised and actually glad that NASCAR didn't ban cut after NNS race. Don't think Auto Club Speedway will be repaved soon because it doesn't look that IRL will be on fast ovals next year or anytime in future. 118. Frank posted: 11.15.2011 - 4:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) last comment was mine 119. cjs3872 posted: 11.15.2011 - 10:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No Frank, it's just common sense that a lot of Hendrick's resources, as well as information, is being passed on to the no. 14 team, because it's the only team in which Hendrick has a stake that has any shot at the championship. And all you have to do is look at the last two races to figure that out. Stewart has led more than half the laps in each of those races, while no Hendrick car has led any laps in those same two races. No Hendrick Motorsports car was competitve at Phoenix [no HMS car finished on the lead lap] and they didn't fare much better the previous week at Texas. I just think that once Johnson fell out of contention after Talladega and was beaten by Tony Stewart at Martinsville, the organization decided that it would be in their best interest to aid Stewart as much as possible, since he's running their equipment and no Hendrick driver has a shot at the title this year. And I believe that even before the catastrophe at Las Vegas, that the IndyCar series had already agreed to go back to Auto Club Speedway next year, so if that's accurate, IndyCars will be racing at Fontana next year. And LordLowe, any kind of points system that give points to a full field is going to be complicated to a point. I'm just saying that, if you're going to reward running up front, then get some points separation between all the leading positions. That's what I liked about the previous system. While it was complicated, it actually rewarded drivers racing in the top five to ten more than it did drivers that raced further back in the field, because the points separation per position was greater up front than it was further back. But the points system used this year doesn't reward racing up front any more than it does racing further back, and as a result, there's just no incentive to race hartd for positions, which is why there has been, as a whole, very little hard racing up front late in races, because there is a significant risk in racing up front, with virtually no reward. 120. Bronco posted: 11.15.2011 - 11:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one mentioned this, but Allmendinger and Ragan swapped pit crews halfway through the race, and the #6 UPS guys pitted the #43, just like they did for the #6 Nationwide car the day before. Thanks to them, AJ nearly rallied for a top 5 finish, giving him back to back top tens for the second time in his career. I'm a little surprised it happened given that they aren't officially teammates. He seems to have become a good short tracker, I think there's a very good chance of him winning at Dover or Phoenix next year. Another race, and another typical mid pack result for Truex after qualifying up front and running there for the first 50 or so laps. This is no different than Bristol, California, Dover, Kansas this year. 121. LordLowe posted: 11.15.2011 - 1:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think you maybe right there CJS Lets revert back to the previous points system and ditch this current system that seems to reward stroking. Do you want to continue to argue some more just for the sake of arguing some more LOL 122. Talon64 posted: 11.15.2011 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "and example of the worst handling current system came from the same 2007 and Jeff Gordon" Jeff Gordon what might've been the 2nd best Chase ever (although Tony's this year is in the discussion); 2 wins and a 5.1 average finish. Pure excellence, only topped by Jimmie Johnson somehow managing to do even better and rattling off HIS best Chase and the best ever to date. So hard to say it's the worst handling. Kyle Busch in 2008 would have to be the worst, since he hasn't had a season as good since yet hasn't collapsed nearly as much since (well until this year). In fact so far he's the front runner by a lap for the Most Disappointing Chase Driver life time achievement award. Tony Stewart in 2009 has to be up there, ended the regular season 1st in points with over a race's worth of points over the competition yet fell off in the Chase and ended up 6th. And then there was Brian Vickers that same year, purely because he had THE worst Chase ever. It's not like anyone expected him to contend and he probably would've been the majority's choice to finish last in the Chase, but the brutal way he did it was just that special. And the Great Chase... Except For That One Moment award is a toss-up between Carl Edwards in 2008 for doing everything right except choking hard at Talladega, and Denny Hamlin in 2010 for throwing away the title in the last race at Homestead. 123. cjs3872 posted: 11.15.2011 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bronco, one thing you have to remember about the 6/43 pit crew swap during the Phoenix race is who Allmendinger's crew chief happens to be. Allmendinger's crew chief is Greg Erwin, who was Greg Biffle's crew chief for several years. Giving Allmendinger David Ragan's pit crew may be a way for Roush to pay Greg Erwin back for the years he gave Roush. After all, David Ragan's pit will also be job hunting at season's end, when Roush is forced to shut down the no. 6 Cup team, at least temporarily, due to lack of sponsorship. And I still think at least one of his Nationwide teams will go for the same reason. Remember that neither Ricky Stenhouse, who is the Nationwide champion for this year [he'll clinch the title when the start-and-parks go out, since there are enough of those at Homestead to give the title to Stenhouse], or Trevor Bayne, this year's Daytona 500 winner, know exactly what it is they'll do next year, though Bayne could still have the no. 21 Wood Brothers car to fall back on. Stenhouse has been promised a ride, but to what extent is still unknown, due to sponsorship. And nothing has been promised for Bayne at Roush, as far as I know. But Roush is also losing at least one pit crew, and maybe as many as two or three, depending on what happens with his Nationwide team. 124. Bronco posted: 11.15.2011 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And the Great Chase... Except For That One Moment award is a toss-up between Carl Edwards in 2008 for doing everything right except choking hard at Talladega, and Denny Hamlin in 2010 for throwing away the title in the last race at Homestead." You could also throw in Jimmie's 2004 chase, when he lost control and crashed at Kansas, giving up enough points to make Kurt the champion. 125. NicoRosbergFan posted: 11.15.2011 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unfortunately it all ends at Homestead, the track that blind people can drive and with the crappiest 1.5 mile track racing ever. 126. Mr X posted: 11.15.2011 - 7:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I strongly disagree about the quality of the racing at Homestead NRF. Homestead is probably my 2nd favourite 1.5 miler, after Atlanta of course. The track has generally been fairly abrasive, meaning more of the race will be decided out on the track as opposed to pit road. Plus its unique, it races like the old Atlanta, and it has aged well IMO. Of all racetracks that have been repaved or reconfigured in the last 10-15 years Homestead set the curve IMO. If the other teams could find what RFR has found there it could be even better. 127. Talon64 posted: 11.15.2011 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You could also throw in Jimmie's 2004 chase, when he lost control and crashed at Kansas, giving up enough points to make Kurt the champion." Yep, I missed that one. In fact Jimmie's 2004 is somewhat similar to Carl's 2008 except the mechanical failure happened before the mistake in Jimmie's case. Jimmie nearly recovered to win the title, while Carl was never really able to make up the ground. 128. 00andJoe posted: 11.15.2011 - 10:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #125 - You didn't watch Kentucky did you...or Homestead lately for that matter? 129. cjs3872 posted: 11.16.2011 - 1:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mr X, there's a reason why Homestead races like the old Atlanta, and that is that, of the 1.5 mile ovals, Homestead is the ONLY true oval of the bunch, and although the turns aren't as sweeping as the old Atlanta layout [two-thirds of the old Atlanta track was turn], it races exactly the same way, due to the progressive banking. 130. irony posted: 11.16.2011 - 3:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm a fan of the new Homestead as well. It's the perfect place to end the season. I don't think the drivers are big fans of the entry transitions but that just goes to show that it's a challenge. I'd change Atlanta back and make Charlotte like the current Atlanta. Unrealistic though because they showed with the Vegas reconfig that they won't mess with the grandstand arrangements. It just gets old seeing so many tracks that look almost exactly the same. There's not many truly unique ovals anymore. 131. NicoRosbergFan posted: 11.16.2011 - 5:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've watched plenty of Homestead, and quite frankly the racing sucks unlike the old Atlanta. The progressive banking has actually worked against the track so that the high line is the same as running the low line and therefore passing is diminished. If you do some aerodynamical and physical analysis of these 1.5ers, you will find that even a 116 year old grandma could drive to victory at one of these things if given a fast enough car. 1.5ers make up the majority of the schedule, and they are the tracks that take the least skill to get around (Daytona and Talladega are even more pathetic in that sense, but you still have to AVOID the other cars). It is horrifying to see the in-car cams and see how much "talent" the drivers have as they turn their 10 degrees to make a corner a road car needs to turn 50 degrees for. NASCAR needs to bring the bear-like tracks back. 132. Frank posted: 11.16.2011 - 8:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) OK, I could underestimate Gordon's 2007 Chase - still remember how sure all experts were after Atlanta that Johnson will win the title. I can't add Vickers' 09 as the worst simply because of no expectations (like Jr this year). NRF, no way it's possible to count Homestead as the worst or one of worst cookie-cutters. Of course with COT it's almost impossible to be sure in good race at any 1.5-2-miler but Homestead actually provides side-by-side and 3-wide racing (other than couple laps since restart) because of progressive banking and corner exit configuration - track is going down (straights usually lower than corners). But I agree with opinion that some amount of excitement goes from season finale: some kind of title fight intrigue, almost 3 months without NASCAR ahead. 133. DaleJrFan20 posted: 11.16.2011 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "bullshit, big steaming pile of bullshit.(Sprint also gets blame for this as well) "fans" complained and whined about how boring it was and trust me, if it were by the "old system" Carl would already be champion and "fans" would be bi##hing it up. Sorry not buying that at all." Oh, the hostility! And whenever I use the "under the old system" defense, everyone bitches me out and says "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN CAUSE IT'S NOT THE CHASE!" deal, not saying I agree, but food for thought. 134. Cooper posted: 11.16.2011 - 11:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Homestead, is unbearable for me to watch. As NRF has said, the high line has a huge advantage, and the probability of making a pass on the low side is 10%. Especially with this car, which gets an incredible rush of air, that makes the lower car get loose. I've said this before but I enjoyed the old Homestead. It was the only flat 1.5 miler on the schedule, and the racing was actually pretty good. Having to dive the car into a corner with no banking at 170 MPH, forced the drivers to use the brake and the throttle to make a pass. Sawing the wheel to keep the car on the yellow line with no banking to hold it. The track was getting real good in 2001. But by 2002 fans called it "boring" and we got another banked oval.... Oh well. 135. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.16.2011 - 1:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Kyle Busch in 2008 would have to be the worst, since he hasn't had a season as good since yet hasn't collapsed nearly as much since (well until this year). In fact so far he's the front runner by a lap for the Most Disappointing Chase Driver life time achievement award." There is something I wish Kyle would try just once. Spend a year racing nothing but his Cup cars. People talk about his disappointing cha$e runs being a result of being worn out by the year's end (in a physical sense). I think he is mentally worn out. Kyle treats every race he enters like the Daytona 500, whether it is the actual Daytona 500 or a Truck race at Martinsville. Like every competitor worth a shit, when he is on track, winning is life and death for him. That is fine. But when you are running almost 100 races per year, that wears on your mind. He is emotionally exasuted by the end, unable to fight those impulses to do the wrong thing in the heat of the moment. This has led to Texas meltdowns 2 years in a row, this led to him being unable to fight off BRIAN FREAKING VICKERS for a cha$e spot in '09 (hands down the worst driver ever to make the cha$e, by far), then with nothing to lose points wise that year, he still couldn't do anything in the last 10. And it led to him basically throwing in the towel in '06, '07, and '08 once he realized a Cup championship was not a possibility. The 2009 season really made my mind up about this topic. He won 4 races before the cha$e cutoff, but inconsistency prevented him from being in the Top 12 after Richmond. With no pressure, that was a great chance to unleash hell on the field a la Tony in '06. Instead it was his teammate winning 3 of the last 11 races in the same equipment. He just can't mount any kind of charge late in seasons. All because he is after this stupid "200 wins across NASCAR's top 3 divisions" garbage. I just want to see what could happen if a focused, mentally fresh Kyle Busch could do in a season in Cup. I don't like him one bit, but I am fascinated by the potential for something truly memorable to happen. Kinda like JJ's streak. I am not a fan of JJ, and I know I am certainly in the minority here, but I kinda wish he still had a chance. Despite this being one of the best seasons in a long time, I am somewhat uninterested in the last race despite the points battle. I think it is a combo of things. First off, despite their recent hot streaks, this year will go down with '84, '91, and '02 where we have a championship battle between drivers who haven't had championship caliber seasons. Secondly, I really don't give a shit who wins. Since the cha$e began, this is only the second time I have flat out not cared about who, among those who still had a shot, wins. In '04 I wanted somebody besides JJ or Gordon to win (happened, although it seems cold hearted that I felt that way considering what had happened one month earlier, but it was pretty obvious to me HMS was gonna be dominating for a while, and the longer that could be put off the better, and I was right). In '05 I wanted to see "reborn good guy" Tony Stewart beat JJ (happened). In '06 I wanted to see floundering Matt Kenseth beat JJ (didn't happen). In '07 JJ and Gordon could have tied for the title then spent the champions ceremony making out for all I cared. In '08 I wanted to *gulp* see Carl beat JJ (didn't happen which I'm happy about in retrospect). In '09 I sure as hell wanted to see Mark topple JJ no matter how long of a shot it was (didn't come close). And last year I wanted to see Denny and Mike Ford get their big mouths shut so badly that they lost their confidence for the next year (it happened). 136. cjs3872 posted: 11.16.2011 - 1:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cooper, in those years, Homestead was another Loudon, just with longer, more sweeping turns. You couldn't run side-by-side on it, if I remember right. In fact, you couldn't even get close to other competitors due to the aero-push problem, due to the fact that it was not a two-groove track. Yes, it being a flat track put more emphasis on the driver, but the racing was terrible and even more spread out than it is today. If you did get alongside another driver, he would basically be forced to let you go by, because there was no outer groove, much like Loudon or Indianapolis, which was the model for Homestead's original configuration. The current configuration, while making inside passes harder to complete, due to the progressive banking, also makes for much better racing, because you can race two and even three abreast, and the driver running high was not forced to allow the inside car get in front of him. 137. Scott B posted: 11.16.2011 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Homestead entry updates: Andy Lally out of the #71 TRG Ford after DNQ'ing at Phoenix. Mike Bliss takes over that ride. T.J. Bell to the #32 that Bliss was originally scheduled to run. 138. Bronco posted: 11.16.2011 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "this led to him being unable to fight off BRIAN FREAKING VICKERS for a cha$e spot in '09 (hands down the worst driver ever to make the cha$e, by far), then with nothing to lose points wise that year, he still couldn't do anything in the last 10." Where to begin with this one? First off, it was Matt Kenseth that Vickers bumped out of the chase, Kyle was already out of the top 12 going into Richmond. He finished in the top 5 at Richmond but Vickers finished in the top 10 which wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. Now, a former champion, and one of only two drivers to have made every chase prior to 2009 getting bumped out by a first time Chase participant with a three year old team? Yeah, that's pretty embarassing. Of course, you wouldn't remember that. He didn't do anything in the top 10? Apart from dominating the Texas race in his first race with his new crew chief, and only losing due to running out of fuel, I guess not. Of course, you wouldn't remember that. He also improved his overall points position from 13th after Richmond to 9th after Homestead, well ahead of both Vickers and Kenseth and was still "best of the rest". Of course, you wouldn't remember that. Unfortunately it looks like your blind hatred of Kyle is closing your mind to the FACTS, which say otherwise. "we have a championship battle between drivers who haven't had championship caliber seasons." 25 top 10s and 18 top 5s by Edwards, and 4 wins by Stewart aren't good enough for you? 139. Cooper posted: 11.16.2011 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Edwards is deserving for sure. Yes, I find it hilarious that a 1 win driver will win the championship, but Carl has proven that he's been able to win the most races. When he won 8 races, he was a deserving champion, but a driver who was more consistent got it instead. Carl is just getting the championship he deserved back then...now. The year Kyle Busch wins his championship (If he doesn't win one, that would be the biggest waste of talent in world history) he'll probably sneak into the chase and steal one, to the array of NASCAR fans. It would offset all the seasons he is having now, where he dominates the regular season and disappears. That's the way I look at stuff like this. 25 Top 10's and 18 Top 5's is ridiculous. 140. LordLowe posted: 11.16.2011 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) LOL DSFF on your view of the 2007 battle between JG and JJ in my view They are the ambiguously gay duo (just joking of course) Hey anyone here want to see Kyle Busch face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 28 141. Talon64 posted: 11.16.2011 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "25 Top 10's and 18 Top 5's is ridiculous." And he's gotten those numbers from start to finish. Blitzed the field in the first 3rd of the season, then it seemed like the contract issues threw them off for a bit in the middle 3rd along with some experimentation (if Carl had signed elsewhere than JGR, there's NO WAY he's in title contention), but by the time the Chase approached they got back on track and then some the last 12 races. "Where to begin with this one? First off, it was Matt Kenseth that Vickers bumped out of the chase, Kyle was already out of the top 12 going into Richmond. He finished in the top 5 at Richmond but Vickers finished in the top 10 which wasn't enough to overcome the deficit. Now, a former champion, and one of only two drivers to have made every chase prior to 2009 getting bumped out by a first time Chase participant with a three year old team? Yeah, that's pretty embarassing. Of course, you wouldn't remember that. He didn't do anything in the top 10? Apart from dominating the Texas race in his first race with his new crew chief, and only losing due to running out of fuel, I guess not. Of course, you wouldn't remember that. He also improved his overall points position from 13th after Richmond to 9th after Homestead, well ahead of both Vickers and Kenseth and was still "best of the rest". Of course, you wouldn't remember that. Unfortunately it looks like your blind hatred of Kyle is closing your mind to the FACTS, which say otherwise." I remember that race. Kenseth was sucking balls and was pretty much out of the Chase before the race even ended. So it all came down to Brian Vickers, who is just terrible at short tracks, versus Kyle Busch, who is one of the best and had won the spring race, so everything pointed to Kyle sneaking in over Vickers. But Kyle never ran higher than 5th all day, leaving the door open for Vickers if he could muster any kind of decent finish. Which Vickers did and more, finishing 7th for just one of his 5 top 10's in 41 career short track starts. But if Kyle could've just led laps and finished in the top 4 (6 top 4's, 6 races led in his first 9 Richmond starts) he'd have gotten in. So I'd say that was disappointing. Also, you seem to forget just how awful Roush Racing was in 2009. Biffle was probably the best of the bunch, no wins but a solid 7th in points, while Carl Edwards went winless in a year for the 2nd time in 4 seasons, was terrible at the end of the year and tanked to 11th; by far Carl's worst season in Cup to date. And David Ragan was David Ragan. Kenseth didn't make the Chase but he was the only Roush driver that year to win multiple races, even if they were the first two races and then he fell off after that. But one of them includes Jack Roush's first Daytona 500 win. BTW, when you were looking at the old points standings from 2009, you clearly ignored where Kenseth (12th) only finished NINE POINTS behind Carl (11th) because Carl leapfrogged back ahead of Matt at Homestead. So I'd rate Matt's season 2nd to Biffle among the Roush drivers that year. And Kyle moving up to 9th in points was more due to Carl, Ryan Newman and Vickers not running well at all while Kasey Kahne had shit for luck. Kyle's Chase average finish was 13.0, a decent improvement from his 15.4 overall season average, but considering he didn't even win any races I don't think it was anything special save that Texas race. I remember Tony Stewart winning races and Carl Edwards running almost as well in 2006, or Jamie McMurray's strong run in 2004, or even Jeff Gordon winning at Martinsville in 2005 with his new CC, but Kyle's 2009 doesn't exactly come off the top of my head and for a good reason. 142. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.16.2011 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Homestead, is unbearable for me to watch. As NRF has said, the high line has a huge advantage, and the probability of making a pass on the low side is 10%. Especially with this car, which gets an incredible rush of air, that makes the lower car get loose. I've said this before but I enjoyed the old Homestead. It was the only flat 1.5 miler on the schedule, and the racing was actually pretty good. Having to dive the car into a corner with no banking at 170 MPH, forced the drivers to use the brake and the throttle to make a pass. Sawing the wheel to keep the car on the yellow line with no banking to hold it." So we throwing Homestead under the bus for not being able to produce "good racing." Yet i remember on here that "we" were giving Homestead credit for getting the progressive banking idea down perfect. I'm now offically lost in this stuff. back and forth back and forth back and forth MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^ slight amount of kidding at the end there. 143. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.16.2011 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "First off, it was Matt Kenseth that Vickers bumped out of the chase, Kyle was already out of the top 12 going into Richmond." I don't care if Kyle was 80th in points, Vickers got in, KyBu missed it. That was my point. At no point did I say "bumped out" referring that race for the cha$e. They were both part of the scrum to get in. Brian got in, Kyle didn't. Besides, that wasn't even my main point. I was pointing out how, despite having nothing to lose, he still couldn't do in the final 10 what he did in the first 26, just like the past 6 seasons. "Now, a former champion, and one of only two drivers to have made every chase prior to 2009 getting bumped out by a first time Chase participant with a three year old team? Yeah, that's pretty embarassing. Of course, you wouldn't remember that." I remember that. At what point did I say any differently? Matt won the first two races that year then didn't win again for over two years. I don't see where you are going with this. And again, the "embarrassment" factor was just setting up my main point. Besides, if I want to bring up "embarrassment" and "Matt Kenseth" I'd just bring up Dover '04. "He didn't do anything in the top 10? Apart from dominating the Texas race in his first race with his new crew chief, and only losing due to running out of fuel, I guess not. Of course, you wouldn't remember that." Even if he had won that race, my point is not debatable. Kyle is nowhere near the same force by the end of the season that he is in the first 26. And with the exception of this season, you can't blame an organization falling behind the curve. In '06 his teammate JJ won the championship, a race, and had 4 runner ups in the cha$e while KyBu finished dead last. In '07 he was goosed in the cha$e while his teammates JJ and Gordon won 6 of the 10. In '08 he had some really ill timed equipment failures in the first 3 races, but there were still 7 run after that, and he didn't factor in any of them. In '09 Denny won twice in the last 10. Last year Denny won twice again and while Kyle was giving an official the bird on national TV, appeared to be on the verge of a championship until an epic collapse. "He also improved his overall points position from 13th after Richmond to 9th after Homestead, well ahead of both Vickers and Kenseth and was still "best of the rest". Of course, you wouldn't remember that." I don't remember that because I don't care. I couldn't tell you who the "best of the rest" was in any year because it doesn't matter. "Unfortunately it looks like your blind hatred of Kyle is closing your mind to the FACTS, which say otherwise." What FACTS? My point is the following: 1) Kyle always falls off from a performance standpoint in the last 10 races 2) I think it is because he is emotionally spent from running so many races in all 3 Series and 3) I'd like to see if he still fades late if he runs Cup only (3-4 NWide races max, none during the cha$e). That is my point. I don't know why you are bringing all this other stuff up. #1 is not debatable under any circumstance. #2 is my personal opinion as to why #1 occurs every year which I prefaced by saying "I think" in my post. And blind hatred? I'm saying I want to see what he is truly capable of. I'm kinda suggesting a favor to him. I want to witness greatness. Kyle has the ability to deliver this, but never does. I want him to deliver greatness. Hatred? "25 top 10s and 18 top 5s by Edwards, and 4 wins by Stewart aren't good enough for you?" When discussing "seasons where somebody is crowned champion because SOMEBODY has to be crowned champ every year" I always bring up 1991. For the second half of the season, the championship "battle" was between Earnhardt and Rudd, and it was pathetic. Problem was, they were the best that year, it fell in their lap. Davey Allison had just got Larry Mac, gelled too late, then had a late summer slump. Mark Martin was having a Hamlin-esque heartbreaking championship loss hangover (plus Robin Pemberton and Jack Roush came to blows). Handsome Harry won 4 in a row, but did little else outside of September. Kyle Petty broke his leg. Ernie Irvan crashed so much he had to get up in a driver's meeting by the end of the summer to apologize. Rusty was with a brand new Penske team. Bill was in his last year with Melling and they struggled like hell. DW was in his first year as owner/driver. Alan spent the first half of the year battling sponsor issues. And Junior Johnson had Geoff Bodine driving for him. As I tell anyone who will listen, Dale won that one by default. Not only was that the most underwhelming of his 7 Winston Cups, it doesn't even make my personal Top 10 best Earnhardt seasons (I have '89, '95, '88, and '79 ahead). Hell, in his post race champion's interview he practically apologizes for the season he had. That year, of 29 races, Dale won 4 times (13.8%), had 14 Top 5 finishes (48.3%), and 21 Top 10s (72.4%). This year, let's say for arguments sake Carl wins Homestead (a good bet btw). He will, in 36 races, win twice (5.6%), have 19 Top 5s (52.8%), and 26 Top 10s (72.2%). Compare those percentages to Dale's. Pretty similar right? Slightly lower win%, slightly higher Top 5%, dead even Top 10%. And if Tony wins Homestead for his 5th of the year, his win% will come to (drumroll please) 13.8%!!!! So if I think Dale won the 1991 Winston Cup by default, I think you can draw your own conclusions as to whether or not what those two have done is "enough for me". Sometimes you put together a championship caliber season only to be outdone by somebody doing even better under the system (Darrell '79, Bobby '81 & '82, Rusty '88, Dale '89, Mark '90, Davey & Bill '92, Rusty '93, Dale '95, Jeff '96, DJ & Mark '97, JJ and Gordon '04, Gordon '07, Carl '08, Denny and Harvick '10). And then, sometimes you have a pretty good season but a championship battle falls in your lap (Terry and Harry '84, Dale and Ricky '91, Tony and Mark '02, and Carl and Tony this year). 144. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.16.2011 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One thing I have been wondering: What is the record for largest jump in final points position from one year to the next for drivers that ran the full schedule both times? Brad finished 25th last year, and is currently 4th. He can finish no worse than 6th. If he finishes 5th or better, that is a +20 difference. Has this happened before? 145. cjs3872 posted: 11.16.2011 - 7:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually in 1991, the only things different about Rusty's team were the car owners [Penske, Don Miller, and Wallace himself] and the car number [2 instead of 27]. It was actually the same team as he had the year before. In fact, it was the same organization that began in 1977 with M.C. Anderson having rookie Sam Sommers drive for it. The car number was the last thing to change. It was actually the second ownership change for that organization. Anderson was the original owener, with Sommers [1977], Buddy Baker [1978], Benny Parsons [1979-'80], and Cale Yarborough [1981-'82] his drivers. Anderson then sold the team when he couldn't coax Yarborough to run full-time again to Raymond Beadle, who hired Tim Richmond in 1983 to do all the races. When Hendrick decided to add a second team in 1986, Richmond left and was replaced by Rusty Wallace. But in 1991, unlike this year, it wasn't a case of no great teams, but about 15 very good ones. And also remember that 1991 was right in the middle of the change from bias-ply to radial tires, as both were run, resulting in different styles of racing taking place at different tracks. And then you also had that ridiculous rule that banned tire changes under caution flags early that year, resulting in some very unusual races, including one at Darlington that was dominated by, of all people, Michael Waltrip, who would have won going away if it wasn't for a bad final pit stop, which handed that race to Ricky Rudd. Heck, even Ken Schrader won twice that year, including the last race that really wasn't shown on television [the 1991 spring race at Atlanta, which was postponed after just 42 laps, and not carried on TV after that point]. In other words, there was a giant sea change in NASCAR that was going on that year, and Dale Earnhardt's team weathered the storm best of all. But all the changes that went on that year was a big reason that nobody could be a dominaint force that year, along with the high number of competitve organizations. 146. Ryan posted: 11.16.2011 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I certainly wouldn't consider the championship this year falling into Stewart or Edwards' lap. They have both been the best in class the last ten races. Their average finish is outstanding. This championship battle has a chance to go down as one of the best in history. It has a chance to be as good as if not better than '92 (I know there were 6 drivers that had a mathematical chance of winning, but we know in reality that it was down to 3). We have a driver/owner in Stewart who is trying to do it his way and win and we have superstar Edwards trying to get to Champion status. How many times have we been able to say this going into the last race of the season for the championship for more than one driver? "Win the race and you're the champion." 147. NicoRosbergFan posted: 11.16.2011 - 8:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, Edwards was more consistent in 2008. 148. Cooper posted: 11.16.2011 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've always been against the progressive banking...everywhere. I think it's a joke personally. NASCAR didn't have all this progressive banking crap 10 years ago, and it did fine. So while you might be able to classify other people as hypocrites, you can't label me one, on this subject. New Homestead stinks compared to Old Homestead (In my opinion). 149. Bronco posted: 11.16.2011 - 8:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "One thing I have been wondering: What is the record for largest jump in final points position from one year to the next for drivers that ran the full schedule both times? Brad finished 25th last year, and is currently 4th. He can finish no worse than 6th. If he finishes 5th or better, that is a +20 difference. Has this happened before?" Kurt Busch finished 27th in 2001 (with a DNQ) and 3rd in 2002 so his record is safe. Remember, Brad is only sniffing the top 5 in points because of the Chase reset, without it he's 10th overall. Kurt improved 24 positions based on overall points scored which is always a better indication of a team's performance. Other notable season to season improvements based on overall points scored include: Harvick from 2009-2010 (19th to 1st) +18 JPM from 2008-2009 (25th to 8th) +17 Kasey Kahne 2005-2006 (23rd to 9th) +14 Dale Jr 2005-2006 (19th to 6th) +13 Kurt Busch 2008-2009 (18th to 6th) +12 150. Mr X posted: 11.16.2011 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) IMO there is no way any chase points battle could compare to 1992, because that was the entire season. This will have been just 10, with 26 almost meaningless races before hand. According to this website the Bank of NASCAR cut a cheque for 1212 points to a Mr Tony Stewart. On the same Date the bank of NASCAR also cut a cheque to a Mr Carl Edwards for just 1125 points. Both Mr Edwards and Mr Stewart deposited their cheques immediately, Mr Edwards balance increased from 878 to 2003, while Mr Stewart's balance increased from 788 to 2000. Tony fell behind for a reason, he wasn't running aswell for the first 26 races. They mean more when NASCAR hasn't rigged them with 10 to go by helping weaker drivers while hindering the better drivers. I could really go either way but I would prefer that Carl won the title. He has had a better year overall. To me the champion should be the guy who has the best balance of being fast and flawless. This year Carl to me has had the best balance. His extra consistancy over his competition has more than made up for his lack of wins and laps led. 784 with a race to go isn't weak, but it's not strong either, plus Carl hasn't led the most laps in a single race this year. 151. LordLowe posted: 11.16.2011 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey maybe there will be a Montreal screw job type finish to end off the championship season 152. Ryan posted: 11.16.2011 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "IMO there is no way any chase points battle could compare to 1992, because that was the entire season." OK I can agree with the drama and all the outside stuff besides the racing was better and greater in '92. Kulwicki winning the championship should never ever be overlooked. I think it's one of the greatest accomplishments in the entire history of sports on what he was able to do that year. But the 99 and 14's competition the last 10 races compared to "The Day" has been better. A guy was out 278 points with six races left and won it. A helluva comeback, the greatest... Earnhardt and Martin doesn't get mentioned enough for their '90 battle (Their last 10-12 races was phenomenal). Mainly because of a penalty to Martin that happened in the second race of the season, people tend to act like the penalty was late in the year. 153. cjs3872 posted: 11.16.2011 - 9:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cooper, how do you know that Atlanta, as well as Charlotte, don't have progressive banking. There have been many people that have said that both of those tracks, in fact, were built with progressive banking, and the people that built them were unaware of it. And I don't always take stock in the banking figures, anyway. For instance, they say that Texas Motor Speedway's corners are banked 24 degrees, but I never agreed with that at any time. I believe that those corners are banked about 18-20 degrees. In fact, you can make a good case that Michigan has at least as banking than Texas in the corners. And one thing about the championship battle of 1992 is that it was made interesting by colossal chokes on the part the teams of Junior Johnson and Robert Yates. The plain truth is that both of those teams tried to give that championship away numerous times, and in the end, eventually did. Remember that Elliott suffered two mechanical problems in the final five races to let Allison pass him, and Kulwicki catch him, as well as give three other an arithmatic chance at the title in the final race. But then Allison's team put him in position to be involved in the crash that occurred when Ernie Irvan suffered his tire failure. Then Bill Elliott's team pitted a lap or two early on the final pit stop, which allowed Terry Labonte to lead the two laps that deprived Elliott of the title, which was sweet revenge for Terry, given how Junior dismissed him in 1989. Kulwicki didn't win the title in 1992 as much as his competition lost it. 154. Mr X posted: 11.16.2011 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry for the double post but I agree with Cooper, progressive banking to me is used as a tool for when a track is freshly repaved, it gets all the cars off the bottom instantly, which if there isn't progressive banking the fresh pavement usually results in a single file race, because its the shortest line and the car isn't bound up in the middle of the corner because there is so much grip. The progressive banking gives the top lane some extra speed. However once a track wears out a little it becomes difficult to pass on the bottom, and maybe I was too generous because Homestead definitely has this problem, and Bristol is developing the problem badly aswell, I believe that in a few years time Bristol will look just like the old track, however instead of the yellow line everyone will be out next to the wall and passing low will be almost impossible. Bristol, Las Vegas, Phoenix, these aren't multi-groove tracks. I don't care if they can race side by side. A multi-groove track to me is a track where at any point in a run, any car on the track can run any line and make just as good time as another driver in a different car running a different line. Atlanta, Rockingham, Michigan(pre 2012), Fontana, these are multi-groove tracks. This is why I am so against repaving a track until it is absolutely necessary. A track coming apart mid-race has happened twice in Cup races since 2004 if I remember right, its not the end of the world if it happens. I hope it doesn't but I prefer racetracks to milk the old pavement as long as they can, and instead of repaving the entire track, lay down patches where patches are necessary. Pocono layed that patch in turn 3 right next to the wall, and most of the drivers run high in turn 3 now, it adds charactor and some difficulty to a track. Not to mention the pavement used to pave a track in 1995 isn't the same as this current stuff. Technology moves forward and unfortunately this new stuff just doesn't seem to wear out. And I do understand the facts that some racetracks have to deal with extreme weather conditions, I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Today was -10*C(14*F) with the wind chill and flurries, 2 inches of snow is expected tomorrow. The coldest January days in winter hover between -35*C(-31*F) and -45*C(-49*F). If you throw in the wind chill I've seen it about as cold as -55*C(-67*F). The hottest July and August summer days usually hover between 25*C(77*F) and 35*C(95*F) and with the humidity it can feel like 40*C(104*F). For a city of almost 700,000 a lot of our roads are in terrible condition. 155. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.16.2011 - 10:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "So while you might be able to classify other people as hypocrites, you can't label me one, on this subject." Now why would i? You've been clear and the same on your opinions on it the whole time. I wouldn't use the "H" word with you. "And I do understand the facts that some racetracks have to deal with extreme weather conditions, I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Today was -10*C(14*F) with the wind chill and flurries, 2 inches of snow is expected tomorrow. The coldest January days in winter hover between -35*C(-31*F) and -45*C(-49*F). If you throw in the wind chill I've seen it about as cold as -55*C(-67*F). The hottest July and August summer days usually hover between 25*C(77*F) and 35*C(95*F) and with the humidity it can feel like 40*C(104*F). For a city of almost 700,000 a lot of our roads are in terrible condition." Michigan roads are the same if not worse. Its been 15 years since MIS was last re-paved, and since Michigan gets weather like yours (sometimes worse) then i can understand. If a track can wait for like 20 years then fine but if the track breaks up or they find a problem in the forseeable future, then REPAVE IT. "and Bristol is developing the problem badly aswell, I believe that in a few years time Bristol will look just like the old track, however instead of the yellow line everyone will be out next to the wall and passing low will be almost impossible." -___-, ok like the "old,old" BMS (with asphalt) drivers used the middle to high groove, the "old" BMS had concrete and drivers used the low (and lower) groove and now with progressive banking its like the "old, old" BMS with little to no low groove racing. Am I'm getting this or people forgetting the BMS (for a time) wasn't what most of remember BMS to be (the old version). I must be going mad like Sander Cohen from Bioshock. 156. cjs3872 posted: 11.16.2011 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But, Mr X, if one of those occasions happens to be in the sport's biggest event, it becomes a total embarassment, much less two of the sport's biggest events. Tracks need to be proactive, instead of reactive.That why I like what thes tracks are doing by repaving them BEFORE a problem occurs, because a problem with the track surface can ruin a race. Again, a case in point was the '78 Daytona 500, when five cars, all of them contending, or potentially contending cars, crashed due to cut tires caused by the track surface. Why do you think there's never been a track surface issue in the modern history of Indy? It's because they have always been proactive in their stance regarding the track surface. Actually, I had been of the opinion that Daytona had needed to be repaved since 2004. Again, I'm not against tracks having personality, but there has to be a time when a track surface becomes so bumpy that it becomes an unsafe track surface, much like Kentucky has become, or like California has become, especially on the back strightaway. At the very least, those tracks must be ground down some, if not totally repaved. And any time you see cracks visilbly sealed, as was the case at Phoenix earlier this year, you know it's just a matter of time before the surface comes apart. The plain truth is that there are signs that a track surface could be in danger of coming apart, and when that happens, it's definately time to repave it. 157. Ryan posted: 11.17.2011 - 2:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Remember that Elliott suffered two mechanical problems in the final five races to let Allison pass him, and Kulwicki catch him, as well as give three other an arithmatic chance at the title in the final race. But then Allison's team put him in position to be involved in the crash that occurred when Ernie Irvan suffered his tire failure. Then Bill Elliott's team pitted a lap or two early on the final pit stop, which allowed Terry Labonte to lead the two laps that deprived Elliott of the title, which was sweet revenge for Terry, given how Junior dismissed him in 1989. Kulwicki didn't win the title in 1992 as much as his competition lost it. " I agree with about everything you said except for your last sentence, because there was a few times during the year that Alan had bad luck, too, except his wasn't in the last five races like the 11 and 28's. 158. cjs3872 posted: 11.17.2011 - 8:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) But then again, if it hadn't been for Davey's accident at Pocono in July, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because he would have clinched at Phoenix, because throughout the season, his was the best team on the circuit, but his accident at Pocono really opened things up for Elliott to even have a chance at the championship, which his team threw away. Kulwicki was just there to pick up the pieces of his rivals' misfortune. 159. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.17.2011 - 11:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "But then again, if it hadn't been for Davey's accident at Pocono in July, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because he would have clinched at Phoenix" I agree. Davey wasn't the same after that. Plus he had other awful wrecks at Bristol, Martinsville, and The Winston. He also had the emotional anguish of losing his brother that summer. "Earnhardt and Martin doesn't get mentioned enough for their '90 battle (Their last 10-12 races was phenomenal). Mainly because of a penalty to Martin that happened in the second race of the season, people tend to act like the penalty was late in the year." You are right, that was one hell of a battle. From the time it got close in mid summer, everyone expected the new guys on the block (Mark and Jack) to panic and fold with the big bad bully on the block, The Intimidator, breathing down their necks. Except it didn't happen, and it didn't happen, and we got to Phoenix thinking "Holy shit, they're not gonna be stared down!" especially after miserable runs by Dale at Charlotte and Rockingham. What we thought was gonna be the season defining moment happened in the Fall Wilkesboro race (the Rob Moroso race). Dale dominated the first 350 laps and looked to finally be grabbing the points for himself until Mark passed him in the end and won, maintaining his points advantage. But Dale dominated Phoenix while Mark ran 5th or 6th all day which would have been enough to hold a slight lead going into Atlanta. But they panicked in the end (shades of the 11 team last year). With a late race caution, they opted to pit for tires instead of maintaining track position on a day when it was pretty clear there was one groove. Due to Mark's conservative nature, he didn't move up at all in the final laps while Dale drove away and took the points lead. Why did Mark's team do that? Because the last race was at Atlanta. Dale had not only won the previous two Atlanta races, but he obliterated the field in them (leading 249 of the 328 laps in the Fall of '89, and 216 in the Spring). Everyone knows what happened next. Jack took six cars to test at Atlanta, including a loaner from Yates. Dale and RCR brought one, ran about 10 laps, concluding with a qualifying sim lap with left side tires on the right, turned a lap that would have shattered the track record, then went deer hunting. "Kurt Busch finished 27th in 2001 (with a DNQ) and 3rd in 2002" Can't believe I forgot about that. He went from looking like he would follow in the footsteps of Wally Dallenback Jr, Ted Musgrave, Kevin Lepage, Chad Little, and Johnny Benson as drivers that struggled for years at Roush to "Damn!" the next year. "Remember, Brad is only sniffing the top 5 in points because of the Chase reset" Again, the system is what the system is. We can't give people imaginary finishes for better or worse just because a past points system would have had it differently. Did you know that if they used the system that determined the 1973 Winston Cup points, your 1992 Winston Cup champion would be Ted Musgrave in that #77 Jasper car? Do we give him an imaginary championship? And I might be wrong about this, but I think under that same system David Ragan is your 2008 Cup champ. It seems like Ragan wins the championship in 2008 under one of the previous systems. So we can't arbitrarily give people other systems points finishes. 160. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.17.2011 - 12:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Something I'd like to bring up: Do you realize RCR is leading all organizations in wins this year? And that they will at least share the season's top winning organization title no matter what happens at Homestead? Check it out: RCR: 6 (Harvick 4, Bowyer 1, Menard 1) HMS: 5 (Gordon 3, JJ 2) Roush: 5 (Kenseth 3, Carl 1, Ragan 1) Penske: 5 (Brad 3, Kurt 2) SHR: 5 (Smoke 4, Newman 1) JGR: 5 (Kyle 4, Denny 1) RCR hasn't led the Series in wins, or even had a share of it since 1990. Also, looking at this list, I realized that even if Carl wins Homestead (which he probably will), he will be tied for SEVENTH on the Series wins list. Has any modern era champ had more people ahead of them on the wins list? 161. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.17.2011 - 12:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Never mind. Kenseth was tied for TENTH in 2003, behind Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip (ouch!). 162. DaleSrFanForever posted: 11.17.2011 - 12:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Of course if Carl doesn't win Homestead (which he will), and a driver that currently has one victory wins, then he will tied for tenth too. The chances of that happening range from "EXTREMELY unlikely" (Menard, Regan, and Bayne) to "more likely than you realize, but still unlikely" (Ragan and Ambrose) to "less likely that you probably realize" (Newman, Bowyer, Hamlin) to "a good chance" (Kasey). Also, if Brad wins, he will tie Smoke, Kyle, and Harvick for most wins on the circuit. Amazing considering how putrid last year was (best finish: 10th twice). Is now a bad time to mention that in the 3 seasons they both have been racing Cup together (counting Brad's half schedule in '09), Brad has beat Carl in win total in two of those three ('09 and '11)? And that, since '09, Brad has more wins than Carl (4 to 3)? Damn Bronco, I'm glad you are back. Stirring up shit just isn't as much fun without you. One last thought: If Carl doesn't win the title (he will win it), then Kasey Kahne will lose next year's championship in hearbreaking fashion. Allow me to explain: In the closing laps of Homestead '09, as JJ was about to break the record for consecutive championships, Denny was in the process of winning his 4th race in the second half of the season, and Dale Jarrett mentioned that, when talking about 2010 championship contenders, you have to mention Denny. At Homestead '10, with Denny getting his heart carved out and Carl in the process of winning the last two races, DJ said Carl needs to be talked about as a contender for 2011. As Kasey was winning this race, DJ said Kasey needs to be talked about as a championship contender next year at HMS. So if Carl loses this championship (which won't happen), Kasey will have the points lead going into Homestead next year and lose it. It will officially be the "DJ jinx". 163. Cooper posted: 11.17.2011 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If the chase was used in 2001, the champion would have been Sterling Marlin. Does that mean I can credit Sterling with a championship? I'd love to Bronco. 164. Talon64 posted: 11.17.2011 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch would be a 2 time Cup champion, he'd have won the Chase in 2002. And Jimmie Johnson would be a 6 time champion with his 2003 Chase title. I'm really holding out hope that Keselowski can finish 3rd in the standings, something that won't be easy with Harvick 14 points ahead and with Jimmie and Kenseth right on his tail. A Penske Racing driver hasn't finished that high in the standings since Rusty Wallace was 3rd in 1994, following his runner-up to Earnhardt in 1993, and the best Kurt Busch could do in the #2 Miller Lite car was 4th in 2009. BTW, Vickers went from 39th to 18th in the standings from 2007 to 2008 but that's because 2007 was RBR's inaugural and terrible season in Cup and Vickers DNQ'd 13 times. I think if you ATTEMPT all 36 races, that counts as full time. 165. Ryan posted: 11.17.2011 - 9:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Everyone knows what happened next. Jack took six cars to test at Atlanta, including a loaner from Yates. Dale and RCR brought one, ran about 10 laps, concluding with a qualifying sim lap with left side tires on the right, turned a lap that would have shattered the track record, then went deer hunting." Yep, it was game ova after that lap... 166. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.18.2011 - 12:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The time has come again to respond to multiple posts, due to me not being on here for a couple of days. "In '08 I wanted to *gulp* see Carl beat JJ (didn't happen which I'm happy about in retrospect)." Same here. Unfortunately he'll probably win this year's given his recent history at Homestead. He won that race in '08 and '10 to add to his good seasons those years, so I don't expect any different than to see him contend for the win there this year. But this title could very well be Tony's just as much as Carl's if something unexpected happens (like Carl running into trouble and Tony having a good race). I think they should give out two trophies for this year's championship: Carl for the best overall point standings season, and Tony for "Best Jimmie Johnson cha$e imitation". Oh yeah, speaking of JJ, HE IS NOT GOING TO WIN THE 2011 TITLE! YES!! I'm not sure if I've already expressed my excitement about that or not. Brad this year and Kurt in '02 were almost identical situations: Second-year driver driving for a winning organization that needs to show everyone they have what it takes to make it in Cup. They both went from a goose egg the previous year to multiple wins the next, as well as a top 5 points finish from the mid-20's (provided Brad finishes well at Homestead, if not I guess he'll finish 6th). Of course the only difference being, Brad had won that Talladega race as a part-timer in '09 while Kurt was still looking for his first win until that '02 Bristol race. "But then again, if it hadn't been for Davey's accident at Pocono in July, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because he would have clinched at Phoenix, because throughout the season, his was the best team on the circuit, but his accident at Pocono really opened things up for Elliott to even have a chance at the championship, which his team threw away. Kulwicki was just there to pick up the pieces of his rivals' misfortune." That's correct, Davey fell off for a while after that Pocono wreck but gained back his momentum towards season's end. Problem is, his rivals gained on him during that time, so despite his Phoenix win he had to sweat out Atlanta to win the title, and of course the last thing he wanted to have happen to him did: Ernie Irvan cut a tire and crashed on the frontstretch, taking Davey with him. Speaking of Kulwicki, he's another driver I highly respect even though he left us before I really got interested in the sport. Some will say that Kulwicki got lucky to win that '92 title, and he did to an extent but you have to remember how he entered the sport as an owner/driver and actually TURNED DOWN an offer from Junior Johnson because he just had that much pride in his team. For him to build that team into a winner while he was DRIVING for it shows how impressive it was that he even contended for, let alone won a championship. "One last thought: If Carl doesn't win the title (he will win it), then Kasey Kahne will lose next year's championship in hearbreaking fashion. Allow me to explain: In the closing laps of Homestead '09, as JJ was about to break the record for consecutive championships, Denny was in the process of winning his 4th race in the second half of the season, and Dale Jarrett mentioned that, when talking about 2010 championship contenders, you have to mention Denny. At Homestead '10, with Denny getting his heart carved out and Carl in the process of winning the last two races, DJ said Carl needs to be talked about as a contender for 2011. As Kasey was winning this race, DJ said Kasey needs to be talked about as a championship contender next year at HMS. So if Carl loses this championship (which won't happen), Kasey will have the points lead going into Homestead next year and lose it. It will officially be the "DJ jinx"." Interesting point, lol. I never noticed how DJ has said that about others and those situations happening, but I'd be really surprised to see Kasey contend for a title his first year there. But then again, Rick has been known to make drivers look good their first year driving for him (Casey Mears of all people had a top 15 year in '07 despite dropping out of the top 35 in points early in the season, Dale Jr was 2nd to 3rd in points for much of the first half of the season in '08 before the cha$e, Mark had a kick-ass '09 season, winning 5 races and finishing runner-up for the championship). 167. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.18.2011 - 12:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm really holding out hope that Keselowski can finish 3rd in the standings, something that won't be easy with Harvick 14 points ahead and with Jimmie and Kenseth right on his tail. A Penske Racing driver hasn't finished that high in the standings since Rusty Wallace was 3rd in 1994, following his runner-up to Earnhardt in 1993, and the best Kurt Busch could do in the #2 Miller Lite car was 4th in 2009." I would think something unexpected would have to happen to Harvick, and Brad having a good race for him to get to 3rd, but it'd be really nice to see him get a top 5 finish in points. Even if he doesn't get to 3rd, and barring that Kurt doesn't end up winning Homestead, Brad can still claim that he's been the first driver at Penske since Rusty Wallace in 2000 to win more than two races in a single season. 168. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 11.18.2011 - 12:26 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ With the exception of Ryan Newman's wonder year in '03, of course. I had more of the Blue Deuce in my mind when making that comment. IT hadn't won more than two races in a single season since '00 until this year. 169. 1995 Subaru WRX STi posted: 11.18.2011 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Time for some ESPN bashing (always a good time for that). PTI had both Tony and Carl on yesterday and well Tony made the show with "its you guys who don't promote the sport, you instead focus on the circus side of it." *ding* winner and truth be spoken. ESPN cares more about circus parts of NASCAR then covering actually racing itself. And they had Travis P. do a "behond the scenes" segement during N'wide practive. With the stuff that Travis "exposed" with how many cameras they have what else have you, then why do they still suck at covering race? It begs to be brought up, is ESPN paying NASCAR back for what they did to them back in 2001? Partly yes but the rest is just that ESPN only gives a crap the No Fun League, MLB and No Baseketball Assoication. If ESPN (world wide leader in covering 3 sports) would promote NASCAR instead of having NASCAR media do the promoting itself, them maybe NASCAR could grow in other areas. 170. the_man posted: 11.24.2011 - 9:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Ragan on a 33rd place finish: "We started out just being real easy and I just made a mistake and just was pushing a little too hard. I apologize to our fans and our team; I shouldn't have put us in that predicament. The No. 4 was holding us tight and I got really loose and just couldn't keep it off of him. It was just a bad judgment call by myself and I just put us in a hole to begin with. I appreciate the effort by the team to finish the race; we didn't leave here with a DNF. Certainly looking for wins this time of year. We'll keep digging and go to Homestead and try and finish on a good note." 171. Matthew Tesfaye posted: 02.28.2012 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What happened to jeff gordon? 172. Daniel posted: 05.21.2012 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #23 Scott Riggs & #30 David Stremme Out using fastest 43: #34 David Gilliland & #38 J.J. Yeley 173. Matthew Tesfaye posted: 06.07.2012 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I said what happened to Jeff Gordon 174. Robert Nelson posted: 07.13.2012 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) F1 points Carl Edwards 301 (1st driver to get to 300) Kyle Busch 272 Jimmie Johnson 255 F1 points Chase Carl Edwards 96 Matt Kenseth 73 Jimmie Johnson 65 F1 points real life Chase Tony Stewart 125 Carl Edwards 96 Matt Kenseth 73 Ryan Newman's 6th 5th place finish of 2011. 175. Sidney Crosby posted: 07.15.2012 - 9:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) What happened to Jeff Gordon in this race 176. Debris posted: 08.14.2013 - 12:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Can someone tell me what happened to Jeff Gordon this race? 177. Anonymous posted: 04.11.2014 - 10:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Red Bull Sponsors 4/83 - Red Bull/Circle K 178. JasonB72 posted: 08.26.2014 - 11:33 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Likely could be David Reutimann's final top 10. 179. ericthenau posted: 08.09.2016 - 10:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All right everyone, for those of you who wanted to know about what happened to Jeff Gordon in this race (which was asked by Matthew Tesfaye, Sidney Crosby, and Debris), he had handling issues during this race's first half and brake problems in the second half. The troubles with the handling and brakes of the #24 car of Jeff Gordon ultimately doomed his chance of having a good finish for this race, and he ended up finishing the race 32nd, 6 laps down. 180. SweetRich posted: 07.07.2020 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the final career NASCAR Sprint cup Series race for owner Dusty Whitney, the owner of Whitney Motorsports. 181. Sniderfan93 posted: 07.07.2020 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) SweetRich, I don't know who you are but I love these stats/info you're doing today 182. SweetRich posted: 07.07.2020 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you for the kind words. I am a huge NASCAR fan, might go so far as to say that I am a diehard fan, cause I watch the sport on a regular basis, follow it regardless of team and or driver and love the history of it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: