|| *Comments on the 2013 Daytona 500:* First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page | View All On One Page View the most recent comment | Post a comment <#post> 1. Cooper posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (10) (22) Way to go Danica! First ever female pole sitter in Cup history. Overall the Hendrick engines and teams seem to be heads above the rest of the field. Can't wait to see how Danica backs up the speed in the draft on Thursday and Sunday. 2. Smiff_2 posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Good lord......this is going to be an annoying week..... 3. Talon64 posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Danica Patrick becomes the 218th driver to win a Sprint Cup Series pole, the first rookie to win a pole since Patrick Carpentier at Loudon in 2008 (also in a #10 car) and the first rookie to win a Daytona 500 pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002. But the big one is that she's the first female driver to win a Sprint Cup Series pole. Previous best for a female driver was Janet Guthrie, qualifying 9th twice (Talladega, Bristol). All 3 SHR cars qualified in the top 5, and 5 Hendrick cars make up the top 6. Trevor Bayne in 3rd is the lone non-Hendrick car up there. The top 6 qualifiers are locked into the Daytona 500, and the rest of the top 7 in points not in that first group are also locked in based on how the provisionals work. And Kurt Busch is locked in with his past champion's provisional. 4. Spen posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think we can safely say that Brian Keselowski will miss the field. 5. Smiff_2 posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^^^In regards to how the press is gonna inflate the hell out of this. 6. RaceFanX posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) NASCAR's new 'Generation 6' era make their offical debut, the series' new cars mark a return to brand recognition between makes. Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win a pole in Sprint Cup and does it in the biggest race of all. 7. Daniel posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #4, depends on how much carnage takes place in his duel. The way drivers have been wrecking so far, the fact that his car is slow may help him make it in as he'll be too far back to get in the crash. 8. Anonymous posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only 45 entries this year? 9. Thomas posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 4. Spen You might not want to take that to the bank quite yet. Remember that he was way slower 2 years ago when he tried to make the field, only to have his brother almost push him to a win in his Duel. Personally, I hope to see Brian make it since he's such an underdog. 10. Daniel posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon lock up the front row. Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Kasey Kahne lock themselves in by speed if they don't race their way in. Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be in based on owner's points if they don't race their way in. Kurt Busch will be in based on past champion's provisional if he doesn't race his way in. 11. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The following drivers have qualified for the Daytona 500, regardless of where they finish in the Duel race: #2 - Brad Keselowski (owner points) #5 - Kasey Kahne (top 6 qualifier) #10 - Danica Patrick (front row starting spot) #11 - Denny Hamlin (owner points) #14 - Tony Stewart (top 6 qualifier) #15 - Clint Bowyer (owner points) #16 - Greg Biffle (owner points) #17 - Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (owner points) #21 - Trevor Bayne (top 6 qualifier) #24 - Jeff Gordon (front row starting spot) #39 - Ryan Newman (top 6 qualifier) #48 - Jimmie Johnson (owner points) #78 - Kurt Busch (past champion's provisional) 12. NadeauFan91 posted: 02.17.2013 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh buddy! Fox is gonna have a field day with this! 13. 18fan posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Hendrick cars didn't seem that good in the draft in the Unlimited, so they might have just qualified well. The JGR cars and the Hendrick powered cars have to be the favorites all week, along with Harvick and a couple drivers who will surprise because that always happens. 14. Ryan posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I love this. Congratulations to Danica Patrick and the entire Stewart-Hass Racing team who got three cars in the top 5! 15. 83andJoe posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Kasey Kahne lock themselves in by speed if they don't race their way in Maybe I missed something, but shouldn't Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch be on that list too? 31st-36th are set on speed, right? 16. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "31st-36th are set on speed, right?" 1st-2nd: Qualifying speeds 3rd-32nd: Duel race finishes 33rd-36th: Qualifying speeds 37th-42nd: Owner's points 43rd: Past champion's provision/owner's points 17. 18fan posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 33-36 are in on speed, so it is just Bayne, Newman, Stewart, and Kahne. 18. BradKeselowski2Fan posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #15 They didn't qualify in the Top 6. 19. 83andJoe posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >They didn't qualify in the Top 6. Yes, that much was obvious from looking at the results sheet. I thought they had gone wholly back to the old system in which only the top 30 were set in the Duels, not the top 32. 20. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's not that the top 30 are set from the Duels, it's that the top 15 finishers in the two Duel races (excluding Danica and Jeff who start on the front row) automatically make the race. 15 x 2 = 30; 30 + 2 = 32. 21. 83andJoe posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And it used to be the top 15 finishers, unless the front-row starters were outside the top 15, in which case it was the top 14. 22. JP88 posted: 02.17.2013 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay for anyone who hasn't locked in to the 500...is it basically if they finish dead last in the duel they are out. Say Jr. finishes dead last in the duels...would he be out of the 500? 23. Talon64 posted: 02.17.2013 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Dale Jr. would miss the race if enough people ahead of the #88 in the owners points from last season also don't qualify through speed or through the race. 3 teams (#24, #11, #5) have qualified with speed, so I think it'd need 6 out of the 8 other teams to fail to qualify by speed or the race for Dale Jr. to fail to qualify, since those 6 teams would get a provisional before him. Correct me if I'm wrong though. 24. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here are the scenarios for how Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would miss the Daytona 500: 1.) He finishes outside the top 15 in his Duel race AND 2.) 4 of the 8 drivers who posted faster qualifying speeds (excluding the front row) finish outside the top 15 in their respective Duel races AND 3.) 6 of the 10 drivers who finished higher in owner's points (excluding Gordon) finish outside the top 15 in their respective Duel races If just five of those 18 drivers (15 different drivers) finish in the top 15 in their respective Duel races, then Junior makes it in, either on speed or on owner's points, regardless of his Duel finishing position. It would really be helpful for him if Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and Tony Stewart all finish in the top 15, because they rank ahead of Junior in terms of both speed and points. That being said, very unlikely that Junior misses the 500. 25. jabber1990 posted: 02.17.2013 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I am going to say something very controversial, I might lose respect of many of you on here but the rest of you will agree with me Micheal Waltrip and Swan racing, they should be ashamed. yes its very important, and NOBODY with a soul will disagree with that statement but it was 2 months ago, its not like it was Thursday. every day on the news its all that, we are treating Adam Lanza like hes a martyr. even CNN left Manhattan a few days after 9/11 and that was a very very very different ordeal also, the people of that town should be telling everyone to leave them alone, they are acting like media hogs. people pay slight attention to them and they are acting like they enjoy it. the families of the victims of the shooting Aurora Colorado got tickets to see the reopening of the theatre, they threw the tickets away and wrote hate letters to the theater who was just try to be nice. why arent the people in Newtown getting angry at Micheal about this? again, he is doing a good thing I will not deny that my last statement before y'all burn me at the stake, I hate when charities get on racecars, I am all for NASCAR and think anyone who wants to put their name a car has a right to do so. but a Sprint Cup car cost $200,000, any chartiy is a non-for-profit organisation so why are they spending money building racecars? 26. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.17.2013 - 7:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) jabber, the reason why they do so is because the leftists are using it as their excuse to ban guns in this country (1984 anyone?) when in reality the things that should be banned are violence in tv, movies, and video games. 27. beau posted: 02.17.2013 - 7:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) here comes the espn shitstorm. 28. NadeauFan91 posted: 02.17.2013 - 7:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "when in reality the things that should be banned are violence in tv, movies, and video games." *facepalm* Makes just as much sense as banning guns. Anyway, back on topic here! Am I the only person here who thinks the way the qualifying procedure works is way too complicated? I say you should earn your way in, no matter what (save the front row). 29. jabber1990 posted: 02.17.2013 - 7:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) dont go after video games, TV, and movies a friend of mine thinks having violent video games is actually good, its better for them to kill in a fictional world than out in the real world that same friend also thinks that people should be parents. that would solve MANY problems 30. Rocky Lore posted: 02.17.2013 - 7:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wasn't Brian Keslowski slowest in 2011 as well? 31. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) There is no direct correlation between violence in tv, movies, and video games, and violence in real-life. People who are naturally violent and have low empathy towards other human beings and/or animals are more likely to act out on these tendencies than normal people, regardless of how often they are exposed to violence on a TV screen. While violence in the media may encourage these people to act out in such a way, the majority of people who watch violent TV shows and movies or play violent video games don't act out violently because they have enough common sense to know the difference between right and wrong. And if the parents or teachers of these non-empathetic individuals had any sense at all, they would take extra precautions to ensure that these individuals aren't exposed to violence, because they're not wired well enough in the head to know the difference between hurting someone in a video game and hurting someone in real life. The problem isn't violence in the media, the problem is the glorification of these violent people THROUGH the media. Why is it that we know Adam Lanza by name and by face, but we don't know the names and faces of those 26 people he savagely gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School? Why is it we know James Holmes by name and by face, but we don't know the names and faces of those 70 people (12 of whom died) that he started shooting towards in a movie theater in Aurora, CO? The media glorifies the killers, while treating the victims as statistics, which is why nobody really cares about how many soldiers have died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The victims are numbers, that's all they are. Nobody cares if they lose a pawn in a chess game, and nobody cares to know the names and faces of the people who are victims at the hands of psychopaths. When the media gloats and talks non-stop about the killers, they give them exposure. Studies show that psychopaths are egotistical and love to get attention. What's the best way to get attention? Through the media. What's the best way to get the media to cover you? Cause a mass killing of innocent civilians. This way the killers get to "go out on top," and since they lack empathy for those that have suffered, the consequences of their actions mean very little to them. 32. ch posted: 02.17.2013 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @30, Yes he was. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the field as he and Brad are once again in the same duel. 33. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 8:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And, as I mentioned before, Brad is locked into the field regardless of what happens in his Duel race due to his position in the owner's standings. So Brad, if he wanted to, could spend the entire Duel with the mindset of helping his brother make the show, and not having to worry about his finishing position because he is locked in. 34. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I never come on here to post but I have to respond to jabber. Yes adam Lanza is being shown as a martyr. All these people are who do these killings. They get to be on tv 24/7 on time magazine, other magazines. There all over. These guys live off of the fame. That's why they do these things. And we give them all the fame they need. It's awful. Once people do these things they should never be mentioned or talked about again. Were the nobodies wanted to be somebodies. Were dead, they'll know just who we are. "jabber, the reason why they do so is because the leftists are using it as their excuse to ban guns in this country (1984 anyone?) when in reality the things that should be banned are violence in tv, movies, and video games." Are you serious dude? Really? First off, there not banning guns. There putting restrictions on how easy it is to buy them! If it makes you feel better it won't pass. The NRA are too strong. Also a news flash to everyone. If they did ban guns people would find another way to kill each other with! 35. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) * They would create something else to kill each other with. 36. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 8:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Amazing post by Paul. Amazing. I didn't read that before I posted. Said exactly what I wanted to say. 37. Baker posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) They shouldn't ban guns. They shouldn't ban violence in movies, video games and TV. They SHOULD ban stupid people from being able to reproduce. At least around my area it is all the irresposible, immature, low life druggy scum that are always the first to have kids and those kids have already turned into problem kids in preschool. 38. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Manson lyrics nice I like that song GO AUSTEN MAKE THE SHOW!!!!!!! 39. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm the biggest Marilyn Manson fan on the planet. Behind his music (which I also love) is one of the most interesting people in the history of the world. I was wondering if somebody would get the reference! That song is written about what happen in Columbine. Anyway... does anyone see anyone beating the Hendrick engines? 40. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like manson but he freaked me out kinda I hope that eather jJr or Kurt bush win the 500 I'm really hoping Kurt redeems himself this year and shuts up all his haters and I thank hel get the 31 car when Jeff retires 41. Daniel posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If the 3 Gibbs cars are as strong as Kenseth's was in the Unlimited, then one of those 3. 42. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't know Kurt has come out and said multiple times during the off-season that the 78 is basically a 4th RCR car. He's said he will probably stay there for next year and beyond. I believe if Kurt wouldn't of messed up with Roush he would have around the same stats year after year as Kenseth. Maybe a little better. Just compare his Roush stats vs. his Penske stats. Big drop off. That also makes me wonder why Regan did so bad in it. Because I think he is talented. Manson does all that craziness for a reaction. For people to talk about him. It creates a "buzz" and separates him from all the other artists out there. 43. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That thing he dose with his eyes is so f**king cool And what's y'all's opion on Austin dillon I'm pulling for him to be the nationwide champ(he and or vickers) 44. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When Regan drove for Furniture Row, they were an RCR satellite team. When they made the move to hire Kurt Busch late last season, RCR announced that they would form a closer alliance to Furniture Row, basically making the #78 car the 4th RCR car. Kurt Busch pretty much confirmed that yesterday when he spoke about his "RCR teammates." Plus, the Furniture Row crew members have been in team meetings with the RCR crew members, so they are different teams in name only. In 2012, they really were different teams. I think Richard Childress decided to go after Kurt Busch because he needed someone that would elevate Kevin Harvick's game, considering how Harvick's other teammates Burton and Menard aren't at his level of competition at this point. Then of course, news of Harvick leaving RCR at the end of 2013 surfaced shortly afterwards, so now RCR really has to get the #78 team up to speed, because Kurt may be the future number one driver for RCR in 2014, and if he's not up to speed next season, the entire team will struggle. 45. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I figured Austin would be the #1 team next year 46. Paul posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RCR isn't going to make a rookie be their number one driver. They may put most of their focus on developing him than on the rest of the team, but they're not going to put expectations on him that he has to be the top driver his rookie season, especially when he has Kurt Busch as his teammate. 47. cjs3872 posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 12345Dude, the Hendrick cars will be tough (including Stewart-Haas), if their teams can get them to handle, which has been their problem at Daytona for years. But if they can't get them to handle, and the temperature for the race is forecast to be in the 80s, it won't matter. That's why the Childress, Penske, Roush, and Gibbs cars are the ones to watch, even though Jeff Gordon (a Hendrick driver) was my pre-season pick to win this race. With the temperatures forecast to be so high, you might even see the engines being detuned for the race, because there might be a number of engine failures due to the heat. In other words, speed is probably going to be a non-factor in the Daytona 500, and handling will be key. In fact, it would not be surprising if there's a long green flag run to see one car being able to run alone in the lead after pit stops, especially since the speed diference s not what it used to be between one car running alone and a multi-car draft. A driver like Jeff Burton or Matt Kenseth, who are known for being conservative ontheir tires, may be the one to watch for the 500, because I expect the pace to slow down quite dramatically, possibly as much as 8-10 MPH due to the predicted heat, and drivers that are conservative on their equipment and their tires may actually be the ones to beat, because I think tire conservation is going to be a factor in the Daytona 500. In other words, this year's Daytona 500 might be the kind of race we haven't seen at Daytona in about 20-25 years, at least, due to the predicted weather conditions. For instance, the last time the Daytona 500 was run in such heat, Ernie Irvan actually did break away by himself and pull away to as much asa 1-second lead, and that was way back in 1994. And remember that Dale Earnhardt's dominating 1990 run also came on a scorcher of a race day, when the temperatres reached the mid-to-high 80s. And in 1984, about a dozen cars, including some key cars, had engine failures in the first 300 miles of the racedue to the heat, so there could be some mechnical attrition not seen in the Daytona 500 in years, if the heat is going to be as much of a factor as I think it's going to be. But I look for Childress, Roush, Penske, and Gibbs to be strong in the Daytona 500, perhaps stronger than usual, because handling and not speed is going to be the critical factor in the heat, and this year's Daytnoa 500 is forecast to be the hottest in about 20 years. 48. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) True that I wish burten would retire and give that 31 to someone els Ty wount be in cup for like the next 3 years 49. murb posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if RCR fully buys out Furniture Row next year, making the 78 officially a full time RCR car. Childress has been courting Kurt Busch for way too long, so I'm sure he will get something done. It's gonna be hilarious to see Kurt mentoring the Dillon brothers. 50. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't want to bum you out Kenny but no one is touching the Gibbs equipment. It's going to be Brian Vickers vs. Elliott Sadler for the title. Also has anyone noticed how extremely stacked the nationwide and truck series are this year? Basically no one moving up to the cup series since 07 has really helped. Nationwide Series Regulars Full Time: Austin Dillion Trevor Bayne Regan Smith Elliott Sadler Sam Hornish Jr. Brian Vickers Nelson Piquet Jr. Justin Allgaier Kyle Larson Reed Sorenson (this guy really can't get better equipment than TMG. Really?) Michael Annett Jeremy Clements (has a partnership with RCR) Travis Pastrana (impressive last year, didn't get any credit though) Parker Kligerman Alex Bowman (4 ARCA wins last year at 19 years old) Part Time: Kenny Wallace Brad Sweet Scott Lagasse Jr (underrated as ****) Corey LaJoie (2nd in east series last year) Ryan Reed Darrell Wallace Jr Michael McDowell (very good in Gibbs equipment) Ryan Blaney Drew Herring (underrated as ****) Ty Dillion Dakoda Armstrong Jeb Burton Steve Wallace Johanna Long James Buescher Cup Guys in Nationwide: Kurt Busch Kyle Busch Kasey Kahne Greg Biffle Carl Edwards Matt Kenseth Denny Hamlin Brad Keselowski Joey Logano Paul Menard Kevin Harvick Danica Patrick Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart will run at least 1 race Dale Earnhardt Jr Truck Series: Full Time Drivers: Ty Dillion Jeb Burton Max Gresham Ron Hornaday Jr. Todd Bodine (hopefully) Timothy Peters Joey Coutler Ryan Blaney James Buescher Miguel Paludo Darrell Wallace Jr. Dakoka Armstrong Brendan Gaughan (lase year in trucks had 8 starts 4 top 5s) German Quiroga (3 time mexico corona champion) Matt Crafton Johnny Sauter Part Time Drivers: Ross Chastain (this kid can drive, I think he is really talented) John King (never got a chance, hopefully he gets a chance this year with ESR) Chase Elliott (Hendrick is coming back to the trucks!) Scott Riggs (might run full time if they can find sponsorship) Cup Drivers: Joey Logano Brad Keselowski Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick 51. murb posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It's going to be Brian Vickers vs. Elliott Sadler for the title." I think it will be a three way battle between Sadler, Bayne, and Dillon, with Vickers a distant fourth. 52. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Very good post cjs thanks for the info. Would drivers/teams who do good at Auto Club do well at Daytona this week? (I know it's a completely different track but the weather is always very hot there, and it's the toughest track on engines in the cup series) 53. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well I'm looking as forword to the nationwide session as am to cup and you have my NNS champ my ROTY pick is Kyle larson 54. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I disagree murb. The Gibbs equipment is just too tough. I also think Vickers has finally seen the light. I don't think Bayne will do that good. He is just naturally a cup series driver. He doesn't fit well in the nationwide series. When it was announced that he would run nationwide full time and not cup, he was really disappointing. He wanted to run cup full time this year and not nationwide. I also think there is a good chance Richard Childress Racing might be going downhill. I could see them at the end of the year only being a little better than Richard Petty Motorsports. Plus, Richard is going to be focusing on the cup side. Not nationwide. He should start to realize that that is a major problem for his team and needs to be fixed ASAP. He already is good in nationwide and trucks and shouldn't be focusing on them right now. (I know he has put a lot of attention on Austin and Ty recently but I don't think you'll see that this year.) The thing I wonder is if RCR starts to go down the NASCAR food chain will Ty and Austin stay there for their cup careers? 55. Daniel posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #50, add Mike Wallace, Brian Scott, Eric McClure, Juan Carlos Blum, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Joey Gase, Hal Martin, Morgan Shepherd (possibly), Mike Harmon (possibly), and Dexter Stacey to those running the full Nationwide season. Add John Wes Townley, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Brennan Newberry, Ryan Sieg, Norm Benning, David Starr, Bryan Silas, Scott Riggs (possibly), and Rick Crawford (possibly) to those running the full truck schedule. 56. 12345Dude posted: 02.17.2013 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know about those guys Daniel but I don't think they are very good or not in good enough equipment. I don't think they can contend. I was only talking about drivers who I thought could contend for top 10s/top 5s/wins. 57. jabber1990 posted: 02.17.2013 - 11:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) where is Jennifer Jo Cobb getting the money to run a truck series season? or where is she going to get a ride? 58. Kenny posted: 02.17.2013 - 11:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And as I said before if Austin can't win the NNS title I want it to be vickers and plus I thank after this year mark marten and vickers well trade rides mats to the 30 nationwide car(where ill bet hel wil a title)and vickers well get the 55 59. Daniel posted: 02.17.2013 - 11:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Her own ride. She's got primary sponsorship from Koma Unwind at Daytona and associate sponsorship from ProudAmericanTradingPost.com. My guess is she'll also pick up one off sponsorships throughout the year, like Mark One Electric which usually sponsors her at Kansas. She also probably still brings in some money from her clothing line and there's also the fact that the Truck series doesn't take as much money with the shorter schedule and shorter race distances leading to less tires having to be bought. 60. cjs3872 posted: 02.18.2013 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 12345Dude, the thing with Childress is that, aside from Kevin Harvick, he has no other driver that can give any serious input into what the car is doing, and no other driver tht can run up front consistently. Frankly, that's been Childress' problem since 2011 and why his organization hasn't contended more often. Paul Menard is just a 13th-17th place driver that runs in the top ten every now and then and Jeff Burton is over the hill, so Childress doesn't have anyone else that can help Harvick, and because of that, if something happens to Harvick, Childress has no other driver that can get up front. I made this point numerous times last year. Frankly, I think Childress also knows this, which is why he tried to hire Kurt Busch to drive a fourth car full-time this year, but there was no sponsorship for such a team, and why he's stepping up his partnership with Furniture Row Racing, and it's also a reason he's trying to get Austin Dillon into Cup as fast as he can. I believe his plan is to hire Kurt to drive either the #29 or #31 car for 2014 and hire Austn Dillon to drive the other one of those cars and possibly renumber it back to the #3. And I think you're dead on about Trevor Bayne, as far as the Nationwide Series goes. I think he's too patient and conservative a driver for the shorter Nationwie races, but he's just right for the longer Cup races, His style, from what I've seen, has always been to ride in about sixth through tenth place most of the race and then make his move at the end. But that philosophy only works in races with late cautions to bunch up the field, and/or if pit strategy gets him up front. If there are no cautions late, he'll finish anywhere between fourth and eighth and pile up points, but not victories, and that's something his crew chief Mike Kelley may need to get used to, after two years with the ultra-aggressive Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who wants to lead every lap. 61. Talon64 posted: 02.18.2013 - 1:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think the runaway top 3 in Nationwide will be Austin, Vickers and Bayne. Austin's going to be the centerpiece for RCR's Nationwide effort. I mean they put Brian Scott in the #2, so they clearly wanted to make sure that Austin's the #1 guy and won't be competing with a teammate for the title. I sincerely doubt RCR's going away on the Nationwide anytime soon, especially with Ty moving up there next season. Vickers might be damn near unstoppable. A guy not too far removed from being a race winner and Chase driver in Cup, who had a great showing last year in the #55 for MWR and nearly beat Logano straight-up in his first race for JGR. Plus he's a former Nationwide champ. And you can't count out the two-time defending Nationwide championship team. Bayne's talented enough to keep them a championship threat. But the idea that Bayne's conservative and Stenhouse isn't is pretty much a myth. The longer races didn't stop Bayne from wrecking once every 2 starts in Cup last year, while Stenhouse was on the positive side of the average as far as crashing rate in Nationwide last year. Hopefully the extra seat time will help Bayne with that, but otherwise I think the #6 will be in the hunt. I don't give Sadler much of a shot, since he won't have Luke Lambert as his CC anymore. It was Lambert that helped Sadler go from no wins in 2011 to 4 in 2012, but even with the switch to JGR I think that's going to set him back. But let's not count out Kyle Larson from doing something amazing this season. 62. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 1:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One thing Mike Kelley won't have to put up with this season is a driver who complains about the car while leading by eight seconds and who shuts the radio off because he refuses to back off from other cars in the season finale with the championship within grasp. In other words, he'll finally have a mature young driver behind the wheel of his race cars, and I think he'll welcome Trevor with open arms. I could tell Kelley was getting tired of Ricky by the end of the season, and this season might be a walk in the park with Trevor because he is less likely to wreck by his own doing than Ricky, and will have enough maturity and class to be respectful over the radio and provide good information about the car, even if the team isn't having a good race. Considering how the level of competition has grown in numbers, but has actually shrunk in terms of aggressiveness, this championship could be decided by which of the conservative drivers at the top of the series (Bayne, Sadler, Vickers, Dillon; I don't expect Larson or Piquet to be serious title threats) either wins the most races, since the difference between 1st and 2nd in a race is the only position gap that is worth something, or runs into the least amount of trouble throughout the course of the season. Considering how Sadler shot himself in the foot in each of the last two seasons, Vickers occasionally drives over his head, Trevor has a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (read my post #2461 on the Homestead page for more info), and Austin rarely is the best non-Cup driver in a Nationwide race (except for when his team cheated at Kentucky last year), this will be a very interesting championship battle in the Nationwide Series. With Kyle Busch re-joining JGR, Brad and Joey splitting time with Penske, Kurt Busch running the restrictor plate races for James Finch, and the trio of Stewart, Harvick, and Menard splitting time in RCR's #33, it's very likely that the Cup invaders will win more races than the Nationwide regulars, which only heightens the battle for the Nationwide title because of the 1-point difference between every position from 2nd to 43rd. Whichever Nationwide driver is able to win the most races and have the least number of finishes outside the top 20 I think will win the championship. The question is who will it be and how close will they win by. That's the kind of championship battle that intrigues me, because the most consistent Nationwide team will win the title. 63. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 1:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talon64, revert back to my post #2461 on the Homestead page as to why crash frequency isn't entirely accurate. Yes, Trevor wrecked more times than Ricky did in 2012, but all of Ricky's accidents (except for the Daytona season-opener) were self-inflicted, whereas all of Trevor's were either due to another driver making an error (Danica in the Daytona 500, Kurt Busch in the Coke Zero 400, Austin Dillon in the Nationwide Bristol night race), or a mechanical failure (I lost count as to how many blown tires he had with the Wood Brothers). Let me put it this way: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. cost himself THIRTY points at Dover last year from wrecking himself by over-driving the car while in 2nd place early in the race. With two races to go in the season, he was tied for the series points lead. While Trevor Bayne probably wouldn't have won six races last year like Ricky did, he absolutely would not have wrecked himself while running in 2nd at Dover, and would not have been tied for the series lead with two races to go because of that self-inflicted error. 64. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 1:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wouldn't count on Kyle Larson lighting things up next season either. Turner Motorsports has six Nationwide victories, and five of them came from last-lap passes because something happened to the leader. The only true victory by their Nationwide program came at Road America last season with Nelson Piquet, Jr. behind the wheel. Plus, their team was rarely a top five contender all season long in 2012, and was lucky if two of their three full-time cars could finish in the top ten. While I agree that Larson is very talented (albeit too aggressive at times, such as at Homestead last year), he has never driven a Nationwide car before, and his first ride will be for a non-Cup team with five fluke victories. Will he be a top ten points contender? No doubt. Top five? Good chance. Championship contender? No. I would give Nelson Piquet, Jr. a better chance at the title just because he has Nationwide experience, but those Turner cars just don't have the speed to keep up with JGR, RCR, Roush, and Penske. 65. Anthony posted: 02.18.2013 - 2:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA DANICA 66. Sky Warrior posted: 02.18.2013 - 5:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Well, up until the last comment I was rather proud at the somewhat lack of whining about Danica winning a pole. Still don't get why she gets so much flak from some "fans", other than the fact that she's a woman, who by the way is still light years more talented than her critics. Congrats to her, and Gordon on a good start to 2013 and Gen 6 67. 12345Dude posted: 02.18.2013 - 6:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) RCR isn't going to leave the nationwide series but I can't see as much focus on it with their cup team going down the tube. Turner and the "non cup teams" I don't believe can contend for a nationwide title. At least not yet. The cup teams have the experience,money,equipment,cup drivers to help the team out,resources etc. etc. It's a huge problem in the nationwide series. All the "mom and pop" teams are gone from the nationwide series. Well there still around, but not competitive. At least this hasn't happened in the truck series. And that's only because there is one cup team racing in there. There are just too many cup teams with too many cars in the nationwide series IMO. So I don't see Turner ever competing for a nationwide title. Not anytime soon at least. Wins, yes. Title, no. Surprised no one has mentioned Justin Allgaier yet. Not only did he beat Brad at Bristol during the insane cup domination in the nationwide series, but he has always said his biggest weak-spot in racing was the road courses. And look at what he did last year. 68. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.18.2013 - 7:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is so easy I won't go into it... 69. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Terry Labonte makes the race and completes 172 of the 200 scheduled laps, he will surpass Bill Elliott in most laps completed in NASCAR's premier series at Daytona International Speedway. 70. cjs3872 posted: 02.18.2013 - 1:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On a sad note, R.I.P., Dr. Jerry Buss, one of the greatest and most successful onwers in modern pro sports history. In his 34 years as the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, starting in 1979, his Laker teams won 19 division titles, 16 conference titles, and 10 NBA championships, and the Lakers of the 1980s was named the pro sports Team of the Decade for all sports, and that same statement could be made for the Lakers of the 2000s. And most importantly, not only was Dr. Buss a great team owner, from all reports, he was just as good a person, if not better, and professional sports needs more owners like Jerry Buss, who always put product over profit. 71. Daniel posted: 02.18.2013 - 2:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now you can add Jamie Dick to those running the full Nationwide schedule as he'll be driving his own #55 Chevy for the season. 72. Scott B posted: 02.18.2013 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So, you were the team owner, how would you tell Danica to handle herself in the qualifying race? a. Park early to stay out of trouble and preserve the primary car. b. Run the distance to get experience in the the G6 car, but don't take risks. c. Go for broke, we've got a good back up car if we need it. Always interesting to see how the pole winners deal with this, but with Danica being a rookie and everyone lacking seat time in the G6 car, I don't think you can be ultra-conservative. 73. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would tell Danica to get a good jump to start the race, and try to lead some laps and see how well the car performs in clean air. Then once she gets teamed up on on the track and loses the lead, I would have her drop to the back of the lead group and see if she can work her way back up to the front. This Daytona 500 is going to be all about track position. Danica, like Jeff Gordon, is very fortunate to have a guaranteed front row starting spot, so her finishing position in the Duel race doesn't matter. And such, I would tell her to treat the Duel race like a practice session with packs of cars all around each other. Obviously, if I was her car owner or crew chief, I would want to go for the win, which is why I would tell her to select the outside lane and see how long she can lead. But once she loses the lead, I would have her drop to the back of the lead group and practice working her way up through the pack and try to get back to the front. Hopefully she learns something from the Duel race that she can use in the Daytona 500, such as how valuable track position is and what she has to do to get any lost track position back. Going for the win would come secondary to figuring out the car and learning how the draft works. I would tell Jeff Gordon the same thing, but with his knowledge, experience, and past success at Daytona, I wouldn't expect him to take as long to figure out the track and draft as I would a rookie like Danica. 74. David posted: 02.18.2013 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At this time, exactly twelve years ago, Ralph Dale Earnhardt was pronounced dead at the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. R.I.P. Dale Earnhardt - 1951-2001 75. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 45 cars are listed on the Nationwide entry list. Among the drivers on there include: #00 - Jason White #1 - Kurt Busch #4 - Danny Efland #5 - Kasey Kahne #8 - Scott Lagasse, Jr. #10 - Jeff Green (hadn't been officially confirmed before today #18 - Matt Kenseth #20 - Brian Vickers (number hadn't been confirmed previously, though #20 was expected) #22 - Brad Keselowski #23 - Robert Richardson #27 - Michael McDowell (I believe this was the #81 in 2012) #33 - Tony Stewart #34 - Danica Patrick (was the #38 in 2012) #41 - Donnie Neuenberger #52 - TBA (Joey Gase is expected to be the driver) #54 - Kyle Busch #55 - Jamie Dick (new team) #70 - Johanna Long #74 - TBA (Mike Harmon is expected to be the driver) #79 - Jeffrey Earnhardt (was the #39 in 2012) #85 - Bobby Gerhart #87 - Joe Nemechek (might only drive part-time in 2013) #88 - Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #89 - Morgan Shepherd #92 - Dexter Stacey (new team) The #15 of Juan Carlos Blum is not listed on the entry list as of now. I'm not sure if that's a mistake, or if the plan was for him to drive when Donnie Neuenberger wasn't driving. Travis Pastrana doesn't have a sponsor listed as of now. Only one car from both Rick Ware Racing (Neuenberger) and The Motorsports Group (Reed Sorenson) are on the entry list. Remember, only 40 cars will qualify for each Nationwide race, so it looks like they're going to play it safe on how many cars they enter for now. 76. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, Ryan Truex will drive the #30 truck for Turner Scott Motorsports for the Truck race at Daytona. He will also make his Sprint Cup debut at Richmond in April, driving the #51 for Phoenix Racing, and could make some additional starts after that. Might he be preparing for a potential 2014 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year run with Phoenix Racing? It's too early to tell at this point, but that team needs funding and Truex could surely bring them some if he doesn't have a ride in place for 2014. 77. Talon64 posted: 02.18.2013 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "#27 - Michael McDowell (I believe this was the #81 in 2012)" SR2 Motorsports bought the assets of MacDonald Motorsports. Supposedly to run 3 full time cars but they've only got the #24 and #00 entered this weekend. 78. Daniel posted: 02.18.2013 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 39 entered in the truck race: -Dusty Davis in the Rick Ware #1 -Tim George Jr. in the Richie Wauters #5 -Chris Cockrum in the Greenlight #07 -#14 TBA (I assume Brennan Newberry will be approved) -Jeff Agnew in the #27 -Ryan Truex in the Steve Turner #30 -John King in the Eddie Sharp #33 -#50 TBA -Kyle Busch in the #51 -Scott Stenzel in the Mittler #63 -Clay Greenfield in his #68 -Sean Corr in his #82 -Chris Fontaine in his #84 -Jason White in the Sieg #93 -Bragg Racing #20, which had been announced would have Rick Crawford behind the wheel, is not entered. 79. ch posted: 02.18.2013 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I believe that the #27 is the third SR2 Motorsports car as McDowell drove for them a little last year. And the #15 is entered. 80. Talon64 posted: 02.18.2013 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah I think you're right. Derek White's the listed owner, who drove some races for SR2 last year. 81. Talon64 posted: 02.18.2013 - 7:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You have to give SR2 some credit for dumping the likes of Angela and Amber Cope for legitimate drivers like Blake Koch, Michael McDowell and Jason White. At least for this weekend. 82. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 7:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If only they could field those three for the entire season. Koch is pretty talented for a guy who didn't jump into stock cars until he was 22, and has SR2's only top top ten qualifying effort (in a start-and-park car, nonetheless), McDowell is a very good road racer and showed some great short track potential at Iowa last year, and White was one of the best restrictor plate drivers in the Truck Series last year. At least Koch will run a full schedule. I'm guessing he lobbied for McDowell to get a ride with SR2 for Daytona since they're good friends (plus McDowell start-and-parked for SR2 at Dover last fall so Koch could run the full race). Hopefully they have more talented drivers in their cars the rest of the year. Perhaps they could even form an alliance with JGR and serve as a B- or C-team for them in the Nationwide Series, giving young drivers like Ryan Truex and Drew Herring more opportunities in NASCAR. 83. jabber1990 posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) since most NASCAR fans actually like road course racing, which road course(es) would you want to add to the sprint cup schedule? I think Miller Motorsports park, and Montreal at least, 84. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, Kyle Larson just flat-out wrecked C.E. Falk to win the short track feature at Daytona, and tore up his whole front end in the process. What a punk-move. 85. jabber1990 posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought about this too is the 2012 Daytona 500 a perfect example of "everything went wrong" 86. 13 posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the ending of that race turned from some of the best racing ive ever seen to turning to being the most disgusted ive been after a race in a long time i was gonna pull for Kyle this year but not anymore. 87. jabber1990 posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) does a driver/team make money when they win/compete in the Twin 150's? 88. Talon64 posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) okay that wasn't very amazing of Larson there. 89. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 02.18.2013 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dang, why did Speed ditch the coverage? 90. startandparkfan posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My thoughts on the All-American race. It may not have been on purpose, since Larson's car was sliding put of 4 throughout the race. Looked intentional to me. Funny that Kyle Larson won the K&N East championship because Moffitt got spun out at Rockingham at the final lap. I wanted Rhodes, Falk or McCaskill to win, dissapointed at the finish. I don't see many short track races, due to me not living near many short tracks, not being televised, and the ones that are I forget to watch, so probably the dirtiest race I've ever seen. The other 2 races will be better, I think, since the guys are more experienced. Also the first All-American race I've seen. Will the races be posted? I have some of the caution stuff if you need it. 91. 83andJoe posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well. Larson sure rattled his cage, didn't he? >The #15 of Juan Carlos Blum is not listed on the entry list as of now. I'm not sure if that's a mistake, or if the plan was for him to drive when Donnie Neuenberger wasn't driving. They explicitly said Newenberger would be a teammate to Blum at Daytona, so... 92. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Larson didn't shy away from admitting to intentionally wrecking C.E. Falk in the post-race interview. He went on to say that both are/were good buddies. 93. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think David Smith said it best on his Twitter page: "Welp. Kid in a car built by rich NASCAR team wrecks kid who built car himself in his family garage. Yeah." Doesn't that sound an awful lot like when Joey Logano wrecked Tim Bainey, Jr. at Dover last year? That race is what turned Joey into a heel (bad guy) in the eyes of many NASCAR fans, and this race may have done the same thing to Larson. Kudos to C.E. Falk for not going after Larson after the race, and giving a classy interview (not televised) by thanking his family for helping him build his race car. Can't say I would have done the same thing had I been in his shoes. 94. 12345Dude posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "since most NASCAR fans actually like road course racing, which road course(es) would you want to add to the sprint cup schedule? I think Miller Motorsports park, and Montreal at least, " I'm going to be posting my 2013 nascar season preview (it's extremely extremely long!!) which goes into this issue. Also I think Miller Motorsports Park got paved down. Does anyone here play NR2003 the greatest racing game ever created? It currently have 780 tracks for it including Miller Motorsports Park. What happen at the all american race? Sounds crazy! 95. 12345Dude posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1 More thing: How is it possible that Mike Hillman owns his own team in the trucks (#27) and is the crew chief for the #4? 96. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "They explicitly said Neuenberger would be a teammate to Blum at Daytona, so..." Okay... I said that both of them would be driving at Daytona on the Homestead page, and again when I made the post, yet Blum wasn't listed on the entry list. 97. murb posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "That race is what turned Joey into a heel (bad guy)" lol, To me Joey has been a heel since about 2010. For a while now I've wanted to make a list of the current Nascar Babyfaces (good guys) and Nascar Heels (bad guys). I think it would be interesting, but it would also be pretty hard since everyone has different takes on every driver. 98. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) murb, I'm going to do just that, starting with the Cup drivers. Also, don't forget about tweeners, the guys that are neither good nor bad; they're just kind of...there. 99. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here's my list of babyfaces, heels, and tweeners in the Sprint Cup Series: Babyfaces: A.J. Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose, Trevor Bayne, Dave Blaney, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., David Gilliland, Timmy Hill, Matt Kenseth, Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Michael McDowell, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Joe Nemechek, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Ken Schrader, J.J. Yeley Heels: Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Tony Stewart Tweeners: Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick, Scott Speed, David Stremme, Martin Truex, Jr., Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip, Josh Wise The drivers that I put in the "tweeners" category were put there either because 1.) They have too many negative qualities/detractors to be considered babyfaces. 2.) They don't have enough negative qualities/detractors to be considered heels. 3.) They have little to no personality. Note: Not all babyfaces are seen as "likable", and not all heels are seen as "unlikable." I don't mean to confuse anybody by putting drivers in those categories. 100. Mr X posted: 02.18.2013 - 9:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Before we start taking about Danica and Jeff starting on the front row of the 500 let's remember that they have to make it through their respective duels, and I'm pretty sure given their recent luck in plate races that may not happen for either of them. On the subject of road courses what about Austin, everything is already there, and even though the state of Texas already has 2 races the market might be large enough to support another and when you consider the fact that the demographic is at least slightly different, Austin is fairly central between Sears Point and Watkins Glen, and at least given what how the f1 race went down there the track is awesome. 101. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.18.2013 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, am I late to this party or what? I just now realized this page was up. Here are my thoughts on the comments so far: -I am not surprised in the least Mikey is exploiting a tragedy to make himself look better. He has spent the last 12 years leeching off what will be my final thought. -Guns are not good or bad. They are machines. The people who hold them are either good or bad. Taking them away would accomplish nothing. The bad guys would still get them. What is the only thing to stop a bad guy with a gun? A good guy with a gun. -The Hendrick motors are STRONG. Jeff Gordon WILL win this race. Guaranteed. -This will actually be a fun week of media coverage. For years they have trashed the shit out of qualifying for plate races, saying the drivers are useless out there (which is true). Now, suddenly, the driver is a crucial part of whether or not the car goes fast on these runs where the driver just holds the gas down. What changed? Have fun with NASCAR's pathetic media my friends. Laugh at them. It will make you feel better. 912 years ago today we lost NASCAR's greatest driver ever, my childhood sports idol, even more than MJ (Happy 50th Birthday one day late to him btw). I have quit dwelling on the negative of it a long time ago for the most part. I did feel sad last year when Taylor got married, thinking about how he had to miss it, but otherwise I am just so incredibly grateful for the incredible memories he gave me. Pulling for him in the early 90's was a never ending joy ride. Despite always seeming vulnerable driving RCR's really good, but not spectacular equipment, there was a sense that Roush or Yates or Hendrick (even during their dreaded Lumina years) or Penske would just blow him away. But he turned them back every time. What a ride, even after they got badly passed with the new Monte Carlos and engineering wave that Childress still hasn't caught up to, he still provided those moments that get replayed to this day and still make me smile. The moribund, boring as hell '95 race at Sears Point that suddenly turned alive when the track turned into a slip and slide when somebody broke a gear, leading to an epic slip sliding duel between two old dirt trackers Mark and Dale. The '96 Rockingham race where Dale reminded everyone he still doesn't think twice about using his bumper. 1997: "Get out, give me my car back!". 1998: "Every man, on every pit crew, is lined up on pit road". The '99 Bristol Night Race. Dale reminding Bobby Labonte in 2000 who the real Atlanta master is. A 49 year old Dale getting in striking distance of the Winston Cup by mid Summer. Dale reminding EVERYONE in October of 2000 who the best drafter ever was. And all this happened AFTER his prime! Thank you Dale, it was the ultimate ride, I am proud to have pulled for you, and thanks to YouTube, I get to relive bits and pieces of it from time to time. 102. David posted: 02.18.2013 - 10:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "912 years ago today we lost NASCAR's greatest driver ever" I did not realize Ben-Hur ran in NASCAR. Heck, I didn't even know NASCAR had a chariot racing division. 103. David posted: 02.18.2013 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, Ben-Hur lived in the first century. But the joke was too good for me to pass up. "What a ride, even after they got badly passed with the new Monte Carlos and engineering wave that Childress still hasn't caught up to, he still provided those moments that get replayed to this day and still make me smile." I watched the 1991 Busch Clash the other day and am still in awe about it. "The Hendrick motors are STRONG. Jeff Gordon WILL win this race. Guaranteed." As much as I would like to see that happen, I'm not sure I could handle you boasting about your prognostication ability for the few days after that. Just kidding... "Guns are not good or bad. They are machines. The people who hold them are either good or bad. Taking them away would accomplish nothing. The bad guys would still get them. What is the only thing to stop a bad guy with a gun? A good guy with a gun." DaleSrFanForever for President!! 104. Paul posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Part of me doesn't want Jeff Gordon to win the Daytona 500 just so I can definitively say "You are wrong" to DSFF, but I also know that he would love that more than anybody. So DSFF, I hope you are right! :) "DaleSrFanForever for President!!" He'd never sell himself out to either of the two primary political parties, and unfortunately that is really the only way someone can get elected president because of all the donor money that those two parties bring in during their campaigns. Although, maybe he could run alongside fellow political party-hater/conspiracy theorist Jesse Ventura (who I love) if he ever decides to run for president haha. 105. David posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Part of me doesn't want Jeff Gordon to win the Daytona 500 just so I can definitively say "You are wrong" to DSFF, but I also know that he would love that more than anybody. So DSFF, I hope you are right! :)" Either way, it's a win-win, right? 106. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) " "912 years ago today we lost NASCAR's greatest driver ever" I did not realize Ben-Hur ran in NASCAR. Heck, I didn't even know NASCAR had a chariot racing division. " Now that is funny! "DaleSrFanForever for President!!" Lol, I don't think I could screw us up any worse than we already are! First thing I'd do is go after the oil companies, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies. And anyone on Medicaid who doesn't have a damn good reason for being on it better get ready to work. Then I'd take any photos, paintings, or any remnants of Lyndon Johnson in the White House, throw them in a pile, burn them, then piss on the ashes. Although I tip my hat to him for standing up for civil rights that weren't popular at the time, he got us into Vietman and starting taking money from the Social Security system royally screwing the whole thing up. Plus he had Jackie Kennedy be there for his swearing of the Presidential oath on Air Force One just hours after her husband got his head blown off while in her arms. Asshole. "He'd never sell himself out to either of the two primary political parties, and unfortunately that is really the only way someone can get elected president because of all the donor money that those two parties bring in during their campaigns." Quoted for the truth. "Although, maybe he could run alongside fellow political party-hater/conspiracy theorist Jesse Ventura (who I love) if he ever decides to run for president haha." That's right. I'd like to tip my hat to you guys in Minnesota for electing him. 107. murb posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On a lighter note, it was also 12 years ago today that Earnhardt flipped the bird to Kurt Busch in the tri-oval at Daytona. That's an interesting list Paul. I was just gonna make one that included the well known/top guys in the sport, but you used everybody. I'm not gonna pick my Daytona 500 winner until I see the Duels on Thursday. Usually that is the tell tale sign of who the players will be. 108. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey David, I just now watched the '91 Busch Clash again myself since you mentioned it. What a show! First off, the pre race segment was awesome. Really short, but really entertaining. They are interviewing Schrader who is the two time defending winner. But suddenly Earnhardt comes into the shot saying HE is the defending champ since he wasn't in the last two Busch Clashes (he didn't win a pole in '88 or '89 even though his car did at Martinsville with Jimmy Hensley while he stayed back home and cleaned up the mess left from Hurricane Hugo) but won the last one he was in. Their banter is priceless. Authentic and beyond entertaining. Personally I think they should have renamed the race the "Holy Shit! Dale Is Our Defending Pole Champion Clash". When people ask me how I feel about Dale only having the most poles in a season once (1990) my response is "You're kidding me, he actually won one?". 22 poles to 76 wins. I've always said Ryan Newman is the bizarro Earnhardt (short, well educated, tries to act smart instead of uber manly, way better at qualifying than racing, an inspiration to nobody). 109. 12345Dude posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Although, maybe he could run alongside fellow political party-hater/conspiracy theorist Jesse Ventura (who I love) if he ever decides to run for president haha." Jesse Ventura is running for president this year. With Howard Stern as the VP! I'm also a huge Jesse Ventura fan. He knows more than anyone else in office. Between the last 2 presidents I've lost all faith. I have a good debate. Who are the worst president the US has ever had? Mine are... 1. George Bush 2. Andrew Jackson 3. Warren Harding 4. Harry Truman (I don't like him nuking japan) 5. Herbert Hoover 6. Woodrow Wilson 7. Barack Obama 110. 12345Dude posted: 02.18.2013 - 11:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *this election not year 111. Anonymous posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Obamas on that list :( 112. Kenny posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 111 was me 113. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And do you know who served as Lyndon Johnson's vice president? Hubert H. Humphrey; former U.S. Senator from Minnesota, and has his name precede the Metrodome, where the Vikings play. President Johnson was sort of like the Tony Stewart of U.S. presidents. For every good deed that he did in the name name of peace and trying to help out the less fortunate, such as fighting poverty with his Great Society movement, and signing into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Immigration Act of 1965, and the Gun Control Act of 1968, you can't help but think of all the bad, unpopular things he did while president that has pretty much defined him in history. From his shady behavior after the JFK assassination, to making Jackie Kennedy present during his presidential oath of office mere hours later, to his Vietnam War swerve by sending American troops over to Vietnam a few months after promising he wouldn't join in on the fight, to the infamous Gulf of Tonkin incident of 1964 that got us into the Vietnam War just three weeks after Barry Goldwater got the Republican nomination (I think that was a political tactic to make LBJ look strong in the eyes of voters, and it worked because he won re-election later that year with the most popular presidential victory in history.), his refusal to pull out of Vietnam between '66-'68 when it became evident we weren't going to win (To make matters more confusing, even HE didn't want to keep fighting that war anymore, but feared that America would look weak if he did so.), his notable partisanship and outgoing disliking of the opposition party, and even wiretapping Martin Luther King, Jr. (It was illegal when George W. Bush did it, and it was illegal when LBJ did it.), it almost completely trumps all the good that he did while president. And I think that's a shame, because in terms of his domestic policy, Johnson may have been one of the best presidents ever with all the progressive stances that he took and the effects that are still felt today. But unfortunately, he made that ill-fated decision to invade Vietnam illegally (He never declared war on Vietnam, he just invaded.), and then had no idea how to get out of it. Worse yet, he thought that he could focus equally on the Vietnam War and his Great Society plan, and as studies have shown, the human brain (especially the male brain) cannot multi-task effectively, and as a result he failed to succeed in either of his plans. That in a way also makes him a lot like Tony Stewart because while he had the tools to do tremendous things in the oval office, he let distractions like the Vietnam War side-track him from his ultimate goals. So he was really an unfinished president because he had all these great ideas and never fully accomplished everything he wanted to do. So I can see why some people have negative feelings towards him even today, and it's completely understandable given all the negative things he did while president. But looking back at him historically, he had the potential to be the greatest president in U.S. history, and I just think it's a shame that he is looked at in a negative light. Don't get me wrong, he deserves all the criticism he gets because they were all his decisions, but he could have been the greatest president in U.S. history from, if nothing else, his progressive ideas that are unfortunately still not endorsed by everybody almost 50 years later (civil rights, equal voting rights, immigration rights, education, gun control <-- not the same as a gun ban, etc.). So to sum it up, Lyndon Johnson: Terrific ideas, poor execution, questionable actions. End result: Looked at much worse historically than he probably deserves to be. 114. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 12345Dude, we actually had this conversation on the Martinsville page from last fall. My list of best/worst presidents may have changed since then, but I'm not in the mood to do research right now, and determining who the best and worst presidents in U.S. history would require me to do research because I like to get my facts straight before I make bold points. 115. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I've always said Ryan Newman is the bizarro Earnhardt" Not to mention the fact that Dale was always the #1 guy on whichever team he was on (although often by default), while Newman has always been the #2 guy. Even during Rusty's final years when he was struggling to win and finish in the top ten in points, Newman always played second fiddle to him. Plus, even during his best years ('02, '03, '05), Newman couldn't finish top five in points, whereas Earnhardt could sometimes finish top five in points during some of his worst years ('84, second half of '96, '97). 116. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "-Bragg Racing #20, which had been announced would have Rick Crawford behind the wheel, is not entered." Though it is listed as TBA right now, Rick Crawford will supposedly attempt to make the field in the #50 truck for MAKE Motorsports. 117. 12345Dude posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "12345Dude, we actually had this conversation on the Martinsville page from last fall. My list of best/worst presidents may have changed since then, but I'm not in the mood to do research right now, and determining who the best and worst presidents in U.S. history would require me to do research because I like to get my facts straight before I make bold points." OK thanks Paul. Another great post Paul about Lyndon Johnson. Your definitely one of the top posters on here. I'll go check the Martinsville page now! 118. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Truman nuking Japan saved Lord knows how many lives, very possibly millions. And it saved more Japanese lives than anything. Had we invaded Japan (our only other option aside from just letting the Pearl Harbor attack go unpunished) the bloodshed would have lasted years. It was an excellent decision. I hate what it did to so many innocent folks over there (both at the time and the later effects from the radiation), but ultimately it was the best decision. As for ranking presidents, I liked that episode of How I Met Your Mother were that guy made a chart ranking them as for who had the dirtiest sounding name. I can't remember all the names and the order, but there was Harding, Polk, Bush, Johnson, and Woodrow. Here is a controversial one, most overrated president: Abraham Lincoln. 119. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, FDR is the best pres ever. 120. 12345Dude posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Agree about FDR. Either him or Kennedy. I say Washington was the most overrated president of all time. When I talk to people around my age (18) Washington is always up there. But he didn't really do anything. Everyone was so happy about America becoming a free nation. And there weren't really any problems he had to deal with. He really didn't do anything. 121. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 1:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with DSFF about Harry S. Truman. (Fun fact: His middle initial "S." didn't stand for anything. That really is his middle name.) Dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was used as a last resort by President Truman, as he himself didn't agree with the acts of violence, but knew that he had to end the war ASAP, and dropping a bomb on two of Japan's cities unfortunately had to be done. And the best thing of all: It worked. Japan's Emperor finally surrendered shortly after the attacks, World War II ended after eight years of bloody battle, Japan soon disbanded their military and have become one of the world's most peaceful nations, and best of all, no more American soldiers had to die...for FIVE YEARS when North Korea invaded South Korea, and we were pretty much forced to help out our little brother from the Eastern Hemisphere. So it really didn't change the landscape for us since we haven't had a long period of peace since the 23 years in between our involvement in WWI and WWII. But in an odd way, it was the best thing that happened to Japan, because they haven't been involved in any major conflict since. It was sort of like the neighborhood bully getting his ass kicked, and then never hurting another person ever again. A lot of people don't know this, but Japan was our ally during World War I. During the war, President Woodrow Wilson came up with the idea for the League of Nations (kind of like the modern day U.N.) that would launch after the war was over. At that time, Asians were looked down upon by Americans and Europeans, and despite their big role in helping the Allied powers win WWI, President Wilson couldn't bring himself to accept Japan into the League of Nations, which of course made Japan very angry and pretty much damaged our relationship with them for decades. The funny thing about it is that shortly after WWI, Wilson came down with a bad case of pneumonia and wasn't healthy enough to read over and sign the agreement that would put the U.S. into the League of Nations. As a result, the U.S. never joined the League of Nations because most of the U.S. congressmen and high-ranking political people didn't want to join the League of Nations because they only wanted to focus on issues in their country (which I agree with), and so we pretty much burned our bridges with Japan for nothing. So just imagine how different the U.S. and Japan would be today had President Wilson allowed Japan to join the League of Nations. They likely would not have sided with Germany and Italy during WWII, thus would not have bombed Pearl Harbor, wouldn't have been bombed themselves, and might still be a high-ranking military power to this day. 122. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 1:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Most dispicible president: Andrew Jackson Maybe I'm biased because I love Native American culture and history, but the shit he did to them would make George Wallace circa 1970 blush. 123. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 1:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One thing I will say about Abraham Lincoln: He was determined to win the Civil War for the Union side and bring the U.S. back together. He was more relentless than he is given credit for. Following the Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the war and the final battle that took place in the North (anything north of Virginia was considered North back then), he actually fired the Union army's general, General George G. Meade because he wasn't relentless enough. It wasn't enough that the Union army defeated the Confederate army, they had to continue to attack when the Confederates were retreating back to their capital in Richmond, Virginia. General Meade didn't do that because he considered the battle to be over once the Confederates retreated, and so Lincoln fired him from commanding the Union army because he allowed the Confederates to get away without inflicting more damage on them. (Sort of like when Roger Penske fired Tom Sneva following his 1978 USAC National Championship because he wasn't dominant enough.) Afterwards, Lincoln hired General Ulysses S. Grant to command the Union army because General Grant was a fighter and was willing to go the extra measure to take out the Confederate army, which included destroying their railroads, businesses, and homes after they conquered various towns in The South. The Confederacy was already at a huge disadvantage due to their fewer number of soldiers, poorer communities, and shortage of supplies (If not for General Robert E. Lee, the war might have only lasted 1-2 years instead of four.), and General Grant's savage and ruthless generalship (with President Lincoln's blessing) pretty much decimated The South, left the region in ruins, and finally ended the war in May 1965. In a way, President Lincoln was a lot like Jeff Gordon because while he didn't look like or come off as a relentless individual, deep down inside he was a very ruthless person. Had Gordon not been such a ruthless driver in his prime years, he wouldn't have won four titles and been one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in history. And had Lincoln not been such a ruthless leader during the Civil War, that war might have lasted for over a decade, because rather than going in for the kill, he would have allowed the enemy to lick its wounds and prepare for another battle that would have surely lasted for a long time. He wasn't ruthless because he wanted to be, he was ruthless because he had to be. He wanted that war to end immediately, yet he understood that in order for that to happen, he would have to beat the living shit out of the Confederate army who deserted he and the rest of the U.S. The scariest thing about it is that over 625,000 Americans were killed during this bloody war...and it only lasted for FOUR YEARS. Imagine how many lives would have been lost had Lincoln not been as ruthless as he was and ended the war as quickly as he did. No doubt, over one million people would have been killed had a more cautious president been in office. That is why I consider President Lincoln to be one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, because he was an assertive leader who got things done, while never abusing his power and using it for the betterment of the nation. Then of course, President Lincoln was assassinated as many good people are (Lincoln, JFK, RFK, MLK, John Lennon, etc.), Andrew Johnson took over as president and screwed everything up during the Reconstruction process, and to this day there are still plenty of towns in The South that haven't been rebuilt since the Civil War, and there is still resentment towards northerners in various southern communities who wish they had remained seceded from the United States. Abraham Lincoln was great because of what he inherited from his predecessors who allowed the country to get divided during the 1840s and 1850s (Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan), and what he accomplished despite the mess he took over in 1861, as well as how poorly his successor Andrew Johnson handled things afterward because he was a southerner who supported slavery and The South's secession from the United States. That is why I consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest U.S. President of all-time, and also why I consider Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, and especially Andrew Johnson to be four of the worst U.S. Presidents of all-time, with Johnson being the worst in U.S. history. 124. JG24FanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 1:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So, Danica has stated that winning the Pole for the Daytona 500 is the 4th most important thing you can get(not counting the Championship)in a season. Behind winning The 500,The Brickyard 400 and The World 600. Is she completely stupid? The Daytona 500 Pole is more important than completing 500 miles in first at Darlington? 125. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "would make George Wallace circa 1970 blush." That guy alone gave southerners a horrible name and image from the rest of America. The image of him blocking the doors to the University of Alabama in protest of desegregation in The South is pretty much the picture etched in most Americans' minds as to why The South is regarded as a backwards region that is full of racists. It truly is sad that one guy could do so much damage by standing in front of a doorway, but he did, and even his later life "change of heart" couldn't make up for his childish, immature, racist actions back in 1963. "Most despicable president: Andrew Jackson" Although much worse than Lyndon Johnson as far as pissing people off historically, President Jackson also did have some really great things while in office. He made government much more democratic that it had been during the six prior administrations, and also made voting easier by removing several previous requirements that were once necessary to vote (such as religious backgrounds and amount of household income). He also introduced the Force Bill, which gave the president the right to resolve conflict in the United States (Ironically enough, DSFF, this bill was introduced specifically to resolve conflict in the Carolinas.), lowered tariffs with The Tariff Compromise, and replaced the national banks with smaller banks. Once again, I'm not saying that we should just ignore his harsh treatment towards Native Americans in the early 19th century, but I think it's important to remember that he did more than just mistreat Native Americans, just like LBJ did more than just illegally invade Vietnam and force Jackie Kennedy to stand alongside him during his oath of office after her husband had been killed before her eyes. 126. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fillmore, how did I leave that off the dirty name list? More presidential rankings Funniest Simpsons president parody: George H W Bush (runner up: Gerald Ford) President who was parodied in the funniest Simpsons episode to feature a president parody: Richard Nixon, that Treehouse of Horror episode where he was on the Jury of The Damned. It was perfect! Nixon answering "Yes, Master" to the devil (who was Flanders which was hilarious in and of itself) absolutely nailed it. Other hilarious moments from that segment: "scrum diddly umptious!", "I'm smarter than the devil!", "Ummm, forbidden doughnut!", and of course "hey Bart". And that was just one of three hilarious segments. The gremlin on the bus, (highlighted by Hans Moleman being beside the bus in his AMC Gremlin and Otto running him off the road), and Mr Burns as a vampire ("Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream?"). 127. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I haven't addressed this issue yet because I try to avoid getting into conversations about Danica, because in my own little world, a driver of her skill set wouldn't be treated like a Goddess by the media and be given great rides. But for everyone criticizing her of winning the pole for the Daytona 500, just remember that Loy Allen, Jr. won three poles back in 1994, including for the '94 Daytona 500. How did Allen's career turn out, even with Hooters backing him for years? I know it's hard because this is pretty much the only story that the media wants to talk about, but just try your best to ignore it, because getting worked up over something as trivial as this isn't worth it. I'd much rather talk about U.S. politics than about some driver who has now twice been the quickest at pushing her foot down on the gas pedal at Daytona any day. 128. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) HAHAHA!!! That was the best Simpsons Halloween episode ever! My older sisters used to tape the older Simpsons episodes (complete with those early '90s commercials included), so I have some fond memories of those episodes, including that one. That Richard Nixon skit was hilarious. He wasn't even dead at the time, but he must have sold his soul and was now a loyal servant to the Devil...Ned Flanders.(Russo swerve!) And I'll always remember that Gerald Ford segment. (Stereotypical Midwestern accent) "Hi Homer. Do you like football? Do you like nachos? Well, come on over to my house and we can watch the football game and have some nachos. And then have some beer." Hahaha I know very little about President Ford, but that segment makes me love him already. As for George H. W. Bush's Simpsons appearance, that was simply brilliant because there was no political undertones to the episode, but they did show off his dry, uptight personality that you couldn't help but love. My favorite parts of that episode were when he put up that sign that read "Two Bad Neighbors" aimed at Homer and Bart...on his own house; and then when he was doing donuts all over the Simpsons' lawn, causing Marge to wonder out loud if Bush was lost. Haha! Lots of great memories from watching that show from years back. 129. 12345Dude posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks for posting these guys I couldn't find these on the martinsville page. "(Fun fact: His middle initial "S." didn't stand for anything. That really is his middle name.)" No he actually wasn't born with a middle name. He gave himself the middle initial when he became president. And then pretended his middle name started with it. 130. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm with you Paul, this Danica shit isn't worth it. Much better to discuss presidents of the past. I am actually learning a lot I didn't know. At least it is real (C'Mon, THAT much faster intoday's NASCAR in the type of racing with the strictest rules, can you say "special restrictor plate"?). 131. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "No he actually wasn't born with a middle name. He gave himself the middle initial when he became president. And then pretended his middle name started with it." False. His parents gave him that middle name in order to please both grandfathers. One grandfather's middle name was Shipp, and the other's first name was Solomon. Both names started with the letter "S", and that's why Harry Truman's middle name was "S". Apparently that was a common practice done by Scotch-Irish Americans. 132. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I am actually learning a lot I didn't know." Glad to hear that, DSFF. I've always been a big history buff, whether it be in sports, U.S. history, or world history. There's just something about learning about what was before my lifetime that intrigues me. When I look back on the history of things like football, NASCAR, and U.S. Presidents, I can't help but think that things were a lot better years ago than they are now. "At least it is real (C'Mon, THAT much faster intoday's NASCAR in the type of racing with the strictest rules, can you say "special restrictor plate"?)." Pro wrestling is more legit than NASCAR's rule book and restrictor plate racing. I wouldn't be surprised if they plan out who the winner will be in advance by turning a blind eye to any rules violations made by one of the top teams *cough* Hendrick Motorsports when Chad Knaus was supposed to be suspended for six races the year that Jimmie Johnson was supposed to win his 6th championship. *cough* 133. I love Japan posted: 02.19.2013 - 4:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Can somebody give me a list of most overrated drivers xD. 134. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.19.2013 - 5:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks, DSFF, I was afraid to accuse NASCAR of giving Danica a different restrictor plate because I didn't want to cause a $#!*storm. How does this sound ILJ? Joey Logano (most overrated of all-time) Danica Patrick (I can only think of a handful of worse female or male drivers) Marcos Ambrose Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Derrike Cope Greg Sacks (by God they talk about his "incredible win": his engine was larger than freaking AFRICA!!!) Little Al Marco Andretti How most underrated president? Herbert Hoover. The man single-handedly put an entire planet back together after World War I, and it's his fault that he inherited the crap left by Harding and ignored by Coolidge, costing him the election of 1932. 135. I love Japan posted: 02.19.2013 - 5:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like that list. Here are some of mine. Earnhardt Jr (From his rookie year to now, he's never lived up to the hype. Dale Jarrett (Not bad, but I feel his 96-01 stats are rather inflated) Kyle Busch (talented, but very hot and cold. Also too moody) Jeff Burton (was supposed to be the big guy at Roush lol) Casey Atwood ( Next Jeff Gordon? Um, no LOL) Mark Martin (Never closed the deal. Too passive) Carl Edwards (I think he is going to fade out sooner then people think) Ron Hornaday (Great Truck driver, but he's not this legend people think) Note I do not think any of these guys except for Atwood are bad drivers. I just feel relative to how people rate them, they aren't as good as advertised. Eager to see what you guys think. 136. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another underrated President was John Adams, yes he did sign the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. However, his rationale was the Federalist Party which controlled Congress, supported it therefore, it must have popular support. Adams was wrong. As for accomplishments, Adams is the father of the U.S. Navy and he pursued a diplomatic mission when his political party wanted war with France and the Jeffersonian Republicans wanted war with England. Had the U.S. gotten involved in the Napoleonic wars, it is very likely the trajectory of the United States would have been different. FDR is one of the more overrated Presidents when compared to Lincoln and Washington, that is why many historians place FDR behind the 1st and 16th Presidents. No doubt, he is the greatest President of the 20th century, however, FDR didn't have a domestic insurrection to put down or preside over a fledgling republic. 137. JG24FanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon in the Daytona 500. Wins: 3 Races led: 17 of 20 Poles: 1 Front-Row starts: 4 Top 5's: 5 Top 10's: 8 1995 race laps led 61 1997 race laps led 40 1998 race laps led 56 1999 race laps led 17 2005 race laps led 29 138. joey2448 posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I've always said Ryan Newman is the bizarro Earnhardt (short, well educated, tries to act smart instead of uber manly, way better at qualifying than racing, an inspiration to nobody)." Hahaha perfect DSSF... Also, I too just watched the 1991 Busch Clash, and it was really great to see Earnhardt come up in the Schrader interview and give him a few jabs. Who knew just how they would end up 10 years later :( Earnhardt going from last to first in the first 1.5 laps in the second segment is unreal. THAT was a strong car. 139. JG24FanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) *Races led: 16 of 20 Gordon didn't lead in: 1996,2000,2003,2007 140. DieselDan posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Inflated stats in one of the purest forms of sport? You really don't understand the fundmental of racing. 141. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think the best Treehouse of Horror episode would be the 5th one In segment one they did a parody of the shining, Segment two has Homer going back to the dinosaur age messing thing up there multiple times which in turn causes a butterfly effect in the present day one of the scenarios has Flanders ruling the world, Segment 3 has The teachers trying to Cannibalise the students 142. startandparkfan posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #126 agreed. The Two bad Neighbors was the best. Another good one was where one off the Duff Beer commercials showed JFK and Nixon advertising duff. Short but somewhat funny. For a good episode, watch the one where Homer sells Sugar. Good Moleman moments, "If only the sugar was as sweet as you", and a good plot. In a new Simmons episode, Jeff Gordon starred for like 1/50th of a second. For Treehouse of Horror, agreed with 141 The "Shinning" with the classic "No TV and no beer". Loved where the teachers ate the students, so funny. Back to NASCAR, do you think Brad will help Brian into the 500 like in 2011? They are in the same duel. 143. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) why is Danica the only NASCAR driver they had on The Simpsons? I dont get it, they made fun of everything else. and all it was was a catfight between Marge and Danica in an extended fantasy *giggles like butthead* when is Family Guy gonna make fun of NASCAR? there are so many incidents they could make fun of Peter: there is a reason NASCAR drivers dont turn right (insert Stock Footage of the Jet-Dryer crash) or find some cutaway that results in racing and have a DW impersonator talking about something unrelated wait I got it: Peter: Dont worry Lois I promise to do a better job covering this game than the NASCAR on Fox Crew *insert cutaway of good racing and a DW impersonator talking about absolutely nothing related to racing* 144. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I recently invested my money into getting a Sirus Radio for many reasons (NPR keeps pissing me off) and I heard Angie Skinner talk about how NASCAR drivers are independent contractors, is that true for all athletes? 145. David posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "A lot of people don't know this, but Japan was our ally during World War I." So was Italy. Both were dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles, and wanted more area. So Mussolini took over Italy, and Japan invaded China...and the rest is history. 146. David posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I heard Angie Skinner talk about how NASCAR drivers are independent contractors, is that true for all athletes?" Nope. Players in other sports organizations such as the NFL, MLB, and the NBA belong to players' associations, the equivalent of a labor union in other businesses. NASCAR drivers have no such union, although Curtis Turner and Tim Flock tried to create one back in 1961. Bill France essentially said "the heck with you", and banned them for life. They eventually both got reinstated in 1965. 147. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And yet JG24FF, despite leading 16 of 20 Daytona 500s and winning the race three times, he's never once led the most laps in a Daytona 500, which is why his laps led total is so "low" despite all the times he's led the race in his career. 148. JG24FanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 11:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bad news for non-Vettel-loving F1 fans. The Red Bull's are half a second faster than Team Lotus and Ferrari,and a full second ahead of Mclaren. And for NicoRosbergFan,Vettel lapped 1.4 seconds quicker than Rosberg:( 149. JG24FanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 11:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is for cjs3872 and DaleSrFanForever. David Pearson vs Richard Petty Races: 550 Wins: 107 for Petty-97 for Pearson(33 to 30 for Pearson against Petty in 1-2 finishes) Top 5's: 291 for Petty-289 for Pearson Top 10's: 366 for Petty-349 for Pearson Head to Head: 289 for Petty-261 for Pearson Winner: Petty by a whisker David Pearson vs Bobby Allison Races: 354 Wins: 72 for Pearson-35 for Allison Top 5's: 200 for Pearson-149 for Allison Top 10's 228 for Pearson-198 for Allison Head to Head: 203 for Pearson-151 for Allison Winner: Pearson David Pearson vs Darrell Waltrip Races: 181 Wins: 35 for Pearson-17 for Waltrip Top 5's: 89 for Pearson-75 for Waltrip Top 10's: 104 for Pearson-98 for Darrell Waltrip Head to Head: 98 for Pearson-83 for Darrell Waltrip Winner: Pearson David Pearson vs Cale Yarborough Races: 339 Wins: 56 for Pearson-46 for Yarborough Top 5's: 175 for Pearson-155 for Yarborough Top 10's: 213 for Pearson-193 for Yarborough Head to Head: 182 for Pearson-157 for Yarborough Winner: Pearson David Pearson Vs Dale Earnhardt Races: 70 Wins: 4 for Earnhardt-3 for Pearson Top 5's: 21 for Earnhardt-15 for Pearson Top 10's: 33 for Earnhardt-26 for Pearson Head to Head: 47 for Earnhardt-23 for Earnhardt Winner: Big E 150. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know that the West Series used to be the Winston West Series, where did the East series come from? was it just the Busch North? 151. JG24FanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After day 1 of Barcelona testing in F1 1. Rosberg-Mercedes-1m22.616s 2. Raikkonen-Lotus-1m22.623s +0.007 3. Alonso-Ferrari-1m22.952s +0.336 4. Vettel-Red Bull-1m22.965s +0.349 5. Maldonado-Williams-1m23.733s +1.117 6. Ricciardo-Toro Rosso-1m23.884s +1.268 7. Perez-McLaren-1m24.124s +1.508 8. Di Resta-Force India-1m24.144s +1.528 9. Gutierrez-Sauber-1m25.124s +2.508 10. Chilton-Marussia-1m26.747s +4.131 This could be another great season. 152. 83andJoe posted: 02.19.2013 - 12:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >I know that the West Series used to be the Winston West Series, where did the East series come from? was it just the Busch North? Indeed it was; it was originally the Busch North Series, before NASCAR decided to shift the West Series from Cup-like cars to overgrown Late Models, and harmonised the West and North/East rules, at about the same time the "third tier" series (Southwest Tour, All Pro, etc.) were disposed of. 153. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 1:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) LordLowe, I think you need some Re-Ned-ucation. 154. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 2:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I want to say that NASCAR's officiating is up to (or down to) it's usual standard from last night's race on the backstretch at Daytona, but I'm not sure anyone else has seen the real point behing last night's latest offciating debacle. Everyone saw what Kyle Larson did on the last lap. However, he should never have been out there at that time to begin with, because he should have been brought in after the damage to his front bumper that was done with about 12 laps left, because his whole front bumper was dangling and flapping. If it were me in the tower, or even trackside, and I saw that, I would have brought him in right then and there, because that dangling bumper was a potential safety hazard to all the rest of the compeitors on the track. Sure Larson should not have did what he did on the final stretch to the finish, but the plain truth is that he should never have been out there to start with, and why nobody, not even the commenators brought that part of it up is just crazy. 155. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Joey Logano (most overrated of all-time) Danica Patrick (I can only think of a handful of worse female or male drivers) Marcos Ambrose Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Derrike Cope Greg Sacks (by God they talk about his "incredible win": his engine was larger than freaking AFRICA!!!) Little Al Marco Andretti" You have to be rated highly by knowledgeable fans in the first place to be overrated. Few fans rate Logano, Patrick, Ambrose on ovals, Junior (outside his fanboys), Cope, Sacks, or Marco highly at all. Al Unser, Jr. is the only one where you have a good case although as much as I despise him he was good at overachieving in cars that weren't world-beaters (1992 and 1996 especially). I'd say most of those are correctly rated by fans. I wouldn't base it on media overhype at all. Overhyped and overrated are two different things. overhyped = Joey Logano, Danica Patrick, Junior, Marco Andretti, Graham Rahal overrated = Davey Allison, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton Again, this is not me beating a dead horse. Davey and Martin are legends, Jarrett was great, and B. Labonte and J. Burton were good. Everybody says Derrike Cope was a left-field fluke - how could he possibly be overrated? Who says he beat Earnhardt in 1990 on talent? 156. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Inflated stats in one of the purest forms of sport? You really don't understand the fundmental of racing." One of the purest forms of sport? In the period ILJ is talking about (1996-2001) NASCAR was starting to get gimmicky in many ways, although I still think 1996 and 1997 were great seasons. 1998 brought us NASCAR's Night in Hollywood, the 5-and-5 rule, cookie cutter tracks, basically the end of competitive owner-drivers and single car teams, the beginning of bad officiating (that fake red flag at the end of the spring Richmond race that was otherwise great, ugh...), the beginning of a wave of Jeff Gordon clones with even less personality... That's probably the period when the open wheel fans started calling it "NASCRAP" or "taxicabs" or "crashcar" or whatever stupid insulting nicknames they could come up with. 1998-2003 looks like a benign period in retrospect considering how much gimmickier 2004 made the sport, but 1997 is probably the last season I would consider "pure". Having said that, there were some seasons I liked for the racing ignoring the gimmicks and 2001-2002 were pretty good, at least with regard to how incredibly deep the field was. 157. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A.J. Allmendinger is doing his first IndyCar test for Roger Penske today at Sebring and if he does well enough he's expected to do a part-time return replacing Ryan Briscoe there. Early results indicate that he wasn't as fast as Castroneves and Power, but that's to be expected since he hasn't driven an open-wheel car since 2006. I do think that's where he belongs since I never thought he was a particularly great oval driver (but I bet his NASCAR experience means he'll do better on the ovals than Power does). Back in 2006 in Champ Car, Allmendinger won 5 races in Power's rookie season (the only season Power went winless in Champ Car or IndyCar), so I think AJA will do well and I'm far more excited to see him at Penske in IndyCar than I would be seeing him drive for James Finch or whoever in Cup... 158. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "the beginning of bad officiating" Before cjs responds with a variety of anecdotes about bad officiating in NASCAR from the '70s and '80s, my argument here is that the introduction of fake red flags to ensure green-flag finishes was a greater corruption of NASCAR's integrity than whatever anecdotes cjs will come up with in response. 159. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Inflated stats in one of the purest forms of sport? You really don't understand the fundmental of racing." And one more comment. Of course you can have inflated stats unless everybody has the same equipment, which they don't... 160. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean, I actually liked the idea of stopping the race in the closing laps to try to get a green flag finish in the days before the GWC, if at all possible. That certainly was better than the alternative, which would have been potentially running the last 8-10 laps of a race under caution. No Sean, I actually liked that idea. And about the only officiating snafus I can remember in the 1980s came in the 1985 and '86 Daytona 500s, as well as the final race at Riverside. The one in the 1985 Daytona 500 concerned Bill Elliott's 41-second green flag pit stop on about lap 145, when they had them spend a lot of extra time putting tape on the right front headlight bucket after something from a car he was lapping damaged it. Even David Hobbs was suspicious of what was going on there. Ultimately, the only thing that prevented was Elliott winning by more than a lap. But what happened in the 1986 Daytona 500 was worse, though it too had no impact on the race's eventual outcome. When Ken Schrader brought out a caution by blowing his engine, the leaders pitted, which allowed Darrell Waltrip to make up the lap he lostwhen he had his window netting fixed. But as a result of the leaders pitting, the pace car driver didn't know who the leader was and three cars eventually passed it, which is a violation of the rules. All three drivers, A.J. Foyt, Rick Wilson, and Lake Speed were brought in the pits and penalized one lap, and even the team managers didn't know what was going on. Chris Economaki was standing in A.J.'s pit and interviewed Dick Hutcherson, Foyt's crew chief, and Hutch told Economaki that he couldn't find out what was going on. And the snafu regarding the final race at Riverside also involed the pace car because, according to what I've heard, it came out too soon. But unlike the other incidents I mentioned where it had no impact on the race's actual outcome, this incident changed that race's ultimate outcome. But my point is that these officiating shenanigans are going on more and more frequently, as the officials seem to be getting more and more incapable of running a race. But allowing a car to keep running when it's front bumper is dangling and flapping, and could fall off at any time, is absolutely inexcuseable, because it creates a safety hazard for all the competitors. Procedural problems in running a race is one thing, but what NASCAR did by allowing a car with loose exterior parts continue to run, as was the case last night, was a safety situation that was completey missed by everyone. That's the kind of thing that can get drivers and ven spctators hurt, if not worse. Have they learned nothing from what happened late in the 2003 Firecracker 400 when Robby Gordon's hood simply flew into the grandstands with about four laps to go, because that could have resulted in serious injury, if not death to those the hood may have hit. 161. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Thanks, DSFF, I was afraid to accuse NASCAR of giving Danica a different restrictor plate because I didn't want to cause a $#!*storm." Anytime Nico, did you guys see that footage of her lap superimposed with Gordon's? He is half a car length ahead of her halfway down the back straight, then suddenly she surges to a car length ahead by the time they got to Turn 3. Either Jeff ran into Hurricane force head winds, dropped a cylinder, went into temporary cardiac arrest for a few seconds causing his foot to come off the accelerator, or something is fishy with the #10 motor. "and it was really great to see Earnhardt come up in the Schrader interview and give him a few jabs" That was great. It is funny because Dale was usually the last to ham it up for the cameras. But him and Schrader were priceless. "Who knew just how they would end up 10 years later :(" I know. We talk about people affected by Dale's death, what about Schrader? Aside from Neil Bonnett, Dale was probably closest to Schrader of any of the drivers out there. Kenny's stories about Dale were hands down the highlight of SPEED's HMS documentary. Who else could get away with asking Dale about taking his daughter on the town after taking his son on the town and not get punched out? And then, not only was he in the crash, he had to be the one who walked up to Dale's car after they came to rest and see his lifeless friend. Then he had to face the media (his interview is when I knew Dale was gone, you could see it all over Kenny). Then he had to be the one to inform Richard Childress that his good friend and franchise was dead. And since everyone else was at the hospital, Kenny took it upon himself to go to victory lane and give Mikey a heads up about what was to come. God Bless You Schrader. "overrated = Davey Allison" WARRIOR!!!!!! Six and a half seasons all during NASCAR's most stacked era, 19 victories, 4 wins on three of the four short tracks (including beating short track king at the time Rusty Wallace at North Wilkesboro with broken ribs), 4 wins on one milers with two on the flat Phoenix track and one apiece on the high banked Dover and Rockingham tracks, 2 Charlotte points paying wins (one of only two 1.5 milers of the day), 3 wins at Michigan which was the only two miler of his day, 4 restrictor plate wins (two Winston 500s, a Firecracker 400, and the 1992 Daytona 500), 1 unrestricted superspeedway win (the 1987 Winston 500), 1 road course win (Rudd totally deserved that black flag), and to this very day is still the only driver to win back to back All Star races (the last day race on a cold day in '91, then the first night race on One Hot Night '92). With Davey, we don't even have to go into the "what if?" category with him. Which, by the way, looking at Yates' strength in '94, '96, '97, '99, and '01, looks to me to be at least 3 championships. In such a short career, in such a loaded era packed with legends at the time when the schedule had the least amount of races, to have 19 wins on EVERY type of track, that is one of the 25 best ever. And that is with his career and prime cut very short. JGFan, head to head only works for those whose primes coincided. Petty vs Pearson, Cale vs Bobby, Dale vs Rusty, and Jeff vs Jimmie. 162. Daniel posted: 02.19.2013 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What the heck is the reasoning of keeping the top 25/30 owner points rule in Nationwide and trucks while dropping the top 35 rule in cup? 163. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.19.2013 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This 100% ditto... "Anytime Nico, did you guys see that footage of her lap superimposed with Gordon's? He is half a car length ahead of her halfway down the back straight, then suddenly she surges to a car length ahead by the time they got to Turn 3. Either Jeff ran into Hurricane force head winds, dropped a cylinder, went into temporary cardiac arrest for a few seconds causing his foot to come off the accelerator, or something is fishy with the #10 motor." 164. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.19.2013 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since 500 qualifying Sunday, this week has been the equivalent of a group of surfers/vacationers traveling Australia's Great Beerier Reef only to be attacked by a Great White Shark one day and a Saltwater Crocodile in a northeastern billabong a few days later. In short, the plot of a cheesy creature feature horror movie. 165. David posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "did you guys see that footage of her lap superimposed with Gordon's?" Actually, it was Gordon's lap superimposed on to Danica's, but whatever... 166. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Trevor Bayne's, David and Jarrett88fan. They did that with all three of the fastest qualiiers. It's just unfortunate that, by qualifying third-fastest, Bayne may actually end up starting 33rd (the highest starting spot decided by speed after the front row is set), because nobody's likely to draft with him, since his is a single-car team, unless it's another single-car team, becase you'll almost never see a multi-car team driver draft with a single-car team driver unless unusual circumstances are involved. That's just the way it is now. I would much rather have preferred Bayne get the second spot because Gordon could have raced his way to a front starting position, as a 5-time qualiying race winner, but Bayne is likely to start 33rd in the Daytona 500, especially if he can't get anyone to draft with him in the first qualifying race. He can get someone else in the race as he did last year with Michael McDowell, but he's not likely to get anyone to help him because his is a single-car team. 167. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 6:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson is gonna be in both the Modified and K&N races tonight. It'll be interesting to see if he if he causes more controversy. Here are my most overrated and most underrated drivers: Overrated - Joey Logano (Duh.) - Danica Patrick (Duh.) - Michael Waltrip (Duh.) - Casey Mears (I like Casey, but duh.) - Jeremy Mayfield (Lucked out when Penske bought up Kranefuss in 1998.) - Jimmy Spencer (He won two plate races for Junior Johnson in *most likely* cheated up cars, and then was looked at as a mid to upper tier driver for a while there in the 90s. Good Busch racer, but NOT an upper level Cup guy.) Underrated - Johnny Benson (In my opinion, THE most underrated driver of the 90s and 2000s. He finished 13th in points in 2000 driving a pretty underfunded car, to give you an idea.) - Ted Musgrave (Should have won at least one race in Cup.) - Mike Skinner (Same thing.) - Scott Riggs (Could have won in Cup if would have gotten a better ride. He even still almost won a couple in Evernham's 10 car in about 2006 or so.) - Kyle Petty (Won a bunch for Sabco, which we later found out wasn't that good of a team.) - Dave Blaney (Could have won some races in the early 2000s, like the Harvick - Gordon duel race at Atlanta in 2001 and the Craven - Busch duel race at Darlington in 2003.) 168. I love Japan posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here are my underrated drivers Bowyer: People seem to always forget how good he really is. Steve Park: Had he not got hurt, he could have accomplished a lot Elton Sawyer: Mr. Consistency of the Busch Series back in the day Ricky Craven: If only he didn't have the concussion issues Martin Truex: I just think he has a lot of talent Bobby Hamilton: Imagine this guy in a Hendrick or Roush car in his prime Sterling Marlin: I believe he is the definition of underrated Ward Burton: Laugh if you want, but he was more talented then Jeff Aight weigh in with your thoughts lol 169. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, time to watch some modified racing. Go Brian Lofton! 170. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whoops, *Loftin. 171. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "WARRIOR!!!!!! Six and a half seasons all during NASCAR's most stacked era, 19 victories, 4 wins on three of the four short tracks (including beating short track king at the time Rusty Wallace at North Wilkesboro with broken ribs), 4 wins on one milers with two on the flat Phoenix track and one apiece on the high banked Dover and Rockingham tracks, 2 Charlotte points paying wins (one of only two 1.5 milers of the day), 3 wins at Michigan which was the only two miler of his day, 4 restrictor plate wins (two Winston 500s, a Firecracker 400, and the 1992 Daytona 500), 1 unrestricted superspeedway win (the 1987 Winston 500), 1 road course win (Rudd totally deserved that black flag), and to this very day is still the only driver to win back to back All Star races (the last day race on a cold day in '91, then the first night race on One Hot Night '92). With Davey, we don't even have to go into the "what if?" category with him. Which, by the way, looking at Yates' strength in '94, '96, '97, '99, and '01, looks to me to be at least 3 championships. In such a short career, in such a loaded era packed with legends at the time when the schedule had the least amount of races, to have 19 wins on EVERY type of track, that is one of the 25 best ever. And that is with his career and prime cut very short." I'm just personally more impressed with other non-champions like Harry Gant and Ernie Irvan who were not given fast cars from day one, overachieved in underfunded cars much more, and yet people talk about Davey like a future 100-race-winner or Jeff Gordon level talent. Nah, he was a Mark Martin level talent, which is still great... It's more how HIGH the pedestal is set with him than me actually knocking his talent. The only season he competed for a championship was in a year Ford was overwhelmingly dominant to the point where Earnhardt and Rusty, who dominated the rest of the first half of the 1990s, weren't even relevant, while Irvan was even more dominant after taking his place and competing head-to-head with Earnhardt and Rusty, which Davey never did (but I'll admit probably could have). You've probably now sold me on Davey over Ricky Rudd or Geoff Bodine (I used to take them over him too) but I just think Irvan and Gant were more impressive at the exact same time and they don't get talked about much at all anymore. This is my point: to be overrated you have to be rated highly in the first place. That's why I don't get people saying Logano, Danica, or Michael Waltrip are overrated at ALL. Overrated is almost a compliment as you have to be taken seriously in the first place to be overrated. At least that's what I always thought... "Sean, I actually liked the idea of stopping the race in the closing laps to try to get a green flag finish in the days before the GWC, if at all possible. That certainly was better than the alternative, which would have been potentially running the last 8-10 laps of a race under caution." No, it's not. Finishing a race under caution is pure. Competition gimmicks to ensure a green flag finish are not. Fake red flags are terrible. Green-white-checkered finishes are terrible (I used to like them in the trucks, but now, I've changed my mind HARD). I don't see how people who hate the chase, lucky dog, wave-around (I actually didn't mind the lucky dog and don't mind the wave-around, but please pick one or the other), phony debris cautions, and the top 35 rule can possibly like forced gimmicky green-flag finishes. Having said that, it seems that racing trends are swinging this way since IndyCar decided to rip off the idea of fake red flags for the finale at Fontana last year... 172. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harry Gant was able to finish one position behind Davey Allison in points in both 1991 and 1992 in WAAAAAAAY weaker equipment. Taking Davey over him in my mind is like taking Terry Labonte over Alan Kulwicki. Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but still... I'm just more impressed by what Irvan was doing in the #4 (even though he was inconsistent) and what Gant was doing in the #33 than what Davey was in the #28 (few of his peers had engines that powerful from day one in their careers...) My frequent criticisms of Davey Allison (and Mark Martin now) are more about all the other non-champions who were just as good if not better getting snubbed. I mean Davey and Mark are probably now talked about more than non-champions from the pre-modern era like Fred Lorenzen who were WAAAAY better. 173. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeez, this setup is just like Bowman Gray Stadium in my hometown (with longer straightaways), flat tight corners and cautions every 2 seconds after the green falls. 174. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 7:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) lol, Every time I come back from the other room they are under caution. 175. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Honestly the best modified race track as far as quality of racing in the South is Caraway in Asheboro. It is WAY off the beaten path, hidden in the Uwharrie Mountains, but if you can get there, the racing is great. 176. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Martin Truex: I just think he has a lot of talent" If anything, Truex is OVERrated. For a driver who won two Busch Series championships, beating Kyle Busch in '04 and Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards in '05, his Cup career has been largely disappointing. I realize that he entered Cup with the wrong team at the wrong time, joining DEI just as they were about to experience the turmoil known as the "Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Media Circus and Fan Frenzy" as Junior took his money and resources over to HMS in 2008, leaving DEI in shambles and forcing them to merge with Ganassi, but I look at how Truex has performed compared to his teammates and it just doesn't scream "underrated" to me. After having a decent rookie season where he got beat by both Denny Hamlin (who finished a distant 5th in the '05 Busch standings without winning a race) and Bowyer (who got beat by Truex for the '05 championship) for Rookie of the Year, I thought that what he did in '07 was great, winning a race at Dover, making the Chase, and most impressive of all outperforming teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. the entire season. And what he did in '08 may have even more impressive as he finished 15th in the points for a financially-struggling DEI team, while also being the only relevant full-time DEI driver that season as both Paul Menard and Regan Smith struggled. But then after that, his career has been mostly underwhelming. He finished 15 positions behind new teammate Juan Pablo Montoya in '09 after DEI and Ganassi merged to form EGR, and even had fewer top tens than Montoya had top fives that season. He was only slightly better in 2010 when he moved over to MWR, where he was once again outperformed by his teammate, David Reutimann, and had back-to-back seasons with only 1 top five finish. The next year he could have contended for a top 15 points finish, but was too inconsistent and barely made it into the top 20. The momentum he had at the end of 2011 carried into 2012 when he was sitting 2nd in the points eight raced into the season, but he quickly regressed following his heartbreaking loss at Kansas and spent most of the rest of the season towards the bottom of the top ten standings. Plus, he failed to finish in the top ten in points because of his regression in performance, while teammate Clint Bowyer pulled off a surprising 2nd place points finish. Bowyer was also 3-for-3 in winning races he was a serious contender for (3-for-4 if you include the spring Martinsville race, which I don't), while Truex was 0-for-4 in winning races he was a serious contender for (spring Texas, spring Kansas, Bristol night, Atlanta). Those lack of wins ultimately cost Truex a top ten points finish, as he would have been the biggest beneficiary from Gordon's Phoenix penalties by getting a spot on the stage in Las Vegas following the season. The problem with Truex isn't that he isn't talented. His problem is that he allows his mind to get off the ball once a "wildcard" gets thrown into his race (such as sunlight or a caution), and winds up losing the race because of it. He dropped like a rock the second that the sun came out at Kansas (I guess they're not used to sunlight in Jersey.), at Bristol he gave up the preferred outside line in order to pass Danica while leading, and basically handed the lead to Hamlin, and then at Atlanta he allowed a late caution while leading to rattle him (which was evident when ESPN spoke to him during the caution via the "ESPN In-Race Reporter"), started to feel sorry for himself and ultimately lost the race after Hamlin beat him off pit road during the caution. I don't think any Cup driver has a worse win:loss ratio when they have a winning car than Martin Truex, Jr., and I think the biggest reason for it is because he isn't mentally strong enough to deal with adversity and "unplanned events" that occur in a race when he has the best car. He could have won 2-4 races last season had he not taken his eyes off the prize, and because he did, his win total remains the same number that it's been for the last five years. From what I hear, Truex is one of those drivers who is at his best during a contract year (which 2012 was for him), so there's a chance that he won't have another great year until 2015, the last year of his current MWR contract. 177. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean, at least when they threw the red flag outside the final five laps that they ran the advertised distance, and not one inch past it, and I prefer it to the GWC. But also, if you had it your way, they would have run the last eight or nine laps of the 1993 Winston 500 at Talladega under caution when it was raining, instead of stopping it with four laps remaining to get a green flag finish. And also, let's not forget that in 1940, they ran the last 50 laps of the Indianapolis 500 under caution due to rain, and they never stopped the race, and they ran 32 laps under caution in the 1965 Daytona 500 due to rain, as well as 37 laps under caution during the 1973 Winston 500 for crash clean-up instead of stopping the race, which put both races under caution for more than an hour. I don't think that's ever a good idea. Another example of this was the 1988 Daytona 500 when Richard Petty tore up some of the catch fencing. That race should have been stopped, but instead they ran 21 laps of caution, which ate up 45 minutes, though there was a time issue there due to the NBA. That also happened at the 1970 Daytona 500 when Buddy Arrington crashed and damaged the fence off turn two. 20 laps were run under caution, eating up about 45 minutes, and there was no live television coverage of that race. And yes, that race should have been stopped. If there's a choice of stopping the race to get a possible green flag finish or just riding out the last part of the race under caution, I'm always in favor of stopping the race. Now if it's unavoidable for a race to end under caution, that's something all together different, but it's important to try to get a green flag finish, if at all possible. Running on and on and on under caution makes no sense, no matter the reason. 178. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is just like a Bowman Gray race, only without the delicious $1 bags of peanuts. 179. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't know what to think of Truex. I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he was stuck at DEI just because they were in their downward spiral as a team at that time. But then he went to MWR. Honestly, I think he just went there because his brother Ryan was there and he wanted to be his teammate (and needless to say, that completely backfired as Ryan is no longer a part of MWR). He made the Chase last year, his first meaningful thing he's done at MWR. But he had no wins when he easily could have had about 2 or 3 (Atlanta wasn't his fault, but he blew it at Kansas and a couple others). So I guess I do sort of agree with Paul on the theory that he gets easily distracted or disappointed in pressuring situations. Overall though, I do see Truex winning a couple more races just because he's still pretty young and he does have fast cars now at MWR. He'll have a Joe Nemechek career. NNS champion, a few Cup wins, and nothing else. 180. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh no, Logano is gonna be in the booth for the East race... 181. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ouch. 182. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How about Ricky Stenhouse's lap imposed on Danica's?... they probably look forward to it anyway... 183. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm on record as saying that I think Harry Gant could have won 60-70 races had he been in top equipment from day one (which could have happened had he been born 40-50 years later). He won 18 races in mediocre equipment, and didn't run a full Cup schedule until he was 40 years old. Imagine what he could have done had he been in great equipment and started racing in Cup full-time when he was about 25 years old. And Sean, I consider a driver to be overrated when they are rated as being greater than they actually are. For example, I wouldn't consider Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to be an overrated driver (though he is an underachieving driver), but I do regard him as an overrated restrictor plate driver, considering how he is often considered to be a threat at Daytona and Talladega, having won seven races in a four-year span, yet hasn't won at either track in over eight years, and has rarely contended for one since his last win. I would consider Mark Martin to be overrated just because he is often regarded as the greatest driver to have never won a championship. Granted, he is certainly one of the greatest to have never hoisted the big trophy and is a legend in his own right, but I think he is unfairly rated above others like Fred Lorenzen and Fireball Roberts as far as being the greatest non-champion of all-time. And while I wouldn't use the word "overrated" to describe Danica, it is frustrating to see someone with such little talent have such a big media following. (At least Junior won some races before he became a hot commodity.) I can't remember if it was during a race or if it was just a highlight reel of her, but I recall Darrell Waltrip blabbering about her in the announce booth, even using the word "great" to describe her at least ten times. So while she isn't overrated by knowledgeable fans, she is overrated by the some of the more powerful voices in the sport (announcers, media, fans who buy her t-shirts, etc.). 184. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy is much easier to listen to when he's calling a race without a Fox producer in his ear and D.W. pissing down his leg as he gets excited and anxious for when he gets his chance to slobber all over the microphone. I don't know if it's because he's a big modified racing fan or if SPEED isn't forcing him to be D.W.'s wingman, but he has been on his A-game all night long. It's too bad these drivers haven't been. 14 cautions so far tonight. Did anyone else seen Donny Lia puke in his race car just a minute ago? 185. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) HAHA!!!! And then the awkward silence as he was puking!! 186. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 8:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larson just jacked up that restart. Oh yeah, and STEVE PARK IS In THE TOP FIVE!!!! 187. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) STEVE PARK PULLED A LARSON!!!!! 188. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Steve Park wins! 189. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Karma is a Bitch isnt she Larson? 190. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) By the way, before all the butthurt Kyle Larson fans start to call for hypocrisy, Steve Park was pushed into Mike Stefanik. He didn't just drive into him and turn him around. Big difference. 191. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nevermind, Park got pushed into Stefanik. So it's kind of like that old finish at Martinsville with Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, and Dale Earnhardt. 192. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Park was pushed into Stefanik. Congrats to him, if anyone is due some good luck it is him. Now for the headphones, no listening to Logano for me. 193. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) wanna hear something funny? I was reading about Steve Park "imagine if he didn't get hurt" just as Joe Moore said "Steve Park spins Mike Defanic" well, mystery solved 194. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Stephanic 195. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) lol, Stefanik's interview. "That's bullshit." 196. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, that is 3 times Mike Joy has had to apologize for language lol. 197. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Steve Park is my all-time favorite Northeastern race car driver (Ricky Craven and Randy LaJoie are close runners-up). It's been a long time since I saw him win a race. In fact, I don't think I ever witnessed a Steve Park win live, as I didn't start watching until 2002 after he got hurt, and I didn't see his '05 Truck win. Still, great to see Steve Park win tonight. After all the bad luck he's experienced in his career, winning a race this way is only fitting. Oh, and Mike Stefanik was PISSED in his interview. 198. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That Goodale guy is a jackass. Says he didn't push Park into Stefanik even though the video shows that he clearly did. 199. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My biggest memory of Steve Park is winning at Rockingham the week after Dale died. As a 6 year old, I was confused about all that was going on at that time, but the one thing I did realize is that it seemed like that win meant the world to Park. You're right Paul, he deserves every ounce of success he gets after all the injuries and bad luck he had to endure in his career. 200. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll never forget his Rockingham '01 win (I took that Monday off from school, I had racing fever). Glad to see Steve get that win. As I said, if anyone deserves a good break for once it is him. And yeah, the silence after Lia puked was priceless. 201. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You beat me to it murb! 202. 18fan posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, I would probably count the fall Martinsville race as one that Bowyer was a serious contender to win and didn't. He led the second most laps in that race, had an average running position of 4th and had the 2nd highest driver rating. 203. jabber1990 posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ...there is a NASCAR Euroseries? 204. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I love watching Steve Park winning at Watkins Glen. He was in tears after beating out one of the all-time greats, Mark Martin, to get a win at his home track. And to make it even more special, "Big E" himself came down to victory lane and was grinning from ear to ear as the driver that he discovered four years earlier at a Busch North race had finally joined the club of Sprint Cup winners. Pretty special moment to see, especially since it was Park's only Cup victory when Dale was present. Bubba Wallace tweeted a few minutes ago a fore-warning that the leader on lap 149 of the K&N Pro Series race WILL wreck. HA! 205. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I took that Monday off from school, I had racing fever" A.K.A. "The Carolina Flu." lol. 206. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man, it's really weird watching drivers who are younger than me... 207. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've had the Carolina flu quite a few times lol. 208. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Sean, at least when they threw the red flag outside the final five laps that they ran the advertised distance, and not one inch past it, and I prefer it to the GWC." I agree with that. "But also, if you had it your way, they would have run the last eight or nine laps of the 1993 Winston 500 at Talladega under caution when it was raining, instead of stopping it with four laps remaining to get a green flag finish." I'm okay with that. A GWC on a plate track (which that in effect was) is perilously unsafe and that was the common opinion at the time. "Another example of this was the 1988 Daytona 500 when Richard Petty tore up some of the catch fencing. That race should have been stopped, but instead they ran 21 laps of caution, which ate up 45 minutes, though there was a time issue there due to the NBA. That also happened at the 1970 Daytona 500 when Buddy Arrington crashed and damaged the fence off turn two." If there is damage to the track, a red flag is obvious. I would not consider those artificial or fake red flags. No, I don't think cars should have been running around the track under caution after Montoya's incident with the jet dryer. That's not what I'm talking about. "Running on and on and on under caution makes no sense, no matter the reason." I'm not saying cautions should be intentionally extended. A caution should end when the track is safe for racing conditions. If there are not enough laps left to clean the track, then the race should end under caution. That is a race with integrity. 2012 spring Martinsville race - that is a finish with no integrity. Green-white-checkered got mandated in Nextel Cup and Busch just 'cause some angry Junior fans threw stuff on the track, and this is supposed to be PROFESSIONAL? "I'm on record as saying that I think Harry Gant could have won 60-70 races had he been in top equipment from day one" Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but YES. People just say automatically Mark Martin and Davey Allison are the best non-champions of the modern era when Harry Gant and Ernie Irvan and Tim Richmond impress(ed) me more than either, Ricky Rudd, Neil Bonnett, and Geoff Bodine are comparable, and Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are getting there. It's not really bashing Mark and Davey as much as feeling others are being overlooked. "And Sean, I consider a driver to be overrated when they are rated as being greater than they actually are." Yeah, me too. That's why it blew my mind when people were listing drivers like Danica, Waltrip, Logano, and Spencer who nobody rates highly as "overrated". I agree Junior is an overrated plate racer, but I'm not sold on restrictor plate racing having anything whatsoever to do with talent in the slightest (at least 2001-present). Upon declaring someone overrated, you're SUPPOSED to tip a sacred cow. Taking a potshot at Derrike Cope or Greg Sacks (who nobody takes seriously) is just boring... 209. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I love watching Steve Park winning at Watkins Glen." I was there live and thought he was on the tail end of the lead lap for most of the second half of that race until I saw a jumbotron at the end. (I failed to realize that that particular restart rule was only used on ovals...) I had been paying no attention to him before that point so I hadn't noticed him moving up through the field (I was watching Robby, Martin, B. Labonte, Stewart, and Gordon and Earnhardt puttering around in the back). 210. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb, the thing with Martin Truex, Jr. that can't be ignored is this. He did ot win a race in the #1 car in 2008 and 2009. Then Chip Ganassi rehires Jamie McMurray for 2010, and what does McMurray do with that same exact team? He goes out and wins the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, the fall race at Charlotte, and finishes second in the spring race at Talladega, the Southern 500, and the Coca-Cola 600, which he had won until a late caution came out and benefitted Kurt Busch. And trust me, Truex does not accomplish that, especially the three wins. That's why I said that Truex was, by far, the weakest driver in last year's Chase field, and perhaps the weakest Chase driver ever, along with Elliott Sadler. In fact, if I remember right, I predicted Truex to finish last in the Chase last year for that very reason, and he would have finished there, if not for Dale, Jr.'s concussion, so he still finished last among the Chase drivers that competed in every Chase race. And for Truex to fade like that while Clint Bowyer rallied to finish second proves to me that Truex is a weak driver in a strong car. Also, another poster mentioned that Bowyer is an underrated driver. One thing about that is that Michael Waltrip knew he was getting a very good driver, bu Larry McReynolds said it late lst year. Waltrip had no idea what he was getting in Bowyer, because last year, Bowyer became a driver that can contend for championships. You don't finish second in points if you're not a championship-caliber driver, and I know who else realizes what kind of driver Bowyer is. Richard Childress. Is it any accident that his team fell off the map last year without a second elite driver along with Kevin Harvick, because I think that's no accident. With Childress, it's either Harvick or bust, a fact that was proven last year and will be proven again this coming season, and in today's NASCAR with the multi-car teams, you can't have one elite-level driver and all the others be mid-pack or worse. We saw what happened in 2007 with Ray Evernham's team when this occurred, and we're seeing it with Childress now. To be a quality team, you have to have at least two drivers capable of running up fron, and Childress only has one for the second straght year, and his team is going to struggle mightily because of it. Just look. Rick Hendrick has always had at least two drivers capable of running up front, and the same is true with Joe Gibbs, Jack Roush, Tony Stewart (Stewart-Haas), and now Michael Waltrip. Penske struggled when he had just one front running driver, but in Joey Logano, I think he's fianlly got a second driver capable of running up front. Childress has that problem now. He has only one front running driver, and he's even going to lose that at the end of this coming season, so Childress may have seen the last of the front of the field, at least for a while until he refreshes his driver roster with at least two drivers that can run up front. 211. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Worst drivers to make the cha$e: 1) Brian Vickers 2) Jeremy Mayfield 3) Elliott Sadler 4) Juan Montoya 5) Martin Truex 212. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Worst cha$e field: 2009 Best cha$e field: 2005. Although two were past their prime at the time, FIVE of the ten are sure fire Hall Of Famers with one already being in (Jimmie, Rusty, Tony, Mark, and Matt). No other cha$e had 50% sure fire HOFers. If only Jeff had made it instead of Mayfield. 213. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well Sean, how is running 37 laps under caution (for a total of 1 hr, 5 min) after the huge backstetch crash in the 1973 Winston 500 at Talladega defensible? Because that's how many caution laps were run while the backstretch was cleaned up. That race should have been stopped when the accident happened for the track to be properly cleaned. But then again, that incident jut set the stage for the whole month of racing that year, because that was the same month thy adall the rain and tragedy at Indianapolis, and even the World 600 at Charlotte was not totally spared as there were two bad crashes in that race (Peter Gregg in the last race for the #6 Cotton Owens Dodge and Vic Parsons) and an unscheduled break just after the race was half over because of, you got it, rain. But when there's a job of clean-up and repair that's going to take that long, the race needs to be stopped so the repair crews can do their jobs properly. Believe it or not, that's a reason why the rule at Indy was changed in 1979 to have the pace car go out and bunch up the field during caution perods, so the repair and clean-up crews would have more time without having to worry about risking being run over by race cars all the time, because before that, while clean-up activity was going, there were cars constantly going by because they were spaced out, as were the rules of the time. For instance, imagine ho muc easier it would have beento cean up turn two after Tom Sneva's crash in the 1975 Indianapolis 500 had the field been bunched up behind a pace car? As it was, 15 laps were run under caution, but the clean-up had to be done with cars constantly going by the safety crews because of the rule that required cars to hold their distance on the track. Six years later, a similar situation occurred with Danny Ongais' crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, but the clean-up crews could do a much more effective job cleaning the trac because the field was bunched up behind the pace car. Again, 15 laps were run under caution, but at least three or four of those were spent trying to get Ongais out of his car and into an ambulance, but it was actually much easier for the clean-up crews to do their job, and it can be legitimately argued that those respective races should have been stopped when the accidents happened because of how long it took to clean up the track. 214. David posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I mean Davey and Mark are probably now talked about more than non-champions from the pre-modern era like Fred Lorenzen who were WAAAAY better." Thank you for using Fred Lorenzen as an example. I always thought he was underrated historically. "Harry Gant was able to finish one position behind Davey Allison in points in both 1991 and 1992 in WAAAAAAAY weaker equipment." Okay, let's test this assumption: 1991: #28 team relevance - 82.76% (same as that year's champion's team) #33 team relevance - 65.52% 1992: #28 team relevance - 68.97% #33 team relevance - 79.31% Two-year relevance: #28 team: 75.86% #33 team: 72.41% Yep, it was weaker. I also happen to know that Davey's PEER in 1992 was 3.466. But that's irrelevant. 215. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, what are we talking about? If there is a SEVERE on-track incident (such that it would take 20 laps to clean it up, or if there is damage sustained to the track) of course I agree there should be a red flag. I'm talking about the fake red flags from 1998-2003 used to ensure a green flag finish. Standard caution periods run about 4-6 laps, and if there was a caution with 5 laps left they'd throw a red flag to ensure a (rather dangerous) GWC at the end... I don't know where you got from that that I don't think red flags should exist AT ALL. I don't think the red flag should be used artificially when it is unnecessary. I am not criticizing the use of red flags. I am criticizing the NEEDLESS use of red flags. I can't understand how you can't see that. 216. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "1991: #28 team relevance - 82.76% (same as that year's champion's team) #33 team relevance - 65.52% 1992: #28 team relevance - 68.97% #33 team relevance - 79.31%" Let me just say this. I don't agree with David Smith's relevance statistic as it is. It effectively just measures luck rather than actual speed or team strength, especially in the earlier years when a sizable proportion of the field encountered trouble every race. In 1992, the #28 obviously had much stronger equipment than the #33 because all the Fords were much faster than anything else on track, but the #33 only appears more relevant because it finished more races due to better luck. A better relevance statistic would be based on actual running position (or dominance/average % led) and more heavily weight horsepower tracks. Davey was getting it done on the superspeedways for the most part; Gant was getting it done on the short tracks (yes, they were both more diverse than that, but still...) There is no doubt in my mind that even in 1992 the #28 had stronger equipment than the #33. The #33 was more consistent because they had fewer DNFs, but this is a good example of how I don't think relevance comes CLOSE to measuring the actual strength of a team. So using that particular statistic my "WAAAAAAY WEAKER" equipment doesn't really hold water, but actually watching the races it's clear that although they probably both overachieved in their equipment, Harry was achieving much more. 217. Sean posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And by the way, using a points system I would want, Davey Allison would have been WAY ahead of Harry Gant due to his greater wins and dominance in the races, but I think the gap in their actual results that year was still less than the gap in their equipment strength... 218. David posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Martin Truex, Jr's PEER from 2008-2012 2008: 1.708 2009: 0.333 2010: 1.083 2011: 1.639 2012: 1.611 I think Truex is an OK driver. Not a championship contender by any means, but solidly serviceable on a regular basis. 219. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) More pissed off interviews probably coming in a minute. 220. Kenny posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why? 221. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Harry Gant was a great driver, and one of the coolest guys ever, but he was kinda one dimensional. He was rarely a threat at anything 1.5 miles or more unless it came to gas mileage. And although Davey had strong equipment, you can't discount the turmoil the team went through in his early years as ownership changed hands from Ranier to Yates who had to go into debt to buy it. And also don't forget, he got his break cause he stepped into Hoss Ellington's Cup stuff in '85 (never great even in his prime, they were pretty bad by then) and got a Top 10 in his first start at Talladega. 222. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Top Ten Non-Chase Seasons Since 2004: 1.) '04 Jamie McMurray: Tied for second in top tens (23). Only non-Chase driver ever with 20+ top tens. More top tens than champion Kurt Busch. 2.) '06 Tony Stewart: Most wins for a non-Chase driver (5). His '06 season was actually better than his 2011 championship season. 3.) '07 Mark Martin: Was leading the points before he missed his first race. Better average finish than Chase teammate Martin Truex, Jr., and had as many top fives (5) as 3rd place finisher Clint Bowyer. 4.) '10 Jamie McMurray: Won the two biggest races. Had 6 top two finishes, each in the biggest races of the year. 5.) '12 Kyle Busch: Had 7 top five finishes during Chase. Could have set personal best for top fives/tens if not for summer slump. 6.) '04 Kasey Kahne: 13 top five finishes, more than champion Kurt Busch. Had as many top fives as teammate Mayfield (who made the Chase) had top tens. 7.) '05 Jeff Gordon: Daytona 500 winner, won 3 of first 9 races. Won races with two different crew chiefs. 8.) '09 Kyle Busch: Had four wins, led over 1,100 laps (more than what he led in '06 and '07 when he made the Chase). 9.) '08 Kasey Kahne: Won two races and missed the Chase by one position for a VERY dysfunctional team. 10.) '06 Carl Edwards: One of four drivers to miss the Chase with double-digit top fives. (Kahne in '04, Stewart in '06, Kyle in '12.) 223. 18fan posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was a very crazy finish to what was a pretty good race. It's pretty pitiful that some of these guys don't even try to make a move for the lead and just run into the back of the leader. I don't care if it's a non-points race or not, that is just bad. 224. murb posted: 02.19.2013 - 10:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I find it funny that all the young kids in the East race are acting way more humble about getting taken out than Mike Stefanik was... 225. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 11:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Best cha$e field: 2005." 2005 may have had the most sure-fire Hall of Famers make the Chase (not to mention one more that missed it), but I think 2010 had the best Chase roster overall. No scrubs allowed. Every driver in that Chase had been a title contender before, won multiple races in a season at some point within the previous three seasons, completed over 10,000 laps that season, had at least 15 top ten finishes, and had an average finish of 15.4 or better. All 12 drivers were strong that season, and they were all in their prime (although Jeff Burton ran out of relevancy by the end of the season). 226. Paul posted: 02.19.2013 - 11:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I find it funny that all the young kids in the East race are acting way more humble about getting taken out than Mike Stefanik was..." Swearing is second nature to people from New England. Add-in the fact that he is an intense race car driver, and I'm surprised he didn't drop multiple F-bombs. 227. David posted: 02.19.2013 - 11:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Let me just say this. I don't agree with David Smith's relevance statistic as it is. It effectively just measures luck rather than actual speed or team strength, especially in the earlier years when a sizable proportion of the field encountered trouble every race. In 1992, the #28 obviously had much stronger equipment than the #33 because all the Fords were much faster than anything else on track, but the #33 only appears more relevant because it finished more races due to better luck." I think of relevance like this: A legend, given a good car and a good team can win on any given race day. But if you take a scrub and put him in the exact same car, he runs eleventh on his best day. Both first and eleventh are relevant finishes. So the team is credited with a relevant finish either way. That said, I have thought of a way to improve the relevance statistic, by taking the number of times finished in the top half of cars on the lead lap divided by the total number of lead lap finishes. This way, the team wouldn't be penalized if the driver crashes, or blows an engine if he is upset with his team (I'm looking at you, Kyle Busch). The only flaw in this idea is that the value of finishing on the lead lap is diluted by the lucky dog and wave-arounds. 228. cjs3872 posted: 02.19.2013 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay, Sean. And I think NASCAR realized that because they put in an unofficial rule stipulating that they would not throw the red flag with fewer than five laps to go for that very reason, which then became a certain lap number, which they revealed in the driver's meeting. But I totally agree with you on GWC finishes on plate tracks, because they've been nothing but trouble, and have only gotten worse since they now do up to three of them. In fact, since the GWC rule for the Cup series came into being, there has only been one Daytona 500 that has gone exactly 500 miles (2008). But then again, not counting the 2003 and 2009 rain-shortened races, there have late cautions (with ten laps to go or less) in every Daytona 500 since 1997, except 1999, 2001, and 2004, and there was the crash that killed Dale, Sr. on the final lap in 2001. That means that 12 of the last 14 Daytona 500s that have gone the distance having problems finishing under green, or had crashes on the last lap. And three of four Daytona 500s between 1997 and 2000 ended under caution. Prior to that, only three Daytona 500s (1967, '80, '91) finished under caution for something other than weather. But since 1997, five Daytona 500s (1997-'98, 2000, '05-'06) have ended under caution for reasons other than weather, and if not for the red flag and later the GWC rule, the Daytona 500 would probably never finish under green. In fact, I believe the reasn NASCAR went to three attempts was to make sure that the Daytona 500, NASCAR's biggest race, doesn't finish under caution. Speaking of the GWC finish, one rule I'd like to see changed is the length of the GWC on road courses. Instead of two laps, I think they should do one lap on the road courses, because of how long it takes, especially compared to the length of the race distance. Two laps is okay for the oval races, except the plate races and maybe Pocono and Indy, but two laps on a GWC is far too long for the road course events. And 18fan, the reason they can't make a move on the leader late in the race on the makeshift track, instead of knocking him out of the way, is a very simple one. They can't. The track is neither wide enough of long enough to make a clean pass, because you simply can't set someone up for it. The only way to pass is to knock him out of the way, or hope he makes an error, which was my problem with Bristol before the 2007 reconifguration. When they reconfigured Bristol in 2007, and again last year, it became a track you can actually race on, which is why the drivers loved it and still do. Now granted they culd have been a little more discreet with it, but knocking a driver out of the way was the only effective way to pass unless the guy made a big mistake, because the inside line had such a big edge. 229. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 1:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Translation for post #226 by Paul: Typical Yankee :) 230. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr has always been overrated. 231. Hank posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) They gave that woman a larger restricted plate. I believe NASCAR did this crap to boost the ratings, there ain't no way this is a honest and true deal. We gonna see how far she gets when the pack gets tight and she has to keep the new car up under her. These cars are squirrelly at high speeds compared to the cars from the last few years and somebody's gonna be doing some wrecking in this race. I bet she will be in the middle of the big one and will probably cause it. 232. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) As much as I simultaneously agree and disagree with the above, at least he had he guts to use an ID instead of being anonymous. Honestly, I'd rather see 3 laps of GWC on the plate tracks because it takes more than a lap and a half just to get up to speed. I like the thought of 3 on plate tracks, 1 on road courses, 5 at short tracks (short tracks have been doing that way since short tracks), and 2 everywhere else. 233. cjs3872 posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) NicoRosbergFan, if they did three laps at the plate tracks, they'd NEVER finish it under green, because they'd wreck every time. In fact, I think they should either scrap the GWC on the plate tracks, or limit it to one attempt. After all, except for last spring's debacle at Martinsville, I can't remember any non-plate race in the Cup series that has had any problems with getting a GWC completed without incident. But they wreck every time in a plate race because the whole field is together with no chance of separating, along with the fact they can't get to full speed. I say scrap it for the plate races, reduce it to one lap on the road courses, and keep it like it is everywhere else. I also say go back to single-file restarts in the last 10% of the race, at least, so positions earned can't be lost just on what lane a driver is forced to restart in. The double-file restarts are another huge problem where the plate races are concerned, and if they got rid of the double-file restarts at the plate races, I certainly would have no problem with that cause the double-file restarts make the problem with the GWCs at the plate races even worse because they jam up the track and make it virtually impossible to make moves, so I say get rid of the GWC and the double-file restarts at the plate tracks. 234. I love Japan posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ironic I had Park as one of my underrated drivers xD. I miss him in that yellow #1 Chevy on sundays. 235. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "They gave that woman a larger restricted plate. I believe NASCAR did this crap to boost the ratings, there ain't no way this is a honest and true deal." Considering that she was only .033 second faster than the next-fastest qualifier (who has the same engine as her), and that her teammates qualified fourth and fifth, I'd say there's a chance this was not fixed. 236. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Considering that any hack (including deceased grandmother's ashes) can run competitively at a plate track, and that her teammates qualified fourth and fifth, I'd say there's a chance this was not fixed. There, I fixed it for you. 237. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, that too. 238. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Considering that it takes no skill to win a pole at a plate track, and that her teammates qualified fourth and fifth, I'd say there's a chance this was not fixed. 239. Daniel posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeremy Clements will run the full Nationwide schedule. Xxxtreme Motorsports will attempt the upcoming cup race at Phoenix with Scott Riggs behind the wheel of the #44. 240. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 11:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) We're getting slammed by a winter storm here in Kansas. How about you guys? 241. JRacingFast posted: 02.20.2013 - 12:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Newman goes around and Edwards is involved in turn 1 242. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 12:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Already another incident. Plus Brad blew up. 243. AveryNH posted: 02.20.2013 - 12:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad's problem was with the EFI and fuel pickup, not his motor. However Junior did literally just blow his up on the backstretch. Some anxious ahead for the Hendrick guys 244. jabber1990 posted: 02.20.2013 - 1:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) its a contract year for ESPN? you were involved in a $200,000,000+ contract and they censor NASCAR from their other shows 245. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh look, a random segment highlighting Dale's win in the 1998 Daytona 500. I'm surprised they haven't changed the track name to Daletona, seeing as how he apparently built that place. I'd hate to think what his reaction would be if he knew how much the media kisses his ass now that he's gone. Quite frankly, he'd be the most sick of the attention he's getting. 246. 12345Dude posted: 02.20.2013 - 3:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I missed practice because I have been dealing with a $250 dollar package that I ordered on ebay that got "lost" in the mail so I had to miss NASCAR practice today. I'm in a NASCAR fantasy league so I was wondering if any drivers looked good or bad out there today. 247. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ugh, I tried to brace myself, I knew it was gonna be bad, but Fox's coverage of the 24 Hours Of Danica is even worse than I expected. She called the #93 car "an idiot" over the radio after he started to try to merge, but then aborted, and the Fox crew applauded her for it. That's right, the wrecking machine herself. Oh, and compare that to Fox's treatment of Kyle Busch's radio traffic in the '08 Southern 500. All I want is fairness. Across the board. Give everyone the same treatment. I can't stand the way everyone all at once is pretendng like the driver makes a damn for plate qualifying. Ever since 2001 when they aired plate qualifying consistently the main story has been how useless the drivers are. Now it has changed? It has been lowlighted by the media's coverage of her lap with Gordon's ghost car on his lap. She takes a lower line in both corners and everyone says she "drove a better line than Jeff" even though the video clearly shows Jeff pulling ahead through 1 and 2 and down the first part of the straightaway. Then, all at once, halfway down the back stretch, she suddenly bursts ahead as if she had a Nitro booster. And they had the gall to say that burst of speed came from her "taking a better line than Jeff". Like it suddenly kicked in all at once on the backstretch. Attention: WE ARE NOT STUPID! We know it is all car at Daytona and Dega. And to say Danica "outdrove" Jeff at Daytona! Here is the deal: Jeff Gordon is a NASCAR legend. He is still in his prime racing years. He might not still have the burning desire to dominate everything in sight like he once did, but when the old "Refuse To Lose" Jeff does come out (Atlanta '11, Richmond '12) LOOK THE F*** OUT! His career numbers are mind blowing. He won his first two Daytona 500s by passing and holding off folks like Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Rusty Wallace, and Dale Earnhardt (11 combined championshps). He won his third one in a shootout with Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart (9 combined championships) not to mention Dale Jr who had won 7 of the previous 16 plate races with 3 runner ups. I know I get grief for rating him lower historically than most, but look at what we are arguing: Is he better than a 7 time and 5 time champ? A 105 time race winner (with 3 championships in 4 full seasons)? A trio of champions with 83, 84, and 85 career wins? The guy with the best winning % ever? He is a legend and he isn't done. I know his fans have questions about his current team chemistry saying they are not championship caliber, but would anybody be surprised to see the following graphic in November: "Jeff Gordon 2013 Sprint Cup Champion"? Would anybody's eyes pop out and say "Holy Shit!"? If so, you don't know much about NASCAR. Danica has one win outside of go karts, had a very mediocre Indy Car career, and in stock cars has invented ways to wreck. Might she be good one day? I can't totally rule it out, but thus far, with the equipment and sponsorship money she has had, she has been BAD. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Stop treating us like we are dumb. I know it is a "good story" but it is just like that: a story. They have to start treating this like a sport. Not the WWF. Look at the NFL. Was it a "good story" to have the Baltimore Ravens (a washed up Ray Lewis and a bunch of people nobody outside of the Beltway cares about) and the 49ers of Colin Kaepernick, Jim Harbaugh, and Vernon Davis (not the star power of Montana, Walsh, and Rice)? No, but it didn't matter. It was watched just as much as the previous season's "Boston vs New York" (really Foxboro vs New Jersey but whatever) matchup that was a rematch of the stunner 4 years prior, with names every American sports fan has heard of (Brady, Belichick, Welker, Gronk, Eli Manning, Justin Tuck). The NFL is all about the sport. NASCAR lives and dies with the hype. Until that changes, NASCAR will never reach its potential. 248. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 3:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All that was missing was DSFF saying "WARRIOR!!!" at some point in his post. Love it. NASCAR is all about hype, Danica is made from hype. Therefore, Danica must be a great driver because she is built on what NASCAR strives for. As Mike Stefanik would say, this is such BULLSHIT! 249. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of Mike Stefanik, I watched his postrace interview from last night. He looked a little mad. 250. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For anyone who wants to see NASCAR the way it used to be and the way it ought to be, the 1997 Daytona 500 is airing on ESPN Classic. I feel like I'm watching an actual sport. Shocking, right? Ken Squier, Buddy Baker, and Ned Jarrett did such a great job of calling the action as it happened, without over-hyping any driver based on their sponsorship, personality, or marketability. Plus the TV cameras show ALL the cars, not just the cars with big sponsors. What the hell am I watching?! Where's the close screenshots? Where's the obnoxious commentators? Where's the gimmicks? Where's the mentioning of "Junior Nation," "Mr. Where Did He Come From?", "Boogity! Boogity! Boogity!", "Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing history," "What do you think, Darrell?", "Look at the way Danica drives her car into the corner," "She's learning," "This is all new to her," "NASCAR's First Lady (as if no other woman ever made it to NASCAR)," "Folks, you don't know how difficult it is to make it in this sport (Yeah, a big sponsorship package. Who cares about talent.)," or my favorite, "These are the 43 greatest drivers in the world." It's just a shame that NASCAR is looked at as nothing more than a bunch of gimmicks driving around for three hours while they are then gimmicked by the gimmicks in the booth and in the production truck. People don't watch the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL because of the gimmicks, they watch it for the sport itself. They tolerate the gimmicks. It's up to the TV people and media to present it for what it is, rather than what they are trying to sell us (Which is why you'll never hear an announcer say that the racing at Fontana or Las Vegas sucks.) For NASCAR, it's all just a big show, and they expect us to just sit here, like it, and then take it from behind while they screw us out of three hours every Sunday while watching their gimmicked-up TV show. The casting judges for this TV show have selected Danica to be their lead female. Once they can't make any more money off of her, then they'll toss her aside and move on to the next "star." Until then, prepare to have mentions of the "GoDaddy Princess" shoved down your throats for a minimum of three hours every race day, not to mention every pre-race show, post-race show, and highlight reel. Who cares about talking about talented race car drivers who don't have a big sponsorship package or image when we can hype up the dud who gives us name recognition. NASCAR is all about getting attention because they are so focused with competing with the NFL in the ratings, and so they are aiming at gaining as many casual fans as they can, ignoring the rest of us in the process. They could have just ignored the NFL and other sports and just focused on putting on a good show, but that apparently isn't what their goal is. The media is basically telling us to sit back, relax, enjoy the ride, and remember to shut the f*** up. Danica and the hype machine is here to stay, and there's nothing we can do about it. Well, except for changing the channel, but NASCAR won't care because their casual fans outnumber the diehard fans that haven't totally given up hope yet. I wish it was 1997 again. 251. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I wish it was 1997 again." Me too. At the time, I was whining about it. Dale looked like he was beginning an end of career slide from relevancy a la Petty and Waltrip, it was clear Ernie was never gonna return to 1994 form, Rusty was also fading, and the sport was being dominated by "that little pipsqueak" (Gordon), and to a much lesser extent by the car sponsored by GM Goodwrench's rival (DJ), another little guy named Jeff (Burton), and NASCAR's most tortured driver in its history not named Allison (Mark). But I would love to have it back. It was still treated as a sport. That is an excellent post. It really highlights everything I miss. 252. joey2448 posted: 02.20.2013 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why do they keep bringing up that it's expected to be hot this weekend, when I just looked at the weather forecast and it's supposed to be overcast with a high in the low-70's on Sunday? On Friday and Saturday it might even sprinkle a lil' bit. I know forecasts can change when we're still four days out, but I'm seeing something different (I look at wunderground by the way). 253. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.20.2013 - 6:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I shall get back to you after studying my models... 254. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.20.2013 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Models predict warmth... 255. murb posted: 02.20.2013 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man, you guys have been killing it on here today with the rants!!! I'm so mad at myself for not appreciating how good we had it as fans back in the late 90s and early 2000s (which was when I started watching). Paul, you nailed it when you were talking about watching the 1997 Daytona 500. No gimmicks, no catchphrases, no unnecessary hype. It was all about the racing. But it seems like ever since "Brainless" Brian France took over, they've been hellbent on trying to be the NFL on wheels instead of just trying to do their own thing (which is what they had always done before under his father and grandfather). It's just a shame that people like us (who actually have good ideas on how to improve the sport - rules, point systems, etc) can't run the show. I can honestly say that our little group on here is the smartest and most insightful group of Nascar related people that I've ever come across, and there's no way that we could do any worse than they have done the past few years. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot: SCREW YOU DANICA!!!! Of course she calls Travis Kvapil (Truck Champion and winner, proven consistent driver for mediocre Cup teams like BK and late era Yates) an idiot. I guess in her head she wasn't an idiot for her multiple blunders last year (IDIOTICALLY wrecking Hornish at Talladega, IDIOTICALLY wrecking Sorenson at Indy, IDIOTICALLY wrecking herself at Bristol and then IDIOTICALLY wagging her finger at Regan Smith, IDIOTICALLY trying to wreck Landon Cassill on purpose at Kansas but instead wrecking herself, etc). Her undeserved sense of entitlement and ego just keeps growing. It just won't stop. It's like James and the Giant Peach. 256. cjs3872 posted: 02.20.2013 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, you lament the way the sport is covered today, especially from a broadcast point of view as we all do. Well, if you liked what was on ESPN Classic today, then you should watch the next couple of days, because they're going even farther back. Tomorrow, they're airing the races from 1976, 1979, 1981, and for the first time, 1983. And on Friday for a couple of hours, they're going ever farther back, as they're scheduled to be airing, for the first time, the 1973 and 1978 races, both of which were done by the legendary Jim McKay and Chris Economaki, and I know that Jackie Stewart was there in 1978. Frankly, much like Ken Squier, Jim McKay always seemed very concerned and was emotional when a bad crash occurred. (Just watch my uploads of the 1973 Indianapolis 500 on my YouTube channel for a great example.) However, if you do watch the 1978 race (if it airs), McKay refers to A.J. Foyt more for his IndyCar success, rather than his Daytona success, and only once does he mention that Foyt won the Daytona 500, and instead focuses on the fact that Foyt was, at that time, the only 4-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. And there's no mention at all of the fact that Foy won the first qualifying race that year, the only qualifying race victory he had at Daytona. And also, if you're a fan of Buddy Baker, I'm not sure you should watch the 1973 and 1978 races planned to air on ESPN Classic, because those were arguably the two biggest heartbreaks of Buddy's career. In the 1973 race, he led 156 laps, the fourth-highest total for a single race, but had a bad final pit stop and blew his engine trying to catch Richard Petty. Then in 1978, he led a race-high 76 laps, despite starting in 31st position (the reason for that and Bobby Allison's 33rd startng positin is shown in the telecast, though I'm not sure it will make ESPN Clasic's version), but again blew with six laps remaining, handing Allison the win that ignited his return to prominence from then through his 1983 championship season. So while the quality of the race broadcast was top of the line in the 90s, I think it was even better in the 70s and 80s, and certainly the broadcasts of today pale in comparison to the broadcasts of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, because the focus by the commentators was on the sport they were covering, and not on themselves. And also, Jim McKay always said during a sporting event he covered, that he was REPORTING from whatever event he was covering, because broadcasters are, first and foremost, reporters, something that almost every commentator seems to be forgetting, especially the newer ones. 257. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh yeah murb, I bet you are studying models online ;) 258. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "SCREW YOU DANICA!!!! Of course she calls Travis Kvapil (Truck Champion and winner, proven consistent driver for mediocre Cup teams like BK and late era Yates) an idiot. I guess in her head she wasn't an idiot for her multiple blunders last year (IDIOTICALLY wrecking Hornish at Talladega, IDIOTICALLY wrecking Sorenson at Indy, IDIOTICALLY wrecking herself at Bristol and then IDIOTICALLY wagging her finger at Regan Smith, IDIOTICALLY trying to wreck Landon Cassill on purpose at Kansas but instead wrecking herself, etc). Her undeserved sense of entitlement and ego just keeps growing. It just won't stop. It's like James and the Giant Peach." Wow. He could have saved this anger for another Joey Logano rant, but he finally unleashed it on someone else. Ï? Ï? 259. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting display of passion there murb. 260. murb posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Oh yeah murb, I bet you are studying models online ;)" Me? That was Nico that said that, lol "He could have saved this anger for another Joey Logano rant, but he finally unleashed it on someone else." lol, Well, Logano is running some NNS this year in the 22, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of Logano rant material once he takes out a bunch of underfunded guys again. 261. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, it was me. Murb is no weatherman. I, on the other hand, am a meteorology student with a glut of websites that would make Spen drool from jealousy. 262. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whoops, sorry. Nico, I bet you are studying models online ;) 263. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here's something for the vintage NASCAR fans: The Nationwide race at Daytona in July, which is sponsored by Subway, will be called the "Subway Firecracker 250" later this year. Hopefully they bring back more vintage race names, such as have the word "Rebel" in the title of a race at Darlington, "World" for a Charlotte race, "Old Dominion" for a Martinsville race, "Volunteer" for the Bristol race, and even have "Firecracker" in the title for the Cup race at Daytona in July. I understand the need for sponsors to be in the race title, but those old traditional titles should still have a place in NASCAR. 264. jabber1990 posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) everyone critisies the cuppers who run the nationwide races, well somebody called in and told Dave Moody something there aren't very many veterans in the East and West Series so thats one reason they act like punks, thats why cup drivers in the nationwide series are good, it actually shows off how good the nationwide drivers are, and its actually done alot of good for the nationwide drivers See: Trevor Bayne 2011 Daytona 500 See: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 2011 Coke 600 and also, nobody decided to run the nationwide series last year....look at how lame the cup races in 2012 were so we need cup guys in nationwide 265. I love Japan posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was born in 92, so I missed the 90's. Was NASCAR as good in 2000-2002 as it was in 1997-1999 in your guys view? 266. murb posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "so we need cup guys in nationwide" It's not the Cup guys in NNS that I have a problem with, because there have always been Cup guys running in that series (Mark Martin, Harry Gant, Dale Earnhardt, etc). But when some of these Cup guys don't show any respect or consideration to the NNS regular guys (like how Logano did multiple times last year), then yeah, I DO have a problem with that. But I do agree. The Cup guys do bring that series up a notch, and if you ask any NNS regular drivers, they'd (probably) tell you that they love racing against the Cup guys. 267. Daniel posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I must have missed it, what did Travis do to warrant the anger of GoDaddy girl? 268. Jim Davis posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Hopefully they bring back more vintage race names, such as have the word "Rebel" in the title of a race at Darlington..." No chance of any race with the word "rebel" in it these days. Neither NASCAR or a sponsor would touch it. To say nothing of that guy in a Confederate uniform in victory lane. Heads would explode. 269. joey2448 posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "So while the quality of the race broadcast was top of the line in the 90s, I think it was even better in the 70s and 80s, and certainly the broadcasts of today pale in comparison to the broadcasts of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, because the focus by the commentators was on the sport they were covering, and not on themselves. And also, Jim McKay always said during a sporting event he covered, that he was REPORTING from whatever event he was covering, because broadcasters are, first and foremost, reporters, something that almost every commentator seems to be forgetting, especially the newer ones." I think that one of the reasons why the television broadcasts back in the day are considered better is because the reporters were reporting on everything that was happening on track because the viewers weren't always seeing it. Nowadays, there are hundreds of cameras all over the track; cameras around the track, inches from the wall, "gopher" cams in the track, cameras strung up on a wire over the track, in-car cams....they're EVERYWHERE! So, the viewers can watch and see everything that's happening. 20, 30 years ago, the reporters were having to describe a lot of what was going on, much like a radio broadcast. You guys say that MRN does a lot better job (I agree) on calling the race. Well that's why... 270. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "nobody decided to run the nationwide series last year" I presume you mean "No Cup drivers ran the full Nationwide schedule last year," because there was at least one Cup driver in each race (mostly because the Busch brothers split the schedule). The reason for this is because they can't run for the championship, so there's no reason to race at tracks like Iowa and Road America because they aren't on the Cup schedule. Since they couldn't win the championship like they did from '06-'10, Cup drivers had no incentive to run every race. "thats why cup drivers in the nationwide series are good, it actually shows off how good the nationwide drivers are, and its actually done alot of good for the nationwide drivers" That's funny. I could have sworn that NASCAR had a lot of great up-and-coming drivers enter Cup in the '80s, '90s, and the first half of the '00s when Cup drivers WEREN'T competing in Nationwide races on a regular basis. Drivers like Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Joe Nemechek, Johnny Benson, Ricky Craven, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and Jamie McMurray each made it to Cup without having to compete against Cup drivers on a weekly basis in the Nationwide Series, and each of them had success in NASCAR's premier division. The only drivers who have had success in Cup who competed in Nationwide since 2004 when the Cup drivers began running the full schedule are Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and Joey Logano, and each of those drivers drove for Cup teams in the Nationwide Series, thus giving them an advantage that the likes of Gordon, Johnson, and Labonte, didn't have in the Nationwide Series. Last I checked, the latter three have each won Cup championships, while the first four have none. Don't buy into that crap about Cup drivers competing in Nationwide races supposedly helping the Nationwide regulars out. All it does is take away rides from deserving young up-and-coming drivers, and keeps them in what I like to call "Mid-Card Hell," (Mid-card is the spot on a wrestling show in between the first match and the main event.) meaning that they are trapped in the second-tier series without any hope of getting out. Look at drivers like Justin Allgaier, Jeremy Clements, and Danny Efland; all young, talented drivers who have competed in the Nationwide Series for several years, yet are stuck in ride that are 2nd-tier and below, with little hope at this point of getting a better ride or even a Cup ride. Are they better off than they would be if the Cup drivers weren't hogging all the top rides? Absolutely not. 271. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "To say nothing of that guy in a Confederate uniform in victory lane. Heads would explode." Huh? 272. I love Japan posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Cup guys made the Nationwide Series lose its identity. Nationwide only teams died out, a lot of young guys didn't have the opportunity to prove themselves in a quality ride like they did up till the Mid-00's. And that hurt the Cup Series because it didn't have the influx of New drivers to freshen things up. Buschwacking was the #1 factor in NASCAR's lack if development. I sincerely believe that. To use a wrestling analogy, its like the old guys holding the young guys down by refusing to put them over. It's sad. Fortunately, The arrow is going the other way 273. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Awesome. ESPN is planning on airing a promotional spot for Austin Dillon, with the theme being how Dale Earnhardt made the #3 a legendary number, and how Austin Dillon is trying to carry on the legacy of the #3 car. They plan on airing that promotional spot through July, and it will have Austin narrating the commercial and talking about how he's just trying to carry on the legacy of the number 3 that Dale made famous, and make the #3 fans proud. Awesome. Be right back, I'm gonna go take a "Donny Lia." 274. murb posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with what you are saying Paul. The Cup guys do take away rides from young guys that deserve it. But at the same time, I feel like it is good to have SOME (keyword) Cup guys running it, because I do feel like it showcases some of the young guys who can go toe to toe with the Cup guys (like when Brad was running with Kyle and Carl and frequently beating them). But when I say SOME, I mean only about 3 or 4. We don't need 19 double duty drivers. That's just ridiculous. "ESPN is planning on airing a promotional spot for Austin Dillon" You know how earlier we were talking about how bad Nascar has gotten the past handful of years? Honestly, I really think ESPN's return in 2007 has only contributed to the mediocreness. They are one of, if not THE main contributor of all the BS hype we were talking about, whether it's about Danica, Austin and the 3 car, or whatever. The combination of their return in 2007 and the birth of the COT in 2007 is really when I started to notice this nosedive. Yeah, they (Nascar) completely screwed up by bringing in the Chase in 2004, but if you go back and watch, 2004, 2005, and 2006 were actually pretty fun years in the Cup Series (at least I thought so). The racing was still pretty good with the old car, and you had good broadcasting for the most part (Fox wasn't nearly as bad as they are now and I always loved the old NBC/TNT coverage, even though they shafted Allen Bestwick for Bill "The Marriott Marauder" Weber). So I don't know. It's kind of stupid to maybe blame a network for the quality of a sport, but to me it hasn't been nearly as much fun to watch racing since ESPN and their constant tomfoolery returned in 2007. And the part that is such a shame is that they had the BEST coverage when they were around in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Anyway, to sum it all up, in my opinion, ESPN, the COT, the 48's dominance, and Nascar's shady and inconsistent officiating are the reasons why the sport just isn't nearly as good as it used to be. 275. Daniel posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow. Bleacher report has Danica Patrick winning the pole ahead of Ned Jarrett calling Dale Jarrett to the line in its list of greatest Daytona 500 moments. Are you kidding me? 276. murb posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Bleacher report has Danica Patrick winning the pole ahead of Ned Jarrett calling Dale Jarrett to the line in its list of greatest Daytona 500 moments." Paul, can you pass me the Donny Lia bucket? 277. ch posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Daniel, He tried to cut in front of her in a pack while he was still gaining speed. It wasn't the smartest move, but he recognized it and pulled his car up higher to let her go. Was it an idiot move? It would have been if he had gone through with it. Was she entitled to call him an idiot? Absolutely not. Everybody (including her teammates Stewart and Newman) has been learning the spacing / blind spots that the new car brings, as evident in the many incidents so early into speedweeks. It just so happened that Kvapil's first mistake of the weekend came in front of one Danica Patrick, so it was more intently focused on. 278. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry murb. I had to borrow it from DSFF, but I already gave it back to him. :) 279. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd say 2000-2003 was the end of the "glory years" of NASCAR. Since then, it has become more and more of a Hollywood production than an actual sport. Paul, as much as I would love to see another Rebel 500, NASCAR will never ever EVER EVER EVER EVER allow the word "Rebel" in anything they are associated with again. The further they can get away with the "stereotypical" South which is synonymous with "racist" like the Confederate Flad (aka the Rebel Flag) the better they like it. Even though it would be a nice tribute to NASCAR's past, 99% of us Southerners see the Rebel Flag as a Southern Pride flag, but the PC police have permanently tagged "racism" and "supports slavery" to it. So they would never touch anything Rebel. Also, what was being referred to is the fact that Darlington winners used to drive down the front stretch and pick up a guy dressed in a Confederate Soldier's outfit holding a giant Confederate flag and drive him to victory lane. If something like that ever happened again, Brian France would spontaneously combust. 280. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here you go murb, you can borrow it. 281. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 9:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think ch explained it perfectly. It's sort of like when Brad Keselowski gained a reputation of being an overly aggressive driver back in '08-'09. He wasn't always making aggressive moves on the track, but when he did, it was often to guys like Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch who complain when they're being raced too hard. Because they complained, it caused the media to pay closer attention to Brad's driving style in hopes of getting a story out of any future on-track incidents he was involved in. 282. David posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Remember when Bubba Watson was going to drive the General Lee from "Dukes of Hazzard" as a pace car, but it got nixed? 283. Daniel posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #279, exactly. They even cost Derrike Cope sponsorship by not allowing Redneckjunk.com on the #50 when he was driving for Arnold Motorsports. Said it was too stereotypical. 284. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Imagine if it was still called the Rebel 400 and Geoff Bodine won the event in 1990 when he had the dominant car. Now THAT would have been a memorable moment. 285. murb posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) lol, Thanks DSFF. That's pretty cool that they are bringing back the Firecracker name. Too bad it isn't in the Cup race though. We need an overhaul on a lot of these race names (the goofy Aaron's 499, the insanely generic Irwin Tools Night Race, and the just down right stupid Crown Royal Presents The Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard Presented by Crown Royal, Fueled by Golden Corral, and Brought To You by BigMachineRecords.com). 286. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of race names a rumor I am starting right now is that the Summer New Hampshire Race will be called the New England Patriots 300. 287. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the New England Patriots 300, somebody will lead the first 299 laps and get beat on the last one. 288. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 10:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Better yet, they should shorten the Nationwide race in New Hampshire and call it the New England Patriots 181 (a.k.a. 18-1), in reference to the greatest Super Bowl moment of all-time. 289. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 11:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "For the New England Patriots 300, somebody will lead the first 299 laps and get beat on the last one." So basically, Jeff Burton's wire-to-wire win there in 2000 was titled the "New England Patriots 300 presented by Tony Romo Quarterbacking the Opposing Team." 290. 18fan posted: 02.20.2013 - 11:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the topic of dumb race names, how about the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen? Anytime a race's name is a complete sentence in length, the race's name is too long (I'm looking at you, Brickyard). About the Aaron's 499, I don't know if anybody here has noticed, but the logo used to (I don't know if it still does) had a little dollar sign next to the 4, trying to make 499 look like a price. That's dumb. At first I actually thought the Irwin Tools Night Race was actually the Irwin Tools 500, but I thought it was really stupid when I realized it was called the Irwin Tools Night Race. Also there was the Shelby American at Vegas a couple years ago. Any race name that is generic like that is also stupid. 291. Paul posted: 02.20.2013 - 11:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If the title of a race doesn't have a number in it, then it should be titled similar to the races at Watkins Glen ([Race sponsor] at the Glen). I actually don't mind the title of the night race at Bristol, seeing as how no matter the title of that race, most fans just refer to it as "the Bristol night race" anyways. I'd prefer it better if it had the word "Bristol" in the title (i.e "Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol," "Irwin Tools Bristol Night Race," or "Bristol Night Race presented by Irwin Tools.") But I do agree that the titles should be shorter, and that they should actually hint that this in fact a race. Having the Las Vegas Nationwide race titled "Shelby American" is a good start, but it just sort of cuts off without telling you what the hell it is. If it were called the "Shelby American 300," that would actually sound pretty cool, so hopefully they fix that up. 292. cjs3872 posted: 02.21.2013 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) And also Paul, there are names of races that should not be tampered with, especially those races that have been around for years, or historic races. In other words, the names of races such as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, Firecracker 400, etc. should never be tampered with, unless, such as was the case with the 600, the name is changed from the World 600 from the Coca-Cola 600, because in that case, the identity of the race was never really changed, but the identity of many of the races who have had name changes have actually had the identity of the race changed. The only exceptions would make to that would be memorial races, such as changing the name of the race at Las Vegas to the Shelby American, or the Shelby 400 or 427, because of who it honors. But I think the names of the bigger races should never be changed, unless a change can be made without altering the identity of the race. For example, when the Daytona 500 was sponsored by STP from 1991-'93, a stipulation was made that the race always be called the Daytona 500 and the sponsor's name be mentioned after the race name. Another case was that, for many years, from the late 80s through the early 2000s, the Southern 500 had a sponsor's name attached to it (Heinz, Pepsi, Mountain Dew), but it always had the Southern 500 name in it. That's a major mistake that was made regarding the Brickyard 400, because for many people, the identity of that race was stolen. 293. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I was born in 92, so I missed the 90's. Was NASCAR as good in 2000-2002 as it was in 1997-1999 in your guys view?" I've been watching races since 1983,but didn't become a fan and every race watcher of Nascar until 1993. The racing was far more intuitive back then and the driver's were far more mentally tough. which is why Terry Labonte won a title in '96 against the Rainbow Juggernaut. They didn't throw cautions for cars brushing the wall,and they didn't hype things up like today. My favorite aspect of the 90's is how much of a villain Jeff Gordon was,and the crowd reactions he got when he crashed out of a race. Such as The 1997 Bristol Night race and The First Richmond race of 1998. The 1993-2002 era is my favorite. 294. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, it's time for my preseason rant: First, NASCAR was at its finest in the mid 1990's. It was a Southern sport that catered to its audience. The drivers were all able to be related to the audience watching. Media exposure was beginning to boom, the racing was as close as ever and the national popularity was beginning to skyrocket. Then, as the 90's wound down, things begin to change. NASCAR began to expand to the left, the face of the sport was fading and the finances started to get out of hand. For the most part, however, things were still good. Next, the 2000's began. With that brought unforeseen amounts of exposure, massive amounts of sponsor contracts and the death of a legend. Selfishly or not, NASCAR gained a lot of popularity after Earnhardt died and it really brought in a new audience, which seemed to be beneficial. I think this began another uprising in popularity. However, around the 2003 season is when NASCAR took a massive nosedive. The Brian France reign of terror began with tons of gimmicks that started a five year decline of the sport. France's incompetence, mixed with the tanking economy, NASCAR began to decline big time. The Cha$e, the COT, favorable tracks getting dropped, the departure of Winston, GWC's, etc., this all took away from on track action. Finally, by the mid to late 2000's, everything began to turn into drama, instead of the on track product. Social networking may have helped with that, too. Television networks, with the help of the NASCAR brass promoted this, too. I don't even want to get started on the lack of driver development exposure that NASCAR lost during this time. Instead of competitive racing, NASCAR used gimmicks, manufactured drama and social networking to market the sport. Now, NASCAR has made a mild effort, maybe for PR purposes, to bring back its 1990's roots. Bringing back old school tracks, uniform start times and decent looking cars are a good start to do so. However, there are still tons of things that need to be done and I don't think anyone has the confidence in Brian France to do those. I don't. Next, I don't think NASCAR's drivers today respect the sport enough. Don't get me wrong, I play sports and take care of my body, but NASCAR drivers are centered around both physical and personal image. These guys are running marathons, working out daily and some even posing for magazines. I'm not against it, but back in the 90's we just didn't see that. Earnhardt, Wallace, Labonte, Rudd, Jarrett? These guys were racers, not models. Audiences could relate to them and most of their upbringings. They understood the importance and history of NASCAR. We don't have that now. Danica, for instance, made those comments about Travis Kvapil. As noted, does she not respect a former NASCAR champion? Heck, she didn't even know the qualifying procedure this past Sunday. That's as ludicrous as Donovan McNabb not knowing an NFL game could end in a tie. In the 1990's a lot of the drivers really enjoyed racing. Now, due to sponsorships, increased media pressure and ego reasons, drivers really don't seem to enjoy it as much. Finally, I'm calling out both the fans and the media. The fans whine about every single freaking things. NASCAR stupidly caters to them an makes so many changes that it's a turn off for the regular viewers, like me. The media doesn't get it, either. I listen to a lot of radio shows and any fan that ridicules NASCAR seems to get laughed at. Obviously, I respect these hosts for standing up for the product and people who basically sign their checks. However, a little constructive criticism never hurts. It frustrates me to hear color commentators kiss up to drivers like Danica Patrick, simply because they're trying to get a new demographic. Winning a Daytona pole takes about as much talent as it takes me to do so on Playstation. In conclusion, despite how nostalgic I may be, I understand that change happens. But, NASCAR could have done better things along the way to improve the racing, but was too blind to do so. In my biased opinion, I've looked at NASCAR as a different era since the 2001 season. Obviously losing Dale is a huge transition, but it hasn't been the same for me since Atlanta, 2000. Maybe some of you can recognize the perspective that I'm coming from on these issues. 295. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, I would strongly any newer NASCAR fan to check out races, articles and names from the pre-2001 NASCAR days. That era produced a totally different vibe than what you get now. 296. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well said, OldSchoolNascarDude1....I've only been a NASCAR fan since about 2002, but I've watched a lot of older races and what you say seems to be spot on. 297. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 6:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Bleacher report has Danica Patrick winning the pole ahead of Ned Jarrett calling Dale Jarrett to the line in its list of greatest Daytona 500 moments." From a Jarrett fan, I can say Bleacher Report can kiss my ... Take your gimmicks and go the h*## away! Looking forward to the Duels as soon as I can leave work around 2:20. 298. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 7:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Meanwhile, Mikey sticks in his oar to the rawr-rawr girl-power publicity-stunt mill, hiring the "first female pit crew member". First, apparently everyones forgotten Shawana Robinson's all-female Truck pit crew, although considering how that stunt turned out one can hardly be blamed. Secondly, the fact that Jimmy Ingram's daughter was his crew chief at Dover at 1980 is curiously forgotten and ignored by everyone. Thirdly, the fact this particular lady's publicity machine tried to claim that her being a crewmember at the Snowball Derby this last year made her the first female NASCAR crew member merits a "Did Not Do The Research, Facepalmingly So" award as the Derby hasn't been a NASCAR-sanctioned race since 1992... Finally, this proves once again that there is nothing, nothing at all, that Michael Waltrip won't try and cash in on. 299. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.21.2013 - 8:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is another good idea for a race name lets rename the Brickyard 400 into the Payton Manning 1 & Done Deal 400. 300. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 8:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, this is the big question. For 100,000 points: What the significance of today's date? 301. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Alright, this is the big question. For 100,000 points: What the significance of today's date?" Nixon become's the first U.S President to visit China? 302. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nixon become's the first U.S President to visit China?" No. (Hint: It is an important date in NASCAR history.) 303. jabber1990 posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wrote something in one of my racing stories about an all-female pit crew the guy kept pissing his sponsors off so he would do almost anything for publicity, the driver went on to have a pretty good season, but that was still like 7 sponsors ago 304. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I got it! The King's final and 555th Top 5 at Richmond in 1988. 305. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) David,Nascar was founded today 65 years ago. 306. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ding ding ding!!! We have our winner. Yes, JG24FanForever, NASCAR was officially incorporated on February 21st, 1948. 307. Daniel posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #298, didnt' Kertus Davis have a female crew chief a few years ago too? 308. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Today is the 15th anniversary of Matt Kenseth's 1st Nascar win in The Busch Series, with an epic bump-and-run move on Tony Stewart at The Rock. 309. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 12:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OldSchoolNascarDude, love it. I love how, with all drivers, they will mention some of their most impressive stats in racing, but with Danica, her main stat is that she has appeared in 12 Super Bowl ads. Really? How long til we officially declare NASCAR "no longer a sport"? 310. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 12:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) STP is sponsoring the Spring Martinsville race! And Almirola will drive a car co sponsored by Jani King that will look like the Riverside car when The King first had the STP logo (all Petty Blue with the STP logo I guess). WIN!!!!! Can't wait to go there! 311. Paul posted: 02.21.2013 - 12:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For anyone who has to miss the Duel race that starts at 2:00 PM ET (like me), SPEED will be airing a replay of the Duel at 7:30 PM ET tonight. 312. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 12:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >#298, didnt' Kertus Davis have a female crew chief a few years ago too? That vaguely rings a bell, but that was in my "meh" period so, only vaguely. Just makes the blatant "HISTORY!!!"-grubbing even worse, though. 313. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 1:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, how the heck is Brennan Newberry eligible for Truck Series ROTY when he ran 10 races for points last year? 314. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 1:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So I just saw on Twitter that next year's qualifying races will not be run in daytime, instead moving to primetime? I don't like the sound of that.... 315. Frank posted: 02.21.2013 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Trying to find - is this Daytona 500 has fewest number of entries? Just 45 for the biggest NASCAR race look miserable... 316. JRacingfast posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 314. joey2448 posted: 02.21.13 - 1:53 pm "So I just saw on Twitter that next year's qualifying races will not be run in daytime, instead moving to primetime? I don't like the sound of that.... " Why whats wrong with having the duels at night it will add to the excitment. 315. Frank posted: 02.21.13 - 1:54 pm Trying to find - is this Daytona 500 has fewest number of entries? Just 45 for the biggest NASCAR race look miserable... And its just because of the new gen 6 car not alot of small teams have cars ready....give it a few years and the entry list will be back up 317. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There's been 500s with only 45 cars entered before - 2004, for instance. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney is listed on the Truck Series practice sheet as running for Rookie of the Year. Apparently the maximum number of races you can run in a series and still be eligible was raised to 10, and nobody told us. 318. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JRacingfast, I just like seeing the Duels held in the daytime cuz that's how it's always been and how it should be. I never really warmed up to having the Daytona 500 moved to a nighttime finish, and I'm glad they moved to back to the daytime (except in 2010 for the pothole and last year with the rains). Having the races end in the glorious Daytona sunshine feels better than the night. The same goes for the championship race at Homestead. But that's just my opinion.... Let's go racing! 319. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh by the way, bold prediction here: Bobby Labonte will snap his long winless streak this season! I'm feelin' it! 320. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Daytona 500 clinch scenarios: - Any driver will qualify outright for the Daytona 500 by finishing in the top fifteen (excluding the pole sitter) in their respective Budweiser Duel. The following scenarios apply only if the driver in question does not finish in the top fifteen in their respective Budweiser Duel. Budweiser Duel #1: By virtue of winning the pole, Danica Patrick has already qualified for the Daytona 500. If Trevor Bayne and/or Tony Stewart finishes outside of the top fifteen, they will qualify by having the fastest and third-fastest qualifying times among non-front row starters. If Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, or Denny Hamlin finish outside of the top fifteen, they will qualify by virtue of their teams finishing first, third, fifth, and sixth among non-front row teams in the 2012 owner standings, respectively. Joey Logano - He will qualify by speed if at least three non-front row starters with faster times finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least fourteen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - He will qualify by speed if at least five non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least five non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Juan Pablo Montoya - He will qualify by speed if at least seven non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least eighteen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Casey Mears - He will qualify by speed if at least nine non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least twenty-three non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Carl Edwards - He will qualify by speed if at least eleven non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least nine non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Martin Truex, Jr. - He will qualify by speed if at least thirteen non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least four non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Kevin Harvick - He will qualify by speed if at least nineteen non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least two non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. David Gilliland - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-three non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least twenty-four non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Michael Waltrip - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-five non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. Kurt Busch - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-seven non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least seventeen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Scott Speed - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-nine non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. Regan Smith - He will qualify by owner points if at least twenty non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Bobby Labonte - He will qualify by owner points if at least nineteen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. David Reutimann - He will qualify by owner points if at least twenty-five non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Joe Nemechek - He will qualify by owner points if the two starters with lower rank finish outside the top fifteen in both Duels. Brian Keselowski - He must finish in the top fifteen to qualify for the Daytona 500. 321. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Seeing Mikey wearing The King's helmet: ugh, just wrong on so many levels. 322. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why IS he wearing The King's helmet? 323. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Trevor Bayne's leading the way so far, Danica seems to be holding her own in traffic. It doesn't look like Brian Keselowski is gonna make the 500 thi syear, his car just doesn't have the speed and Brad's in no position to help him draft to the front. 324. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *this year 325. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson looks terrible. Trevor Bayne seems to be the strongest so far. 326. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd rather watch 2x2 racing than this shit. 327. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This the first time the 48 has ever been in the draft with this car. He ran single car runs in all the practices and didn't run long in the Unlimited before getting caught up in the big one. 328. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica Patrick isn't even in the draft anymore. Bad Brad's car looks great. 329. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pleasantly surprised with Brad's car. The HMS cars look bad in the draft. Jimmie, June, Tony, and Danica dropped like rocks despite appearing to try to run. Hey cjs, you were right. 330. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Racing just starting to get good and they go to commercial. This is gonna be a long year. 331. JRacingfast posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) meanwhile harvick took the lead and fox doesnt agnolige it are show us how he gtot the lead 332. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson has risen like a phoenix in this race. If Johnson grasped the car that quickly,then Gordon should be pretty good in the second duel. 333. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Too many commercials,( 334. Schroeder51 posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) HARD crash for Carl Edwards. 335. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Holy Cow!! Hard hit for Carl Edwards. 336. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That sucks. 337. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Close call for Dale Jr. as he was right behind Trevor Bayne. If my count's right this the third car the 99 has wrecked this speedweeks. 338. MarkMartinFan posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I can't stand when drivers/spotters run their mouths on the radio after a crash. Usually they are completely wrong after they see the replay. As soon as that wreck happened, somebody on the 11 team blamed Trevor Bayne for spinning them. He wasn't anywhere near the bumper of the 11. 339. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well this might spice the finish up a little, but at least it was a legit caution! 340. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is getting good.... 341. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kevin Harvick has got this thing figured out. 342. Schroeder51 posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We just HAVE to see exclusive replays of Michael Waltrip qualifying for the Daytona 500! 343. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kevin Harvick looks like Dale Jr. ala Speedweeks 2003. He's even driving a Budweiser car! 344. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yepers DSFF. "I'd rather watch 2x2 racing than this shit." I looked up inept in the dictionary and found Greg Biffle, seriously what the heck is up with him. He through a huge block on Montoya half-way down the backstretch which caused his car to get wiggly with about two laps to go. I don't care for Juan Pablo Montoya, but he had four fresh tires and a rocketship and could have snagged the win from Harvick. If Biffle pushed Michael Waltrip to the lead late in the 500, he would block for him and "settle" for second or third. 345. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny, you screwed up, now man up. And now to interview the 17th place finisher. Richard Childress wins the Clash/Shootout/whatever and the qualifier. Wonder if he has deja vu? And here is Mikey. Oy. 346. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *Biffle threw a block. 347. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes Mikey, the people of Newtown can smile now. They are two months removed from losing 20 tiny children, but you are driving a car in a race with their town's name on it, so all's well that ends well. What a good guy. 348. I love Japan posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Bowyer is my new favorite lmao. 349. Schroeder51 posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, it looks like Mike Bliss and Brian Keselowski are going to be the two to not make the Daytona 500...that would be exactly who I thought was going to miss the race. 350. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Budweiser Duel #2: By virtue of winning the outside pole, Jeff Gordon has already qualified for the Daytona 500. If Ryan Newman and/or Kasey Kahne finish outside the top fifteen, they will qualify by having the second- and fourth-fastest qualifying times among non-front row starters. If Clint Bowyer finishes outside the top fifteen, he will qualify by virtue of his team finishing second among non-front row teams in the 2012 owner standings, respectively. Kyle Busch - He will qualify by speed if at least two non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least six non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Matt Kenseth - He will qualify by speed if at least four non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least eleven non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - He will qualify by speed if at least six non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least one non-front row starter with higher rank finishes in the top fifteen in either Duel. Paul Menard - He will qualify by speed if at least eight non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least ten non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Austin Dillon - He will qualify by speed if at least ten non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND all thirty non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in both Duels. Jeff Burton - He will qualify by speed if at least fourteen non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least thirteen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Jamie McMurray - He will qualify by speed if at least sixteen non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least sixteen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Marcos Ambrose - He will qualify by speed if at least eighteen non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least twelve non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Aric Almirola - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least fifteen non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Mark Martin - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-two non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least eight non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. David Ragan - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-four non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least twenty-two non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Josh Wise - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-six non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. Michael McDowell - He will qualify by speed if at least twenty-eight non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in either Duel. Terry Labonte - He will qualify by speed if all thirty non-front row starters with faster times finish in the the top fifteen in both Duels. - He will qualify by owner points if he does not qualify by speed AND at least twenty-seven non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Dave Blaney - He will qualify by owner points if at least twenty-six non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. J.J. Yeley - He will qualify by owner points if at least twenty-eight non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Travis Kvapil - He will qualify by owner points if at least twenty-one non-front row starters with higher rank finish in the top fifteen in either Duel. Mike Bliss - He must finish in the top fifteen to qualify for the Daytona 500. 351. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "They are two months removed from losing 20 tiny children" No offense to you, DSFF, but we need to remember that six adults were killed, too. 352. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon too fast... 353. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As long as he doesn't wreck, JG24, I think he'll be okay. 354. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Will bitter rivals start in row 2 on Sunday? 355. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well that was boring. 356. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle, when you have to give your crew a cue to celebrate, that is a sign that they hate you. 357. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is the year that NASCAR officially hits rock bottom. 358. startandparkfan posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian Keselowski and Mike Bliss DNQ. 359. startandparkfan posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Would be the same for fastest 43 as well! 360. I love Japan posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We are in for a boring 500. 361. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joie Chitwood III should definitely consider Larry Mac's suggestion after the 2000 Twins, install cots because fans at the track will need them for the Daytona 500. What a parade. 362. cjs3872 posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It looks like ESPN Classic has changed their schedule, because the 1979 Daytona 500 is not airing now. What that probably means is that the 1973 and 1978 races have been taken off the schedule and the 1979 race will take it's place at noon ET tomorrow. Also, part of what SPEED did not air during the 1983 Daytona 500 was shown, but not all of what SPEED didn't air, as laps 94-110 were shown, but not laps 76-93. And t looks like Kevin Harvick is about to test fate as others have before him. Drivers like Buddy Baker (1979), Darrell Waltrip (1981), Neil Bonnett (1983), Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (4 times-1986, '91, '93, '95), Ken Schrader (1989), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (2003), Tony Stewart (2007), and most recently Kurt Busch (2011) have all won both the Busch Clash/Shootout/Unlimited and their qualifying race in the same yar, as Harvick has done this year. No driver has ever won both of those races and the Daytona 500 in the same year. Now Harvick will get his shot to break this curse Sunday. 363. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon has led the Most laps for the 6 times in 21 Qualifying race starts. 1993 29 laps led finished 1st 1999 38 laps led finished 2nd 2002 50 laps led finished 1st 2005 28 laps led finished 7th 2006 38 laps led finished 1st 2013 38 laps led finished 12th Looking forward to sunday:) 364. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *for the 6th time Notice that Gordon doesn't win a Qualifying race before he wins a 500. 365. JRacingfast posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My after Duel picks to win the 500 Obvious-Kevin Harvick- He looks strong and could be the first to complete the daytona triple crown. Middle of the pack- I wanna say Trevor Bayne because he looked good in his duel hopefully going to the back-up car wont phase him Dark horse- Micheal Waltrip- Even though hes not really a dark horse the team hes driving for makes him one What are some of your guys? 366. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) * 1999 39 laps led finished 2nd 367. Daniel posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dark Horse: Casey Mears. That #13 has looked pretty good. 368. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Reportedly the #13 has full sponsorship from Geico for this year and next now as well. 369. joey2448 posted: 02.21.2013 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Obvious - Happy Harvick (I'd put Jeff Gordon here too). Middle of pack - Tony Stewart. He dropped back probably to help Danica out, and eventually finished sixth. The Chevys as a whole seem to be fast. Dark horse - Austin Dillon. 3rd place finish in his duel race, and he's naturally a conservative driver, which could help him in the 500, or it could backfire. If he's too timid to make a move late in the race (helping a driver in the low groove), he won't get to the front. P.S. If Trevor Bayne hadn't been caught up in that wreck today, I would include him on the list. His car looked fast, but I don't know what his backup car is like. Just like what cjs3872 predicted, Bayne will start 33rd on Sunday. 370. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is what we need: *To the tune of "Ice Cream And Cake And Cake"* Roof fins and wicker bills Roof fins and wicker bills Roof fins and bills do the roof fins and bills Roof fins and bills do the roof fins and bills 371. cjs3872 posted: 02.21.2013 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joey2448, as for your statements about whether or not Austin Dillon will be a factor depends on what kind of race it is, but conservative drivers do have a history of doing well in the Daytona 500, because it is, as Sam Posey once called the Indianapolis 500, a "very volatile race". But yet, Kasey Kahne, who I would classify as a conservative driver, has never done well in the Daytona 500, though he has done better in the Firecracker, once finishing second. For an example of how conservative drivers do excel in the Daytona 500, I give two classic examples. Terry Labonte and Benny Parsons. Among NASCAR's champions, they were two of the most conservative drivers ever, yet both had sterling finishing records in the Daytona 500, but their conservatve nature was why they didn't win more than they did. Parsons' only Daytona 500 win came when David Pearson spun out late in the 1975 race, and Labonte never won at Daytona. Yet, Parsons is the only drver with four consecutive top three finishes (won in '75, third in '76, second in '77, and third in '78) and his eight top five finishes are among the highest totals in race history, and I consider Labonte the greatest Daytona 500 driver never to win the race, finishing second three times and had numerous other top finishes. Yet each had only one race where they led at least 10% of the race (20 laps). Parsons led 37 laps in 1979 and Labonte led the most laps in 1996, at 44. But where part-timers like Austin Dillon and Trevor Bayne are at a substantial diadvantage is the pit crew. Dillon's in better shape there because Richard Childress can give him a Nationwide Series pit crew, possibly even his own (the #3 NNS pit crew), but Bayne's team (the Wood Brothers) is out to lunch on that front, because his really is a part-time pit crew, though a combination of poor pit strategy and driver error (entering the pits) contributed to his downfall. And you're right, I did predct Bayne to start 33rd, but more because he wouldn't get any help because his is a single-car team (and a part-time one at that), but he was fortunate that while he was leading the race, the guy running second, Casey Mears, was in the same predicament, a single-car team, so they decded to work together and become a defacto two-car team. I actually thought that his and Kevin Harvick's were the two strongest cars in the first qualifying race, and not just because thy were the only ones to lead it. And by the way, what is it this year with solid, first-tier drivers being unable to control their cars, even without being touched? Denny Hamlin just lost control of his, collecting Bayne and Carl Edwards in the process. And apparently I seem to be the only one that pretty much knew that the field was set for the Daytona 500 before the qualifying races began. Certainly those calling the race didn't know it, because Brian Keselowski was far off the pace, so you knew he wasn't goig to make it. So when Mike Bliss had his window net problem, everyone but those calling the race knew exactly who was in the Daytona 500. The qualifying races, as I predicted a few days ago, were just to see who started where behind the front row cars. So why they built up the phony drama of the transfer positions is something I can't figure out, because with only 45 cars showing up and the two cars missing the race being obvious, I think that's why the qualifying races ran so cleanly, because everyone among the lower budgeted teams (except the #19 and #52 teams) knew they would be in, so why take a chance on wrecking the car? The cars that didn't qualify needed at least seven cars to fall out of each qualifying race to make it in themselves, and the only way that could happen is if those on the track were stupid, and for once, they raced intelligently. 372. JG24FanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon surpassed his Daytona 500 lap led total with his qualifying race lap led total today. Pepsi Firecracker 400: 315 laps led-3 wins-3 races led most Qualifying race: 285 laps led-5 wins-6 races led most Daytona 500: 275 laps led-3 wins 373. Paul posted: 02.21.2013 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So I had to miss the Duel race earlier today, but had planned on watching the re-air tonight (which is just starting right now). I was gonna stay away from TV and internet because I truly wanted to be surprised by the outcome; who would win, who would miss the race, and how the starting lineup would look like. What happens shortly after I get home? My phone goes off. I checked it, curious to know if my friend texted me back from earlier today, and to my chagrin, it was a notification from ESPN Scorecenter saying that Harvick and Kyle won, and Brian and Bliss went home. UGH! It's times like this when I wish it was 1997 again, because none of this technology and access to the news existed 16 years ago. 374. murb posted: 02.21.2013 - 7:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just watched the Duels that I taped. 500's gonna suck. Enough said. Obvious Picks - Kyle, Harvick, Gordon Should Be Good - Kenseth, Bayne, Bowyer, Kahne, Biffle, Hamlin, Edwards Darkhorse - Logano (seriously, as much as I don't like him, he's looked solid in Speedweeks), Menard, Dillon, Mears, Mikey 375. Eric posted: 02.21.2013 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Obvious Picks - Harvick, Gordon, Biffle, Kyle Busch Should be good - Kenseth, stewart, bowyer Darkhorse- Dillon, mears, Waltrip 376. Eric posted: 02.21.2013 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like Kevin Harvick and Biffle the most for this race. They got the best cars. I know Biffle doesn't have great a reputation at plate racing, but he has figured out Daytona. Kevin is having a speedweeks that Dale Earnhardt Sr. used to have so far except for winning the 500 in his most dominating speed week years. 377. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.21.2013 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Holy knish, Batman! I just realized that me and KBI were the only ones to pick Shruby to win. 378. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This just in from Ray Dunlap's twitter: ROTY rules have changed for this year, drivers can now run up to 10 points races and still be eligiible. Explains how Ryan Blaney and Brendan Newberry are ROTY candidates in Trucks... 379. Paul posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here my late thoughts on the 1st Duel race: - Danica is a terrible drafter. She has allegedly the fastest legal car all week, and yet she loses the lead draft and finishes 17th. She was even beat by David Gilliland, who lost the lead draft early but finished inside the top 15 in the lead draft. - Jimmie Johnson isn't a good bump drafter, as he turned David Reutimann sideways coming off turn 2 about halfway through the race. Nobody else turned anyone sideways...well, except for the wind behind Denny Hamlin - David Reutimann is a better wheel man than Denny Hamlin. Reuti has a 3500 pound car turn him and he saves it, Denny has weightless air turn him and he causes a 4-car wreck. - If there's one thing I agree with Kevin Harvick on, it's that Greg Biffle is an idiot. He could have caused a wreck in the closing laps by drafting too closely to Harvick and Johnson in at the top of the track in the turns, and then he darts down the track and blocks Montoya. If he's Roush's senior member this season, that team is in trouble. - Carl Edwards was WAY too cheerful about having his 3rd wrecked race car just three days before the Daytona 500. And Steve Byrnes was even more cheerful than Carl while interviewing him about his wreck. Could you imagine Chris Economacki joking with Richard Petty about him having a wrecked race car while interviewing him following the 1976 Daytona 500? Good grief. Some of these drivers have so many race cars that they don't even care if they wreck some of them. - The entire Fox crew acted like Mikey did something important by finishing 14th in the Duel race. So I guess we're just supposed to forget that he lost 10 positions in the final three laps. - 17 is greater than 1. By that I mean the 17th place finisher got more air time than the driver who actually won the race. I guess Harvick's ass didn't taste good enough for Fox to put their lips on. - Kevin Harvick is the best restrictor plate driver in NASCAR today. He's always got a great car, doesn't make any mistakes that could take himself out of the race, and knows how to win. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he completes the "Speedweeks Sweep" by winning the Daytona 500. He's that good. - Fox is simply awful. Just awful. I won't get into specifics because I'm sure all of you know what I'm talking about, but they in the past year have passed ESPN as being the worst NASCAR broadcasting network. 380. Paul posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, that first Duel was pretty bad until the very end because of the late restart. Knowing how the 2nd Duel ends and the general consensus from others, I think I'm just going to skip that race. Looking forward to the Truck race tomorrow night, which should be the best race of the weekend. 381. murb posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone wanna guess what I just read? "Budweiser Duel moves to night in 2014: Daytona International Speedway announced Thursday that the Budweiser Duel 150-mile qualifying races for the Daytona 500 will be moved next year to a night-time start and be televised by Fox. "To earn a coveted starting spot in the Daytona 500, the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will have to perform under the lights and in front of a primetime audience in the Budweiser Duel,'' DIS president Joie Chitwood III said. "Moving the Budweiser Duel under the lights will add another dimension to Budweiser Speedweeks.'' The qualifying races join the Sprint Unlimited and the Camping World Truck Series race as night-time events during Speedweeks.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(2-21-2013" I'm almost done. 382. cjs3872 posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, a couple of reponses. First, I think Danica wasjust being ultra-conservative because she didn't want to chance being in a wreck, yet needed to now how her car handled. Also, part of why she and Tony Stewart dropped to the back so quick has to do with how much faster the ouside line is. But Dainca was being ultra-conservative, and who can blame her? About Jimmie Johnson, he's never really been that good a bump drafter. Remember the big wrecks he caued several years ago at Talladega when trying to bump draft. Him not being that good at bump drafting isn't exactly news, because he never really has been. As far as Greg Biffle, I had no real problem with him running so close to the other cars and then defending his position on the last lap or two. What was actually worse occurred in the second qualifying race when Matt Kenseth chopped Paul Menard, but unlike in practice, he got away with it. But you are right in saying that if he's the supossed leader of Roush's team, they are in trouble, something I said when they let Matt Kenseth go last year. And Carl Edwards has had so much freaky bad luck at Daytona that all he can do at this point is laugh about it. And Steve Byrnes may have been laughing about something he said, I don't know. The only problem is that the commentators have become too close to the competitors. And you said hat the FOX crew shoud not have said that Michael Waltrip accomplished something important merely by qualifying for the race. From a pure racing standpoint, that may be true, but Michael's racing in the Daytona 500 for something far more important this time around. And him dropping back in the last few laps was simply a case of a slow car dropping back to where it was supposed to be. I agree that FOX is awful, but they've neve really been that good because the commentators promote themselves too much, and not the sport. They're also guilty of adding drama where there is none. As I said, everyone knew wht the starting field for the Daytona 500 was going to be, especially when Mike Bliss had his window net problem. After all, with only two cars gong home, ad knowing befoe the qualifying races even began that unless something crazy happened in the first qualifying race, that Brian Keselowski would be one of the two, the qualifying races were only goi to determine starting position, because we all knew who was going to be in the field. The only thing left to determine was who would start third on back. Everyone, that is, except the people at FOX, who continued to try to create drama concering the transfer spots, when we all knew the transfer positions meant nothing his time around. Next year might be different, but this time the qualifying races only determined starting position. Now you know why I wish we could see drivers from other disciplines at least try to run the Daytona 500, just like the old days. If they did, there would be more competition for those trying to make the field, and drama would then truly exist for those final spots. I don't know about you guys, but I would rather see guys like Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Scott Pruett, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, and other IndyCar or sports car drivers try to make this race, rather than the guys that will start at the back of the field, like Josh Wise, Michael McDowell, Scott Speed, J.J. Yeley, Travis Kvapil, etc. And some of those other drivers actally drve for car owners that have car in the Daytona 500 field, so what harm is there in adding another car for some of these drivers from other disciplines of racing. Having drivers from other disciplines is one thing that used to set races like the Daytona 500 apart. Now it's become just another NASCAR race from that point of view, albeit the biggest NASCAR race of all. 383. Paul posted: 02.21.2013 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) GEICO has announced they will be sponsoring Casey Mears for the entire 2013 and 2014 seasons, so there will be no more start-and-parking for the #13 Germain Racing team. The past three seasons, Germain had been fielding the #13 car every race of the season, but would start-and-park during races when GEICO wasn't funding their effort that weekend (although they would leave the decals on the car). Good, one less start-and-park car. 384. Paul posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, Michael Waltrip is a 4-time race winner in the Sprint Cup Series, with two of those wins coming in the Daytona 500. Him racing his way into a race that he has won twice before shouldn't be as big of a surprise as the Fox crew made it out to be. As for him getting this attention solely for his support paint scheme, Regan Smith and Benny Gordon ran similar tribute paint schemes for the tragedy in Aurora, CO, yet their good deeds weren't NEARLY as publicized as Mikey's was. Could that be because he works for Fox and his brother is one of the commentators? And since when has a commentator buzzed down from the booth to speak to a driver immediately after the race ended? I've never seen that happen immediately following a race. While I agree that this is a good thing that Mikey is doing, attention or not, no serious sports network would do that. I think it was very unprofessional for Fox to buzz into a driver's radio immediately after a race, tribute scheme or not, and I highly doubt they would have done the same thing had another driver driven that paint scheme. As for Jimmie Johnson being a bad bump drafter, that much is obvious given his history at Daytona and Talladega. But for a driver who has won five championships to be as bad at bump drafting as he was before he was a NASCAR champion says a lot about his skill set as a driver. I know it's sort of accepted by the racing community (except when a female driver wins the pole) that it doesn't take a lot of skill to do well on the restrictor plate tracks. While I agree that restrictor plate tracks don't require a lot of ability from a driving standpoint, they do require a lot from a mental and driver IQ standpoint. You have to be a smart race car driver to do well on the restrictor plate tracks because of how mentally draining those races can be, especially since most laps are fairly repetitive, so one mistake can take a driver out of the running. And in those two latter categories, I will go on record at saying that I think drivers who don't do well on restrictor plate tracks lack both, and that includes Jimmie Johnson. And yes, the reporters are far too close to the drivers that they cover. As bad as the commentators and producers are at showing the racing as it happens, the pit reporters do a terrible job of adding professionalism to the broadcasts when they interview drivers. It's one thing to be excited for a driver while interviewing them, but it's another thing to be buddies with them. There are a few good NASCAR reporters today, mostly from the TNT and ESPN crews (both of those networks have great pit reporters), but the Fox reporters are far too interested in being with and around the drivers, rather than getting comments from them. 385. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ii wish I could read a press release that says "in light of the pitiful 2000-esque racing we have seen, we will be mandating roof fins and wicker bills for the Sprint Cup restrictor plate cars effective immediately". Glad GEICO is sticking with the #13. I think they are gonna have a pretty good season, Top 25 comfortably. 386. Cornys posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As anticipated by me, when there's real racing at Daytona the fans complain. Track position matters now! Driver skill matters now! Bump drafting is gone, and the pack is borken up now :). Yeah, there's a lot of single file. Sounds just like racing at every other track. It's not entertainment guys! It's RACING (for the first time at Daytona in a LONG time) 387. Daniel posted: 02.21.2013 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm glad to see tires actually matter again. Mears and Edwards didn't take any and plummeted like rocks, leading to the Hamlin/Edwards crash. 388. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 11:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, the winter storm has finished pillaging our neck of the woods in Kansas (it left over a foot of snow), but its headed northeast toward Minnesota. Have fun, Paul! I can't wait until Sunday. Go Jeff! 389. David posted: 02.21.2013 - 11:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "but its" *but it's* 390. 83andJoe posted: 02.21.2013 - 11:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >It's RACING (for the first time at Daytona in a LONG time) Go watch the 1991 Firecracker 400 on Youtube, and then get back to us on how what we currently have is "RACING". If you can still say it's "RACING" with a straight face, you should go straight out and join the Screen Actors Guild. 391. 12345Dude posted: 02.22.2013 - 12:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Glad GEICO is sticking with the #13. I think they are gonna have a pretty good season, Top 25 comfortably." That team has as much funding and resources as Richard Petty Motorsports yet they compete with the Furniture Row, BK Racing, Phoenix Racing, JTG Daughtry Racing, Tommy Baldwin etc. Because those teams have a lot of money and resources! The only reason Casey still has that ride is because of Geico and their commercials. Casey Mears in Danica Patrick minus the press and media coverage. There is no reason he should be in cup series. Yet no hate. Daytona looks like it's going to be a bad race. It seems impossible to pass. I have another random tidbit obviously Michael Waltrip is an awful racer, and only won those two Daytona 500's because of DEI's equipment. But why does no one on here give him credit for what he has done with his team? Compare them from 2007 to now. I think they are the best new NASCAR team in the 21st century. Let's give the man some credit. "Yes Mikey, the people of Newtown can smile now. They are two months removed from losing 20 tiny children, but you are driving a car in a race with their town's name on it, so all's well that ends well. What a good guy. " He said they could smile now, for a few minutes I believe. I don't think that's what he meant at all. 392. 12345Dude posted: 02.22.2013 - 12:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know Hendrick has the engines but RCR looks really, really good. I actually believe they are the team to beat. I wouldn't look down on Kurt Busch. He's the guy that Richard is trying to build his team around. And don't forget Harvick is one the way out. Richard won't be forgetting that any time soon. And the guy is extremely underrated on the plate tracks. Kurt Busch Daytona Stats: 24 Starts 10 Top 5's Talladega Stats: 24 Starts 6 Top 5's 13 Top 10's It's either him or Gordon. In my opinion Clint Bowyer re-awoke the beast of Jeff Gordon. The fire is back. It's definitely back. He went into a mindset that he has an amazing wife and children. And he was happy with what he did in NASCAR. He was ready to retire and start enjoying life outside of the track. And I don't think that's the case anymore. Clint re-awoke the beast. Clint still isn't talking to Jeff and I think that's the worst thing he can possibly do. Jeff WILL win the title this year. 393. I love Japan posted: 02.22.2013 - 12:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF this is like 2000 Speedweeks all over again, lmao. That was my first Speedweeks. 394. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 12:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yep, we definitely got that snow up here that David was talking about. The weather report shows we will get 3-6 inches tonight. It's unlikely to happen, but it sure would be nice if classes were cancelled tomorrow due to weather, especially since I got a bad case of the "Carolina Flu" knowing the NASCAR season is about to officially kick-off this weekend. 395. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 1:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm watching a re-air of Truck final practice, and Ryan Truex said that he's working on putting together a plan to run the full Truck Series schedule this season. Right now he's only got Daytona on his schedule, and won't be able to drive for Turner all season (unless Turner creates a 5th Truck team) because Turner is planning on running a few developmental drivers a couple times this year. I hope he gets a full-time deal put together for this season. I know I've made some disparaging comments about him in the past, but he's WAY too talented to just be doing spot duty in various NASCAR series. He really impressed me in both of his Truck starts last season at Martinsville and Phoenix, not to mention his heartbreaking loss at Dover in the Nationwide race. Given an opportunity to run a full schedule, I think he could definitely win races and compete for a championship if put with the right team (such as Turner Scott Motorsports). 396. jabber1990 posted: 02.22.2013 - 3:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) im currently in Nebraska, im parked at the Boselmann in Grand Island, I got out of the truck in ankle deep snow after the 2nd Duel, after watching victory Lane, Truck Practice, the duel, the Duel, Victory Lane, and Truck Practice the snow was way above my ankle and many vehicles were (and still are) buried in snow to the door, and heard rumors about I80 being closed there was a story about a guy who was knocked into the median by the wind and the police arent going to save him cause they dont want to kill the tow truck drivers 397. 83andJoe posted: 02.22.2013 - 3:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul - Truex has registered for Truck ROTY, so presumably he's close to locking up that deal. 398. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) With the Gen. 6 car, roof fins and wicker bills racing would be sweet. Will it happen? Likely not. Track position and handling should matter... at the other 32 races, but Daytona and Talladega are special cases. It is like the WWE letting the Undertaker and the Rock know that their services will no longer be needed. 399. David posted: 02.22.2013 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The weather report shows we will get 3-6 inches tonight." Wow, you got lucky (or unlucky), We easily had 15 inches where I live. The schools closed for three days, including today. 400. Speed Freek posted: 02.22.2013 - 9:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Based on what i've seen so far this 500 will rival 2000 for pure boredom. 401. Kubica Fan Ireland posted: 02.22.2013 - 11:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know longer get to watch any nascar highligths as the tv deal has been dropped so you guys will have to be my eyes and ears over the next 10 months when it comes to nascar. Cjs also what is the name of your youtube channel. Would really like if someone did a run thru of all the teams highligthing theie strengths and weaknesses, kind of like with the duels for requirements to make the field thanks. Also people worrying about Bayne and his chances in the 500 should not worry as I think he crashed in 2011, anyway he started 32 so he will be fine. Also just to note that Johnson was actually pretty good if not terrific at the old style of drafting at Daytona.IN his first 5 500s he had 4 top5s and was top16 each time.It has been the 2 car tango and cot drafting that he has struggled with.Everyone mentions how Stewart has not won the 500, but no one ever mentions Knaus. I know he is the crew chief and he could extend the line of championship crew chiefs who were the best in the era who never won the 500 other examples of recent times include Zipadelli, Andy Petree and Kirk Shelmerdine. I am sure Cjs Paul and other fans with more extensive nascar knowledge could add to this list. Who is the greatest to have never won the 500 in your opinion? non-driver 402. Kubica Fan Ireland posted: 02.22.2013 - 11:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I no longer, please forgive my atrocious spelling and grammar mistakes 403. Sean posted: 02.22.2013 - 12:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, the duel races were extremely boring but they were fair, clean, and not particularly random. I'll take that over many of the random plate races with too many crashes that we have seen. "Is he better than a 7 time and 5 time champ? A 105 time race winner (with 3 championships in 4 full seasons)? A trio of champions with 83, 84, and 85 career wins? The guy with the best winning % ever?" For the most part, no. I'd still take Gordon over Johnson since he built up the Hendrick team to allow Johnson to piggyback off his success, and because Gordon was more dominant in the actual races, but you certainly have a valid argument for Johnson over Gordon that I just happen to not agree with. I don't think Waltrip has any kind of argument over Gordon at all... "I'd say 2000-2003 was the end of the "glory years" of NASCAR." Hard for me to call anything after 1997 glory years, since 1998-2003 had a lot of gimmicks as well, but I'd say 2001-2003 was definitely an improvement racing-wise over 1998-2000 because at least there were a lot more teams that could actually fight for race wins and some memorable races (2000 had a deep field also, but most of the races were boring.) "Now you know why I wish we could see drivers from other disciplines at least try to run the Daytona 500, just like the old days. If they did, there would be more competition for those trying to make the field, and drama would then truly exist for those final spots. I don't know about you guys, but I would rather see guys like Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Scott Pruett, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, and other IndyCar or sports car drivers try to make this race, rather than the guys that will start at the back of the field." Pruett is a weird choice considering how old he is and that he wasn't a particularly noteworthy oval driver in CART and even worse in Cup, but yeah, I'd love to see more one-off crossovers, but in today's racing, you pretty much have to commit to one series and one series only due to contracts and the like. Seems like the sports car endurance races, the Race of Champions (better than IROC), and V8 Supercars race at Surfers Paradise are the only races where you get to see a diverse cross-section of American/worldwide racing talent anymore. Tony Stewart would be more competitive in a one-off at Indy for Penske, and didn't want to do it, so those drivers at Daytona would have probably been even less successful. I'll be interested to see what A.J. Allmendinger decides since he looks like he may be the first driver in quite some time to hop from NASCAR to IndyCar back and forth (even Robby Gordon wasn't doing that - he was just switching his full-time focus from year to year...) "I know he is the crew chief and he could extend the line of championship crew chiefs who were the best in the era who never won the 500 other examples of recent times include Zipadelli, Andy Petree and Kirk Shelmerdine. I am sure Cjs Paul and other fans with more extensive nascar knowledge could add to this list. Who is the greatest to have never won the 500 in your opinion? non-driver" Add Cotton Owens, Harry Hyde, Jake Elder, Ray Fox, and Tim Brewer. Remove Greg Zipadelli, who in my opinion is NOT a legendary crew chief. 404. David posted: 02.22.2013 - 12:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ray Fox" *imitates buzzer* Nope, Ray Fox won the 500 with Junior Johnson in 1960. Oh, by the way, Sean, David Smith just randomly tweeted this to me this morning: "FYI, Relevance not a measure of equipment strength; it's a catch-all team stat. Consolidates XX top-5s, XX top-10s, XX DNFs." It's kind of strange, since I never even insinuated that to him, although I've mentioned it here many times. 405. Sean posted: 02.22.2013 - 1:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nope, Ray Fox won the 500 with Junior Johnson in 1960." Oops...and I was actually looking at a list of Daytona 500 winning crew chiefs, so I have even less excuse. 406. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 2:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Cjs also what is the name of your youtube channel." cjs83172 407. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kubica Fan Ireland, I tihnk a difference from 2011 and this year for Trevor Bayne is that in 2011, the Wood Brothers team was able to repair his car, instead of having to go to a back-up, as is the case this year. And the only reason he was able to stay in contention was that in 2011 Daytona 500, there were so many cautions that there were no green flag pit stops. If the race goes the way I think it might go, lower budgeted teams that are behind on their pit crews, and he Wood Brothers certainly fall into that category, they're probably going to get lapped just due to slower pit stops, because slower pit stops are penlized more at the plate tracks than anywhere else. I actually think Austin Dillon has a much better chance than Trevor does, because RCR's likly to give him a Nationwide Series pit crew that, although not as fast as a top-flight Cup pit crew, are at least a full-time pit crew. If this year's Daytona 500 goes like the races from 1998-2001 and 2004 did, more than half the field will end up getting lapped because the pit crews will really separate the teams. In fact, if the race goes lik the 2004 race went for the last 300 miles, we could see only 10 cars on the lead lap by the end because of how the field ended up getting spread out. Just consider that just 13 cars were on the lead lap at the end of the second qualifying race (and the RFR #17 of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was not among them), which was just 60 laps long and you'll see what I mean. In fact, had the race gone several more laps, Aric Almirola and Jeff Gordon would also have goten lapped, which would have left just11 cars on the lead lap. And even Paul Menard and Jeff Burton, driving supossedly powerful RCR cars, couldn't even hold on to the draft near the end of the race, which shows just how difficult it's going to be to hang on to thedraft if you get even a little bit behind. And the reason for that is the hole inthe air that's being punched is smaller than it's been since 1992, and we all know how dull some of the plate races back then were, including the Daytona 500, in which Davey Allison led every green flag lap after the 15-car crash on lap 92, and the DieHard 500 at Talladega, which saw just THREE cars finish on the lead lap, and not due to accidents, but because the leaders just broke aay that far. I think this Daytona 500 could be just like that. Passing is not going to be as plentiful as it's been in recent years, and I tihnk that even small packs of cars culd break away. I can even see a situation where one car runs alone for a while after pit stops, though that won't last. The hole in the air the cars are punching is that small where that could happen. And Kubica fan Ireland, my current YouTube channel is cjs83172. Currently, I'm still on the Kingdom Hearts series, though I hope to be uploading classic Daytona and Indianapolis 500s in the near future. However, ESPN Classic played some dirty pool. They made an abrupt schedule change last night, which took off the 1979 Daytona 500 at 5 PM, as well as the 1973 and 1978 races they had planned to air today, and those may never make air now. But half of what SPEED edited out of their version of the 1983 Daytona 500 was aired yesterday, as laps 94-107 were aired, though the caution that followed the green flag pitting was not. However, laps 76-91 were not aired. Also, small parts of the final segment of the race (the last 23 laps) that were missed when SPEED twice went into commercial (such as the mentioning of when Cale Yarborough won his three consecutive titles from 1976-'78) were shown. Why that were edited out, I have no idea. But unlike the 1989 race, the rebroadcast of which is essentially complete due to ESPN Classic airing all of what was edited out last year, the 1983 Daytona 500 rebroadcast is not complete, though it is more complete than it was before the '83 race aired n ESPN Classic yesterday. 408. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 2:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ah, Paul, so I see you have visited my current YouTube channel and seen wat I have on there. I hope to upload more classic Daytona and Indianapolis 500s, but unfortunately, ESPN Classic played dirty pool by abruptly changing the schedule, and not airng the 1979 race at 5 PM yesterday, as well as the 1973 and 1978 races they had originally planned to air today, as well as the 1988 and 1993 races, which they've aired numerous times over he years. Instead, they aired boxing (and not what was on their original schedule for last night) and Black History Month programming in it's place. 409. startandparkfan posted: 02.22.2013 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2 for 2 with unexpected polesitters, Danica in the 500 and Brennan Newberry in trucks. Who will win N-Wide? 410. startandparkfan posted: 02.22.2013 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #399 you must live in the midwest. I live in the Northeast, and we had a great deal of snow 2 weeks ago. 411. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Must be something about Bakersfield, CA this week, huh? I just heard that Brennan Newberry's from there, we all now Kevin Harvick's from there, and even Casey Mears has done well this week, and of course, anyone who knows anything about motorsports knows the Mears family is from there. 412. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm curious. Why didn't Travis Pastrana have to run the ARCA race at Daytona like Wallace, Larson, Newberry, and Stacey did? Is it because he ran the Nationwide race at Michigan last year? Sorry, I'm not familiar with NASCAR's restrictor plate licensing rules. 413. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My guess is, Paul, that he had already run some on speedways, even though he had never run in a plate race. If you run on speedways where a certain speed is attained, you get cleared for he plate races, whether or not you've run a plate race in another series. But that's only a guess. 414. David posted: 02.22.2013 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "#399 you must live in the midwest. I live in the Northeast, and we had a great deal of snow 2 weeks ago." Good thinking!! Yes, I live in Kansas. 415. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2013 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean, I was just making a point that, even those of us that have Jeff ranked lower than most (example: me) are not disputing his all time legendary status. When you are in serious discussion with people with the stats I listed, you are officially a legend and know what the hell you are doing. My point is that for me to say "Nah, he isn't quite as good as Earnhardt (7 championships, 1 with Rod "Roland Wlodyka As My Team Manager Is A Good Idea" Osterlund, and 6 with Richard "This Was So Much Easier With Dale Driving" Childress), or Pearson (105 race wins in less than 600 starts, 3 championships in just 4 attempts, all of which were head to head with The King in his prime), or Johnson (5 straight championships)" isn't an insult at all. Its a can of worms I wasn't trying to open. No matter what, I think we can all agree those folks are all legends, and those of us that got to watch them in their prime, in their waning years, or both are very lucky for it. So, back to my point, to say he was "outdriven" by the polesitter at Daytona is a complete pile of crap. Especially considering he slowly pulled ahead of her on their superimposed laps through 1 and 2 and onto the backstretch, then suddenly the #10 car just lunges ahead halfway down the backstretch, that is not "outdriving". That is "our sport needs a boost so we gave our most famous driver a less restrictive restrictor plate". And yes, cjs, I expect a ton of cars to be lapped, especially if we get two green flag pit stops in a row. I, too, think the race will resemble '98, '00, and '04. I saw you mentioned '01, but that was actually some really good racing. Given what happened on the last lap, the PC police will arrest anyone who says "The 2001 Daytona 500 was a really good race". That is why I am hoping they would throw on the old roof fins and wicker bills, that produced some great racing. Unfortunately, it got the unfair tag of "that is the racing that killed Dale" which is completely false. What took out Dale was one too many blocks making sure the cars he owned finished 1-2 and a complete lack of any safety initiative on his part. But I know NASCAR will never do that. This is the big coming out party for the Gen 6 car, the return to the "straight off the showroom floor" days. And they do look really good. So they will never attach that roof fin for this race. Once again, the story will trump the actual racing, even if it is just that, a story. Honestly, that is the biggest hurdle NASCAR needs to clear. Until they get back to the actual "sport" aspect of it. The Gen 6 car is a good step. But now it has to race well. Yes, we hated the COT right off the bat cause it was uglier than John Darby. But had it gone out and put on a bunch of kickass races, we wouldn't have cared. The bad racing it created is what ultimately turned us off from it. Sure it would be nice to have days like the mid 80's back when the cars looked good, looked like their street counterparts, and put on outstanding racing (Gen 3 I think?). Just give us good racing. 416. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like to replay lap 199 of the 2001 Daytona 500 twice when I watch that race, while listening to audio of the final lap. Then in my mind, I like to picture Dale having a repeat of his 2000 NASCAR season, finishing 2nd in points once again, becoming the only driver to finish 2nd in Gordon in two different DuPont paint schemes. Then he has a falling out with NASCAR with the HANS device becoming mandatory (even though that would have never happened had he survived), and with RCR after they told him he would have to team up with both Kevin Harvick and Robby Gordon the following season, causing Dale to miss having a "tame" teammate like Mike Skinner, and retires from racing because the sport "just isn't the same anymore." He then maintains his role as owner of DEI, helping Junior on his path to a championship, but then has a bout with health issues after suffering a breakdown after Junior got beat by the driver who Dale flipped off in the 2001 Daytona 500 for title. He then turns day-to-day operations over to Teresa, causing Junior to relapse, get frustrated when someone other than his dad or uncle (who Junior got rid of once his dad was out of the picture following the '04 season) was telling him how much of a screw-up he was, and ultimately leave amidst a huge media storm following the '07 season. This causes Dale to cut all ties with his son, leave the sport for good, and go back to his farm in North Carolina, where he lived a good, long retirement from racing and was always surrounded by friends and neighbors who didn't treat him like a saint for what he did on the race track. Oh, and the 2001 Daytona 500 is named as the greatest Daytona 500s ever because of Mikey getting his first win as his brother called the race from the booth, and 1-2-3 finish between DEI teammates and their boss. What do you guys think? Accurate description of what might have happened had the final lap of that race never happened the way it did? 417. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Someone should teach Brian Scott that you don't drag the brake during qualifying at Daytona. Man, that was one SLOW lap. 418. rtcrules posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OT: Has anyone set up a yahoo fantasy racing league? I did one last year my brother had but most people quit by the Brickyard and was looking to do one with people who actually follow the races. 419. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This is the big coming out party for the Gen 6 car, the return to the "straight off the showroom floor" days. And they do look really good. So they will never attach that roof fin for this race. Once again, the story will trump the actual racing, even if it is just that, a story. Honestly, that is the biggest hurdle NASCAR needs to clear. Until they get back to the actual "sport" aspect of it." A perfect critique of the 2013 season DSFF. We are aching for great competition and racing, not hollowed out hype. AMC should broadcast the races if "story matters here" in NASCAR. As for the 500, it definitely has the look of 1992 and 2004 with small groups of cars spread around the track. Hopefully, this will fuel rules changes before Talladega. 420. b4il3y posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) CJS - Thank you for all the races on youtube. I wished I had recorded all the races I watched from 1985-2000 and you have put alot of the ones up that I wanted to see again. Thank you! Def needs some tweaking with the new car on plate tracks.. passing is just too hard right now. 421. David posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hopefully Brennan Newberry's pole is the start of a good rookie season for him. His PEER last year through 10 races was 0.100. 422. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, that is a really good prediction in my estimation. Especially this part: "and go back to his farm in North Carolina, where he lived a good, long retirement from racing and was always surrounded by friends and neighbors who didn't treat him like a saint for what he did on the race track." That is exactly how he would have wanted it. You are right, this "sainthood" stuff attached to him would drive him crazier than anyone else. 423. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2013 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Here is some classic footage of the classic drivers having some classic fun. Darrell doing his "TV deal" talking about Neil Bonnett and his origins and his love of the outdoors when suddenly Earnhardt appears and utters the words that will now be immortal: "What in the world does Darrell Waltrip know about hunting and fishing?!? And the Alabama Gang?!? I've had about all of this I can take!" THEN HE TURNS THE TV OFF! Love it! How many times have we been watching NASCAR on FOX and wanted to do the same thing? That will be our new phrase when DW starts annoying the crap out of us on TV, "I've had about all of this I can take!". And our other quote: Darrell shows up later in the broadcast with Earnhardt and Bobby watching (at 4:37) then Earnhardt gets up and says "Waltrip, you're outta here!" and cuts the TV off again. Yes! Yes! Yes! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJfzU2dE54g&list=UUx0EPZze46sO5-sbYmLWCUg And for some kick ass bonus Earnhardt footage, here is the intro to the 1986 Bristol Day Race which was Rusty's first win. It starts off showing Earnhardt's on track scuffles from the previous year ('85) as well as Dale's original "Waltrip, you're outta here" proclamation at Richmond in February, all with Gloria Estafan's "Bad Boy" playing in the background. The Pistons of Isiah, Laimbeer, Mahorn, and Rodman have nothing on Dale! It starts at 00:43, and at 00:54, just imagine him saying "Waltrip, you're outta here!". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-gvJ7QuUHw&list=UUx0EPZze46sO5-sbYmLWCUg&index=11 424. murb posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Excited for the Truck race tonight. Chances are it will probably be the best race of the weekend (followed by the NNS race, then the 500). This may sound crazy or stupid (probably both), but I'm actually gonna go to YouTube later on tonight (after the Truck race of course) and watch the 2000 Daytona 500. Why? Well, as I've said numerous times, I am not expecting this to be a good 500. So by my logic, maybe if I watch a rerun of a really crappy one, this year's 500 won't look so bad in comparison (just in case it turns out as bad as I'm expecting it to). lol 425. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb, you just might be a genius. Just to be safe, also try to find and watch the 2000 Fall New Hampshire race. Sunday's race is gonna be a dog, and there won't be good racing to distract us from DW's crap. There will be many "Waltrip, you're outta here" moments. 426. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You Know NASCAR should have just used the same rule package that they used for the Pothole 500 back in 2010 because that was a really good race. 427. murb posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You're right Ben. Aside from the pothole fiasco, 2010 was probably the best 500 of the past 5 years (2008 through 2012). lol, It's funny you say that DSFF, because I actually just watched a little bit of the 2000 New Hampshire race a few nights ago. If we are talking about disasters, THAT race was a disaster. During the prerace, they showed interviews of a lot of the drivers, and you could just tell that they knew that it was gonna be a terrible race. They all gave off a "I guess we just have to deal with it" vibe. 428. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Pothole 500 was a really good race. 429. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) B4il3y, I think you're giving me more credit than I deserve. The only race that I uploaded that is currently on my channel is the 1973 Indianapolis 500, though I uploaded the 1984 and 1985 Daytona 500s that were copied by other users. there are numerous other users that deserve more credit than I do. I do plan to do more, but the 1973 Indy race is the only one currently on my channel. And I can tell you one thing that will increase passing that NASCAR should try, and that's putting a bigger rear spoiler on the back of the cars. The racing at Daytona and Talladega was as dull as ever in 1991 and 1992, culminated by the race at Talladega in July of 1992 with just three cars on the lead lap at the finish. NASCAR knew it had a problem, so they responded by increasing the size and the minimum angle of the rear spoiler, and the result was the best racing at Daytona and Talladega in almost a decade. I said after watching the test about a month ago that the racing wouldn't be very good because they couldn't close on each other, and actually, I've been surprised at the quality of racing, which has been better than I thought it would be. The problem now is getting the cars off the top of the track, because as long as that's the fast line, there's going to be very little action until it counts because the drivers don't dare make a move because they know that trying to make a pass will only result in the going to the back of whatever pack of cars they're in. That's becausethe cars are not punching that big a hole in the air for others to draft off of. But a bigger rear spoiler would fix that right away because it wouyld result in a bigger area for the cars to draft off of. Unfortnately, I don't think the racing's going to bethat good overall, excepton the shorter track, because the cars are now simply gong too fast to put on good races. This is somthing that Tom Sneva and other IndyCar drvers of the day brought up when they were going 200 MPH in the late 1970s. Faster cars mean a lesser level of competition, and the cars will simply be going to fast to put on a good race on a consistent basis. Add that to the fact that, despite what you might have heard, Goodyear will have to bring a hard tire to virtually all the tracks of over 1 mile in length just to combat the speed and the heat that will build up in the tires due to the increased speed brought on by the lighter cars, because if they bring softer tires, we're going to see tire problems every 30-40 miles of racing because they jut can't stand the heat caused by the greater speeds. That was proven the last time they ran softer tires in 2004-'05. There were too many tire failures to count in both 2004 and 2005, topped off by the debacle at Indy in 2004 (which is often overshadowed by the even greater debacle in 2008) and the twin disasters at Charlote in 2005. Let's not forget that Goodyear had to withdraw the tires they intended to run at Michigan last June because of the problems caused by the extreme speeds that were being run and replace them with a much harder compound that would last. I think Goodyear is going to have to run a hard compound tire on all the high-speed tracks, just so the teams won't be blowing out tires left and right due to the extreme heat the speeds will create. 430. David posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This may sound crazy or stupid (probably both), but I'm actually gonna go to YouTube later on tonight (after the Truck race of course) and watch the 2000 Daytona 500. Why? Well, as I've said numerous times, I am not expecting this to be a good 500. So by my logic, maybe if I watch a rerun of a really crappy one, this year's 500 won't look so bad in comparison (just in case it turns out as bad as I'm expecting it to). lol" I am probably the most tolerant of bad racing out of anyone on this board. I could probably see a 500 mile race with less than 10 lead changes and still say I liked it. But I'll test that theory. I will follow murb's lead and watch the 2000 Daytona 500 either tonight or tomorrow. 431. murb posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think Kyle Bitch.. Busch wins tonight." - MW 432. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I plan on watching the 2000 Daytona 500 on Sunday. The only differences being it will be in high-definition, the body styles will be different, the announce team will be far less competent at their jobs, and Dale Earnhardt won't be there to tell us just how awful it was in his post-race interview. 433. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually David, unless it's recently been uploaded in it's entirety, the 2000 Daytona 500 is not up in it's entirety, but rather up in ten parts in "highlighted" form. 434. AveryNH posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was at that legendary borefest that was the 2000 Dura Lube 300. I was 8 and somehow stayed alive through the whole race. It was a total parade. The only passing was done on pit road. The only thing besides seeing Jeff Burton's ol Exide #99 roll past my seat first every time was junior getting punted in turn one and giving us a nice smoke screen. I think he was a little busted up after it too. The way those things sounded was just wrong. It was like the engines were muted and dying to bust loose. I think it's safe to say Sunday's 500 will at least top that one in excitement. I can hope. 435. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The most entertaining part of the 2000 New Hampshire race was seeing Dale Earnhardt fighting as hard as he could to get back on the lead lap in the final 100 miles of the race. The whole race sucked, and you can bet he felt the same way (may I remind you of his 2000 Daytona 500 interview). And yet, he was still giving it his all to get the best finish he could. Most drivers would have just given up on that race and just tried to finish the race and get it over with, but not Dale. He was determined to get his lap back, and that I think is truly admirable for a guy who had already accomplished everything in racing to still race hard in a meaningless race. 436. murb posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, CJS is right, the only upload of the 2000 500 is sort of like a highlight session type of thing divided into ten parts. But that's all I need. I can waste maybe an hour or so watching it, but there's no way I'd want to watch a 3 hour version of it in its entirety, lol 437. murb posted: 02.22.2013 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) These trucks are all over the place. Squirrely as hell. 438. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just so you guys know, the Truck page is already up. A few people are discussing the race on that page already. 439. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 02.22.2013 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A few pre-season thoughts. At least 1 driver will win at least 5 poles this season(has not happened this decade) At least 1 driver will win 6 races this season (has not happened last 2 years) Carl Edwards will win a race Martin Truex will win a race 1 Driver will score at least 26top10s (24 is the lowest "high" since the 36 race schedule was introduced.) And I also predict 1 of the drivers will crack 20 top5s.This has not happened since 2007 when Johnson and Gordon achieved the feat and only 1 other time sine 1999 (Johnson 2004) We were talking about records that will be really hard to break during the off-season. One that I forgot to mention was Earnhardts 174 weeks in the top 10 in the standings. 5 seasons in the top 10 would equal 180 weeks just to put that into perspective. Also just wanted to ask could people name their top 3 paint schemes (primary) for this year. I like Keselowski Kyle Busch and Gordons especially. 440. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.22.2013 - 8:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) They have taken NASCAR Winston Cup racing and turned it into some of the sorriest racing. Btw Paul, I don't think Dale would have finished 2nd in points in '01. Those last laps in the 500 he pretty much gave up any chance to win to help his cars. That shows me he was already thinking about life beyond the driver's seat a little to much to contend. I think he'd have finished Top 5, won about 3 races, had some epic duels with Gordon, but not Top 2. Actually that was a big reason he ran the 24 Hour race that year. He was already figuring out how to exit Winston Cup without totally dropping competing behind the wheel. Once your focuss is elsewhere, it is pretty much over as far as being a title contender. 441. Paul posted: 02.22.2013 - 8:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You may be right about how Earnhardt's '01 season would have gone, DSFF. But knowing who Gordon had to "fight off" for the title that year, I think Earnhardt could have still finished 2nd in points based solely on his past history of not beating himself for the championship. Wow, Ray Lewis will wave the green flag for the Daytona 500. Can't he just go away already? He already overshadowed his own team by announcing his retirement leading up to the Super Bowl. (Unlike Matt Birk, a true class act and great football player who quietly announced his retirement today.) The less I hear about him in the next five years before he's unanimously selected for the Hall of Fame, the better. 442. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.22.2013 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think Kyle Bitch.. Busch wins tonight." - MW Murb, you are a genius for catching this. Mikey Waltrip speaks his mind again. 443. cjs3872 posted: 02.22.2013 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) To continue in on the thought of what Dale, Sr. was planning for his post-driving career, DSFF, I remember hearing that he wanted to drive in the 24 Hours of LeMans after his NASCAR career was over, somewhat similar to what Mario Andretti did after his IndyCar career was over. That may be one reason why he began toying with racing sports cars in that 24 Hours of Daytona. And of course, that was the year that the 24 Hours of Daytona was telecast live start-to-finish, and a significant reason was Dale, Sr.'s presence. And Dale, Sr. actually began a trend, as more and more NASCAR drivers began to run that race. I guess they felt that if he could run that race, that they should give it a try, but only one, Casey Mears, drove the car that took an overall victory, in 2006, the same year he finished second in the Daytona 500. Of course, Tony Stewart should have won that race twice, and Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were both in cars that fnished second. But it was Dale, Sr. that started that ball rolling. 444. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.22.2013 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a list of celebrities attending the 2013 Daytona 500. In addition to the Zac Brown Band, which will play a pre-race concert, NASCAR has two recording artists -- T.I. and 50 Cent -- attending Sunday's race. As well as Florida Gov. Rick Scott and the 'honorary' starter, Ray Lewis. 445. Eric posted: 02.23.2013 - 12:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, We don't know that for sure about where Dale Sr. would finish in points in 2001. The problem was drivers were affected by Dale's death in 2001 in terms of their racing career such as Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte as examples. Jeff Burton was involved in safety after Dale's death and it seemed like his racing suffered as a result. Bobby Labonte had a bad crash for the 2000 Southern 500 for qualifying and the death of Dale did affect him to a point. The problem with Bobby was he won races at time that Dale's generation was not at their in peak in the late 1990's for one reason or anther. The other problem is did Dale's death death really caused a performance drop in some drivers like Rusty Wallace and Terry Labonte. Rusty from 1997 to 1999 only won one race as a season and was on his downside of his career despite finishing in the top 10 in points. While Rusty said Dale's death affected him, Rusty's 2000 season was the exception from the 1997 to 2001 time period for him for amount of wins. Rusty was competitive in those years, but he was not at his peak unlike what cjs3872 makes it sound like it in the past with Rusty Wallace during the time Jeff Gordon was winning championships. Terry Labonte was in the decline before 2001. Terry in 1999 and 2000 failed to get more than 7 top 10's in a season. Terry in 2000 only had 1 top 10 after he returned to the cup series after having inner ear problems after having 5 top 10's before than. 446. David posted: 02.23.2013 - 12:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Today was the 54th anniversary of the first Daytona 500. 447. cjs3872 posted: 02.23.2013 - 1:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eric, of course Rusty was not at his peak in the late 90s, though being saddled with Robin Pemberton as his crew chief didn't help matters. I think Rusty was capable of winning three orfour races a year during that period. But also, Penske's entire racing orgainzation was struggling at that time. In fact, he went two or three years without winning a single IndyCar race during that period, and he was also heavily involved in the development of the Taurus in 1997. But though Rusty was not at his peak, but he has readily admitted that Dale, Sr.'s death had a major impact on him the rest of his career. And as for Terry Labonte, he was not in decline entering 2001. He was in a steep decline entering 2001. He just droped off the face of he Earth, in terms of competitiveness during the 1999 season and the concussion he suffered in the 2000 Firecracker 400, which ended up breaking his consecutive start streak had negative effect on him until 2003, when he showed flashes of his old brilliance, capped off by his win in the 2003 Southern 500. But how bad was Terry in 2001? He started every race, and did not lead a single lap the entire season. I also think getting spun out by two champions late in that 1999 Bristol Night Race had some effect on him. 448. Eric posted: 02.23.2013 - 2:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, You don't realize it but, I actually follow races series outside NASCAR and never forgot about Penske's struggles in CART. I followed CART before I got into NASCAR in 1993 and I still followed CART despite being a NASCAR fan. I even went to a CART race in 1994. I grew up being Michael Andretti fan matter of fact. I followed IRL since the start of its existence in 1996 also besides watching CART, and NASCAR. Penske's struggles in CART really started in 1995 and it wasn't all caused by the ford Taurus either. Yes, Al Unser jr. finished 2nd in points in 1995, but Penske's cars failed to qualify for the 1995 Indy 500. Roger not having a cart qualify for the 1995 Indy 500 mention meant Roger was starting to fall behind from an equipment standpoint. Age was catching up to Emerson Fittipaldi also in 1995. Emerson really declined from 1994 to 1995 despite having only win in each season. Emerson had 8 less podium finishes from in 1995 compare to 1994. I remembered Paul Tracy mentioning in the late 1990's that Penske was behind. Penske wouldn't have won any race in CART from 1996 to 1999 without Paul Tracy. Yes, I said Paul Tracy. Paul's 3 wins in 1997 was the only wins Penske had from 1996 to 1999 in CART matter of fact. Al Unser Jr.'s prime ended prematurely thanks to inner demons from drinking and the split did affect thanks to the fact the Indy 500 meant a lot to him. Penske had multiple issues in CART including the drivers they had from 1996 to 1999 outside of Paul Tracy. I wouldn't base his CART struggles in the development of the Taurus in 1997 either. Remember Paul Tracy won 3 straight races for Penske in 1997, the same year you claimed Penske was heavily involved in development with the Ford Torus. 449. b4il3y posted: 02.23.2013 - 4:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) CJS - Yeah, I got you confused with another user on there. But I did subscribe and I'll be sure to look out for any old Daytona's you upload. The aero package right now won't be back for the next plate race I can guarantee that much. This new car has just presented a whole new set of problems, which has happened every time a new design has come out. When they went to the "smaller" cars in 1981, I can remember Richard Petty, who won the race, saying the car handled awful. The only car that had it down was the LeMans, which was banned after the race. Allison had the best car, but Petty had the best pit strategy. 450. joey2448 posted: 02.23.2013 - 6:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSSF, that YouTube clip of Dale and Bobby Allison talking about Neil Bonnett is classic! I laugh every time when Waltrip comes on the TV and Dale exclaims, "Where'd he come from?!? Wait a minute, Waltrip, you're outta here!" Hilarious every time! Btw, whattya guys think about the forecast for Sunday? Sound like we should get the whole race in on Sunday, but there may be interruptions for rain. I feel like this is mother nature's way of getting back at NASCAR for moving the 500 forward a week starting last year. Last Sunday would've been a perfect day for a race! 451. Daniel posted: 02.23.2013 - 9:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scott Speed has obtained sponsorship from Dish Network for the 500. 452. Eric posted: 02.23.2013 - 12:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, You are a bit off in terms of competitiveness with Terry Labonte for 1999. Terry won a race in 1999 at Texas and was decent for the beginning part of 1999 starting with Rockingham, but he struggled after his win Texas. Terry only had 4 top 10's after Texas. I remembered Terry being good early part of 1999, but he wasn't good for all the season. Terry was competitive in 2000 through the first Richmond race. Terry had 5 top 10's in 11 races, before his slump before Daytona. Terry from Spring race of Bristol to the end of the Richmond race had 4 top 10's in a 6 race stretch. I remembered Terry being on a good streak even before I checked in terms of 2000, I also remembered it ending after his 2nd place finish at Richmond. You were right about Terry after the Spring Richmond Race though. 453. cjs3872 posted: 02.23.2013 - 1:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) B4il3y, all the cars in the 1981 Daytona 500 were pretty bad, in terms of handling, though part of that was the extremely high winds than ran in during that race (up to 40-50 MPH gusts), along with the fact that they ran a shorter wheel-base car for the first time. And Richard Petty said in victory lane that his car didn't handle any worse than than the Pontiac LeMans did. In fact, Petty's car handled better than anyone else's did on that day. Petty just played a "sit back and wait" strategy that entire race, while drafting the leaders all day, which saved fuel because the strategy they used to win the race was something they had planned for the entire second half of the race, so what they did was to draft and save fuel, giving them extra fuel in the bank so when they made that final stop with 60 miles to go, they could go with just a single can of gas. But when he had to run hard, Petty was just as fast as anyone else, including Allison, because his car handled better than anyone else's that day and was easy on tires. Waddell Wilson even mentioned that his team had to change right side tires. In fact, it was mentioned by the commentators that Petty's car seemed to be handling better than anyone else that day, yet was still riding at the back of the lead draft. And on a day on which handling was so critical, Petty figured to be at an advantage, because working and adjusting on the handling of his car was one of Petty's greatest strengths, if not his greatest strength, and he knew that he and his team had a strategy to gain 10 seconds on the field when they needed it, but they had the speed and handling to race if they had to, and when he worked his way up to third in the latter stages, everyone else had to know that Petty had something in reserve, because that's he way he always raced. Petty was never one to show what he had until he needed it, and just after his final pit stop, he was running as fast as Allison was, despite not changing tires. 454. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.23.2013 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ""Where'd he come from?!? Wait a minute, Waltrip, you're outta here!" " Lol. That is our new phrase for turning off the TV when Darrell is talking. 455. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know I said I was gonna watch the 2000 Daytona 500 this weekend so I could compare it to the expected bad racing in tomorrow's 500, but after a pretty lousy and somber day, I decided to go with something a little more positive. So I went with the 2002 Daytona 500. Much better decision, lol 456. startandparkfan posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) #449, and when Kyle Busch won the first COT Race, he said, "I can't stand to drive these, they suck." 457. Baker posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whoever is leading on the last lap will win this race. The enter speedweeks the 2nd car doesn't even seem to have enough intitial burst to surprise the leader enough to get along side of him to make the pass. It all happens too slow and the leader can easily make a block. 458. I love Japan posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm predicting a Chevy will win today. Whether it is an RCR, Hendrick, or Stewart car remains to be seen. Can't count out EGR either. 459. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I can't believe that Darrell actually thinks this is gonna be the greatest Daytona 500 ever. But then again, I can believe it. 460. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Waltrip, you're outta here!! Both of you. 461. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Waltrip, you're outta here! Lol, Mikey: "There is gonna be lot's of passing and 3 wide racing". I repeat: WE ARE NOT STUPID! 462. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh yeah, I forgot. WALTRIP, YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!!!! Of course there's rain in the forecast. Two years in a row. That's what they get for moving it back a week. Morons. 463. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You beat me to it David! Also, Brian and Lesa France crawled out from whatever rock they usually hide under to meet with Brad cause he had the gall to talk about how to repair this sport. Morons. 464. Eric posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, your post on 443 was wrong about Casey Mears being the only NASCAR driver drove the car that took an overall victory for the 24 hours of Daytona. Your Statement on 443 made it sound like Montoya wasn't a NASCAR driver when he his 3 overall 24 hours of Daytona wins when that is false. Montoya drove the car that took an overall victory for the 24 hours of Daytona in 2007/2008 and 2013. While you are correct about Dale Earnhardt starting a trend of Daytona 500 drivers that raced in the 24 hours of Daytona, there was NASCAR drivers raced in it before Dale Sr. did. Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch, and Joe Weatherly was first NASCAR Drivers to race the 24 hours of Daytona in 1962. Terry Labonte was the fist NASCAR driver ever I believe that won a a class in the 24 hours of Daytona and the cup championship in the same year with the same that he drove for the 24 hours of Daytona with. Terry Labonte in 1984 won his class in the 24 hours of Daytona and was 6th overall with Billy Hagan being for Terry Labonte for the 24 hours of Daytona race and for the cup team Terry won with the 1984 championship with. Terry also finished in 2nd in his class that year for the 24 hours of Lemans. Terry also won his class in the 12 hours of Sebring. 465. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) (gasp) Digger wasn't there coming back from commercial break!! Is it possible that he died? 466. Eric posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) on post 464, I meant to type Terry Labonte was the fist NASCAR driver ever I believe that won a a class in the 24 hours of Daytona and the cup championship in the same year with the same owner that he drove for the 24 hours of Daytona with. 467. John Royal posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR broadcast has gone hipster. 468. Eric posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, My mistake about Fireball Roberts Marvin Panch, and Joe Weatherly being the first NASCAR Drivers to race in the 24 hours of Daytona in 1962. The event didn't have 24 hours in 1962, but only was 3 hours sports car race in 1962 instead of being the 24 Hours Daytona. The 3hour even turned into half the distance that the 24 hours of Lemans had in 1964 before being a 24 hour event in 1966. 469. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright my dark horse pick for today: Jeff Burton. I like the whole RCR bunch but I think he'll run smart and be there contenting at the end 470. Jim Davis posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did Truex and Edwards miss driver introductions? 471. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am loving these introductions! Couple of errors and some drivers weren't there. But overall, this a great concept! Hopefully they don't scrap it because of some quirks. 472. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I didn't see any of the drivers run like the Ultimate Warrior when they were introduced. 473. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Really Austin?? He's attached to that black cowboy hat. Or vice versa. I love how Kyle and Kevin completely dissed each other, while other drivers were shaking hands. 474. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 12:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Apparently the #24 took four attempts to get through pre-race inspection, but all is good now. 475. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Waltrip, you are so out of here. 476. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DAYTONA 500 RACEDAY!!! WHOOOO!!! On that note, yes, David, I think Digger has died! So Truex missed his pre-race introduction. Didn't make it out until after the front row was announced. Probably was held up by an ESPN reporter, hehe.... 477. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh yea! I almost forgot! Where'd he come from?!? Wait a minute, Waltrip, you're outta here! Me and the racing-reference guys have got this! Now comes my pick to win: Kurt Busch. 478. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt is definitely a great pick Joey. I've got him on my short list as well. 50 Cent was just checking out Erin Andrews... 479. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Okay, 50 Cent chasing Erin Andrews was just epic!!! 480. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Picking Greg Biffle to win the 500. And I'm praying we don't have a repeat of the 500 from 10 years ago, when rain ended the race just after halfway. 481. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) GONNA WATCH MY 10th STRAIGHT 500 TODAY! I'm PUMPED! 482. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like this national anthem! 483. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After Jeff Gordon wrecked in the 2011 Daytona 500, I picked Trevor Bayne to win. No joke. Today's pick: Jeff Gordon. 484. John Royal posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson will win rain shortened 2013 Daytona 500. 485. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've got three picks: Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards Also, if its rain shortened, I'm picking Newman to luck into another one. 486. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh yeah, and Mark might get it done today too... 487. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yea Erin Andrews with Fitty following her was pretty funny. Tony Stewart whispering into Danica's ear before getting into their cars reminded me of Dale Sr. Just the way he would talk to people, and like the way he told Michael Waltrip how the 2001 Daytona 500 would be near the end of that race (if you've read Michael's book you know what I'm talking about). 488. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That starting command made me laugh. "Yeah, Danica's no driver, she's just a publicity machine." 489. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hopefully the weather will be more like the 2006 500 where it was overcast all day but didn't rain. 490. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The racing may be slightly dull, but I'm enjoying Jeff's lead!! 491. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "These are the best drivers in the world" -DW Waltrip, you are so outta here. 492. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Special thanks to the new NASCAR website making it so I can't get to RaceView. Your redesigned website has such positive reviews. 493. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We'll be right back to the Commercial 500 after this. 494. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lol, Mikey: "There is gonna be lot's of passing and 3 wide racing". MW, you are out of here!!! The millions and millions of "casual" fans just changed the channel to NBA, went to bingo, etc. 495. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank goodness for this caution. I'm saying that as a Jeff fan. 496. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 494. was me. That Coke Family of Drivers commercial... my oh my can crunching on forehead Danica. She must be superhuman. Pierre Debris sighting. 497. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2000 Daytona 500 all over again? 498. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1987 the pass in the grass and the 2013 Daytona 500 Kyle Busch passes Jamie McMurray through the grass on pit road 499. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 1:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gordon has now led 300 laps in the Daytona 500! 500. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lawdy!! 501. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NLLP Not close. No comparison. Nada. Don't adulterate Dale's legacy by even trying to compare him to that hack. 502. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Big wreck. Harvick won't win today. 503. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The big one... 504. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick won't be doing the triple this year. JPM, Brad K, Smoke and Casey Mears got caught up in it too. What a shame. 505. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's a rotten shame for Harvick and Stewart. Especially the latter, who will go yet another year without winning the Daytona 500. 506. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nice ol accordion up on the outside lane. Joey Lagono with some slick driving there. 507. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alot of great cars were in that wreck. This sucks. 508. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two jinxes continue: Stewart's curse and the Attempted Triple Curse (Harvick). 509. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Didn't realize McMurray was in it too. He was another one of the guys I was watching. 510. John Royal posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Damn, it was never pass in the grass. DE held the lead all times. 511. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great news on those spectators. 5 of them have been released from the hospital. 512. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's definitely great news. 513. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I didn't realize Brad was in that crash. Maybe Mark Martin will win. He's had an even longer 500 winless streak (28 races). 514. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's why I hesitate to pick the favorite to win this race. Cuz something always happens. Now that Harvick is out, I think this race may be Jeff Gordon's to lose... Glad to Jimmie actually up front and racing, not lagging behind like he usually does... 515. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #24's water pressure is not good. 516. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1/4 mark analysis: BORING! 517. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is anybody going to try and race? 518. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ugh, why are they so impressed with Danica running third? All she's had to do is stay in line. If there were actual passing, she'd be way back right now. 519. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It seems to me that Jeff is pulling out a little whenever he can to keep the water temperature from going through the roof. 520. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm fine with this racing. Just let the race play out. If it's single file, it's single file. The racing will get more heated near the end. 521. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I want to give shoutouts at this time to two drivers that are having impressive runs. One is Michael McDowell, who started last and currently (as of lap 65) is running 13th in Phil Parsons' car, and the other is Scott Speed, who is currently 17th. 522. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) A missed the first 35 laps of this race, but I bet they were pretty much like the last 30 laps. Man this race is boring. It reminds me of a typical race at Fontana, except the cars are closer together and nobody can pass each other. Hey Fox, there's more drivers in this race than Danica and Gordon. It sure would be nice to see how the drivers NOT in the top five are doing. I mean, this track is pretty big... 523. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm fine with this racing. Just let the race play out. If it's single file, it's single file. The racing will get more heated near the end." I can go along with that. "I want to give shoutouts at this time to two drivers that are having impressive runs. One is Michael McDowell, who started last and currently (as of lap 65) is running 13th in Phil Parsons' car, and the other is Scott Speed, who is currently 17th." Dude, really? I was so focused on Jeff's car, I hadn't even noticed. 524. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fun to see Stewart working on his car. 525. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch's race is over. 526. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1993 Daytona 500 lap 1 leader: Jeff Gordon 2013 Daytona 500 lap 1 leader: Jeff Gordon Great way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Gordon's first Daytona 500 lap! 527. Baker posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hate being a Tony Stewart fan. Everyone else hates him and every year is a let down at the 500. He is getting up there in age and I have officially resigned to the fact he will never win a Daytona 500. I'm not even going to watch the rest of this race I'm so bummed. Infact there is a good chance I don't watch the 9 races after that either. I will be back May 11th to watch the Southern 500. 528. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Think the drivers want to get to half way to get the race in the books, what caused the wreck and which drivers are out Kurt Busch and Almirola are on my fantasy team. Racing will heat up in the final 40 laps. Hope to god it runs to the 500 miles, hate rain-shortened events especially in the marquee race, like only playing 3 quarters in the super bowl. How is the weather looking will they get it in ? thanks I need updates we don't get the race in Ireland. 529. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) MRN isn't even talking about the race anymore. Instead they're answering fans' Twitter questions and interviewing guests. This IS the biggest race of the year, right? 530. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rain holding off so far... 531. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) God, what a boring race... 532. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Time for a SUC (Spice Up Caution). 533. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think the Drivers are Racing Single File on Purpose. 534. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boredom caution for a boring race. 535. John Royal posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It is better to have single file until last laps. Then we can possibly have bigger checkered flag crash. 536. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) History!! Amazing!! The 2nd greatest Daytona 500 moment of all-time!! Not. 537. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "YOU ARE WITNESSING HISTORY." - If Marty Reid was calling the race. 538. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, I'll admit, it's getting a little better at this portion of the race. 539. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Are they actually racing? 540. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well it was historic, till today no woman has ever led a lap in the Daytona 500. 541. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I honestly wanna quit watching racing after this crap. 542. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow she lead a whole lap; she's the female Richard Petty 543. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica led a lap just to let you know in case you didn't hear. 544. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First GREEN flag laps led. Mike Joy said Jannet Guthrie led five under yellow 545. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WALTRIP, YOU'RE OUTTA HERE 546. Kenny posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why is Kurt in the 30s? GO JR!!!!!! 547. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Larry, thank you for talking about someone other than Danica. 548. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) what happened the last time Tony Stewart finished last in the daytona 500? 549. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is a huge deal. You ask any driver in the garage 30 years ago if a woman would be competitive and challenging for a win, you probably would have gotten the same answer from all of them "No". It is a huge deal. She is going to end up wrecking out anyway but it's still a big deal. 550. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "First GREEN flag laps led. Mike Joy said Jannet Guthrie led five under yellow" Actually, those laps were led at Ontario. 551. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This "Mid-Race Report" shit is stupid. Just call the race, we know who's a contender and who isn't. 552. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ah alright then. 553. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "what happened the last time Tony Stewart finished last in the daytona 500?" He won the championship. I don't see him doing that this year. Too much going on at SHR with Danica, getting Harvick ready for next year, and not knowing if Newman will come back. 554. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt has a hole in his grille and has temperature problems. 555. MarkMartinFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So what happened to Kurt Busch? He's 6 laps down. Was he involved in that crash? 556. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In honor of my racing hero: This is some of the worst racing I have seen at Daytona in a long time. They have taken NASCAR Sprint Cup racing and turned it into some of the sorriest racing.... Mr Bill France Sr would roll over in his grave if he saw this deal. 557. MarkMartinFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks 18fan. 558. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I said this for last years 500 and I will say it again. If Danica wins I will move out of my house and move in under the largest rock I can find. I may have to get rid of my iPhone as well to avoid the media diarrhea. 559. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Coincidentally that race in Ontario was the last win for a Dodge until their 2001 return. Also I think the 87 finally parked it for the day. 560. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, I'm not sure why they said Janet Guthrie led five caution laps in the 500, when the only five laps Guthrie led were at Ontario. Jenna Fryer also pointed that out on twitter. 561. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "what happened the last time Tony Stewart finished last in the daytona 500?" Nobody but Sterling Marlin wanted to win the Championship. Then when Sterling was done for the season,Tony Stewart had the least epic Championship battle in Modern Cup history. 562. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica is now up to 10x the coverage of the rest of the field combined 563. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Didn't Tony also finish last in the '07 500? 564. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Even though drivers seemingly wanted to give away the 2002 Winston Cup championship, it was still a good battle. I mean, you had Tony Stewart trying to win his first, Mark Martin the same, rookie Jimmie Johnson in the mix, Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin (til his wreck), it was a good championship battle. 565. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony did finish last in the 2007 500. 566. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Didn't Tony also finish last in the '07 500?" Yes. 567. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon is going to blow it up before the end of the race... 568. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, so to go back to the original question, last time Tony finished last in the 500, he won Indy that year and said "bullshit" in victory lane. 569. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) joey2448,you're right about 2002. That is one of my favorite seasons. 570. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm going to go on an Ultimate Warrior Gorilla Press Slam Three-State Spree! Ed Hinton just compared Danica to Dale Earnhardt in terms of talent! 571. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nico, I think you just killed DSFF. 572. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I get this bad feeling that Danica is going to end up winning... 573. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ed Hinton just compared Danica to Dale Earnhardt in terms of talent!" Danica is to Big E what the 1-2-3 Kid is to Ric Flair. 574. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright, I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself, let's remember some better days. Remember Atlanta 2011? Was that awesome or what? The two best slip sliding away, battling like hell for the win. That was an awesome race. 575. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I can't believe that NA$CAR propagandist @$$hole! How could he do such a b@$*@rd thing?!!?!?! 576. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony won't finish last anymore:) 577. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yep, Harvick is gonna finish last. This race is just abysmal. Worst 500 since 2004. 578. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I can't believe that NA$CAR propagandist @$$hole! How could he do such a b@$*@rd thing?!!?!?!" The man is on some really good Med's, and he gets paid to spill horseshit for the benefit of hype. 579. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So is Fox done with the side by side? cus I'm getting sick of the endless ads 580. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Gordon is going to blow it up before the end of the race..." Bite your tongue...or fingers. 581. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Danica wins, it is purely fixed in my eyes. James Hylton would be running as well if not better than her in that car. My dead grandfather's ashes could lead a lap at this track. 582. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If nothing changes, Harvick is about to pick up the first 43rd place finish of his career. He also finished 42nd in 2011 with engine problems. 583. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This race is just abysmal. Worst 500 since 2004." For me,it's the worst since 2008. 584. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, preach it brother! Just because DJ won the 2000 Daytona 500, doesn't mean the racing itself was great. It was piss poor like today's race. 585. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Worst 500 since the 500 was invented... 586. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica's leading!!!!! Incredible!! Historic!! WHO CARES?!?!?! 587. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^Dipshits who like propaganda. 588. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2009 AMP Energy 500 or 2013 Daytona 500? 589. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since anyone of us has more talent and balls than Danica, imagine just how many laps we'd have led if we were in that car? 590. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My worst 500s (since 1998, which is as far back as my memory of watching them goes) - 1998 - 2000 - 2004 - 2009 - 2012 - 2013 591. Speed Freek posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) God-awful race.The Dulltona 500.What an abomination! 592. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did you guys see Danica's awesome pass on Kenseth he wasn't a good enough driver to handle pit road at 200mph and kudos to Danica for realizing that drafting saves fuel and leaving when the jack drops. 593. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry Labonte's offended. He pitted at 220 mph. 594. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) and Mr. X, nearly side-swiping Dale Jr. all in the matter of a few seconds. 595. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 42 cars still running with 65 laps left in the 500 596. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The finish to Atlanta 2011 was awesome! I was on the edge of my seat for the final 10-15 laps, and got to see an epic finish between two of the greatest drivers of all-time, with my favorite driver showing that he's still got it. Truly an epic finish, and the fact that he tied Bobby Allison for 3rd place on the all-time Cup win list made it that much more special. 597. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My Camry is faster than Nemechek's Camry any day... 598. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) It's bit premature to call this the worst 500 ever. Remember the 2007 500? For the first 160 laps, it was mind-numbingly boring, but the last 30 laps were absolutely amazing. 599. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Big wreck. 600. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The big one again...and Edwards tears up ANOTHER car! 601. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wreck. Carl just lost his 5th car of the month. 602. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon made it through!!! Austin Dillon is out! HA! 603. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tough break for Trevor... But Jeff MISSED IT!!! 604. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now watch as Trevor Bayne's crash frequency goes up because he was the victim of a stack-up. 605. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All three of Bob Jenkins' cars got smashed up in that one.' And yeah, Carl will be happy to be out of here and off to Phoenix. 606. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man, David Ragan's car is just destroyed. 607. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) All three FRM Fords are out. Dang. Looks like that started way up near Burton and Menard. 608. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad is still alive! f**king Wheelman! His car looks like its been to hell and back. Is he actually going to finish a Daytona 500 on the lead lap? 609. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ hahaha She can do things everyone else in the field can do; she's spectacular! 610. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) damnit, I walked away and and a crash occured 611. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only positive thing about this race so far is that the restarts and the few laps afterward have some pretty good racing. But then it just fizzles out and they go back to the parade BS. 612. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl Edwards wrecks AGAIN! Poor Trevor Bayne in it too. Keselowski avoided getting serious damage again, but he just barely kept the car from wrecking. And Jeff Gordon missed it! That wreck started the same way the first one did. The line of cars just start accordioning for some reason. Before that happened, I was gonna say that this race comment board is the most commented on before the end of the race itself. It's longer than the 2012 Ford 400 comment board. 613. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick is currently last. Didn't he also finish last in 2011 too? 614. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This wouldn't have happened if the drivers had confidence in these cars to dip down and race side-by-side. Putting 35 cars in one lane is going to come back and bite some guys on the ass eventually, and this is the result. 615. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) With all the cars out of the race, Jimmie Johnson is almost guaranteed to pick up his best Daytona 500 finish since winning it in 2006. 616. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Didn't he also finish last in 2011 too?" He has never finished last. He and Jimmie Johnson are the only drivers without a last place finish. 617. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The only positive thing about this race so far is that the restarts and the few laps afterward have some pretty good racing. But then it just fizzles out and they go back to the parade BS." Sounds like half of the active tracks in this sport. 618. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson made history in this race by becoming the only driver to compete in 400 consecutive races without finishing last. 619. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually Harvick was the first but Jimmie is 2nd. 620. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, NASCAR is not a sport. I think they hired the old script-writers from WCW when it folded. IndyCar... now THAT's a sport! 621. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Both accidents were chain-reaction log jams caused by a lack of confidence to run side by side with these cars as Paul alluded to. 622. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) J.J. Yelley finished last in 2011. Harvick was 42nd 623. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I never said it was a serious sport or a legitimate sport. I consider pro wrestling to be a sport as well, and we all know that's not 100% legitimate. Probably more legit than NASCAR though. 624. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul gets comment of the year for that. 625. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Arquette - 2013 Sprint Cup Champion 626. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) who finished last in the 2012 daytona 500. I always thought Jimmie did and I thought Harvick finished 43rd in the 2011 daytona 500 627. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) who finished last in the 2012 daytona 500. I always thought Jimmie did and I thought Harvick finished 43rd in the 2011 daytona 500 628. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Ragan finished last in 2012. 629. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "who finished last in the 2012 daytona 500. I always thought Jimmie did" David Ragan. "and I thought Harvick finished 43rd in the 2011 daytona 500" I don't know why so many people are asking this question. No! He finished 42nd, completing 12 more laps than J.J. Yeley. 630. Baker posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The worst Daytona 500 ever is and will always be the year Michael Waltrip won after 109 laps of rain shortned crap. 631. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh noes! Danica Patrick is falling back into the pack! Whatever shall we do? 632. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Go Bobby Labonte! 633. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This really is mirroring the 2000 Daytona 500. Instead of Fords dominating though, it's Toyotas. 634. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth has smoke coming from his left front. 635. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth has a tire rub or something. 636. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like Kenseth has a tire rub 637. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, same old JGR though. Fast but unreliable. 638. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ok, I haven't been as hard on Danica as some of you guys have, I want to see her do well, but even I'M getting tired of FOX focusing only on her. There is other stuff going on in the race...my goodness. 639. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) He was complaining of a transmission issue. 640. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That is most certainly not speedy dry, Darrell. You're outta here. 641. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My Top 5 favorite Daytona 500's 1. 1999 2. 1997 3. 2005 4. 1993 5. 1995 642. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Btw, Joe Nemechek will finish 43rd. 643. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch on pit road. 644. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WHAT THE HELL 645. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch blew up. 646. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hahaha Gibbs Now what's gonna happen to Hamlin? 647. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch just lost an engine 648. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is turning on it's head! 649. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JGR folks. This is JGR. 650. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sounds like engine trouble for Shrub. 651. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Nothing better than seeing Toyota's blowing smoke. Just like real life! 652. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Solid choices, JG24. I always enjoyed the 1999 Daytona 500 because of how much Gordon and the #24 crew had to work to get that car up to the front. Once he did get to the front, passing Rusty Wallace who had the dominant car, you knew that he wasn't going to give up the lead. And to see him hold off Dale Earnhardt to win his 2nd Daytona 500 made it that much more special. 653. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race would be so much more enjoyable if DW wasn't calling the race. 654. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good gosh, now Denny go kaboom, Jimmie drop a cylinder, and Princess slide through the infield grass. 655. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I used to think Darrell Waltrip was really good. Now I can't stand him. I don't know if he changed or if I just got smarter. Probably both, because he's pretty hokie in some of those older Fox broadcasts too. 656. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, both Tommy Baldwin cars are in the top 15. Nice job by that team. 657. Lugnut posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So....when does the actual racing begin? 658. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "I used to think Darrell Waltrip was really good. Now I can't stand him." I want Jackie Stewart in the booth. Ned Jarrett and Buddy Baker were a lot of fun too. 659. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle said in his MRN interview "Sounds like 2012 already." I don't mean to speculate on anything, but the fact that he ended his interview on such a low note makes me believe that his season will be much like last year as well. Judging by his past history of "agreeing to lose," that isn't a good thing for his team and fans. 660. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Wow, both Tommy Baldwin cars are in the top 15. Nice job by that team." Definitely. It's a Joe Gibbs Racing massacre!!! And which NFL team did Joe Gibbs previously coach?? 661. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Notice the maturity difference between KyBu and Kenseth? My question is what happens to the mindsets of egomaniacs Denny and when Matt takes over as the #1 guy. He already has to be the crew guy's favorite driver, he will soon be #1 on track. I don't see them taking it well. 662. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It used to be hard to pick your favorite announce team because everybody was so good. Now it's hard because everyone is so mediocre. 663. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There are 42 drivers I want to win this race and 1 I will absolutely not accept as the 2013 Daytona 500 winner. Not because of gender but I refuse to accept her as the "trailblazer" of women's athletics (specifically in auto racing) as others do. 664. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "he will soon be #1 on track." He already is. 665. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TNT has the best coverage, in my opinion. Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach are no BS, and I like how they tell it like it is. 666. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah,Kyle Petty is great and he isn't PC or a phony. Don't know if I like Dale Jarrett or Rusty Wallace that much though.. 667. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree that Kyle and Wally are the best analysts in NASCAR today, but Adam Alexander sucks as a play-by-play guy (much better in the studio) and TNT LOVES commercials. Remember the Kentucky race last year? 668. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kentucky was pathetic. But,then again,almost all races these days have entirely too many ads. 669. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) They're going to run single file all the way up to the checkered flag, aren't they... 670. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another one bites the dust. 671. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's a shame that DJ and Rusty are so PC nowadays because they always gave great interviews back in the day. DJ is better in the booth than Rusty, but I think DJ is much better on NASCAR Now than he is in the booth. 672. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex is blowing up now... So are all the Toyotas going to go up in smoke before the end of this race? 673. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bad Brad is leading!! History!! Epic!! 674. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow. Truex blowing up. 675. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another Toyota goes bye-bye. 676. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Martin Truxe's engine is going kaput, that's three TRD engines. Also Brad K just lead, nice for him after all he's been through today. 677. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Burton pounded the wall! Haha Scott Speed is the only lead lap car. 678. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Burton slams the wall... and Scott Speed is out in front of the Daytona 500. 679. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And.....Scott Speed is leading 680. We need more Onion posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @672: No, Mikey won't, he is going to win it. 681. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NOOOO!! My dark horse day is done. Scott Speed leader say what!?!? 682. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh. My. Goodness. 683. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scott Speed is leading!! Epic!! History!! I'll stop now;) 684. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Poor Scott Speed doesn't even get the camera when they talk about him. 685. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For those few of you that care: NHRA will be racing in Phoenix tonight. You can catch it at 8:00 PM on ESPN2. 686. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "No, Mikey won't, he is going to win it." I don't know if Danica winning would be worse, or if Mikey winning would be worse. I think I'd rather have Mikey, just because the worst of it would be another Waltrip Brother TV Plaster Session. 687. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brilliant move by Dish Network to sponsor Scott at the last minute. They get TV time on a broadcast that endorses DirecTV. Take that! 688. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Still have this bad feeling that Danica will end up winning... And of course, they'll immediately hail this race as the greatest Daytona 500 of all time and one of the greatest races ever run in NASCAR history if that happens... 689. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul Wolfe If the #10 car had the same day the #2 has had, the announce team would have had an on air orgasm. Two great saves, awesome hard work by the team, and the best crew chief out there. 690. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd rather see Michael Waltrip win because he at least knows how to win a Nationwide race. 691. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "NHRA will be racing in Phoenix tonight." The only racing series with more ridebuyers than NASCAR. The Force daughters are no better than Danica, they had their rides handed to them as well. 692. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FOX recap: 1. Danica leads field to green 2. Early crash 3. Danica doing well 4. Michael Waltrip leads four laps.......really??? Michael Waltrip leads four laps?? THAT'S part of the race recap?!? Should be a really good race now... 693. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not since 2000 has the defending Champion won the Daytona 500. 694. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Schroeder, I have the same feeling. I feel like Donny Liaing. 695. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shout out to the BK racing cars. Cassill is hauling now. Business is bout to pick up 696. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) If there is a racing god, please don't let the 10 win this race. 697. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cassill isn't driving for BK, Avery. It's Reutimann and Kvapil in those cars. 698. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race is becoming super epic!! 699. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Took them over 180 laps to finally stop racing single file! 700. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bottom line opened up. We've started the year like we ended it last year. Johnson vs Keselowski 701. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The bottom line has finally gotten some speed. This could be a exciting finish. 702. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Right right right. I'm amazed Brad's wounded warrior is able to pull that top line 703. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Damn FOX, commercial with 16 to go in the Daytona 500. 704. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wounded car leads Daytona 500 History! Epic! 705. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bad Brad is THE Bad-ass of the race! 706. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) YOU f**kING LOSERS. 707. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Debris caution. Wow. 708. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That caution had to be legitimate. 709. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Complete Bullshit. 710. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh Come On!! 711. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) BS CAUTION!! Not this s*** again 712. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What. The. Hell.... Really? A fake debris caution? 713. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) IT HAS TO HAPPEN WHEN THE 10 CAR WAS IN THE MIDDLE!! 714. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Please don't tell me we are going to end up having something similar to yesterday... 715. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was definitely legit debris. 716. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bull Shit 717. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is the most annoying race broadcast I have ever seen, how has NASCAR on fox circa 2001 turn into this? 718. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) WHAATTTT??? NOOOO!!!! That was setting up to be soooo good! Dammit! 719. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did anyone else see BK punt the debris out of the track? 720. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How the f**k was that a fake debris caution? Are you people even watching the race? 721. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie hit the debris, which looked like a crush panel. 722. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hate when a RP race has a short dash to the finish rather than being able to play out naturally. 723. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Turned into this, sorry iphone 724. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR gift wraps another one for their buddy Rick Hendrick. I can handle getting beat straight up, but when NASCAR screws you out of a chance like this one, it is complete horse shit. 725. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why don't they just rename this race the Danica 500? Might as well seeing how much coverage she's gotten all day... 726. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was a legit debris caution, both JJ and Brad K hit a big piece of something. I doubt it did anything to affect their cars. 727. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would not be surprised in the least if we don't get a clean, green-flag finish. I bet the race ends on a last-lap caution. But anyway, let's go back to racing! 728. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm going to be standing for all of this. 729. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd like to see Mark Martin finally win one. Come on Mark!! 730. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The caution sewed up the win for Johnson. 731. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NUTS!!!! 732. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ....................................................... 733. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Damn it 734. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That was one of the most bogus endings we've had in a LONG time. 735. Lugnut posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a terrible race. Can't wait until next week. 736. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) at least it wasn't Danica. 737. We need more Onion posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kids eat for free... 738. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Greg Biffle is the biggest pussy in NASCAR. No questions asked. 739. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Everybody go to Golden Corral tomorrow!! 740. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Think on the bright side, at least we don't have to hear how this race was the greatest race of all time because Danica won... Still...I wanted to see Mark win! 741. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least no one flipped in that wreck. 742. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) McDowell finishes ninth. 743. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's only fitting that my least favorite driver wins this terrible race. I hate Hendrick Motorsports with a passion. Great runs for Regan Smith, Michael McDowell, and J.J. Yeley. This race sucked, I'm out, might not be back for Phoenix. 744. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie tore part of the front end of his car off when he spun into the grass. 745. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) JJ just destroyed the front of the car 746. We need more Onion posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) BTW Michael f**kng McDowell 9th with PHIL PARKSONS RACING. How about that? Awsome drive. 747. AveryNH posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How bout Yeley and McDowell with a top ten. Johnson just pulled a Carl Edwards by totalling his front end while celebrating. 748. Baker posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) That was pathetic. Single file garbage. Two years in a row Greg Biffle is content to run 2nd and Dale Junior has to make it exicting(if you can call it that). Down right pathetic this new car is garbage on plate tracks and had better be great on the other tracks right out of the gate. 749. NadeauFan91 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Second what Bronco said. I'm so glad Karma kicked his ass again and Jr proved to be the hero of the race. 750. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Regan Smith, Micheal McDowell, JJ Yeley all got top 10 tens. The kids will eat free tommorow :) 751. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Four Daytona 500 runner up finishes for Dale Jr. Five Daytona 500 runner up finishes for Dale Earnhardt. 752. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not watching the post race coverage, it's going to be a lot of slobbering over Danica. 753. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2013 Champion: Jimmie Johnson congratulations for winning his 6th championship oh well, we have no idea who will win the next 35 races so thats a plus 754. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I suffer...er, watched 200 laps for this?!?! Chad Knaus finally wins a Daytona 500 as a crew chief. 755. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Unbelievable that Dale Jr once again runs out of time, that's 3 runner up finishes in the past 4 years. 756. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just wanna quit watching this shit. I was brought up to believe cheaters never win. But the biggest cheater in racing and in business (Hendrick) keeps winning because of his connections in NASCAR acquired through dirty money. 757. beau posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) most forgettable 500 i have had the misfortune of seeing live. 758. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Biffle just sit out Daytona and Talladega. 759. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Win #61 for Jimmie J and his Chevrolet. Jeff Gordon led at least 25 laps in a race at Daytona for the 10th time. Greg Biffle doesn't impress me anymore. 760. Kenny posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) f**kKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well atleast jr finished 2nd in what 3out of the last 4 500? 761. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie pulled a Carl Edwards... do you think Knaus cheated again? or in his opinion "cheated" 762. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Isn't ironic how Biffle always pulls bullshit moves to help Johnson? 763. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I guarantee you the news channels will spend more time covering the fact that Danica led laps and finished 8th, and will only mention Jimmie Johnson winning as a brief footnote... Good God, Greg Biffle is one of the biggest fraidy cats I've ever seen in NASCAR. It's like he's perfectly happy running second and has zero desire to try to go for the win at these plate tracks! 764. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Chad Knaus wins the Daytona 500 HISTORY! EPIC! 765. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I wonder what Biffle's excuse will be this time. "I thought about making the move, but I figured I'd wait until 0 laps to go." 766. NadeauFan91 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm so glad you guys are finally realizing what I've been saying since the last 500. 767. The Final Gear posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I guarantee you the news channels will spend more time covering the fact that Danica led laps and finished 8th, and will only mention Jimmie Johnson winning as a brief footnote..." Yep that's exactly how it's going to go. They've made her out to be the star of the race despite choking at the end. I think that we all know that she has 6 chances to win this year (Superspeedways and Road Courses). They have to make the most of these chances. 768. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dear Greg Biffle, Thank you for the win. Sincerely, Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports 769. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least Gordon finished 20 positions better than last year. 770. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alright guys, it's official. Worst Daytona 500 That Murb Has Ever Seen In His 15 Years Of Watching Nascar = 2013 771. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson becomes the ONLY driver to win in 3 "gens" of cars Gen 4,5,6, wait a minute, is he the only driver to win Daytona in 2 "gens" of cars? 772. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think it was Sterling Marlin who Said it best About Biffle when he called him a bugged eyed dummy. 773. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't even MENTION that Johnson won the race. There are probably going to be people thinking Danica won the race! 774. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jason lets go to the bar and drown our sorrows over this disgrace. 775. New14 & 88Fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great runs for the underdogs Regan Smith, Micheal McDowell and JJ Yeley. Danica finishes eight, she had a good car and kept her nose clean all day. Her first real test will come at Phoenix next week. Dale Jr. finishes second for the third time in his last five 500 starts. Brad K gets his first lead lap finish in the 500 and first Daytona top five. That last caution screwed him. 776. F1V1 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Have been watching NASCAR for 20 years, and that was easily the worst Daytona 500 I've ever witnessed. NASCAR should be absolutely f**king ashamed considering how much they overhyped this worthless single file-fest. Even CNN was spouting off at the mouth about it all week. Johnson played it smart because he knew if you could get out front nobody was going to be able to pass you. He also knew that Greg Biffle has a massive vagina and was too busy sucking his f**kin thumb to make a move for the win. Congrats, Biffle, you're the biggest chickenshit in racing, even more so than Kenseth. 777. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Biffle's excuse = Thought the 88 would wreck him 778. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Biffle said that he thought he'd get wrecked if he moved down in front of Junior. 779. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey DSFF lets go to the bar and forget about this disgrace by getting wasted. 780. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have no clue why we are all upset, we knew it was going to suck going into the race on an unrelated note Dear everyone who said "break up the 2-car tandems its BS racing" you're welcome 781. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) DaleSrFanForever,Eat crow for jinxing Gordon and secretly wishing for Johnson to win the race;) 782. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the first time in his career, Keselowski does not wind up crashing out of the 500. 783. Peter posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How about BK? finishing 4th in a car that looked like it was used for target practice 784. Cooper posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Gen 6 car will be very good at downforce tracks and that is what matters. But the plate package on this car is probably the worst I've ever seen. Perhaps NASCAR needs to add a wicker bill for Talladega. Congrats to Jimmie. He just keeps building his stats every year! 785. DaleJrFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr did good and hopefully he will win at 1 race this year. Good runs for Michael Mcdowell and JJ Yeley as well. Also, I'm not going to start with any conspiries about Hendrick that is in the past. I just want Dale Jr to win. That's it 786. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bad Brad was Driver of The Race my friends. Holding off Jimmie Johnson with a damaged car reminded me of last fall's Texas race. 787. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I believe this is Michael McDowell's first career top 10 finish... 788. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After Watkins Glen 2011, Boris Said was absolutely correct calling Greg Biffle the biggest scaredy-cat in NASCAR. Biffle's wimping out at the end just proves that he did in fact protect Kenseth to the finish line in last year's 500. 789. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 4:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Maybe Biffle really DID need that "friggin' whoopin'" that Boris said he was going to give to him back in 2011... 790. John Royal posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes that was indeed a bad finish as no cars flew into grandstands. I guess all the spectators that can go to home today, without taking a trip to a Halifax, are very disappointed. 791. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now let's see how little miss crashfest can do at a track that takes actual driving skill 792. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I said last year that Greg Biffle didn't want to win the Daytona 500. Then I took some time to think about it and thought "Well, maybe his car just wasn't good enough to pass Matt Kenseth." Then after he played Kenseth's wingman in the next three restrictor plate races, and settled for 2nd in the Shootout and his Duel race, I didn't want to believe that he was content with 2nd place. This time though, I'm convinced. He made no effort to pass Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Jr., who was running about 4th or 5th, made the big move and got all the way up to Johnson's rear bumper, and at least made an effort to win the damn race. And might I mention again that this is the guy who is now the leader at Roush. Embarrassing. Oh, and while cheaters may "never prosper," money talks. It talks it's way all the way to the bank, to the NASCAR offices, to five straight championships, and now to two Daytona 500 victories. I'm really starting to loath this "sport." 793. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Has anyone mentioned that this was Johnson's 400th start? 794. DaleJrFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To add to #787 this is Mcdowell's first career top 10. His best finish had 20th at Richmond in 2008. 795. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How about Gordon's monumental race ending collapse? 796. TS1420 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Worst Daytona 500 ever. Between the non stop commercials & drivers content to just ride around and do nothing until it benefited Johnson then go back to doing nothing once he benefited... (and the drivers wonder why he beats them all the time. IT'S BECAUSE YOU HELP HIM DO IT!). At least the 2000 Daytona 500 has the excuse of the package limiting the passing. The drivers themselves limited the action on the track. They should be ashamed of themselves putting on this pathetic display of "I'd be happy with a 5th or 10th place finish" contentedness. 797. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Yes that was indeed a bad finish as no cars flew into grandstands. I guess all the spectators that can go to home today, without taking a trip to a Halifax, are very disappointed." F*ck off. 798. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race was abysmal, Biffle is a b*@#$, and the championship winning team that presided over an era of declining track attendance, tv ratings, and interest won the Daytona 500. 799. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Has anyone mentioned that this was Johnson's 400th start?" They've even mentioned the drivers who have won there 400th starts. Lee Petty,Richard Petty,David Pearson,Dave Marcis,Dale Earnhardt,and now the Great Jimmie J! History!! 800. Kenny posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But this win dosent seem so hard to exsept thou I'm hoping jr wins some 801. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey Paul before you leave do you have a Facebook or youtube page so I can connect with you and continue to rant about how bad the sport is. 802. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm in a daze right now. I don't know what to think. Do I keep watching Nascar? Are the great moments worth suffering through the bad ones? The racing keeps getting worse, the same (shady) team keeps winning, the broadcasts suck, 85% of the drivers are either pussies, whiners, or ungrateful sore losers, and now, the sport will be smothered by the presence and coverage of Danica Patrick. I just don't know anymore. 803. Kenny posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes I'd like to add a few ppl on hear to my FB page to :) 804. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "How about Gordon's monumental race ending collapse?" That was ridiculous. I could not believe my eyes. 805. We need more Onion posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) murb, Indycar is only a month away... 806. RCRandPenskeGuy posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least Biffle proved he doesn't discriminate, he'll settle for second no matter who is leading, whether it be a teammate or a driver on a rival team. In my opinion, worst Daytona 500 since 2000. 807. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, despite the fact that Jimmie Johnson won this race and Hendrick finished 1-2 for the third time in the Daytona 500, this was a great Daytona 500 for the underdog teams. Regan Smith finished seventh for Phoenix Racing, which has been a front runner before. But a great run for Michel McDowell, something I first cited when he drove from the back to 13th in the first 40 laps, because he really ran well all day, and also for J.J. Yeley, who finished 10th. Also, Yeley and Danica Patrick both joined a select group of drivers to have finished in the top ten in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, a group that includes the likes of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Tony Stewart, Jerry Grant, and a few others. It's also a great day for Chad Knaus. Despite what we may all think of him as a crew chief, and I'm hard on Jimmie's historical record largely due to Knaus' shenanigans, today's victory was certainly one of redemption for him because he wasn't there the first time by his own hand, so this was certainly a day of redemption for him. Certainly Greg Biffle's going to be second-guessed, but I think he did the right thing by waiting because if he tried to make a move, he would probably have ended up exactly where he did. Plus passing the leader was virtually impossible and trying to make a pass was so risky that Biffle made the right decision, even though it turned out badly for him. If I was in his position, I would have waited, but he got moved on first before he tried to make the move he was planning. Also, there's the possibility that Biffle simply couldn't do anything with Johnson, which is something those that are criticizing Biffle mifght not be taking into account. After all, the Fords were non-factors during the entire SpeedWeeks, except for Trevor Bayne in the qualiying race, when he led 37 laps, and when he crashed out of the qualifying race, that may have ended Ford's best shot at winning this race. That was the only time any Fords during SpeedWeeks led until Brad Keselowski led late in this race, which was due only to the timing of that final caution period. Maybe the Fords simply didn't have it this time, and that happens. After all, except for Biffle, and brief times when each of the Penske cars ran with the leaders, the Fords were uncompetitive with the leaders today. The mere fact that Michael McDowell's #98 was the third-highest finishing Ford, and was the third-highest running Ford most of the race should say something right there. Carl Edwards was never a factor, and neither was Brad untl the final 25 laps, though crahses didn't help Brad. Joey Logano might have had something, but fuel system issues doomed whatever chances he may have had, and the Richard Petty cars were never factors, so Greg Bifle was, in truth, the only chance Ford had until Brad lucked into a leading position late. So maybe Biffle was sitting in second place because he simply didn't have anything for Jimmie Johnson, who by the way, was the only driver during the entre race to make any moves on the low side of the track, and realizing that he couldn't pass Jimmie, was trying to finish second. 808. Blake posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) The worst race I've ever seen. I get really tired of seeing Jimmie Johnson win all the time. If this season continues like this I'm going to stop watching NASCAR permanently and just watch F1 and NHRA. Only positive thing from this race is Michael McDowell got his first top 10 and Regan Smith and JJ Yeley also got top 10's 809. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny Hamlin tweeted to Brad after the race saying that he was couldn't get up to Brad's bumper at the end of the race because Brad's "genius teammate" kept screwing up the inside line. 810. Kenny posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And jr got 2nd 811. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Richard Petty: "The best thing a driver can be called is Daytona 500 Champion" Richard Petty 7 Cale Yarborough 4 Jeff Gordon 3 Bobby Allison 3 Dale Jarrett 3 Jimmie Johnson 2 Matt Kenseth 2 Michael Waltrip 2* Bill Elliott 2 Sterling Marlin 2 BTW: I love that Phil Parsons got a Top 10! 812. Toad posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) chea... 813. DaleJrFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Feel free to disagree with me but from where I am this was the best 500 since 2004 cause there wasn't many cautions and drivers actually (somewhat) raced. 814. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JG24FF, I believe his problems started when he was leading the race, because of that big piece of trash on his grill, and I actually think he was having some sort of engine problem because he had a chance to drop down in front of Jimmie Johnson and chose not to. Could it be that he was afraid that he had damaged his engine by getting it too hot early in the race, that by moving down he would have bogged down that entire inside line? It seemed that he could run competitively when drafting, but because of the damage he may have done to his engine, that he was afraid to make any moves, because the way he dropped like a rock at the end tells me he may have been having engine problems, and the same goes for Denny Hamlin, because he dropped like a rock at the end. 815. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race marked the 37th consecutive finish outside the Top 4 for Carl Edwards. Yeesh,that's horrible. 816. Daniel posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Don't see what all the nut-hugging is over Keselowski leading. All that shows is how pathetic the bottom lane was. On another note, I find it pathetic that only Logano and Ambrose made a move to try and win. Everybody else decided to stay in line or waited until the last lap when it had been proven all week that the last lap was too late. As much as I hate Logano, at least he made a dadgum attempt. 817. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, Hamlin got shuffled out of the draft and was upset at his former teammate Logano for some moves Logano made. 818. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2011 Daytona 500: enough said, one hell of a year historically, statiscally, and first time in 5 years somebody other than Jimmie won 2012 Daytona 500: EVERYTHING went wrong, also the races and ratings were just awful, my 2012 sucked too but thats beside the point. ill go into detail if you want 2013 Daytona 500: enough said, and the last time Jimmie won the Daytona 500 he went on to win that Championship and the next 5 championships after that, its too early to say if he'll win 2014, BUT Jimmie Johnson 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion I also just realised 2012: Danica crashed out...Jimmie went on to finish second in the points 2013: Danica didn't crash and Jimmie won, so basicly no matter what stat you look at Jimmie will win as I said its too early to predict 2014 819. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Denny Hamlin tweeted to Brad after the race saying that he was couldn't get up to Brad's bumper at the end of the race because Brad's "genius teammate" kept screwing up the inside line." He's right. Logano kept messing things up towards the end of the race. Clint Bowyer even passed him late in the race by making it 3-wide, causing Gordon's momentum to be stopped because Logano was going so slow. Nice to know Hamlin's true feelings towards Logano have come out now that they're no longer teammates. "Hey Paul before you leave do you have a Facebook or youtube page so I can connect with you and continue to rant about how bad the sport is." I'm in no mood to discuss this race any time soon. Plus, I've got some homework to do now that I'm away from the Faux broadcast of the Danica 500. But for anyone that's interested, my YouTube username is Edge1Christian9301. 820. 13 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) race sucked BAD! you cant pass the most interesting part of the race was when brad was trying to lead and they were side by side. 821. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kudos to Brad for finishing in the top 5 with a damaged racecar after being involved in two wrecks. 822. Daniel posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #813, who the heck raced? Everybody stayed in line the whole dang day. 823. DaleJrFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #822 I meant that when they did "race" in the last 20 laps they didn't wreck each other. I also said that they raced somewhat most of the race they did just ride in line. 824. Baker posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rest of the year predictions Daytona 500 :: Jimmie Johnson Southern 500 :: Jimmie Johnson All Star Race :: Kasey Kahne Coca Cola 600 :: Jimmie Johnson Brickyard 400 :: Jimmie Johnson 2013 Champion :: Jimmie Johnson Wins(Driver) :: Jimmie Johnson 14 Kasey Kahne 4 Matt Kenseth 4 Kyle Busch 3 Denny Hamlin 3 Brad Keselowski 2 Carl Edwards 2 Dale Junior 1 Tony Stewart 1 Jeff Gordon 1 Marcos Ambrose 1 Wins(Team) :: Hendrick 20 Gibbs 10 Penske 2 Roush 2 Petty 1 Stewart-Haas 1 825. Schroeder51 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I can't believe somebody on here said this was the best 500 since '04... Only if you're a Jimmie Johnson/Jr. fan... 826. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I can't believe somebody on here said this was the best 500 since '04" They meant to swap out the 'B' and 'E' for 'W', 'O', and 'R'. If we're giving out YouTube names, mine is "docripoff19". 827. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OOOOOKKKKKKAAAAAYYYYYYYYY.....you guys are the sorriest sounding fans I've heard! What will it take to please you??? Yes, this wasn't the most exciting Daytona 500 we've ever seen, but I thought it was a good finish! I mean, NASCAR even waived off the yellow flag on the final lap in favor of a green flag finish, something that I'm glad they did, but surprised they kept it green! I mean, what if it had been like the 1972 Daytona 500, when A.J. Foyt ran uncontested in the final second half of the race? He won by over a lap! What if that would've happened? At least this one wasn't decided until the final quarter of a lap. When I saw Dale Jr. coming on strong on the backstretch of the final lap, I thought he was gonna steal the win! But his car apparently stalled out when he got to Jimmie's bumper in turns 3 and 4. But hell, it was a good run to the finish! I think this car will race great on downforce tracks (most of them). The plate tracks, not so much. Looking forward to next week at Phoenix! P.S. Well I'll be damned, cjs3872. I never knew J.J. Yeley finished top-10 in the 1998 Indy 500! 828. DaleJrFan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not your normal person that likes nascar. I like the races where there aren't many cautions and most of it is green flag. If you think I'm crazy more power to you. 829. ch posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor changes: 10 - GoDaddy.com 24 - AARP Drive to End Hunger 26 - Sandy Hook Elementary School Support Fund 27 - Peak Antifreeze / Menards 35 - Blockbuster.com / Cajun Industries 47 - Kroger / USO 51 - Guy Roofing 83 - Burger King / Dr. Pepper / Wreaths Across America (Jumped on to the TV Panel after the #52 DNQ'ed) 87 - MaddiesPlaceRocks.com / Florida Department of Transportation 93 - Burger King / Dr. Pepper / Wreaths Across America (Jumped on to the TV Panel after the #52 DNQ'ed) 95 - Dish Network Owner Change: 26 - Brandon Davis (Swan Racing) 830. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well I think the best thing to say about the 2013 Daytona 500 is that ITS OVER. 831. John Royal posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Drivers I forgot were in this race, but remembered later: Paul Menard Ryan Newman 832. Urethra Franklin posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Knew going in this was gonna be a snoozefest. The new car is pretty, but NASCAR needs to do something to make them race better. Sponsors: 15 Clint Bowyer - 5-hour Energy/Walgreen's 20 Matt Kenseth - Dollar General/The Home Depot 35 Josh Wise - Blockbuster/Cajun Industries 47 Bobby Labonte - Kroger/USO 51 Regan Smith - Guy Roofing 83 David Reutimann - Burger King/Dr. Pepper 93 Travis Kvapil - Burger King/Dr. Pepper 95 Scott Speed - Dish 833. Teren posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #48"s 2nd win since 2006 LOL! 834. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one has mentioned it yet so I will. Two of the three cars involved in a practice crash on Wednesday before the Duels, Mark Martin's and Ryan Newman's come back to finish 3rd and 5th respectively. 835. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jabber, Earnhardt won CHAMPIONSHIPS in 3 different generations of cars, Gen 2, ('80), Gen 3 ('86, '87, '90, '91), and Gen 4 ('93, '94). Gordon's day was ruined, like cjs said, by the debriis on the nose. From that point forward he couldn't stay in line without pushing water. Gosh I just hate watching HMS win. I would honestly rate Gordon and Johnson higher if they had another owner. They would have less win and championships, but at least they would all be honest. Looks like JGR hasn't fixed their reliability. As one magazine said, with Kyle and Denny, they will put the "F" in DNF. 836. NadeauFan91 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @828 I guess the first Auto Club race last year was the greatest race ever then. 837. Thomas posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That last caution ruined what was shaping up to be an epic finish (and maybe one of the 2 closest finishes of all-time in the 500). The two best drivers in NASCAR going door-to-door for the last 20 laps in the sport's biggest race. If they hadn't shown that debris, the fans may have torn the grandstands down in outrage. 838. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hendrick Motorsports the New England Patriots of NASCAR. 839. Ryan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bronco said: "Greg Biffle is the biggest pussy in NASCAR. No questions asked." No doubt. He stayed in line last year and line this year. No balls... Danica has bigger balls than Biffle. Earnhardt family has nine 2nd place finishes now in this race... Both Dale Sr. and Jr. have three 2nd place finishes in a four year span. Sr. in '93, '95, and '96 and Jr. in '10, '12, and '13. The last three Daytona 500 races Jr got 2nd in he had to make passes to get there... Really Jr. should have got in front of the 48 when he had the chance when Jimmie was making his move on the bottom lane with about 12 laps to go. Keselowski's car was just too hurt to maintain a lead for a long period of time... If Biffle would have been smart he would have broke out and passed him and instead Johnson caught back up to him. The 48 might be the luckiest driver of all time. 840. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joey, I understand what you are saying. We do sound pretty pathetic whining about a race. But the reason why I'm upset is because I've been watching this stuff for 15 years. And over the past four or five years, it just seems like its been getting progressively worse. So for me, it's not easy seeing something that I've loved since I was a small child go in that direction. You're right, the finish was better than the rest of the race (although if Biffle would have grown a pair and made the move earlier it could have potentially been better). But like I said, for me, the reason why I'm bummed is because in my opinion Nascar just keeps getting worse from various standpoints. 841. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also Richard Petty won the 500 in 3 different generations of cars. 842. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least the other bad Daytona 500s had a competent announce team that didn't treat one driver better than any other, and a sanctioning body that conveniently waited until AFTER the HMS car took the lead and the historical cash cow got stuck in the "sucker hole" before they threw the debris caution. It used to be that if the races were bad, at least they were contested fairly and was presented as a sport. Now, good race or bad race, each race is full of gimmicks, horrible announcing, and bad officiating that either overshadows the good racing or makes the bad racing even more intolerable. 843. Corndog_Shuffle posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wanted Brad to win, but what a way to turn a potentially terrible day into a great one by the whole #2 team. 844. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think it was the car that produced the awful racing. It was drivers that were too afraid to pull out of line, at the beginning of the race and on the restarts we had some good racing, which leads to be believe the cars aren't the problem. I'm looking forward to see how these cars perform on an "actual" racetrack next week. 845. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Feel really bad for Front Row Motorsports crashing 3 cars Also Does anyone know what happen to Joe Nemechek 846. I love Japan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dear God. That race was Gawd Awful. I really hope the racing will get better. That was just sad. It was just mundane and lifeless. I say in no small words, this was the worst Daytona 500 in history. 847. startandparkfan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow! McDowell, who only has 1 previous top 20, gets a 9th, and J.J. Yeley gets a 10th! 848. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll give the Cup Series a month to round into shape, but this is definitely one year where the Nationwide and Trucks have the potential to steal the show with the up and coming talents Same here Murb. My sentiments are the same as yours. "But the reason why I'm upset is because I've been watching this stuff for 15 years. And over the past four or five years, it just seems like its been getting progressively worse. So for me, it's not easy seeing something that I've loved since I was a small child go in that direction." 849. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 5:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, I think this was exactly the kind of race that NASCAR needed after the events of yesterday (2/23/13). It was an interesting race (I wouldn't call it good, because I don't qualify this as a good race, mainly due to a lack of passing), the racing the last 25 laps were about as good as it gets, and most important of all, it was a safe race, and after the events of yesterday, that's all that can be asked for. Sure, it was dull and monotonous at times, but it was obvious that the racing would be conservative after what happened yesterday, as well as the fact that the low line, except for when Jimmie Johnson was leading it, was dead for all intents and purposes. There were four crashes in this race, and not one of them was due to overaggressiveness. Two were due to chain reactions (which was odd since neither came on a restart) and the other two were caused by tire/supension failures. But one thing I touched on that will be interesting to follow is what will become of the Ford camp this year. I knew Roush was in trouble the instant they let Kenseth go, but Ford may be in worse shape than I thought, because there seems to be only three Fords that may consistently be able to run up front this year (#2, #16, #99), four if Joey Logano can run up front consistently, which I'm not countng on, though Logano's a substantial improvement over what was in the #22 car last year, though that's not saying a whole lot. Again, the mere fact that the #98 car was the third-highest running Ford for quite a bit of the race (behind the #16 and the #2 or #22) should worry the Ford people a lot. But McDowell's ninth-place finish was no fluke because he ran up there most of the first 200 miles after starting at the back. 850. Aaron posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Congrats to Dale Jr. on a strong drive to his 5th career top-2 finish in the 500. 851. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) More history! Jimmie Johnson surpassed Big E and Cale Yarborough in Superspeedway wins with his 49th career. All-Time leaders 1. Jeff Gordon 63 2. Richard Petty 56 3. David Pearson 51 4. Jimmie Johnson 49 5. Dale Earnhardt 48 5. Cale Yarborough 48 7. Bobby Allison 47 8. Bill Elliott 41 9. Tony Stewart 33 10. Darrell Waltrip 32 11. Mark Martin 29 12. Dale Jarrett 28 852. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I could share my youtube channel but I dont post anything interesting, I have considered going on random rants about stuff, but then I stopped listening to conservative talk radio, and got a life (kinda) I considered going into random rants again, then I stopped listening to NPR and got a Sirus Radio also my mother said nobody will take me serious, im almost 23, I have no experience to even know what the hell I would be talking about I do have a facebook though! 853. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 'Gordon's day was ruined, like cjs said, by the debriis on the nose. From that point forward he couldn't stay in line without pushing water.' Probably someone resentful of the fact that Lay's dosen't sponsor Gordon anymore, so they threw the Lay's chip bag onto Gordon's grill. 854. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 50 Cent must have been Mark's good luck charm as he finished 3rd. Mark Martin does like rap, but still of all people to sit on your pit box. 855. Joe Fan #87 posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joe had motor issues early. After he went to the garage, they were working on the valves. He went back out to try and log some laps, and was having some tire issues. This is all according to his message board. I hope people don't go around asying he s&p. If he'd done that, he'd probably not ran the about 30 laps before he went to the garage, and then came back out and ran a little more. Really sucks. Was really hoping he could get a decent finish today. I sure didn't have a good day today with my favorite drivers. My next two favorites, crashed together (Ragan and Gilliland) 856. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson has tied Bobby Allison in career Crown Jewel wins. All-Time leaders: 1. Jeff Gordon 20 2. Bobby Allison 13 2. Jimmie Johnson 13 4. Richard Petty 11 4. Dale Earnhardt 11 4. Cale Yarborough 11 7. David Pearson 10 8. Darrell Waltrip 9 857. startandparkfan posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Corrections: #35 Blockbuster.com #95 Dish Network #87 MaddiesPlaceRocks.com, DAB Constructors was just an associate. #47 Kroger/USO #33 Honey Nut Cheerios/Kroger Owner for the #26 is Brandon Davis. 858. David posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Laps Led Matt Kenseth: 86 Denny Hamlin: 33 Jeff Gordon: 31 All other drivers: 50 859. Ryan posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nothing was or is worse than the 2000 Daytona 500. Worst race in history... that or 2000 Loudon race that was won by Jeff Burton who led all 300 laps. Coincidence? Just restrictor plates... That is all 860. Sean posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't understand the outrage. I don't think it was good, but I don't think it was THAT bad. I'm not sure if I believe that a restrictor plate race CAN be good (they're all bad for different reasons), but at least the drivers who were leading the race are drivers who are competitive for the championship unlike Waltrip or Bayne or Cope or whoever, at least there were no weird interruptions like there were the last three years, and there was some separation between the packs sometimes, and none of the wrecks were particularly bad, although I detested the first debris caution. I knew Johnson had it at the end when it was Biffle and Danica behind him because I knew they'd be unwilling to challenge. It didn't particularly anger me. They haven't cheated in a while and they didn't cheat to win this as far as I know, and at least he was more tactful than to dedicate THIS win to all the "haters"... I certainly don't think it was a good race, but I really can't get the "worst race ever" hype. Honestly I detested the 80 lead change races with 16 cautions including 2 or 3 big ones (and there were several of those) far more than this. Yeah, a little dull, but I'll take that after yesterday. John Royal was probably politically incorrect in #790, but I can't disagree with his sentiment a lot. This race was like a lot of the plate races of the '90s that got single-file and tame for a bit before getting more competitive at the end, and I thought those were fine, and better than any of the far too dangerous plate races from the next decade. As for the last caution and the Jimmie/Brad thing, I'll have to revisit it as I wasn't paying THAT much attention, but it was a real, not fake, debris caution. I don't see how it was THAT unfair. At least Jimmie actually made a pass for the lead approaching that caution although it may have been arbitrary when they threw the caution (and I'll have to check that when it comes on YouTube), as opposed to Brad, who inherited the lead solely because the caution came out while he was pitting. I'll always prefer for the winner to be someone who took the lead naturally...even though I do personally like Brad slightly more than Jimmie (but don't really like either a lot). Not a good race at all, but not a particularly loathsome race either. I can't understand how this is the worst race ever. At least this package rewards talent and dominant drivers a bit more than other packages did. The drivers who were actually leading were relevant in general... 861. 83andJoe posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #35 sponsor: Blockbuster Video #51 sponsor: Guy Roofing #95 sponsor: Dish Network #26 owner: Brandon Davis #33 owner: Richard Childress 862. JP88 posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well fitting that the most vanilla driver wins one of the more duller Daytona 500's...I saw this coming though, Johnson has wrecked out/had trouble in every 500 since he won...only a matter of time. Dang Jr. was so close again...at least he tried unlike Biffle. 863. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Exactly, Sean ^^^ And again, I really do think these cars are better suited for downforce tracks, like Phoenix next week. It's kinda the opposite of the COT, which created good plate racing but poor racing elsewhere. 864. 83andJoe posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #87 sponsor: Maddie's Place (no obvious D.A.B. logos per the NASCAR Media shot in Brock Beard's starting lineup video) 865. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the fall 2009 talladega race they were single-file out of protest and fear that NASCAR would punish them 2013 daytona 500 they were single-file because they had no cars 866. Anonymous posted: 02.24.2013 - 6:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Micheal McDowell and JJ Yeley are now in the top 10 in points. I'm enjoying this while I can. 867. Talon64 posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica Patrick's the 13th driver to lead laps in both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, joining: Bobby Allison Tony Stewart AJ Foyt Mario Andretti John Andretti Al Unser Bobby Unser Johnny Rutherford Tim Richmond Robby Gordon Jim Hurtubise Juan Pablo Montoya 868. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan, are you talking about modern Daytona 500s (since 1988, the modern restrictor plate era) or all Daytona 500s, because there were some absolutely dreadful Daytona 500s from it's inception in 1959 (that wasn't one of them) through 1982, including the 1961-'62 (Fireball's domination), 1964 (Richard Petty's obliteration of the field), 1965 (rain, rain, rain), 1968 (crashes galore), 1972 (no competition for A.J. Foyt), 1977 Cale's domination and wind-blown crashes), and 1982 (bumpergate and Bobby's domination, which I do not think were linked) races. The 1985 race falls into that discussion as well, but since 1995, most of the races through 2007 were dogs (2000 probably being the worst of the lot), and today's saw the least passing since then. As for what would have made the racing better and more competitve, I've got a very simple answer to that one. Larger rear spoilers. There was very little passing because the cars were not punching a big hole in the air. Because of that, they could not get a run at the cars in front, and thereby were essentially stuck where they were, espcially running the high line. If they could have gotten better runs, you would have seen more passing, I guarantee it. But the draft was just not effective with the smaller spoilers, something I said resulting from the test. Just compare the action in this race to the races the previous two days, and you'll see what I mean. Of course, not having drivers like Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart Juan Montoya, and Brad Keselowski (until late in the race) after that lap 33 crash didn't help matters either, because they would have tried things for better or worse, but that's the "rub of the green" as they call it. And of course, the Fords not being a part of the action, except for Greg Biffle, didn't help, because Biffle's was the only really good Ford in the race. The three mechanical failures on the part of the Toyotas, which were the best cars, didn't help either. But all day, I new that at least one of Hendrick's two superstar drivers (sorry, Dale, Jr.) was laying in the weeds waiting to make his move, but I didn't now which one. Also, with his win in this Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson became jut the third driver to win all the crown jewels in the sport at least twice, joining Jeff Gordon and Bobby Allison, who won each of the crown jewels they participated in at least three times. 869. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was no worse than 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012. Watch all of those races START TO FINISH. Of those 1990, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2012 were easily worse. It's restrictor crap racing, you either have boring racing like this or WWE on wheels like yesterday. Wicker bill? lol, watch the 2005 Pepsi 400. Bring on Phoenix 870. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Like CJS says, just change the rear spoiler. 871. 13 posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #95 had dish network on it 872. Kyle L posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The 48 team has put fans in a very diffiult position because there's no way to know if what we're seeing is authentic. I want to believe they were not cheating again today, but after seeing Knaus getting suspended prior to the race they won here in 2006, Knaus telling Jimmie to intentioally damage the car at Talladega if they won the race there a couple of years ago, and Jimmie intentionally damaging the front of the car at the end of the race today in his celebration, it's very hard not to walk away from the track today and not think this team was up to no good. 873. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I want to believe they were not cheating again today, but after seeing Knaus getting suspended prior to the race they won here in 2006, Knaus telling Jimmie to intentioally damage the car at Talladega if they won the race there a couple of years ago, and Jimmie intentionally damaging the front of the car at the end of the race today in his celebration, it's very hard not to walk away from the track today and not think this team was up to no good." My thoughts exactly. 874. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1991 was a disaster as well, but for a completely different reason, TeamsPlayerBlue, and the 1989 race wasn't that great either, especially from lap 80 onwards, but the drama of whether Alan Kulwicki and/or Darrell Waltrip could make it to the end after their pit stop on the last caution (on lap 144) put life in a rather lifeless race. But I thought the 1996 race actually was among the better ones. And the 1995, '97, '99, and 2002 races were bland, as well, and we know what happened in 2001, which was as race I didn't consider that good because the pit crews didn't matter. 875. Josh C posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Worst f**king Daytona 500 ever. 876. Evan posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) * Regular season debut of the Gen 6 car, even though the Shootout and the 150's were exhibition. At least any incarnation of that generic COT is gone. * First time NASCAR cars ran with sponsors on the roof, some had Newtown Relief on the hood, some had their associate sponsor. * Matt Kenseth's debut with Joe Gibbs Racing, ends on a sour note after the Toyota's suffered problems under the hood as did Kyle Busch. * Debut of Austin Dillon, who will most likely lose that extra 3 when he moves up to Cup full-time, Ty I'd like to see get 33. * Danica Patrick's debut as a full-fledged rookie candidate, along with bf Ricky Stenhouse. * Brad Keselowski looked close to being a winner after getting involved in some crashes until the debris caution came out and Jimmie Johnson caught everybody off guard by being ahead of Keselowski to the line(which was the winning pass) * Jimmie Johnson wins in his 400th start joining R.Petty, D.Earnhardt, D.Marcis to name a couple. * Chad Knaus's first OFFICIAL win in the 500, he was suspended by NASCAR and the win was credited to Darian Grubb who later became a champ himself. * Michael Waltrip ran colors for the Newtown Relief Fund, don't think any car has been sponsored in that fashion before. The car looked like a reverse scheme of Brett Bodine's Quaker State Cup ride back in the early 1990's for King Racing. He also wore a Richard Petty tribute helmet. * Carl Edwards kills 5 Cup cars in one weekend, hopefully he can rebound and have a shot at the Cup. * Tony Stewart's debut in Bass Pro Shops colors(which went to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500 in 2010, 3 years ago with J. McMurray) unfornately the two best cars, Harvick and Stewart ended up crashed out before doing any serious racing(which overall did not even look serious at times). * In the final stretch of the race, everybody waited far too long to make a move, I guess they were afraid to and they would get freightrained. I think the more they race these cars, the better the feel they will get, we haven't remotely seen what this car will do yet and its all just wait and see, not every Daytona 500 is a classic and this one is not. 877. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Worst 500 ever? Another factual comment based on information and experience lol. Perhaps if you watch some of the races I watched instead of watching highlight reels you might think differently. 878. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree Kyle. Its not just Chad, it is all of HMS. We just have to look at EVERYTHING they have ever accomplished with a raised eyebrow. And that is a shame. Jeff and Jimmie are two of the best ever to wheel a stock car, yet we can't totally appreciate their on track brilliance without wondering what was going on behind the scenes with their unscrupulous owner who cheats in the business world and in racing. If Jeff had taken over that #18 car for Gibbs in '93, he wouldn't have as many wins, but I think he would still have 50 or 60 as well as about 3 championships, and would probably be much more appreciated. 879. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.2013 - 7:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFan, those are funny comments considering the owner of your favorite driver. The open wheel version of Rick Hendrick. 880. Matt L posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was disappointed with the drivers today. They had January testing, the Unlimited (Shootout), Duel races, and many practice sessions to figure these new cars out. There really wasn't much of an attempt to race until 20 laps to go, which was a big let down for the most hyped and most watched event of the season. Thank goodness Dale Earnhardt Jr. made an attempt to try to win the race on the last lap and give the millions of people watching something to see besides a three hour 190mph parade. 881. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "DaleSrFan, those are funny comments considering the owner of your favorite driver." Penske Racing hadn't won a Cup championship before last season and doesn't have the record of cheating in NASCAR like HMS has. I wish Jeff would have left HMS for JGR or Roush a few years ago when it became obvious he wasn't the number one guy anymore. Then we would know for sure just how great he was while driving for a team that doesn't have as shady of a history as HMS. I hate knowing that my favorite driver will always have that "Yeah, but..." hanging over his career because of the team that he drove for, and that's a real shame. I can't disagree with any such claims as I have similar feelings myself, and I only wish he would have left when he still had the chance. 882. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Are you shitting me, is Wind Tunnel just a half hour show now or is it because nothing other then Nascar has started yet? 883. jabber1990 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) is the #10 team paying SHR's bills? or do the other 2 cars have their own money? 884. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I hate knowing that my favorite driver will always have that "Yeah, but..." hanging over his career because of the team that he drove for, and that's a real shame." Gordon doesn't have the tainted history that Chad Knaus lives with though. Gordon has 3 offenses that I can name. 1995 World 600,2000 Fall Richmond,2007 Sonoma. What does the #48 list look like? 885. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wind Tunnel is likely on the chopping block with FOX Sports changes, sadly. 886. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamPlayersBlue, if that's directed at me, I have watched all of the telecasts going back to 1978 either live or on replays, and also the races in 1963, 1964, '66, '69, '71, '74, and '76, as well as the films of the races in 1959, '60, '68, '73, and '74, and I consider a number of those races worse than today's. You really think that the one-car runaways seen in the early years of the race were better than the race was today? Now certainly I don't consider today's race that good a race, in terms of the actual racing, but much like the race in 2000 was (which was really bad), it was a good dose of therapy considering the events that led up to it. A good race? Hardly, but undoubtedly a safe race, and considering the events of yesterday, I'll take it as a race fan, much the same way that the 2000 race, while a terrible race, was a safe race, an important fact considering the horrible crashes in the days leading up to it (Geoff Bodine's crash in the Truck Series race that years and two different crashes where cars rolled over). And in the first 20 years of the modern restrictor plate era (1988-2007), there were only four really good races, 1988, '93-'94, and '96. The rest of them were dogs. But unlike many people, I don't see things getting much better ths year in terms of the quality of racing for on simple reason. The cars will be going much too fast to put on a good race. And because of the speed, Goodyear will have to use a hard tire for the high-speed intermediates and big ovals to keep tires from blowing out every 30-50 miles. I think next week's race at Phoenix could be a very good one, as will the races at the tracks 1 mile and shorter in length, where the speeds won't be so high. But as Carl Edwards somewhat admitted when he said he was going 193 MPH at Darlington, the cars will be going too fast to put on any kind of race. Lap speeds at 195 at a test at Charlotte? If nothing is done to slow the cars down, I expect the pole speed to possibly get as high as 198 for the 600, and 192-195 at Texas, even with a hard tire, which means we may see restrictor plates for the intermediates in the not-too-distant future, as was the case in the 1970s. 887. 1995z71 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "861. 83andJoe posted: #33 owner: Richard Childress" No, it's right, Joe Falk is the correct owner. Also believe the correct sponsor of the #35 is Blockbuster.com 888. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think it would have been interesting to see Jeff go to JGR in 2009 to replace Tony in the 20 car. It was around (or in) 2008 when everyone sort of realized that the 48 was top priority at HMS. So maybe making a move would have been better for his career. Unfortunately though, he's just too loyal to Rick. 889. Brad24 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Other than the finish, I thought this race was pretty calm. Not necessarily boring though. I like what I see so far with the G6 car. But like with every new car, it was a learning experience. I'd like to NASCAR put the strip on the roof of the car like they did in 2001. Perhaps that would lead to more passing. Just don't slow the cars down. I'll give Danica credit. She had a great Speedweeks. Won the pole, led, and finished in the top 10. But the real test begins next week. The question is how will she do on the non-plate tracks. On to Phoenix. It's good to be back! #Team24 890. Brad24 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, great top 10's for Regan Smith, Michael McDowell, and JJ Yeley. 891. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, remember who was the very first crew chief at HMS was when Rick Hendrick formed it in 1984? It was Harry Hyde, who pushed the rules harder than just about anyone. Then when Hendrick expanded to two teams in 1986, he moved Hyde to the second team (with driver Tim Richmond) and hired Gary Nelson, another crew chief known for bending the rules, if not flat-out breaking them. He also had, for a time, Henry Benfield as one of his gasmen. Benfield had worked for Junior Johnson for years and many felt that Darrell Waltrip had an oversized fuel cell for a number of those wins he had with Junior in the 80s. Hendrick has never been afraid of hiring guys that pushed the envelope. And on that front, let's not forget what happened today with the #24 car and how long it took to get that car through inspection. But that's why they're usually ahead of the curve, because they're not afraid to take chances. 892. JT_Racing posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica at Martinsville or Darlington, ha! I can't wait for the real tracks to head our way on a giant dose of reality to set in! By the way, who won the last two races at the aforementioned tracks? Oh yeah that's right, I see another slowly but surely realty check setting in to all of you crybabies and conspiracy theorists. 893. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) CJS, was talking to the guy that said today was the worst 500, not you. Don't worry. 894. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Gordon doesn't have the tainted history that Chad Knaus lives with though." True, but they both work for the same team and for awhile were in the same garage. You can't talk about HMS without bringing up the cheating scandals, and you can't talk about HMS without acknowledging the success of the #24 and #48 teams, which Jeff and Chad each played major roles in. Hence, the fact that Jeff has spent his entire Cup career with a cheating organization will cause a lot of raised eyebrows. He's sort of in the same boat as Tom Brady. Both of them are among the all-time greats in their respective sports, yet both of them have played their entire careers with organizations that have a history of cheating, which in turn causes their achievements to be questioned. Had they played with teams with a much cleaner history, such as Jeff driving for JGR or Brady playing for the 49ers, they'd probably be looked at in a much better light because no matter how much success they had, their greatness wouldn't be in question. Instead, their careers will always be looked at with a raised eyebrow, which is a shame because both of those guys like I said are two of their sports' finest. 895. 83andJoe posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >No, it's right, Joe Falk is the correct owner. OPO - On Paper Only. Falk has his John Hancock on the entry form so that Circle Sport can use the points earned, but Dillon's entries are pure RCR the rest of the way, right down to the RCR logo on the bumper (formerly headlight). 896. joey2448 posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I like that just because a driver has had an amazing amount of success in his career, it's automatically assumed that he and the team is cheating. Now I know that the 24 and 48 teams have both been caught with illegal modifications and penalized before (more so for Jimmie), but the same can be said for many teams today and in the past. Everybody tries to find a way and bend the rules, some get caught and some don't. 897. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "the fact that Jeff has spent his entire Cup career with a cheating organization will cause a lot of raised eyebrows" I like the fact that he has spent his entire career with the same team and # and make. I look at from a traditional point of view. Like Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle playing with the same team their whole career's. BTW,Mickey Mantle was forced to play wearing a #6 to continue the lineage of Ruth #3,Gehrig #4 and Dimaggio #5, in his first season. 898. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The teams that cheat the most are more likely to be caught. Since HMS has a long history of being caught cheating, and has been caught more than any other active team, that means they are cheating more than any other team. 899. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ted Williams hated playing for the Red Sox. HATED it. He only stayed there because they wouldn't let him go. The fans in Boston are among the worst sports fans in the U.S., and they frequently booed Williams, their star player, whenever he made a mistake or had a bad game. I love the fact that he didn't do the traditional "tip of the cap" in salute to the fans after his final at-bat. He showed them as much respect as they showed him, which was none, and it was well-deserved. 900. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I love the fact that he didn't do the traditional "tip of the cap" in salute to the fans after his final at-bat." His last at bat was a homer and he didn't answer the call out of justified spite. Talk about a legend. THAT is a Legend. 901. ch posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Technically, if its in Falk's name, then the car has to be registered to him. So just like last year, it should go under Falk's name. 902. Anthony posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Cheater" wins again by cheating again. Just miss the chase Jimmie I hate this shit 903. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gotta love Teddy Baseball. Sorry Rainbow Nation. As I have said, Jeff is one of the best ever to walk thrrough NASCAR, and his "I am not gonna give up on this race until the very f***ing end" attitude is something to admire. But he definitely falls under the cloud of suspiscion cast by Rick Hendrick. That is why I wish he drove for somebody else. He is sort of the victim in this. And lets look at his confirmed cheating violations. The illegal hubs at Charlotte '95 were only discovered because his wheel came off. He had won 3 races plus the Winston by that point. Considering his final margain of championship victory was 34 points, I'd venture to guess they did more than 34 points worth of cheating. And at Richmond 2000, that cost Dale a victory in his final season, cost him $1 million, and what would have been him winning his final two shots at the No Bull Million. In conclusion, Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham, and Chad Knaus have caused two of NASCAR's greatest to have an unnecessary cloud over them. 904. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On another note, I watched the SPEED doc Richard Petty: A Racer's Life. What an excellent "warts and all" look into his life. That is the kind of authenticity we are craving as fans, and are being deprived of. I think that is why so many of us gravitate towards Brad and still talk about Dale even though he has been gone for 12 years. Do I agree with everything Brad does or says? Nope. But I appreciate him being who he really is. This PC "Jimmie-ing" drivers do (NASCAR's answer to Tebowing) is just turning us off. 905. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "In conclusion, Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham, and Chad Knaus have caused two of NASCAR's greatest to have an unnecessary cloud over them." Ray Evernham has always said that he thinks Gordon is the best ever to pick up a steering wheel and was always the biggest reason for their success together. What about June? How come he's had NO success at Hendrick, if they hold all the cards and can manipulate things to go in their favor? 906. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "On another note, I watched the SPEED doc Richard Petty: A Racer's Life." I've been switching back and fourth between that and Drag Racing. It was a lot like his other documentary Petty Blue. Pretty good. 907. Neal posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When you compare it to the action of the Nationwide and Truck Series races, this year's 500 was boring. The new car looks great but it's a plate track dud. If drivers are complaining about the lack of action on the radio you know it's not going well. 908. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 2013 Daytona 500 Lap Leaders J.Gordon 1-31; J.Johnson 32-36; M.Kenseth 37-39; C.Bowyer 40; M.Kenseth 41-71; P.Menard 72; R.Newman 73-74; M.Waltrip 75; R.Newman 76; D.Hamlin 77-85; T.Kvapil 86; M.Waltrip 87-89; D.Patrick 90-91; D.Hamlin 92; M.Kenseth 93-126; D.Patrick 127-129; J.Logano 130-131; M.Kenseth 132-149; D.Hamlin 150-172; R.Smith 173; B.Keselowski 174-176; S.Speed 177-178; B.Keselowski 179-185; J.Johnson 186; B.Keselowski 187; J.Johnson 188; B.Keselowski 189-190; J.Johnson 191-200. 909. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) We should Feed Danica to some Lions. 910. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I love that Richard "passed" that authenticity down to his son Kyle as well. Now that Kyle Petty is an analyst, he's on TV a lot giving his opinions on different issues. Do I agree with everything he says? No. But I can at least respect the fact that he pulls no punches when he opens up his mouth, which is rare in this PC NASCAR world that has engulfed both the participants of the sport and the people who cover this sport. "This PC "Jimmie-ing" drivers do (NASCAR's answer to Tebowing) is just turning us off." Ugh, if that's the case, then that's just another example of NASCAR trying to compete with the NFL and failing miserably. Tebowing was great. Jimmie-ing is just flat-out boring, uninspiring, and personifies everything that's wrong with NASCAR today. "What about June? How come he's had NO success at Hendrick" The driver has to do their part too. HMS could give Junior (or any driver for that matter) the best engine, brakes, fuel cell, shocks and springs, and everything else to give them a competitive advantage, but if the driver doesn't take advantage of this competitive advantage that they have been given, then it doesn't really matter. Of course, his current crew chief is Steve Letarte, who I wouldn't be surprised with if he couldn't tell the difference between caster and camber. 911. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Because Gordon >>>>>>>>>>>>>> June 912. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What about that motor in Danica's car? She all but ran over people on the straights but would fall back in the corners. If they would have given Gordon that motor, this race would have looked like the first 199 and 3/4 laps of the 1990 Daytona 500. He could have pulled out of line immediately once he got that debris, pulled up on the end of the line to clean it off, then drove right back to the front. 913. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Quickly Paul, just testing you, what's the difference between caster and camber? Insert Jeopardy music here. 914. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, apparently Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano had a mini-Twitter fight a few hours ago that started when Denny called out Joey's drafting abilities in a message to Brad. Needless to say, Denny won that fight. I would like Denny a lot more if he didn't have that enlarged ego and sense of entitlement, which I think he gained after his great rookie season, as I remember him being very humble in his victory lane interview after the '06 Bud Shootout. If he could be more Brad, another driver who had to fight and claw his way up the racing ladder in order and made the most of their opportunity once they reached Cup, and could be both authentic and humble about his accomplishments, I think he would have a lot more fans than he has right now. I think part of the problem is that there's nobody in the garage area to straighten he and so many other young, talented, thick-headed drivers out, so they go around thinking that they're much better than they actually are. If he couldn't humble himself after veteran Kyle Petty pretty much bitch-slapped him in the garage at Dover '07, I don't know what will. Hopefully having Matt Kenseth for a teammate (Whom Denny lobbied for. Take some notes on teammate searching, Brad.) will help Denny reach his potential as a driver, because he has champion-caliber talent. 915. 83andJoe posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >Technically, if its in Falk's name, then the car has to be registered to him. So just like last year, it should go under Falk's name. Even if the only association Falk has is with the name on the entry blank? It's like at a truck race back at Fontana in the late 90s, they had a short field so Bob Brevak rolled his backup truck off the trailer and duct-taped a "65" on it - Kenny Allen's number - over the "34", so they could use Allen's points to line up if qualifying was cancelled. Does that count as an Allen owned truck, or Brevak? Either way, though, the #26's owner is Brandon Davis. 916. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race was far from good, but Fox's coverage made it seem even worse. I'm guessing that since Danica won the pole, the Fox executives really expected a huge demographic from her to tune in. GoDaddy was the real winner today. The late Dale Earnhardt himself could have rose from the grave and drove a car today and I don't think it would have garnered as much attention. 917. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caster is the angle of which the wheel is displaced from the vertical axis of the suspension. For example, the caster for a motorcycle is more extreme than the caster for a car because of the difference in angles between the front suspension and the wheel(s). Camber is the angle of which the wheel is displaced from the vehicle itself. There are two types of camber: Positive and negative. Positive camber is when the top of the tire is pointing outward from the vehicle and is more outside the wheel well, whereas negative camber is when the the top of the tire is pointing inward towards the vehicle and the bottom of the tire is pointing outside of the wheel well. 918. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Erica Enders(a Female driver)just won NHRA Pro Stock with a hole-shot. A hole-shot is when you leave the line first. 919. Mr X posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll buy that Paul, it's sort of difficult to explain without a visual. Caster and also be positive or negative however negative caster would yield some serious drivability problems, so it goes unused. 920. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, to add to that, Clint Bowyer's spotter told him he was getting a lot of TV time because he was running directly behind Danica. 921. 18fan posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My last post was supposed to be directed at OldSchoolNascarDude. 922. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bowyer would be getting a lot of TV time anyways. His sponsor 5-hour Energy was sponsoring one of the last segments of the broadcast, his boss works as an analyst for Fox, and he was carrying an on-board camera. Plus he was featured in that obnoxious ad for the race at Phoenix that featured crashes, fights, and no racing. Being right behind Danica only gave him additional exposure. 923. JG24FanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think the best thing about this race was Jimmie Johnson's reaction on the radio after he won. 924. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I heard that, too, 18fan. Danica is about to fall victim to the "Dale Jr. Curse". He's actually a pretty cool guy, but constant hyping talk from media and his fans turn a lot of people into wanting to dislike Earnhardt. I think Danica may eventually approach that level. 925. murb posted: 02.24.2013 - 10:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I would like Denny a lot more if he didn't have that enlarged ego and sense of entitlement" I've actually never really minded Denny. He's had his moments (the deal with Brad, the Kyle Petty incident, and the couple times he's trashed his crew), but I can absolutely tolerate his personality over others (like Logano, JPM, the Buschs, Stenhouse, and Austin Dillon). The only times I've really been annoyed by him are when he's made those bold predictions about winning races and stuff. Like when he's guaranteed victory. I wish he would just focus on the race itself and not get into head games, because like you said, he's got championship level talent. I honestly think another big part of his attitude had to do with Mike Ford being his crew chief. Remember when Ford got cocky and trashed the 48 after they benched their crew at Texas? I think that type of stuff sort of rubbed off on Denny, because Denny has been much more focused and seemingly relaxed with a class act like Darian Grubb up on the box. Hopefully Darian along with the combination of Kenseth being there and being a new father will continue to mature him. 926. Bronco posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My thoughts on the race. Good to see a clean finish at the end rather than a repeat of yesterday's carnage. I've said this before and I'm glad that others agree with me but shame on Biffle for not attempting a move whatsoever as the laps found, and I'm glad he got shuffled back to 6th. Carl or Ricky would have never behaved that way if they were in that position on the last lap. In between Jimmie Johnson's Daytona 500 wins, his average finish was around 33rd with 3 DNFs (2007, 2010, 2012) and spins/wrecks in 2008-2009 and 2011. Even though I didn't like the finish of this one, Jimmie was a deserving winner. Thankfully Dale Jr spiced it up at the end by going for the win, despite having what looked to be the slowest HMS car during all of Speedweeks. His new National Guard paint scheme makes it easy to confuse him with Mark Martin's #55 today. Also this is Dale Jr's first top 5 since Michigan in August, before he was hit with the concussions. Unlike 2001 when he helped Waltrip win that race, his last 3 runner up finishes have all been rallies. Really think and hope he wins another 500 before he hangs it up. Daytona is now Dale Jr's best track with 15 top 10s and 10 top 5s. Daytona and Martinsville are the only tracks where he has double digit top 5s. This is the first time the 500 has been won by previous winners in consecutive years since Gordon-Jarrett in 1999 and 2000. JJ Yeley gets his first top 10 since the rain shortened summer New Hampshire race in 2008. As for the three Front Row cars getting wiped out in the second big wreck, the only other time I can remember a multi car team losing all its cars in a single wreck was the 2009 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway, where Kahne, Sadler, Sorenson and Allmendinger all crashed in the same incident. 927. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Erica is doing one hell of a job, as are both of John Force's daughters, Ashley and Courtney. Yet another reason why this "Danica makes history" garbage bothers the crap out of me. What she is doing is far from unprecedented in motorsports. Anyone ever hear of Shirley Muldowney? They just never dolled themselves up. I touched on this on the NWide page when Johanna Long was given zero TV time mentions until she was swept up in the second to last crash despite running Top 12 all day in an underfunded ride. She is a female doing well, and the drag racing girls are WINNING! So where is their "history"? The message is loud and clear: if you are a female and you want to be given any attention, you better exploit your body. That is what Brad mean when he said Danica's ascent set a "dangerous precedence" for prospective female drivers. He was right on the money. 928. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Honestly Paul, who would Brad Keselowski had better chosen as a teammate, considering what was available? Joey Logano was the best choice out there. I'm not sure Logano will amount to much, but I think he's a vast improvement over what was in the #22 car last year. But the fact that Kenseth was someone Hamlin actually wanted as a teammate, and getting him away from the Ford camp, the decision to have Kenseth as a teammate will have deep impact on not only the Ford camp, but Gibbs as well, and we saw both in the Daytona 500. The Fords were non-factors, except for Greg Bifle, and the Gibbs cars were the best in the race. I believe a Gibbs car wins the race if not for the two engine failures suffered within five laps, because part of Hamlin's problem was the fact that he didn't have a drafting partner, since both of his teammates were out of the race and fellow Toyota driver Martin Truex, Jr. was also having engine trouble. On the other hand, the Ford teams are in major trouble if their "big three", Biffle, Keselowski, and Carl Edwards are having off days, as two of them had today. Not counting Marcos Ambrose on road courses, Biffle, Keselowski, and Edwards are likely to be the only Ford drivers capable of contending on a regular basis this year, and having just three drivers capable of contending on a regular basis will be putting Ford at a major defcit in terms of competitiveness this year against the Toyotas and Chevrolets. Certainly, Logano and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be good in some races, but neither of those two will be front runners on anywhere near a consistent basis. For any Ford fans, I'm afraid Ford's in for a bad season this year, simply because of a lack of competitive drivers, and one of their three competitive drivers is in his 40s (Biffle). And if Greg Biffle begins to show his age (43), it will be even worse than I thought for the blue oval in 2013. 929. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bronco, Biffle had nothing for the Chevrolets and Toyotas. His car was a good following car, but not one that could pull out and pass, or one that could lead. His team even admitted that after the race. Had Edwards or Stenhouse been in the same predicament, they might have tried something, as I think Biffle was planning off the final corner, but it likely wouldn't have worked either because the Fords were just slow, like they were in the late 70s and early 80s, or in the late 90s and early 2000s (2000 aside). Historically, the Fords have always handled better in the draft, but they usually weren't good at leading, so they've had this problem in the past, which made their dominance last year at Daytona and Talladega such an anomaly. But they're in trouble for the near future, at least because they have only three guys that can challenge consistently, and if Greg Biffle begins to fade due to age, they're in even worse shape. Fortunately, they have Brad Keselowski, the current champion, but it appears they have very little else if Carl Edwards doesn't return to the form of a couple of years ago. 930. Jim Davis posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I've said this before and I'm glad that others agree with me but shame on Biffle for not attempting a move whatsoever as the laps found, and I'm glad he got shuffled back to 6th." I'm actually willing to give Biffle a pass on this. Any move he could have made before the last lap would have to involve Patrick going with him for any chance of success. I can understand his reluctance to rely on Patrick given her inexperience at this level and not having a good feel for how much of a risk taker Patrick is. On the last lap moving down to pick up Earnhardt would have been more like throwing a block than jumping to a faster line. I can understand being reluctant here given the chaos that has ensued in the past few plate races when that has been tried. "Erica is doing one hell of a job, as are both of John Force's daughters, Ashley and Courtney. Yet another reason why this "Danica makes history" garbage bothers the crap out of me. What she is doing is far from unprecedented in motorsports. Anyone ever hear of Shirley Muldowney? They just never dolled themselves up." I think this is more a case of drag racing and distance racing being considered two separate disciplines than anything else (I consider the two disciplines separate myself). Racing-Reference.info hasn't included NHRA drivers and stats; we can't really jump on TV networks for distinguishing between the two disciplines as well. 931. Eric posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, Why are you so concerned about a Biffle's age when you are normally more concern about a cup having more than 550 cup starts being on the decline? You are the person who has made a point in the past that amount of cup starts means more than a cup's age although I never completely bought into your saying in the past about because a drivers prime ends after 550 starts. You made it sound like in the past that a cup driver would be a young 43 in the case of Biffle in ability as a cup driver since he only had 366 cup starts before this year's Daytona 500.. 932. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I highly doubt that he'll be a regular contender this season, but Aric Almirola (another Ford driver) showed that he is able to go from the back to the front in this race. He was in 13th place just prior to the halfway point, got caught speeding on pit road and fell down to the tail end of the lead lap at around 35th place, and was able to work his way back up to 13th place by the time the race ended. I don't know if that says more about him, Ford, RPM, or if luck was just on his side after that pit road mishap, but his comeback from an earlier miscue was pretty impressive, considering the lack of passing in this race. And yes, Joey Logano was the best available free agent driver after Matt Kenseth decided to join JGR for 2013, but the fact that Brad was lobbying so hard for a bust like Joey Logano doesn't exactly leave a sparkling image on his resume. He was the best available only because Trevor Bayne couldn't get out of his Roush contract, Regan Smith hadn't been released yet, David Reutimann was pretty much "out of sight, out of mind" at TBR, and there were no good Nationwide or Truck Series drivers that were ready to be thrust into Cup. Actually, if I was Brad, I would have lobbied for Dave Blaney to join the team. Considering how his son Ryan started to drive for Brad's Truck team midway through last season, having Dave as his teammate for 1-2 years would have given Brad a competent teammate who knows how to wheel a race car, share quality information with the crew, and draft at the restrictor plate tracks. Plus, it would have allowed young Ryan Blaney to learn more about the "ins & outs" of the Penske organization because he would have both his Truck boss and dad to learn from within the same organization. I believe that would have been a much better choice in the short run, while they wait for a talented Nationwide or Truck Series driver to work their way up the ladder before throwing them into Cup. Blaney would have brought experience and expertise to the organization, as well as a talented son who is pretty much a Penske developmental driver right now. All Joey brings is youth, a "sponsor-friendly" appearance, and four years of underachieving with NASCAR's top Toyota team. I'll take my chances with a veteran like Blaney over the very inconsistent Logano any day, especially since Blaney's son may be taking over that ride in the coming years. 933. Paul posted: 02.24.2013 - 11:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eric, by that argument, Dick Trickle should have been in the prime of his career in 1998 (his last full-time Cup season) at the age of 56 because he only had 284 Cup starts under his belt at that point. You have to factor in both age and experience to determine how much a driver may have left in the tank. 934. Eric posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, I agree with you about Dick Trickle, but I am going by cjs3872's cup start theory. The other thing is Harry Gant was in his prime up to age 51 or 52 years old. Harry got his racing start in his 20's like Dick Trickle did. 935. NazRacePhan posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:03 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kids eat FREE at Golden Corral tomorrow thanks to Yeley's top 10 AND Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback tomorrow thanks to Newman's top 10! 936. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback tomorrow thanks to Newman's top 10!" Ryan Newman finished in the top ten? Wow, I just assumed he finished mid-pack since I never heard his name the entire race. Once again, great job Fox. 937. Thomas posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two thoughts based on recent comments. 1. Hornish proved over the 2nd half of last season that he was a worthy candidate for the 22 for this season. He may not have contended for many wins, but he'd have been solidly top-15 most weeks, which would have put him on the outskirts of the Chase picture come late summer. 2. If last year was any indication (and I think it was a better tell than 2011), Carl Edwards won't be as much of a factor week-in-week-out as many of you think. Despite his 2nd in points in 2011, he hasn't been nearly as aggressive since his run-ins with Brad Keselowski in 2010 (Atlanta and Gateway). Note his new tendency to "settle" for top-5s and top-10s instead of making aggressive moves to go for wins. That'll leave only Keselowski and Biffle contending for wins regularly, with Edwards, Ambrose, Almirola, and Stenhouse bringing up the 2nd tier of Ford drivers. 938. Eric posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, Biffle got his start in racing late in today's standards and that means you can't assume when his prime ends. Greg Biffle himself said in an article in the past he didn't get the racing bug before he was almost 17 years old. He said in that article that he didn't come from a racing family. That means you are dealing are driver that is a throwback for age for starting racing. Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, And Jeff Gordon got started racing when they were 5 years old. That means they have way more racing experience than Biffle has despite them being younger than Greg. 939. Bronco posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) After crashing out of countless Daytona/Talladega races, Newman now has 3 consecutive top 10s at the superspeedways, the longest streak of any driver. Regan Smith's last 3 top 10s have come with 3 different Chevy teams. Hope to see more of him in the #51 this year. 940. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eric, I mainly use the 17-year, or 550 start mark for the greatest drivers, of which Greg Biffle is not, but that certainly enters into the equation. And I did not say that Biffle would be having age-related problems this year. I said that if he had problems this year that Ford would be in worse shape than even I thought, and tehy're already in pretty bad shape with just three drivers I think can be consistently competitve, and if Biffle, who's undoubtedly one of those, runs into trouble and becomes less competitive, For is in far worse shape than I imagined. After all, in today's Cup environment, if a car make has only two or three competitve drivers, no matter what car make it is, they're in BIG trouble, and Ford has only three drivers that are consistently competitve, the way I see it, and when you consider that one of those, Carl Edwards, may be the most up-and-down driver I've ever seen, and another, Greg Biffle, is 43 years old, Ford is in dire straits in terms of drivers for the next 1-3 years. And I'm not sold on Aric Almirola, or the team he drives for, nor am I sold on Marcos Ambrose, but at least he has the two road course events he can get fat off of. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is too wild at times (he played it conservative today, which he needs to do more frequently), and the jury's still out on Joey Logano, though he's a vast improvement over what they had in the #22 car, not to mention the question mark that is Trevor Bayne, both in terms of what he might do on the track, and in terms of sponsorship. Joining a team that has won two consecutive NNS titles is, to put it bluntly, a curse, both in terms of what he has to live up to, and the law of averages catching up to that team, which may already have started to happen. Ford not only has a problem with it's current driver roster, but doesn't have much coming up past Bayne, and even he's a question mark, though I'm high on him. Ford's got problems in the driver department and they may not be going away anytime soon. They've got Keselowski, maybe Edwards if he doesn't get too far off the beaten path, maybe Stenhouse down the road, if he doesn't crash too much, but not much beyond that. 941. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, the reason you hardly ever heard Newman's name in the broadcast was because he was M.I.A. for most of the race, running in the 20s practically the entire way, until he rallied at the end for a top five finish. And Eric, I think that Biffle has at least two championship-caliber seasons left in him, which would give Roush time to season Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., though not having a true mentor will hurt his development some. And I disagree with Paul about Edwards because I think he'll rebound some this year. He's the one driver at Roush that may benefit from Matt Kenseth's departure. If he doesn't, Ford may go the way of Dodge in terms of relevancy, despite Keselowski and Penske's return to Ford. And on a different note, I don't know what race he watched, but Rusty Wallace just called the Daytona 500 a "great race". I'm not sure what race he watched, but I don't even classify it as a good race, much less a great race. It was a dull and monotonous race for 420 miles, but the racing in the last 25 laps was among the best in recent years. 942. Eric posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) My take on Biffle is that he has a couple prime years left based on age only unless he pulls a Harry Gant. Harry Gant had a unique cup career based on the age he first was full time cup driver. Greg got his start in racing at later age than his competitors did and explains why he didn't catch Jack's eye before the winter heat of 1995-1996 when Biffle was 26 years old. Greg Biffle mentioned in the past that he started racing when was almost 17 years old and that does play into his favor to a point. Some cup drivers decline really happened after they reached the 44 to 46 age range. At the time of the 1961 career ending wreck for Lee Petty, he already was starting to decline after his 1959 cup championship at the age of 45. Lee Petty was 6th in points in 1960 at the age of 46. Geoff Bodine had his best cup in 1990 at the age of 41, but he had his most dominating season as a cup driver in 1994 at the age 45 in laps led. Geoff had over 1,700 laps lead. That was his 2nd season ever that he had over 1,000 laps lad and the first happened in 1986. If Geoff Bodine had way less DNF's in 1994, you are talking a driver that would have had a career high in points wins for the cup series with 5 or 6 wins. That fact is Geoff Bodine declined big time after 1994. Ricky Rudd still was in his prime in 2000 and 2001 despite being 44 and 45 years old by the end of those 2 seasons. Those were the only two seasons Rudd had back to back top 5 finishes in points in his career. Rudd's 2002 season was the start of Ricky declining. Yes, Ricky went to a Wood Bros. team way past its hayday. I know Dale Sr. died also in 2001. The catch is Ricky already had over 730 starts after 2001 with him being 45. Bobby Allison's prime ended after the 1983 championship with him being almost 46 years old. Yes, the team was with was falling apart behind the scenes. The catch is age had to be looked at also. Dale Sr.'s prime ended after 1994/1995. He was 44 when he was 2nd to Jeff in 1995. Dale Jarrett's prime to me ended after his 1999 cup championship when he was almost 43 years old. Dale had very good seasons in 2000, 2001, and 2002, but his stats were declining in top 10's and top 5's in a season. Dale Sr's death affected dale, and so did Todd not being his crew chief. The catch was Dale Jarrett was already starting to decline by Dale Sr.'s death. Most of the driver's I mentioned didn't get their first full time cup season before they were in their late 20's or in their 30's except for Ricky Rudd and Lee Petty already being 35 years old in 1949. That meant Dale Jarrett, Dale Sr., Bobby Allison, and Geoff Bodine are good example to judge when it is expected for Biffle to be past his prime 943. I love Japan posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Totally agree on Ford. Here's the problem. Jack Roush wanted to be the only major Ford owner. He forms an alliance with Yates in 04, which really long term killed Yates. Also Roush once known for developing a bunch of drivers has not really had a true breakout star since Edwards in 05. Jack Roush is the main reason for Ford's decline. Yet he is the bedrock of their success since the decline and slow destruction of Yates. Hopefully he can turn things around. And hopefully Penske can keep him in line. Actually Penske is set to be the new #1 of Ford. But I agree things are looking bothersome for the Blue Oval. 944. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The thing that caught my attention on BSPN's post race coverage is Marty Smith's piece (he is a horrible journalist both in print and on TV, but he is a total jock sniffer and is there cause all the drivers will talk to him cause he kisses their ass) where they showed lots of drivers coming to congratulate JJ invictory lane. He said he asked Kasey Kahne if he has ever seen a driver as respected as Jimmie and Kasey replied "No and I never will" and the idiot Marty never even questioned it. While I have no doubt the garage has universal respect for Jimmie and his accomplishments (which are actually historic unlike all this BSPN fake history garbage), did ever crew member from every team come out to pit road to shake Jimmie's hand? 945. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Joining a team that has won two consecutive NNS titles is, to put it bluntly, a curse" Here's a list of what each Nationwide Series champion's successor did when they took over a team that had won the championship the season before: - 1985: Jimmy Hensley (replacing '83-'84 champion Sam Ard) had 3 wins, 15 top fives, 23 top tens, 4 poles, and a 2nd place points finish. - 1990: Jimmy Hensley (again, replacing '89 champion Rob Moroso) had 1 win, 9 top fives, 17 top tens, 4 poles, and another 2nd place points finish. - 1994: Tom Peck (replacing '93 champion Steve Grissom) had 3 top tens and was 13th in points through 8 races before he was replaced by Steve Grissom. - 1996: Randy LaJoie (replacing '95 champion Johnny Benson) had 5 wins, 11 top fives, 20 top tens, 2 poles, and won the championship. LaJoie would then equal his win total the following season en route to back-to-back championships in '96-'97. - 2000: Ron Hornaday (replacing '98-'99 champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) had 2 wins, 6 top fives, 13 top tens, and a 5th place points finish. - 2002: Johnny Sauter (replacing '01 champion Kevin Harvick) had 1 win, 3 top fives, 6 top tens, 1 pole, and a 14th place points finish. - 2003: Stanton Barrett (replacing '02 champion Greg Biffle) had 4 top tens and was 16th in points through 15 races before the team shut down. - 2004: Kyle Busch (replacing '03 champion Brian Vickers) had 5 wins, 16 top fives, 22 top tens, 5 poles, and a 2nd place points finish. - 2006: After Martin Truex, Jr. won the '04 and '05 titles, the #8 team became a part-time team in '06, winning three races between Truex and Dale Jr. - 2007: After Kevin Harvick won the '06 title, the #21 team had various drivers in '07, winning six races with Harvick behind the wheel. - 2009: After Clint Bowyer won the '08 title, the #2 team only competed in six races in '09 with Austin Dillon and Sean Caisse driving. I don't know, cjs. It looks like based on past history, Trevor Bayne is almost guaranteed a top five points finish based on where all the other drivers who succeeded defending Nationwide Series champions finished in points the following season. Of the eight times that a full-time driver replaced the defending Nationwide Series champion, five of them went on to finish in the top five in points the following season, and of the three drivers who didn't, two of them didn't complete the season (Johnny Sauter being the exception). And of the five drivers who finished in the top five in points, four of them finished in the top two, with Randy LaJoie actually winning the championship in '96, and again in '97, the only time that a team won back-to-back championships with two different drivers. I don't know how Trevor Bayne will do this season, but just based on past history of drivers in his position, it looks like he will still have a very good season and is very likely to still finish in the top five in points. 946. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, I didn't say anything about Carl Edwards, positive or negative. You must have confused me with somebody else. And that just goes to show you how little that today's NASCAR drivers know about their sport's history. I must say, I'm a little saddened that Kasey would say that in regards to Jimmie, considering how Bill Elliott was Kasey's mentor for his first couple NASCAR seasons. I don't know about you guys, but I will always have more respect for Bill Elliott than I do for Jimmie Johnson, and part of that reasoning is because of Johnson's association with HMS. Yes I know that Elliott's teams' hands weren't exactly clean when it came to breaking the rules, but compare how liked Elliott was back in his hey day to how Johnson is now. I don't think it's even close. 947. murb posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I too think Roush is in for a bad year, with the exception of Carl Edwards. I just think that Carl will get back to victory lane and at least contend a little bit in the Chase simply because he's always done that in follow up years to being mediocre. As for Biffle, I don't see him being a force for much longer. I like Greg okay, but I'm expecting him to have a drop off the next two years, which I think will lead to Travis Pastrana taking over the 16 in 2015 (with Trevor coming to Cup as well in the returning 6 car in either 2014 or 2015). Stenhouse will get better as he gets more experience, but I don't think he'll do anything notable this year, other than beat Danica for ROTY since Danica will only run well on plate tracks and the big intermediates (Michigan, Fontana, Indy, maybe Pocono). But yeah, I Love Japan is totally right. Jack's stubbornness and refusal to properly work with other teams in the Ford camp has sort of bit them, at least for this year. I think Keselowski and Edwards will be the only Ford drivers to make the Chase (unless Ambrose wins at a road course and finally breaks through on an oval, leading to a Wild Card with two wins), and I don't think they will win very many races other than the wins those guys get. 948. murb posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Marty Smith thing is just another example of a media member hyping up either a driver or a story way too much. DSFF nailed it. Jimmie has 5 championships, so there's no doubt that he's respected. But there's no way that he holds anymore respect in the garage then some other active drivers, such as Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte (when he still races), and Tony Stewart (who, as much as many disagree, is sort of the current "leader" of the garage, just as Dale Earnhardt once was). Jimmie's one of the greatest ever, and definitely garners respect, but at the same time, he's not any bigger than those other guys I mentioned on the respect scale. 949. 18fan posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) If this car races well at other tracks we can forget about the snoozefest it put on here, even though it put on a snoozefest in the Daytona 500. But if the racing is crap everywhere, then NASCAR will have once again developed a car that doesn't race well and none of their adjustments to the CoT (Gen-5) seemed to improve the racing very much. 950. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 2:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Marty Smith's piece (he is a horrible journalist both in print and on TV, but he is a total jock sniffer and is there cause all the drivers will talk to him cause he kisses their ass)" I'm still glad that Robby Gordon put him in his place while being interviewed at Montreal '07. I still chuckle every time Robby glares at him as Marty began to ask his follow-up question, causing him to get a little frog in his throat and get a little scared as he was interviewing him. Yeah, I took some time to think about what Kasey said about Jimmie, and that's still bothering me. He's more respected than any other driver you have ever seen? Was your Cup debut in 2004 the first time you ever watched a NASCAR race? You think he's more respected than Earnhardt? More respected than Rusty? Terry Labonte? Richard Petty? David Pearson? Bobby Allison? Cale Yarborough? Sure, maybe he was just referring to drivers of his era, but just the way that he said it and how it came off as if Johnson is some sort of God in the garage area with his fake personality and cheating team backing him just irritates me to no end. Whatever. He's the same guy who rolled his eyes at Brad in the media center when Brad accused the #48 team of illegally setting up the rear of their cars, which caused NASCAR to *gasp* take action that wouldn't benefit an HMS car. Kasey's just an HMS kiss-ass now as far as I'm concerned. 951. Watto posted: 02.25.2013 - 4:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Gordon doesn't have the tainted history that Chad Knaus lives with though." Pretty much a horrendous statement to make, given that Ray Evernham got away with way more than Knaus ever did taking advantage of huge rulebook holes, giving Jeff a superior car in countless scenarios (with one of the best drivers in the history of the sport). Knaus' attempts to work in the grey area are in a much smaller window than what they used to be, PLUS have you ever noticed how any time in the last 7 years theyve been caught "cheating", it was before practice when they unloaded and that the car passes post-race tech because they've righted what was wrong? Failing post-race tech is the only thing that matters. Going for it and getting told "no" before practice and making your car legal is a non-issue. But hey, if everyone wants to pretend that Knaus is a cheater everywhere we go and it's the reason for the 48's success, feel free to live in the dream world where you can't acknowledge that JJ is THE driver of this time. 952. Watto posted: 02.25.2013 - 4:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) and to add onto that, I'm a Keselowski fan. I'm not a Jimmie Johnson fan. But hey, I'm realistic. The 24 car had more of an advantage in the 90s than the 48 car ever did in the last decade. There's no need to think otherwise. Ray Evernham was the man at figuring that stuff out and it happened during races. It's a little different than the Jimmie Johnson scenarios where the car was fixed before the race even started. Think about that. Jimmie won 5 championship in a row and never failed post-race tech once during that run. Not even once. Kyle Busch and Edwards failed post-race multiple times during the same run, but they don't have the bad reputation. Remember in the 2009 title run when Jimmie & Mark's cars were impounded after every single chase race? They went over those cars with a fine-tooth comb after EVERY chase race and still couldn't find anything to penalize them on. Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus get written off unfairly, and yes, this is a Brad Keselowski fan saying this. I was never a 48 car fan. I'm just so tired of the delusions that certain fans stick with. Racers push their cars to the limit of the rules. ALL of them. 953. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.25.2013 - 4:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, it doesn't help that based on character on the racetrack, Jimmie is one of the most disrespectful and arrogant bastards of all-time, not even showing an ounce of respect to and even deliberately wrecking his teammates. 954. Watto posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Feel free to give me real examples. I've seen you have this discussion before, filled with conspiracy theories and fabrications. I've seen Jimmie lose his temper just like anyone else in the field, like when he intentionally dumped Kurt Busch at Richmond last year, but he's routinely one of the cleanest drivers on the track. To call him "disrespectful" is laughable. I've never seen him ever go far as Jeff Gordon did at Phoenix. THAT was one of the most disrespectful acts I've seen since I began watching NASCAR in 1994. 955. Kubica Fan Ireland posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson to the best of my knowledge joins Yarborough Petty and Gordon as the only men to win multiple championships and multiple Daytona 500s.Johnson and Gordon have won multiple 600s Southern 500s and Brickyard 400s also. Dale Jarret is the 3rd person towin the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 on multiple occasions. Couple of points. The cars today have a much smaller area to work on today than 15 years ago, look at the number of top5s required to win the championship today as opposed to 1999.Knaus has to look for the "grey areas" and come with his interpretation of the rules and then the nascar officials and inspection process decides whether it is legal or not. Hope all the other drivers are not as mentally strong as you guys.You have all handed the 48 the championshi with 10 months of the season left to go. You guys also did this after the Brickyard last year and after texas yet look who won, although the 48 should have won.The odds are against Johnson if you look at history, Only Petty has won the 500 and championship in the same season on more than 1 occasion.No judge ments should be made on the car until After Fontana and the potential Championship teams until After Martinsville.Since every is feeling so positive why doesn't Johnson set a new record and lead all 36 rounds of the championship. 956. Ivan Balakhonov posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, this Danica 500 (Commercial 500, Dulltona 500, whatever) actually was not that bad. And still, given it lacked the excitement we used to see on superspeedways, I will gladly accept this uneventful Daytona if Gen-6 car will provide us with much better racing on intermediate tracks than COT did. 957. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) KBI, Richard Petty took the lead VERY early in the 1964 season and led the rest of the way to win. 958. 13 posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KK09CgodZM this video at 0:49 is my basis for debris cautions if they can leave the bungee cord on track why not the tiny piece of crush panel that wont do any damage and ruined what would had been a gret finish between Brad and Jimmie we instead got a boring finish to a boring race. 959. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I am feeling particularly Mean towards the Fox Crew towards the Danica Worshiping Media Towards Danica herself & Towards Hendrick Motorsports after watching this race. I wonder if I am starting to go completely insane. 960. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Benjamin Lowe, it's much easier to not get aggravated if you do like I do and just follow Live Leaderboard or ESPN Racecast. Far less annoying and far more telling of just how corrupt this sport and its broadcast partners truly are. 961. Peter posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Big props to the "little guys" impressed the hell out of me all day, Michael McDowell, JJ Yeley, David Reutimann, even Scott Speed had a soild day. So anybody who is still impresed by Danicas day - shut up, she got a top ten and lead laps at a horsepower track in only some of the best equipment in the series = more of a testement to the car then her 962. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 869. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.24.13 - 7:13 pm This race was no worse than 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012. Watch all of those races START TO FINISH. Of those 1990, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2012 were easily worse. It's restrictor crap racing, you either have boring racing like this or WWE on wheels like yesterday. Wicker bill? lol, watch the 2005 Pepsi 400. ^ I have re-watched 1992, and watched the 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012 events. Start to finish. I have to somewhat agree with you here. 1990, 1998, 2003, 2004, and race-wise 2012 were very very poor compared to yesterdays race. I'd rate this 500 somewhere on the positive side of neutral. Plate racing is hit or miss with good and not so good. Case and point, 1991 DieHard 500 compared to the 1992 Winston 500 - - - - 886. cjs3872 posted: 02.24.13 - 8:25 pm TeamPlayersBlue, if that's directed at me, I have watched all of the telecasts going back to 1978 either live or on replays, and also the races in 1963, 1964, '66, '69, '71, '74, and '76, as well as the films of the races in 1959, '60, '68, '73, and '74, and I consider a number of those races worse than today's. You really think that the one-car runaways seen in the early years of the race were better than the race was today? ^Again, cjs nails it on the head. Single car breakaways are nightmarish. I'd much rather prefer the racing we had. Granted, I preferred 2x2 tandems, but I can enjoy pack racing also. Honestly, this was a good race in my opinion. And I'm very happy that Jimmie won. I'm not going to get into the entire '48 team musta cheated' or 'Didn't cheat' fiasco. Because honestly, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarbrough *...bloody name, never have been able to get it right*, David Pearson, and more all had to have racked up huge amounts of victories via cheating or rule bending mechanisms. I'm simply going to lean back in my chair with some sunglasses, and bask in the happiness that Johnson has, again, won Nascar's top race, keeping him from the 'Mario Andretti styled history at Indy' at Daytona. Also, I may not like Danica, but after yesterday's run she had, either that car was fixed, OR, she is good at Daytona, and I might not count her out next RP race we get, as much as I hate her. 963. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, Scott Speed, great run man, Only guy on the lead lap? Awesome. I love moments like that! 964. Anonymous posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR: "Let's rig the series so Jimmie Johnson wins all the time. Never mind that he isn't even CLOSE to being the most popular driver and if Earnhardt was winning all the time, our fanbase would swell, we have to aid our buddies over at Lowe's!" It looks even more ridiculous typed out than it did in my head. 965. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 9:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember Jimmie Johnson piledriving Kurt Busch on the straightaway at Pocono 2010, causing Kurt's car to hit both the inside and outside walls and knock him out of the race. Then the following year at Pocono, Jimmie slammed Kurt coming out of turn 1. Kurt, being a man, hit him back, which led to Jimmie hitting Kurt again. Kurt eventually got the position, but then Jimmie had the gall to approach Kurt after the race to ask him why he hit him. YOU HIT HIM, ASSHOLE!!! Then when Kurt had the nerve to stand up for himself and say that that wasn't his fault, Jimmie began to trash him in his interviews. Then of course at Richmond, Kurt got underneath Jimmie, got loose, and came up and got Jimmie in the left rear. Even Chad Knaus acknowledged it wasn't Kurt's fault. What does Jimmie do? After he comes back from the garage, he divebombs Kurt, wrecks both of them (his car getting the most damage), and then once again trashes Kurt after the race. Of course, we tend to forget about that because that was the race where Kurt tore up a transcript of what he said in the media center while Jimmie put on his little PC act and came off as the good guy while all the attention was spent on Kurt, who didn't do anything wrong on track. But yeah, I guess he's the most respected driver in the sport today. I mean, if his HMS teammate says so, it must be true because those guys never lie, cheat, or steal. 966. Anonymous posted: 02.25.2013 - 9:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) How did Terry Labonte even finish? See the damage after the wreck he was in? Good job by FAS LANE. Regan Smith gets another top ten at Daytona. 967. AntG posted: 02.25.2013 - 9:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not the worst 500 I've seen, not the best either but then again I find restrictor plate races to be boring most of the time anyway, they're mainly remembered for carnage/surprise winners. 968. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 9:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) My point where Trevor Bayne is concerned, Paul, is that he should at least have a top five points finish, unless he runs into a season like Jeff Gordon had in the Cup series last year, and this season has already started that way for Bayne. After all, who breaks a drive shaft at Daytona well into a green flag run? It looks like all the good luck that Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. had in that #6 NNS car the last two years may already be turning into bad luck for Bayne, and the season just started. And it doesn't matter how good he runs, if he has a lot of mechanical problems, especially with this point system, a top ten points finish could be hard to find, much less a top five points finish. That's why I said that taking over a car that has won the previous two championships may be a curse. The thinking being that if a team wins two championships in a row, they're bound to run into a lot of bad luck the third year, and Bayne might be the unwilling victim, and if he is, it would a microcosm of his career. 969. David posted: 02.25.2013 - 10:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I remember Jimmie Johnson piledriving Kurt Busch on the straightaway at Pocono 2010, causing Kurt's car to hit both the inside and outside walls and knock him out of the race." He didn't do Elliott Sadler any favors, either. 970. schraderfan posted: 02.25.2013 - 10:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Travis Kvapil wasn't running at the finish. 971. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 11:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, cjs, just going off the history of this series, I don't think Trevor is in as much dire straits as you think. I previously listed how each of the eight drivers who have succeeded Nationwide Series champions the year after they won the championship, and more than half of them had top five points finishes the following season. It should also be noted that there have been five back-to-back champions in series history (Ard '83-'84, LaJoie '96-'97, Dale Jr. '98-'99, Truex '04-'05, and Stenhouse '11-'12). Of those five, four of those teams (excluding Truex's) remained full-time the following season, and three of them (excluding LaJoie who returned in '98) were succeeded by another driver the next season. Each of the three previous back-to-back championship teams that competed full-time had a top five points finish the next season. Also, I would argue that Trevor Bayne didn't even have the worst luck out of those three previous teams. In 2000, Ron Hornaday, who succeeded back-to-back champion Dale Earnhardt, Jr., started the season out by qualifying 2nd, leading 43 of the first 66 laps, and getting taken out in a crash and finishing 32nd. He had a better race going for him than Trevor did at Daytona, and wound up with a worse finish, and yet he still finished 5th in the points. I understand that the points system was different then than it is now and Trevor is dealing with more competition than Hornaday did, but I don't think it's right to jump to conclusions on this issue, considering how it's only been one race and this team had this exact same issue in a race last season. 972. CBASS posted: 02.25.2013 - 11:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow! Almost 1000 comments! Sponsor updates #51 GUY Roofing #10 GoDaddy.com Website Hosting #83/93 Burger King/ Dr. Pepper #26 Newtown to 80888 #47 Kroger Honoring Our Heroes/ USO #33 Honeynut Cheerios/ Kroger #95 Dish #AdFreeTV #35 Blockbuster #87 Maddie's Place 973. Jeff Gordon #24 Fan posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Way to go Jimmine Johnson! Nice Job Jeff Gordon! 974. richie137 posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To me it was not the worse 500, and I have seen the race since 2000. I think the 2000 race was the worse because the aero package was much harder to pass at the time. I think at the next race at Talladega I think they will fix it so it can be easier to pass. I hope the 2000-2001 package will look awesome with the new car but look what just happened Saturday it will never happen. The race was pretty good but not terrible as well, I will take it compared to Saturday's ending of the race. As for the cars they looked great and the gyro cam FOX did looked awesome, never seen a camera like this and I will like to see that come for years to come. As for the race, Johnson won at the right time and beat Keselowski out and ran away from field, big win for him. I could see at least three wins but who knows Also, if the point standings if it was the classic format...note I will (hopefully) be doing this every week. Note: I am a 27 year old college student and I really busy, so I might not do this right away after the official results are released. 1. Jimmie Johnson 180 Leader 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 170 -10 3. Mark Martin 165 -15 4. Brad Keselowski 165 -15 5. Ryan Newman 160 -20 6. Regan Smith 151 -29 7. Greg Biffle 150 -30 8. Danica Patrick 147 -33 9. Michael McDowell 138 -42 10. Clint Bowyer 135 -45 11. JJ Yeley 134 -46 12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 127 -53 13. Denny Hamlin 126 -54 14. Aric Almirola 124 -56 15. Bobby Labonte 118 -62 16. David Reutimann 115 -65 17. Dave Blaney 112 -68 18. Joey Logano 111 -69 19. Marcos Ambrose 109 -71 20. Jeff Gordon 108 -72 21. Paul Menard 105 -75 22. Michael Waltrip 102 -78 23. Scott Speed 99 -81 24. Travis Kvapil 93 -87 25. Martin Truex Jr. 91 -89 26. Terry Labonte 85 -95 27. Trevor Bayne 82 -98 28. Kurt Busch 79 -101 29. Casey Mears 76 -104 30. Jeff Burton 73 -107 31. Austin Dillon 70 -110 32. Jaime McMurray 67 -113 33. Carl Edwards 64 -116 34. Matt Kenseth 62 -118 35. Kyle Busch 61 -119 36. David Ragan 58 -122 37. Kasey Kahne 55 -125 38. David Gilliand 49 -131 39. Josh Wise 46 -134 40. Juan Pablo Montoya 43 -137 41. Tony Stewart 40 -140 42. Kevin Harvick 37 -143 43. Joe Nemechek 34 -146 975. richie137 posted: 02.25.2013 - 12:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) also I cannot wait for Phoenix as well with the new car, I will be interested in that race with the higher spoliers. Other news, great runs by Yeley and McDowell who are small teams and a top 10 for each. Disappointed in Tony Stewart, it is starting to get eerily similar to Earnhardt now 15 times and no victory. Great run by Danica highest for a female as well, 8th place and I will not be surprised if she could be a upset winner in Talladega, but who knows we will see. 976. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #35 sponsor: Blockbuster Video #51 sponsor: Guy Roofing #87 sponsor: Maddie's Place #95 sponsor: Dish Network 977. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #964: Precisely! 978. Chris posted: 02.25.2013 - 1:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR does it again. They throw a late caution for "debris" in order to give Johnson a chance to win. Whatever they have to do to give the Hendrick cars an advantage. 979. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >They throw a late caution for "debris" Given that there ACTUALLY WAS DEBRIS that CARS WERE HITTING, I find the "NASCAR favors Hendrick OMG EETS FIXED!!!" butthurt deeply amusing and horriffically disgusting at the same time. And that is my one and only comment on the matter. 980. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 2:05 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Brad hit the debris on the track a lap before the caution came out. The "butthurt" comments that you speak of come because NASCAR waited until Jimmie Johnson got the lead before they threw the caution. Also, Jimmie denies having wrecked his car on purpose after winning the race. In other news, O.J. Simpson still maintains his innocence. 981. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 2:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Voting for Most Popular Driver has opened up. There's a link on the front page of Jayski's for anyone that's interested. 982. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 2:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ...huh. Josh Wise isn't running for Cup points? Or is that an error in NASCAR's results? 983. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 02.25.2013 - 2:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Danica Patrick becomes the 218th driver to win a Sprint Cup Series pole, the first rookie to win a pole since Patrick Carpentier at Loudon in 2008 (also in a #10 car) and the first rookie to win a Daytona 500 pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002." Actually, this is her second Daytona 500 start, so she isn't a rookie in this race. But it's her first full season. 984. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 02.25.2013 - 3:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only highlight of perhaps the most dullest race in Daytona 500 history (even the Oscars is more exicting) is the fact that the underdogs of Michael McDowell, Regan Smith, and JJ Yeley finished in the top 10. Which means Kids Eat Free! :) That is my favorite promotion, too bad I'm not a kid. This is the second time it has happened, the first was Dave Blaney at Talladega in the fall race of 2011. Also, this has to most WWE-enisque race ever! Plus, even 2000 was better because it had a near feelgood story when Johnny Benson almost won it. Rating: 2 out of 10 985. Anonymous posted: 02.25.2013 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why the hell would fix the race for Jimmie Johnson? If they really trying fix the race for a Hendrick driver to win, don't you think that driver would have been Dale Jr.? Also, I love how I would be obliged here if I said this race was fixed, yet would be looked at as insane or trolling if I said 2011 Daytona 500 was fixed (I'm not implying that it was fixed whatsoever. But, if you think about it and look at situation, it does make alot of sense to fix the race to have someone like Trevor Bayne win.), don't you think it would make more sense to fix a race for their most popular driver or fix a race for an feel-good underdog story rather than fix a race for a driver who wins all time and that most fans despise? You guys are idiots, just because you don't the winner, doesn't mean the race was fixed, it makes no sense. Hell, I bet NASCAR themselves secretly hated how Jimmie won, they're aware that he's not exactly great for the sport. 986. NadeauFan91 posted: 02.25.2013 - 4:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I find it surprising people still think NASCAR would fix a race for Dale Jr. That ship sailed a long time ago. It's all Kyle "History" Busch, Jimmie, and Danica now. That being said, I don't believe this race was fixed. 987. Jarrett88fan posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Nielson is projecting a 10.0 share for the 2013 Daytona 500. If true, the 2013 race is the highest rated 500 since 2006. "However, strong ratings not a good race make" ~ Yoda. 988. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR and Fox are in it for the ratings at this point. They'll look back on this race, consider it to be a success, and then present each of the following races and Daytona 500s in a similar manner. Yup, we're screwed. 989. Flywheel posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, cjs hates Trevor Bayne for some reason, so don't bother trying to get through to him. 990. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) AutoRockinRacing94, there are always surprises in the Daytona 500, and this goes back long before the modern resrictor plate era. For instance, guys like Jerry Grant in 1967, when he drove from 43rd to finish fifth, Richard Brickhouse in 1970, Jim Vandiver in 1971 and '72, Ramo Stott and Coo Coo Marlin in 1974, rookies Neil Bonnett and Terry Ryan, along with J.D. McDuffie in 1976, Janet Guthrie in 1977 (drove from 39th to eighth before engine problems dropped her to 12th), Ron Hutcherson in 1978, Tighe Scott in 1979, John Anderson in 1980, Jim Sauter in 1982, Tom Sneva in 1983 (he was driving Bay Darnell's car), Lake Speed in 1985, Rick Mast in 1989, Dick Trickle in 1992, Hut Stricklin in 1993 (he did drive for Junior Johnson that year, but was a surprise, nonetheless), Wally Dallenbach, Jr. in 1996, Johnny Benson, Jr. in 2000 (he brought life to that lifeless race), Elliott Sadler and Geoff Bodine in 2002, Scott Wimmer in 2004, Scott Riggs and Kevin Lepage in 2005, Kirk Shelmerdine in 2006 (I know he was only 20th, but that was a miracle in itself, considering the operation), Mike Wallace and David Ragan in 2007, and now Danica Patrick, Michael McDowell, and J.J. Yeley this year. And that doesn't even include the surprise winners of the race, going back to Junior Johnson's win in 1960. So there are aways surprises in the Daytona 500, guys you never expect to do well doing well, and the trio of Danica, McDowell, and J.J. Yeley join that list for this year's race. 991. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Flywheel, I would be saying that regardless of who's driving the #6 NNS car this year. And I'm high on Trevor. Infact, had he been the driver of the #6 NNS car last year, there might not have been a championship battle, because he likely wouldn't have thrown away the points that Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. threw away last year. Bayne's more mature driving style might have clinched him the championship a race early, even if it meant fewer trips to victory lane. But I would be saying that about teh #6 NNS car, no matter who the driver is, because bad luck is eventually going to find that car after two championship seasons. It just so happens that Bayne is the driver. In fact, I remember Darrell Waltrip once saying that after winning back-to-back championsips in 1981-'82, that Bobby Allison "had to win the championship" in 1983, because Waltrip knew he couldn't have that kind of success three years in a row, so he knew that 1983 would probably be Bobby's year ifit came down to those two, which it did. And sure enough, Bobby did win the title in '83. 992. Anonymous posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is anyone else outraged that NASCAR is waving the 7 race rule so the princess can run for ROTY? 993. Daniel posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only 44 entered at Phoenix: -Mike Bliss back in the #19 -David Stremme in the #30 for the rest of the year. -Ken Schrader in the #32 -Austin Dillon back in the #33 -Scott Riggs in the Xxxtreme Motorsports #44 -A.J. Allmendinger in the #51 994. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Is anyone else outraged that NASCAR is waving the 7 race rule so the princess can run for ROTY?" NASCAR waived the 7-race rule in 2011 for drivers who didn't declare for series points. That's why Trevor Bayne is still eligible for Cup Rookie of the Year, despite competing in 33 Cup races the past two seasons. Of course, doing so may lead to some rookie drivers abusing that rule, as I've heard that Austin Dillon may compete in 10-15 races this season, and will still be eligible once he competes full-time in 2014. 995. David posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Is anyone else outraged that NASCAR is waving the 7 race rule so the princess can run for ROTY?" Well, I'm not sure how you wave a rule, outside of taking the page out of the rulebook and waving it in the wind. Unless, of course, you mean "waiving". Well, in that case, Danica would have been eligible anyway. The caveat that came with the one-series rule 2011 was that if a driver ran more than seven races in the Cup series, but was scoring points in another series, then they would still be eligible for ROTY in the Cup series. 996. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Entry list for the Nationwide race is out as well. There are 40 cars entered, so unless there are some late entries, everyone will make the show. - #00 Jason White (They might as well keep him there the whole season.) - #4 Daryl Harr - #5 Jimmie Johnson (First Nationwide attempt since Montreal 2011.) - #18 Matt Kenseth - #22 Brad Keselowski - #27 Michael McDowell (May have withdrawn.) - #33 Kevin Harvick - #42 Josh Wise (Most likely will start-and-park.) - #46 Chase Miller (Most likely will start-and-park.) - #54 Kyle Busch - #74 Mike Harmon - #89 Morgan Shepherd - Scott Lagasse, Jr. (#8) and Dexter Stacey (#92) are not on the entry list. Brilliant move to shrink the field size, NASCAR. The start-and-parks are back, and all you did was cost three potential teams a paycheck. Nice job. If this keeps up, I wouldn't be surprised if they revert back to 43 cars next season. 997. jabber1990 posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the 7 race rule has been gone for years I think it went away the same year that the "pick a series" rule came out and I am in the minority, I disliked the "pick a series" rule, its unfair 998. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not sure why Jayski is saying the #8 was supposed to run the full NNS season; last I heard it was 15 races (with Corey LaJoie running some of the remainder). 999. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just read Dave Moody's latest blog entry on the racing at Daytona, and it sounds like he and several drivers echo the same sentiments that some of you guys have mentioned, that they were racing single-file because it was the safest way to get to the finish. Can't say I blame them based on the wreck that happened at the end of the Truck race, the HUGE wreck that put a somber tone on the end of the Nationwide race; not to mention all the wrecks that have taken place since testing and Speedweeks kicked off. But it sounds like a lot of drivers were irritated over the single-file racing that consumed most of the race. Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Clint Bowyer all expressed their displeasure over the radio at various points of the race, basically saying that they wanted to make a run to the front and put on a show for the fans, but that they knew they would only be hurting themselves by pulling out of line with no help. Jimmie Johnson even said that his team's goal was to just make it to the final pit stop before making any brash moves on the race track. There's talk that some rule changes may in order for the next restrictor plate race in May at Talladega. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Brad Keselowski both said that they think a larger rear spoiler would certainly help the racing action with these cars. I think the title of this blog says it best: "Blame the Pilot, Not the Airplane," which obviously means to blame the drivers for the uninspiring racing, and not the Gen-6 cars. We saw in the final 20 laps how good the racing can be when the drivers want to race. But for those first 180 laps, the mentality was to just ride around and not make a mistake that takes you out of the race. Hopefully some rule changes such as a larger rear spoiler will improve the quality of racing on the restrictor plate tracks in these Cup cars, because it's not good for NASCAR if four of their most highly-anticipated races are complete snoozefests. And before cjs points it out, I just want to add that a better points system that gives the front runners additional points would encourage drivers to take more risks because then they would have more incentive to try to gain as many positions as possible, rather than just ride around and just make it to the end. 1000. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The rule currently, as far as we know, is: -7 races in Cup or Nationwide if running for points. -Unlimited races in Cup or Nationwide if not running for points. -10 races in Trucks if running for points. (Unknown if there's an exemption if not running for points.) The Truck rule change was confirmed via Twitter by Ray Dunlap. Call it the Ryan Blaney Rule perhaps? 1001. Woodbridge posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Late to the party (was away in a cabin for a week), so before I read or respond much, I want to offer one minor correction: As an employee of Dish, I can confirm they have dropped the "Network" from their branding completely as of one year ago. 1002. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ward Burton will be inducted into the Halifax County-South Boston Sports Hall of Fame on April 6th for his racing career, which includes 9 NASCAR wins in 17 seasons, including the 2000 Southern 500 and the 2002 Daytona 500, 14 NASCAR poles, and 4 top ten points finishes in the top two NASCAR series. Congrats to Ward on this great honor, as his performance on the track and his class act character off the track are definitely Hall of Fame-worthy. 1003. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The Truck rule change was confirmed via Twitter by Ray Dunlap. Call it the Ryan Blaney Rule perhaps?" NASCAR needs to do a better job of informing fans about any rule changes, especially one as big as this because this rule change certainly spiced things up in the Truck Series with two rookie candidates (including one who has a great chance of winning) by raising the minimum starts rule from 7 to 10. I don't think announcing it over Twitter or through Brennan Newberry's press release that proclaimed him to being a ROTY contender is the right way to do it (unless of course I missed an announcement they made). I almost wish that they had done the same thing in the Nationwide Series because Travis Pastrana competed in 9 races last season, which makes him ineligible this season because that series still has the 7-race rule. The rookie class is already great with two talented teammates Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Kyle Larson competing for the award, but if Travis Pastrana could compete for the award as well given his great equipment and a driving style and personality that I happen to find entertaining, it would have only made this rookie class that much better. 1004. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Comment 992 is almost as big a fail as those saying this was the 'worst Daytona 500 ever/in history', good to see so many here watch the sport's history in highlights instead of actual full races. 1005. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul: Completely agreed on Pastrana there. 1006. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.25.2013 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Agree as well, overall it will be interesting to see how Pastrana does this year, he obviously has the team and equipment. 1007. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Personally I think that if the announcers and TV crew did a better job of presenting the race for what it is, and trying to make it into a TV show with all the gimmicks and hokie-ness, people wouldn't be reacting the way they did. And it didn't help that a driver who is resented by a lot of fans wound up winning this race with mediocre on-track action and even worse TV coverage. Was it the worst Daytona 500 ever from a racing standpoint? No. But for a non-casual viewer who had to endure through three hours of bad announcing, disappointing racing, Danica this, Danica that, Michael Waltrip this, Michael Waltrip that, and all the other B.S. that comes with a NASCAR broadcast these days, then yes, I do think it was the worst Daytona 500 ever. There are two things that are required to make a race great: One is to have quality on-track racing, and the other is to have quality TV coverage since most fans watch the races on their TV, and this race failed at both. Miserably. Usually you can tolerate bad racing if the coverage of the race is good, but in this case, it just made it worse. 1008. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shocking Announcement (not) tomorrow: Charlotte Motor Speedway to announce changes to All Star race. 1009. Tyson posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsorship correction: 83 - Burger King / Dr. Pepper / Wreaths Across America 1010. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dumping it might help. 1011. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I see what you mean Paul, I've been in the grandstand at DIS for all but 3 500s since 1985 so it may be a matter of angle and perspective 1012. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good. Hopefully they change the format so that the winners of each segment don't automatically start up front for the final segment. That may have been the worst race (points or no points) I have ever seen. And the sandbagging...oh my gosh talk about the sandbagging that was featured by Jimmie, Matt, and Brad after they won the first 3 segments. I would rather they go back to the '02-'03 "Survivor" format where they eliminated drivers than relive last year's format again. Oh, and get rid of the mandatory pit stop before the final segment. If teams are given the option to have a legitimate pit stop or not, it's just going to be a waste of time because all the front runners are just going to do a stop 'n' go. 1013. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Survival of the Fastest put on some of the best racing we've seen in that event. 1014. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Apparently reports say Jimmie and his crew were so hungover from partying (probably celebrating their cheating) the night before the race that they had to readjust the lights during the press conference just so that it wouldn't hurt their eyes (NASCAR drivers are such pansies). 1015. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I said before I meant after the race, during this morning's press conference. Perhaps a lot of what made Richard, Bobby, David, and Cale so great was that they had enough character to not get themselves hungover. 1016. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did Richard Petty even drink? I know that he never put the Bud Pole Award or Coors Light Pole Award stickers on his race cars as per his mother's wishes, but he just doesn't strike me as a drinker. In fact, none of those guys really strike me as drinkers or party-goers, which is one of the many reasons why I like those guys. It's one thing to be an upstanding person when the cameras are on you, but it takes a lot of character to be that way even when the cameras are off. Richard, Bobby, David, and Cale all have character. How does this character-less driver have more respect from the garage than those four do? It doesn't make any sense to me. 1017. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, Ward Burton won the Southern 500 in 2001, not in 2000. (Bobby Labonte won that race from 37th in a back-up car.) He won the 400-mile spring race at Darlington in 2000. And why is everyone saying the #48 team cheated at Daytona this year? Sure, they've cheated as much as anyone since the days that Junior Johnson was on top, and I've been just as critical as anyone on that. But it seems that every time Jimmie and Chad do something good, that they must be cheating. I don't think they were cheating at al in the Daytona 500. They just waited for their turn late. Early in the race, Jimmie was the only driver to ake a run for the lead down low. Knowing that, he just rode until it was time to make his move, knowing he had something in his arsenal that nobody else had, and when he made his move, he got the lead. Frankly, the way the battle was shaping up before the last caution came out, he was probably going to win anyway. Sure I think he did more damage to his car than he would have liked, but realize that Jimmie knew that car would never be raced again. After the Daytona 500, the winning car is placed in the Daytona 500 museum for a year, and by the time it's taken out on the day of the following Daytona 500, it's already an obsolete car. In 1998, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. may have been the first winning driver to realize this, which was why he was the first Daytona 500 winner to intentionlly spin is car in the infield grass, because he knew that car would never be raced again, because by the 1999 Daytona 500, it was more likely than not an obsolete car. 1018. Paul posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, this is the same team whose crew chief was caught on camera last year telling his driver to back the car into the wall should he win the race. Who tells their driver to do that if there isn't something on the car that's been modified to outside the set guidelines for a race car by the NASCAR rule book? And furthermore, given the fact that this team has a past history of cheating, why should we believe that the damage sustained to the front end was merely a coincidence? 1019. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And all their contemporaries, Paul and NicoRosbergFan. Not just Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, and David Pearson, but also Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Donnie Allison, Bobby Isaac, Neil Bonnett, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Dale, Sr., etc. And also, while I think the only thing that might hold Trevor Bayne and the #6 team back is the overdue bad luck that has already paid them a visit, Travis Pastrana is a much bigger question. Frankly, I'm not sure he has the goods. But both he and Danica Patrick, who also doesn't have the goods, do have one other thing in common, whch served the both well this weekend, and it's a big positive. Neither of them are afraid of the big stage. Not only that, but they seem to thrive on the big stage. Patrick's best IndyCar performances were always in the Indianapolis 500, the biggest stage of all in racing, and until this past weekend, where was Pastrana's best NNS finish at? Indianapolis, of course. It seems that, the bigger the stage, the better these two perform. I think hiring Traais Pastrana was, from a competition standpoint, another huge mistake by Jack Roush, who likely hired him just so he had enough money to run Trevor Bayne the entire season and give him a shot at the title he may have won two years ago if not for his illness. 1020. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 8:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not saying it isn't, Paul. What I am saying is that it's unfair to say that every time the #48 team does something good, that it must be the result of cheating, and I don't think they cheated at Daytona. But they also know that the car they won the Daytona 500 with will never be raced again, so they could care less what they do with it after the race. 1021. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.25.2013 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The "crack the car" comment from Chad is gonna haunt the 48 team for a while. That was cheating they did that wasn't even caught except by an in car camera. Kinda like the 24 team only being caught with illegal hubs in '95 cause a wheel fell off. We know how, any times HMS has been caught. Wonder how much they have got away with. 1022. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.25.2013 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cjs, I just assume that the 48 is always cheating. 1023. 83andJoe posted: 02.25.2013 - 10:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And yet, chaps like Smokey Yunick and DiGard's crew chiefs get chuckles and "boys will be boys" from their cheating in Ye Olden Days... I think Pastrana actually has a pretty good shot at becoming something. I don't think he'll be a Cup champion, but I really liked what I saw out of him last year. I'll go out on a limb and say there's a better than even chance of his winning a N'wide race this season, in fact. 1024. cjs3872 posted: 02.25.2013 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) But DSFF, isn't that true of most highly successful orgainzations? Except for RCR when they were at their peak in the late 80s and early 90s, the Wood Brothers when they were at their peak in the 70s, and Joe Gibbs Racing when they were collecting championships early in the last decade, I can't remember any other top team that was clean, without a shred of suspicion of cheating. Some get caught more than others, but most of the top teams do run afoul of the rules when they're at heir best, but more often than not, don't get caught. One of the biggest examples of this was the Elliotts in the mid 80s. They were illegally modifying the air and/or uel flow to their engines via pressurization, yet they were never caught because most people looked to the aerodynamics of their cars. Junior Johnson was the biggest cheater in the history of the sport, but it's surprising how infrequently they were caught. what happened after Richard Petty's 198th victory put mny of his previous wins into question. And it goes on and on. Another highly respected team, Holman-Moody, was caught with an oversized restrictor plate the day before the 1971 Daytona 500 (yes newbies, they did use restrictor plates back then), and was fined. David Pearson had won his qualifying race two days earlier, but because it could not be proven that they used the oversized plate in that race, the win and fourth starting position for the 1971 Daytona 500 stood. Hoss Elington's team was also known for pushing the rules concerning engines, and Runt Pittman, who was Ellington's engine builder, had great success with Morgan-McClure in the 1990s at the series' biggest tracks. The biggest controversy occurred with the nitrous oxide scandal during trhe 1976 Daytona 500, but they cheated later that same year, with Donnie Allison's car at Darlington, and after they won at Charlotte, either Ellington or Allison was quoted as saying "we left the cheater stuff at Darlington". Even Roger Penske, considered one of the most stringent car owners when it comes to playing by the rules, has had his share of controversies regarding the rules. For instance, in the 1974 final, Bobby Allisonwon at Ontario in the Matador, but they were caught with illegal rollr tappets, and Penske and Allison were fined $9,100. In 1997, there was a big controversy regarding the compresion ratio in Rusty Wallace's winning car at Richmond, and there was the ctroersy regarding roof flaps at Pocono the year before. Then there was he controversy about the way they expanded the capacity of their fuel cells to 23.2 gallons, when they weren't supposed to hold more than 22, resulting in a number of wins by Ryan Newman in 2003, but they had been doing that for some time. In the late 90s, Wallace's fuel cell was found to hold 23.2 gallons afte race at Watkins Glen. And of course, there's the story of the team that committed the costliest rule infraction of all, Jack Roush's team. That occurred at Richmond in 1990, and it cost Mark Martin the championship. Had that not happened, I wonder how many of those close calls in big races and championship battles would haveended up in wins and titles. But that wasn't Roush's only tangle with the officials. Case in point, Carl Edwards, because his team was caught at Las Vegas in 2008 and even lost the Chase bonus points they woul have gtten for winning thst race. But that put Edwards' accomplishments in 2008 into question (he won nine times), because how often did they do that and not get caught? In other words, all of the top teams, save a precious few, have stretched and broken the rules, but some have been caught more than others. Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and the Wood Brothers, all when they were at their peaks, are the exception, not the rule. 1025. Paul posted: 02.26.2013 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) So basically, Dale Earnhardt won six of his seven championships and 67 of his 76 career victories for a team that is among the few exceptions to the unwritten rule that "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'." If that doesn't prove that Dale is among the top 2 or 3 greatest NASCAR drivers of all-time (I still have him in 2nd behind Richard Petty.), I don't know what does. He would have blown by the modern era record for victories that Darrell Waltrip held (now held by Jeff Gordon) and probably would have won over 100 races and maybe had 8-10 championships if he had an owner and a team that wasn't afraid to bend, or even flat-out break the rules to get a competitive advantage. 1026. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.26.2013 - 12:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm ok with any list that has either Petty, Pearson, or Earnhardt as #1. Just as long as Richard isn't first and Pearson SEVENTH! 1027. Paul posted: 02.26.2013 - 12:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Just as long as Richard isn't first and Pearson SEVENTH!" And about to fall to 8th place once the #48 team steals another championship ;) 1028. murb posted: 02.26.2013 - 12:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Didn't someone have Petty fourth on their list a while ago? That one seems pretty debatable... 1029. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 12:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, Bud Moore wasn't exactly known for pushing the rules, either, and Pearson, Waltrip, Allison, and Earnhardt all drove for him at one time or another. Now Moore would take advantage of the rules, as they were written, but he wasn't known for really pushing them. The classic case of him taking advantage of the rules came in the early 70s, when NASCAR allowed teams with snaller engines to run lighter. Moore took advantage of that with a 351 CI engine, and although it had nothing but problems when that program started (David Pearson failed to even qualify for the 1972 Daytona 500 driving for Moore), it picked up steam, and when Bobby Isaac, not known as a speedway expert, finished second in the 1973 Daytona 500 with a 351 CI engine, the writing was on the wall for the bigger engines. Moore always was one to focus on the handling of his cars, as well as pit stops, as his engines always seemed to lack the horsepower, but his cars almost always were among the best when it came to handling, and when they finished, which wasn't as often as he would have liked, they were always among the leaders because of handling, not horsepower. 1030. Josh C posted: 02.26.2013 - 1:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I state again worst f**king race ever. Watching cars run in a single file line isn't racing. There was no racing, really fast following. The package better change the gen 6 cars are shit. 1031. JG24FanForever posted: 02.26.2013 - 2:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I remember Darrell Waltrip once saying that after winning back-to-back championsips in 1981-'82, that Bobby Allison "had to win the championship" in 1983, because Waltrip knew he couldn't have that kind of success three years in a row, so he knew that 1983 would probably be Bobby's year ifit came down to those two, which it did. And sure enough, Bobby did win the title in '83." Darrell's Daytona 500 crash that year had a lot to do with his tapering off. "Didn't someone have Petty fourth on their list a while ago? That one seems pretty debatable..." That was me. Petty automatically being number 1(like F1 fans automatically say Senna is the best)is debatable. Jeff Gordon career stats: 4 Championships with 2 Crew Chiefs 6 Southern 500 wins with 3 Crew Chiefs 3 Daytona 500 wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 7 Martinsville wins with 4 Crew Chiefs 5 Bristol wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 6 Pocono wins with 3 Crew Chiefs 4 Brickyard 400 wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 6 Talladega wins with 3 Crew Chiefs 5 Atlanta wins with 3 Crew Chiefs 5 Charlotte wins with 3 Crew Chiefs 2 Richmond wins* with 2 Crew Chiefs 2 Michigan wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 3 California wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 5 Sonoma wins with 3 Crew Chiefs 4 Watkins Glen wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 2 Phoenix wins with 2 Crew Chiefs 4 Dover wins with 2 Crew Chiefs What has Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty done without their top Crew Chiefs? Richard Petty: 8 total wins without Dale Inman Jimmie Johnson: 2 total wins without Chad Knaus cjs3872 has stated before that if Gordon reached 100 wins,he would place Gordon ahead of The King in all-time rank. 13 wins isn't that much to go. 1032. JG24FanForever posted: 02.26.2013 - 3:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Anyone ever hear of Shirley Muldowney? They just never dolled themselves up." She's 72 and still sexy. And after you asked "Anyone ever hear of Shirley" you should have noted that she's a 3 Time Top Fuel World Champ,and was voted in for ESPN's Top 25 Greatest Racing drivers. Which is something Danica will never lay claim to. 1033. Flywheel posted: 02.26.2013 - 4:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's something nice about the NFL--while CBS may have primarily AFC teams and FOX has primarily NFC teams, once in awhile the roles switch. Neither has all the gimmicks that NASCAR's telecasts do. And I couldn't have been the only person who felt ill after watching that "isometric?" in-car camera more than a few times, was I? 1034. JG24FanForever posted: 02.26.2013 - 5:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson becomes the first Daytona 500 winner with a beard. 1035. kup posted: 02.26.2013 - 5:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The confusion? The first race of the Cup with "G-6" cars was chaotic, but it was not a surprise. In the final victory of Chevy, and that Toyota will not be let to have the Daytona 500, too, there are no surprises. Ford without Kenseth noticeably worsened their chances, though Toyota is not yet improved its. And no surprise, that PR-aces are pushing Danika on pole, the lead-laps and a Top-10 finish. With this engine + crew-chief + the team plenty of other drivers are better than she is. I'm happy cause of good results for Michael Waltrip cars - my favourite team since 2012. However, little sorry for the first collision, where they were 14, 29, 78. Two favorites +1 potential surprise. So the race lost the most taste and color. And then another troubles with 18 and 20. And the jam, IMHO, was 18-s mistake. The irony to me that it is 14, 29, 78, 20 were My Team in Fantasy Live. We only have to expect the "G-6" cars results in Phoenix, at the 2nd race of the Cup. 1036. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.26.2013 - 5:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I never said they weren't good looking ;) They just don't exploit their bodies in magazine spreads and use that to achieve celebrity and big sponsorship instead of earning their way to the top through performance. Erica and the Force girls are cute, and Johanna has that body most guys truly want, she has those kicking curves and actually looks, body wise, older than 11 which is more than the other female stock car driver can say. 1037. David posted: 02.26.2013 - 9:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Points standings using my system: 1. Jimmie Johnson - 86 2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 59 3. Mark Martin - 55 4. Brad Keselowski - 53 5. Ryan Newman - 49 6. Greg Biffle - 43 7. Regan Smith - 42 8. Danica Patrick - 41 9. Michael McDowell - 34 10. J.J. Yeley - 31 11. Clint Bowyer - 30 12. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - 26 13. Aric Almirola - 24 14. Denny Hamlin - 24 15. Bobby Labonte - 20 16. David Reutimann - 18 17. Dave Blaney - 17 18. Joey Logano - 17 19. Marcos Ambrose - 16 20. Jeff Gordon - 16 21. Paul Menard - 15 22. Michael Waltrip - 14 23. Scott Speed - 13 24. Travis Kvapil - 11 25. Martin Truex, Jr. - 10 26. Matt Kenseth - 9 27. Terry Labonte - 8 28. Trevor Bayne - 8 29. Kurt Busch - 8 30. Casey Mears - 7 31. Jeff Burton - 7 32. Austin Dillon - 7 33. Jamie McMurray - 6 34. Carl Edwards - 6 35. Kyle Busch - 6 36. David Ragan - 5 37. Kasey Kahne - 5 38. David Gilliland - 4 39. Juan Pablo Montoya - 4 40. Josh Wise - 4 41. Tony Stewart - 3 42. Kevin Harvick - 3 43. Joe Nemechek - 3 44. Brian Keselowski - 0 45. Mike Bliss - 0 Note that I didn't adjust for the one-series rule. Also, note how my system allows the dominant driver of the race (Kenseth) to leap 11 positions from his finishing place because of bonus points. 1038. Smiff_2 posted: 02.26.2013 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Welp, now that I've 'recovered' from the Keslowski loss/Johnson win, I'm now composed enough to post. All I wish say is this: Is anybody else still in complete shock over what happened Saturday? Even now, 3 days later, I'm still processing what I saw. I know I don't have to point this out to anyone, but still, I must say.....we almost witnessed the end of NASCAR as we know it. It's that simple. HOW that wheel and assembly didn't KILL someone is beyond me. It was pure luck. Allison in '87, Petty in '88, Bonnett in '93, Craven in '96, Bliss in '96 Bodine in '00, Edwards in '09, Setzer in '10, Coulter in '11, and now Larson in '13. Other than Craven's and Setzer's wrecks, we've dodged waaaay too many bullets on the spectator fatality front. It's only a matter of time... :( 1039. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 10:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) JG24FF, I think Darrell was talking more in terms of bad racing luck catching up with his team more than overall performance. After all, he always talks about a "luck bank", and to paraphrase him, in 1981 and 1982, he overdrew from the luck bank, and it was time to pay some of it back in 1983. Sure, his Daytona 500 crash may have had something to do wth the lack of performance on tracks 1 mile or larger in length, but if you look back at that SpeedWeeks he was terrible. Sure, he had one of the fastest qualifying times (though at least two qualified cars faster than his had to be withdrawn), but he was terrible, both in his qualifying race and the Daytona 500, in which he was lapped just over 100 miles in, and in the short period of racing that preceeded the caution leading to his crash after he only previous caution, his car was no better. In other words, that SpeedWeeks may have been an indication that his team had fallen behind with the '83 Monte Carlo, because in 1984, he was again the series winningest driver with seven wins and nearly won several other races, including the Daytona 500. Sure, the crash may have had something to do with lack of performance in '83, but it might also have been a case of his team falling behind, which may be why his team ran an oversized engine in the fall race at Charlotte in 1983. Because they wanted to win on a big track and they didn't do it that year, mainly because they had fallen behind. 1040. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 10:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Smiff_2, although it's not NASCAR related, let's not forget Salt Walther at Indy in 1973. When bringing up the incidents involving cars going into the catch fencing, let's not forget that one. Even Kenny Wallace mentioned that one on SPEED Center. And also, like Mike Bliss in 1996, Kasey Kahne also got into the catch fncing at Bristol. That's right, Bristol, a short track, has also seen two incidents of cars getting into the catch fencing in the last 20 years. Then there was the horrifyng incidents involving catch fencing at the end of the 1996 and 2010 Indianapolis 500s. In 1996, Alessandro Zampedri went into the catch fencing not far from where Salt Walther did in 1973, and Mike Conway went into the catch fencing in the north short chute at the end of the 2010 Indianapols 500. And both of those incidents occurre in grandstand areas. And let's also not forget that there have been other instances of parts of cars sailing over the fencing that can't really be avoided. For instance, near the end of the 1997 Daytona 500, in Dale Earnhardt's rollover crash, he rolled over Ernie Irvan's car, and the hood from Irvan's car wound up in the backstretch grandstands. And near the end of the 2003 Firecracker 400, the hood from Robby Gordon's car flew into the main grandstands. And of course, there was the incident in the 1987 Indianapolis 500 where a wheel came of Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.'s car and was hit by Robert Guerrero and hit a spectator in the last row of the turn four seating, killing him. And of course, there were the incidents in IndyCar races at Michigan in 1998 and Charlotte in 1999 where debris from crashes flew over the fencing and into the gradnstands, killing multiple spectators on each occasion. 1041. Jim Davis posted: 02.26.2013 - 11:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "...we almost witnessed the end of NASCAR as we know it." Had there been numerous fatalities I definitely think we would be looking at the end of plate racing. The end of NASCAR, I think not. "...we've dodged waaaay too many bullets on the spectator fatality front. It's only a matter of time..." I agree. Dozens of cars at 200 mph at close quarters is just asking for disaster which we get all too often. NASCAR needs to face up to the fact that the risks to drivers and spectators at plate races are too high. NASCAR needs to deliver ultimatums to Daytona and Talledega that the tracks must be raceable without plates. By raceable I mean that drivers must be able to make moves on their own to advance their position. 1042. Scott B posted: 02.26.2013 - 11:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Entry list for Phoenix out, 44 cars for 43 places on the grid. #21 Bayne and #52 Brian K sit out as was expected. Scott Riggs makes his first attempt in the #44. David Stremme back in the Swan Racing #30, which was the #26 for Mikey at Daytona. 1043. Scott B posted: 02.26.2013 - 11:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, 'Dinger in the #51 for Phoenix. 1044. Smiff_2 posted: 02.26.2013 - 11:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Notice, Jim Davis, that I said " the end of NASCAR...'as we know it' " It's allll in the wording... ;) 1045. Sector posted: 02.26.2013 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Instead of plate racing, I'd like to see NASCAR try out the road race configuration @ Daytona. Just a thought. Though we all may already know Marcos/Juan/Tony would probably win the inaugural for that lol 1046. Thomas posted: 02.26.2013 - 2:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1040. cjs3872 "In 1996, Alessandro Zampedri went into the catch fencing not far from where Salt Walther did in 1973" You may want to go back and re-watch those videos. From what I recall, Walther went into the catch fence just past the start/finish line after the green flag, while Zampedri went into the catch fence at about pit entrance coming to the checkered flag. Considering the size of Indy, you're talking about enough distance that "not far" isn't really a good description. If you want to go there, you could say that Zampedri's hit was not far from where Conway hit. 1047. Paul posted: 02.26.2013 - 2:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Two of Turner Scott Motorsports' Nationwide cars (#32 Kyle Larson, #34 Danica Patrick) are being investigated by NASCAR for possible rules violations involving illegal modifications to the cars' chassis. The #34 failed post-race inspection and was taken back to NASCAR's R&D Center for further inspection. The modifications to the #34 was described as "squaring off the trailing edge of the frame rails" to decrease drag from the car and provide an aerodynamic advantage to the rear of the car. Obviously they can't check the #32 car since the entire front end got ripped off in the last-lap crash (Unless there are some pieces that are still intact enough to be investigated upon.), but NASCAR is suspicious that Turner might have done something to that car because it lifted off the ground in the last-lap crash. Three counts of drag is equal to 0.1 seconds on the track. NASCAR has a zero-tolerance policy to any modifications made to a COT chassis that wasn't certified by NASCAR prior to the race. According to the NASCAR rulebook, possible penalties may include a fine, disqualification, loss of at least 25 owner and driver points, loss of guaranteed starting spot, probation, and/or suspension for any crew members responsible for this violation. 1048. Anonymous posted: 02.26.2013 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JJ started 9th in both of his Daytona 500 wins, but has still led less than 100 laps. Jeff Gordon hasn't had a Daytona 500 top 10 finish since 2007. This is the first Daytona 500 to run exactly 200 laps since 2008. 1049. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 3:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thomas, now that you mention it, where Zampedri hit was almost equi-distant from where Conway hit in 2010 and Walther hit in 1973. But the bigger point is that both of those incidents, while happening at opposite ends of the race (the start was actually ruled null and void in 1973, and a complete resatart was ordered), also put spectators in danger. So while I got the location of Zamperdi's crash incorrect (and thank you for pointing that out), the larger point to be made is that those crashes, like others that were mentioned, and others not previously mentioned, like the Stan Fox crash just after the start of the 1995 Indianapolis 500, endangered not only the drivers, but als the spectators. And Paul, if what you say is true about Turner Motorsports mdifying the chassis of their cars (two of them, at least), Steve Turner and those involved, namel crew and car chiefs, should be suspended for at least half the year, and quite possibly banned for life, because that goes to the heart of the matter of safety, not just of the drivers, which of course is compromised by their actions, but in this case, the safety of the spectators, as well. However, there's something about Larson's geting airborne that'a not being mentioned. The way the crash unfolded, when Larson's car was hit by Brian Scott, Scott's car acted like a catapult for Larson's car, because while Scott hit the back of Larsn's car, the front of Larson's car was still in contact with Brad Keseowski's car, and the combined action was probably what caused Larson's car to lift off, because it was sandwiched between two cars, the contact from the second of which caused it to lift off, and that's what I mean by that being a freak accident. But if the teams intentionally fudged with the safety features of the car, no matter the reason, they should be suspended for at least half the season, and I would seriously consider a lifetime or indefinite suspension because of the seriousness of the infraction, because messing wth the safety features of the car is the most serious infraction possible, much more serious than an oversized engine, illegal tires or fuel, etc., because something like an oversized engine and illegal tires or fuel deal with just the cometition side, but if what you brought up is true, this deal with the safety of the competitors, and is the case of what happened at the end ofthe race Saturday, the fans as well, and I think an indefinite, or even lifetime suspenion is not too harsh a penalty. Say what you want about Chad Knaus' cheating history, he's never done anything close to this that I can think of. 1050. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 3:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And also, could Turner's other two teams, the #30 and #31, have also modified their cars in this way and not gotten caught? If so, I don't think Nelson Piquet, Sr. or Jr. would stand for it, considering what happened to Nelson, Sr. at Indy in 1992. Afer all, it seems odd that, in a four-car team, two cars would be modified in this way and the other two wouldn't be. I suspect if two cars (the #32 and #34) were modified in this way, the other two (the #30 and #31) were as well. 1051. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.26.2013 - 3:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Changing the subject here does any wrestling fan on this board remember the disastrous Invasion Storyline Between WWF And WCW that took place in 2001. 1052. murb posted: 02.26.2013 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yep, I do remember that Invasion storyline, Ben. I'd rather forget about it though since it was so terrible, lol 1053. murb posted: 02.26.2013 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You make some decent points on having Petty fourth, JG24FF. Personally though, I just think that Petty should be in the top three in any "greatest drivers of all time" list, just because of his huge impact on the sport (not to mention his stats speak for themselves). 1054. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb and JG24FF, I've said it before, but I'm not sure I'd have Petty #1 if it weren't for his overwhelming stats, because the very same argument that I make against David Pearson in ranking him seventh is one that can be made against Petty, and if his stats were not simply overwhelming, I'd probably rank him about fourth, but his 200 wins, 7 titles, 7 Daytona 500s, etc. are so overwhelming, that at this time, I can't have anyone else #1 on my list. But there's a very rea chance that either Jeff Gordon and/or Jimmie Johnson could get to 100 wins (Sunday's win was Johnson's 61st, and he's only 37 years old with possibly 5-8 more great years left in him and another 3-5 good ones after that), and I've maintained that 100 wins with today's competition surpasses Petty's 200 in terms of overall achievement, and would deservedly put anyone who gets there ahead of Petty on my list. 1055. joey2448 posted: 02.26.2013 - 6:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) So this year's All-Star Race was just announced as a five-segment race. The first four segments will be 20 laps each, then there will be a mandatory pit stop, followed by a final 10-lap shootout. Also, if a driver wins every segment (all five), they will win an additional $1 million (in addition to the $1 million for winning). 1056. joey2448 posted: 02.26.2013 - 6:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, the lineup for the fifth and final segment will be decided by each driver's average finish from the previous four segments, meaning they will have to race hard for every position all night. I like this. 1057. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.26.2013 - 6:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That Invasion angle SUCKED!!! 1058. Daniel posted: 02.26.2013 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael Annett suffered a fracture and dislocation of the sternum. He will be out indefinitely and Aric Almirola will be in the #43 at Phoenix. 1059. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now joey2448, if they could only merge the lengths of the first two segments and the second two segments (3 and 4). But with the first four segments only being 20 laps each and the final segment being just 10 laps, there's not going to be much actual racing, because the cars will simply be going too fast. The speeds at Charlotte might be as high as they were at Daytona, unless NASCAR does something to slow the cars down, such as restrictor plates, which is exactly what I would do. There's no need for the cars to be going nearly 200 MPH at Charlotte, and they're going to be going close to 200 MPH there. In fact, when they ran the speeds at Michigan they did last year, I'm surprised they didn't use restrictor plates for the races there, especially the second one. I know nobody's a fan of restrictor plates, but something has got to be done about the escalating speeds, and with the track record at Charlotte at 193.708 MPH, and with lap speeds in testing at over 195, 200 MPH laps can't be far away, so the cars need to be slowed down, and the only feasible way of doing that is to use restrictor plates, which was done in the 1970s, and the races there at that time featured some great racing. And if track records are broken by the amount a lot of people expect them be broken by, a 200 MPH lap at Charlotte this year may not be out of the question, and if no changes are made, look for the pole speed at Michigan in June to be around 205-207. What happens at Las Vegas will tell us a lot about whether my suspicions about the speed and quality of racing will be true or not. If they are proven true, the All-Star Race won't be much at all, because the first four segments could be completed in less than ten minutes each and the final segment in less than five. I think track position this year will mean more than ever at the big tracks. 1060. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 7:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a terrible break for the #43 team, Daniel, no pun intended. I wonder who will drive that car in the stand-alone races if Annett can't go, though that's down the line a ways. That's the same injury that Ken Schrader suffered in a similar head-on crash in a qualifying race in turn one in 1998, though he went on to finish fourth in the 500 and not miss a race. Annett was considered a dark horse contender to at least finish in the top five, but that ride might be an auditioning tool for aspiring drivers later this year, depending on how long Annett is out. 1061. Scott B posted: 02.26.2013 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Landon Cassill is looking for rides, he might be a good fit. 1062. murb posted: 02.26.2013 - 8:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Too bad for the 43 NNS team. I'm guessing that Almirola will just drive that car in the next few races. Either that and/or they'll get some other Ford Cup guys to run it like Greg Biffle, David Ragan, or even Ricky Stenhouse. I'd love to see a young guy get a shot at it (a la Brad in Musgrave's truck in 2007), but unfortunately I just don't see it happening. I actually like the changes they've made to the All Star race, believe it or not. This bonus will hopefully allow for some harder racing throughout the whole race, unlike last year where the blatant sandbagging was going on. And the average finish lineup reset seems much more logical than an inversion. So for the first time in a long time, I'm actually pretty happy with a move that Nascar has made. 1063. Bronco posted: 02.26.2013 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Annett is the third driver in the past year to suffer an on track injury and be forced to sit out races - the others were Eric McClure's crash at the Talladega Nationwide race and of course Dale Jr missing two Chase races due to a concussion. 1064. 83andJoe posted: 02.26.2013 - 8:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR has stated the #34 NNS car has passed inspection. The #32 is still in Daytona. 1065. Paul posted: 02.26.2013 - 8:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ And all three of those injuries either occurred at, or were worsened (in the case of Dale Jr.) at restrictor plate tracks. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a direct correlation between the high speeds and close racing at restrictor plate tracks and the increased chance of injury, even with what NASCAR and the media likes to deem a "safer" car, as three drivers will have missed at least eight combined races in the last 10 months, and that number will only increase as Annett misses more time because he'll have to recover from surgery as well. 1066. joey2448 posted: 02.26.2013 - 9:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's something I forgot to mention, cjs3872. The only thing I would change about the new All-Star race format is decrease the number of segments. I don't know why NASCAR feels there needs to be a ton of race segments (as we've also seen in the Bud Shootout this year). Five is too much. I think three is good: two 30-lappers, and one 10-lap dash. That way, it's 70 laps, the original distance. As far as the speeds we'll see, I understand why you might think the high speeds will decrease the quality of racing, and I would agree with you, but from what drivers have said, it sounds like the Gen-6 is much more maneuverable. The car, with the bigger rear spoilers (bigger than the plate tracks), I think will give drivers more control so they can feel comfortable racing around each other. At least, I hope so.... 1067. cjs3872 posted: 02.26.2013 - 9:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While the 70-lap distance was the original distance for the All-Star ace, it wasn't always that way in it's early years. When they went to multiple segments in 1987, it actually became a 135-lap race, with a 75-lap segment, a 50-lap segment, and then the 10-lap finale. Then in 1990, the 75-lap segment was eliminated and the shootout segment lengthened to 20 laps, but both the 1990 and 1991 races were won wire-to-wire, so a change had to be made, hence the return to three segments and shortening the segments, along with the field inversion, and the 30-30-10 format, by far the most popular, was born. Why they ever changed it after a decade is beyond me, because it was fine as it was. The addition of an optional pit stop between the second and third segments added spice and strategy, and the reducing of the number of cars that would be inverted, and making it luck of the ball drop eliminated the art of sandbagging. But ever since 2002, this event has been in a downward arc, culminated by the disaster of last year's event. And the maneuvering of the cars in traffic is not going to do the drivers any good once the field gets spread out because they'll be going too fast to allow them to run closely, because the aero-push problem, if anything, will only get worse with te higher speeds. Again, this was something IndyCar drivers, led by Tom Sneva, were saying back in the 1970s, when speeds escalated over 200 MPH. And higher speeds also results in a narrowing of the racing groove because the lines must be precise. And although the expert analysts say that a softer tire will improve the quality of racing, Goodyear can't bring a softer tire because of the excessive speeds that are expected to be run, because we've seen the results every time they've tried, and it's not their fault. The rubber just can't stand the heat created by the cobination of seed and aerodynamics, thus the need to run a harder tire. But back to the decision to run the All-Star Race in five segments of 20 laps or less. Does anyone think that decision was made because NASCAR expects tire issues this year because of the speeds and greater aerodynamics? 1068. David posted: 02.26.2013 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I actually like the changes they've made to the All Star race, believe it or not. This bonus will hopefully allow for some harder racing throughout the whole race, unlike last year where the blatant sandbagging was going on. And the average finish lineup reset seems much more logical than an inversion. So for the first time in a long time, I'm actually pretty happy with a move that Nascar has made." I agree. This is a great move by NASCAR. 1069. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 1:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm going to hold off on providing an opinion on the changes to the All-Star Race format until after a see a few races with the Gen-6 cars on intermediate tracks. That being said, I have this gut feeling that the racing isn't going to improve that much from last year, aside from the fact that sandbagging will be discouraged. I like the fact that a car that is powered by a Hendrick engine and chassis would suddenly pass inspection after NASCAR met with team officials. I'm not saying their ruling was or wasn't legitimate, but it is at the very least a funny coincidence, considering that that's exactly how Chad Knaus' suspension last year was reduced from six races to none. 1070. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 5:39 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) I think the format needs to require each car to go through the infield grass at full speed at some point, otherwise they are DQed. They want drama like they had in '87, so there is my rule change. 1071. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, the race continues to get extended until the current leader goes into the wall taking the checkered flag. 1072. Anthony posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The cause for the yellow on lap 28 should be renamed as "track intrusion" because apparently there were two girls sitting behind the wall somewhere http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/shakeandbake/darwin-awards-daytona-edition/ 1073. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh I think So CJS. I think that The NASCAR ship is starting to sink and there will be no knight in black Armor to save it from its doom. 1074. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) Ooooh... we can rate the comments now. Down with us! 1075. Smiff_2 posted: 02.27.2013 - 8:13 am Rate this comment: (7) (0) Taken form this morning's blurb on Jayski about NASCAR re-evaluating the Plate package on the Gen6 cars: "Pemberton said the main issue appeared to be the lack of movement on the inside lane. Many fans complained the race was boring due to the lack of passing." Insert "You don't say!" Nicolas Cage meme *here*... 1076. cjs3872 posted: 02.27.2013 - 11:35 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) In fact Anonymous (#1048), here's an odd thing about Hendrick Motorsports and the Daytona 500. They've won the race five times since 1997, yet in that period, they've never had a driver lead the most laps in the Daytona 500. The last time a Hendrick Motorsports driver led the most laps in a Daytona 500 was Terry Labonte (yes, Terry Labonte, one of the most conservative drivers among the champions) in 1996, and he led only 44 laps, though he would have led many more had he not suffered the same fate that Jeff Gordon suffered this past Sunday (debris in the grill). In fact, only three times has a Hendrick Motorsports driver ever led the most laps in the Daytona 500, and this past Daytona 500 was Hendrick's 30th as a car owner. Labonte in 1996, Ken Schrader in 1989, and Geoff Bodine in1986, and of those, only Bodine won the race. The philosophy of HMS in the Daytona 500 has always seemed to be to lay back until final 100 miles, even when their cars were the best. For instance, the two most dominant cars Jeff Gordon has ever had in the Daytona 500 resulted in 16th and 22nd place finihses. And in all three of Gordon's Daytona 500 wins, he took the lead with 11 or fewer laps remaining, and twice did so in the final six laps. And Jimmie Johnson has never been dominant in the Daytona 500, despite winning it twice. Even Darrell Waltrip's most dominating Daytona 500 effort, which came in 1988 when he led 69 laps, resulted in minor engine problems at the end and a 10th place finish, but he used his most valuable asset when he won in 1989, his head. And Waltrip, like Gordon and Johnson, never once led the most laps in a Daytona 500. That's something even his brother Michael accomplished in 2003. But a common trait among recent Daytona 500 winners is racing intelligence. It's certainly not dominance, because the winners of the last nine Daytona 500s, going back to Gordon's 2005 win, are all drivers who I consider intelligent drivers. Gordon, Johnson (twice), Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth (twice), Jamie McMurray, and Trevor Bayne are all drivers that I consider to have a high racing IQ. I know some may not feel that way about Harvick, but I think he has a high racing IQ. On the otherhand, the drivers that have led the most laps in the last ten Daytona 500 do not all share that trait. Sure Kenseth, Harvick, Newman, and Tony Stewart do, but I don't think the Busch brothers, each of whom has led the most last once in this period do, and I'm not entirely sure about Denny Hamlin, who led the most laps in the 2012 event. But Gordon, Johnson, Newman, Harvick, McMurray, and especially Kenseth and Bayne seem to prefer to lay back and let the race play out before they make their move. Intelligent drivers win big races, not hard chargers that throw caution to the wind. The only exception of that rule I know of would be Buddy Baker, who won every big race he competed in at least once. 1077. Baker posted: 02.27.2013 - 12:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, DSFF, or anyone else who might know, I want to make a custom 1/64 diecast of Red Farmer as I don't think any where ever made. I have bought or made every Davey Allison car he ever drove in cup and busch. I have everyone from the Alabama Gang except Red Farmer. Here is my question. What car did Red Farmer drive that I could find to turn into a custom? I wanted to make the 1972 Talladega 500 he finished 4th. All it says is 1972 Ford. I know he drove a Ford Fairlane in the late 60s, but wasn't sure what the 1972 Ford was that he drove at dega. Any help or another model car I could use would be greatly appreciated. 1078. murb posted: 02.27.2013 - 12:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shout out to the Racing-Reference staff!!!! You guys just keep making this site better!!!! "I like the fact that a car that is powered by a Hendrick engine and chassis would suddenly pass inspection after NASCAR met with team officials. I'm not saying their ruling was or wasn't legitimate, but it is at the very least a funny coincidence, considering that that's exactly how Chad Knaus' suspension last year was reduced from six races to none." I agree. It's just hard not to get the "something's fishy" vibe anytime a Hendrick car is involved in something like this, given their history. 1079. Smiff_2 posted: 02.27.2013 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, Baker, I think the closest you could come would be a '71 Mercury Cyclone or '69 Torino Talladega (in which case it'd not ONLY be historically inaccurate but borderline blasphemous, as you'd have to strip a David Pearson car to make it! lol) 1080. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What car did Red Farmer drive that I could find to turn into a custom? I wanted to make the 1972 Talladega 500 he finished 4th. All it says is 1972 Ford." I believe it was a Torino. 1081. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 2:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree that Kevin Harvick has a high racing IQ, as shown from Speedweeks when he perfected drafting with the Gen-6 cars quicker, and arguably better, than everyone else. And when you consider how slow his car was compared to some of those other cars that were frequently at the front, I'd say that he showed that with these new cars, the driver plays a big role in gaining positions on the track, especially since passing was a rarity during Speedweeks. If he can just keep his head on straight and not get into these foolish run-ins with other drivers, and strive to be a great driver and not just a "tough guy", he will still be a competitive Cup driver for years to come, regardless of the strength of his equipment. When his head is on straight, Harvick is as good as anybody. But when he allows outside factors distract him from the big picture, he often throws that high racing IQ out the window and almost becomes a caricature of himself by trying to be this "tough guy" race car driver instead of focusing on winning races and championships (which is what lost him the 2010 championship). 1082. cjs3872 posted: 02.27.2013 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well Paul, you don't win the big races that Harvick has won without having a high racing IQ. The only big one he hasn't won is the Southern 500, with his best finish there coming in 2003, when he was second to Terry Labonte, a result he didn't seem too unhappy with, especially considering who he finished behind. But he's won all the other big ones, the Daytona 500, the Firecracker 400, the spring race at Talladega, the All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Brickyard 400. He's taken them all, and would also likely have a championship if not for the Chase, because I believe he would have take that in 2010. And the one thing people tend to overlook about Harvick is that, because he has a reputation as a hothead, which is mostly deserved, Harvick is actually one of the more patient and conservative drivers out there. After all, how many significant races has he won where he just laid back and let the race come to him, instead of charging and taking it. If there's one thing that people constantly overlook about Harvick it's that when he maks his move, he usually makes it at the perfect time. And Red Farmer finishing fourth in the 1972 Talladega 500 is another case of the crazy stuff that happened that day. remember that race saw a tire situation develop that hampered the top teams. Because they could afford to run the softer compound tires (remember teams had their choice back then), they would run faster, but have to make twice as many pit stops. But on the other hand, the lesser funded teams, such as James Hylton's, Junie Donlavey's, Willie Humphries', which Farmer was driving for, Buddy Arrington's, and even those of Ben Arnold and Henley Gray, were not heavily funded, and had to run older, harder tires, which was the hot ticket, because although they couldn't run as fast, they didn't have to make nearly as many pit stops, and the time they gained by not pitting was far more beneficial to them than having the extra speed. Aside from Bobby Allison, who drove the Richard Howard/Junior Johnson car to third, all the top finishers were the smaller teams, and even Allison was five laps behind due to all the pit stops he had to make. And that race featured a finish typical of Talladega, with Hylton defeating Ramo Stott, won was driving Donlavey's car, by a car length. But behind Allison in third, you had Farmer in fourth, Buddy Arrington in fifth, Ben Arnold in sixth, and Henley Gray in eighth behind Richard Petty. And Farmer was eight laps behind, Arrington nine, Arnold ten, and Gray was 13 laps behind at the finish. Even Petty, with a healthy car, had to make so many pit stops for tires, that he 11 laps behind at the finish. That truly was a day for the underdogs in NASCAR and may have been a reason why NASCAR stopped the practice of having a choice of multiple tire compounds during a race. 1083. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, I definitely agree that Harvick would have won the 2010 title without the Chase. He struggled in the Chase because his cars weren't as fast as the #11 and the #48, and considering how half the Chase tracks in 2010 were 1.5 to 2-mile non-restrictor plate tracks, he pretty much had no shot at winning after the points reset. Of course, he didn't exactly lose with grace with some of his actions during the Chase, which included roughing up Denny Hamlin during practice at Dover, getting into an on-track shoving match with teammate Jeff Burton at Martinsville (one of the more laid-back active drivers), and then intentionally dumping Kyle Busch at Homestead. 1084. Daniel posted: 02.27.2013 - 3:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Morgan Shepherd has withdrawn his #89 from the Nationwide race, making a 40 car entry list. -In a very surprising move, Phil Parsons has withdrawn the #98 from the Cup race, leaving only 43 cars on the entry list. 1085. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 3:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After finishing 9th in the Daytona 500 (his first career Cup top ten finish), the #98 car driven by Michael McDowell has withdrawn from the Phoenix entry list. Also, Morgan Shepherd has withdrawn from the Nationwide entry list at Phoenix. This means that every team will make their respective series' race this weekend. 1086. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) We get to rate each other! Can we be given personal stats as to how many times we get thums up or thumbs down? I wonder how many more thumbs down I would get compared to everyone else. Especially from Rainbow Nation :) Also, may I request a third hand to click on in the shape of a middle finger? I would give that to any post that has Pearson ranked SEVENTH! 1087. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hm, the headers for each post don't seem to be working right - the text isn't formatted... 1088. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Landon Cassill will drive the #33 car for Joe Falk's Cup team beginning this weekend at Phoenix. 1089. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, this is shocking. Apparently NASCAR has suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements indefinitely for violating NASCAR's Code of Conduct policy after making an "intolerable and insensitive remark" during the course of an interview. Unfortunately, in this PC world, this "intolerable and insensitive remark" that Clements made wasn't mentioned in the article, nor was the name of the website or news program that he was interviewed by when he made the remark. Does anyone have any idea what he might have said to get suspended INDEFINITELY? I know that he tweeted after the Daytona 500 how boring the race was and how the Nationwide race was better (Fact.), but I don't know what he could have said to receive an indefinite suspension from the sanctioning body. That being said, no matter what it was that he said, this is a tough break for he and his small race team, especially since he had formed an alliance with RCR during the offseason. 1090. 18fan posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff Gluck speculated that Clements might have gotten in trouble for saying in an interview that NASCAR fixed the pole for Danica. Also, Michael McDowell said the 98 team fell behind building new Gen6 cars so they have to sit out this week and will be back at Vegas. 1091. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^ So, essentially, "he opened his mouth and removed all doubt", then? Good to see Cassill getting a ride. 1092. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Yeah apparently he made that remark over a week ago, and he's just getting suspended now. Until today, there was no link to the interview, no Twitter comments about the interview, no nothing. If you ask me this is just NASCAR flexing its muscles on a lesser-known driver, thinking they could get away with it because they can't stand to hear someone in the sport think that a.) they fixed the qualifying event (which a few of us are skeptical about), and b.) that one of the "sport's" biggest names didn't deserve to win the pole in the biggest race of the year. 1093. 18fan posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clements just deleted the tweet about how crappy the Daytona 500 was. 1094. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well apparently Clements just deleted his tweet from a few days ago about the Daytona 500 being boring. For anyone who's curious as to what he said, he said "Most boring Daytona 500 I think I've ever watched. Those cars they have now don't put on the best show there. Our race was more exciting." I don't know if it's just a coincidence that he deleted that tweet or if that's the reason for his suspension, but either way I think this is just NASCAR abusing their power by trying to censor its drivers. 1095. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If it was about fixing the pole, I wouldn't say that's suspendable, but it would be pretty dumb. If it was about the 500 being boring? Time to break out the pitchforks and oil and besiege the Daytonan castle. 1096. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Well if NASCAR had a driver's union, Jeremy Clements would not be suspended. 1097. murb posted: 02.27.2013 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) I'm officially renaming NASCAR NAPCAR right now. National Association of Politically Correct Asshole Robots Absolutely disgusting. It's because he's a "nobody" in their eyes. If Earnhardt Jr, Stewart, Danica, Gordon, or Johnson had said the 500 was boring, I'll bet you anything that they wouldn't have cared. And even if it was about Danica's pole being fixed, to suspend him indefinitely? Again, absolutely cringeworthy. I think I'm gonna hurl. 1098. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, they said "in an interview", so I doubt the Twitter comment about boringness had anything to do with it. 1099. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:21 pm Rate this comment: (7) (0) Jeremy Clements, an overachieving unknown in obsolete NWide equipment cause that is all he can afford, gets suspended indefinitely for stating two facts that anyone who knows anything about racing knows publically, that this Daytona 500 was a snoozer and that Danica had an obviously enhanced engine (the superimposed Gordon pole lap shows it, plus all race she was all but running people over on the straightaway). Also, Bumbling Brian and Lesa France crawled out from whatever rock they hide under all year to tell Brad to stop talking so much after his USA Today article that was 100% spot on. This, in the words of Speedweeks star Mike Stefanik, in such BULLSHIT! Absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. Hey, all you assholes at NASCAR, how about this for a novel concept, FIX THE DAMN RACING! Instead of trying to create this false reality (everything is good, Danica is one of the best drivers out there), make the actual reality better. Morons. 1100. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:31 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) DSFF, I might need that Donny Lia bucket. Seriously, if it is about the boring 500 (which I didn't think was boring, but it certainly wasn't great) or the alleged Patrick pole-fixing (I don't buy it, she just had a really good engine), this is ridiculous. It might be ridiculous anyway. Whatever happened to "secretly" fining drivers? 1101. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:35 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Perhaps we should wait to find out exactly what was said, instead of assuming. Because you know what they say about assuming. 1102. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:43 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Comment ratings? I am doomed. 1103. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "Bumbling Brian and Lesa France crawled out from whatever rock they hide under all year to tell Brad to stop talking so much after his USA Today article that was 100% spot on." I read that article. Brad's best statement is "Danica shouldn't get a better chance she should get less of a chance" because Roger Penske made Brad drive trash in his rookie season to get experience with struggle. Something that Jimmie Johnson in 12 season's has never experienced. Austin Dillon anyone? Danica,just by being mentioned by a nobody,has ruined that boy's career. 1104. Schroeder51 posted: 02.27.2013 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) ...This is some of the BIGGEST bullshit I've ever heard in my life. So evidently, if you drive in NASCAR or are affiliated with NASCAR in some way, you must LOVE Danica, do nothing but praise her and never say anything bad about NASCAR's princess at all, or else? We'll kick your ass out! What. The. Hell. 1105. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.27.2013 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think we here at the Racing Reference community should form our own Racing League complete with Blackjack & Hookers. A new Racing Empire ready to rise out of the ashes and incompetence of the old one. 1106. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.27.2013 - 8:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Let's see if we can get some teams from the Continental Tire Series. Form our own stock car series using real stock cars. Inaugural 2014 season racing at Hickory, Winston-Salem, Bristol, Concord dirt-track, Talladega Short Track, and Orlando Speedworld (just to have a non-NASCAR track on there). Each round consists of two 25-lap heat races and a 175 lap feature. Saturday's only. 1107. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NicoRosbergFan,Don't forget Greenville-Pickens:) 1108. murb posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) lol, I'm down for that!!! I won't be PC in my interviews, I promise!!!! 1109. Anonymous posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (8) Comment voting? Ugh, What a horrible idea. This whole comment board is pretty much going to be just like a YouTube comment section. What's even worse is that someone is probably going to keep down-voting a poster because he likes a driver that the voter doesn't like or something stupid like that, even he if he made a good, constructive comment. Well, it could be worse, the posts could be ordered by most up-votes to most down-votes. 1110. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "This whole comment board is pretty much going to be just like a YouTube comment section." It will never be like that on here. We can take criticism and admit when we're wrong. This board is all about fun and chatter,not trying to be right every moment we spend on here. 1111. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 'The following statement has been issued by Jeremy Clements regarding his NASCAR suspension: "I apologize and regret what I said to the NASCAR writer and to NASCAR, my sponsors, my fans, and my team. NASCAR has a Code of Conduct that everyone must follow and I unintentionally violated that code. I will not get into specifics of what I said but my comment to the writer was in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone or to be detrimental to NASCAR or the NASCAR Nationwide Series. I will do what I need to do in order to atone for my error in judgment."' 1112. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:30 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Also: "NASCAR has indefinitely suspended Nationwide Series driver Jeremy Clements for a comment he made during an interview Saturday." Note: Saturday. For those of you saying it was because he said the Daytona 500 was boring, I've heard crow tastes good with a little ketchup. 1113. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I'm down for that!!! I won't be PC in my interviews, I promise!!!!" You can call me Mr. Politically Incorrect. 1114. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I've heard crow tastes good with a little ketchup." I wonder what it actually tastes like, haha. For the record, I said "if" in my post, so I never insinuated that it was the comment about the "boring" 500. 1115. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:45 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "For those of you saying it was because he said the Daytona 500 was boring, I've heard crow tastes good with a little ketchup." Never said it was because of what he tweeted following the Daytona 500, only speculated because he deleted that tweet shortly after his suspension was announced. No "eating crow" comment was necessary. 1116. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Heh, we'll downgrade your crow to a mere grackle, then. ;) As for Clements, my gut is telling me that it was actually something to do with Larson's wreck. 1117. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ...or, after a check of buzz on Twitter, regarding Juan Carlos Blum, possibly. That theory to me holds a lot of water. We might recall the small firestorm that came up when ESPN's football announcers made comments about another Juan in the sport. 1118. Anonymous posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Apparently, Clements was suspended for a comment he made on February 23rd, so it's not his tweet about the 500 or Danica's lap being fixed. http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/nationwide/story/_/id/8996736/jeremy-clements-suspended-indefinitely-intolerable-insensitive-remark Still no remark to be found, though. 1119. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of eating crow. May I refer everyone to comment #781 for a thumbs Up? Or even a thumbs down? Since everyone was so faded from Johnson winning and the race not being spectacular enough,everyone forgot that DSFF predicted,even guaranteed,that Gordon was going to win his 4th 500. 1120. murb posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "or, after a check of buzz on Twitter, regarding Juan Carlos Blum, possibly." Well, that one would make a little more sense, since that situation is much broader than if he was just bashing Nascar. Whatever the thing he said was though, I disagree with him being suspended indefinitely. Clements has never caused any problems before, so I feel like it is way too harsh of a penalty for someone who is on their first offense of pissing off Nascar. 1121. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one could have predicted that Gordon would suffer damage to the grill of his car. Besides, even with the damage to his grill, he was still running 5th late in the race before getting shuffled back, so who's to say DSFF wouldn't have been right had circumstances been different. 1122. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "We might recall the small firestorm that came up when ESPN's football announcers made comments about another Juan in the sport." He's not Juan to mess with, that's for sure. 1123. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >Whatever the thing he said was though, I disagree with him being suspended indefinitely. Clements has never caused any problems before, so I feel like it is way too harsh of a penalty for someone who is on their first offense of pissing off Nascar. A fine and possibly points would have been more appropriate, I think, yes. However, on the flip side, given the financial state of Clements' team, a fine, depending on size, could have shut them down completely anyway - remember what happened to Carl Long? 1124. Anonymous posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now that ESPN article says that Clements used "a racial slur", so it's most likely about JCB. 1125. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "everyone forgot that DSFF predicted, even guaranteed, that Gordon was going to win his 4th 500" I didn't forget. I just didn't think that was important. Everybody knows DSFF is always way off on his predictions. ;) 1126. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Everybody knows DSFF is always way off on his predictions." Well, he was the only one who said that Jeff Gordon would make the Chase after his engine failure at Michigan last year, while others (not including myself) said his season was over. 1127. ch posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I personally don't think Juan Carlos Blum should be in the Nationwide Series. 1128. David posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Well, he was the only one who said that Jeff Gordon would make the Chase after his engine failure at Michigan last year" Make sure to quote the emoticon in my post. Yes, he did say that. 1129. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) So why won't NASCAR come right out and say exactly what his issue was? This secretive "we will just force everyone to accept our actions as those of God" deals are not doing them any favors. 1130. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:22 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Well folks here it is: I was wrong, Jeff Gordon didn't win the Daytona 500 like I predicted. 1131. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Well, he was the only one who said that Jeff Gordon would make the Chase after his engine failure at Michigan last year" I did to! Thumbs up. 1132. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think JCB is ready for the Nationwide Series, but he was one of the better replacements that Rick Ware hired after Blake Koch left and Timmy Hill lost his sponsorship. Now I'm really torn on this whole Jeremy Clements story. On one hand, I think it's silly that he would be suspended indefinitely for a slip of the tongue, while Kurt Busch was suspended for one week for a threatening remark to a reporter (And I've previously stated that I didn't agree with Kurt's suspension.). Yet on the other hand I understand that NASCAR has its own image to uphold and probably feels that one way to get past its stereotype of being a "redneck sport with racist redneck fans" is to discipline any driver who makes them come off that way. That being said, while I can now see it from NASCAR's point-of-view, I completely disagree with the suspension (especially if it's more than one week). Considering the fact that this is Clements' first offense and it was just one non-threatening remark in an interview, I would have sat him down in a meeting with NASCAR officials and had them verbally discipline him, and maybe fine and/or deduct points from him. (Maybe even give him the option of loss of points or money considering how small his team is.) I just don't think a suspension for a first-time offender is the correct way to go. 1133. 83andJoe posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >I personally don't think Juan Carlos Blum should be in the Nationwide Series. He's better than the Cope twins, or Nur Ali, at least. 1134. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "This secretive "we will just force everyone to accept our actions as those of God" deals are not doing them any favors." It has the feel and warmth of Joseph Stalin. 1135. Paul posted: 02.27.2013 - 10:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think NASCAR expected this story to be noticed by as many people as it was, considering that it was just them suspending a "no-name driver." It sure would have been nice of them to just say the reasoning for it right away, rather than give a vague press release and make some of us fans look stupid for speculating. It took ESPN's David Newton, one of the better NASCAR journalists out there, three hours to finally break the story as to what the reasoning was. NASCAR fails once again. 1136. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 11:20 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Speaking of Jeff, I had the weirdest dream last night. Oddly enough, as much as I watch and discuss NASCAR, I almost never dream about NASCAR. It would cut into my Megan Fox dreams, at which point I would have to quit watching NASCAR. I'm not joking. But I did dream about NASCAR last night. I dreamed that, after the 24 team's issues getting through pre-race tech for this race, NASCAR finally said "that's it, that's enough, 25 years of this shit, you guys are done" and went back and stripped HMS of all 10 of their titles, awarding the championships and their trophies to the season's runner ups (or 3rd place finisher if HMS finished 1-2). It was really weird because they held a ceremony for this at the NASCAR HOF where they gave out the trophies. They went in reverse order (I don't really remember much from the first nine) and it culminated with them posthumously awarding Dale the beautiful silver 1995 25th anniversary Winston Cup championship trophy which, in my opinion, is the most beautiful NASCAR trophy ever. I always loved the old Winston Cup championship trophies a little more than the Nextel/Sprint Cup title trophies, but I do love the bright silver of those trophies. The 1995 trophy combined the two beautifully. But it made me think, how different would NASCAR history be were it not for HMS? Denny Hamlin would be 2010 champ (yuck!), 2009's 4th place finisher, Kurt Busch, would have a second Cup, Carl Edwards would be a two time champ ('08 and '11, with no HMS there is no SHR, at least none worth a shit), Clint Bowyer would be the '07 champ (ugh), and Kenseth would have the '06 crown to go with his 2003 championship. Tony would have back to back titles in '01 and '02 to go along with his '05 title. As for his 2011 championship, we are kinda entering the Twilight Zone of would he have ever left Gibbs since the only move from them that isn't downwards is HMS (with SHR as an off shoot). Mark would have the '98 crown, DJ would have both the '97 and '96 (he was third behind Terry and Jeff) Winston Cups to go with his '99 trophy, and of course Dale would not only have his 8th title for '95, but that would have given him NASCAR's second ever 3-peat, and only other one besides Cale's making ANY debate over who is the greatest irrelevant. And then there is this, as Rusty mentioned in his HOF induction speech, Rick gave the money to Blue Max to keep them afloat financially for the second half of '89, so without Rick, Dale would have won in '89 also! That would give him NINE! Just think of how that changes things historically! Here is my order of how much each is affected historically, from least to most: -Denny: He gets a championship to go with all those wins, still an ass clown -Clint: He gets to be called Cup champ, boosting him up although nobody will want to think about it. -Mark: Has that trophy that everyone agrees he deserves, but honestly he gets treated like a champ anyways. A first ballot HOFer either way. -Kurt: A second title might get people to ignore his antics a little more, but probably not. Sponsors still rule all. But he would have the distinction of being the one who delivered The Captain his first Cup title. -Carl: A two time champ which is a REALLY big deal, but would still have to deal with the "extremely streaky" tag, being known as the guy who wins titles then disappears for a while, which is much better than being the guy who finishes 2nd then disappears for a while. -Matt: Finally would get the respect as one of the best of his generation with a second title in two different eras (a la Tony). -Tony: Back To Back titles is a big deal to go along with the fact he is still at least a 3 time champ, although his move to SHR makes his alternate future the hardest to predict. My guess is he stays with Gibbs, decides winning and being a contender is worth the price of leaving GM, unlike his deal with Haas and HMS that allows him to have both. -DJ: A three time champ with a stretch of 3 out of 4 ('96, '97, '99) puts him in legendary land. -Earnhardt: Nobody would ever be able to debate what 90% of stock car enthusiasts already agree with: he is the greatest ever. He would have NINE championships which include two different 3-peats ('89-'91, '93-'95) allowing him to beat the Bulls of MJ to the "Repeat 3-Peat" punch. He would have his first title in the old gigantic 1977 model sedans, and his final one 15 years later in the new sleek aero is everything Monte Carlos. And to think, it all would have happened if that loud mouth, smart ass, know it all, rude as hell Yankee Bodine didn't win at Martinsville when Rick was ready to bail. Oh, that race by the way? It was on April 29, 1984 which was Dale's 33rd birthday (two 3's for driver #3 which robbed him of having two 3-peats, I'm honestly afraid to look up where Dale finished in that race cause if it is 3rd, I'm gonna go Donny Lia all over my keyboard). Damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit. 1137. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 11:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It has the feel and warmth of Joseph Stalin." NASCAR is definitely a dictatorship. And we all know communism doesn't work. "It sure would have been nice of them to just say the reasoning for it right away, rather than give a vague press release and make some of us fans look stupid for speculating." True, but at the same time, I don't think we look stupid at all. NASCAR said "he is suspended for remarks detrimental to the sport". All we can find are quotes about Danica's turbo boost Daytona 500 engine, and his accurate description of this year's boring Daytona 500. What are we supposed to think? "Oh, NASCAR gets it right so often, we will just take their word for it he said something bad and not question this incredibly vague press release saying he said a really bad thing"? Of course not. Throw in Brian and Lesa France taking a break from counting their Daddy's and Grandaddy's money while watching the sport those two built and left to them become a joke to talk to Brad for outlining the problems with the sport as he sees them and offering solutions for them in USA Today (how dare he!), of course we are gonna think it is more NASCAR Stalin-esque BS. No need to feel dumb. 1138. JG24FanForever posted: 02.27.2013 - 11:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My 12 Favorite MLB player's of all-time. 1. Nomar Garciaparra(was a Sox fan until they traded him at the 2004 all-star break.) 2. Ken Griffey Jr.(Most exciting Center Fielder ever for me.) 3. Babe Ruth(Best known for holding the record for lowest ERA in World Series history;) 4. Mark Mcgwire(245* Home Runs in 4 years from 1996-99) 5. Pedro Martinez 6. Bernie Williams(Greatest Red Sox killer of his time.) 7. Mariano Rivera 8. Jimmie Foxx 9. Ted Williams 10. Bob Gibson 11. Hank Aaron 12. Mickey Mantle This list is subject to change from time to time. 1139. ch posted: 02.27.2013 - 11:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >He's better than the Cope twins, or Nur Ali, at least. Very True. 1140. cjs3872 posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul (#1121), although Jeff had moved up to about fourth or fifth, he was having engine trouble due to the overheating issues from when that debris as on the grill while he was leading the race, but the grill was never damaged. In fact, the run before that, he moved straight to the back to protect his engine, so he knew he was having trouble. I still think that was one of the main reasons he did not move down in front of Jimmie lte in the race whenhe had the chance, because he knew he would bog the entire line down. His only chance to even stay competitive late was to stay tucked in behind cars, much like Darrell Waltrip did in the 1979 Daytona 500 when he finished second, and he did. So when he got shuffled back in the pack by the move Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made on him, he went into damage protection mode and dropped to the back again with his sick engine, and got minor damage in the last lap crash. The reason he was able to stay as competitive as he was late was later spelled out by Danica Patrick, who said she was running half-throttle much of the event, yet was running in the top five until the final lap. If she was, indeed running that much less than full throttle, it would easily explain why Jeff Gordon was able to run competitively in the latter part of the race with a sick engine. 1141. 12345Dude posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Did Richard Petty even drink? I know that he never put the Bud Pole Award or Coors Light Pole Award stickers on his race cars as per his mother's wishes, but he just doesn't strike me as a drinker. In fact, none of those guys really strike me as drinkers or party-goers, which is one of the many reasons why I like those guys. It's one thing to be an upstanding person when the cameras are on you, but it takes a lot of character to be that way even when the cameras are off. Richard, Bobby, David, and Cale all have character. How does this character-less driver have more respect from the garage than those four do? It doesn't make any sense to me." I don't really understand your dissaproval here or it Paul. As long as he is responsible and not hurting anyone than It's fine. Life is too short anyway. I personally am in full favor of Jeremy Clements getting suspended. It was kind of funny how everyone was on NASCAR's back because of what Jeremy posted on twitter. First off we have no idea what Jeremy said. So we really shouldn't criticize them. Yes, he has never done anything bad before. But who knows what he might of said? And I also agree with NASCAR not making what he said public. Do we really need something extremely radical and horribly racist being shoved on Sports Center and the Internet? With them saying a fellow NASCAR driver said it? In my opinion he said something extremely, extremely, extremely bad for them not to make it public. Something that would tarnish NASCAR. We don't need it spread everywhere. And some people do keep these horrible thoughts to themselfs and come off as good guys. Interesting story about not coming off as you appear there was a police officer in New York who was measuring girls because he said they could get them off for DUI chargers. He was actually measuring them to see if he could cook them in his oven. He hangs out with people who talk about roasting and eating fellow human beings. I'm not lying. Let it be known I'm not saying Jeremy Clements is trying to eat people. I just thought it was an interesting story. To CJS: I agree with your thoughts about cheating in NASCAR. It's easy to do with race cars also. Winning is the greatest feeling in the world. There is nothing to describe it. Nothing. I know this is going to make me look like an idiot to a lot but I can actually understand it. Also if everyone else is doing it, you're actually behind not doing it. But my question is what do you think about the New Orleans Bounty Scandel? Do you think teams have done it (or similar things) in the past? Do you think teams cheat in other sports? (Other than starroids) And do you think the punishments were too harsh if other teams were dong things behind the NFL's back? 1142. 12345Dude posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pre-read why do I always forget! Hopefully you guys can understand it. Wish they would let you edit posts. Also CJS there was no way Annett was going to get top 5 in points. There was nooooooooo one who had sponsorship last year other than cup drivers. Drivers especially couldn't run full time. His and Hornish's stats were greatly improved because of this. 1143. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) My favorite baseball players when I was a kid (they are kinda indistinguishable nowadays) -Dale Murphy. The only Brave worth a damn until 1991. -Mike Schmidt. Just a badass ball player. -Gary Carter. The Kid was awesome. -Rickey Henderson. Fun as hell to watch, and his antics were Randy Moss-esque. They were bizarre and seemingly self serving, but they weren't grabs for attention, it was just him being himself. -Bo Jackson. Bo knows how to capture a kid's imagination between his moonshots, diving catches from out of nowhere and that huge arm. -Ken Griffey Jr. As a kid I went through a time where I wore my hat backwards because of him now let's never speak of that again. -Roger Clemens. Always fun to watch, even if he did have a screw loose. "Babe Ruth(Best known for holding the record for lowest ERA in World Series history;)" That is one thing that gets lost historically, he was the best pitcher of his day. He could do it all, hit homers, pitch, eat hot dogs, get drunk, you name it! 1144. murb posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also CJS there was no way Annett was going to get top 5 in points." The NNS field is STACKED this year, but I think he would have at least contended for it. Top ten for sure. But unfortunately it won't happen now on a count of his injury. Going back to Nascar and their ruling on Clements, now. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The thing that frustrates me more than anything is their inconsistency on rulings. But upon further review, it sort of looks like that if this was a racial slur, they are actually being consistent with it. Remember when Brendan Gaughan got together with Marc Davis (a black driver who was at one point a JGR development kid) at Nashville (I think) a few years ago? Well, Brendan's crew chief Bryan Berry was actually suspended for saying a "racial slur" over the radio as that incident happened. So while I'm bummed that they basically just ruined a good young driver's career (for the time being, at least), I must say, this is the first time in a while they've been consistent and actually followed through with a rule. I think the biggest part is that its them just looking out for themselves. Weren't we just talking a while ago about how Nascar is trying to get as far away as possible from the stereotypical "racist redneck" demographic? Like I said, it's them looking out for their own image (which seems sort of selfish, yet understandable). So that must be the reason why they are actually following through and sticking to their guns on this whole "derogatory/racial slurs" thing. 1145. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "-Clint: He gets to be called Cup champ, boosting him up although nobody will want to think about it." Had Clint Bowyer won the 2007 championship, it would have been the worst championship season in Sprint Cup history. He had as many wins (1) and top fives (5) as Bill Rexford did in 1950, despite competing in 19 more races than Rexford did. Plus, he had fewer wins (2) and only one more top five finish (4) than Red Byron had in 1949, and Byron was driving with a basically one foot. Oh, and when Byron won the championship, there were only SIX races on the schedule, which is one more race than Bowyer had top fives in 30 more races. Thank goodness for HMS for that season, because it saved us from having a joke of a champion. It doesn't help that Bowyer already has arguably the weakest Nationwide championship season of all-time. "(two 3's for driver #3 which robbed him of having two 3-peats, I'm honestly afraid to look up where Dale finished in that race cause if it is 3rd, I'm gonna go Donny Lia all over my keyboard)" Dale didn't finish 3rd, but he did finish 9th, which may be even more scary because while his "best friend" Geoff Bodine kick-started a team that would hypothetically rob Dale of two 3-peats, Dale's finishing position was the product of his two near 3-peats. Allow me to explain. Had HMS Geoff Bodine not won that race and HMS folded, Earnhardt hypothetically won the championship in '89, '90, and '91 (3 times), and again in '93, '94, and '95 (3 times). 3 times 3 equals 9, which was Dale's finishing position in the race that us HMS haters shall now refer to as "The Day." (Very original, right?) Oh, and one more thing. Dale's car number at Martinsville '84 was #15, which was the same number that Geoff Bodine had in '92 (the year that would have prevented an unprecedented 7-peat, '89-'95) and '93 (the year that would have begun Dale's second 3-peat). "Throw in Brian and Lesa France taking a break from counting their Daddy's and Grandaddy's money" Don't forget about their GoDaddy's money. ;) 1146. Talon64 posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It doesn't help that Bowyer already has arguably the weakest Nationwide championship season of all-time." Clint's was at least better than Carl's in 2007. I think the 2nd or 3rd biggest points gap in history but with the worst average finish ever for a champion. Ironically enough, Carl's 2008 season was loads better than his championship one but he came up 2nd to Clint. For me, worst is between Carl's in 2007 and Steve Grissom's 1993 championship. Grissom had 2 wins but only led 120 laps! 1147. murb posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Grissom had 2 wins but only led 120 laps!" Travis Kvapil only had 1 win and led only 49 laps in his 2003 Truck Championship season. But then again, he still had 22 top tens in 25 races. 1148. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Bowyer's '08 NWide title is one of those "iit's all about perspective" deals. While there are other 1 win champions, he was a Cup driver in NWide driver for a Cup organization. At least the others were people with little to no Cup experience driving for non Cup owners (at least owners that didn't have any Cup teams worth a shit). So I'd rank Bowyer's as the worst. I know Carl had a horrendous average finish in his '07 season where he went practically uncontested (the only other Cup driver running full time was Reut in the pre Kauffmann era MWR cars), at least he won some races. Looking at the other "Cup guys pretending to be big shots" chammps (Harvick, Carl, KyBu, Brad) his title was the worst. 1149. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 2:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "For me, worst is between Carl's in 2007 and Steve Grissom's 1993 championship. Grissom had 2 wins but only led 120 laps!" Grissom was at least driving for his family's team, so the fact that he won a championship at all is pretty impressive. Plus, that team had only one more top five finish after his '93 season, so I think he got the most out of that '93 car as he could. And I'll admit I forgot about Edwards' 2007 championship season, which I agree was weaker than Bowyer's '08 season. Funny enough, Edwards' worst Nationwide season was arguably 2007, the year he won the title, and his best Nationwide season was arguably 2011, when he was ineligible for the title due to the points rule changes. 1150. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 2:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) On the other hand, DSFF makes a great point about Bowyer. He was a Cup driver driving for a Cup team that had already won the past two championships (one driver's, two owner's), yet had only one win and had worst statistics than Harvick in '06 and Burton/Wimmer in '07. Edwards' '07 title was probably worse, but considering the ride that Bowyer walked into and how he underachieved in some respects, including losing two 250-lap races when he led over 120 laps (one of which he led 195 laps). Oh, and he had fewer wins than Brad Keselowski and the same number of wins as Marcos Ambrose, Scott Wimmer, and Ron Fellows. The first two drivers had no Cup experience entering the '08 season and drove for non-Cup teams, while the latter two drove part-time schedules, with Fellows driving for a non-Cup team (Brad's teammate) and Wimmer being Bowyer's teammate. Given the circumstances that Bowyer was given and how underwhelming his season was in terms of domination, his 2008 season might have been the worst championship season in Nationwide Series history. 1151. JG24FanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 2:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talking about weakest Championships. I want to list the 12 Strongest Runner-up finishes in Cup History. 1. Jeff Gordon 2007(7.3 average finish with 7 consecutive Top 5's,and another 10 consecutive Top 10's. 353 more points than anyone for 36 races.) 2. Jeff Gordon 1996(10 wins on all 4 short tracks and sweeps at Darlington and Dover with a Pocono and Talladega win to boot,and 2 streaks of 6 consecutive Top 3 finishes.) 3. Bill Elliott 1985(Car failure cost him. But he had a Triple Crown and 11 total wins.) 4. Bobby Allison 1972(22 Top 2 finishes with 10 wins and 12 poles and 30 consecutive races led.) 5. Rusty Wallace 1993(Could have won if not for a month with a broken wrist.) 6. Richard Petty 1968(16 wins is a record for Runner-up) 7. Ned Jarrett 1964(15 wins and 42 Top 5's) 8. Richard Petty 1963(14 wins to "Little" Joe's 3) I'm only going to list eight. And yes,I leaned more toward Modern Championships because of stronger competition. 1152. 18fan posted: 02.28.2013 - 2:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Remember that Bowyer's lone win in 2008 was a rain shortened race at Bristol that barely went past halfway and, if I remember correctly, he was close to losing the lead to Kasey Kahne when the caution came out for the rain that eventually ended the race without it restarting. 1153. JG24FanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) *Richard Petty finished 3rd in 1968 So i'll replace his 1968 with Herb Thomas's 1954 season. 1154. JG24FanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 7:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOg-PlxTRq0 Folks,this is the final appearance of the Rainbow car. Also,pay attention to Jimmie Johnson's save. 1155. Benjamin Lowe posted: 02.28.2013 - 7:20 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) NASCAR has become a cross between Communist Russia, Nazi Germany, and the Galactic Empire. 1156. Cant Stand Logano posted: 02.28.2013 - 9:59 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Logano ruined this race by not staying in line. Glad Denny Hamlin called him out on it on twitter. When a class act like Denny calls you out, you know you are a loser. 1157. David posted: 02.28.2013 - 10:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "When a class act like Denny calls you out, you know you are a loser." The next sound you will hear is DSFF losing his breakfast. 1158. JG24FanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 11:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX_yvQi3P04 This is the full 2004 UAW-GM Quality 500. Note's about the race: #Jeff Gordon eternally earned the coveted "I'm not Kyle Busch award" for his performance in spite of a cursed car. #Kevin Harvick drove a late 1980's Wrangler Dale Earnhardt style paint scheme. #Final fall Charlotte race held on the bumpy original surface:( Take the time to watch this. It's worth it. 1159. Bronco posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cannot believe that Jeremy Clements and Kurt Busch get suspended for saying things, while Jeff Gordon walks away with just a fine and points penalty for intentionally wrecking 3 cars. 1160. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian France: "I am Death; destroyer of racing." 1,000,000 credits to whoever can tell what quote I'm parodying. 1161. cjs3872 posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:17 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Three cars (actually four), Bronco? He only wrecked two intentionally in that incident, his and Clint Bowyer's. Joey Logano and Aric Almirola were an innocent bystanders in that incident, which is exactly why I dislike paybacks dring a race and why drivers generally don't do it. The real problem with that comes, not with the two drivers who may have scores to setle, but rather innocent victims of such an incident. I remember an incident at Bristol in 1997 where Geoff Bodine intentionally wrecked Jimmy Spencer, and Steve Grissom ended up injuring his foot when he became entangled in that incient. And Jeff Gordon has said that he went about it the wrong way, but there's also no denying that he needed to do something with Clint because that was at least the third time Clint had messed with Jeff last year, and he was even lied to in the first such incdent, and I also don't think that it was a conincidence that he flattened Gordon's tire to start that mess at Phoenix, because I do believe there was a slight bit of intent there. But there's also no defending Gordon doing what he did the way he did it. What truly made Gordon remorseful about the incident was that two others became involved in it. 1162. JG24FanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Brian France: "I am Death; destroyer of racing." 1,000,000 credits to whoever can tell what quote I'm parodying." You're parodying J. Robert Oppenheimer's quote after realizing what the Atomic Bomb really was. 1163. David posted: 02.28.2013 - 12:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "Cannot believe that Jeremy Clements and Kurt Busch get suspended for saying things, while Jeff Gordon walks away with just a fine and points penalty for intentionally wrecking 3 cars." A. It has now been confirmed that Clements used a racial slur in an interview. Bob Griese and Bryan Berry were suspended for the same thing. B. Kurt Busch violated his probation for the Darlington incident. What he said wasn't enough to warrant a suspension, but since he was on probation as well, he was parked for the next weekend, disproving the theory that "probation means nothing". C. Jeff Gordon intentionally wrecked only one car--Clint Bowyer's. He inadvertently wrecked himself, and Joey Logano and Aric Almirola were just innocent victims. 1164. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I like how Kurt Busch was put on probation for the final six months of the 2012 season for what was essentially a big misunderstanding at Darlington, and was suspended after he made threatening remarks to a reporter who was trying to start something; yet Carl Edwards comes back onto the track many laps down at Atlanta in 2010, intentionally wrecks Brad Keselowski through quad-oval, causing Brad's car to get airborne and hit the wall roof-first, and was only given three WEEKS probation for this heinous act. This allowed him to intentionally wreck Brad again at Gateway four months later when he was no longer on probation, cause a big wreck that involved many innocent bystanders, and got away scot-free. I guess if you smile a lot in your interviews, you're more likely to get let off easy when you finally snap and endanger other drivers on the race track. That being said, this sport looks downright silly when they're suspending drivers for language, but only fining them when they endanger others on the track. I just read that Jeremy Clements will be suspended for a minimum of two races for a racial slur that wasn't directed at anyone or anything. He wouldn't get into specifics as to what he said, but he said that he said the word just once and wasn't saying it directly or indirectly at anyone or anything. So the guy who accidentally made a racial slur that wasn't directed at anybody with no past record gets suspended for at least two races, but the guy who was on probation makes a threatening remark to a reporter's face and gets only a one-race suspension? Wow... 1165. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Can't Stand Logano is actually Denny Hamlin. By mid season, he will change his screen name to Can't Stand Kenseth once he becomes JGR's undisputed #1 driver, showing howw it is done in terms of winning, consistency, making decent days out of seemingly moribund days, not making an ass out of himself every other week, and not being hated by his own organization (KyBu and Denny can only do one of those). I was at that '04 Charlotte fall race. And froze. Jeff had the whole back of his car destroyed right in front of me and lost two laps. Later, the guy sitting next to me told me Jeff was back on the lead lap and I said "you've gotta be kidding me". Then I wondered why I was surprised. Honestly that race barely makes the Top 5 "Jeff Gordon turns chichen shit into chicken salad" races, with Richmond '12 definitely being #1, where Refuse To Lose beat Agree To Lose (Kyle) for the final playoff spot despite spending the first 24 races pretending to be Wile E Coyote. 1166. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of the Atomic Bomb and the US/Japan conflict in the 40's, and considering the hot button topic that is the knee jerk reaction to guns in the US, do you know why Japan's emporer never even considered a US invasion? I don't have the exact quote, but he said something to the effect of "a mainland invasion of the US would never work, there will be a gun behind every blade of grass". Just saying. 1167. Jim Davis posted: 02.28.2013 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "That being said, this sport looks downright silly when they're suspending drivers for language, but only fining them when they endanger others on the track." No, it makes perfect sense. The sport is totally dependent on sponsorship money to survive. No sponsors, no NASCAR. Racial slurs by drivers, the face of the sport, scare away sponsors and are thus an existential threat to NASCAR. Racial slurs have to be dealt with quickly and harshly to satisfy sponsors. Intimidation and retaliation on the race track on the other hand are an integral part of the sport which attracts attendance and viewers, and if no serious injuries results, sponsors as well. In this case all NASCAR wants to do is to keep it within reasonable bounds ("Boys, have at it!"). 1168. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.28.2013 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is it a coincidence that the two most financially successful series in the world right now are dictatorships with one or two groups ruling with an iron fist (NASCAR/F1) while more democratic series where car owners/manufacturers and drivers freedom where they have significantly more input have crashed and burned in the past and are struggling to this day? (see AOWR) 1169. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to the Sporting News, Jeremy Clements was approached by a female NASCAR employee, who was escorting an MTV reporter, asking if he knew where Johanna Long's transporter was. As Clements was escorting these two people, the reporter began to ask him a few questions off the record, and that's where the racial slur came in. No cameras notes of the "interview" were being recorded, but all signs point toward the NASCAR employee turning Clements in. Pretty chickenshit if you ask me. 1170. DaleSrFanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) ^Agreed Paul. For a driver like Jeremy that has never caused trouble before, that is where you, as an employee of NASCAR, pull him aside and explain to him how just casually letting something like that slip not only hurts yourself, but your sport as well. And to be much more careful in the future. You don't rat him out and have him placed through the ringer. Unfortunately this happens so much in the modern workforce. People are so afraid of confrontation, they just write you up to your supervisors and never say a word to you. As you said, chicken shit. 1171. seyb32 posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (7) FINAL GEAR!!! Please respond to this message. And try....just try to respond without mentioning Danica. We get it. You don't like her. That's fine. You're entitled to your opinion. What I find laughable is that you believe that Fox and other networks that cover Sprint Cup mention her too much. Yet you can't write a single sentence without mentioning her yourself. I'm more annoyed my people like you that b*tch and moan about everything Danica than the actual coverage of Danica herself. Seriously....get over it. Bottom line is this. Danica is not and will never be a champion....maybe not even a winner.... in Sprint Cup. But she's got more talent on her worst day than any of us "geniuses" commenting on this race. That's FACT. 1172. JG24FanForever posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "But she's got more talent on her worst day than any of us "geniuses" commenting on this race. That's FACT." Bullshit. I'd whip her ass any day in some Karting. 1173. Scott B posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder if this issue would have been handled the same way if there weren't a bunch of injured spectators filing lawsuits this week? 1174. Scott B posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ^^^ above in reference to the Clements suspension. (I smell diversion tactics at work) 1175. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 02.28.2013 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Those fans will probably be about as successful as that fan who got injured at Charlotte in 2006 by the shock absorber that flew over the fence. Either way the lawyers still make money... 1176. murb posted: 02.28.2013 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What I find laughable is that you believe that Fox and other networks that cover Sprint Cup mention her too much." You're right, I do believe that. Them mentioning her and treating her like she's the greatest woman driver of all time is ridiculous, especially when she's been shown up by such other women as Johanna Long and Simona De Silvestro in her career. 1177. Jim Davis posted: 02.28.2013 - 5:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "For a driver like Jeremy that has never caused trouble before, that is where you, as an employee of NASCAR, pull him aside and explain to him how just casually letting something like that slip not only hurts yourself, but your sport as well. And to be much more careful in the future" I'm sorry, this just doesn't cut it anymore. NASCAR is bending over backwards to convince sponsors that matters like racial slurs will not just be swept under the rug anymore and here you are suggesting that the matter just be swept under the rug! The MTV reporter might have written a column lambasting NASCAR for public posturing about racial tolerance while its drivers casually drop racial slurs in front of reporters and NASCAR employees. The time when these matters could be handled privately is *long* gone. Sponsors are not going to be impressed with assurances that Clements was given a stern talking to even if they believed them. Sponsors want heads to roll when these incidents happen. 1178. David posted: 02.28.2013 - 6:00 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "What I find laughable is that you believe that Fox and other networks that cover Sprint Cup mention her too much. Yet you can't write a single sentence without mentioning her yourself." You know what I get a kick out of? The fact that every sentence over five words in your post mentions Danica. As for your claim about us not writing a single sentence without mentioning her, that is mathematically untrue. I count eighteen sentences in four posts before yours that do NOT mention Danica. "I'm more annoyed my people like you that b*tch and moan about everything Danica than the actual coverage of Danica herself. Seriously....get over it." I'm personally more annoyed by people who come out of the woodwork to post once on this board, usually to make a comment criticizing the other posters, and are never heard from again. "But she's got more talent on her worst day than any of us 'geniuses' commenting on this race. That's FACT." First of all, which one of us ever said we were "geniuses"? We are not. We are knowledgeable NASCAR fans who come together on this board to voice our opinions and comment about the racing. And second, outside of winning an IndyCar race, Danica is a replacement-level driver any day of the week. Can she improve? That remains to be seen. Until then, she will remain in mediocrity. 1179. NicoRosbergFan posted: 02.28.2013 - 6:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Credits to JG24FanForever 1180. Daniel posted: 02.28.2013 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Charles Lewandoski will replace Clements in the #51 this week. 1181. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Lewandoski and Clements are good friends, and it's good to see Clements doing a favor for his friend, albeit amidst bad circumstances. 1182. Sean posted: 02.28.2013 - 7:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Nobody would ever be able to debate what 90% of stock car enthusiasts already agree with" Oh, come on. More than 10% would pick Pearson or Petty instead. Some percentage would probably pick Gordon simply because his accomplishments were more recent, but I sure as hell wouldn't. Worst Nationwide championship - David Green in 1994. He would have gone winless if Mark Martin hadn't pitted on the last lap at Bristol. He had better seasons where he didn't win the championship. I may not comment on Jeremy Clements, but if I do, I'm waiting until there's a lot more information released... 1183. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 8:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He had better seasons where he didn't win the championship." True. His 2nd place points finishes in '96 to Randy LaJoie and in '03 to Brian Vickers were better statistically than his '94 championship season. However, his 9 poles in '94 is still ranked 3rd all-time for most poles in a Nationwide season, only behind Jeff Gordon's 11 poles in '92 and Sam Ard's 10 poles in '83. David Green pretty much won the 1994 Busch Series championship "Terry Labonte-style," in that while he didn't win a lot (and wouldn't have won at all if not for Mark Martin's Bristol blunder), he was the most consistent driver all season and was always running at the finish. He had one DNF all season, and that was an engine failure in the season-opening race at Daytona. He was also tied for 2nd in top fives (10), tied for 3rd in top tens (14), and ranked 3rd in laps led among Busch Series regulars. And while he only had a 50% top ten percentage, he had an 86% top 20 percentage, and was tied for the most lead lap finishes with 15 (along with Kenny Wallace). Kenny Wallace should have won the championship based on some of his stats, as he ranked 1st in wins, top fives, and laps led among Busch regulars, but he struggled with consistency, suffering six DNFs during the season, the second most among drivers who finished top ten in points and the most among serious championship contenders. While he had 15 top ten finishes (54%), he also had 10 finishes of 20th or worse (36%), so he was pretty much either running with the leaders or having troubles in every race. The other two drivers that Green had to hold off were Ricky Craven and Chad Little. Little had the consistency that Green had (both had 10 top fives and 14 top tens), but he lacked speed, posting 0 wins and leading only 7 laps all year. Craven on the other hand had the speed to keep up with Green, winning twice and leading the series in top tens (16), but he had a few too many non-top 20 finishes that kept him from winning the title. Basically the 1994 Busch Series championship was your classic case of several drivers having a shot at winning the title, and the title going to the guy who could balance both speed and consistency better than anybody. In fact, that's exactly how I think this year's Nationwide championship will be decided. The only difference being that this year's title will go to a more "statistically-deserving" champion based on the drivers' Cup experience and Cup equipment. So while the 2012 title will be a bit more flashier on the stat sheet, it will pretty much be the same as the 1994 championship. David Green balanced speed and consistency better than all three of his serious title opponents, and this year's champion will have to do the same. One more thing. DSFF mentioned yesterday how different NASCAR would be if Hendrick Motorsports never continued after 1984. One thing that wasn't mentioned was on the non-Cup Series side, as David Green would be a 2-time Busch Series champion if not for HMS. Considering the fact that he was one of the Busch Series' better mainstays, having two championships to go along with his 9 wins (might be more if not for HMS) and 7 top ten points finishes, David Green might have been considered for the NASCAR Hall of Fame when they decide to induct some of the greatest Busch/Nationwide Series and Truck Series drivers of all-time. Right now I'd say he doesn't get in, but if not for HMS preventing him from a 2nd title in 2003, there's a good chance that he would be inducted some day. 1184. Paul posted: 02.28.2013 - 9:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Michael Annett is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks after fracturing and dislocating his sternum following a late-race crash at Daytona, so he'll at least have the majority of the season to get readjusted on the track in hopes of getting his 1st Nationwide Series win. Hopefully RPM will give a few talented drivers without a competitive ride a chance to drive the #43 car while Annett is out, rather than just use Cup drivers to fill-in for the time being. 1185. murb posted: 02.28.2013 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "One thing that wasn't mentioned was on the non-Cup Series side" And in Trucks, Rich Bickle would have won the 1997 title (hell yeah!!!), Greg Biffle the 1999 title, and Ted Musgrave the 2001 title. 1186. 12345Dude posted: 02.28.2013 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would rather see cup guys in the 43 Paul. Wouldn't that kind of be dissing Annett to put other developmental drivers in while he was injured? 1187. 83andJoe posted: 02.28.2013 - 9:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Not at all; it's preparing another driver to move in once Annett moves up - he was, I believe, originally hoping to run 5-7 Cup races this year. 1188. Paul posted: 03.01.2013 - 12:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And in Trucks, Rich Bickle would have won the 1997 title (hell yeah!!!), Greg Biffle the 1999 title, and Ted Musgrave the 2001 title." 1.) Hell yeah! I always thought Rich Bickle was an underrated driver, and I'd be all for him winning a NASCAR title. Plus, he gave maybe the most emotional 4th place interview at Martinsville '98, so that alone makes me a fan of Bickle. 2.) Imagine what might have happened if Biffle won the '99 Truck title. Mike Bliss might not have been fired for passing him and costing his teammate the title in '99, and might have gone on to win the Truck title himself in 2000. Also, Biffle might have been promoted to the Busch Series one year early, and that would have allowed Kurt Busch to take over his ride for the 2000 season. Or, in an event that would have changed Kurt's career forever, Biffle wins the title and stays in Trucks for one more year because Mark Martin won't leave the Busch Series, Bliss stays with Roush in Trucks, and Kurt isn't given the great rookie opportunity by driving for Roush full-time in 2000. Yikes, a lot of different things could have happened if HMS didn't exist in the Truck Series in '99. 3.) I'd be all for Ted Musgrave winning another championship. He was always one of my favorites and someone who I thought should have been a winner in Cup. Having two Truck championships under his belt might just make up for his shortcomings in Cup, not to mention include him in talks for the NASCAR Hall of Fame for his Truck Series career. (When it comes to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for drivers that had most of their success outside of Cup, I think it's going to take multiple championships to make it in.) 1189. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.01.2013 - 12:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wasn't there another Daytona 500 where Jeff led 30-40 laps but engine troubles relegated him to the 17th to 20th place range? Wasn't it 1998? How did Jeff do the rest of that year? Should I go ahead and predict another 13 win championship season from Jeff like I predicted he would win this race and last year's championship? That's right Rainbow Nation, start sweating :) 1190. murb posted: 03.01.2013 - 12:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, I think Kurt would have been the odd man out on that deal. Bliss probably would have stayed (given that he did pretty decent in 1999), and Biffle probably would have ended up in the 97 Cup car instead of Kurt. But then again, it is Jack Roush we're talking about, so who knows what he would have done. 1191. Paul posted: 03.01.2013 - 1:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Should I go ahead and predict another 13 win championship season from Jeff like I predicted he would win this race and last year's championship?" Well you know what they say: Third time's the charm. This might sound kinda crazy, but I wish Jack Roush still had a Truck team. He always had really good drivers in his Trucks, and most of them were either unknowns or considered damaged goods that he gave an opportunity in great equipment. He gave future Cup drivers Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and David Ragan their first breaks; made names out of 2nd- and 3-tier drivers Mike Bliss, Jon Wood, and Erik Darnell; helped rejuvenate Travis Kvapil's career in '07 after two miserable Cup seasons; made long-time driver Joe Ruttman look like the Harry Gant of the Truck Series by winning well into his 50s; and even gave 1990 Busch Series champion Chuck Bown one last shot in competitive equipment after three years without a full-time ride. If he still had a Truck team, you can rest assured that one or two talented drivers would be driving for him and making names for themselves in NASCAR. It's a shame that he's cut a lot of his lower-tiered teams over the past six years (which I think had a lot to do with his merger with Fenway Sports), because he may have had the best developmental system in NASCAR during the '90s and early '00s. 1192. murb posted: 03.01.2013 - 1:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "he may have had the best developmental system in NASCAR during the '90s and early '00s." I can't disagree with that. But while he did do a great job of giving guys shots, there's still plenty of guys who he completely screwed by kicking them to the curb (Erik Darnell, Colin Braun, Danny O'Quinn Jr, Todd Kluever, Bobby East, and Nathan Haseleu, to name a few). 1193. NicoRosbergFan posted: 03.01.2013 - 7:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone else feel like Brain France has a love affair (to put it somewhat nicely) with himself every time he walks by a mirror? 1194. cjs3872 posted: 03.01.2013 - 8:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, you're right about that race where Gordon led quite a bit of laps and had late-race engine trouble, though you're way low on the number of laps he led. He actually led 56 in that 1998 race, which was five short of his high for most laps led in a single Daytona 500. He led 61 in the 1995 event. Yet, he's never led the most laps in a single Daytona 500, depsite having won it three times. His crew chief said there was nothing wrong with the performance on the engine, but based on the way he ran in the second half of the race, I disagree, because Gordon raced like a driver that knew he was having engine trouble. It might have been minor trouble, but the way he raced, it looked like he was having some problems. Again, I go back to what Danica said about running half throttle and still running third up until the end when she got shuffled back to eighth. If she was running half throttle and keeping up, surely a car with some minor engine diffculties could keep up in the draft. Gordon had made it up to fourth or fifth late, but was afraid to pull out in front of his teammate, which might have pushed him to the front, instead of Jimmie. But he knew he couldn't try it because his engine was a little down on HP if it had to pull, so he stayed in line, and when Dale, Jr. shuffled him back, he then decided to nurse it to the finish, and got caught up in that last lap crash. Gordon did say after the race that the line he had chosen was the wrong one. Could it be that the reason the line he was in wouldn't go was that his somewhat sickened car was in it, thus holding it back? 1195. David posted: 03.01.2013 - 9:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Having two Truck championships under his belt might just make up for his shortcomings in Cup" Speaking of Ted Musgrave, how about him finishing SEVENTH in points in 1995 (albeit in Roush cars)? 1196. Jim Davis posted: 03.01.2013 - 10:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "His crew chief said there was nothing wrong with the performance on the engine..." "Again, I go back to what Danica said about running half throttle..." Let me see if I have this straight... You're dismissing what Gordon's crew chief, Gustafson, said about Gordon's engine based on what *Patrick* said? He just got shuffled back because of events beyond his control which happens all the time at plate tracks. Like Hamlin did. You're over-analyzing. 1197. 83andJoe posted: 03.01.2013 - 11:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I did find it interesting that DW slipped up in the Cup brodcast and said there had been /nothing wrong/ with Patrick's Nationwide engine that had "blown". 1198. Paul posted: 03.01.2013 - 1:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now Ryan Sieg is being listed as the driver of the #51 Nationwide car in place of Jeremy Clements. Not sure if Charles Lewandoski couldn't make the trip to Phoenix or what, but Sieg is now on the entry list and practiced the car earlier today. Great move in my view. Sieg has overachieved as a young owner/driver in the Truck Series much like how Clements has in the Nationwide Series. Sieg of course is a regular in the Truck Series, and will be making his Nationwide debut during the Truck Series' month long break before they return at Martinsville. 1199. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.01.2013 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Btw, the MTV interviewer said he had no intention of saying anything about Clements' remark (which appears he said n*****rigged, an unfortunate term for something haphazardly put together). I just want to say I am not condoning what he said in any way shape or form. But considering all the shit over the years that NASCAR sweeps under the rug and continues to do to this day *cough 24 team pre race at Daytona cough* I think this could have been one of those. I don't condone the rug sweeping policy either, but if you obviously have that policy, use it here. I think, as mentioned above, it was a diversion to get the media off the Daytona catch fence debacle. 1200. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 03.01.2013 - 2:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "AutoRockinRacing94, there are always surprises in the Daytona 500, and this goes back long before the modern resrictor plate era. For instance, guys like Jerry Grant in 1967, when he drove from 43rd to finish fifth, Richard Brickhouse in 1970, Jim Vandiver in 1971 and '72, Ramo Stott and Coo Coo Marlin in 1974, rookies Neil Bonnett and Terry Ryan, along with J.D. McDuffie in 1976, Janet Guthrie in 1977 (drove from 39th to eighth before engine problems dropped her to 12th), Ron Hutcherson in 1978, Tighe Scott in 1979, John Anderson in 1980, Jim Sauter in 1982, Tom Sneva in 1983 (he was driving Bay Darnell's car), Lake Speed in 1985, Rick Mast in 1989, Dick Trickle in 1992, Hut Stricklin in 1993 (he did drive for Junior Johnson that year, but was a surprise, nonetheless), Wally Dallenbach, Jr. in 1996, Johnny Benson, Jr. in 2000 (he brought life to that lifeless race), Elliott Sadler and Geoff Bodine in 2002, Scott Wimmer in 2004, Scott Riggs and Kevin Lepage in 2005, Kirk Shelmerdine in 2006 (I know he was only 20th, but that was a miracle in itself, considering the operation), Mike Wallace and David Ragan in 2007, and now Danica Patrick, Michael McDowell, and J.J. Yeley this year. And that doesn't even include the surprise winners of the race, going back to Junior Johnson's win in 1960. So there are aways surprises in the Daytona 500, guys you never expect to do well doing well, and the trio of Danica, McDowell, and J.J. Yeley join that list for this year's race." - I know the majority of them, I was only putting an input to this year's race in comparison to 2000. As a NASCAR fan of 11 years, this 500 was the worse since 2006 but at least the surprises makes it worth discussing. That's what I love about the 500, it does bring surpises. 1201. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 03.01.2013 - 2:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "AutoRockinRacing94, there are always surprises in the Daytona 500, and this goes back long before the modern resrictor plate era. For instance, guys like Jerry Grant in 1967, when he drove from 43rd to finish fifth, Richard Brickhouse in 1970, Jim Vandiver in 1971 and '72, Ramo Stott and Coo Coo Marlin in 1974, rookies Neil Bonnett and Terry Ryan, along with J.D. McDuffie in 1976, Janet Guthrie in 1977 (drove from 39th to eighth before engine problems dropped her to 12th), Ron Hutcherson in 1978, Tighe Scott in 1979, John Anderson in 1980, Jim Sauter in 1982, Tom Sneva in 1983 (he was driving Bay Darnell's car), Lake Speed in 1985, Rick Mast in 1989, Dick Trickle in 1992, Hut Stricklin in 1993 (he did drive for Junior Johnson that year, but was a surprise, nonetheless), Wally Dallenbach, Jr. in 1996, Johnny Benson, Jr. in 2000 (he brought life to that lifeless race), Elliott Sadler and Geoff Bodine in 2002, Scott Wimmer in 2004, Scott Riggs and Kevin Lepage in 2005, Kirk Shelmerdine in 2006 (I know he was only 20th, but that was a miracle in itself, considering the operation), Mike Wallace and David Ragan in 2007, and now Danica Patrick, Michael McDowell, and J.J. Yeley this year. And that doesn't even include the surprise winners of the race, going back to Junior Johnson's win in 1960. So there are aways surprises in the Daytona 500, guys you never expect to do well doing well, and the trio of Danica, McDowell, and J.J. Yeley join that list for this year's race." - I know the majority of them, I was only putting an input to this year's race in comparison to 2000. As a NASCAR fan of 11 years, this 500 was the worse since 2006 but at least the surprises makes it worth discussing. That's what I love about the 500, it does bring surpises. 1202. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 03.01.2013 - 2:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since Earnhardt's death: Steve Park (Darlington '01) Kyle Petty (Bristol '03) Derrike Cope (Richmond '02) Jerry Nadeau (Richmond '03) Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Talladega '12) Eric McClure (Talladega '12) Rick Crawford (Kentucky '05 I believe) Michael Annett (Daytona '13) ...have been injured among the Top 3 series from the top of my head 1203. AutoRockinRacing94 posted: 03.01.2013 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also Sterling Marlin in Kansas '02 1204. murb posted: 03.01.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Jackass Stewart mixing it up with Schrader in practice for no reason... 1205. cjs3872 posted: 03.01.2013 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, Musgrave was't the only surprise back then. Remember that the Wood Brothers returned to become factors in the early and mid-90s, and Morgan Shepherd barely missed finishing in the top five in points in 1994, though they began to fade again in 1995 and Shepherd was released after the '95 season. Actually, one of the biggest surprises was that Musgrave never won in Roush's equipment, because he certainly had chances. Remember tht he finised second at the spring Darlington race two years in a row, and it seemed that, the tougher the track, the better he ran. So it should not have been that big a surprise that he did that well in 1995. And Jim Davis, the reason I think Gordon knew had a sick engine was the way he raced the entire last 200 miles, because he raced like a driver that knew he had a sick engine and was trying to nurse it to the finish. My point about what Danica said was that if she was running just half-throttle and was able to keep up, that meant that Gordon's engine didn't have to be running that well to be able to stay in the draft, even in the top five, where he was running until Dale, Jr. shuffled him out of line. But when that happened, Gordon seemed to just try to nurse his car to the finish, and got caught up in that last lap crash. And Gordon was also the only driver in Hendrick equipment going backwards in those final laps. Jimmie Johnson was obviously going forward, Dale, Jr. was going forward, as was Ryan Newman, and Danica was holding her position until she got shuffed back on the last lap, but Gordon went straight back after getting shuffled, and after that just tried to nurse it to the finish, because he never even tried to get back toward the front, which tells me his car was incapable of doing so. And I also go back to the 1979 Daytona 500 when Darrell Waltrip had engine trouble, but he was able to run as fast as anyone when he was drafting, but as soon as his car got in open air, it slowed down about 10 MPH. If Darrell's car was running as it should have that day, that finish between Cale and Donnie would never have happened, because Darrell would have been right there and Cale and Donnie would not have been able to take the chance they did, because it would have been a three-car draft, instead of two. 1206. Jim Davis posted: 03.01.2013 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And Jim Davis, the reason I think Gordon knew had a sick engine was the way he raced the entire last 200 miles, because he raced like a driver that knew he had a sick engine and was trying to nurse it to the finish." I'm sorry, CJS, but Gordon and Gustafson deny having a sick engine. I can't imagine why they would be particularly reluctant to say so if that was indeed the case. Indeed, I would think that there would have been plenty of in car radio confirming that Gordon was having issues and that would have been reported live. I see no particular reason to doubt Gordon's stated reasons for his relatively poor finish. "My point about what Danica said was that if she was running just half-throttle..." I get your point. My point is that you're dismissing out of hand the statements of a 4 time champion with 87 wins and his crew chief because a rookie in her 11th cup start casually tossed out the phrase "half-throttle". You're being very selective in what you use as evidence. 1207. Jim Davis posted: 03.01.2013 - 4:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Btw, the MTV interviewer said he had no intention of saying anything about Clements' remark..." Sure, but there was no way for NASCAR (or the NASCAR official present) to know for sure what the MTV person or his editor or producer or whoever would do with the incident. They can't take chances. There is too much at stake. "But considering all the shit over the years that NASCAR sweeps under the rug and continues to do to this day *cough 24 team pre race at Daytona cough* I think this could have been one of those." I don't think you grasp how seriously sponsors or prospective sponsors take these matters. Yes, minor stuff can be swept under the rug. Sponsors have made it clear to NASCAR that they do not consider racial slurs and the like minor. They will not tolerate a "no big deal" attitude. Yes, NASCAR sweeps stuff under the rug all the time. But the important things, like this incident, which represent an existential threat to NASCAR, gets dealt with quickly and severely. 1208. murb posted: 03.01.2013 - 7:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Watching Phoenix qualifying, and the 48 is having problems getting through inspection... lol 1209. Baker posted: 03.01.2013 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nascar is officially the biggest joke of all sports. That could be the last straw for me watching this sport. Suspending a guy for a comment like that screams of guilt. Those running NASCAR should be bigger than words. Letting dumb comments get to your ego like that is flat out pathetic. I guess I'm going to be doing a lot more traveling to watch USAC and WoO until some TV station gets wise and put them back on full time. 1210. Bronco posted: 03.01.2013 - 10:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #1202, Ricky Rudd injured his shoulder and missed races after a crash at the September 2007 California Cup race, and Dario Franchitti broke his ankle during the 2008 Talladega Nationwide race. 1211. Watto posted: 03.02.2013 - 7:14 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Watching Phoenix qualifying, and the 48 is having problems getting through inspection..." As well as Jeff Burton... 1212. Scott B posted: 03.02.2013 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder if NASACR held 50 Cent to the same standard when they were parading him around Daytona. 'Cause Fiddy would never drop a N-bomb. 1213. Anonymous posted: 03.06.2013 - 9:13 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) The new thumbs up and thumbs down system will definitely be interesting. We can already see that here, with 20 people giving a simple comment concerning wanting to see how Danica does in the race a thumbs down. 1214. Anonymous posted: 03.26.2013 - 1:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) nemo doesnt have good equipment anymore 87 1215. Anonymous posted: 04.21.2013 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) im GLAD they didnt throw the caution on the last lap when Kvapil crashed. in 2006 i got SOOO mad when mears couldnt pass jonson because THEY THREW A CATUION FOR A TURN THREE CRASH! nascar sucks 1216. Anonymous posted: 04.21.2013 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) btw joe nemechek did NOT start and park. in fact thats why i love the daytona 500. HE was gonna race 1217. 83andJoe posted: 04.22.2013 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) #52 owner: Jimmy Means 1218. DW17 posted: 06.08.2013 - 11:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) fyi nemo87 did NOT start and park. he wud NEVER do that in the 500 and his engine blew 1219. The Long Shot posted: 06.26.2013 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew: none 1220. ch posted: 07.18.2013 - 3:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 35 Sponsor: Blockbuster / Cajun Industries 83 Sponsor: Burger King / Dr. Pepper / Wreaths Across America (Jumped on to the TV Panel after the #52 DNQ'ed) 93 Sponsor: Burger King / Dr. Pepper / Wreaths Across America (Jumped on to the TV Panel after the #52 DNQ'ed) 1221. ch posted: 07.18.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 52 Owner: Bob Keselowski 1222. RaceFanX posted: 01.01.2016 - 12:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin's final NASCAR season begins with his last top-5 finish in the Cup series. 1223. chevyfan98 posted: 08.08.2016 - 12:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Best command ever (though I don't think it was intentional). 1224. Evan posted: 08.14.2016 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Update POLE and 8th place finisher Danica Patrick GoDaddy.com Website Hosting The pole sitting race car had Go Daddy Website Hosting on the hood of the predominately green car for this race. SOURCE:Spin Master made a Memorable Moments Two Pack of the two front Row starters of the Daytona 500, which included Danica Patrick's car with the words GoDaddy.com "Website Hosting" on it. Observations * Jimmie Johnson has won both of his Daytona 500s under cloudy conditions, in 2006 and 2013. * Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove this National Guard scheme as a reverse of his old scheme. In my opinion, this one was a little bland but 2014's was way better. * This race was re-aired during the rain delays for the 2014 Daytona 500 and many fans who had no idea that it was a re-air started congratulating Jimmie Johnson on back-to-back Daytona 500s, Johnson's Twitter reaction? "I won the Daytona 500? Really?" 1225. RaceFanX posted: 05.24.2017 - 6:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson's winning Chevrolet SS from this race was later displayed on "Glory Road" at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. 1226. SweetRich posted: 02.20.2020 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Commentators For The Race Were Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds And Darrell Waltrip. The Pit Road Reporters Were Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum And Krista Voda. 1227. Rich posted: 11.27.2020 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Joining the crew for this 500 was Jeff Hammond as the roving reporter as well as Chris Myers in the Hollywood hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: