|| *Comments on the 2013 STP Gas Booster 500:* First Page | Previous Page | Next Page | Last Page | View All On One Page View the most recent comment | Post a comment <#post> 1. joey2448 posted: 04.05.2013 - 6:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow 4-1 odds for Jimmie. And 15-1 odds for Mark Martin from 35th starting position? Interesting. And did Danica qualify on speed? 2. Anonymous posted: 04.05.2013 - 6:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Hh danica, you're so silly. 3. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 04.05.2013 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) People don't come on saying Johnson will win same old same old there is 500 laps of racing ahead on sunday.He has failed to score a top5 in the last 3 spring races at Martinsville. On the subject of nicknames Johnson is known as superman the GOAT and one that is definetely justified Mr. Martinsville which will probably be reinforced this weekend. It would be cool if Johnson could "sweep" the weekend top all the practice sessions pole and win the race with most laps led since it is so rare these days.He did that at Charlotte in 09 if I am not mistaken.Looking forward to a great race at the best track (along with darlington) in nascar.That is the thing Ilove about martinsville even one driver dominates there is still so much action going on all around the track.I reckon Johnson won't win this weekend.Gordon also really needs at least a top5 to kick start his season. 4. Talon64 posted: 04.05.2013 - 6:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Top 36 locks you into the race, so yeah she qualified on speed. Marcos Ambrose is a pretty big surprise up there in 2nd. And Joey Logano and the #22 team haven't let the negative attention bring them down just yet, they qualify 4th. Looks like, so far, Vickers was much better off staying in the #55 this weekend since he qualified 3rd. Mike Bliss DNQ's on his birthday. :( 5. Kenny posted: 04.05.2013 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I'm looking forword to this race but I'm gonna miss the truck race because I gotta work tomorrow On other notes I turned 28 yesterday(DSFF knows this)and I'm slap REALLY starting to like DJ Pon3/vinyl scratch she's cool as shit 6. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.05.2013 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Alright, I can't take it anymore, I have to go there. For my fellow WWF Attitude era fans. Logano 3:16 Says I Just Broke Your Back! 7. murb posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) "Logano 3:16 Says I Just Broke Your Back!" If ya smell what The Double Douche is cookin'!!!! 8. Anonymous posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I know this doesn't have to do with nascar but I was wondering if anyone thinks Felipe Massa will win a f1 race this yr. 9. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone think Johnson has a sniff at the kings 15 wins at the 'ville,I think he can definetely catch Waltrip and may even have a look at Waltrips modern era record of 12 wins at Bristol.Personally I think the most he can get to even if he does 20 seasons (which I think he won't) is 13 wins. I reckon Gordon wins Sunday by the way.It will be interesting to see how the fords do on Sunday. The penske fords look especially good and Edwards qualified in the top 10.Roush and Edwards may benefit hugely from Penske joining the blue oval brigade. Roush has struggled massively on the short flat tracks apart from phoenix for the last 5 or 6 years.Almost 1/3 of the chase is made up of short flat tracks where Johnson has dominated Edwards and the fords.Edwards needs to pull of top10s at loudon and mville in the chase to stand a chance of the big prize. Also just to mention how everyone goes on about 'dega and luck.Restrictor plates make up 1/10 of the chase versus 1/9 over 36 races. 10. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kubica, look at it this way. I am absolutely sick of watching Jimmie win. With another near certain win looming this weekend, I am forcing myself to focus on all the positives and fun I have when spend a day in Martinsville and not think about the bull rush I will be making to get out of there once the race is over. But you know what? Going in to the Spring Martinsville race in '06 I was feeling the exact same way about Jeff Gordon. I had watched him sweep 2 of the previous 3 seasons there, and only a chunk of concrete and the repave it forced had kept me from watching him win 6 in a row. And in that race, only Jeff catching the oil dry from Kenseth's late wreck prevented another Refuse To Lose classic Gordon victory. But the fact is, it has now been over 7 years since I last saw a Gordon win live. After the Fall '05 Martinsville, I was lamenting all the times I had to watch him win. That was 7 years ago. Now? It's been forever, and there is a small part of me that would like to see the legend win one last time. The moral is nothing lasts forever. Right now it feels like The Arrogant One will never lose at Martinsville again. And he will probably win this one and pass Jeff for wins at the paperclip (God loves Jeff Gordon, but he loves JJ more, so he will want him to pass Jeff's mark here). But we are witnessing the final days to the 48 as a juggernaut. I think he has already entered his "Gordon '02-present" phase. Still REALLY good with some more title runs to come, but no longer the dominant force. 11. Mr X posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I would like to point out despite being at work and not seeing qualifying yet Johnson as well as the entire top 6 beat the track record of 98.084mph set by Tony Stewart in the fall of 2005. Johnson set a lap at 98.4mph and his fastest practice lap was over 98.5mph. I would like to mention that I am confident that Felipe Massa will contend for at least one win this year. Since his first post injury podium at Suzuka last year he has been doing much better and this years Ferrari is also much better as are Rosberg and Hamilton's McLaren's. 12. Kenny posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF I hope your right about jemmie and that he truely is entering the 02 to current stage I hope like hell jemmie NEVER wins another title again 13. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.05.2013 - 7:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) What total bullshit those odds are. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, who have a combined ZERO wins at Martinsville, have better odds to win than Jeff Gordon?! 14. Paul posted: 04.05.2013 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Think of it this way Nico: You'll make a lot more money from a Gordon win than you would from a Brad or Kyle win. ;) Also, who has ever called Jimmie Johnson "The GOAT"? IMO there are only three drivers who should be in the discussion for being "The GOAT" of NASCAR (Petty, Pearson, Earnhardt), and none of them should be called "The GOAT" because it would imply that they were the greatest of all-time by a large margin. If you're talking about the Brian France Era of NASCAR (a.k.a. the Casual Fan Era), then yeah, Jimmie Johnson is the greatest of all-time. But nobody who knows anything about NASCAR would say such a bastardized statement. And poor Mike Bliss to DNQ on his 48th birthday. He was actually faster than six cars that made the race, but with the new provisional rules (which I do like), he misses the field because he didn't reach the top 36 in speed. 15. Paul posted: 04.05.2013 - 8:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Logano 3:16 Says I Just Broke Your Back!" I tried not to laugh at this cruel statement, but I couldn't help myself haha. 16. cjs3872 posted: 04.05.2013 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (3) Talon64, Marcos Ambrose qualifying second may not be as big a surprise as you might think for two important reasons. First, Martinsville races more like a road course than a lot of people might think. That is because of the sharp hairpin turns. As a result, one of the tactics common to road racing, that of outbraking other drivers to pass them, is actually beneficial. Other drivers with road racing backgrounds have done better than expected at Martinsville for that very reason. The other reason Ambrose's qualifying run may not be such a surprise is who he drves for. Ambrose does drive for Richard Petty, who has won more races (16, including the 1999 spring race as an owner for John Andretti) than any owner in the track's history, and Aric Almirola did finish in the top five in the most recent race there last fall, so Ambrose's run may not be a surprise after all. Also, this is one race where Joey Logano's experience with Joe Gibbs Racing mat be beneficial to Penske Racing. Remember he brings the expertise and setups that Denny Hamlin shared during his time at Gibbs to Penske, so it would figure that Penske would have a good setup there. I look for both Penske cars to run up front for that reason, and speaking of Hamlin, there's a reason I said that putting Mark Martin in the #11 car for this race was a big mistake. Martin has always self-admittedly not been very good at Martinsville, and it showed up again when he qualified 35th. Danica Patrick couldn't have hardly done any worse, given the car, which is always a contender. If they weren't going to put Brian Vickers in the car for this race due to a conflict with MWR, at least they could have put Elliott Sadler or one of the Truck Series regulars I spoke of, Timothy Peters or Johnny Sauter, who has Cup exprience, in that car. Surely, those two could have done much better than Martin did, basically putting a race winning car out of contention before the race even starts. Now I wouldn't have expected Peters or Sauter to win the race, but I think they would have been much better choices for this race than Martin. 17. cjs3872 posted: 04.05.2013 - 8:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That should have said Richard Petty has won more races at Martinsville as a driver than anyone else, and his 16 trips to victory lane, which include the one by John Andretti in 1999, are a record. 18. murb posted: 04.05.2013 - 8:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Martin has always self-admittedly not been very good at Martinsville, and it showed up again when he qualified 35th." You're right about the fact that Martinsville isn't exactly Mark's best track. But it's only qualifying. So I think it's a bit premature to jump to the conclusion that it's a bad decision just because he qualified 35th in his first time out in that car. We have no idea how he'll run in the race. I still would have chosen Mark over Sadler just because Mark's "bad" record at Martinsville is way better than Sadler's record there. I'm not sure about how Timothy Peters would have done (he's a great short tracker, but he's never been in a Cup car before), and I highly doubt that Johnny Sauter would have done any good just because he was always a pretty mediocre Cup driver (but a GREAT minor leaguer). So I still think that Mark was the best choice available for Martinsville, unless they could have built a time machine and brought back a past Martinsville master in their prime (like Petty, DW, or Rusty). 19. Anonymous posted: 04.05.2013 - 9:15 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) cjs3872 sometimes provides hyperbole and this is one these times. He thinks Eliott Sadler is a better choice than Mark despite the fact Sadler's average finish is a 24.9 at Martinsville in a cup cars and Mark's average finish is a 13.3 in a cup car. 20. Paul posted: 04.05.2013 - 9:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I thought Sauter did a nice job in Gene Haas' Cup car back in '07, earning the team's only top five finish of the season at Richmond (short track) and earning another top ten at Phoenix (a quasi-short track). With that in mind, along with the fact that he won at Martinsville just two years ago in the Truck Series, I think he could have at least held his own. And Timothy Peters also has a Truck win at Martinsville within the past four years, coming in '09. Plus, it's nice to see new faces/faces we haven't seen in awhile in the Cup Series, and I thought this would have been a great opportunity for a new driver to get a shot in a great car. 21. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.05.2013 - 9:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Don't forget that the trucks are as fast as, and some years faster, than the cars at Martinsville. 22. Daniel posted: 04.05.2013 - 9:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #19 Mike Bliss Out using fastest 43: #87 Joe Nemechek 23. JG24FanForever posted: 04.05.2013 - 9:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the first time since the '94 Fall Martinsville race,Jeff Gordon qualified 6th at Martinsville. 24. JG24FanForever posted: 04.05.2013 - 10:16 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Active full-time Top 5 Finish leaders at Short Tracks: -1. Jeff Gordon 61 with a .472 Avg. -2. Jeff Burton 28 with a .237 Avg. -3. Kyle Busch 27 with a .551 Avg -3. Jimmie Johnson 27 with a .403 Avg. -5. Dale Junior 26 with a .325 Avg. -5. Tony Stewart 26 with a .305 Avg. -7. Denny Hamlin 20 with a .454 Avg. -8. Kevin Harvick 18 with a .250 Avg. -9. Matt Kenseth 17 with a .215 Avg. 10. Kurt Busch 13 with a .175 Avg. 10. Bobby Labonte 13 with a .100 Avg. 10. Ryan Newman 13 with a .194 Avg. 25. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.05.2013 - 10:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Another WWF Attitude Era favorite, Joey to Denny: "I've got two words for ya, suck it." The only track on the circuit that Jimmie Johnson's dominance doesn't seem significant is Martinsville, due to the constant action. It is safe to say, barring any issues, Team #48 will lead over 100 laps. 26. JG24FanForever posted: 04.06.2013 - 12:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson becomes the 12th driver in the Modern era to crack 30 Poles. He ties Buddy Baker for 11th in the Modern Era. Out of his 29 previous Poles,he has 11 wins and 17 Top 5's and 22 Top 7's. He has never DNF'd from the Pole. 27. Jim Davis posted: 04.06.2013 - 1:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 300-1 odds seems awfully low for Regan Smith. Granted he's not the greatest driver on the greatest team but he qualified decently and surely he deserves as much respect as Almirola or Menard? 28. Mr X posted: 04.06.2013 - 1:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry to keep beating a dead horse, but its snowing again. 29. 1995z71 posted: 04.06.2013 - 1:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 300-1 for Regan Smith? Odd 30. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 04.06.2013 - 5:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF keep the chin up I would take the field over Johnson this weekend, I have this feeling in my gut he will not even get a top5.Also Rodney Childers really has his qualifying set ups aced they nearly aalways contend for the pole.I think both penske fords will contend for the win. 31. jabber1990 posted: 04.06.2013 - 8:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "WWF era" whats wrong with the World Wildlife Fund? unless they are involved with the "Whale Wars" people 32. Anthony posted: 04.06.2013 - 9:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tomorrow there is A war between the Hendrick Drivers Jeff Gordon & Jimmie Johnson this is Episode 12 Rematch 2 from last year Jimmie & Jeff square off in a heated battle to see who can win the paper clip because it all starts Tomorrow @ 1:00. Jimmie has more Green Flag Passes than Jeff Gordon with 751 compare to Jeff's 724 but Jeff has 40 Starts Jimmie with 22 they both won 7x but one has had much better success & that's Jeff Gordon he's sweep both Martinsville Races in 2003 & 2005 but Jimmie has a better Driver Rating of over 122 Jeff with 120.8 but these 2 will clash Jeff Gordon will win the race Just you Wait :) 33. Smiff_2 posted: 04.06.2013 - 9:14 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For everyone else who's lamenting the fact that Jimmie will probably dominate this weekend, I'm right there with you. But like DSFF said, it's become a regular thing at Martinsville. It's nothing our of the ordinary. Sooooo, even though *I'm* not gonna be at the track like him or that OTHER lucky bastard (Matt G), I'll still be able to enjoy the race so long as it provides 4 things: Action, Action, Action....and a good run for Keselowski. That being said, still....it's gonna be a long-ass day Sunday....lol. Johnson's *probably* gonna lead 50-75% of the race. Plus, even when he *does* lose the lead, he'll just gain it back on the next pit stop due to having the first pit stall (which is why the 48 team always work hard for the pole there....because that first stall is PIVOTAL. I'm praying for a miracle....lol 34. Peter posted: 04.06.2013 - 9:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica 32nd? Did all the field fillers blow-up? 35. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.06.2013 - 9:30 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) I must say, I was very surprised Danica got a Top 35 starting spot. To me, this shows a huge problem for NASCAR. The two public "faces" of NASCAR are Dale Jr and Danica. While June is leading the points and doing good this year at completing the laps and getting the finishes, he hasn't had a multi win season in the past 8 years. He only has 4 total wins over that span. And that is one of our faces? If he wins more than once this year, Junior Nation will be over the moon. Talk about lowering the bar! As for the Baroness, when I looked at the final rundown and thought to myself "32nd? I was expecting much worse" that is a bad sign. To be mildly impressed with a 32nd place qualifying effort is not good. 36. David posted: 04.06.2013 - 9:56 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Jimmie has more Green Flag Passes than Jeff Gordon with 751 compare to Jeff's 724" That means exactly nothing. Green-flag passes alone are absolutely useless as a driver skill indicator. If a driver has a strong car, but starts in the back, he can get an inflated amount of passes for that race. And you can't pass anyone for position when you're leading, so you would have a low number of passes in that situation. 37. Bronco posted: 04.06.2013 - 10:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The two public "faces" of NASCAR are Dale Jr and Danica." In their defense, neither one of them have ever asked for the amount of coverage that they get. If either one is over-exposed, you can blame it on the media for that. But a real problem I think lies with overly negative NASCAR fans, at least the ones on this website. I clearly remember in 2009-2010 when Jr struggled he got a lot of coverage on this from people who were trashing him on a weekly basis saying things like he lacked talent, he didn't want it bad enough and that he was unfocused etc. Since the start of the 2011 season Jr has been a perennial top 10 driver, yet I don't hear any comments from the posters going the other way. Just my 2 cents. 38. David posted: 04.06.2013 - 10:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "In their defense, neither one of them have ever asked for the amount of coverage that they get. If either one is over-exposed, you can blame it on the media for that." That is very true. "But a real problem I think lies with overly negative NASCAR fans, at least the ones on this website." I try not to be negative about any driver. I think hating on NASCAR drivers is a waste of hate. But at the same time, I try to be realistic. 39. cjs3872 posted: 04.06.2013 - 10:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For those expecting a battle betwwen the Hendrick drivers Sunday, and those thinking it will be the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and 24 (Jeff Gordon) battling it out, let's not forget the Hendrick teams that have actually been the best throughout the season so far. The #88 team and driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is actually leading the points right now, and the #5 team and driver Kasey Kahne have actually been their best performing team, and did win the first short track race of he year at Bristol. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the 5 and 48 battling for HMS supremacy tomorrow. It looks to me as if Gordon's team, like Dale, Jr.'s, is one of those playing it conservatively the first few races, trying to build up points, but unlike Dale, Jr.'s team, it's backfired on Gordon's team, especially because of Bristol. If not for that tire failure, I think Gordon would be right where he wants to be entering this race. But I still have ths feeling that, along with Jimmie Johnson, the Penske cars will be the ones to watch, mainly because of what Joey Logano may have taken to Penske from his experience at Joe Gibbs Racing. It wouldn't surprise me if he five cars we see up front most of the day are the 24 and 48 (along with possibly the 5), the 15 of Clint Bowyer, and the two Penske cars, the 2 and 22, which by the way, finished second in this race last year with A.J. Allmendinger. 40. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.06.2013 - 11:52 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) Actually, Danica doesn't expect the coverage. She demands it. 41. jabber1990 posted: 04.06.2013 - 12:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) we learned last year that apparently Danica can perform at low-speed road courses Martinsville is a low-speed short track, but as many of you said drives like a road course (see Marcos ambrose) which means is there a chance Danica will perform here? she'll probably get involed in somebody elses wreck (not her fault) or lose a tire (we might blame 50/50) or she'll wreck somebody else and take herself out (you're right that wont happen) or she'll cause a wreck by being slow thats assuming she does bad here and apparently im pretty pessimistic about her, so if she finishes top 25 and 6 laps down will we be impressed? 42. Paul posted: 04.06.2013 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Since the start of the 2011 season Jr has been a perennial top 10 driver, yet I don't hear any comments from the posters going the other way." So we're supposed to praise him for managing to run in the top ten on a weekly basis, with 19 wins under his belt and driving a Hendrick car? With the amount of talent and equipment he has, we EXPECT him to run near the front every week. If we praised him for running in the top ten every week, we might as well do the same for drivers like Jimmie, Brad, Kenseth, and Kahne as well. When Junior was underachieving in HMS equipment and was doing worse than Brian Vickers and Casey Mears in '09-'10, he deserved to be called out by the fans. But now that he's back to his old form and is a perennial top ten contender, there's no reason to mention it every week because it's expected that he runs well every week. He has too much talent and great equipment to get a pat on the back every time he does something good. "neither one of them have ever asked for the amount of coverage that they get." So Danica was forced to pose in a swimsuit and do those racy GoDaddy commercials all these years? Give me a break. She so wanted the attention, and that's why she whored herself out to her sponsors and to anyone who was willing to pay her to take her clothes off. If you whore yourself in the real world, you're labeled as being a "slut," among other negative terms. If you whore yourself out in the fantasy NASCAR world, you make a lot of money, gain a lot of fans, and get 24/7 media coverage while running 34th. It makes me sick. 43. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.06.2013 - 1:47 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Not only does Danica actively seek out attention, she along with her marketing team do so at the expense of everyone around her. Just observe the timing of the release of information about her divorce and realtionship with Stenhouse. Coincidence that it "broke" at the same time as two of the times NASCAR would be most in the news (the post season banquet and the pre season media rush)? No way. 44. We need more Onion posted: 04.06.2013 - 1:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @41 Probably Martinsville is closer to a road course than most ovals. But Marcos qualified well because he is a good short tracker, especially in Dover (for me that is a short track) and Bristol. 45. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.06.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Chase Elliott looks like his Dad at Martinsville. This is not a good thing. 46. Kubica fan Ireland posted: 04.06.2013 - 2:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I hate all this crap around each sportsperson and their"brand" it kills me.It is endemic in us sports since Jordan and Woods.It is a load of crap just perform to the best of your ability and leave it at that.It is know in soccer and all other sports over here in Europe just look at Mcilroy and Hamilton and the decision of each to switch management to grow the "brand".Beckham is the same. 47. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.06.2013 - 11:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That is the biggest choke by an Upstate New York sports entity on Spring Martinsville weekend since Geoff Bodine in 1987. Down by three, less than ten seconds left, and you drive the damn lane to take a horrible off balance shot? Congrats to Brad's team. They couldn't buy a free throw when it counted, but Cuse gagged worse. 48. The Sound posted: 04.07.2013 - 12:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes! I'm a freshman at Michigan, and let's just say the vuvazelas are in full chorus... 49. 12345Dude posted: 04.07.2013 - 12:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not those damn vuvazelas... I just don't understand those...and soccer And cjs Mark had a 13.3 average finish at Martinaville for his career In 48 starts he has 2 wins 12 top 5s and 25 top 10s 50. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'll say this, I really don't know who to cheer for in the NCAA championship Monday night ' Louisville or Michigan. I like both teams, and normally I would go for Michigan, but it would be nice to see the Cards win after Kevin Ware's injury last weekend. I think I'll just sit back with some brews and enjoy the game without picking sides! It looks like tires are really gonna make a difference on Sunday, which is good. There has been a couple drivers and journalists tweeting that the tire wear is significant, and judging by the Truck race today, perhaps they are right. Here's hoping that Big Daddy will win it! Jeff is one of the best at taking care of his equipment, so I think he will be the fastest car at the end. 51. jabber1990 posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) my final 4 consisted of Southeast Missouri, Harvard, MIT, and Hogwarts, just like every year, and I get the same result so y'all are all "get diffrent teams" yea, but we all heard that joke, one guy plays the same lottery numbers, exept for once...the time they were called 52. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Allmendinger is looking good in Alabama 53. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:12 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) Wtf? Currently heading North through Walkertown towards Martinsville and I am behind a damn Jimmie Johnson fan. Got the window flags and everything. I told Dad to run them off the road lol. 54. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Being from Kansas, I was pulling hard for Wichita State to beat Louisville. They almost did. 55. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Well true Green Flag Passes mean nothin but you see who has more laps led since 2005 Jeff Gordon 1,661 Jimmie Johnson 1,810 So Jimmie gets his ass kick cause Jeff got the better skills then him. HA! So Rick can throw **** at Jimmie cause he aint better than Jeff Kyle Larson will kick Jimmies ass Chase is a good pick to be in the 24 because I'm definitely piss at Jimmie I don't think he's great AT ALL. 56. kup posted: 04.07.2013 - 11:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fantasy Live @ Nascar.Com My Drivers in my 5 teams @ Martinsville: #24 J.Gordon - in 4 #48 J.Johnson - in 3 #88 D.E.Junior - in 2 #18 Kyle Busch - in 2 #15 C.Bowyer - in 2 #55 B.Vickers - in 2 #17 R.Stenhouse - in 2 #34 D.Ragan - in 3 #51 R.Smith - in all 5 teams 57. OldSchoolNascarDude1 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I expect a good race today. A short track, short tempers and massive tire wear? I will be shocked if we come away without some excitement. 58. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only took her 15 laps to spin out... 59. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) The Baroness spins. 60. JRacingFast posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only took 17 laps for her to spin......well that escallated early 61. The Final Gear posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Go home DW, the Baroness tried to dive bomb Kenny there. He thought that nobody would try a dive bomb move 15 laps into the race. Apparently he was wrong. 62. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Once again, the Side-By-Side is used when it isn't needed. 63. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Waltrip, you're outta here. 64. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And FOX goes side-by-side under caution less than 20 laps into a 500 lap race. 65. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) That #87 looks beautiful. 66. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Did DW just say Kenny got into Danica, seriously? 67. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Yes, because it is NEVER Danica's fault when she crashes or spins out. She's just too damn good a driver to make any mistakes! 68. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:31 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Oh look, McDowell parked... 69. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey DaleSrFanForever, you're really missing out! Instead of being at the track, you could be watching the race on FOX! Really missing out dude...lol just kidding of course. Waltrip, you're outta here! My friend (and co-worker) said he would've picked Junior to win today if he wasn't starting mid-pack. I told him I'm not worried, June would work his way to the front. Seems I was right. Also before the race, my dad predicted Danica would be a lap down before halfway. And she spins on lap 18! Haha! 70. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And the 48 and 24 are running 1-2. 71. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Watch out Schrader! Jeff Gordon might dive-bomb you! 72. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ok, that Coca-Cola Racing Family commercial (with Danica, Stewart, Newman, Logano, Biffle and Hamlin riding in the van) was hilarious! Anyone catch that? 73. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Scott Speed stops on the track to bring out the caution. 74. Jim Davis posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Anyone catch that?" I was surprised they went there. Good for Coke. 75. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) It's official. BoB is the female version of Michael Waltrip. Media whore, only good on plate tracks, overdrives and tears up the car at short tracks, etc. 76. Mr X posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did anyone hear Chris Myers say that Ken Schrader got into Danica Patrick. Hmm. 77. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It looks like it should be the 48 and 24 vs the 18 and 20 today. The 88 should also be a player in the end. 78. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Saying Danica is the female Michael Waltrip is an insult...to Michael Waltrip! In his rookie season back in 1986, he qualified outside the top 35 only four times in 28 starts, driving for the small Chuck Rider team. The BoB has qualified outside the top 35 four times in just five races, in better equipment in a less-stacked era. She's got nothing on Mikey (except for the media whore part). 79. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 1:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Montoya sure is having a terrible year. 80. JRacingFast posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FOX has now missed 2 green flag lead changes.....one during commerical and one while having some pointless segment about a suite.... 81. Jim Davis posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Montoya sure is having a terrible year." He gives every impression of phoning it in. Shame. 82. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since I don't have cable or satellite service, the FOX signal has been absolutely garbage so far. And I can't get a decent online MRN stream. Can someone fill me in on what's happened so far, besides Danica's spin? 83. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why the hell are they cutting into green flag racing by showing all of this bullshit? I don't care about the Diet Mountain Dew Cooking Challenge. 84. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Can someone fill me in on what's happened so far, besides Danica's spin?" 48 has dominated. Kyle took the lead for a minute but then lost it back to Jimmie. Gordon and Kenseth have also been in the top four all day so far. 85. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "48 has dominated. Kyle took the lead for a minute but then lost it back to Jimmie. Gordon and Kenseth have also been in the top four all day so far." OK, thanks. What lap is it, and how many cautions have there been? 86. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:17 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) FOX is still blaming Schrader for Danica's spin. Also, is it frustrating anybody else how desperate FOX is for tempers to flare. 87. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What lap is it, and how many cautions have there been?" Lap 155, two cautions (I think) so far. Danica just ran into the 18 car now. I was watching the 2001 Old Dominion 500 last night (Ricky Craven's first win), and she's driving the way Dale Jr used to here. She's hitting everything but the pace car. McMurray is having a great race. Hopefully he can finish it off. 88. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie must have problems cause Jeff will go to 4th to 1st. 89. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Also, is it frustrating anybody else how desperate FOX is for tempers to flare." Yes. Why are they surprised that the Roush cars are running like garbage? Biffle is terrible on short tracks, Edwards isn't very good at Martinsville, and Stenhouse is on his first trip here. 90. Zackary Shawn posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson is making this race unbearable. He is literally the only driver I don't like to see win. 91. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) Jimmie is having problems his engine is over 9000000000000 degrees he's full of **** that Jimmie I hate that ********** 92. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, if you can't watch the race elswhere try this: http://thelp2008.com/stream1/ Pretty stable and great quality. 93. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, go to this: http://thelp2008.com/stream1/ Pretty stable stream. 94. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution for debris. One of the Ford's grills came off, lol 95. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Debris from Ricky Stenhouse's car brings out another caution flag. 96. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sorry for the double post. 97. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Was that the grill of the #17 car that just fell onto the track? 98. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Massive stackup one lap after the restart. A TON of badly damaged race cars. 99. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution for Bowyer spinning. Bunch of guys have damage. All three MWR guys, Ambrose, Mark, and Logano. 100. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Anthony has some SERIOUS problems. 101. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson's off the pace? 102. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Burton, Dale Jr, and Kvapil also have damage. Weird looking crash. 103. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sheesh, with this many battered race cars, Danica might end up getting a top 20 finish... 104. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) "Anthony has some SERIOUS problems." That's an insult to people that only have serious problems. 105. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Watch them spend 40 laps under caution trying to sort this out like they did at Dover in 2004... 106. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm sorry if my previous comment was taken the wrong way. 107. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boy what a clusterf**k of a restart. I count at least 10 drivers with damage in that chain-reaction...And all the good guys! *sigh* DaleSrFanForever, you're at M'ville, tell us what you see! 108. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) How annoying thoe AT&T commercials are... I hate them. 109. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Seriously, I don't like Jimmie Johnson all that much myself, but really, wishing death upon him for dominating a race like this...? 110. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Everybody seems to think the caution came out after Jimmie got passed, but Jimmie is still being shown as leader. 111. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Finally Jeff passes Jimmie :) 112. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff wil WIN! 113. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie will mess up in pits. 114. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thank you, WnmO. 115. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FOX misses yet another green flag lead change. 116. New14 & 88Fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gibbs vs. Hendrick right now, Brad K is the best ford in fifth. 117. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 2:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FOX misses a lot of things. One thing it doesn't miss is allowing the drivers to be the stars of the show. Is it really necessary to have a camera on Michael Waltrip as he's talking about what we're seeing? 118. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Regan Smith just spun David Reutimann out. 119. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Is it really necessary to have a camera on Michael Waltrip as he's talking about what we're seeing?" Yes!!! He's a Nascar legend and his opinion matters!!! *sarcasm* 120. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh joy I can't wait for the FOX mid-race report coming up after this commercial break, so we can find out what's happening in the race! 121. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I'm amazed by FOX. They have cameras on pretty much every car around the race track (as seen from them catching the entire Smith/Reutimann incident), yet they choose to only show the top ten cars and Danica throughout the entire race. Pure laziness. 122. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF just got a lung full of smoke... I'll be rooting for Kenseth and Mark to win this thing. Kenseth has been awesome all day, and Mark has made a good comeback from the damage sustained in that wreck earlier. Hopefully the two tires won't haunt him. 123. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nevermind, Mark is getting swallowed up... 124. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Carl is around with a left rear. Caution. 125. JRacingFast posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Right when edwards spun and i saw that patrick stopped on a dime to not hit him i knew DW was just gonna gloat about how good of a driver she is 126. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:09 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Carl Edwards spins out with a flat left rear tire. Of course, Dee Dub-ya immediately jumps at the opportunity to credit Danica for not running into him. 127. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That #11 crew is awesome. That would only happen to Mark Martin. 128. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow. Mark just tried to take off before they had the left front on. 129. Peter posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It is so weird seeing Martin next to the 11 130. New14 & 88Fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And now he's gonna be held one lap for pitting outside the box. 131. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt's got a flat tire. 132. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch has flat now. This is like Indianapolis 2008, lol 133. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think some of these teams got carried away with the low air pressures in their tires. Too many flat tires for a Martinsville race. 134. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pretty safe to say this is the last Martinsville race Mark Martin will run in his career. 135. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Pretty safe to say this is the last Martinsville race Mark Martin will run in his career." lol, Yep. I'm prepared for CJS to give me a "I was right" speech later. And rightfully so. I didn't think Mark would make this many mistakes. 136. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Seriously, what is Jeff doing in 15th? 137. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How many cars is she gonna run into today? 138. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Seriously, what is Jeff doing in 15th?" Overdrove his pit box. 139. MarkMartinFan posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) She'll wreck them to be the 1st car a lap down. 140. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Truex just spun out. He's about 63 laps down, so maybe he should just pull off the track. 141. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Apparently it was Logano who flattened Kurt's tire. 142. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boy action is really pickin' up! Sometimes FOX is just so slow at picking something up that happens on track. When Kurt Busch got squeezed to the outside in turn one and made contact that cut his tire, I knew almost immediately that his tire was down, because of the way he was wiggling down the backstretch, and sure enough he put out a plume of smoke going into turn three. But DW and the gang couldn't figure out what was wrong until he was pitting. Jeez guys! 143. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is shaping up to be fun. I just hope these stupid Idaho thunderstorms don't throw my satellite out of whack. 144. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt spins again. 145. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch spins. 146. New14 & 88Fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt just spun. 147. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt tried to force his way in front of Gilliland and got spun. 148. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Don't tell me Danica gets a top 10 finish today... 149. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I just hope these stupid Idaho thunderstorms don't throw my satellite out of whack." If they do, then you'll know how I feel. I feel so isolated, and it makes me want to scream. My only reliable LIVE source of info is right here. 150. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Don't tell me Danica gets a top 10 finish today..." Surely she'll spin again. I also think that there are way too many guys in front of her that are fast. 151. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "My only reliable LIVE source of info is right here." lol, Well, I'm sure we'll try and keep you up to date as best as we can. 152. Mr X posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now can we race for more then five laps at a time please. 153. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) lol, Brad just lost his grill now. 154. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle Busch has really figured out this racetrack. 155. Peter posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Danica back on the lead lap now the race really begins...shut the hell up fox 156. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:38 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) SHE DIDN'T GET SPUN BY SCHRADER!!!!! SHE DIVEBOMBED HIM AND WRECKED HERSELF!!!! FOX, YOU ARE OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!! 157. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I want to say that the antenna is back, but I'm sure I'm just hallucinating. 158. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica is up to 20th, guys! FOX is just LOVING this. 159. Mr X posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy "since she got spun by Ken Schrader." 160. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff is slowly, but surely, making his way back to the front. 161. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Casey Mears can keep following Gordon the way he has since the restart, he might just earn himself a top ten finish. 162. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) When is Jeff gonna win? 163. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nice job Baroness, you're almost up to the speed of my favorite team... which is Germain Racing. 164. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The Baroness of the Backmarkers has been promoted to Her Majesty the Midpacker. 165. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I like how they're playing a clip of Danica talking about what Martinsville is like in that interview piece, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS HER FIRST TIME THERE AND SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT. 166. We need more Onion posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The other GoDaddy car seems already done, after 3 laps. 167. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #78 is slow again. 168. AveryNH posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah they had a nasty stack up at the back of the pack on lap one and Hinch paid heavily for it unfortunately. 169. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kenseth has led more laps at Martinsville today (87 and counting) than he had in his first 26 races here (73). 170. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr.'s falling back. 171. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RHR looks good early at Barber. 172. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 3:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution for Ryan Newman stopping on track. 173. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:05 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Haha, apparently after Kurt Busch came back from the garage, he let about five guys pass him on the outside without a fight, but then raced Joey Logano hard for about 3 laps, ultimately drove away from him, and Logano has fallen back to 20th after several other cars followed Kurt on the inside line. That's the kind of payback that I like to see. 174. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon just DROVE by Kyle Busch. 175. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Reutimann is slow. Gordon finally gets by Kyle Busch in what was the most intriguing battle on track. 176. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I really want to see Gordon "Wonder Boy" his way up to race with Jimmie. We were denied the rubber match in last year's race, so I hope it happens today. 177. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #24 IS COMING BACK TO THE FRONT! Like spring 2005 baby! Of all the drivers I hate to see up front, JJ and Kandy Kahne...because of their robot personalities. 178. Jim Davis posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Give Patrick her due, guys. She looks pretty decent out there. 179. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Reutimann is slow." Last time that happened... 180. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Kandy Kahne" lol 181. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Give Patrick her due, guys. She looks pretty decent out there." I want to, but I'm not sure what the standard is for rookies in their first start at Martinsville. Let's just say she has far exceeded our expectations today. 182. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Newman again with a flat. 183. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah Darrell (and Chad), because you totally get points for winning the pole. Max Points my ass. 184. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Yeah Darrell (and Chad), because you totally get points for winning the pole." You do in my points system. 185. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nice run by Bowyer after getting damaged in that accordion effect earlier in the race. And Gordon is coming... 186. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FOR THE LAST TIME, SHE DID NOT GET TURNED BY SCHRADER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 187. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) At least according to FOX, Danica does not make any mistakes because it's SO obvious Schrader was at fault for her spin early in the race. I will give her some credit for running FAR better than I expected her to, but I'm EXTREMELY sick of everyone making excuses for her mistakes. 188. Mr X posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy bashing Kenny Schrader again, that must have been a malicious move by Schrader. 189. Anonymous posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) Call me a coward, but it is clear that Rick favors Jimmie and Kasey and Jeff over Jr. Rick told Jr's pit crew to mess up his car and they did. Mike and Darrell saying Jr is having a off day. It is Rick messing up his car. What did Jr ever do to Rick? He favors Jimmie so much he will do whatever it takes to keep Jr from winning again. 190. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Do I hear the "Jaws" theme playing from the #24 car? 191. Peter posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:24 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Fox makes me so sick now, they're making one of the nicest guys in the sport out to be a complete basterd 192. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Haha, David Stremme just passed Kasey Kahne. 193. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here we go. 24 to 2nd. 194. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian Vickers spins. 195. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Vickers spins, caution. That kind of sucks for Gordon. He's better on long runs. 196. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution comes out just as Gordon starts to threaten Jimmie. Well, at least it was LEGIT... 197. AveryNH posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I can't count how many times they've talked about Danica. But Casey Mears runs 15th and they've hardly mentioned him. Awesome run by him. Yellow for vickers spinning. 198. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I wonder who in the back is gonna take two. 199. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nobody took two, but Bowyer had a great pit stop. 200. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boy this run from Jeff Gordon is very impressive! 100 laps ago I thought he was dead in the water! Of course, this caution will kill all that good momentum. Oh by the way, the top three cars coming off pit road are the 48, 24 and 15. Sound familiar? 201. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think Brad just got screwed. 202. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson and Gordon are running 1-2, and Clint Bowyer is running third. Holy smoke... 203. Peter posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The officials just screwed BK! 204. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brad just got hosed by the pit road official. 205. Mr X posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Broadcasters questioning NASCAR's desicion making. What's in the water in Martinsvile. 206. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not too worried about the caution messing up Gordon's momentum. I think 40+ laps is adequate time for Jeff to get to the lead. 207. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah David, but I don't think that was the last caution of the day... 208. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica just turned her former boss. 209. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Junior goes for a loop. 210. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dale Jr spins. 211. New14 & 88Fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Junior got turned! 212. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nope. Of course we're going to have a bunch of cautions in the final 40 laps so Jeff Gordon can back up through the field. 213. AveryNH posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In fairness to Danica. She did get a lot of help from Vickers. I have a feeling that's not the last yellow 214. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) God, DW is always trying to instigate stuff between teammates it seems like. 215. Bronco posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) How can Vickers cause a caution and then get the free pass? 216. Rexrobe posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not one given to defend Danica, but Vickers shoved her into Junior. 217. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "How can Vickers cause a caution and then get the free pass?" Nascar: Inconsistency Over Consistency 218. NadeauFan91 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Because the officials decided to be more inconsistent than they usually are today. 219. Rexrobe posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Jeff in third bodes well for him. 220. Anonymous posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rick was glad to see Jr get spun and he told Jimmie to pass Jr so Jr would go 2 laps down. What did Jr ever do to Rick? I want to know 221. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It would be funny if Gordon divebombs it right here like Clint did last year and takes out the 48 and 15. 222. The Final Gear posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It's never the Baroness' fault. It never is. She can't do anything wrong. She has tits so it's never her fault. 223. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) OH!!!!! KURT'S ON FIRE!!!! Another caution. 224. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) FIREY crash for Kurt Busch. 225. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #78 is aflame. 226. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch on FIRE. 227. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What the hell happened to Kurt? Did his engine blow up? 228. New14 & 88Fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt's day comes to a fiery end. Things could really get interesting now. 229. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Red flag. 230. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:52 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I'm pretty sure that Kurt Busch would rather see this track overrun by wildlife than ever race here again. 231. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with Clint. I think his bump on Gordon to take 2nd place was totally unintentional. Either way though, this next restart could be interesting if Gordon makes a move. 232. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt said he had a brake failure and drove up towards the wall entering the corner so he wouldn't hit it so hard. 233. Peter posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Did they really just compare the grandfather clock to the stanley cup? 234. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Insert the Kyle Petty comment about fishing at Darlington from 1995 and change it to Kurt Busch and Martinsville. 235. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Here's hoping Jeff pulls a legendary "Never say die" moment to pass those hacks (compared to him) ahead of him! 236. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Time to enter "Refuse to Lose" mode, Jeff. 237. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Game over 238. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! 239. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) *Donny Lia all over my computer screen* 240. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Danica P12 lol. 241. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) DSFF is rushing towards the exits as we speak. Harvick and Vickers confrontation coming up. 242. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Nice one, Har-prick. 243. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Woah Jimmie getting cheers what the hell. 244. New14 & 88Fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Great race for 5th between Kyle B and Brad, Danica in 12th now that was a surprise. 245. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Might Richard Petty's 15 be in danger? 246. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I suffered through a terrible-signal afternoon...for this?? Jimmie passes Jeff on the wins list at Martinsville. 247. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I guarantee you we're going to get a Danica interview in a moment or too... 248. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) To be fair she actually deserves it this time. 249. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Serious kudos to to Danica for finishing 12th. 250. TS1420 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Wow. A Hendrick car wins at Martinsville. Shocker. 251. AveryNH posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow Mark Martin snuck in for a tenth place finish. He definitely passed the most cars today. Amazing job by him 252. The Final Gear posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well the Baroness didn't under perform on a track that takes some skill, that's a surprise. Her career path is still that of JJ Yeley's, absolutely nothing special about that at all. It's the fact that she has female parts and is female that makes it special. 253. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You know what I love more than seeing what's happening on track live?.........replays. That is one thing about FOX I cannot stand in the least!! They immediately jump to replays, instead of focusing on what's happening on track! I thought that there at least might be a fight between Harvick and Vickers! 254. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I will give her props for the good finish, but Danica's fans had better enjoy it while it lasts because she's probably not going to run that well again until Talladega. 255. Peter posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Danica 12th? Even a monkey figures out how to open a coconut eventually 256. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In hindsight, Jeff needed that Vickers caution like he needed a potato chip bag on the grill. 257. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) She did do a good job today. Definitely the best short track race she's run so far. So I give her props for that. Not expecting much at Texas from her though. 258. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Did FOX seriously just claim Harvick spun Vickers to defend Danica? 259. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Casey Mears finished 16th. I think he might have finally figured out Sprint Cup racing. 260. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I must say, the right guy won this race. I think Gordon would have beaten him had it gone green for the final 50 laps, but he was at his best on those long runs, and those late cautions killed him. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was happy for Jimmie Johnson winning this race. I guess after all the non-stop Danica coverage, no matter if she was running 35th, 27th, 22nd, or 12th, I was just relieved to see a real driver finally get some camera time. Well-deserved win by the #48 team, and even though he just passed Jeff Gordon on the Martinsville wins list, I'm not upset one bit. Denny Hamlin fell all the way back to 18th in the points after missing one race. There were several articles written during the week about how he'll still miss the Chase after missing several races, but I think this race alone proves he'll miss the Chase for the first time in his career. 261. The Final Gear posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) You guys do realize that if there was no multi car pileup then she would have finished in 20th or worse. I don't get the big deal, if you didn't wreck (damaging your car) and had a decent car you would have gotten a lead lap finish. Labonte was running 11th at the end and Casey Mears was constantly inside of the top 15. The little guys were up front, it wasn't special at all. She finally rose to where the equipment should have placed her. That's not special, that's doing your job. Raise the bar a bit on her, she might not be completely talentless but that's where her equipment should put her. She should be running top 20 every week and there is no excuse for why she shouldn't be. 262. Jim Davis posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Did FOX seriously just claim Harvick spun Vickers to defend Danica?" Far fetched but they will be teammates next year. 263. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Nevermind Casey, Germain may have finally figured it out. 264. Schroeder51 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It probably helps that Geico is actually fully backing Germain this year, so they won't be doing any S&Ping this year. 265. AveryNH posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Meanwhile down in Bama, ten laps left and Dixon is reeling in RHR. 266. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Harvick was shoving Vickers into three when Vickers hit Danica. Reading on Twitter DeLana Harvick said Vickers dive bombed Harvick a couple laps earlier. 267. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Meanwhile down in Bama, ten laps left and Dixon is reeling in RHR." Hey, I picked Dixon to win in NicoRosbergFan's IndyCar fantasy game! 268. Bro Jackson posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (7) Dale Jr. looks back in 2009 form again, look for him to miss the Chase, go winless again and tumble back outside the top 20 in points before it's all said and done. 2 wins in 6 seasons and counting is beyond pathetic. It's not just him, but when your shopmate leads 350 laps and Danica outruns you, there's a deep problem. I see a 22nd-place finish in points. 269. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:25 pm Rate this comment: (5) (5) Martinsville is such an awesome track, it is very unfortunate that a team that presided over the decline of the Cup Series in the Brian France Era has to dominate and win as frequently as the #48 does at Martinsville. Team #48 has driven more fans away from Nascar than any driver in the history of Nascar with an arrogant driver who has lost touch with his roots, an entitled effete team attitude, a notorious 'innovator/cheater' crew chief, etc. Not to mention how many lucky breaks they receive year in and year out. In this race alone, a slow final pitstop = still beat everyone out of the pits, Gordon closing on a long run before Vickers spun out, and the pile-up reseting the timing and scoring back to the lead. Ambrose, Biffle, and Mark Martin all received gift top-10s due to drivers like Kenseth, Harvick, and Vickers pitting on the last caution. 270. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) As it stands right now, Gordon is now in the Chase. Hopefully he doesn't give me a near heart attack like he did last year. Whether it's Casey Mears or Germain Racing, both teams have stepped it up and may be the most improved driver/team combination this season. He's currently 17th in the points, and if he can just "Paul Menard" his way through these next 20 races by consistently finishing in the top 15, he could be a sleeper for the Chase. Speaking of Paul Menard, he is currently tied for 8th in the points and is the only RCR driver in the Chase as it currently stands. I'm hoping he can remain the top RCR driver for the rest of the season, not in terms of talent obviously, but in terms of consistency and points position. So far so good. Stenhouse finally had a bad race, and falls out of the Chase for the first time all season. He's doing better than I thought he would in his rookie season thus far, but he's going to have to finish in the top ten once in awhile to be a serious Chase contender. 271. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Grade for races so far this year: Unlimited: D Duels: E Daytona 500: D- Phoenix: C Las Vegas: B- Bristol: A* Auto Club: A Martinsville: B Pretty good season, too bad Team 48 is looking like the ones to beat. Although don't count out Kes and Penske (Back2Back) 272. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RHR pretty much dominated Indycar today at Barber, at one point had a 12 second lead. Andretti Autosport is looking really strong this year. 273. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Whoa, I just realized that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both got their 62nd career wins at Martinsville, and 10 years apart! Jeff Gordon: Rookie year - 1993, won 62nd race spring 2003 Jimmie Johnson: Rookie year - 2002, won 62nd race spring 2013 274. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:33 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "Dale Jr. looks back in 2009 form again, look for him to miss the Chase, go winless again and tumble back outside the top 20 in points before it's all said and done. 2 wins in 6 seasons and counting is beyond pathetic. It's not just him, but when your shopmate leads 350 laps and Danica outruns you, there's a deep problem. I see a 22nd-place finish in points." Whoa, there. I don't know how many races you've watched this year, but Junior has run up near the front in almost every race, except this one. 275. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) The way Hamlin makes the Chase is simple, win 3 races between the Richmond races which is very realistic. Obviously, if Denny makes the Chase, there will be the "Denny Hamlin rule" just as the wildcard came into being after McMurray won Daytona and Indianapolis and missed the Chase. 276. Bro Jackson posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) He's definitely had some solid runs, I'll give him and his team that. But look deeper: the 2nd at Auto Club should've been a 20th, the 6th at Bristol should've been an 18th. Today they finished where they deserved, though Johnson and Danica didn't help. Hendrick's other drivers definitely don't help Junior, but he and his team don't help themselves by being the team laughingstock for 6 years and counting. 2 wins and leading the points for 3 weeks is a month for Johnson. It's a 6-year resume for Junior. Bottom line, something has to change. 277. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That's assuming Denny Hamlin is back to 2010 form once he comes back from injury. He wasn't that impressive this season before his injury, and I can't imagine him doing any better once he comes back, or at least not good enough to win 3 races between now and fall Richmond. And Junior was doing well for most of this race, but his car wasn't good on long runs (just the opposite of Gordon) and then he got turned around and lost another lap late in the race. He had a top ten car, but didn't get the finish he deserved. 278. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well, THAT was an enjoyable race! Two Johnson wins this far into the season!? I'm stoked. And...Danica...12th...on a track where you need skill to drive!? Hell musta froze over. Also, on one of the replays of Johnson crossing the line, I saw in turn 3/4, somebody get turned around and hit the outside wall backwards. Couldn't tell who it was, but if anyone knows, please enlighten me. Also, DSFF goes to Darlington last year, Johnson wins. DSFF goes to Martinsville this year, Johnson wins. Trend? 279. cjs3872 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, while I agree that Johnson was the right guy to win this race, I don't think Jeff Gordon would have beaten him had the race gone green that long stint when he was catching him for one reason. They would have had to make a green flag pit stop inside the last 15-20 laps for fuel and tires, and Jimmie would probably have come out ahead on that, anyway, even if Gordon would have passed him prior to that pit stop because of the short run from that pit stop to the finish. There was no way they could have gone from lap 364 to the finish wthout stopping. Now on that last 43-lap run, had it gone green, Gordon would probably have gotten by Bowyer for second, but he would have never caught Johnson. Also, had the race gone green from the next-to-last restart to the finish, someone like Brad Keselowski or Danica Patrick, both of whom are great at fuel conservation, might have been able to make it to the finish and steal this race from Jimmie. Otherwise, it was Jimmie's all the way, even if everyone had to make that green flag pit stop for gas and tires inside the last 20 laps. And speaking of Danica, a great run for her, even though she did need two wave-arounds to get back in contention. And The Final Gear, you say that she needed to avoid that situation around lap 180 where she avoided the multiple crashes to have such a good day. While I might agree with you on that, the fact is that she was able to avoid that mayhem, unlike other veteran drivers. And she finally performed up to her equipment (she was better than her teammates), and didn't look completely lost like fellow rookie Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (or some of the veterans) did, and each of them was racing at Martinsville for the first time, and for the first time at Martinsvlle, I would say 12th and on the lead lap is more than credable for anyone. For comparison's sake, and I know this is comparing apples to oranges, but 20 years ago in his first Martinsville Cup race, Jeff Gordon finished four laps down, though he was in the top ten. So for Danica, finishing on the lead lap at a place as tough as Martinsville is a great accomplishment. 280. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamPlayersBlue posted: Grade for races so far this year: Unlimited: D Duels: E Daytona 500: D- Phoenix: C Las Vegas: B- Bristol: A* Auto Club: A Martinsville: B Me: ...the h3ll? My grades: Unlimited: B- Duels: C Daytona 500: B Phoneix: B+ Vegas: D Bristol: A- California: Wasn't able to watch, unable to say. Martinsville: A 281. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kyle has 11 top 5s and 12 top 10s since the beginning of the Chase last year (16 races). For as big of a disaster as Fall Richmond was last year for both Kyle and Dave Rogers, they've been on a mission since then. They just need to close the deal a little better. 282. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:45 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) I wanna add one thing more about my comment #273. If Jimmie follows a similar career path as Jeff did, then he should be on the decline right about now, hehehe! I'm expecting he'll still be very competitive for several more years, but nothing like he was from 2006-10. He'll probably hit a 1-2 season winless streak and then average one win a year from there on out. About today's race: It was a great exciting race with all the action we expected. I'm just depressed that the 48 won again. 283. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) Daytona 500 B What the heck? 284. Benjamin Lowe posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Hendrick Motorsports The New England Patriots of NASCAR the only difference is that they have a goody two shoes smiley face facade. 285. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, one thing going for Hamlin is the Summer stretch of races from the late May through Richmond in September when the top five or six teams test setups for the Chase and other teams race for points. Hamlin's team has the ability to take advantage of other teams points racing and win at least two races to get in position for the wildcards. Under the current points system, 3 wins is practically an automatic ticket to the Chase, baring many mechanical issues, DNFS, etc. that would drop a team out of the top 20 in points. As streaky as the #11 is historically, they should make the Chase with 2-3 wins. That means they will likely run more experimental setups, pit strategy gambles, etc. in order to get wins and punch their ticket to the Chase. 286. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Not only that, but he rated all three Daytona races as being better than the Las Vegas race. I'm calling BS on that one. The #18 team has been on a mission over the past 16 races, no doubt about it. But those great finishes have come when there was no pressure for them to succeed, as they were either not in the Chase or it's too early in the season. I want to see how well they do down the stretch, and then in the Chase (if they qualify) when the pressure to perform is on them. 287. I love Japan posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @ 280 Do you even watch NASCAR? 288. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs3872, how can you say that Jeff Gordon would've lost this race if it had gone green all the way??? 136 laps fuel run is doable. According to FOX, an average fuel run is 125-135 laps, so while it would've been stretching it, Jeff and Jimmie could have made it, and there's no doubt in my mind that Jeff would've gotten by his teammate! Just like last year (a race you also said Jimmie would have won). 289. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think another sleeper for the Chase is Jamie McMurray. He's quietly been having a really good year (well, definitely better than his last two years). If he can sneak in a win at Talladega or something, he can definitely get a Wild Card. 290. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just don't think Denny will win multiple races between his return and the Chase. Plus, wins don't matter if you're outside the top 20 in points. He's already 18th in the points, only one point ahead of 20th place, and will likely fall back to 25th in the points in the next race. I'm just not optimistic about his chances of making the Chase this season, no matter how good he is at some of the summer tracks. 291. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Cool to see McMurray in Charlie Kimball's colours today. 292. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (5) (1) I definitely made yet another mad dash outta there. Here is one thing I will say about Danica: I don't know if it is because of her or not, but there were a lot more girls in the crowd in their 20s than I ever remember seeing at any race. And the majority of them had spectacular boobs. I'm talking immaculate! She may have the body of a ten year old, but I will have to rethink my stance on having her in NASCAR if this trend continues. If having her around means that many spectacular boobs at the racetrack (not from her of course, she doesn't have any) then I will tolerate her presence. I'm not kidding, that is all I can think about riding home right now. 293. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here are my grades for the races thus far on a scale of 1 to 10: - Sprint Unlimited: 2/10 - Duels: 3/10 - Daytona 500: 4/10 - Phoenix: 6.5/10 - Las Vegas: 7.5/10 - Bristol: 8.5/10 - Fontana: 9/10 - Martinsville: 8.5/10 294. BON GORDON posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'd say if no more cautions came out Jeff Gordon would've at least finished 2nd. I've seen many races at Martinsville and other tracks for that matter that when Jeff Gordon catches Jimmie Johnson he has a hard time passing him. I will say this though, if no more cautions came out the last 40 laps or so Jeff Gordon would've had a much better chance at winning. I say he would've won it but none the less he finally had a great finish but Texas looms in six days. I know that the #24 team has a lot of work to do to be competitive there. No surprise at Martinsville that Gordon drove well. The real test is next Saturday night. I got faith that Jeff Gordon and team will give it their all. 295. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If he can sneak in a win at Talladega or something, he can definitely get a Wild Card." Speaking of Jamie McMurray and Talladega, he was driving like a mad man there last fall, for better or worse. A lot of drivers were complaining about his driving over the radio because of his blocking and constantly changing lanes in order to slow other guys down while leading (including almost wrecking Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr.), but I can understand why he did that because he has had nothing but bad luck ever since his inconsistent, yet great 2010 season, and probably felt that driving that way was the only way he could get a win. I can see him contending at Talladega in a few weeks, and possibly "stealing" a win from the bigger teams if he can make it to the end. 296. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Denny's success when he comes back will all depend on his attitude. He could use this as a humbling experience and start changing his ways (kind of like DW after his 1983 crash at Daytona), or he can continue to get sidetracked by stupid little scrubs like Logano. Hopefully it's the first one. 297. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ROTFL!! Men always thinking with their... "Here is one thing I will say about Danica: I don't know if it is because of her or not, but there were a lot more girls in the crowd in their 20s than I ever remember seeing at any race. And the majority of them had spectacular boobs. I'm talking immaculate! She may have the body of a ten year old, but I will have to rethink my stance on having her in NASCAR if this trend continues. If having her around means that many spectacular boobs at the racetrack (not from her of course, she doesn't have any) then I will tolerate her presence. I'm not kidding, that is all I can think about riding home right now." If she helps the female demographic, who will help Nascar bridge the divide with the LGBT community? Carl Edwards? 298. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dalesrfan, having younger people at racetracks in general is a good thing. Most races I go to for any series the average age of spectators is typically that of a Golf Game. 299. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:16 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "If she helps the female demographic, who will help Nascar bridge the divide with the LGBT community? Carl Edwards?" No, Scott Speed... 300. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "No, Scott Speed..." lmao 301. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR should bring over Adrian Sutil to do that. 302. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Time for numbers!! Brian Vickers's average finish after two races last year: 11.5 Brian Vickers's average finish after two races this year: 9.5 Danica Patrick's average finish through 10 races last year: 28.3 Danica Patrick's average finish through six races this year: 24.3 Danica Patrick's average finish outside of Daytona and Martinsville this year: 31.5 Point leader's average finish after six races last year: 6.8 Point leader's average finish after six races this year: 7.3 303. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The average age of spectators at tracks can't resemble an Eagles concert for the long-term, but many posters on here (myself included) are under the age of 30 and we've followed Nascar for more than a decade. In my case, since 1997. 304. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Here is one thing I will say about Danica: I don't know if it is because of her or not, but there were a lot more girls in the crowd in their 20s than I ever remember seeing at any race. And the majority of them had spectacular boobs. I'm talking immaculate! She may have the body of a ten year old, but I will have to rethink my stance on having her in NASCAR if this trend continues. If having her around means that many spectacular boobs at the racetrack (not from her of course, she doesn't have any) then I will tolerate her presence. I'm not kidding, that is all I can think about riding home right now." DSFF, don't get married. You'll never make it. 305. Kenny posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've been a fan seance 1998 306. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Boobs at Martinsville?? That was always reserved for Darlington, old Talladega in August and the July Daytona race. 307. Anthony posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I apologize for what happen today I should have known we got 3rd place ties our best finish of the decade at Martinsville. Sorry for Racing-Reference it's a great site to work with even on Twitter I promise I'll never get upset that's why I got Marina on my side to help me she's my friend in School so again I apologize for what I did my goal is to be a Broadcaster so congrats to Jimmie I mean I just don't like him at all. 308. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) The first race that I can recall watching was the 2002 Daytona 500, yet I have a few diecast cars and trading cards from a few years before that race. I'm not really sure when I became a fan, but I usually just say 2002 just so I don't confuse myself. 309. TS1420 posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:30 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) Here's my ratings for the races so far. Sprint Unlimited: 5/10 Duel One: N/A (didn't get to watch) Duel Two: 5/10 Daytona 500: -1/10* Phoenix: 6/10 Las Vegas: 5.5/10 Bristol: 8/10 California: 9.5/10 Martinsville: 3/5* *Races that Jimmie Johnson wins automatically get 5 points deducted from their final score 310. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm 18 and have been watching for about 15 years. So I've honestly been watching it for most of my life. I guess the year when I started was about 1998. All I remember from when I first started watching was the rainbow car just kicking everyone's ass, lol 311. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Boobs at Martinsville?? That was always reserved for Darlington, old Talladega in August and the July Daytona race." Blooming Onions? Warm weather weekends at the race track brings them out. It is just another reason to go to the track during the Summer stretch of races. However, they must be blooming early for April Martinsville. 312. cjs3872 posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) joey2448 and BON GORDON, I have no doubt Gordon would have passed Johnson if it weren't for that caution just past lap 450. In fact, I think he would have passed him within three to five laps. But Gordon has never been that good at saving fuel. He might have 100 wins if he was. To me, there's no doubt that Gordon would have had to stop within the last 20 laps for fuel, espcially at the pace he was running. It's also possible that the reason he was catching those others so fast was because guys like Johnson and Kahne might have been conserving fuel, while Gordon knew he couldn't make it, so he pressed on as hard as he could. And as fast as Johnson was, if both he and Gordon would have had to pit, Johnson would have come out ahead. But had the race gone green those last 136 laps, I think someone like Keselowski or Danica might have won because of how good they are at conserving fuel, if those three HMS cars all had to pit. But there's no dount Gordon would have passed Johnson, but needing to pit for fuel inside the last 20 laps, it wouldn't have mattered, espcially if Johnson and Kahne were conserving fuel. 313. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Aside from the handful of starts he made in 2001, Jimmie Johnson has been in that #48 car ever since I became a fan of the sport. So while I've never been a fan of his, and at times can't stand him, I feel some sort of a bond with him just because I've been able to watch him race and dominate throughout his entire Cup career. 314. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Way ahead of you David lol. And for the record, had the race gone green to the end, Jeff would have had Jimmie dead to rights. I will post a comprehensivenlist of my thoughts on this race once I get home, can type on a computernand not my phone, and get rid of this damn headache. But I can't wait to post until I get the images of those girls out of my head, cause I will never post again if that were the case. I'm not kidding, there were a bunch that were simply spectacular. 315. joey2448 posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I need to get myself to a NASCAR race one of these days, if what DSFF says is true....perhaps Dega? 316. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "But Gordon has never been that good at saving fuel." And Jimmie is? *cough...Michigan 2009...cough" 317. Jim Davis posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "...I think someone like Keselowski or Danica might have won because of how good they are at conserving fuel..." ??? When has Patrick ever demonstrated any gift for saving fuel? This isn't a rhetorical question (yesterday I learned of Bill Lester for the first time) but surely she hasn't had enough NASCAR starts to become a fuel mileage ace? 318. 83andJoe posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:56 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) ^ Patrick's one and only IndyCar win came at Twin Ring Motegi in a fuel mileage race. (With half the field at Long Beach...) 319. 83andJoe posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #1 sponsor: Novo Nordisk / RacewithInsulin.com #20 sponsor: Husky Tools #33 sponsor: Moon Shine Attitude Attire 320. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 6:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ""But Gordon has never been that good at saving fuel." And Jimmie is? *cough...Michigan 2009...cough*" Remember at Dover last fall when he was coasting around the track about 20 MPH off the pace to save fuel? That's not exactly a textbook way of saving fuel. 321. Bro Jackson posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Next week is a big week for the 88. Either they get back on track or fall off the face of the earth a la 2010 and finish outside the top 20 in points. 322. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:02 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) joey2448, The only drawback to attending a race at a warm weather track is the sweaty spectators surrounding your seats. However, the clothes seem to fall off the 20 something women at the drop of a hat. Hehe. 323. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't understand this whole "if it would have gone green it would have been a fuel mileage race" thought. Didn't they have enough to make it to the end even before the Vickers caution that screwed Gordon came out? 324. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Next week is a big week for the 88. Either they get back on track or fall off the face of the earth a la 2010 and finish outside the top 20 in points." Oh yeah, because one or two bad races in April absolutely mean that they are gonna finish out of the top 20... I don't know why you are being so hard on the 88. You've been saying that they are back to 2009/2010 form, yet they've clearly been probably the most consistent team in the first part of this year (even though they had problems today). If they keep doing what they're doing and stay consistent throughout the regular season, they will make the Chase no problem. I don't understand how you think that one bad race at Martinsville in April will lead to him finishing 22nd in points. 325. cjs3872 posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) As I said DSFF, Gordon would have passed Johnson within three to five laps had the caution not come out, so on the track, he did have Jimmie dead to rights, but at he pace he was running, he was going to have to stop inside the last 20 laps, possibly the last 10, and it's quite possible that Jimmie was saving fuel thinking it would go to the end, and the same may well have been true regarding Kasey Kahne, who was then running second, then third after Gordon passed him. And while Jimmie's not good at saving fuel either, he's better at it than Gordon is, and I think Johnson had a better chance at getting to the finish than Gordon did. And if both Gordon and Johnson would have had to pit under green, Johnson had a big enough speed advantage on fresh tires to get back ahead of Gordon, all things being equal, becuase they would have had to change tires, even that close to the finish. And as Danica and saving fuel, she's always been good at it. Now maybe that's because she's such a slow driver to begin with, but she's always been one of the better drivers at fuel conservation, going all the way back to the 2005 Indianapolis 500. There was no way she should have been able to finish that race without a late pit stop, especially racing Dan Wheldon for the lead late, yet she did finish it in fourth place after going the last 100 miles on a single tasnk of fuel, and she's carried that on to NASCAR, where she pulled out a good finish in the Nationwide Series more than once due to her ability to save fuel. And as for Danica being able to do so well today, that goes all the way back to the point I made back in post #16 regarding Martinsville racing somewhat like a road course, because some road racing tactics, especially those concerning charging the corner and outbraking other drivers, really come into play at Martinsville, and Danica comes from a road racing background, so it would figure that she would do better than expected at Martinsville. 326. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Plus, from this point forward, it will be even easier for Dale Jr to make the Chase since Denny is (most likely) freeing up a Chase spot. So I see no logic behind these statements about Jr that are acting like the sky is falling. He's running fine, and he's the third best HMS car out there (behind Johnson, Kahne, and slightly ahead of Gordon). 327. cjs3872 posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Murb, I don't think Gordon and a few others could have gone to the end if it hadn't been for the Vickers caution, because their last pit stop prior to that came with 135 laps to go, so I think most of the field would have had to make a late stop for gas. And I believe one of the reasons Gordon was catching his teamates so fast was that he probably knew he had to stop while his teammates were trying to make it to the end. Of course, the Vickers spin negated that by bringing out the caution and giving everyone the tires and fuel to get to the end. But no, I don't think most of the contenders would have made it without having to stop for fuel. 328. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) By the same token, Stenhouse doesn't come from a road-racing background and he had a difficult time adjusting to driving the track. 329. jabber1990 posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) damn, and people always say I am the one whom needs to get laid (I haven't had sex since I was 19. and I dated a girl whom was the sluttiest girl in her high school, and a girl with 4 kids in that timeframe) because of diffrent stufff and also being a truck driver makes it worse 330. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 8-9 of the current top 10 in points will probably make the Chase. Still too early to predict the two wildcards. 331. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Now take this for what its worth, but Larry McReynolds was pretty certain that the drivers could all make it on fuel from the the pit stop with 135 to go to the end. 332. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.07.2013 - 7:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Alright, I am now home, have 3 tacos in me, got rid of the headache and showered. So here is my list of thoughts from today: -The race was really good...... except for the lead. Jimmie was simply in a class by himself. I don't know how it looked on TV, but if they only focused on the lead, then it must have been a snoozer to watch. It was fascinating to me because it seemed drivers had to walk a line between taking care of their tires and not getting run over. I don't know if TV focused on this or not (I'm guessing no). The talk of the weekend was the track not taking rubber and they were right. Usually, by the end of 500 laps there, the concrete turns are noticeably darker with what appears to be literally piles of rubber built up forcing the drivers to change their groove. At the end of this one, they looked exactly like they did on lap one which punished the tires. I noticed Brad's car could hang with the leaders in the beginning of a run if he punished his tires, but he would pay the price for it late in a run. Of course Jimmie was a rocket early in the run and late. Which leads me to.... -There was an excellent crowd for this race, by far the fullest I have seen Martinsville since the glory days when all the backstretch seats were used and full, not covered by sponsors logos, and we were all crammed in like sardines. Of course the weather was also simply amazing and there was a lot of anticipation with the new car that this was gonna be a great race, including for the lead. Then the race happened which if you payed close attention and weren't forced to watch it through FOX's eyes, you realized it was good. But I have a feeling the sight of JJ making a mockery of it all will stick with a lot of folks when deciding whether to go back or not for the Fall. Also, that race will be October 28. I highly doubt we will have the same beautiful warm weather. Don't be surprised to see a bomb scare attendance in that race. -I guess I have to discuss Danica's run today (and not just focus on the "assets" she may or may not be responsible for bringing to the track). Yes she caught some lucky breaks and yes her crew chief nailed the wave around strategy after she screwed herself in the first 7 minutes of the race. But she surprised the crap out of me with how she ran. She actually looked like she belonged for the most part. I definitely don't see this as a sign of her "getting it" as Martinsville is its own beast entirely, but I thought it would be a disaster. And she looked a hell of a lot better than..... -What the hell happened to June? Ever since 2002, Martinsville has been a consistent friend to him, even in his garbage years. I know he got some damage in that one restart pileup, but he appeared back in the Top 5 afterwards but then just went straight to hell. -Watching The Old Jeff Gordon stalk and pass The "New And Improved" Jeff Gordon (Kyle Busch) over and over again after he got murdered in the pits every time. Truly something to behold. Kyle's car was so much better. Didn't matter. -That last caution, why the hell did so many people pit with so few laps remaining? Harvick and Kenseth for sure threw away sure Top 10s as did many others. Honestly, that was the biggest break to get Danica in the Top 15. -Funny listening to these stories of when people first picked up NASCAR and who they pull for. For me, I watched it with my Dad since I was very little, but my memories don't really kick in until the stretch run of '89 when I was 5, then in '90 as I turned 6, went to my first race (the immortal Brett Bodine race), and watched that incredible points battle between Dale and Mark. This was also the time NASCAR marketing skyrocketed led by Dale and his Intimidator image. As a kid, he was the ultimate superhero in my eyes, and as I grew older, I liked him even more. So when Jeff came along, started kicking ass, and kids starting being entralled by his image with the bright colors, I was like "how can you pull for him, he is evil, he is a goody two shoes who needs to be stuffed in a locker!". And now that JJ has come along and dominated, a lot of lifelong Gordon fans are like "how can you pull for him, he is evil, he is a cheater and arrogant as hell!". Of course people like my uncle, a fan of Richard Petty's since he was a kid never understood me pulling for Dale, saying "how can you pull for him, he is evil, he crashes everyone!". The circle of life. 333. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Passing efficiencies for today's race: Joe Nemechek - 69.57% Martin Truex, Jr. - 66.07% Jamie McMurray - 64.65% Danica Patrick - 64.56% Clint Bowyer - 63.38% Kasey Kahne - 62.11% Casey Mears - 62.00% Jeff Gordon - 61.70% Jimmie Johnson - 59.09% Kevin Harvick - 55.95% Aric Almirola - 55.56% Matt Kenseth - 55.17% Kyle Busch - 53.57% Jeff Burton - 53.15% Travis Kvapil - 53.03% Brad Keselowski - 52.38% Mark Martin - 51.69% Bobby Labonte - 51.61% Brian Vickers - 50.00% Scott Riggs - 50.00% Marcos Ambrose - 49.21% Regan Smith - 48.76% J.J. Yeley - 48.15% Tony Stewart - 47.83% Greg Biffle - 47.15% Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - 45.71% Landon Cassill - 45.71% Carl Edwards - 45.60% Paul Menard - 44.86% Kurt Busch - 44.63% Ryan Newman - 44.53% David Reutimann - 44.32% David Ragan - 43.01% Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 43.00% Scott Speed - 42.86% Josh Wise - 42.59% David Gilliland - 42.31% Joey Logano - 41.44% Dave Blaney - 41.27% David Stremme - 40.59% Ken Schrader - 40.00% Juan Pablo Montoya - 39.08% Michael McDowell - 37.50% 334. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, on the last long run Gordon's car was better than Kyle's when he made that pass, but then again at that point Jeff was .3 seconds faster per lap than the car that led nearly 70% of the race. I enjoyed this race and it definitely was a good race. Dale Jr. fell really far behind on that long run because their handling completely went away. 335. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, what is pass efficiency? 336. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "and also being a truck driver makes it worse" Dude, for $20 at any truck stop you can get the best "lip service" out there. "The only drawback to attending a race at a warm weather track is the sweaty spectators surrounding your seats." One of the good things about the fall off in attendance (aside from not having as much traffic and not having the bathrooms be a HazMat situation) is that tracks like Martinsville have "widened" their seats "allowing for a more comfortable experience for the fans". Translation: we aren't selling near as many tickets, so we take two seats out of every row, allow the fans to spread out a bit, which in all fairness is more comfortable, and it doesn't quite show just how bad things are for us. I have been going there since the Fall of '02 only missing the Spring '10 race (had a clinical scheduled) and the Spring '12 race (couldn't get off work). At first, they jammed us in there. They didn't give a damn about comfort, just getting all the $$$ they could get. So that isn't quite as bad as it used to be. Plus the spectators themselves seem to have much better hygiene than in the past. It used to be mostly yahoos who would drink about 12-15 beers before the race, come to the track with a cooler full of about 12 more beers, drink them, looked like the guys from Duck Dynasty, and smelled like rotten onions. Watching the drunks do stupid shit used to be worth the price of admission itself, you just had to deal with their odor and spilled beer. "and I dated a girl whom was the sluttiest girl in her high school, and a girl with 4 kids in that timeframe" Sounds like my list of girlfriends lol. Of course they all gave it up for me. Then they would realize my idea of a good time didn't involve "get shitfaced drunk, do something incredibly stupid, take pictures of it, post it online, then laugh about it" and they leave me. All the nice and decent girls are dating assholes. "I need to get myself to a NASCAR race one of these days, if what DSFF says is true....perhaps Dega?" If so, rent a camper and stay in the infield. I've never been there, but they say on those weekends it is basically redneck Mardi Gras. You will really get to see some spectacular "assets"...... fully exposed!!! "their last pit stop prior to that came with 135 laps to go, so I think most of the field would have had to make a late stop for gas." Gas really wasn't the issue, I don't think the tires would have held up for 135 laps. Anytime a run went past 50 laps, the cars were noticeably slower and really having to baby it off the corners. 337. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And when the drivers had to really baby their cars off the corners is when Gordon's car was at its best. 338. Eric posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 18Fan, I heard the same thing as you did from Larry McReynolds during the coverage. I agree that Larry's word can be trusted since he has background in NASCAR was a crew chief before becoming a color commentator. While Larry hasn't been a crew chief since 2000, Larry has 23 cup wins a crew chief including 2 Daytona 500's including Dale Sr.'s only Daytona 500 win and 1 Coca Cola 600 win by Davey Allison. Larry also has won at least 1 race by fuel Mileage with it being the 1995 Pocono Race with Dale Jarrett. The one win by Mileage show Larry knows his stuff with Fuel Mileage and He also told Mike Skinner to save fuel at Watkin's Glen. The fact is cjs3872 was wrong about Mark Martin not going to finish in the top 15 today at Martinsville because he claims Mark is "terrible at Martinsville", and is proof that he is capable of over analyzing stuff. 339. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What the hell happened to June?" His car got extremely loose on the long runs, which just killed his forward momentum coming off the corners. "then in '90 as I turned 6, went to my first race (the immortal Brett Bodine race)" It's only appropriate that a Bodine won the first race that you went to, which gave the Bodine brothers back-to-back wins in "Earnhardt Country" at North Wilkesboro. By the way, do you remember who won the race the following week's race at Martinsville? Yep, Geoff Bodine. And do you know who won at Martinsville in the fall? Yep, you guessed it, Geoff Bodine, who also finished that season ranked 3rd (Earnhardt's number) in the points. Yep, 1990 sure did have its fair share of Bodine moments. "a lot of lifelong Gordon fans are like "how can you pull for him, he is evil, he is a cheater and arrogant as hell!"." Well that's just a fact. ;) I'm sure there are also some Johnson fans who are like "How can you pull for Brad Keselowski? He is evil and sets a bad example for the kids by drinking on camera." (As opposed to Johnson, who does all his drinking off-camera "like an adult.") 340. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Gordon may be the best at "babying" the car coming off the corners. However, it can be frustrating watching him baby it so early in a run and watch him drop a couple positions on almost every restart. Also, I can't recall the last time I saw Gordon gain positions on pit road unless Gustafson makes one of his boneheaded 2-tire strategies. It seems like he's usually losing positions, and every once in awhile will stay right where he was (which is pretty shocking when it happens). I'm not sure if it's the pit crew or if it's because he's not taking advantage of the timing line intervals like some of the other drivers, but he's pretty much guaranteed to leave pit road in a worse position than when he entered. 341. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "So when Jeff came along, started kicking ass, and kids starting being entralled by his image with the bright colors, I was like "how can you pull for him, he is evil, he is a goody two shoes who needs to be stuffed in a locker!"." lol, I can definitely see that. I've never officially considered myself a Gordon fan, but after watching him dominate so much when I was a kid, it's always fun to see him bring back the "Refuse To Lose" mentality. In the times he's done it the past couple of years (like Phoenix and Atlanta in 2011 and Richmond last year), it has been like going back in time. So I was hoping to see that again today, but unfortunately he just got screwed by those cautions at the end and Jimmie just drove off with it. "Now take this for what its worth, but Larry McReynolds was pretty certain that the drivers could all make it on fuel from the the pit stop with 135 to go to the end." That's what I thought too. So I don't get the notion of it potentially becoming a fuel mileage race had the Vickers caution not come out. Even if that caution hadn't come out though, Kurt Busch still would have lost his brakes, so it's kind of a Catch-22. The bottom line is that the cautions just didn't play into anyone's favor. Oh yeah, and I too was scratching my head at the calls by the 20 and 29 to pit on that last caution. Kenseth ended up 14th with a top five car, and Harvick ended up 13th when he probably could have finished at least 8th or 9th. Jason Ratcliff and Gil Martin are both good crew chiefs that deliver fast cars, but I've noticed that both of them make oddball strategy calls like this a lot of times. Same thing with Alan Gustafson (but I don't think I need to remind all you Gordon fans of this, lol). 342. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Same thing with Alan Gustafson (but I don't think I need to remind all you Gordon fans of this, lol)." Nope. The best way I can describe Alan Gustafson is that he is to Gordon fans what John Fox was to Carolina Panthers fans (including DSFF) back when he was their head coach. While he has his moments of greatness, you can't help but get frustrated over the decisions he makes and feel like he is holding your favorite team back with his bad calls. Luckily, he didn't make any today. In fact, all those pit stops he made throughout the middle part of the race helped Gordon work his way through traffic and up to 2nd place. But for every Martinsville '13 or Richmond '12 moments, Gustafson has one or two Sonoma '12 and Fontana '13 moments where he leaves you scratching your head. (There are probably some better examples that I'm forgetting, but he's made so many bad pit calls that it's hard to remember which ones occurred in which race.) 343. cjs3872 posted: 04.07.2013 - 8:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And Eric, he (Martin) wasn't going to until that comedy of errors at the end, because he was south of 20th most of the day, except for that one time that Darian Grubb used a 2-tire pit stop to get him among the leaders, something that blew up in his face. And as for Larry McReynolds' comment about them being able to go 135 laps on a tank of fuel, I think he mentioned the caviat of caution flags, which would have brought them in, which it did. The plain truth is that with the short range the cars get on speedways (70-80 miles), combined with the fact they have to do things that use up more fuel on shorter tracks (such as braking heavily and getting on the gas harder), the most they could get was about 60-65 miles, which was 120-130 laps, which was just outside the number of laps to go on that last run, so I think fuel would have been an issue had the race gone green all the way, and those that don't get good fuel mileage, such as Gordon and Johnson, would have had to make an extra pit stop, or really slow up to get to the finish. That's why I think that Gordon was cooked, regardless of how the race played out. 344. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Are you all that dumb? Pit windows at Martinsville and Bristol are 140-160 laps. 345. Rexrobe posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The BK Racing team is really out to lunch this year. They keep getting beat by Front Row and the Falk team, ouch. 346. Benjamin Lowe posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The chances of a non Hendrick Car winning at Martinsville is about as good as Dolph Ziggler's chances of ever cashing in that briefcase. 347. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "David, what is pass efficiency?" Green Flag Passes/(Green Flag Passes + Green Flag Times Passed) 348. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think Dolph Ziggler is ever going to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and challenge for a World title. He still has three months to cash it in before it "expires." 349. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Maybe I should change my name to the 'Insane Race Ratings guy' 283. TeamPlayersBlue posted: Daytona 500 B What the heck? 286. Paul posted: Not only that, but he rated all three Daytona races as being better than the Las Vegas race. I'm calling BS on that one. 287. I love Japan posted: @ 280 Do you even watch NASCAR? Do I make my point for name-changing clear? It's probably because I do not enjoy NASCAR for the same things that everyone else here does. I like to see good racing, yes, but my definition of good racing includes high strategy and on track battles, yet both need to be entertaining in their own right, not just two or three guys and two/three strategies. However, even when those fail, the younger, stupid, chaotic child comes out it me and I start watching for the crashes...shamefully, but I do have a bad habit of highly rating races with nasty, or a large number of normal, crashes. - - - - 309. TS1420 posted: Here's my ratings for the races so far. Sprint Unlimited: 5/10 Duel One: N/A (didn't get to watch) Duel Two: 5/10 Daytona 500: -1/10* Phoenix: 6/10 Las Vegas: 5.5/10 Bristol: 8/10 California: 9.5/10 Martinsville: 3/5* *Races that Jimmie Johnson wins automatically get 5 points deducted from their final score I call pointless bias. By that note, I should have hated the last two years of NASCAR as Stewart and Keselowski, two of my three 'most hated' drivers won the championship. ----- 333. David posted: Passing efficiencies for today's race: Joe Nemechek - 69.57% Danica Patrick - 64.56% *Head explodes* ----- 339. Paul posted: Well that's just a fact. ;) I'm sure there are also some Johnson fans who are like "How can you pull for Brad Keselowski? He is evil and sets a bad example for the kids by drinking on camera." (As opposed to Johnson, who does all his drinking off-camera "like an adult.") ...How the heck did you sneak into my house, and record me saying that!? ----- Also, with all that DSFF says, I will save up some dough and rent a camper, head infeild for a Spring 'Dega race. Tally always looked better to me in the spring. 350. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Also, I waited for several months to say this, but am I the only one who thinks that these Gen-6 cars look like pieces of ****!? 351. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jeff is without a doubt the best out there currently in tire fall off races. And yes, Atlanta '11 is the best example. JJ's car was SO much better in the end, but once they got to slipping and sliding, it was Jeff. I also have to weigh in on the whole "Rick is favoring the other teams over Jeff's" thing. Does anyone else get the feeling something is off between those two? This might seem like such a trivial detail, but two HMS documentaries have been released lately, the one sponsored by Pepsi which had the shortened TV version and the full DVD version (which I was able to catch on YouTube) and the SPEED Beyond 200 show. Each was a complete fluff documentary, skipping over the mail fraud trial (it is mentioned in the extended Pepsi version, but Rick is made out to be the victim) and the mountain of cheating violations they have amassed. Yet in each one, Rick talks at lenght about Jeff's divorce and the great advice he gave Jeff that he didn't take. I mean Rick is smiling and laughing as he retells a portion of Jeff's life he would rather forget. He says how how he told Jeff there are three things he absolutely shouldn't do: 1)leave the house, 2) hit her or 3) get caught with your pants down. Rick then gleefully recounts how Jeff never hit her, but he did the other two then got taken to the cleaners in court. Also, in the extended Pepsi version, the same one where Rick is painted as the victim in his own felony trial, they air an extended segment where Jeff talks about becoming so famous so soon, and he refers to himself as an "asshole" in that time and his regrets over not handling it better. Why would Rick gloss over everything else but not that? I have to wonder. As I have mentioned numerous times, Jeff's mind blowing on track production from '95-'01 (save '00) came to a screeching halt beginning in '02. That was the year Jeff basically asked or demanded a stake in HMS, becoming co owner of the new 48 team and getting a stake in his own team. Rick didn't makes billions by being pushed around, but he had little choice but to keep Jeff after '01 and his 4th title at only 30 years old. Do you guys think he is punishing Jeff for making somewhat of a power play on him? And I know I have criticizing Jeff for not doing anything as he got moved from HMS' A Team to their R&D team, saying he needs a spine. But did he do a "selling his soul to the Devil" so to speak? Does he have a choice? Or does he just not have that force of personality behind that scenes? 352. Destroyahirismix666 posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *Note that I said look, not drive. The racing does seem to have improved, and I'll take the worse looking cars for the better racing* 353. David posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "*Head explodes*" And believe it or not, Front Row Joe has led the series so far in that particular category. As for Danica, it's either luck or equipment strength. 354. AveryNH posted: 04.07.2013 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Proud fan since 1995. I was born in 1994 and my first words were Kellogg's corn flakes according to my mom as I wheeled a Terry Labonte die cast around on my window sill. My first favorite driver was Ernie Irvin but that soon changed to Mark Martin when Ernie went to the skittles team in 1998. Always pulled for the Ford camp as my dad was a diehard ford lover ever since the mid eighties. Mustang this cougar that. Trans-am, IMSA, SCCA. We watched it all. So much so that I have over eighty tapes of various races from 1996-1998 including every Winston cup race. Enough of the heritage stuff. Next week at Texas I expect Danica to come plummeting back to earth. DSFF has a good point about the female fan increase. Last fall at NHMS there were much more female fans then in years past with many sporting green and black and being a teenage guy I certainly took notice. Junior has not fallen off the face of the earth. He had a good car but had a tough day. Hell Jeff Burton ran in the top ten all day and barely came home with a top twenty. And a final thought, and this may be a bit rouge, but I wouldn't be surprised if JPM either retires or parts ways with Chip after 2013. He was awful today while his teammate Jamie Mac got a top ten. This is a consistent trend for him. And its not just the equipment anymore. Montoya just seems uninterested in racing stock cars. Which is a damn shame considering the talent he ha-d. 355. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've heard various reports saying that if Ganassi doesn't re-sign JPM after this season, that Montoya will leave NASCAR and possibly make a comeback with an IndyCar team (possibly even Ganassi's). No other team is going to sign him due to his attitude and his growing disinterest in stock cars (I've heard that he's only with his team during the race weekend, which is never good for team chemistry.), and I highly doubt he would "waste" his time with a smaller team like Front Row or Phoenix Racing. It's pretty much EGR or nothing at this point for JPM's NASCAR career. 356. Cornys posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:11 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Murb, we've been watching for the same amount of time and are the same age :) My Race Grades: Shootout: .5 / 10 Duels: 3 / 10 Daytona 500: 6.5 / 10 Phoenix: 7 / 10 Las Vegas: 7.5 / 10 Bristol: 8.5 / 10 California: 9.5 / 10 Martinsville: 7.5 / 10 I might be biased against today's race because it was the first one that was worse than the one before it in my opinion this year :P 357. Cornys posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I also should note that the only races last year which would have gotten a grade higher than a 6 was the Watkin's Glen and Bristol night races. The 2nd of which I attended. The Summer Dover race and Kentucky which I also attended failed to obtain a 6 rating even :X 358. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I haven't heard any of this stuff about Montoya. Now that you guys mention it, I guess I wouldn't really be surprised to see him walk away from Nascar at the end of the year either. Especially since Ganassi has Kyle Larson waiting in the wings. Hopefully if this all does go down it won't ruin Larson's career by having him rushed up too quickly. As for Montoya, he should just go drive for Ganassi in the Grand Am Series full time. He's insane in those cars when he runs every year at the 24 Hours of Daytona, so I imagine that he could contend for a championship if he ran the full season. Plus, Grand Am and ALMS are merging next year, so his star power would be a really good thing for that new series. 359. 18fan posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ganassi has said he will avoid rushing Larson up. 360. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ganassi said that he isn't going to push Kyle Larson up to Cup too quickly, but considering he's the same guy who brought Casey Mears and Reed Sorenson to his Cup team after one full Busch Series season, not to mention the destined-to-fail Dario Franchitti experiment, I wouldn't pay much attention to what he says. And I would have to agree with JPM driving Grand-Am cars full-time instead, as he's had more recent experience in those cars than open wheel cars. Plus, he helped Ganassi win the 24 Hours at Daytona earlier this year, so he's still capable of winning races. If Ganassi were to have a team with both Montoya and Scott Pruett behind the wheel, you could crown them as DP champions before the season even begins. 361. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ganassi has said he will avoid rushing Larson up." I hope so. Larson's got way so much talent, so it will be a travesty if he is thrown to the wolves. I guess I could see maybe Ryan Newman going to the 42 if Montoya does in fact leave (and if Newman leaves SHR, which is a good possibility). I think he and McMurray could make a solid second tier team together over there. 362. Jim Davis posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "But did he do a "selling his soul to the Devil" so to speak? Does he have a choice? Or does he just not have that force of personality behind that scenes?" What has Gordon ever asked for from Hendrick that he hasn't received? I think Gordon's problems (if you can call them that; most drivers wish they had his "problems") are in no particular order: 1. The loss of Ray Evernham. Yes, he won a championship without him but Evernham contributed a lot to Gordon's early success and made up for a lot of Gordon's weaknesses. He never really filled that gap. 2. Getting older. It happens to all of us. 3. Distractions. Divorce, courtship, marriage, children can rob a driver of focus. 4. Stiffer competition. Gordon was the class of the field in the '90s but the arrival of the "young guns" starting with Tony Stewart meant that he had to be on his A game all the time to get the same level of success. 5. Nagging minor injuries. They begin to accumulate. The back problems were probably more debilitating than he admitted. These factors, even all of them together, can be dealt with successfully. Earnhardt managed well under probably worse conditions. Gordon was just worn down by them physically and mentally. Not so much that he stopped being a great driver. He just couldn't be the dominating driver like he was in the '90s. 363. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The only problem I see with having Newman and McMurray as teammates is you would have two No. 2 drivers on the same team. But considering the lack of available No. 1 team drivers on the market (unless Kurt Busch suddenly leaves RCR/FRR), that would be Ganassi's best option. Plus, Newman and McMurray are both very good under pressure, as seen from their surprise Daytona 500 victories, among other races, and are capable of making their cars better throughout the race. Considering how bad EGR has been the past two seasons, adding a driver like Ryan Newman to the mix would definitely help. 364. murb posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Stiffer competition. Gordon was the class of the field in the '90s but the arrival of the "young guns" starting with Tony Stewart meant that he had to be on his A game all the time to get the same level of success." This actually makes a lot of sense to me. Back in the 1995-1998 range (where he won three out of his four championships), all of his main competitors (Earnhardt, Rusty, Mark, Jarrett, Rudd, etc) were either at the tail end of or past their prime while he was the hot young gun. Then when guys like Stewart (who by the way is older than Jeff by a few months - that boggled my mind for some reason the first time I heard it), Johnson, Kurt, Newman, and Harvick came in, he then sort of had to step up his game a bit to keep up with all these youngsters. So I think this theory is valid for sure. 365. Paul posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) And it didn't help Gordon that he started to get all of these physical and mental deficienceies at the same time that Jimmie Johnson came onto the scene, allowing him to take Gordon's top spot at HMS away from him. Aside from '02, '03, '07 (when he should have won the title), and (arguably) the 2010 regular season, Johnson has always out-performed Gordon ever since the two of them began competing against one another, and I don't think it's a coincidence that his rise and Gordon's fall have come at the same time. Gordon had the advantage over Johnson in '02 and '03 because of his experience (although Johnson did beat him in the points in '03, but that was because of Gordon's terrible finishes not of his doing during the late summer stretch), and again in '07 when he began to get his life back on track when he married Ingrid Vandebosch and became a father, and once more during the 2010 regular season due to the #48 team's struggles to adapt to the spoiler (even though Gordon didn't win a race that season). Had Gordon not had any off-track distractions during that '02-'06 period, and then not had those nagging back injuries that de-railed his 2007 comeback between '08-'10, he may have won another title or two, possibly broken the 100-win mark in Cup already, and would have a much better argument in the infamous "Who's better: Gordon vs. Johnson?" debate. That said, I've got to give credit to Jimmie Johnson for taking advantage of his teammate and mentor's struggles during that time period, which has allowed him to create his own legacy and build his own Hall of Fame resume, while also cementing his place as HMS' No. 1 driver (which may or may not be coming to an end soon). 366. Eric posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, The only other thing Chip could do instead of hiring Newman is look at Truck and Nationwide drivers that have more experience in stock cars than Kyle Larson currently has if Chip is willing to take a gamble that a 2nd year in cup would be better than the first year as a cup driver. 367. Eric posted: 04.07.2013 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think if Ganassi doesn't resign JPM, They will be after Ryan Newman. James Buescher, or Justin Alliger are other possibilities I can think of Chip could be after in terms of Truck series or Nationwide drivers for replacing Montoya. I think Jamie Mcmurray at this point could be doing enough to save his job since he already has almost as many top 10's as he did last year, but it depends on what rest of his season turns out. Based on the fact Jamie is having a decent season so far, that means Montoya is making the equipment worse than it actually is and Montoya needs to be replaced as a result. I also don't think Nelson Piquet Jr. is ready for cup either. I see him as a threat on the road courses, but I think he needs more experience to make the transition from open wheel to Stock Car I mentioned Newman for a couple reasons. Chip doesn't want to rush Kyle Larson. Ryan Newman's contract is up after this year and I don't think Stewart-Haas Racing has the sponsorship for Newman in terms of being a 4 cup team next year. I mentioned Allgaier and Buescher for a couple reasons. Right now Buescher is good enough to be a full time Nationwide driver, but Turner doesn't have the room to do that. Buescher also is young enough to take a risk as a rookie cup driver without having a full time Nationwide schedule. There has been truck series drivers that didn't have a full Nationwide schedule when they went to cup have been successful and I think James has the talent to pull it off. I am talking about Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards. Carl only had 2 Nationwide starts before 2005 and that was Carl's first full year in cup also. I mentioned Allagier for 2 reasons. Justin isn't getting any younger and I think Chip would be his best shot getting a cup ride if Chip wants to hire him. That is a Big if with Chip wanting Justin because I think a lot of cup owners didn't like what they saw in Justin last year. I don't see Justin getting any better in the Nationwide series either. 368. Eric posted: 04.07.2013 - 11:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) murb, Rudd wasn't past him in 1995 to 1998 time frame. What happened to Rudd was the fact he was a driver/owner. Rudd's 2000 and 2001 seasons proved he wasn't at his tail of his prime or past time it in the 1995 to 1998 time frame. Rudd actually wasted years as an owner driver despite winning 6 times. Bill Elliott may not have been past his prime from 1995 to 1998. I am saying that because while Bill had 2 top 10 points seasons as a driver owner, he never won a race. Bill was a driver owner at a time that single car times were on their way out like what happened to Rudd. What Bill did in 1993 and 1994 was more on Junior Johnson. Bill's injury at Talladega didn't help him at all in 1996. Based on how Bill did from 2001 to 2003 tells me that Bill would have done better from 1995 to 2000 if he wasn't a driver owner. Dale Earnhardt Sr. may not have been as much with prime as much as injuries because Dale Sr. wasn't healthy from Summer of 1996 to the end of the 1999 season. That meant Dale was racing hurt without having neck surgery sooner. The fact is Dale in the 1997 to 1999 still had remains of injuries from his 1996 Talladega crash. Dale Jarrett wasn't at the tail end of his prime or past his prime in 1995 to 1998. Dale Jarrett's prime years were 1996 to 2001 or 2002. Dale Jarrett had an unlikely prime because of his age and how long he already was in cup by 1996. Usually cup drivers don't start entering their prime when they are almost 40 years old and Dale Dale Jarrett was basically a journeyman driver that had 4 cup wins going into 1996. Those 4 wins are from 1991 to 1995. Dale Jarrett first season with 20 or more cup starts was in 1987 and that means Dale Jarrett's first prime year in 1996 was something that usually doesn't happen. While Dale Jarrett had a top 5 points season in 1993, that was his only top 10 points season before 1996. Dale Jarrett is in the same category as Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, and Bobby Labonte was. All the drivers I mentioned were at their best at the same time. Jeff Burton never had been the same driver after 2000. 369. cjs3872 posted: 04.07.2013 - 11:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NicoRosbergFan (#344), the pit window at Martinsville used to be about 150 laps, but that was when they could get 90-100 miles out of a tank of fuel. But since they can now get only 70-80 miles out of a tank of fuel, that shortens the pit window at Martinsville to about 115-130 laps. Remember that at a track like Martinsville, the cars don't get near the mileage as they would at a speedway, since they have to do more things that use up fuel at a quicker rate at a short track than they they would at a speedway, hence about 60-70 miles is about as far as they can go at a place like Martinsville, and 70 might even be pushing it. Three or four years ago, fuel would not have been a potential issue today, but with the shorter range the cars can go these days, there would have been cars running out of fuel in the closing laps had it gone green the rest of the way. 370. Eric posted: 04.08.2013 - 12:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) There is a couple cup drivers I could think of beside Newman Chip could look at if Montoya decides to leave NASCAR. I am saying Bobby Labonte and possibility Jeff Burton. I am saying Bobby Labonte's name for a couple reasons. Ryan Newman is going to 36 in December and that means Ryan wouldn't be at his tail end of his Career and Chip may not Ryan as as result because of Kyle Larson. Chip had problem having 3 cup teams in the past and I have hard time seeing Chip wanting a 3rd time unless he gets sponsors for it. Bobby is going to be 50 next year and that means he can keep the seat warm for a year or two for Kyle Larson. I think Bobby Labonte might have a bit more left than he is showing in the 47 and that means Chip could get a 20th to 25 points finish out of B The only reasons I think of Jeff Burton is the fact he's in his final year at RCR, and I don't think a lot of cup team want him for anything, but keeping the seat warm for a younger driver since Jeff Burton is way past his prime. 371. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 12:39 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For all the wrestling fans out there, Wrestlemania 29 is officially in the books and from what I've been reading through various wrestling news sites and Facebook pages, it was pretty bad. Not surprisingly, the Undertaker/CM Punk match stole the show, with Taker extending his Wrestlemania streak to 21-0. Greatest of all-time, no doubt about it. Also, Triple H beat Brock Lesnar in a battle between two very overrated part-time wrestlers. And in the main event, John Cena beat The Rock for the WWE title, and apparently the crowd was absolutely DEAD in this match, and even booed both guys during their post-match handshake. Not surprising, considering how one guy is a movie star who has lost touch with the wrestling audience due to his celebrity, and the other guy has very limited ability and is a lousy champion. I haven't watched a Wrestlemania since WM 23 back in 2007, when I followed the product on a regular basis, but I've got to see that match between Taker and Punk just because I'm a HUGE Taker fan and the build-up to this match was very good. In other non-racing news, I saw a small news story on NFL Network that Joe Flacco will be starring as Johnny Unitas in an upcoming movie on Unitas' life, and Unitas' grandson called this decision "an embarrassment." Ouch! The truth hurts, doesn't it, Mr. "Waste of Cap Space"? As for Turner Motorsports drivers and their Cup aspirations, I first want to point out that James Buescher should be in the Nationwide Series this season and Nelson Piquet, Jr. should still be in the Truck Series. Buescher has already done all he can in the Truck Series and is a finished product, while Piquet showed flashes of brilliance (his win at Las Vegas is still amazing to watch), but was largely inconsistent and needed another season of full-time Trucks/part-time Nationwide before he was ready to move up. Plus, Buescher apparently was offered a Nationwide ride, but turned it down in order to attempt to become the first back-to-back Truck Series champion. I think that was a mistake because now he's behind where he should be compared to teammates with less experience (Piquet, Kyle Larson), and now has to hope that a Nationwide ride opens up for him next year. Kyle Larson as we all know has a ton of talent, but the key for him will be to learn how to manage that talent by not driving over his head, as well as keeping the media hype out of his mind and not letting his hype define who he is. So far, I think he could be doing a lot better in that area, but he's young and so hopefully he'll mature in the coming years. Justin Allgaier is an interesting one because while I don't think he's going to get any better in the Nationwide Series, I'm not sure if he's good enough to make a career out of the Cup Series either. I'd like to see him get a few opportunities in a Cup car this season, possibly with Phoenix Racing, just to see if he has any Cup potential, but either way he has to step it up in the Nationwide Series before the next fleet of Turner young-guns come around and overtake him on the totem pole. I think Buescher is the most Cup ready at this point, and I don't think a jump straight from Trucks to Cup would hurt him like it might some other drivers that have been rushed up too early. Piquet and Larson especially probably have the most Cup potential, but I think it's in their best interest to stay in Nationwide for another year or two after this season just to mature and build some consistency in stock cars. And while it doesn't sound very desirable, Allgaier might just want to have a Jason Keller-like career by being a consistent winning Nationwide driver, who may get a few Cup opportunities along the way. I think he would have a better shot at Cup than Keller due to youth being on his side, but his erratic driving style could scare away some Cup owners. 372. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 12:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I see what you're saying, Eric. Signing Ryan Newman would be more of a long-term investment for Ganassi, who might not be able to afford him if he's planning on bringing Kyle Larson up to Cup in the next few years and is likely to keep McMurray around as well. On the other hand, signing Jeff Burton or Bobby Labonte would bring some stability and leadership to a team that has none for 1-2 seasons, and could provide Larson with a mentor driver who could mentally prepare him for Cup before he gets there. I still think that Labonte can have good results with the right team, and joining a team with good equipment, but no stability like EGR might be a good signing for both sides. It would make Labonte more competitive than he had been since at least his Petty years, and it would provide good leadership in the EGR garage that has been lacking since Sterling Marlin left after the '05 season. 373. murb posted: 04.08.2013 - 12:56 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yeah, apparently wrestling has gone downhill. Like, WAY downhill. I haven't watched it regularly since about 2008, but I check back every now and then, and it looks pretty bad. They don't have anybody appealing like they did back in the Attitude Era or early to mid 2000s. Their top guys over the past few years have been John Cena (who is basically the Jimmie Johnson of pro wrestling - everyone is tired of him), Randy Orton (who has the personality of a brick), Triple H (who is a total company man who gets what he wants because he is banging the bosses' daughter), and The Miz (a reality star turned wrestler who just comes off as annoying). So when you couple these lame and unexciting personalities with the ridiculously overpriced pay per views (seriously, I saw a commercial for Wrestlemania, and it was $60.00!!!!), it's no wonder that all of the old school Attitude Era fans are disappointed with the current product. I sort of saw it coming, so I backed out a few years ago when it was just mildly bad. I'm glad I did, lol 374. jabber1990 posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) wrestling lost all its cred when it became staged and fake I used to work with a guy and he posted on facebook "I got WWE 13" and I said "does it have a script out of the predetermined winners?" 375. Vince posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson leads over 300 laps and wins the race... Gordon leads over 300 laps the previous year and well we all know what happened...:( Congrats Johnson, even though you were the last guy I wanted to win. I guess at least the best car won today, it really was Johnson's race to lose. 376. jabber1990 posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:19 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) oh and, to correct the slutty girl wasnt the girl with 4 kids, the girl with 4 kids was a diffrent girl so, in the timeframe I was talking about I had a relationship with the sluttiest girl in the town she lived in (although she'll say it was a diffrent girl) and a girl who had 4 children... and still havent had sex in 3 years (and for the record I didnt want to date the girl with kids) 377. jabber1990 posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie Johnson: 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion will he win in 2014? I have no clue, even as good as Dale and Petty were they both only won 7 championships, both Petty and Earnhardt had the potential to pull off 5-6 straight, but something prevented it, so it goes back to can Jimmie do it? 378. jabber1990 posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:25 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) as im pretty sure we'll all unanimously agree, this race had it all, good racing, a big crash, drama, the best car won, the ONLY thing I could think of that it didn't have was a suprise winner (unless we want Danica to "win" that award) 379. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I began to lose interest in wrestling in the middle of 2006 when Edge (one of my favorite wrestlers) was made out to look like John Cena's bitch, but I kept watching just because I felt a form of loyalty to the company. But I lost all interest in early 2008 when John Cena returned from injury, won the Royal Rumble match, and earned himself a World title shot at Wrestlemania. The thing about that that frustrated me was that Cena got hurt a few months earlier, was reportedly going to be out for six months, but shockingly returned four months ahead of schedule and was suddenly back at the top of the sport again. I was totally burned out from seeing him at the top, and from the decline in the product as well, and so I stopped watching for about two years just because I felt like nothing would ever change and we would never get a break from the modern day Hulk Hogan. I started to watch again in 2010 after I stopped watching NASCAR for about a year for the same reasons that I stopped watching wrestling (declining sport, bad racing, boring champion, etc.), but by the next season I was back to watching NASCAR after my interest in the sport was rekindled after Trevor Bayne's Daytona 500 victory and Jeff Gordon's return to form at Phoenix, and I've only been watching wrestling sparingly ever since. I try to watch it every week when I have time, but often times I'll just change the channel before the end because I lose interest. This Undertaker/CM Punk storyline has really been the only intriguing feud since the start of the year, and if it wasn't for that I probably wouldn't have been following it as much as I had been the past month. "John Cena (who is basically the Jimmie Johnson of pro wrestling - everyone is tired of him)" Not many wrestling-to-NASCAR comparisons are as accurate as this one. Not only are they very bland and PC on-camera, but apparently they are both party animals with a lot of personality off-camera. As much as I admire Cena's work ethic and Johnson's driving talents, it's that element of phoniness that really bothers me. Also, Cena is a giant hypocrite as well. His mottos are "Never give up" and Hustle. Loyalty. Respect.", and yet he's in the middle of a divorce from his wife after getting caught cheating with a porn star (which sounds like something DSFF would do if he got married ;) ). I guess his personality is even less legit than wrestling. "Randy Orton (who has the personality of a brick)" The nickname that wrestling fans have given him is "Blandy Borton" (creative, huh?). I don't know what happened to him since his first few years in wrestling, but his personality has gone from "easy to hate cockiness" to "hard to like blandness." Orton is a much better heel than he is a babyface. He's a lot easier to hate because of his chickenshit style of wrestling and an attitude that makes you believe he would stab you in the back. The problem though is that he sells a lot of t-shirts, and WWE likes to have their top merchandise sellers being portrayed as good guys, whether it makes sense or not. "Triple H (who is a total company man who gets what he wants because he is banging the bosses' daughter)" One thing I will say about Triple H is that he is a student of the game and has a lot of respect for the wrestling business. The two Wrestlemania feuds between he and Undertaker were built entirely by those two, rather than given to them by the writing staff, and it really showed as those two matches were both highly anticipated and didn't disappoint. And if it wasn't for him, Bruno Sammartino would have never buried the hatchet with Vince McMahon and accepted the Hall of Fame invitation after 25+ years of animosity. That being said, he is very overrated as a wrestler and was at the top of the wrestling ladder for too long a time back in '02-'06 (which could be due to Steve Austin and The Rock retiring within a month of each other in early 2003). As long-time wrestling manager/booker/promoter Jim Cornette once said, "[Triple H] is the guy that works with the guy who draws the money." Truer words have never been said. His bland promos and frequent injuries, along with his "very good, but not great" wrestling talent were only good enough for him to work with the true top guys (Austin, Rock, Taker, Foley), but not good enough to be the top guy. If he wasn't married to the boss' daughter, he likely wouldn't have been pushed as much as he has been. "The Miz (a reality star turned wrestler who just comes off as annoying)." While I like the fact that he's a wrestling fan, he comes off more as a celebrity who wrestles, rather than a wrestler who's a celebrity. He just comes off as being very fake in his promos and in his matches, almost like he's auditioning for a role in a film. He also had that horrible run as World champion back in 2011, which just tells you that the WWE has no idea what they're doing when they're booking the champions. 380. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:44 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Punk-Taker was great. Rock-Cena was a joke. Jeff Gordon earned his 208th career Podium and 299th Top 5. Jimmie Johnson led 7 more laps than he ever had in a race before. 381. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 2:50 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Gordon failed to lead a lap at Martinsville for the first time in 7 years. Gordon had a 13 race streak of leading at least 36 laps. Great race. Vickers is a perfect protege for Michael Waltrip. 382. murb posted: 04.08.2013 - 2:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "As long-time wrestling manager/booker/promoter Jim Cornette once said, "[Triple H] is the guy that works with the guy who draws the money."" Jim Cornette is one of my heroes. I could seriously listen to him talk about wrestling and tell stories all day. He's one of my favorites. 383. joey2448 posted: 04.08.2013 - 3:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Of the two options you guys present about Montoya, I think going to race full-time in the Grand Am series is the best, although what about replacing Dario Franchitti in IndyCar? I mean, Franchitti has clearly lost his edge, which by the way I think is due to losing his close friend Dan Wheldon at Vegas in 2011. I know that today at Barber, Franchitti bowed out with a mechanical issue, but nevertheless the man is just not his old self. 384. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 3:39 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Tons of history in this race. Mark Martin becomes the first Modern driver to reach 450 Top 10's. Greg Biffle ties Wendell Scott with his 147th Top 10 for 48th all-time. Kasey Kahne surpasses Ernie Irvan with his 125th Top 10 for 57th all-time. Kyle Busch surpasses Marvin Panch with his 97th Top 5 for 35th all-time. Kasey Kahne ties Fonty Flock with his 72nd Top 5 for 51st all-time. Clint Bowyer surpasses Tim Richmond with his 43rd Top 5 for 73rd all-time. Jimmie Johnson cracked 14,000 laps led. All on the 45th anniversary of Jimmy Clark's passing and Richard Petty's 77th career win. 385. hyperacti posted: 04.08.2013 - 3:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, I come into the comments section to ctrl-f your name and read your thoughts only. Just wanted to say that. I don't post here as much as I used to but you may remember me for getting into some debate about Danica somewhere or something idk, I hardly remember. I just wanted to say I think you're my favorite voice in this fanbase. Can we be friends or something? 386. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 5:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Kyle Busch is on fire! 10 Top 5 finishes in the last 13 races. Jeff Gordon's 299th career Top 5 is the equivalent of finishing in the Top 5 in Kyle Busch's entire career,who made his 299th career start in this race. Bad Brad gets his 48th career Top 10 in a race won by the #48. 387. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.08.2013 - 6:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Jabber, The major difference between Jimmie and both Earnhardt and Petty is growth and decline. Petty's and Earnhardt's championship occurred in times of growth of Nascar, while Johnson's have all come in a declining era of Nascar. Legacy-wise, Jimmie Johnson will never match the King or the Intimidator in the eyes of millions of fans regardless of how many championships he wins. 388. Benjamin Lowe posted: 04.08.2013 - 6:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wrestling has it's own version of Jimmie Johnson he's called John Cena. 389. Anthony posted: 04.08.2013 - 6:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Well Jeff Gordon was always my favorite driver and I've started being a NASCAR fan in 2001 & since then I'm watching a guy who's now in the Top12 in points racing for the championship this year. See I'm about 4 months away from turning 15 (August 6) I'm the rein man of NASCAR so next week Jeff Gordon will get his 300th Top5 Finish he will make his 700th start at Darlington Raceway in about a month & just about 30 races till Homestead & Jeff Gordon will probably end his career if not it could be the end of 2014. 390. Anthony posted: 04.08.2013 - 6:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey you get the feeling they were 12 cautions in this race when was the last time that happen? 2009 who won that race? Jimmie Johnson. 391. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 7:27 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Every Driver with double-digit Podium finishes in the Modern era: -1. Jeff Gordon 208 -2. Dale Earnhardt 205 -3. Darrell Waltrip 203 -4. Richard Petty 170 -5. Mark Martin 169 -6. Bobby Allison 156 -7. Cale Yarborough 152 -8. Jimmie Johnson 134 -9. Rusty Wallace 132 10. Tony Stewart 117 11. Terry Labonte 102 12. Bill Elliott 101 13. Ricky Rudd 100 14. Dale Jarrett 98 15. Benny Parsons 91 15. David Pearson 91 17. Buddy Baker 75 17. Bobby Labonte 75 19. Harry Gant 74 20. Matt Kenseth 72 21. Jeff Burton 70 22. Kyle Busch 65 22. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 65 24. Geoff Bodine 63 25. Kurt Busch 61 25. Denny Hamlin 61 27. Kevin Harvick 59 28. Carl Edwards 58 29. Neil Bonnett 45 30. Greg Biffle 44 30. Kasey Kahne 44 32. Ernie Irvan 43 33. Ryan Newman 41 34. Davey Allison 40 35. Sterling Marlin 39 36. Tim Richmond 29 37. Morgan Shepherd 29 38. Ken Schrader 28 39. Kyle Petty 27 40. Jeremy Mayfield 25 41. Dave Marcis 24 42. Donnie Allison 23 42. Jamie McMurray 23 44. Clint Bowyer 22 44. Alan Kulwicki 22 46. Brad Keselowski 20 47. Michael Waltrip 18 48. Ward Burton 15 49. Bobby Isaac 13 49. Juan Montoya 13 49. Martin Truex Jr. 13 52. Bobby Hamilton 11 52. Joe Nemechek 11 52. Lennie Pond 11 392. Harv29 posted: 04.08.2013 - 8:44 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Paul said: "On the other hand, signing Jeff Burton or Bobby Labonte would bring some stability and leadership to a team that has none for 1-2 seasons, and could provide Larson with a mentor driver who could mentally prepare him for Cup before he gets there. I still think that Labonte can have good results with the right team, and joining a team with good equipment, but no stability like EGR might be a good signing for both sides. It would make Labonte more competitive than he had been since at least his Petty years, and it would provide good leadership in the EGR garage that has been lacking since Sterling Marlin left after the '05 season." Nice post, Paul. Few of us were talking about the future of Jeff Burton during the race, and this point you made was brought up. Burton, who ran a solid race yesterday, would be a good mentor for the next young gun rising up to the Cup series. Bobby Labonte is due the same comments as well. 393. cjs3872 posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anthony and JG24FF, it would be more fitting if Gordon tied or passed David Pearson on the all-time top 5's list in the Southern 500 at Darlington. At 299, Gordon is only two top five finishes away from tying Pearson for third all-time in that category. Pearson scored 301 top five finishes in his legendary career and is Darlington's all-time wins leader with 10. So while Gordon's next top 5 will be #300, the next one after that will tie him with the Silver Fox for third all-time behind only Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. And I think he'll pass Allison for second in 2015 and may still get to 500 top 10 finishes, which I predicted late in 2011 he'd do. 394. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just realized that in both Martinsville races that DSFF missed (Spring '10, spring '12), Jeff Gordon got punted out of the lead by the 3rd place car on a G-W-C. Dude, you've gotta do me a favor and never miss a Martinsville race again. I'd rather take a 3rd place finish where he never led a lap than a BS 14th place finish after he led 321 laps. Wow, David Pearson is ranked 15th on the modern era Podium finishes list? So that's why cjs only ranked him 7th on his greatest drivers list. Kasey Kahne may have tied Fonty Flock in all-time top five finishes and surpasses Ernie Irvan in all-time top ten finishes, but he'll never have as much personality in his entire body that they had in their little finger. Besides, it took Kasey 17 more starts, zero broken bones, and no serious title fights to finally pass Ernie Irvan in all-time top tens, and a staggering 176 more starts, zero uncrowned championships (Fonty was the deserving 1951 champion), and race cars that are built for 500-mile races to tie Fonty Flock in all-time top fives. In other words, stats don't matter, Kasey Kahne will never be as great as Ernie and Fonty were in their hey-day. Also, Tim Richmond has fewer seasons where he ran every Cup race (4) than Clint Bowyer had top five finishes (5) in what may be the most undeserved 3rd place points finish in the modern era in 2007. By the way, Tim Richmond won more races (7) than Clint had top fives in '07 when he posted arguably the most exciting 3rd place points finish in the modern era in 1986. In fact, 5 was the number of lead lap finishes that Richmond had in '86 that weren't victories. Of those five lead lap/non-win finishes, only one wasn't a 2nd place finish, and oddly enough was actually a 7th place finish. I'm glad that Clint was able to get rid of most of that bad taste with a deserving top three points finish last season (credited 2nd, should have been 3rd), but I just thought I'd give Richmond some well-deserved hype. Oh, it took Bowyer 74 more starts to surpass Richmond on the all-time top fives list (he's still behind in Podium finishes), and it took him 248 starts to wins more total races (8) than Richmond won in 1986 alone. Congrats to Mark Martin on reaching 450 career top ten finishes. He only needs 105 more top tens to have the same number of top tens as Richard Petty has top fives. ;) I'm not dissing Mark, I'm just putting over The King. Also, congrats to Jimmie Johnson on leading over 14,000 career laps. I'm not sure where that ranks him all-time, but I'm sure he's in the top ten. He's currently on pace for his 7th straight season with at least 1,000 laps led, and might be on pace for his second 2,000 laps led season, which he also did in 2009. In other words, somebody please stop this guy! The only major statistics that Jeff Gordon is still ranked behind Dale Earnhardt in are top tens, laps completed, laps led, and career average finish. He'll definitely pass him in laps completed this season and will more than likely pass him in top tens (only 13 more), but I highly doubt he'll even come close to passing him in laps led (maybe in three more seasons) and I think Dale's 1.4 position advantage in average finish is safe. Any predictions as to when Jeff passes Dale in career top ten finishes? I think fall Talladega would be most fitting since that was the site of Dale's last win and where Jeff passes Dale in all-time victories, but I'd like to think he could break that mark before then. Eliminating all tracks between 1.5- and 2.0-miles in length (excluding Atlanta), I can see him passing Dale in top tens at Atlanta, which is 19 races from now. Now only would that make sense, but it would also be fitting, not just because of how much success both drivers have had there, but also because that was the site of Dale's 428th and final top ten finish in 2000 season finale. I think that would be very fitting. 395. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) For Jeff Gordon to tie or pass David Pearson in all-time top fives at Darlington (which I agree would be fitting), he would have to earn one or two more in the next four races, which are Texas, Kansas, Richmond, and Talladega. He finished 4th at Texas last spring and finished 2nd in the fall races at Richmond and Talladega, plus he had a top five run going at fall Kansas before falling back to 10th after a late restart. I think there's a good chance that he gets one or two top fives in the next four races, and is able to pass or tie Pearson in top fives in the Southern 500 at Darlington. I think it'd be better if he passed him in top fives at Darlington just because Pearson is likely to be there and congratulate Jeff in person, just like how Jeff passed Dale Earnhardt in all-time wins at Dale's "second home" at Talladega in 2007. 396. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Wow, David Pearson is ranked 15th on the modern era Podium finishes list? So that's why cjs only ranked him 7th on his greatest drivers list." 91 in 206 races is the best percentage in the Modern era. Pearson also has the highest Modern win and pole percentage too. 397. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:42 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) If any driver deserved the moniker of "All he does is win," it would be David Pearson. The 2010 #11 team can take their little cute nickname they gave themselves and shove it for all I care. 398. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ryan Truex broke his collarbone in two places over Easter, and so his Cup debut will be pushed back from Richmond to Dover. A.J. Allmendinger will drive the #51 at Richmond instead. 399. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If any driver deserved the moniker of "All he does is win," it would be David Pearson." You ever heard of Pearson's 11 straight poles at Charlotte? Or how his final two wins came in consecutive starts,both at Darlington with two different teams? 400. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You ever heard of Pearson's 11 straight poles at Charlotte?" He had 14 total poles at Charlotte (fall '61, fall '72, fall '73-fall '78, spring '82) for three different teams. Of his 14 Charlotte poles, he went on to win three races from the pole (including the '74 and '76 World 600s). And of the 11 races that he finished, he had a worst finish of 6th and only three finishes worse than 3rd. "Or how his final two wins came in consecutive starts, both at Darlington with two different teams?" And the first of those two consecutive Darlington wins was as a replacement for injured rookie driver Dale Earnhardt, who went on to win 9 Darlington races, including three Southern 500s. Pearson won 10 Darlington races, including three Southern 500s, for four different teams. Of those 10 victories, his worst starting position was 5th, and he led over 100 laps in his first five wins between '68-'74, including two wins where he led over 200 laps (the '72 and '73 spring races; the '73 race was 500 miles). He also led over 100 laps in the '72 Southern 500, and the '75 and '77 Rebel 500s. In those three races, he finished 2nd in the '72 Southern 500 because Bobby Allison was even more dominant than Pearson, finished 7th in the '75 Rebel 500 after leading 239 of the first 350 laps before crashing out with 17 laps to go in a car that was two years old, and he finished 4th in the '77 Rebel 500 after leading 201 laps because Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, and Richard Petty ignored the "gentleman's agreement" and passed Pearson late in the race after he slowed down to avoid a wreck. And of course, we all know about the 1980 Southern 500 when Pearson was leading the race coming up to two laps to go when suddenly he, Earnhardt, and Benny Parsons slipped in some oil (dropped from Connie Saylor's car?) and hit the wall, allowing Terry Labonte to take advantage and edge Pearson out by about a foot coming to the race-ending caution flag to win his first race. Pearson should have won 13 Darlington races and had four Southern 500 victories, but circumstances changed the outcome in three of those "should have won" races. I'm sure there are probably a few other "should have won" Darlington races that The Silver Fox got the short end of the stick on as well. 401. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cjs having Pearson 7th on his list is an embarrassment. He only made 574 starts. He didn't have as many chances to get "podiums" (for the record, I hate that freaking stat). That just shows that stats don't tell the entire story. 402. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He only made 574 starts. He didn't have as many chances to get "podiums" (for the record, I hate that freaking stat)." How about this? Pearson was running at the finish in 125 races in the Modern era. 91 Podiums in 125 comes out to a .728 average while running at the finish. 403. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 12:39 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) "Jeff is without a doubt the best out there currently in tire fall off races. And yes, Atlanta '11 is the best example. JJ's car was SO much better in the end, but once they got to slipping and sliding, it was Jeff." So,he's the best when the driver counts for the most? Not a surprise. 404. David posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:10 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Average Running Position for Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson - 1.482 Kyle Busch - 3.596 Matt Kenseth - 3.884 Jeff Gordon - 6.240 Kasey Kahne - 7.334 Brad Keselowski - 7.946 Jamie McMurray - 8.256 Clint Bowyer - 8.590 Kevin Harvick - 9.016 Brian Vickers - 10.776 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 12.318 Jeff Burton - 14.246 Marcos Ambrose - 14.776 Joey Logano - 14.800 Tony Stewart - 15.522 Greg Biffle - 16.477 Carl Edwards - 16.574 Ryan Newman - 19.058 Paul Menard - 19.691 Aric Almirola - 19.942 Mark Martin - 20.954 Casey Mears - 22.044 Bobby Labonte - 23.604 Regan Smith - 24.182 Kurt Busch - 24.242 Danica Patrick - 25.916 David Gilliland - 26.068 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - 28.370 Juan Pablo Montoya - 28.864 Martin Truex, Jr. - 29.938 J.J Yeley - 30.650 David Stremme - 30.699 David Ragan - 31.124 David Reutimann - 31.290 Dave Blaney - 32.146 Landon Cassill - 35.282 Ken Schrader - 35.431 Travis Kvapil - 35.844 Josh Wise - 36.416 Joe Nemechek - 36.652 Scott Speed - 40.856 Scott Riggs - 41.934 Michael McDowell - 42.870 And for those who were confused about my earlier post, passing efficiency is the percentage of green-flag pass encounters that resulted in a pass. For example, if a driver passes 31 times, but is passed 14 times, his passing efficiency is: 31/(31+14) = 68.89% 405. Eric posted: 04.08.2013 - 1:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Joey2448, Replacing Dario Franchitti is good question. There is a combination of factors for Dario's decline including Dan's Death. Dario lost a friend before in racing before Dan, he lost Greg Moore in 1999. There is the issue of age for Dario and the new car doesn't fit Dario's liking also. Some Open Wheel Drivers are still in their primes in the 40's in some cases, but not in their prime either in some cases. It is very hard to say who would be a replacement for Dario because of how Indy Car owners hire that drivers. I also don't know what Indy Car and F1 drivers are still under contract for 2014. I am saying F1 because Indycar had F1 drivers in the past race in Indy Car or CART. 406. Daniel posted: 04.08.2013 - 3:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) 45 entered at Texas: -Brian Vickers in the #11 -Trevor Bayne in the #21 -A.J. Allmendinger in the #51 -Mark Martin in the #55 407. ch posted: 04.08.2013 - 4:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Sponsor changes: 36 - United Mining Equipment / Pitt Lite 87 - Maddie's Place 408. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) The amount of Cup drivers entered in the Nationwide race at Texas is too damn high! Carl Edwards thankfully bowed out after seven years of full-time double duty because he could no longer contend for a championship due to the new points system, and now Roush has three regulars (Bayne, Pastrana, and Buescher) to develop in his Nationwide cars. I just wish that JGR driver and that Penske driver could do the same. It doesn't help that another JGR driver and two Hendrick drivers (guess which ones) are also entered. Hopefully a Nationwide regular like Hornish, Sadler, or Smith can pull off the upset this weekend, as I am sick of watching Cup drivers dominate two days in a row. At least the Truck race will be pure. No Cup drivers at The Rock, after Kasey Kahne was the only one that showed up last year and won the race. My four drivers I would watch out for are James Buescher, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, and Kyle Larson. Last year, Buescher finished 2nd, Crafton finished 3rd after leading a season-high 40 laps, Sauter finished 4th despite a terrible start to the season and an overall bad season (imagine how well he will do now that he's performing better than anyone), and Larson will be driving for the same team that Nelson Piquet, Jr. led 107 laps in last year, and would have won had he not gotten busted for speeding. Anyone else who wins would be an upset in my book. 409. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 4:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Oh by the way, Carl Edwards will be in the booth along with Allen Bestwick and Andy Petree for the next three Nationwide races at Texas, Richmond, and Talladega. I don't mind him in the booth, but I just know that the other commentators are going to be glossing over him the entire race. 410. cjs3872 posted: 04.08.2013 - 5:22 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, I put Pearson seventh (and probably eighth with Jimmie gets a few more years like this completed), mostly because of the lack of depth in the fields he raced against, not hat there was anything he could do about it. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd have Richard Petty #1 for the same reason if not for his overwhelming statistics, which can not be ignored. Even Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip faced deeper fields than Pearson did, and Yarborogh and Allison were contemporaries of Pearson, and Waltrip had a number of battles with Pearson as well. The strategy Pearson used, which Bobby Allison has admitted to getting upset over, was that since there were only about six or seven cars capable of winning, at most, Pearson would just wait to see how many of the others were left, if there were any left, and then race to the end with the remaining contenders, and quite often, there were just one or two that Pearson just had to race, and there were races where he didn't really have to race anybody. The competition in Pearson's heyday, while extremely top-heavy (Petty, Baker, the Allison brothers when both competed, Yarborough, Parsons, Waltrip at the end of Pearson's run, and Foyt when he competed), was not very deep. And because the pool of contenders was shallow, albeit top-heavy, it was not hard for drivers to pile up impressive statistics. For instance, James Hylton finished in the top ten in about half his 601 starts. What does that tell you about the depth of the competition, or lack of it? 411. murb posted: 04.08.2013 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Hopefully a Nationwide regular like Hornish, Sadler, or Smith can pull off the upset this weekend, as I am sick of watching Cup drivers dominate two days in a row." I hope so too. NNS is by far my least favorite of the top three series. I used to love the Busch Series in the late 90s and early 2000s when it was still kind of like a minor league series, but now everyone (even the broadcast networks) just look at it as the "preliminary" Cup race. Whenever they say "So and so won the preliminary race yesterday", it severely pisses me off. But it's sad because when you start to think about it, it really has turned into just a preliminary Cup knock off. Three or four Cup guys in the field is fine, but when the Cup guys start to turn into double digits, it's just stupid. "It is very hard to say who would be a replacement for Dario because of how Indy Car owners hire that drivers." Charlie Kimball has been improving a lot on Ganassi's Toro Rosso-esque development team thing (that Graham Rahal also used to drive for), so maybe him. There's a bunch of other young guys too that would be good like Josef Newgarden, Tristan Vautier, and Simon Pagenaud. And hell, as much as I hate Sebastien Bourdais, I think it would be fun to see him in a top flight IndyCar ride again (at least it would be fun for the first five minutes - I would get sick of him once he started winning). So I think all of those would be good replacements for Dario if he were to leave (which I highly doubt will happen, but you never know). And as for why Dario has been struggling in IndyCar, I think it's the new car. He never got a hold of it last year, and it looks like it's carried over to this year. Bad luck has played into it too I think, but his inability to figure out the new car is definitely a part of it. 412. Benjamin Lowe posted: 04.08.2013 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) The Rock & John Cena Ladies and Gentlemen The Rock & John Cena. 413. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) My mistake. It looks like both Harvick and Logano will be in the Truck race at Rockingham. I didn't think Harvick was going to run any Truck races other than the two Martinsville races, so I was surprised to see he was on the entry list. He'll be doing triple duty this weekend. Yikes. Sebastien Bourdais should have a top tier IndyCar ride. He was arguably the best post-merger CART driver, winning 31 races and four straight titles in five seasons. Plus, he finished on the Podium in all three of his Grand-Am starts last season, including a win at Indianapolis (thanks in part to JPM's "bull in a china shop" mentality). He's definitely one driver that would fill Franchitti's shoes nicely, if in fact Franchitti were to leave open wheel (which for all I know is pure speculation). Charlie Kimball would probably get the ride if that were to happen because of his sponsor and youth, but I think Bourdais would produce much better results if given the opportunity in great equipment. 414. 83andJoe posted: 04.08.2013 - 7:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Casey Mears' 350th Cup start. 415. murb posted: 04.08.2013 - 7:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He'll be doing triple duty this weekend. Yikes." What an idiot. And yes, I consider myself a fan of his. But what an idiot. Why run the Truck race? Way back in the day when Rockingham was still on the Cup schedule, Harvick was incredibly outspoken about how it was his least favorite track on the circuit. SO WHY ARE YOU RUNNING THE TRUCK RACE THEN? FOCUS ON THE CUP CAR!!!! I guess I probably shouldn't be surprised though. Remember when he skipped Cup practice at Atlanta in 2006 (when he was still in championship contention) to fly to Memphis for a meaningless Busch race (after he already had the Busch title clinched)? That right there showed how stupid he can be sometimes. I love watching him race and I love his "tell it like it is" persona (within reason - I certainly don't agree with every thing he says), but I think his never ending double (and in this case triple) dipping into the lower series is the biggest thing that pisses me off about him. Same goes for Kyle Busch. As for Logano, I'm actually not as mad about that one. He only has one career Truck start, so it's not like he's always stinking it up down there (although from what I hear he'll be doing a bunch of other Truck races for Brad this year). And he's finally starting to focus solely on the Cup car which is a good thing. So as long as he doesn't go down to Rockingham and put a bunch of young and/or underfunded drivers in the wall (like he's done in NNS before), I'll be okay with him doing that race. I'll absolutely be rooting against him though, lol 416. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Pearson would just wait to see how many of the others were left, if there were any left, and then race to the end with the remaining contenders, and quite often, there were just one or two that Pearson just had to race, and there were races where he didn't really have to race anybody." You shouldn't deduct credit from Pearson just because he was smart and very smooth. For such a "conservative" driver his laps led to laps completed ratio is pretty high. Example: Dale Earnhardt led 25,684 of 202,888 laps completed David Pearson led 25,291 of 135,020 laps completed Dale only led 393 more laps but with 67,868 more laps completed! 417. Jim Davis posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "What an idiot. And yes, I consider myself a fan of his. But what an idiot. Why run the Truck race?" Usually when people do things they don't like it's because they don't have any choice in the manner. In Harvick's case I would guess that he is obligated to run the truck race to maintain sponsorship on the ride which in turn was a condition of the sale of his team to Childress. "So as long as he doesn't go down to Rockingham and put a bunch of young and/or underfunded drivers in the wall (like he's done in NNS before), I'll be okay with him doing that race." He doesn't put them in the wall because they are young and underfunded; he puts them in the wall because they are not on the lead lap and they are racing him. It sounds arrogant and it is but to be entirely fair to Logano the majority of drivers feel exactly the same way. The attitude is "If you are not fighting for position or fighting to stay on the lead lap stay out of my way or you are fair game." Most drivers will have this attitude until they achieve a certain level of success and can afford to be more patient. Until that happens lap cars that take away your line or "don't give you enough room" are treated as chances to bring out a caution to bunch the field and make up some time on the track. Yes, it looked cold-blooded and premeditated when Logano sent a several laps down Johanna Long into the wall late last year. But Logano's attitude is "Why should I have to lift for someone several laps down? What's in for me? If she's going to run around several laps down stay out of the way!" Yes, we don't like Logano here, so we chalk it up to rich boy arrogance (ignoring the fact that Long's family spent much more on her racing career than Logano's did on his) but back in the day Earnhardt, Wallace, Gordon, and Stewart raced the same way. 418. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This free edition of Monday Night Raw is a lot better than the $60 Wrestlemania from last night. "Dale Earnhardt led 25,684 of 202,888 laps completed David Pearson led 25,291 of 135,020 laps completed Dale only led 393 more laps but with 67,868 more laps completed!" ALL HE DOES IS WIN! Oh, and lead a shit ton of laps too. 419. cjs3872 posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Again, JG24FF, the knock I have on Pearson has nothing to do with the way he raced, but rather the shallow depth of the fields when he was at his best. Sure, the the competition was top-heavy back then, but there was very litle depth. Pearson was probably the most intelligent driver in the history of the sport, a talent he used to great advantage, but he just didn't have to race very many other competitors, and sometimes didn't have to race anyone. When the overall level of competition started to get tougher in the late 70s, he began to tail off because his conservative style of racing just didn't work any more because there were more guys to beat. Richard Petty began to tail off at he same time for the same reason, though he had one championship season left in him as history would later report, in 1979, but he and Pearson tailed off at almost the exact same time, and I suspect for the same reason, though in Petty's case, injuries didn't help matters any. That's the astounding thing about David Pearson. As far as I know, he was never injured in a race car as a result of an accident. 420. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 9:56 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Here's an article by Ed Hinton called: Pearson: Just drive the car Enjoy. Is this really -- honestly now -- an age of high technology? Brilliant engineering? Precision, scientific driving? Tiny changes that make huge differences in setups? David Pearson wonders. "Half the time I don't believe they know what they're talking about," he says of today's drivers and crew chiefs. "Now, whoever heard of putting a quarter-pound of air in a tire and you can tell the difference?" He is 74. In his opinion, rather than pitting for an extra hiss of air in a tire, "all they've got to do is move up or down the track half a car width, three or four feet, and it'll be the same thing." He rolls his eyes at all the talk of aero push, and of the high center of gravity that makes "the new car" push even more, and of overcorrecting the setup to make it maddeningly loose. "I can't believe it's as bad as some of 'em say," he says. "Moving up a lane or down a lane, you can make a car push, or get loose, whatever. "A lot of people tell me, 'The car's pushing real bad.' And I say, 'Well, can you spin it out?' They say, 'Well, yeah, I can spin it out.' "I say, 'Well, it ain't pushing too much, then.'" Just who is David Pearson to talk? He was the best NASCAR driver there ever has been, and probably ever will be, and I am by no means alone in that opinion. What a pity that he'll have to sit out Saturday night's late-model race for legendary drivers at Bristol, Tenn., with an ailing back. What a pity you, the current generation of NASCAR enthusiasts -- and we, the generation that remembers -- won't get to see that sublime, oh-so-easy-looking style that could always put the car precisely where it was supposed to be, and never anywhere else. In 1999, Sports Illustrated put together a voting panel of 40 NASCAR experts with high seniority in the sport -- from Dale Earnhardt to Bill France Jr. to Junior Johnson, and all the top veterans in between ... from Ned Jarrett, who had seen it all through his windshield and in his mirrors, and seen it all from the TV booth, to MRN radio anchor Barney Hall, who has probably seen more laps of racing, from a bird's-eye view with high focus on the goings-on, than anyone else ... They were asked to vote on NASCAR's Driver of the Century -- and therefore, since NASCAR still wasn't and still isn't a century old, NASCAR's best driver of all time. When the points were tallied, the Driver of the Century -- the best ever -- was David Pearson. Petty took no offense whatsoever -- indeed, whenever I've asked him about NASCAR's best driver, he has answered with this soliloquy. Best of the best? "Pearson. Pearson could beat you on a short track, he could beat you on a superspeedway, he could beat you on a road course, he could beat you on a dirt track. "It didn't hurt as bad to lose to Pearson as it did to some of the others, because I knew how good he was." Pearson's 105 Cup wins are second only to Petty's 200, and Pearson drove only 574 races, less than half Petty's total. By winning percentage, Pearson would have won 216 races, easily the record, if he had been in the same number of races as Petty (1,184). And some years he wasn't in as good equipment as Petty. Ah! you say. But Earnhardt and Petty won seven championships each. Pearson won only three. Listen: Pearson ran the full schedule only three times in his career -- 1966, '68 and '69 -- and all three times, he won the championship. In 1973, with the Wood Brothers, Pearson entered only 18 races. He won 11. No driver, before or since, has come close to that season's winning average (.611). Sixty-three times, Pearson and Petty came in 1-2, one way or the other. Of those, Pearson won 33 to Petty's 30. "I always told him that was because he was in better cars," Petty cracked, knowing that most of the time the opposite was true. So why has Pearson's career not resounded more, down through NASCAR history? Because, as he has often put it with such characteristic simplicity, "I was bashful." Petty was a media darling -- flashy, articulate in his homespun way. Pearson, often as not, would hide from us. He was and is a shy man, always calm, viewing everything, especially racing, with simple common sense. He drove what he was given to drive, without complaining. It wasn't a matter of forcing the best out of a car, but letting the car do the best it could. Old Darlington Raceway, considered Pearson's home track because he's always lived in Spartanburg, S.C., was and is the most difficult, challenging NASCAR track there is -- this by consensus of drivers old and young. Pearson won more races there than anyone else to this day, 10. After one of those, as we wondered aloud at his mastery of the warped, truly egg-shaped old track with its humps and bumps and jutting-out walls and uneven banking, he stopped our chatter cold. "Now why do y'all keep talkin' about this racetrack? There ain't nothin' wrong with this racetrack," he said. He accepted and mastered what he was given to work with. Always. His elegant simplicity holds, even in his sparse remarks when he is asked about current drivers. Kyle Busch? "He's good. No doubt about it." Pearson has always told me that of all current drivers, Jeff Gordon reminds him most of himself. Still true? "Gordon's smart." And, "Carl Edwards is smart. But Kyle just loves to run wide open all the time. If he can get a car to stay under him, he's gonna run good -- if he don't wreck." Who of the current crop would Pearson like to race against? "All of 'em." Which brings us back to modern-day drivers' biggest chronic complaint, the new car, or the Car of Tomorrow. How would Pearson have adapted? "I don't know," he says, bashfully. "You'll have to ask Leonard." Leonard Wood was his crew chief during the glory years, and the Wood Brothers are still racing, with veteran Bill Elliott trying to sort out the so-called new car. Wood's answer is both overly simplistic and overly complex. Simplistically, "He runs a car like it's supposed to run," Wood says (and note how he still speaks of Pearson in the present tense). "He takes the line you're supposed to run." That is, he lets the car do its best, rather than forcing it to do its best. "So I'm sure he would have done really well" with the new car, Wood says. The new car gives current drivers fits because it either pushes too much or is too loose. Looseness is the overwhelming issue for those trying to win races in it. Now the complex part. "He brakes with his right foot," Wood says, still in present tense. The great majority of NASCAR drivers, from Pearson's time till now, have been left-foot brakers, often dragging the brake pedal with the left foot, even while on the accelerator with the right. "So he's not on the brakes if it's not necessary," Wood continues. "You don't need to use brakes if you don't have to. A person can use a lot of brakes and upset the car." So in the new car, "maybe it would be loose for some people, but it wouldn't be loose for him," Wood says of Pearson. Wood is certain of only one thing about David Pearson and modern-day NASCAR racing: "I wish he was 30 years younger." So do I. And so should you. 421. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:06 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "but back in the day Earnhardt, Wallace, Gordon, and Stewart raced the same way." Those guys raced that way in the Cup Series because it was the series that actually mattered to them and they were racing for a championship. Logano has only driven like an ass in the Nationwide Series; a series that doesn't even pay points for him and against competition with pitiful equipment in comparison. When he wrecked Tim Bainey, Jr. at Dover, he had a large lead on the rest of the field, and being asshole and dumping Bainey in the middle of the corner only brought the field in closer and almost cost him the win to Ryan Truex. And when he wrecked Johanna Long at Homestead, he was having a terrible race and was running outside the top 15, and took his frustrations out on a part-time non-Cup driver who couldn't pay him back the next day. At least when Dale was wrecking Geoff Bodine and Terry Labonte, Jeff was having his run-ins with Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer, and Tony was being Tony to whomever dared to get in his way, they were doing so to drivers with the equipment and full-time ride to stand up for themselves and pay them back. Joey Logano on the other hand wrecks two part-time Nationwide drivers driving for teams that are just trying to survive in this sport (SR2 Motorsports and ML Motorsports), in a series that means nothing to him as far as winning championships. Also, I don't recall Dale, Rusty, Jeff, or Tony taunting another driver over the radio after they "unintentionally" sent them into the wall on the last lap, and then continue to defend their actions after it is revealed that the driver they wrecked suffered an injury that will keep them out of action for a few weeks. Dale comes close to tears after he unintentionally sent Rusty flipping at Talladega '93, Joey shows no signs of sadness or sorrow after possibly permanently damaging Denny Hamlin's career. It may sound like I'm getting off topic by comparing an incident that Joey had with a full-time competitor, but it just goes to show you the differences between he and Dale, even though they both supposedly dump people that don't get out of their way. May I remind you of the 1989 IROC race at Nazareth when Dale and Danny Sullivan had an on-track shoving match, and after the race Dale walks up to Sullivan in victory lane and congratulates him on a hard fought victory. I can only imagine Joey Logano doing the same thing, like at Michigan '10 after he and Ryan Newman had a hard fought battle for position, or at Bristol a few weeks ago after he and Denny Hamlin had a hard fought battle for 2nd. Oh wait that's right. Not only did he not congratulate them after the race, but he proceeded to cause a big fuss in the media by complaining about the way they were racing him. You're comparing apples and oranges when you say that what Joey does and what drivers like Dale did to their opponents are the same thing. One guy was a racer who loved competing against other drivers and expected them to race him the way he raced them, and the other is a driver who expects others to roll over and move out of his way, and not dare to race him hard. That's the difference. 422. murb posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "In Harvick's case I would guess that he is obligated to run the truck race to maintain sponsorship on the ride which in turn was a condition of the sale of his team to Childress." He's driving for Joe Dennette/NTS/whatever the hell that team is called, not Childress. "He doesn't put them in the wall because they are young and underfunded; he puts them in the wall because they are not on the lead lap and they are racing him." I don't disagree with you here. But I do think that part of it is because he doesn't realize how hard these underfunded guys have it, since he's had top of the line equipment for his entire career. I wish he would have at least apologized or something for the times last year where he blatantly took out underfunded cars. When he was in victory lane at Dover (the race where he took out Tim Bainey Jr on the backstretch), he didn't even mention or apologize to him or anything. Pretty smug move, in my opinion. "(ignoring the fact that Long's family spent much more on her racing career than Logano's did on his)" I have no idea if that is true or not, but if it is, at least Johanna has been completely classful and humble while working her ass off in junky equipment, unlike Logano who has been about as ungrateful as anyone I've ever seen. 423. Benjamin Lowe posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:15 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) Where the heck did they find this crowd for Raw tonight they are absolutely insane. 424. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "As far as I know, he was never injured in a race car as a result of an accident." He never even made a trip to the hospital! The biggest reason is that he almost never made mistakes,unlike almost all other great champions. Pearson,to me,is the best because of his all-around ability. 113 Poles in 574 starts--58 in 206 Modern era starts. 23 Dirt track wins in 90 starts 51 Superspeedway wins in 297 starts 27 Short track wins in 162 starts 4 Road-Race wins in 25 starts I promise I won't change my mind about who's #1 anymore. 425. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David Pearson is the man! I completely agree with him when he was basically knocking the current drivers for complaining about the cars, rather than making the proper adjustments on the track to make it faster. In the words of the late great "Suitcase" Jake Elder: "OK, now it's right. Here, you go drive it. And don't come back in complaining to me, because I got the car fixed. You go learn how to drive it." I think it's the crew chief's job to make the car go fast, and it's the driver's job to make it work. The drivers need to be more independent in their race cars and quit expecting their crew chiefs to make everything all better. As for who was better, Richard Petty or David Pearson, the two of them had a funny exchange during either a group interview or a Q&A session or something a few years back. I forget the exact dialogue, but basically when asked who was the better of the two, Richard Petty said "David Pearson was the better driver." And when the question was asked to Pearson, the quiet and reserved Silver Fox replied "I ain't gonna argue with him." HAHA! "Pearson has always told me that of all current drivers, Jeff Gordon reminds him most of himself. Still true? "Gordon's smart."" I always felt that Gordon's driving style and career was most similar to Pearson's back in the day. Both had the bulk of their wins in a 13-year period (Pearson '64-'76, Gordon '95-'07), were winners in three different decades, have won races in two different generations of race cars (Gordon can break that tie by winning a race this season), were always among the sport's best throughout their entire careers from beginning to end, and also have that unfortunate "What if..." hanging over their careers (Pearson with his mostly part-time career, Gordon with his personal life distractions and injuries). Plus, they were both great at waiting in the wings during races and waiting for the right opportunity to make a pass for the lead, knew how to conserve their equipment for those long races, and also knew how to dominate an entire race when their car was good enough to do so. If there was a statistic that could measure the percentage of errors made by drivers in their careers, I'd imagine both Pearson and Gordon would have two of the lowest percentage errors in NASCAR history. 426. Cornys posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Looking at the points standings, I'm slightly disappointed. Imagine what all we'd have to talk about if it wasn't for the Chase.. I find that the first 26 races really don't matter to those top drivers who will make the chase short of disaster. It's very disappointing to me. I was hardly able to remember the day in which there wasn't a Chase, but I do beleive that I for the first time in my life have taken a distaste for it. It just took some reflection and analization on my part. 427. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Totally with you Benjamin. This crowd has been on fire all night, and is one reason why I'm still watching after almost three hours. I'll never understand why in recent years, the night-after-Wrestlemania crowd has so much energy and the Wrestlemania crowd has almost none. The Canadian fans always make the shows entertaining, and they haven't disappointed tonight. Oh, and I totally marked out after Dolph Ziggler FINALLY cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the World title. It's been awhile since I was excited to see a World title change hands (CM Punk's 1+ year long title reign should have never ended), but I'm pretty stoked about this. 428. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If there was a statistic that could measure the percentage of errors made by drivers in their careers, I'd imagine both Pearson and Gordon would have two of the lowest percentage errors in NASCAR history." If there was a statistic that could measure the percentage of bad luck heaped upon 3 Time champions in their careers, I'd imagine Gordon would have the highest percentage in NASCAR history;) 429. David posted: 04.08.2013 - 10:59 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "In Harvick's case I would guess that he is obligated to run the truck race to maintain sponsorship on the ride which in turn was a condition of the sale of his team to Childress." Harvick sold his Truck team to Eddie Sharp. 430. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I think that the only saving grace for the Chase is a proper points reset with points intervals between each position BEFORE the bonus points for wins are added. I would have a 10 point interval between each position and add three points for every regular season win. This would still give the drivers an incentive to win races, while rewarding the drivers based on their regular season performance. A driver would have to win four more races than the driver ranked ahead of them to leap frog them in points. This would prevent a driver from jumping up from 10th to 1st in the points just because of their amount of wins, while also giving drivers a chance to move up in the pre-Chase standings if they clearly outperformed the driver originally ranked ahead of them, which I think a 4-win advantage justifies. And I would ditch the whole top 12/wildcard format. If you're not in the top 10 by race 26, no Chase for you. Kyle Petty has suggested in the past that each week, one driver would be eliminated from the Chase. I'm not sure if I would do that, unless the Chase drivers received Chase points based on their finishing position amongst the other Chase drivers, but what I would like to have is a mulligan system that throws out each drivers' worst finishing position for the first five Chase races, which allows teams to take more risks in the first part of the Chase, knowing that they could afford one bad race. For seasons like this season, I might extend the mulligan system to cover the first six Chase races so that it would include Talladega, which may be the biggest wildcard race on the circuit and is likely to take out a few Chase contenders. Of course, I would rather there not be a Chase at all so that we wouldn't have to have seasons like 2004 and 2007, where the rightful champion (Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, respectively) didn't win the championship. But since I'm trying to be realistic and realize that Brian France is a mark for the NFL (and apparently WWE) and is trying to turn NASCAR into a combination of those two sports, I'm trying to use the Chase and add an element of legitimacy to it, of which it currently has none. 431. David posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If there was a statistic that could measure the percentage of errors made by drivers in their careers, I'd imagine both Pearson and Gordon would have two of the lowest percentage errors in NASCAR history." Funny that you mention that the day after Gordon overshot his pit box, haha. 432. jabber1990 posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:06 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) this is one of the best things about sports...the discussions of whom is the best, whom is the worst, what-ifs, what ifn'ts? and it all is a matter of option, which means nobody is wrong, and everyone is right, as long as you produce actual facts... ...and yet everyone else says NASCAR isnt a sport 433. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "If there was a statistic that could measure the percentage of bad luck heaped upon 3 Time champions in their careers, I'd imagine Gordon would have the highest percentage in NASCAR history;)" I thought Gordon was a 4-time champion. Of course, that's another thing that Pearson and Gordon have in common, as both of them deserved to win two more championships than they officially won. Pearson should have won it in '73 and '76, and Gordon should have won it in '96 and '07. I know not everybody agrees with me on '96, but when the top two drivers each have 21 top fives and 24 top tens, and the guy with eight fewer wins winds up winning the championship, I'm calling BS on the points system. By the way, if the points system in '96 had been modified like it was from '04-'06, where the winner received an extra five points, Gordon would have won the '96 title by 3 points. 434. Jim Davis posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "He's driving for Joe Dennette/NTS/whatever the hell that team is called, not Childress." Fair enough but I would still bet that he's doing this because he's committed himself at some point. "But I do think that part of it is because he doesn't realize how hard these underfunded guys have it, since he's had top of the line equipment for his entire career." I think he realizes it; I'm sure he wouldn't be anxious to trade rides with Long. But I think his attitude is "Yes, you're underfunded. Yes, you have it hard. Then why are you making it harder for yourself by getting in the way of lead lap cars?" And that's not completely unreasonable. "I wish he would have at least apologized or something for the times last year where he blatantly took out underfunded cars." He has contacted other drivers to explain where he's coming from. Long indicated that Logano did call and explain his side of things and that she was satisfied with his explanation. Maybe Long was just being gracious but I'm guessing she doesn't think she was a victim of a hit and run. "I have no idea if that is true or not, but if it is,..." Well, her family owns a racing shop which put her in over 20 truck races with the family business as the sponsor. I don't think Tom Logano did nearly that much for Joey. He never had to. "...at least Johanna has been completely classful and humble while working her ass off in junky equipment, unlike Logano who has been about as ungrateful as anyone I've ever seen." Sure, but that's another way of saying that Logano has a lot more talent than Long. It's hard to be humble when one of the premier stock car teams puts you in a Sprint Cup ride at age 18. Or when a guy like Brad Keselowski (who knows only too well what it feels like to drive junk) lobbies Roger Penske for you to be his teammate. Yes, I like Long a lot more than I do Logano. She is humble, she is classy, she is likeable, she has shown flashes of brilliance. But is she working her ass off? Like Keselowski did? I'm not sold. 435. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Funny that you mention that the day after Gordon overshot his pit box, haha." Still more forgivable than Mark Martin driving off with the jack still under his car. 436. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) *3 Time+ champions 437. jabber1990 posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) to continue my previous thought this might be the wrong place to discuss this (since I assume were all biased here) how is NASCAR NOT a sport? they are in the gym 4-5 days a week working out, the cars are not easy to operate, big egos, high paychecks, we make our financial decisions based on what our favorite stars endorse (more here than anywhere else) hell people been getting hurt in events the past few years (McClure, Jr, Annette, Hamiln if im missing anyone else please let me know) and even they been busted for doing stupid shit that results in being place on whatever sports version TMZ is (Kyle, Kurt, that guy who made that racial slur whos name I forgot, Mayfield) and drug users (Mayfield, Almendinger, those other nationwide guys) and as I mentioned, the cars are hard to drive, we all heard the story about John C. Riley, he drove a car around for 8 laps, then they had to extricate him out cause he was so worn out, he was quoted as saying "how do they do this?" sorry about the small rant, but my point still stands, how is NASCAR not a sport and while your at it, if you want to explain to me how cheerleading isnt a sport im all ears, unless im talking...which is always 438. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "her family owns a racing shop which put her in over 20 truck races with the family business as the sponsor." They were planning on running the full Truck Series schedule in 2011, but had to skip eight races because they were running out of money. I don't recall Joey Logano ever having to withdraw from races for money-related reasons. 439. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:21 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "how is NASCAR NOT a sport?" As Ernest Hemingway once put it, "Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports. All others are games." 440. JG24FanForever posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I know not everybody agrees with me on '96, but when the top two drivers each have 21 top fives and 24 top tens, and the guy with eight fewer wins winds up winning the championship, I'm calling BS on the points system." He lost 61 points to Labonte in the first race of the season because Jeremy Mayfield got onto the back off him and turned him into the wall. He literally lost the title in the first 10 laps of the season. And after charging back to take the lead after winning Talladega,a popped tire sent him smashing into the wall in the Brickyard 400. Losing another 113 points to Labonte. Also,blown engine at the Rock,crash at Talladega,ignition trouble at Loudon,engine trouble at Charlotte. What a bullshit way to "lose" a title. 441. Paul posted: 04.08.2013 - 11:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) NFL.com has opened up their voting for the top 100 players of 2013, which ends May 31st. I like how Tim Tebow is up for voting, but I haven't come across Mark Sanchez' name yet haha. I'm hoping that a couple kickers make the top 100 just to screw around with those "tough guy" ex-football player analysts that enjoy making fun of the guys who bail them out when their offense can't get the job done. All this talk about David Pearson makes me want to reconsider my favorite drivers list. I'm going to give my list more thought next time and be sure to rank him high up on the list. He used to be the legend that I knew the least about, but thanks to the stats and that article that JG24 has been posting the past few days, and me looking through his career stats just to see them for myself and learning a few things along the way, I'm starting to become a fan of his. Funny how that works haha. 442. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 12:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "and while your at it, if you want to explain to me how cheerleading isnt a sport im all ears, unless im talking...which is always" Simple...a sport is defined as "a competitive physical activity". While cheerleading is without a doubt very physical, there are no sanctioned competitions between cheerleading squads. High school forensics teams are just as bad. They consider forensics a sport, even though there is no athletic skill involved (of course, some acting is very physical). "As Ernest Hemingway once put it, 'Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports. All others are games.'" That quote is actually erroneously credited to Hemingway. We don't know who really said it. 443. murb posted: 04.09.2013 - 12:42 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "High school forensics teams are just as bad. They consider forensics a sport, even though there is no athletic skill involved (of course, some acting is very physical)." lol, I'm in high school, and trust me, forensics isn't a sport. The forensics people at my school are all a bunch of hipsters that do drugs. Definitely pretty far from athletes. I can understand cheerleading I guess because at least they are doing physical activity, but definitely not forensics. I find it pretty hilarious when these know-it-alls talk down about auto racing. Obviously they haven't looked into it enough to realize there are some pretty crazy physical things the drivers (and pit crews for that matter) go through. It was hilarious when that Golden Tate clown was bashing it a couple years ago. I'd love to see him run a 500 mile race in a 150+ degree race car in the middle of Summer and see what he would say afterwards. 444. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It was hilarious when that Golden Tate clown was bashing it a couple years ago." Don't even get me started on him. I'm a big Notre Dame fan, but I lost all respect for him with that one stupid remark about how NASCAR drivers aren't athletes. Especially since he made those remarks towards Jimmie Johnson after he was nominated for an ESPY award for "Athlete of the Year." Johnson is probably one of the five most fit NASCAR drivers ever; not just active drivers, but of all-time. The guy spends his offseason wakeboarding (which is a very underrated athletic sport, trust me) and mountain biking with his buddy Casey Mears. So he's already doing two of the three real sports that I listed earlier from that alleged Hemingway quote. Also, he, Kasey Kahne, Michael Waltrip, and Aric Almirola each ran a half marathon the morning of qualifying for the Daytona 500 earlier this year. And the night before, they competed in the Sprint Unlimited race. Now that doesn't fit well for Jimmie or Mikey because they ran a combined 14 laps in the Shootout (all from Jimmie) before retiring from the event, but Kasey and Aric ran all 75 laps in the Shootout on Saturday night, got up the next morning to run a half marathon at 6:30, and then got into their cars to make two laps at speeds around 200 MPH at 1:30 that afternoon. I highly doubt Golden Tate or any of these other overpaid football players would be willing to work the hard the night before, and the morning of a game that would be played Sunday afternoon. It makes me wanna puke when I hear such stupid remarks, especially from someone who attended one of the most prestigious schools in the country. By the way, I just finished watching a half hour shoot interview clip with Kevin Nash on YouTube, and I discovered that he is a NASCAR fan. (!!!) I already liked him a lot to begin with because of his sense of humor, high level of intellect, and knowledge about pretty much everything, but I must admit I got pretty excited when I heard him talk about NASCAR in such a positive light. 445. JG24FanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:17 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) I get so teary eyed when I watch the finish of the 2001 Cracker Barrel 500. So much emotion swells up in me when they show Chocolate and Richard crying,and the crowd adds to the atmosphere. I'd give anything to have Dale back. 446. murb posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "By the way, I just finished watching a half hour shoot interview clip with Kevin Nash on YouTube, and I discovered that he is a NASCAR fan. (!!!)" haha, That's awesome. Nash is definitely my favorite member of The Kliq, and I feel like that's saying a lot considering all the assholes that are a part of that group. He truly is awesome. You bringing up Nash's Nascar fandom just reminded me of when Kyle Petty drove the NWO car in the Busch Series in about 1997 or so. He even did a segment on Nitro where he was hanging out in the back with Hogan and all them. So maybe that's how Nash started to get into Nascar. 447. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Personally I still have Dale as the best because of what he did while never driving for a powerhouse or a team that used "tricks". Holman Moody in the late 60's and the Woods throughout the 70's were no joke, although he certainly overachieved with Cotton Owens. But to have him any lower than 2nd or 3rd is showing absolutely no knowledge of the sport. Pearson initially just wanted to race on his local small tracks, no need to go big time. But he deccided to give the bg leagues a try in 1960, won ROY, and by Memorial Day 1961 he won the World Freaking 600. Then he decided to run for some championships. From '64-'69 he ran for the title 4 times, winning 3 of them. Then he decided he didn't wanna run the full schedule, so he decided to cherry pick the biggest events and just win a bunch of races. He accomplished that too and in grand fashion, winning 11 of 18 races in '73, and the sports first ever triple crown in '76. And speaking of "tricks", that is one thing I have the biggest amount of respect for the "holy trinity" (Earnhardt, Petty, Pearson) for. Not only were they the best, they were the best with cars that were more legal than anything else out there. Now I know the first response is "what about Richard in '83 at Charlotte". Think about it. Petty Enterprises had fallen badly behind the times and Richard was on the downside. They got busted with 4 left side tires (an obvious violation) and a hilariously oversized motor. What does that tell you? To me that says they were a team that didn't know the "tricks". Wheras the dominant teams of the time, Junior Johnson and DiGard, had years of getting their "tricks" figured out, Petty Enterprises embarrassed themselves trying to cheat. So unlike other legends who have been linked to cheating controversies in their primes like Jimmie Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, Jimmie Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Jimmie Johnson, and Darrell Waltrip, those three appear to have done it right. Also, to tough on another topic, I've said it before and I'll say it again, Gordon's driving style is most similar to Earnhardt's. The difference is Jeff has a carefully crafted goody two shoes public image and he downplays his aggressiveness and Dale had a carefully crafted public image of being the Terminator and gleefully gloated about his willingness to lay the wood to somebody on the track. For the record, in this race, if Dale were driving Clint's car in the end, he would have won. He would have creamed JJ on that restart. 448. JG24FanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:44 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "and the sports first ever triple crown in '76." LeeRoy Yarbrough did it first in 1969. And Jeff Gordon's in 1997 is actually the first ever Grand Slam,since he won the title too. 449. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The 2001 Cracker Barrel 500 involved a driver who I've never cared much for beating my favorite driver by mere inches at the line, and yet I love watching that clip again and again. The emotional aspect behind that win means more to me than who won and who lost. Seeing the emotions of the GM Goodwrench crew members after that race, and to see Harvick make a Polish Victory Lap while holding up three fingers was an awesome sight to behold. It was only appropriate that Kevin Harvick won in his 3rd start at the site of Dale's last speedway victory one year earlier, which was also won my mere inches against the eventual series champion. It was also appropriate that Harvick took the lead for the final time by making a 3-wide pass in the corner on the slippery Atlanta Motor Speedway; a move that would have made The Intimidator himself proud. That race also showed just how much of a clutch performed that Kevin Harvick can be when he keeps his eye on the prize and doesn't let anything distract him, on or off the track. He was racing against two Cup champions (Gordon, Dale Jarrett) and two other Cup winners (Jerry Nadeau, Dale Jr.) for the win in just his 3rd career Cup race. It would have been great if he could have just held position over those final 10 laps and brought the car home in 3rd, but he took his time, waited for an opportunity to go for the lead to arise, and then took it as soon as the window of opportunity opened. Then he held onto it for six laps, saw Jeff Gordon chase him down for the final two laps, and didn't flinch one bit. The fact that that win was not a fluke and that Harvick has proven to be one of the best at not only winning big races, but winning races when he didn't have a winning car, only adds to the legend of that race and the finish. Here's another cool tidbit about that race: Dale Earnhardt was born on 4/29/51. The 2001 Cracker Barrel 500 was the 4th race of the season, won by the #29 car, who started 5th, and finished 1st. Put all those numbers together, and you get 4/29/51. It's almost like it was Harvick's destiny to win that race, and I'm glad that he did. 450. JG24FanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "It's almost like it was Harvick's destiny to win that race, and I'm glad that he did." Gordon won the 3rd race of the year,and he went on to win his fourth and final championship. Gordon said his only regret about 2001 championship is that he didn't get to race Dale for it. 451. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) LeeRoy Yarbrough might have been the baddest motherf***** that ever drove in NASCAR for one reason, and one reason only: He punched "Big" Bill France right in the face. Prior to the 1969 inaugural Talladega race fiasco when all the drivers were protesting that race and refused to compete due to safety concerns about the tires, Bill France went up to members of the PDA and demanded that they drop their membership and compete in that race. Yarbrough walked up to Bill France, punched him right in the face, and then walked off with all the rest of the drivers that were part of the PDA. Needless to say, the PDA union didn't work as the Talladega race was still held and was just the opposite of the 2005 Indianapolis Grand Prix fiasco on the "success scale," but it is pretty crazy to think that one of the drivers would have the balls (and possibly some insanity) to punch the man who is essentially their highest boss the way Yarbrough did. Could you imagine one of today's "enforcers" like Tony Stewart or Kevin Harvick walking up to Brian France or Mike Helton and punching them in the face? Taking any and all consequences and repercussions that would most definitely happen in today's high security world out of the equation, they would never do something like that. And I still think that Gordon is more like Pearson than Earnhardt. I think Earnhardt took risks on the track based on instinct, whereas Pearson and Gordon took more calculated risks that were thought out well in advance before they made them. Plus, Pearson and Gordon were assertive drivers that knew when to race conservatively and when to race aggressively, whereas Earnhardt was generally always aggressive, but knew how to channel that aggression so that he wouldn't do any serious damage to his race car that would prevent him from winning a race. I think that Earnhardt would be aggressive until he got to the front (or got as close to the front as his car would allow him to), and once he got as far up the leaderboard as he could, he would sort of go into "idle mode" and do his best to just maintain position and collect the prize money and points at the end of the race. 452. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of Jimmie Johnson and cheating, did you guys see the tweet that he made after the race yesterday? I guess a bunch of Junior fans started attacking him on Twitter because he passed Junior on the second to last caution period as Junior was re-firing his car, which caused him to fall two laps down as a result. First off, I didn't like that Jimmie did that because I think it violates the apparently now non-existent "gentleman's agreement," as there was nothing to be gained by passing Junior under caution to put him another lap down. (And here I thought HMS was a family.) But to attack the man on Twitter after the race about it? Come on, grow up. Well apparently Jimmie had had enough of being attacked on a weekly basis for winning a lot and now for lapping Dale Jr. under caution, and he tweeted this out yesterday: "You haters have it right. I'm a bad teammate. I have a cheated up car, I'm lucky and the race was fixed. Gotta love twitter & #NascarFans". Okay first of all, does that remind anyone else of Kyle Busch's infamous Nationwide interview after the Michigan race in 2009 when he said "I know I'm probably complaining and I'm whining and I'm a crybaby..."? Thanks Captain Obvious. Oh well, at least he's being honest about himself, albeit in a sarcastic way. I kinda feel bad for the guy because as great as he is, he probably gets this crap from fans on a daily basis. I don't know whether his team cheated or not (It's one of those things where since it's Hendrick and it's the #48 team, you can never be too sure.), but I just know that it was a bunch of Junior fans who angrily tweeted him because he had the nerve to pass their favorite driver under caution (which I don't agree with), and used his team's past history of cheating against him in their attacks. This wouldn't be the first time he's been attacked by Junior fans however. You may recall him being attacked after the 2011 Firecracker 400 after he came to pit road and left Dale Jr. out to dry on the race track, since tandem drafting was the key to victory that season. There's a serious lack of respect in NASCAR nowadays, and not all of it comes from the drivers. 453. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "You bringing up Nash's Nascar fandom just reminded me of when Kyle Petty drove the NWO car in the Busch Series in about 1997 or so." Correct. And don't forget that they had a little storyline where Kyle Petty was chased away by some WCW wrestlers, allowing Greg Sacks to jump into the now-WCW sponsored Busch Series car. Racing used to be fun like that, and since WCW's central fan base was located in Georgia and the Carolinas, it made perfect sense to form a working relationship with NASCAR and help both fanbases grow as a result of this inter-promotional "feud." Also, let's not forget that Rodney Combs was sponsored by WCW while driving Petty Enterprises' Busch Series team in '95, and that the late Blaise Alexander drove a WCW sponsored Busch car in 2000. And after WCW folded in 2001, the new southern wrestling promotion TNA Wrestling sponsored Hermie Sadler occasionally sponsored Hermie Sadler throughout the years due to Hermie's part-time commentator gig with TNA. Heck, he even had a couple matches for TNA during its first few years in business, and Jeff Hammond also made a couple appearances for TNA. Jeremy Mayfield even got WWE to come on board as an associate sponsor when he joined BDR in 2007. Wrestling and NASCAR were just made for each other due to their southern roots and blue collar badassery. It's too bad that they don't take more advantage of their shared fanbases by doing some more inter-promotional appearances and gigs with each other, because I think they would make great partners. Forget about attracting the football and basketball fans, NASCAR should be going after the wrestling fans. Oh, and go find the thousands of fans that left them over the past decade. 454. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:13 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "They were planning on running the full Truck Series schedule in 2011, but had to skip eight races because they were running out of money. I don't recall Joey Logano ever having to withdraw from races for money-related reasons." Maybe he would have if his family had ever tried to finance an entire truck season for him like Long's did. 455. JG24FanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:19 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Paul,if you're becoming a bigger fan of Pearson,then this should help get you the rest of the way. Notice how Leonard Wood introduces him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FpICZGCDl4 456. Benjamin Lowe posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) That crowd should have been at Martinsville they would have booed the hell out of Jimmie Johnson. 457. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 9:20 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) DSFF, who's to say that Pearson didn't cheat? Sure, the Wood Brothers never did so, but in 1971, Pearson won his qualifying race for the Daytona 500. The day before that year's Daytona 500, his car was found to have an oversized restrictor plate (yes, they did use plates back in 1971), and his crew chief, Jake Elder, was fined $500 for the infraction. But since it could not be proven that the illegal restrictor plate was used in the qualifying race victory, the win and the fourth place starting postion Pearson earned from it was allowed to stand. By the way, even though Pearson contended for the lead in that Daytona 500 at times, he was not really a factor to win, and finished fourth, one lap behind the leaders. And Paul, with all the leaders having stopped for Dale, Jr.'s car, who's to say that the driver running 10th, 12th, 15th couldn't have passed all the other cars running at caution speed. In theory, that driver would have had every right to and take the lead. Jimmie did the right thing there, and apparently was the only driver that knew the rule about keeping caution speed, even though he wasn't doing it himself. And I think that Jimmie did give Dale, Jr. an opportunity to get his car going, but when he didn't right away, Jimmie went on, as he should have. After all, can you imagine the uproar if someone like Danica or Kevin Harvick just passed those cars running at caution speed. One of them, or someone else running back there would have been leading the race because everyone in front of them had stopped and was no longer automatically frozen in position. I have more of a problem with what Jimmie did much earlier in the race, slowing down in turn 4 when the caution came out for the incident on the backstretch, and causing an incident behind him involving, among others, Clint Bowyer, who was a probable contender, as evidenced by the fact that he still finished second. That second incident sent Martin Truex, Jr. to the garage area and to a 40th place finish, and should never have happened. I had more of a problem with that than what happened between Johnson and Dale, Jr. near the end, especially since it put Dale, Jr. TWO laps behind. But it almost appeared that Jimmie was trying to cause a chain-reaction wreck among those that could challenge him behind him when he suddenly slowed coming off turn four when the caution came out, just as Dale, Jr. unintentionaly did coming off turn two on that lap. I had a real problem with that. 458. jabber1990 posted: 04.09.2013 - 10:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) they have Cheerleading competitions oh, and most tire changers are former NCAA football/baseball players who just missed the cut to go pro? I thought I heard that somewhere and isnt there a female Jackman, or Tire-Carrier on a truck team? 459. jabber1990 posted: 04.09.2013 - 10:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I mean, isnt she a former body builder? 460. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 10:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "LeeRoy Yarbrough might have been the baddest motherf***** that ever drove in NASCAR for one reason, and one reason only: He punched "Big" Bill France right in the face. Prior to the 1969 inaugural Talladega race fiasco when all the drivers were protesting that race and refused to compete due to safety concerns about the tires, Bill France went up to members of the PDA and demanded that they drop their membership and compete in that race. Yarbrough walked up to Bill France, punched him right in the face, and then walked off with all the rest of the drivers that were part of the PDA." I read about that in Peter Golenbock's book "Miracle". He also went insane and almost strangled his mother. 461. Daniel posted: 04.09.2013 - 11:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) -Austin Dillon in the #51 at Texas 462. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 11:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I have more of a problem with what Jimmie did much earlier in the race, slowing down in turn 4 when the caution came out for the incident on the backstretch..." You have a problem with drivers that slow down when a caution comes out? Do you think maybe a drive through penalty would have been in order to make an example out of Johnson so other drivers wouldn't get the crazy notion that they can slow down during cautions as well? 463. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 11:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie and Chandra Johnson are having another baby, due in September. Congratulations to them. 464. jabber1990 posted: 04.09.2013 - 12:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) as much as were all excited to see Austin Dillion race in the #3 next year, I am worried, im sure most of us here belive in him, but how do we know that he isnt going to be "Joey Logano'ed" and rushed into somethign that hes not ready for? 465. jabber1990 posted: 04.09.2013 - 12:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Jimmie and Chandra Johnson are having another baby, due in September. Congratulations to them. " well, we know how Jimmie felt after he lost the 2012 championship "I am sad...now im not!" 466. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 12:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Points Standings (using my system): 1. Jimmie Johnson - 320 2. Brad Keselowski - 274 3. Kyle Busch - 270 4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 260 5. Kasey Kahne - 254 6. Carl Edwards - 228 7. Matt Kenseth - 208 8. Clint Bowyer - 192 9. Greg Biffle - 184 10. Jeff Gordon - 150 11. Paul Menard - 148 12. Joey Logano - 138 13. Kurt Busch - 135 14. Ryan Newman - 135 15. Kevin Harvick - 133 16. Mark Martin - 130 17. Jamie McMurray - 130 18. Denny Hamlin - 129 19. Tony Stewart - 106 20. Marcos Ambrose - 103 21. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr - 103 22. Aric Almirola - 103 23. Martin Truex, Jr. - 98 24. Casey Mears - 94 25. Danica Patrick - 93 467. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The only race he ever run was in the last 8 or 10 laps, and that's when the show was really put on 'cause he was fresh, the car wasn't worn out, and he'd tear you up." - Bud Moore talking about David Pearson's driving style. (*cough* Sounds just like Jeff Gordon. *cough*) "And I wanna thank Richard Petty too. He's probably the one that made me win as many as I did. I'd run hard 'cause he made me run hard. Sometimes he make a mistake and I'd pass him--of course I never made no mistakes, I always accused him of having big engines when he'd pass me. But he's a good sport, and I'm telling you that I had more fun with him than anyone I'd ever run with, 'cause I know that if I ever went to a race track, and he was there, if I could beat him I'd win the race." - David Pearson talking about his rivalry with The King. Pearson reminds me a little about myself, as we're both a little camera shy when speaking to a big group of people. But that's one thing that makes he and all the other NASCAR drivers of the past stand out from today's drivers. Back then, they were just regular guys who would get interviewed whenever the reporters came up to them. Nowadays, they're drivers who are trained to be showmen and sponsorship pitchmen, and so they lose that sense of genuineness and realism that the older drivers had. That's what makes drivers like David Pearson a lot cooler than drivers of today. 468. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And I still think that Gordon is more like Pearson than Earnhardt." You make a lot of good points there. He does have a lot of Pearson elements in his style, probably more than Dale's. The biggest thing with him and Dale, when it came time to battle for a win, the front bumper was never out of the question. In fact, if given the chance, you could almost bet they would use it. We talk endlessly about Jeff's epic end of race performance at Atlanta '11, but we were equally puzzled by the way he raced at the end of Atlanta '12. We forget about this because 6 days later he delivered a performance at Richmond that made his run at Atlanta '11 look pedestrian by comparison, but in that race he NEEDED a win to put himself in the driver's seat for the cha$e spot and really put the pressure on Kyle going into Richmond which would have pretty much guaranteed him the spot. With the chance to move Denny up the hill and win (Jeff is good enough to do something like that at a high speed track without causing a wreck unlike one of the more recent "Next Jeff Gordon"s) he didn't do it and we were all stunned. Also there is something I have always wondered. We all know about what happened in Turns 1 & 2 at Bristol Night '99 on the last lap. But after storming back through the field with new tires and breezing by Dale coming to the white flag, why did Terry go so high in the middle of 1 and 2? Now am I blaming him for Dale spinning him out? Of course not. But had he run that corner like he did in all the other corners storming through the field Dale could have never got to him. It looks like he either overcooked the corner (Intimidated?) or figured he had it won so he took it easy. When you pass somebody like Dale or Jeff late in a race, the battle has just begun. You must protect your back side. Terry either knew this and overdrove the corner, or totally forgot this and starting taking his victory lap way too soon. That is where, as a competitor, you must know "the guy behind me is an asshole, I need to driver the best corners of my life now". 469. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "who's to say that the driver running 10th, 12th, 15th couldn't have passed all the other cars running at caution speed." They wouldn't do that if they followed the "gentlemen's agreement," which I highly doubt any of today's drivers would do. "And I think that Jimmie did give Dale, Jr. an opportunity to get his car going, but when he didn't right away, Jimmie went on, as he should have." Junior's car stalled in the middle of the race track and all the leaders stopped. When Junior backed up to get going, Jimmie drove off and lapped him, but all the other leaders stopped and allowed Junior to get going before they drove off. "I have more of a problem with what Jimmie did much earlier in the race, slowing down in turn 4 when the caution came out for the incident on the backstretch, and causing an incident behind him" That was a very cheap move and I don't doubt he did that on purpose. You can't just slow up like that when a caution comes out. I find it hard to believe that a future Hall of Fame driver like Jimmie Johnson would just slow down like that right in front of the field on accident. And the damage that he caused to so many cars under caution was unacceptable of a driver of his stature. "He also went insane and almost strangled his mother." Suffering from multiple concussions due to NASCAR's negligence on safety will do that to you. "Do you think maybe a drive through penalty would have been in order to make an example out of Johnson so other drivers wouldn't get the crazy notion that they can slow down during cautions as well?" Oh please. He practically came to a stop in turn 4, let about five cars pass him, and merged right into traffic after he was already a lane and a half above everybody else while exiting the corner. Either he had a serious lapse of judgement unbecoming of a great driver, or he did that on purpose. What's more believable: 35+ cars don't slow down for the caution and only one car does, causing a chain reaction crash, or 35+ cars slow down for the caution and one car REALLY slows down, causing a chain reaction crash after merging back into traffic. I find it hard to believe that only one car followed the caution rules and everyone else ignored them, as opposed to everyone slowing up for the caution and one car slowed down way too quickly and caused a chain reaction crash by merging into traffic right in front of Bowyer and Truex from a half lane up from the second lane. 470. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) "Speaking of Jimmie Johnson and cheating, did you guys see the tweet that he made after the race yesterday?" I really think this is starting to get to him. He has exausted the shit out of himself to be as non controversial and robotic as possible so as not to offend anyone, yet we all still mostly hate him for that reason, his phoniness, his arrogance, his complete inability to be related to, and of course the mountain of cheating violations his team has been busted with. Then last year Brad beats him for the title, gets drunk on National TV, and we all mostly agree it was great. You know he has to be thinking "what the hell?". While I agree attacking him on Twitter is over the edge, as fans, we must pressure him and bring up how boring he is as much as possible. "DSFF, who's to say that Pearson didn't cheat?" I truly believe you would have heard something by now. Mechanics like Smokey Yunick, Junior Johnson (and everyone who ever worked under him), and others all brag about the shit they got away with. I never heard any of these with Pearson. Hell, in a 20 year span of relevance ('61-'80) you only found that one obscure example. These mechanics have egos and love gloating about slipping stuff past NASCAR. I just feel something would have come out. "He also went insane and almost strangled his mother." Unfortunately Leeroy caught a viral infection that spread to his brain, ending his career and life, and causing incidents like the one above. That is a shame, it would have been cool to see what he could have done over an extended career. From all accounts, his late 60's battles with Cale were something to behold. Not only that, they were Dale and Rusty before Dale and Rusty, they would beat and bang on the racetrack, then go have a few beers afterwards and laugh about it. Of course this was all before much of NASCAR was videotaped so it gets buried historically. "And I wanna thank Richard Petty too. He's probably the one that made me win as many as I did. I'd run hard 'cause he made me run hard. Sometimes he make a mistake and I'd pass him--of course I never made no mistakes, I always accused him of having big engines when he'd pass me. But he's a good sport, and I'm telling you that I had more fun with him than anyone I'd ever run with, 'cause I know that if I ever went to a race track, and he was there, if I could beat him I'd win the race." And that is why they are the greatest rivalry ever. Only Dale and Rusty even come close to approaching it. Two greats who made each other legendary because they could never coast knowing the other was out there. They forced each other to reach back physically and mentally and find levels they otherwise may not have had. 471. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 1:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey Benjamin, did you hear all those fans humming Fandango's theme music during his match and then again after the show in the lobby area? I just saw a wrestling meme page post one that said "Talk about your psalms. Talk about Austin 3:16. Well Fandango 3:16 says 'Da Dah Da Dah Da Da Da Da Da Dah Du Dah Da Da Dah Da Da.'" Pretty epic show last night, and hearing the fans "sing" his theme song was just hilarious. "The biggest thing with him and Dale, when it came time to battle for a win, the front bumper was never out of the question." No doubt, just ask Rusty Wallace. "we were equally puzzled by the way he raced at the end of Atlanta '12." I too was surprised that he went high instead of trying to loosen Denny up or bump him out of the way. He even said in his post-race interview that he regretted trying to pass him up high and wished he could have that lap back to do over again. It could be that he's just gotten softer over the years, or maybe he was just a legit asshole back in his prime and he's just become less of an asshole as the years went by. Either way, it did make for a Hollywood movie-like moment at Richmond. Luckily he made the Chase, otherwise we probably would still be questioning Gordon's decision to race Denny cleanly at Atlanta. (By the way, does anyone else think that Atlanta should only be raced in the day? With a track that rough and slick, it loses all meaning to waste that date by running it at night IMO.) "But had he run that corner like he did in all the other corners storming through the field Dale could have never got to him. It looks like he either overcooked the corner (Intimidated?) or figured he had it won so he took it easy." I went back and re-watched the finish for about the 1,000th time, and I think you may have a point there. Labonte did enter the corner low, but he did move up the race track, almost like he didn't turn into the corner despite entering at the right place, as if he took it too easy. I don't think the Iceman would get intimidated by Dale Earnhardt (although it would explain why he never paid Dale back for either Bristol incident), but the way he lazily took the corner was a bit surprising considering it was the last lap and it was Dale "freaking" Earnhardt right on his tail. I think he figured that the fresh tires were enough to seal the win, and it gave Dale a chance to knock him out of the way and win the race. Maybe he moved up the track to give Dale a lane that wasn't right behind his car, sort of as a safety net, while figuring that he could just beat Dale on the outside (on the pre-'07 Bristol?), but I'm leaning towards Labonte just taking the corner too easy and thinking he had the race won a lap before the checkered flag. 472. Sean posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Average Running Position for Martinsville:" Hey David, where'd you get this statistic to three decimal places? I've seen this in loop data before, but always rounded to the nearest whole position so it isn't of much use and I may be interested in using this in some of my own statistics. Also, do you know how many laps were used in this calculation? Just 500 minus the number of caution laps, correct? However, since the advent of scoring loops, it is far less clear on what lap a caution starts since there are now partial caution laps, so it might not be as simple as 415. It's one of the few loop data statistics that actually seems relevant to me and I think I have considerable use for it. From my understanding, this is only calculated for cars on the lead lap on each lap, so it isn't EXACTLY how I'd calculate it, but it still is a great measure of overall race performance which is seldom talked about. If NASCAR would publish pdf files of every driver's lap speed/position on every lap like sports car racing series do, I wouldn't have to ask this, but F1, IndyCar (for the most part), and NASCAR are all very stingy about anybody using their data for any reason so it's almost impossible to do this after-the-fact. I think they're biting off their nose to spite their face since most major league sports already have quite established advanced statistics and that can't happen in motorsports to the same degree until racing sanctioning bodies (and it's clearly not just NASCAR) are more transparent with their data. It surprises me that the France family also runs Grand-Am and they are EXTREMELY transparent with their data, so maybe it is just a sports car thing, but I wish I had access to past races' lap-by-lap data to produce more precise statistics... I have some great ideas that I have not to this point made public but I can't follow through on them until I have access to MUCH more detailed box scores. Hell, I can't even find out who had the FASTEST lap in each NASCAR race, and that is considered a basic statistic in every other kind of circuit racing on the PLANET (I know there were things like the MCI Fast Pace award and the Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap award, but I think both of those required you to have certain decals, so you can't TRULY judge who had the fastest lap just from that). I know I am reporting fastest lap for some Cup races on my site, but that was simply the winner of the Gatorback Fastest Lap award, so I don't think a lot of those data are accurate (no Penske car ever won it for instance and I have to figure that's because Penske didn't have some decal...) 473. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of NASCAR rivalries, I was trying to look up SPEED's top ten greatest NASCAR rivalries, but they do a shitty job of having videos on their website for us to watch at out leisure. So I went with Plan B and looked up the 20 greatest NASCAR rivalries, courtesy of our "friends" at the Bleacher Report. 1. Richard Petty vs. David Pearson 2. Bobby Isaac vs. "His Competitors" 3. Cale Yarborough vs. Darrell Waltrip 4. Richard Petty vs. Bobby Allison 5. Dale Earnhardt vs. "Old School" NASCAR (huh?) 6. Jimmy Spencer vs. Kurt Busch 7. Bobby Allison vs. Junior Johnson 8. Dale Earnhardt vs. Geoff Bodine 9. Bill France vs. Teamsters Union 10. Bruton Smith vs. The France Family 11. Carl Edwards vs. Brad Keselowski 12. Dale Earnhardt vs. "Old School" NASCAR (again?) 13. Petty Enterprises vs. The Wood Brothers 14. Jeff Gordon vs. Jimmie Johnson 15. Bill France vs. Professional Drivers Association (PDA) 16. Dale Earnhardt vs. Jeff Gordon 17. Junior Johnson vs. Moonshining 18. Cale Yarborough vs. The Allisons 19. Ford vs. Chevy 20. Kyle Busch vs. "The World" Wow. No "Dale Earnhardt vs. Rusty Wallace"? No "Bobby Allison vs. Darrell Waltrip"? What a joke. By the way, this list was made before the "Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick" rivalry took off. 474. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) "Either he had a serious lapse of judgement unbecoming of a great driver, or he did that on purpose." It was the former. He thought he was getting into some fluid (or saw fluid up ahead, I forget the details) and lifted. "That was a very cheap move and I don't doubt he did that on purpose." You seriously think that Johnson, in the lead, with a dominating car all day, lifted in the corner, let a half a dozen cars freight train him on the bottom, just because he might cause an accident which might take out some drivers who might possibly be a threat to him later in the race? That kind of thinking is just *insane*. The potential risks are gigantic and the potential rewards microscopic. Even if you think Johnson is the Prince of Darkness the man is not *stupid*. The fluid story is a thousand times more plausible. This ranks right up there with the "Jack Roush must be sabotaging Matt Kenseth's cars" theory from late last year. 475. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Paul, I have a good idea for a source to list rivalries if you have it, and that is the ESPN NASCAR collection from 2007, since rivalries are one of the subjects profiled, along with drivers, races, and moments. The only downside to that is that the listing would be retroactive to 2006 and would not include anything since then, but such a listing would be a good historical note. But at least SPEED got #1 right ths time, as the greatest rivalry in the sport's history is and will always be Petty/Pearson. That's one thing that makes what happened moments after the 2011 Daytona 500 one of the most iconic scenes in the history of the sport, as Richard Petty and Glen Wood, two drivers that ran in the very first race ever run at Daytona, a 100-mile convertible race, and were at their absolute peaks during the Petty/Pearson rivalry, embraced each other as Petty escorted Wood to victory lane to celebrate with their team and driver Trevor Bayne. 476. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hell, I think "Jeff Gordon vs. Rusty Wallace" should have been one of the rivalries listed. They certainly took their fair share of cheapshots at one another (Bristol '97, Richmond '98, Daytona '99, Richmond '01, Bristol '02). DSFF, I see where you're going with Jimmie becoming exhausted after all his failed years of trying to win over the fans by being as non-controversial, boring, and phony as possible. Jimmie becomes a robot and dominates the sport for almost a whole decade, and pretty much drives the sport further into the depths because of his overwhelming boring "on-camera" personality and phoniness in a sport that was already on track to becoming very boring and phony. In comes Brad Keselowski, who's pretty much the antithesis to Jimmie Johnson on the PC/boring/phony scale, takes a picture from his car during the Daytona 500, swears like a sailor in the Phoenix post-race media center, gets drunk on national TV, and wins over millions of fans; all after beating Jimmie Johnson for the title. I think Jimmie is jealous of Brad's openness and swagger (which explains why he bashed Brad for being drunk on-camera during the offseason, despite shaking his hand and smiling for the camera while Brad was drinking), and he's basically saying "I did all this work to become a "model" NASCAR driver, and here comes this guy who acts exactly like I do off-camera, and you people LOVE him??? What the hell?!" Maybe if he would have just been himself and not cared how he looked in the eyes of the fans (like the Busch brothers have done), he wouldn't have dug this big a hole for himself. He made his bed, and now he has to lay in it. Unfortunately for him, that bed is as boring and as phony as he is, and it's his own fault. 477. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "10. Bruton Smith vs. The France Family" Change that to read "10. Bruton Smith vs. All Fans of Tradition and Good Racing". 478. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 2:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Like I said DSFF, Pearson got caught running an oversized restrictor plate the day before the 1971 Daytona 500, and they probably won the qualifier that year with it, though that win and the fourth place starting position for that Daytona 500 was allowed to stand because there was no way NASCAR could ever prove it in such a short amount of time. But Jake Elder was fned $500 for the infraction. What gave Pearson such a big edge on his rivals in the 70s when he drove for the Wood Brothers can be traced back to the 1965 Indianapolis 500 when the Wood Brothers were there pitting the cars of Jim Clark and Bobby Johns. The Wood Brothers figured out about tire stagger, and took that back to NASCAR with them and it was a full decade before the other teams actually figured out what the Woods were doing on their pit stops. And Paul, as far as the rivalries go, you could almost list half the top 20 just on rivalries involving Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison, because in addition to each other, they each had rivalries with Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt, Allison had one with David Pearson, while Waltrip had rivalries with Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace, and both Waltrip and Allison had a fierce rivalry with NASCAR itself. That in addition to the one they had with each other. Jim Davis, the problem I have with Jimmie slowing down the way he did on that caution was the abrupt way in which he did it. Actually, the rules require drivers to slow down the instant the caution comes out, but the problem was the abrupt way in which he did it. And there have been drivers penalized for not slowing down when the caution comes out, so he had to slow down or risk being penalized. And DSFF, maybe the reason Jeff Gordon didn't put the bumper to Denny Hamlin at Atlanta was because, unlike Joey Logano, Gordon actually knows and has experienced the results of crashes at high speed tracks and didn't want to risk Denny Hamlin experiencing then what he experienced at Fontana two weeks ago. But that was the second time Gordon lost a race at Atlanta because he wouldn't put the bumper to his competitor there. He also lost the spring race there in 2001 to Kevin Harvick for that reason. And Paul, LeeRoy Yarbrough's situation was not because of a crash in a NASCAR race, but rather a practice crash at Indy in 1971. That accident was what led to his downfall later in life. He was trying to get up to speed to qualify for the 1971 Indianapolis 500 and suffered a crash so bad that he got permanent brain damage from it, though that wasn't known for several more years. 479. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't think it's insane to consider the possibility of Jimmie Johnson slowing down too fast to intentionally bunch up the field, and then merging right in front of Clint Bowyer from a lane and a half up the race track to cause a chain reaction. You may be giving him the benefit of the doubt that he had a sudden lapse of judgement, but so am I as I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he wouldn't make such a dumb move on accident. I don't know whether it was unintentional or not, nor have I stated which way I'm leaning towards (personally I think it was unintentional), but I see nothing wrong with considering the idea that he knew what he was doing when he slowed down and merged in front of the whole field. And for the record, I have never once referred to Johnson as the "Prince of Darkness," nor has anyone else to my knowledge. That would require him to show some dark emotion and personality, of which the emotionless juggernaut has none of either on-camera (unless he looks like a fool by claiming Kurt Busch hit him first at Pocono, when replay evidence proves it was the other way around). 480. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 3:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "...the problem I have with Jimmie slowing down the way he did on that caution was the abrupt way in which he did it." Yes, I understand. But when a driver slows up abruptly that way it is almost always because he has (or thinks he has, in this case) a big problem. It is just a huge leap of imagination to speculate he's deliberately trying to cause an accident behind him. Really, Johnson gives up the lead, lets Busch, Gordon, Kahne, Kenseth, etc pass him because he might have a shot at taking out Bowyer and Truex? He had a better chance of taking himself out in that situation. He just made a mistake, which thanks to that Golden Horseshoe, didn't end up hurting him. Johnson, like every other driver, makes his share of mistakes. He does speed on pit road; he does overdrive the car and puts it in the wall all but ending his championship hopes. What Johnson isn't, is stupid. 481. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.09.2013 - 3:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Fascinating format for Eldora. 482. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 3:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I don't think it's insane to consider the possibility of Jimmie Johnson slowing down too fast to intentionally bunch up the field, and then merging right in front of Clint Bowyer from a lane and a half up the race track to cause a chain reaction." Paul, no offense intended, but that's just the definition of insane. Johnson gives the lead up to Busch and several other drivers whom he had just spent 125 odd laps trying to get it back from, so he can slow down abruptly in front of Bowyer who to that point had been no threat to him all day, and which has every chance of involving himself in a wreck if Bowyer doesn't check up quickly enough? Do you think Johnson and Knaus spent the previous caution planning this all out? Do you think the in car radio would show his spotter giving him a mark when Bowyer was in the proper position? Again, no offense, but I think you're letting your dislike of Johnson affect your better judgement. 483. Anonymous posted: 04.09.2013 - 3:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Well apparently Jimmie had had enough of being attacked on a weekly basis for winning a lot and now for lapping Dale Jr. under caution, and he tweeted this out yesterday: "You haters have it right. I'm a bad teammate. I have a cheated up car, I'm lucky and the race was fixed. Gotta love twitter & #NascarFans"." This isn't the first time he has blasted NASCAR fans. He tweeted out after either Texas or Richmond by saying "i guess wrecks & cautions mean more then actual racing. #sucks." Truex and Smoke followed up after that at Talladega. 484. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the past, Keselowski has pleaded with fans to hold off on the abusive tweets, pointing out that it's the reason Earnhardt no longer does Twitter. 485. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Fascinating format for Eldora." You said it. Anyone here going to that race? I'm not. "lol, I'm in high school, and trust me, forensics isn't a sport. The forensics people at my school are all a bunch of hipsters that do drugs. Definitely pretty far from athletes. I can understand cheerleading I guess because at least they are doing physical activity, but definitely not forensics." Being a forensics student myself, I assure you that does not describe our team. But the teacher still truly believes that it is a sport. But she is still amazing at what she does. "Hey David, where'd you get this statistic to three decimal places? I've seen this in loop data before, but always rounded to the nearest whole position so it isn't of much use and I may be interested in using this in some of my own statistics." That's for me to know and you to find out. Nah, just kidding. It used to annoy the heck out of me that David Smith would have access to these statistics, and I couldn't find them anywhere. But I finally found them the other night. Just type in "[race name} Average Running Position [date]". The Motor Racing Network actually posts PDFs of post-race reports (they are AWESOME!!!). These include Average Running Position, Box Score, Closers, Driver Rating, Fastest Drivers Early In a Run, Fastest Drivers Late In a Run, Fastest Laps Run, Fastest on Restarts, Green Flag Passes, Green Flag Speed, Laps in Top 15, Laps Led, Quality Passes, Speed by Quarter, and Speed In Traffic. "Also, do you know how many laps were used in this calculation? Just 500 minus the number of caution laps, correct? However, since the advent of scoring loops, it is far less clear on what lap a caution starts since there are now partial caution laps, so it might not be as simple as 415." Unfortunately, it's the average of all laps run, green and caution laps. I hope that can still be useful to you. 486. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Except, Jim Davis, that he slowed abruptly AFTER the caution came out, so his position was not in jeopardy at that moment, unlike what happened late in the race, when he could have lost his lead had everyone not stopped for Dale, Jr.'s car. When Johnson slowed for that incident on the backstretch, he either saw that the caution light was on, or was told that, so he was in danger of losing the lead at that instant. And even though I don't think it was intentional, him slowing down as abruptly as he did certainly makes it look bad. Had he gradually slowed down, this would not even be an issue, but because he slowed down so abruptly and caused a crash behind him that caused one certain contender to spin out and sent another to the garage area, that's why that incident is so controversial. 487. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That should have said that Johnson was in no danger of losing the lead on the lap 181 caution. Sorry about that, as again the keyboard didn't exactly work at the moment I wrote that. 488. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of fan influence on the sport, the June Pocono race will be called the "Party at the Poconos 400," after a fan vote was held to decide the name of the race. I guess simply calling it the "Pocono 400" is out of style. And I'm never in favor of fans lashing out at drivers over Twitter, especially since they most likely wouldn't do so in person. I think social media gives fans too much leeway to bad mouth celebrities, because they know that the worst thing that can happen is the celebrity angrily Tweets them back. I go on Twitter after every race and congratulate all the drivers that I like on a good finish, and will sometimes send a message of encouragement if they had a bad race, but I never use it to lash out at drivers that I dislike. The closest that I came to lashing out at a driver was towards Joey Logano after he won the Nationwide race at Talladega, and all I did there was sarcastically congratulate him on winning the race, telling him that it only took him wrecking 10 cars to do so (which is a fact). And even though I've never cared for him, I once tweeted Jimmie Johnson a "thank you" message after he had his video game sponsor Dave Blaney for a race last season. I don't commend fans who lash out at drivers over Twitter, and I have mixed feelings about drivers who give these fans a response back. Of course, none of this would happen if NASCAR wasn't so supportive of social media and encourage its drivers to take part in it, knowing what the consequences would be for some drivers. I think that's one reason why Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart, and Carl Edwards aren't on Twitter. 489. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnson has a right to bitch about the fans just like you guys bitch about him every week 490. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey cjs, you're from the Baltimore area. Did you hear about the motorcycle crash on Veterans Highway that killed one man and left one woman critically injured? That woman by the way was former Craftsman Truck Series driver Kelly Sutton. Apparently there was alcohol use that led to the crash. 491. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Except, Jim Davis, that he slowed abruptly AFTER the caution came out..." Are we speaking of the same caution? I'm speaking of the one where he lifted while the green flag was still out (because of what he thought was fluid on the track), Busch and a few others, blew by him on the low side, a caution comes out, but since Busch didn't get to the next timing line when the caution flew, Johnson retained the lead. 492. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.09.2013 - 4:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) That Raw crowd was electric for sure, I thought the roof was going to fly away after Ziggler won. According to the crowd reaction, Ziggler cashing in MITB = surreal, Undertaker = mystified, and Jimmie Johnson (er) I mean John Cena = BORING. 493. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.09.2013 - 5:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Johnson has a right to bitch about the fans just like you guys bitch about him every week" Where is that viral video of a few years back... leave Britney alone! LEAVE JIMMIE ALONE!!! Haha! 494. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 5:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The All-Star Pit Crew Challenge has been canceled due to lack of sponsorship for the event. 495. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If you mean the one caused by that wreck on the back straightaway, then I believe we are, because the caution came out for that big wreck, which happened about four or five seconds before Johnson and the others even got to turn four (they were on the back straightaway when it happened, since it was just after a restart, which was why the field was so bunched up and the problems started around fifth place), and when Johnson lifted suddenly off turn four, that's when three cars, including Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth, got by, Bowyer got turned, and Truex got enough damage to send him to the garage area for the first of two times and a 40th place finish. Come to think of it, that's where Dale, Jr.'s problems in Sunday's race began. Now it's possible that Dale, Jr. got into some fluid of turn two, which may have been why he backed off so suddenly, igniting the first accident on that lap, but there was no apparent reason why Jimmie did the same thing off turn four on the same lap, except reacting to the fact that he knew the caution flag was out. 496. 18fan posted: 04.09.2013 - 5:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Brian Vickers said that the outside line was really dirty and had no grip on that restart, so when Dale Jr. slipped and lifted that caused the first bit of contact. Then Jimmie went into turn 3 and slid up the racetrack and thought he had hit some fluid and then saw the caution light, so he didn't really speed up. Jaime McMurray lifted and got hit by Bowyer, who got hit by Truex. There is no plausible reason for Jimmie to do that on purpose. 497. Jim Davis posted: 04.09.2013 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "If you mean the one caused by that wreck on the back straightaway, then I believe we are, because the caution came out for that big wreck, which happened about four or five seconds before Johnson and the others even got to turn four..." That's the one. Johnson definitely lifted under green although the wreck had started before then. At first everyone was confused why only Johnson slowed down for the caution. One it was established he lifted under green, everyone was confused why Johnson got his position back since he was passed under green. It's just nuts to think that Johnson lifted to cause an accident behind him. 498. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Paul, reading your post, I can't help but see the parallels between Jimmie and Brad with Bret Hart and Stone Cold. For the 90's he worked his tail off as champion and top wrestler in the wake of losing or seeing the decline of longtime fan faves like Hogan, Savage, the Ultimate Warrior, and others. But business was way down and while everyone respected Bret's ability and accomplishments, he just never quite connected the way so many greats have. Yet he just kept working hard and trying to be the clean cut hero. Obviously it wasn't all his fault business was down, upper management made some bad choices and the product itself was not very strong, but he wasn't helping matters. Well along comes this bad guy, a foul mouthed, beer drinking, politically incorrect rebel, somebody everyone agrees is talented but nobody is really projecting to be on top. But a strange thing happens: the fans can't get enough of him! He immediately eclipses Bret in the category of amount of genuine emotion felt by fans, and eventually takes his spot up top as he is unceremoniously let go, and this malcontent not only quickly takes the WWF back to the heights it had with Hogan, he surpasses it! Obviously Brad has by no means eclipsed JJ yet despite beating him head to head last year, but otherwise the parallels are amazing. Jimmie has done everything he could to be the "right" guy, yet Brad comes along and just grabs everyone's imagination, culminating with him giving a SportsCenter interview that gave NASCAR a buzz (pun somewhat intended) from an actual elite race car driver that it hadn't had in years, and certainly never got from Jimmie. And despite a hot start from Jimmie this year with two wins, and Brad not having any wins plus an overheated engine at Cali, there he is, just 6 points back with a new manufacturer. As a Brad fan, I certainly hope the parallels continue on track (I would never wish the off track or out of ring struggles Bret has endured on anyone). I want NASCAR to be a big deal again, I want us to be crammed in the stands like Sardines again. And I want Brad to be the on track dominator and lead voice of the sport leading the way. And speaking of Brad's post Phoenix interview, ever notice the difference between a "whiney" interview and an "epic" interview is a lot of cussing? Right or wrong, we decry Jeff and Jimmie's angry interviews as "whiney" cause they never cuss on TV, yet we laugh about post race interviews like Dale at Wilkesboro '89, Rusty at Martinsville '97, Brad after Phoenix '12, and Smoke afer Cali this year cause they cussed up a storm. It is probably wrong that we feel that way, but that is how it is. And for the record, Jeff should have cussed Rusty like crazy after Richmond '98, saying "I'm gonna blow that mother*****rs doors off the rest of the way and make him look like a washed up s***head, grabbing a couple of top 5s then running off 7 wins in 9 f***ing races, taking a few weeks off to "only" finish 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, and 5th before winning 3 of the last 4 races, so Rusty can kiss my a**!". 499. cjs3872 posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 18fan, McMurray lifted so he wouldn't hit whoever it was that was in front of him (and I don't know who that was), hence he got hit by Bowyer, damaging his back bumper. It was just a chain reaction back there. And even if Johnson slipped up for whatever reason, that still doesn't answer why he slowed so abruptly between three and four and pulled right in front of oncoming cars. The only legtimate excuse he would have for that would be if his car lost power, such as losing an ignition or battery, such as what happened to Dale Earnhardt in the 1996 Daytona 500. He lost ignition, which caued a chain reaction that caused Ernie Irvan to crash. But I don't think that happened yesterday. And certainly it wasn't intentional, at least in my opinion, but it sure was odd that the same thing would happen to two team cars at opposite ends of the track on the same lap, regardless of the reason, with each situation causing a substantial crash. 500. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JarrettFan, why is so bad to see some form of emotion from the Robot known as Jimmie Johnson? Even if it's on stupid twitter, perhaps he should show more in front of the T.V. cameras. 501. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The Allstar race weekend really needs to move from Charlotte, sorry. 502. murb posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The Allstar race weekend really needs to move from Charlotte, sorry." Eldora. 503. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I had season tickets at CMS for 12 years and gave them up in 2007, sorry but the racing just sucks there since the 2006 repave. Easily one of the worst tracks for aero on the circuit. 504. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just for the record, I wasn't trying to accuse Johnson of intentionally slowing up too quickly in hopes of causing a pileup, but I didn't like that he pulled up into traffic the way he did after he had already slowed up and moved out of the way. DSFF, that's a great comparison between Jimmie/Brad and Bret/Austin. On one hand, you have a proven veteran who while extremely talented, just doesn't connect with the fans on an emotional level, and thus business is down. If you could draw up a wrestling champion, without any of the emotional aspects, you would get Bret Hart, and if you were to draw up a NASCAR champion the same way, you would get Jimmie Johnson. On the other hand, you have a newcomer who doesn't "follow the script" on what a champion is supposed to look like or act like, and while they are a controversial figure in the sport when they first get hot, they ultimately change the sport forever because of their realism and refusal to act in a way other than their own way. You can't just make a Steve Austin or a Brad Keselowski, they have to be genuine and they have to be real. I don't know if Brad's 2012 championship was a sign that he has officially eclipsed Johnson on the NASCAR totem pole, but seeing what NASCAR is right now with the current top star and hypothesizing the alternative if Brad turns out to be the new top star, I definitely prefer the latter of the two. "we decry Jeff and Jimmie's angry interviews as "whiny" cause they never cuss on TV" I can't recall ever hearing Jimmie cuss, but I have heard Jeff cuss quite a few times (almost always over the radio) and it's usually pretty hilarious. At Indy last year, after he passed the lapped car of Stephen Leicht for about the 4th time, he said over the radio "Get that f***in guy off the race track. I mean, how many times are we gonna have to lap his ass before they pull him off?" I burst out laughing every time I hear that radio transmission, mostly because it's pretty unexpected. And at Sonoma 2010, he was swearing at JPM several times during the race because he kept bumping him in the middle of the corners (which is quite funny in retrospect considering the way Jeff was driving at times). "And for the record, Jeff should have cussed Rusty like crazy after Richmond '98" Definitely! I was disappointed when I heard his interview as he was walking back to the garage. On appearance alone, you would have never guessed that that guy, with his head down and his lack of desire to speak about the incident, would pretty much murder the competition over the next 21 races (that includes the 1999 Daytona 500). And if anyone deserved to get their ass chewed out over national television, it was Rusty Wallace. I don't recall anyone ever calling him out in a televised interview, which is something he did whenever the opportunity was available ('93 Talladega before Ernie's public apology, '94 Daytona 500 drivers meeting, '95 Bristol night to Earnhardt, '97 Martinsville, '01 Richmond to Gordon, '02 Bristol night to Gordon, '04 Fontana to Stewart). 505. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:56 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Send the All-Star Race to Rockingham. Same state, better track, better racing, not a cookie-cutter track, takes a lot of talent and patience to win. Seems like a great option to me. I also think the champions/Podium finishers/top five points finishers from the previous season's Nationwide and Truck Series standings should qualify for the All-Star Race as well. Give them a chance to face the stars from the Cup Series in Cup cars in a non-points race, and help team owners judge which ones are Cup ready and which ones are not. 506. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I want Jimmie Johnson to show more emotion. I just wish he would do so on-camera, rather than resort to speaking out against his detractors on Twitter. 507. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Here is my list of where the All Star Race should be: 1) Anywhere but CMS 508. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually now that I think about it, I shouldn't be surprised that Jimmie would cut down right in front of Clint Bowyer at Martinsville after the caution lights came on, because he did a similar thing at the Talladega spring '10 race. That might have been the most blatant block/worst excuse of picking up the draft (whichever his excuse was) I've ever seen. With about 7 laps to go, he cut down from the middle lane to the bottom lane right in front of Jeff Gordon, who was getting a big push from Ryan Newman and had Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano following him. Worse yet, this caused a stack-up because of the lost momentum, and a 3-car crash was triggered after Jimmie moved back up in front of Jeff Burton, who got spun out after he checked up and collected Gordon and Scott Speed in the process. Not a move that a 5-time champion should make. I don't care that he's not very good at restrictor plate tracks, no driver should cut down in front of a line of cars like that, especially not one of the stature of Jimmie Johnson. So looking back, I'm not surprised he would do that again at Martinsville the other day, because he's done this stupid stuff before (and at much higher speeds). 509. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hell, send the All-Star Race to Kansas Speedway. They've got a casino, would attract fans from the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest because of it's location, and that 1.5-mile track can actually put on a good show now that the track has been revamped. 510. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 7:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Hell, send the All-Star Race to Kansas Speedway. They've got a casino, would attract fans from the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest because of it's location, and that 1.5-mile track can actually put on a good show now that the track has been revamped." Heck yeah!! I would go to that! 511. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.09.2013 - 8:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Iowa???? Plenty of Solutions: Same State: Rockingham Same Company: Bristol Major Southern Market: Richmond 512. David posted: 04.09.2013 - 8:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Because the NRA 500 is this week, I'm watching "Ben-Hur", starring former NRA president Charlton Heston. 513. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm curious to see whether or not FOX will refer to the Cup race at Texas as the "NRA 500," or if they choose to ignore that title. I know ESPN only refers to the races that cover by sponsor name if that sponsor is also an ESPN partner. (For example, a couple weeks ago they referred to the "Royal Purple 300" as the "NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Fontana.") 514. Paul posted: 04.09.2013 - 9:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamPlayersBlue, any of those four tracks would make for a better All-Star Race than Charlotte Motor Speedway. Atlanta looks a lot like Charlotte, minus the bad racing, and has a large NASCAR following down there. What about a road course? Going to Daytona or Indy and using their road course (or even their speedway) would make for a great All-Star Race. Same with Watkins Glen in their New York/Pennsylvania/Canada market. Or how about just staying at Darlington Raceway for two weeks, and holding the All-Star Race there the week after the Southern 500. Or maybe going across state to Greenville-Pickens Speedway (which isn't that far from Charlotte). Hickory Motor Speedway isn't too far away either and is a very tough short track that would be fitting for an all-star event. Heck, the race at Fontana the other week may be evidence enough that they are deserving of a second NASCAR date, and it would make sense to only bring the "best of the best" drivers on over to the L.A. suburb. I don't understand why NASCAR hasn't already changed the location of the All-Star Race, seeing as how they've already pretty much made it a joke by including about 2/3 of the roster and making the race format a joke. Plus the track is just awful now, and not the good kind of awful like Atlanta or Rockingham. They've already changed pretty much else about the sport, so why not the location of the All-Star Race? 515. Eric posted: 04.09.2013 - 10:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul, There is a couple factors on why the all-star race hasn't been moved. The all-star race was moved to Atlanta in 1986, but it sold poorly before going back to Charlotte in 1987. The 2nd reason NASCAR hasn't done anything with the All-Star Race is Bruton Smith himself. Burton wants the All-Star Race to be kept at his track. The fact is Charlotte one of the tracks that SMI owns. That means NASCAR can't do nothing with the All-Star race without SMI's okay and the All-Star Race only can be moved to a SMI race track. That means the All-Race only could be at Las Vegas, Charlotte, Sonoma, Loudon, Texas, Bristol, Atlanta, and Kentucky. 516. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.10.2013 - 2:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ben Hur is one of the greatest movies ever. 517. Sean posted: 04.10.2013 - 3:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The Motor Racing Network actually posts PDFs of post-race reports (they are AWESOME!!!). These include Average Running Position, Box Score, Closers, Driver Rating, Fastest Drivers Early In a Run, Fastest Drivers Late In a Run, Fastest Laps Run, Fastest on Restarts, Green Flag Passes, Green Flag Speed, Laps in Top 15, Laps Led, Quality Passes, Speed by Quarter, and Speed In Traffic." Okay, I found it. Thank you. It still bothers me that they don't publicly post who had the single fastest race lap like every other series except NASCAR does (which seems to be a more important statistic than number of fastest laps, even though I did use that for my last column). "Unfortunately, it's the average of all laps run, green and caution laps. I hope that can still be useful to you." That doesn't bother me much. It does bother me if they're only counting lead lap cars only, which I think they are. 518. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.10.2013 - 6:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmie should absolutely show more emotion on camera and not come off as arrogant. That is all. A rotation of SMI tracks picking up the All-Star race would be awesome. Charlotte's time has come and gone. I feel for the crew members who received some well earned recognition during the pit crew competition because they deserve it where it was the UNOCAL 76 Pit Crew Challenge at The Rock or All-Star weekend. 519. Paul posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Just like I had anticipated a couple days ago, Kevin Harvick will not be doing triple duty this weekend. It was an error that he was originally on the Rockingham entry list, and he will only be racing the two Martinsville Truck races. SPEED will be announcing the 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame tonight on NASCAR Race Hub. 520. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Why not just go back to the Old UNOCAL Pit crew challenge format where it was at the track. If not the Allstar weekend then perhaps Daytona 500 week or NASCAR championship weekend at Homestead. 521. jabber1990 posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Jabber1990's irrevant ramble of the week: i've said this before, there is all the controvercy of the NRA sponsorship of the race, well, i've written a story (or 3) about an entire race-weekend sponsored by, well, it involved firearms, the second Weekend in October at Kentucky Speedway the Wrangler Teen Series and the Top Division engaged in a double-header weekend at Kentucky Speedway the Knob Creek Gun Range 225 for the Teen series, and the Knob Creek Gun Range 400 for the Top Divison most of the teams run a pretty cool firearms related paint job, and the most bad-ass publicity stunt occurs, a few high school bands show up at the actual sponsor/range and they play "March of the Valkaries" as the drivers of both the Teen Series and Top Division storm out of of a Chinook and then perform an interpretive dance to March of the Valkaries while in their full "stig" suit. in the final notes of the song they remove their helmets and pose like they do in magazines. then their sponsor pays for them to go down to the lower range and shoot any automatic firearm. all of this is recored by the TV cameras which is turned into stock footage that they use for their intro and bumpers for their TV coverage the more controvercial topic is the Teen Series has been on Disney and Viacom networks in the past few years, so the Kentucky race has been on either Spike or CMT, neither are part of basic cable, so it has affected ratings, however in recent years ABC has aquired the race, so usually there is less controvercy. and whats more supprising, its the second-to-last race of the year for the teen series. its sandwiched between 2 road courses, Laguna Seca, and a fictional track after that for haloween/season ending. and even for being Kentucky there is alot of stuff that happens in that race that if you miss the race you can miss everything. hell last year the defending champion (who's season was pretty much decided at Kentucky the previous year) got involved in somebody elses wreck, hit the wall at full-force, hit the SAFER barrier at the joint and ripped the soft-wall apart, then to add to it, she failed a random drug test and got kicked out of the sport until she was 18. the year before that same girl got her 5th win of the year at that track and despite winning 5 of 20 races she still hadnt had the championship gift-wrapped yet, but it was pretty much determined that she had won. (her wins came at Chicagoland, Iowa, a plate track, a road course, and Kentucky...see a theme?) the Top Divison races arent as good, they are just basicly like Kentucky race, exept with the Gen 4 car (well basicly) sorry about the irrelevant ramble, sorry 522. David posted: 04.10.2013 - 10:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "That doesn't bother me much. It does bother me if they're only counting lead lap cars only, which I think they are." Actually, I don't think they are. Martin Truex, Jr. averaged a running position of 29.938. I'm pretty sure he was running better than that before he was wrecked. 523. David posted: 04.10.2013 - 12:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Ben Hur is one of the greatest movies ever." Have you ever seen "The Ten Commandments"? That is also an amazing movie. However, one movie that is hilariously funny is "The Princess Bride". Has anyone here seen it? 524. Paul posted: 04.10.2013 - 3:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Shawn Michaels will drive the pace car during the pre-race pace laps at Texas. Love it! 525. Jarret88fan posted: 04.10.2013 - 4:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If you don't like the NRA 500, then The Heartbreak Kid has two words for ya... I'm awaiting a Piers Morgan blow up at the faux controversial that is the National Rifle Association sponsorship of the Texas race. Of course he can join in on the vile trashing of the late Margaret Thatcher, but NASCAR must be beneath him. Brad Keselowski needs to win this weekend straight up. 526. Eric posted: 04.10.2013 - 6:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Before anyone asks, Anne B. France is NASCAR's first bookkeeper and Brian France's grandmother. 527. murb posted: 04.10.2013 - 6:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bruton Smith is now a first time nominee for the Nascar Hall of Fame. Yes, let's induct a guy who has taken away races from legendary facilities such as Rockingham and North Wilkesboro, has tried to tear up Charlotte Motor Speedway (as bad as it is, it still has a lot of history and tradition) in favor of a drag strip, and who wants halftime breaks in races. Sounds like a great idea. 528. Paul posted: 04.10.2013 - 6:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) They should induct Rex White into the next Hall of Fame class. Not only is he a NASCAR champion (should be a 2-time champion, '60 and '61) and has 28 wins and 36 poles, but he's also the oldest NASCAR champion still alive today. I would make sure to induct him now just to hear his induction speech and see him accept his award. 529. murb posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My five that I think should go in to the Hall of Fame: 1. Benny Parsons 2. Fireball Roberts 3. Tim Flock 4. Jerry Cook 5. Maurice Petty I think having three Cup guys (one of which who was also a great broadcaster), one legendary lower level guy, and one legendary mechanic makes for a good mix. It's the Nascar Hall of Fame, not Cup Hall of Fame. 530. Paul posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Until today, I wasn't aware that Fireball Roberts missed out on last year's Hall of Fame due to a tiebreaker. I say that if there's a tie, just induct both guys. Is it that big of a deal that only five guys get in every year? 531. Eric posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My five that I think should go in to the Hall of Fame: Fireball Roberts Tim Flock Jerry Cook Bobby Isaac Maurice Petty My consists of 3 cup drivers, but Tim Flock was also involved in NASCAR after his driver ended. He represented Charlotte Motor Speedway for selling tickets, and also being the spokesperson for the race track including when Celebrities come to the racetrack. The fact is being a spokesperson for a race track means you have to represent a racetrack in a great manner. I got Maurice Petty because he is the best crew member on the ballot. I got Jerry Cook because he almost got in last year. Once Jerry gets in, it opens the gate for Jack Ingram and Larry Phillips getting votes. 532. David posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:18 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I had never heard of Larry Phillips before his nomination. Russell Phillips, yes (died in the most gruesome and horrific crash in NASCAR history in 1995), but not Larry Phillips. Nominating Dale Jarrett = Win Nominating Maurice Petty = EPIC WIN Not nominating Tim Richmond = Fail Not nominating Ricky Rudd = FAIL Not nominating Alan Kulwicki = EPIC FAIL Nominating Bruton Smith = EPIC FREAKING FAIL!! 533. Eric posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I did not forget about Tim Flock's 2 cup championships and 39 cups besides being banned from NASCAR along with Curtis Turner for trying to start a union. I mentioned what Tim did after his driving career for a reason. Being a spokesperson for a race track is an important position for representing the race track and NASCAR in a good manner. I am saying this before cjs3872 makes a post claiming that I forgot about stuff with Tim Flock. 534. David posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My Hall of Fame ballot: Bobby Isaac Wendell Scott/Benny Parsons (either one) Fireball Roberts Ray Fox Maurice Petty 535. Eric posted: 04.10.2013 - 7:45 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The late Larry Phillips was a shocking nomination, but he was a legit legend in the lower leagues of Racing including the NASCAR weekly series. I am know enough with him based on Research. He is the reason Greg Biffle didn't win a NASCAR Weekly series title because Larry won it over Greg Biffle. Larry Phillips is a person that I didn't expect yet getting a nomination since Jerry Cook and Jack Ingram aren't in yet. Larry deserves to be inducted, but not in the next 2 classes. I am not that big on Bruton Smith getting a nomination and I think Ralph Moody should have got nominated instead. I think Burton should get credit for being involved in race track for a very long time and owning SMI, but there is a lot of stuff makes it a bad choice at this time. Humpy Wheeler was a great promoter at Charlotte Motor Speed way and Bruton wasn't the person who originally financed Charlotte Motor Speed way. Curtis Turner was the person who financed the track before being forced out by his partners. That means Burton benefited from Curtis Turner and Humpy Wheeler in Terms of Charlotte Motor Speed way. Burton taking away race tracks, and opening his mouth is a big turn off. Rex White was a great for a nomination. I see him getting inducted in 2015 though. Maurice Petty was a great nomination and I see him getting inducted for 2014 class. He had the most wins as an engine builder and was one of the key reasons for Petty being Top of the Cup series in the 1960's and 1970's. Dale Jarrett is an okay pick. I think Dale is a great driver, but he's too recent. The fact is there still is great drivers before Dale Jarrett got into the cup scene. I don't want to see Dale Jarrett getting inducted before Bobby Isaac, Tim Flock, Joe Weatherly, Fireball Roberts, Rex White, and Fred Lorenzen in terms of cup drivers. 536. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Like Daytona, TMS has assembled some big names for the upcoming NRA 500 race. Ex-NBA player Karl Malone will give the command, Shawn Michaels will be driving the pace car, and Texas Governor Rick Perry will wave the green flag. 537. jabber1990 posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) who are the 25? I was either asleep or on the phone when they announced it 538. Paul posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Eric, I completely agree with your statement about Dale Jarrett. He'll get in eventually and I'm glad that he was nominated, but there are more deserving nominees from years prior that are on the ballot that should be voted in first. Maurice Petty is another great pick, as he played a key role in making his brother into arguably the greatest NASCAR driver of all-time. As for either Jerry Cook or Jack Ingram, I'm in favor with either of them making it in because they would continue paving the way that first started with Richie Evans' induction for more non-Cup drivers getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. I think if one of them gets in this year, the other one should get in following year, as both drivers are among the greatest non-Cup drivers in NASCAR history. 539. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Have you ever seen "The Ten Commandments"? That is also an amazing movie. However, one movie that is hilariously funny is "The Princess Bride". Has anyone here seen it? " Hell Yeah! I watched the new TV show "The Bible" and their version of Moses unleashing the plagues on Egypt was really good I thought. But you just can't top Charlton Heston as Moses. And that whole movie, just like Ben Hur, was simply outstanding. So Hollywood fluff, no "message" being sent, just great actors and fantastic filmmakers telling some of the greatest stories ever. And yes, The Princess Bride is a cult classic. Love it. Actually I can;t ever hear somebody say "Juan Pablo Montoya" without thinking about that movie. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die. "Shawn Michaels will drive the pace car during the pre-race pace laps at Texas. Love it! " Excellent. I just hope after the pace laps, him and Brett Bodine get out of the pace car, then Shawn superkicks Brett's jaw off, then drives it the rest of the race. That might be the greatest moment in the history of the world if it happened. "Nominating Bruton Smith = EPIC FREAKING FAIL!!" Thank you. The Hall needs a strict "if you shut down a NASCAR treasure like North Wilkesboro and let it just sit there and rot away then you are automatically ineligible" rule. Other Bruton follies: getting rid of the kick ass carosel at Sears Point, the Bristol reconfiguration, the Charlotte drag strip debacle, the inaugural Kentucky weekend debacle, every press conference he has ever done, reconfiguring a bad track like the old Vegas and somehow making an even worse layout, the first two Texas weekends, LEVIGATING (I still want my money back for the tickets I bought to that one), moving an Atlanta date to Kentucky, moving a Rockingham date to Texas, turning two North Wilkesboro dates into a Texas date and a Loudon date, the 2000 Winston bridge collapse, and thinking it would be a good idea to have the IRL at Charlotte. "Not nominating Tim Richmond = Fail Not nominating Ricky Rudd = FAIL Not nominating Alan Kulwicki = EPIC FAIL" Agreed, agreed, and agreed. "Nominating Maurice Petty = EPIC WIN" Agreed. Lee, Richard, and Dale Inman are already in, they need the one missing ingredient to Petty Enterprises stunning success: Chief. 540. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Texas Governor Rick Perry will wave the green flag. " If Shawn would also give Rick Perry some Sweet Chin Music, I would be thrilled too. "Ex-NBA player Karl Malone will give the command" Actually Karl will just start to give the command before MJ swoops in from behind, steals the mic, and gives it himself right in Byron Russell's face, just like Game 6 of the '98 Finals. Damnit Mike, why didn't you stay retired after that? What a perfect way to go out. And why can't you get the Bobcats out of the cellar? 541. jabber1990 posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I dont know if this has been discussed before, but its somethign we've all thought about if we could bring Big Bill France back to life, would he be happy or upset with what NASCAR is now and has become? 542. jabber1990 posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I thought Dale Inman was Richard Pettys Crew cheif 543. Eric posted: 04.10.2013 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) David, I seen the Ten Commandments before. My parents had me watch growing up. It is a an outstanding movie. This was not a Hollywood fluff movie or a "message" movie like DaleSrFanForever said. I thought Charles Heston was outstanding as Moses. I also though Yul Brynner as Ramesses II was great. Rest of cast was outstanding and so was the legendary Cecil B. Demille as a producer and director for this movie. They told the story like was it. 544. cjs3872 posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Guys, let's not forget that of the 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, only five are actually new nominees, as there's actually a rule that stipulates that any finalist for the Hall of Fame in any year is automatically on the finalist's list until he gets elected and eventually inducted, so they only select five nominees each year. The other 20 were previously finalists that lost out in previous years. As for who I think should get elected this year, four should be locks in my view. The locks being Fireball Roberts (who should have gotten in last year, making it six inductees last year), Benny Parsons (not just for his driving career, but also his post-driving career), Tim Flock (the only one of the top four drivers in NASCAR's first generation not yet in), and Fred Lorenzen. As for the fifth one that should get in, I would vote for Ray Fox. Remember that it was Fox that built the car that revolutionized racing at Daytona in 1960, and was the first crew chief/chief mechanic to win at all the original speedways. Fox was also the man that took the chance in 1961 on a young driver from Spartanburg, SC by the name of David Pearson, and all Pearson did was to repay him with three big victories. Of course, the rest as far as Pearson's career goes, is history. Fox also masterminded Buck Baker's final win (the 1964 Southern 500) and Buddy Baker's first (the 1968 World 600). It would also be ironic if Richard Childress brings the #3 car back to the Cup seres next year if Fox got in, since Fox's white #3 cars were a fixture from the early 60s through 1972 with drivers such as Pearson, Buck and Buddy Baker, Jim Paschal, Junior Johnson, LeeRoy Yarbrough, and Cale Yarborough, among others. So it would be fitting if Childress brought the #3 back next year that the man who preceeded Childress in fielding the #3 car for a generation got in the Hall of Fame. 545. JG24FanForever posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My five nominees for HOF 2014: Raymond Parks(Why is he not already in?) Red Byron(Would make sense if he made it in this class.) Curtis Turner(I'm biased,but that doesn't change the fact that he's one of the biggest legends of Nascar's first era.) Tim Flock(He should have already made it. But he should make it this year.) Maurice Petty(The final piece to the Petty legacy.) 3 honorable mentions: Fred Lorenzen(He could make it in this class easily.) Fireball Roberts(Called: "Nascars first superstar" by Ned Jarrett.) Jerry Cook(Richie Evans greatest rival and 6-time Modified champ.) 546. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:36 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Fireball needs to be in. 547. David posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And yes, The Princess Bride is a cult classic. Love it. Actually I can't ever hear somebody say 'Juan Pablo Montoya' without thinking about that movie. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." I wonder if Kyle Petty ever fired anyone during his career. That would be the perfect situation for the Miracle Max line: "The King's stinking son fired me. And thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it! We're CLOSED!" "LEVIGATING" I thought that was Humpy Wheeler's idea. Of course, since it had disastrous results, it's only natural to associate that with Bruton Smith. "Agreed, agreed, and agreed." Wow, I don't think anyone has ever agreed with me this much on this site. "if we could bring Big Bill France back to life, would he be happy or upset with what NASCAR is now and has become?" Isn't this obvious?? "I thought Dale Inman was Richard Petty's Crew chief" He was. Maurice was his engine builder, and the crew chief for Petty Enterprises' second team, if they had one. He was the crew chief for Pete Hamilton in his 1970 Daytona 500 win. 548. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.10.2013 - 9:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @541, go to YouTube and type in Dale Earnhardt angry after the 2000 Daytona 500. 549. Paul posted: 04.10.2013 - 10:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You could take that clip of angry Dale Earnhardt, edit the track name for the most recent race, apply it to any race in the last six years, and it would probably make sense. Of course, it went perfectly with the two points-paying Daytona races in 2012, and all four Cup races at Daytona so far this season. Being realistic and going purely by statistics and impact on NASCAR, here are my five NASCAR Hall of Fame picks: - Fireball Roberts (Greatest NASCAR driver to never win a championship, although I think he would have won the 1950 title had he run the full schedule.) - Tim Flock (The fourth and final multi-time champion from the 1950s to get in.) - Benny Parsons (Champion driver, Daytona 500 winner, and arguably the best color commentator in NASCAR history.) - Jerry Cook (I consider him to be the 2nd greatest Modified driver ever, and would represent the non-Cup drivers as an inductee.) - Maurice Petty (The last piece of the puzzle to the legendary Petty Enterprises teams of the '60s and '70s.) I would love to see Curtis Turner and Fred Lorenzen get in, but I think they may have to wait one more year to get in. Fireball Roberts will be the "non-champion driver" representative to be inducted this year, and I think it's fair that only one driver from that category gets inducted. Ray Fox and Raymond Parks also deserve to get inducted, but they didn't make my top five and so I think they will have to wait another year. It's too bad NASCAR didn't just induct 20 people in their first Hall of Fame class, because that would have put a lot of deserving NASCAR contributors into the HOF right away, instead of being pushed back as a result of the 5 person limit. 550. NicoRosbergFan posted: 04.11.2013 - 6:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hey, y'all. I just finished cleaning off my computer screen after vomiting upon seeing Bruton nominated for the Hall... 551. JG24FanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 6:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 1976 Southern 500 finish. Pearson appears from nowhere,passes Waltrip in one shot,and disappears into the distance. Meanwhile,Petty can't pass Waltrip and has to basically wreck him to steal second on the final lap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQMSQSjmiFI 552. JG24FanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 6:31 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) 1958 Daytona Beach Convertible race. Winner: Curtis Turner Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eIuUq-GZok Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IOxG5OcSoc Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIzzMxwj31A Watch!! 553. cjs3872 posted: 04.11.2013 - 8:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) JG24FF, actually, Paul Goldsmith won the final race on the Daytona Beach and Road Course in 1958. 554. David posted: 04.11.2013 - 10:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) cjs, he was referring to the Convertible race, not the Grand National race. 555. David posted: 04.11.2013 - 10:25 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Other Bruton follies: getting rid of the kick ass carosel at Sears Point, the Bristol reconfiguration, the Charlotte drag strip debacle, the inaugural Kentucky weekend debacle, every press conference he has ever done, reconfiguring a bad track like the old Vegas and somehow making an even worse layout, the first two Texas weekends, LEVIGATING (I still want my money back for the tickets I bought to that one), moving an Atlanta date to Kentucky, moving a Rockingham date to Texas, turning two North Wilkesboro dates into a Texas date and a Loudon date, the 2000 Winston bridge collapse, and thinking it would be a good idea to have the IRL at Charlotte." Don't forget the worst one of all: bringing IndyCar to Las Vegas. No need to explain why that shouldn't have happened. And afterwards, when IndyCar decided to not return in 2012, he actually had the GALL to want IndyCar to fulfill their three-year contract. 556. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 11:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, Indycar at Vegas was mostly the fault of Randy Bernard and Brian Barnhardt as the event was not officially an SMI event and instead track rental. Bernard was really the one pushing it even after warnings from drivers and team owners. 557. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 11:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Funny how the ISC reconfigurations (Homestead, Martinsville, Kansas) and usually are just 'repave jobs' while SMI always screws up reconfigurations and makes the tracks even harder to pass and more boring (Bristol 2007-12, Las Vegas). 558. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 12:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thanks for the awesome clips JG24Fan. One thing, I wouldn't say Petty wrecked Waltrip in any way. Darrell cut down on Richard pretty bad the previous lap and Richard lifted to keep from wrecking him. The next time Richard was further along and held his ground when Darrell cut down. But it was still great to watch. Hard to believe that was Pearson's 1st Southern 500. He had won the Rebel 400/500 6 times and finished 2nd in the Labor Day Classic SIX times prior. It is hard to believe the words "David Pearson", "Darlington", and "due" were ever together in a sentence, but Pearson was due that one, and the 2 in the next 3 years that followed. I just thought Dale was due his rain shortened Southern 500 win in '87 (the only one of his 76 wins that were shortened in any way), but he had only won the Spring race 3 times prior to that, before going on his own 3 out of 4 Southern 500 spree, with another Spring race win ('90) sprinkled in there, before ending his Darlington career with two more Spring race wins in '93 and '94. Also it should be noted that Dale has the most 500 mile wins at Darlington (7) that Gordon will tie with his next Darlington win as long as it isn't rain shortened, noise ordinance shortened, or DSFF Has Ripped A Taco Fart In The Grandstand Therefore We Must Stop The Race, Evacuate The Track, And All Of Darlington South Carolina shortened. 559. cjs3872 posted: 04.11.2013 - 1:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The irony, DSFF, is that Pearson and Petty each had to wait a long time before winning two of the sport's marquee races, but when they did, they won both in the same year. Not only did it take Pearson until 1976 to win the Southern 500 for the first time, but that was the same year of his one and only Daytona 500 win. And in the case of Richard Petty, that could be said of two other marquee events, the Firecracker 400 and the World 600. And as much as he accomplished, Petty had to wait until 1975 win each of those events, and ironically, he won those same two events again in 1977. And as we all know, the World 600 was the one race that Cale Yarborough and Bill Elliott were never able to win, and the same is true regarding the Southern 500 for drivers such as Rusty Wallace, Lee Petty, Junior Johnson, and one of the current-day stars, Tony Stewart. That's one thing that makes Jeff Gordon's career so remarkable, because he never really had to wait to win any of the sport's biggest events, as he bagged them all at least twice by the end of his sixth season on the circuit, and currently has at least three wins in all of them, something only Bobby Allison can also boast. And I still say that, while it would be good to see the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend, I think an even better spot for it would be late in the Chase (as it was in 2004), because Darlington is a thorough examination of everything, but especially a driver's skill, and if you add chapionship pressure to that, and you can expect just about anything to happen. 560. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 1:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Interesting to note, IMS is quietly removing large sections of the North and Northeast Vista and plans to remove the entire G and H stands in the future. Not surprising after the smallest non-weather affected Indy 500 crowd since 1949 and half empty grandstands for the 400 despite the 'Superweekend' farce. NASCAR needs to drop that outdated dump. 561. Sean posted: 04.11.2013 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I had never heard of Larry Phillips before his nomination." I had. I read Bob Zeller's "Mark Martin - Driven to Race" when I was a kid and learned from that that he was considered THE top midwestern short track driver in the '70s when Martin and Rusty Wallace were emerging (I believe both of them even today say he was as good as any driver they ever competed against). I also knew he won 5 Whelen All-American Series/then Winston Racing Series titles. I didn't know he beat Biffle to one of them, but that is impressive, considering how much older he was at the time. He was IMO the biggest snub on the 50 Greatest Drivers list and I'm glad to see he wasn't forgotten. I'm kind of surprised he was nominated before dominant minor-league drivers who actually MADE the list, like Hershel McGriff, Bob Welborn, and Tiny Lund though. Maybe they're still counting McGriff as active (I don't believe he has YET retired). I'm pleased though, and hopefully this means Ray Elder will eventually make it too (he was the other major snub on the 50 Greatest Drivers list considering he usually did better in Winston West than McGriff and actually won Cup races at Riverside IN WINSTON WEST EQUIPMENT!) I would take him over Welborn or Lund I think, but would probably take McGriff, Elder, Jerry Cook, or Mike Stefanik (not eligible yet) over him. I also wonder if Phillips might open the door for Dick Trickle, who was considered probably Phillips's main rival back in the '70s as they were being challenged by the new guard like Mark and Rusty. Probably not, because unfortunately Trickle's greatest success was in a lot of defunct midwestern short track series not sanctioned by NASCAR (ASA, ARTGO, etc...) and his actual NASCAR results are a bit lacking (only because he arrived in NASCAR too late and never had any sort of decent ride). "Nominating Dale Jarrett = Win" Actually, I'd call it a fail, and even a bigger fail than Bruton Smith. Look, I despise Bruton as much as the rest of you do and agree he's ruined most of the tracks he's owned lately but AT ONE POINT he left a vital imprint on NASCAR (quietly aligning his NSCRA with NASCAR to essentially ensure NASCAR's dominance over stock car racing, co-sanctioning the inaugural Southern 500, funding Charlotte, etc...) I can't stand the man either, but he is one of the nominees I personally hate whose induction I could accept (along with Humpy Wheeler, Ray Evernham, and pretty much all of today's powerhouse owners...I'd probably draw the line at Carl Kiekhaefer though, but even HE has an argument for setting the standard for multi-car teams, as much of a dick as he was). If there are already people like Bill France's wife, Ralph Seagraves, and T. Wayne Robertson (whom I support pretty soon actually and before Seagraves as I see him as largely responsible for NASCAR's success in the 1985-1997 period, which to me are the "glory years" of NASCAR, etc...) on the ballot, it becomes harder to keep Bruton off. Maybe picking somebody like Harold Brasington would have been much cooler though. Jarrett is being nominated WAY TOO SOON. When there are two drivers who predate him, who won before him, and were more successful in general who are not eligible yet because they are still active/semi-active (Bill Elliott/Mark Martin), it's hard to justify throwing a nomination to him just yet when there are so many drivers from the '70s/'80s whom in my opinion had more talent that have just been glossed over. At least in Rusty's case, he was more successful than anyone who predated him when he retired. Jarrett eventually deserves induction, but his dominance wasn't exactly overwhelming enough to take him over a LOT of '70s/'80s drivers who were ignored (and in my opinion, superior). "Not nominating Tim Richmond = Fail Not nominating Ricky Rudd = FAIL Not nominating Alan Kulwicki = EPIC FAIL" And there's three of them, although those might not be my first three choices from that general era. Honestly, I think if it's too early for Jarrett, it's also too early for Rudd who was never especially dominant either. As much as I've gone on about people on here overrating Davey Allison (because I myself think Ernie Irvan was the best of the 4 Yates legends, although I know this view is not widely shared), I could live with Davey now, although even I admit Ernie might be too soon (though I'd still take him over Jarrett.) You left off Harry Gant, Buddy Baker, Geoff Bodine, and Neil Bonnett as well. Buddy Baker WAS essentially the Jarrett of the '70s (except less consistent due to more unreliable equipment), so I'd go for him first, and I simply think the other three were more talented (and Bonnett in particular would be a nice thing to do since he's been a lot more overlooked than Richmond, Allison, or Kulwicki lately, since those three died in their prime and he did not). Is Jarrett being nominated earlier than he deserves because he's in the booth now? It's not like he's been a Benny Parsons or Ned Jarrett-level commentator (although not nearly as bad as Rusty or the Waltrips, either...just kinda generic). Jarrett should wait until after Bill Elliott and Mark Martin are in IMO and make sure all the true '50s-'70s legends are in first and at least SOME of his superior contemporaries like Gant, Kulwicki, Allison, Richmond, etc... Gant may be more egregious than any of the three you listed IMO. I DO support DJ's induction, but this nomination is way too soon, and some of the drivers that people are complaining who are snubbed wouldn't have been if Jarrett (and Smith) weren't nominated. Rex White, Maurice Petty, and Larry Phillips are fine (although Phillips definitely seemed kind of random after he was snubbed from the 50 Greatest Drivers list, even though I believe he was on the body to PICK the 50 Greatest Drivers, which made it even more appalling). "Eric, I completely agree with your statement about Dale Jarrett. He'll get in eventually and I'm glad that he was nominated, but there are more deserving nominees from years prior that are on the ballot that should be voted in first." There are more deserving potential nominees from years prior that AREN'T on the ballot that should be voted in first... Really, nobody is even mentioning Gant? 562. Sean posted: 04.11.2013 - 2:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Actually I can't ever hear somebody say "Juan Pablo Montoya" without thinking about that movie. My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." Yes, I've had that same thought before. He raced as Juan Montoya in CART and IRL so I'm kinda surprised he kept the Pablo when he went to NASCAR. DSFF, I agree with most of your criticisms of recent Bruton Smith (but not enough to say he should be kept out for life...it is too soon though). However, a few comments. "turning two North Wilkesboro dates into a Texas date and a Loudon date" I believe you also have to blame Bob Bahre for half of that. Didn't Smith and Bahre each purchase half of North Wilkesboro, with Smith moving the spring date to Texas and Bahre moving the fall date to Loudon? Smith did not own Loudon then. I really do think Loudon gets a bum rap from a lot of fans and is one of the more underrated tracks out there (it's a big Martinsville! Yes, I certainly prefer Martinsville, but still), but I get the hate and yes, I certainly liked North Wilkesboro better. "thinking it would be a good idea to have the IRL at Charlotte." The spectator deaths were the IRL's fault, not Charlotte's. The tire went into the stands because the cars did not have wheel tethers. This was more inexcusable considering that CART had also had a tire go into the stands the previous year in their 1998 Michigan race (a total classic except for that) killing several fans. Immediately after that, both CART and IRL should have demanded wheel tethers but neither did so until after the 1999 IRL Charlotte incident (and NASCAR beat them both to the punch on that one). The IRL had already had a successful, blockbuster event at Texas, so I can understand why they'd go to the reconfigured Atlanta and Charlotte as a result. However, I know a lot of drivers thought all those races were dangerous (Texas had some gruesome crashes like the 2001 crash that nearly ended Davey Hamilton's career, and Atlanta had that horrific-looking wreck also in 2001 with a young Casey Mears airborne that ended up injuring no one...) After they lowered the downforce on the cars last year, Texas was fine, so Charlotte or Atlanta probably would be now too (even Las Vegas I think would be with the new chassis). Unless your criticism is that Charlotte and Atlanta are stock car country and wouldn't attract open wheel fans, rather than the safety of the venue. On that point, I might agree, but I can see why they went there after their first few Texas races were smash hits (to the point of CART trying to race in Texas to compete and cancelling its 2001 race a few hours before it was scheduled to start because the g-forces were too much for any of the drivers to take except Kenny Brack and Paul Tracy). 1999-2001 was definitely an ugly period for open wheel, safety-wise, but the same can be said for NASCAR obviously... "Don't forget the worst one of all: bringing IndyCar to Las Vegas." Yeah, this one's all on Randy Bernard, not SMI. He wanted to create a season-ending spectacle in a glitzy town, and boy did he. I absolutely despised Bernard to the point where I was NOSTALGIC for Tony George (although George's overall effect on racing was negative, there were at least a FEW good things - him funding the SAFER barrier, bringing NASCAR and F1 to IMS (hey, he didn't KNOW the Brickyard was going to regularly suck), seemingly actually caring about the sport and the drivers more than the "product" (at least until Danica arrived), keeping Nationwide out of the Brickyard to support the race at IRP, which continued right up until George was ousted...) Bernard, on the other hand, was trying to run IndyCar as a poor man's Humpy Wheeler and although I'll admit he was the BEST promoter IndyCar racing has had since Tony Hulman (certainly none of the CART guys promoted well...they just got lucky that the racing and talent level was so great in that period), his gimmicks quite often got in the way of safety (Ooh! Let's start the 2nd race at Texas via a random draw and let a car that wrecked in the first race start on the front row! Ooh! Let's race in the rain at Loudon! Ooh! Let's run a spectacle at Las Vegas and FORCE Dan Wheldon to start last...not putting an exclamation point on that one). Glad HE was fired, not that I want TG back. I can't blame SMI for that one. Yes, you could argue that some of my safety criticisms were really Brian Barnhart's fault, not Randy Bernard's, but Bernard was a fan favorite because he (supposedly) listened to fans (even though he didn't care about the safety of his drivers) and fans had clamored for Barnhart to be fired for quite some time yet he refused to do so until after the 2011 season was over, so the buck still stops with him. I WILL blame SMI for the initial state of Texas Motor Speedway, where the first two Cup races were absolutely putrid wreckfests and the first IRL race in 1997 didn't count certain drivers' completed laps in the pits, leading to Arie Luyendyk really winning and Billy Boat being scored as the winner. Texas's ineptitude ended up getting overshadowed by Foyt punching Luyendyk after the race (which I found incredibly stupid, especially after it was revealed Luyendyk really won, but I can see why it would entertain some people...) "It's too bad NASCAR didn't just induct 20 people in their first Hall of Fame class, because that would have put a lot of deserving NASCAR contributors into the HOF right away, instead of being pushed back as a result of the 5 person limit." Absolutely. Most Halls of Fame start with really large classes and if NASCAR had started with a 15 or 20 member class, David Pearson and Cale Yarborough wouldn't have been snubbed so long (i.e. at all), and you'd start to see guys like Gant, Bonnett, Smokey Yunick (a bigger snub than any of the drivers IMO), Richmond, Allison, Kulwicki on the ballot. If THAT had happened, I'd be more or less okay with Jarrett now... 563. Sean posted: 04.11.2013 - 2:35 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tim Flock Ray Fox Bobby Isaac Fireball Roberts Smokey Yunick is whom I'd want as the fifth, but unfortunately he's not on the ballot, so... Benny Parsons (because I didn't want to decide between Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly, and Fred Lorenzen) I support all the minor-league drivers who are getting nominated, but I just can't see taking them over Flock, Isaac, Roberts, Parsons, Turner, Weatherly, or Lorenzen. I'd probably take Jerry Cook over a Buddy Baker or a Rudd or a Jarrett though... 564. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 4:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) You are right, I should have mentioned Bob Bahre's part in the Wilkesboro deal. And yes it is unfair to place more than just a tiny bit of blame on Bruton for the IRL spectator deaths. And I also agree the first class should have been 20. Also, it was a mistake inducting Big Bill and Bill France Jr. You NAME the HOF after those two, they built the sport and are on another lever. That was a disservice both to those two and to the rest of the nominees that had two spots taken forcing them to wait (Pearson in the 2nd class and Cale in the 3rd class are embarrassments). Cjs, that is a topic we were discussing once, Jeff has never been snakebit at ANYTHING truly important in this sport. By the time February 1997 ended, the start of Jeff's fifth season, and at just 25 years old, he had already won all the important stuff at least once. I know he has had some horrible luck from '08 to present, but is that things averaging out? The only other NASCAR driver who doesn't know the meaning of snakebit is Jimmie Johnson. 565. cjs3872 posted: 04.11.2013 - 4:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) TeamPlayersBlue, I think the smaller crowd for the Indianapolis 500 has more to do with that than the dwindling crowds for the Brickyard 400. When I watched the Indianapolis 500 last year, I was shocked at areas of seating that was empty, though weather may have been partly to blame, not because of rain, but because of stifling heat, as last year's race was one of the hottest ever in terms of temperature, with the action on the track just as hot. And it's interesting you bring up the fact that they're removing the stands in the NSC, because that was the scene of the tragic incident in the 1987 race where Tony Betenhausen, Jr. lost a wheel, which was hit by Roberto Guerrero, and that tire struck and killed a fan in the last row of seating, so this kind of thing has been a problem in IndyCar racing much longer than people may want to believe. The decline in interest in the Brickyard 400 can be traced to the inception of the Chase in 2004, which greatly reduced that race's stature on the NASCAR schedule, which is why I say that event should be the first in the Chase, much like the Daytona 500 opens the season. Saying that, the Brickyard 400 is still among the top three attended races on the NASCAR circuit annually, even with a half-filled grandstand. Also, let's not forget that attendance for the Coca-Cola 600, another of NASCAR's crown jewel events, dropped off the table in the last five years from about 170,000 to about 120,000, so the Brickyard 400 is not alone. And they can't even sell out races at places like Michigan and Talladega, two other showcase tracks, and the seating capacty has been dropped at those two places, if I'm not mistaken. Even Daytona 500 attendance has dropped off in recent years, from a high of 205,000 to 175,000 in 2010. So this problem is circuit-wide, and has been for several years. And Sean, your point about larger clases for the inaugural Hall of Fame classes in other sports is best exemplified by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year, electing and inducting 25 members in it's first class in 1963. Of course, onthe other hand, the Baseball Hall of Fame elected only five in it's first vote back in 1936, though there were no formal induction ceremonies until 1939, when 22 more were inducted for a total of 27 enshrinees in 1939. Again, I think they should have elected and enshrined at least 10, and up to 15 the first time around, and then gone with the current five-per-year standard, or have a minimum voting percentage requirement for election into the Hall of Fame, as is the case in other sports, though the bylaws of the Pro Football Hall of Fame requires that at least four men get enshrined each year, with a cap of seven in any one year. But as I mentioned, the five I'd pick this for year's class would be Benny Parsons, Fireball Roberts, Fred Lorenzen, Tim Flock, and Ray Fox. 566. cjs3872 posted: 04.11.2013 - 4:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DSFF, not only did Bill France Sr. and Jr. need to be part of the first class of enshrinees, but much as was done when George Halas was the first man inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963, Bill France, Sr. had to be the FIRST man inducted into NASCAR's Hall of Fame. And other the sports have game officials, team owners, broadcasters, league presidents, and commissioners in their Halls of Fame, so there's nothing wrong with having NASCAR's first two head honchos in. After all, Bill France, Sr. and Jr. ruled NASCAR for 52 years as NASCAR's first two presidents, until Bill, Jr. stepped down and made Mike Helton the sport's third and current president in 2000. and Helton will also be in the Hall of Fame someday, for better or worse. Not having them in the Hall of Fame is pure lunacy. 567. Paul posted: 04.11.2013 - 4:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) JG24, thanks for sharing both of those races, especially the '58 Daytona Beach Convertible race. After watching that race, here are some present-day driver comparisons that I drew from drivers in that race: Curtis Turner: Jimmie Johnson/"Good" Kyle Busch (It didn't matter where he started, Turner was a man on a mission in that race and once he got the lead, he never relinquished in on the track and was in his own zip code the majority of the race. Plus, he dominated what was essentially a "B race," adding to the "Good" Kyle Busch comparison.) Lee Petty: Jeff Gordon (Never made a mistake, even while racing Joe Weatherly side-by-side for several laps towards the end. Was content with running in 2nd, rather than risk tearing the car up going for the lead.) Joe Weatherly: Kevin Harvick ("Mr. Where Did He Come From?" It took him forever to catch 2nd place Lee Petty, but once he caught Petty he raced him very clean and made for a great battle in the closing laps.) Tim Flock: "Bad" Kyle Busch (Seemed set to dominate the entire race, having won more races on the Beach than any other driver, but made a big mistake while leading with Turner approaching and drove off the track. He retired from the race immediately after, possibly from damage to the car's suspension, but the fact that he retired right after making a big mistake that cost him the race so early in the race only adds to the "Bad" Kyle Busch comparison.) Buck Baker: Ryan Newman (Made a mistake and spun out early in the race, but came back to finish a distant 4th. Like Newman, Baker was a "hard charger" driver who while prone to making mistakes, knew how to persevere and make up for his mistakes with a good result.) Ken Love: Grant Galloway (I think he spun out all by himself in back-to-back laps. A career backmarker, to say the very least.) 568. AveryNH posted: 04.11.2013 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Glad somebody on here sticks up for Loudon!! I still feel a bit guilty that my home track played a major role in the demise of a stock car staple like North Wilkesboro. Granted it was a bit before my time, I vaguely recall the last race there, which of course was won by Gordon. But to be fair, Bob Bahre was one of the kindest and generous track owners, possibly only topped by the Mattioli family, who own Pocono Raceway. Both are polar opposites of Bruton. The man single-handedly ruined Bristol, took Rockingham's second race and gave it to an undeserving Texas, and finally gave Kentucky a hopelessly unnecessary CUP DATE! Why oh why Mr. Smith? 569. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch and FRM are FAST today at Texas. Wow. 570. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.11.2013 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jarrett was nominated as a driver who last ran the 2008 All-Star race. Therrefore, under the HOF criteria for drivers, he was nominated. Granted there are pioneers like Smokey and Scott who haven't gotten in yet, which is tantamount to travesty. The Hall of Fame selection is very political and I have a feeling DJ will get in within the next three years due to the respect he has earned over his career. My cousin is a Rusty Wallace fan and he was so happy Rusty made it, but recognized how political the process really is when movers and shakers from the 1950s-1980s are still not in the HOF. 571. Paul posted: 04.11.2013 - 5:34 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy wrote a letter to Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp. (parent company of FOX) to not air coverage of the NRA 500. Oh my God, are you kidding me?! So because the NRA is sponsoring a race, the television network must refuse to air the race because it might offend people? Look, I'm not a fan of the NRA by any means, but they paid good money to sponsor this freakin' race, and so they have every right to be the title sponsor of the Cup race at Texas this weekend. Why should FOX have to pull the plug just because it might offend some anti-gun people? If you don't want to watch the race, either because you're not a NASCAR fan (if so, why do you even care whether the race gets aired or not?) or because you're deeply offended by the title sponsor of the race, do your self and all of us a favor and just not watch it. Simply as that. Let FOX make it's own decisions on what to and what not to air. If the ratings for this race drop by a large margin because of the NRA's involvement with the race, then yeah, I agree that they should have a talk with Texas Motor Speedway because the race sponsor did serious damage to their network. But in the meantime, just get over it. The NRA is sponsoring this race, and that's that. In a free country like what the U.S. is supposed to be, we have to stop getting involved in other people's business and learn that we don't have a right not to be offended. If you're offended by the NRA's sponsorship of this race, then just don't watch it. Don't try and take away other people's rights to watch this race. This is one reason why I'll never be a supporter of the Democratic Party and these liberal activist groups that try and spread this whole "pro-freedom" bullshit message. They say they're pro-freedom and pro-individual liberty, and they showcase their beliefs by taking away freedoms and liberties from other people with the opposite beliefs as them. Now they're not the only people that do this as the people on the right of the political spectrum are just as guilty, but this is just so typical of what people on the left do in the public eye. So basically, if you don't like this race being called the NRA 500, don't watch it. Otherwise, leave us NASCAR fans the f*** alone and let us watch this race so that we can see who wins, who loses, and what transpires throughout the race. Besides, if there's one reason why FOX shouldn't air this race, it'll be to spare us of listening to the Waltrips using this chance to promote themselves, not because a few people are going to be offended because they don't agree with the NRA. 572. Eric posted: 04.11.2013 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sean, Bill Elliott retired. He already said earlier this year that he wouldn't do any cup races this year and rather see younger drivers taking a read instead of him. It sounds like Bill's last cup race was at Daytona last year as result. That means he can't be on the ballot for 3 years. 2016 is the fist year for Bill to be named as a nominee. I agree with on Dale Jarrett shouldn't get before Mark or Bill, but I'm afraid that the voters actually would put him in this year or next year. It goes to the fact I think some of the voters are fans that got their start in NASCAR when Dale Jarrett was in his prime. I didn't mention Harry Gant for a reason. It is hard when to put him in a ballot. Harry Gant got 18 cup wins, but at the same time he won 300 NASCAR Sportsman's National Championship races including 3 straight titles. Harry also had 3 runner ups in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series in the 1970's(now known as the Nationwide series)besides the Busch series wins from 1982 to 1994. The problem is when the NASCAR media thinks Harry Gant now, the media would be mentioning his cup career, not his NASCAR Career from the 1960's or 1970's. That could cause a lot of people to say Harry Gant got on the ballot too early. The other problem is NASCAR didn't keep records of NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series on wins before it became the Busch Series in 1982. 573. cjs3872 posted: 04.11.2013 - 5:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jarrett88fan, the voting process for all the various sports Halls of Fame is political, to some extent. But one thing that works against the old-timers like Joe Weatherly, Bobby Isaac, Fred Lorenzen, and even Fireball Roberts is that, unlike other sports like baseball, football, and basketball, much of the older history of the NASCAR was not well covered, so the exploits of the pioneers of NASCAR are not as well known as the pioneers of other sports, and as a result, they tend to fall through the cracks and most of them are largely forgotten by history. But Rusty Wallace was a driver of more recent vintage, as was Dale Jarrett, so their exploits are more remembered, since everyone that knows about NASCAR know what they accomplished, so they would figure to have an easier time getting into the Hall of Fame simply because more people remember and know what they did. And the drivers below the first tier of the older generations feel the weight of this far more than the top tier drivers would feel. A second or even third-tier driver today would stand a better chance of getting in than a borderline first-tier driver of an older generation would, because their exploits would be forgotten by history, while the exploits of a second or third tier driver today will be remembered and known by more people because of the greater range of people that are aware. That's just a fact. Is it right? Probably not, but it's just the way it is now. NASCAR didn't begin receiveing any serious national attention until the mid 1970s (most notably, the 1974 Daytona 500, the first one carried live), and the drivers who stared prior to that are the victims here. 574. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 5:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) More Like: Is Christopher Murphy a complete dumbass? Murdoch probably makes more a day than he makes a year and is in bed with governments around the world, making him far more powerful than some Junior Senator from Connecticut. 575. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, it isn't his responsibility but instead The programming director of FOX in the United States. Murdoch is probably in Europe now anyway. 576. David posted: 04.11.2013 - 6:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, my comments got PICKED APART by Sean. I'll admit, Harry Gant is deserving of the HoF. But Ricky Rudd's name popped in my head sooner, so I put him down. "Yeah, this one's all on Randy Bernard, not SMI." Okay, but didn't Bruton Smith want to keep them racing there? "Actually, I'd call it a fail, and even a bigger fail than Bruton Smith." This is the one reply of yours that I will disagree with. Yes, he did drive for powerhouse Yates during his prime, but he is still a NASCAR champion. I'll grant you that he was nominated too soon. Harry Gant (along with others) probably should have been nominated before Jarrett. But nothing can top Bruton Smith's antics. 577. Paul posted: 04.11.2013 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't have a problem with Dale Jarrett getting nominated so soon, but I will be upset if he gets voted in before more deserving NASCAR pioneers like Curtis Turner, Fred Lorenzen, Ray Fox, and Raymond Parks (none of whom made my list of the five inductees to the next Hall of Fame class). 578. David posted: 04.11.2013 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) My previous comment was started a while ago, but I didn't finish it and post it until now, so I missed the Christopher Murphy comment. All I can say is...just wow. 579. Paul posted: 04.11.2013 - 7:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Is Jarrett being nominated earlier than he deserves because he's in the booth now? It's not like he's been a Benny Parsons or Ned Jarrett-level commentator (although not nearly as bad as Rusty or the Waltrips, either...just kinda generic)." Personally, I think Jarrett would be a better commentator if NASCAR commentary was still like how it was in the '90s and the announcers were allowed to focus on the racing and not on the storyline aspects of racing. As good as Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons were, they needed a good team around them (including a great play-by-play announcer in Bob Jenkins, and a team of producers that wouldn't direct the action so much in their headsets). I think Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree are the two most professional color commentators right now, but they're forced to become part of the show themselves on occasion because of the way ESPN directs its NASCAR races (one of the reasons why Allen Bestwick makes so many "jokes" during the broadcast, instead of just calling the races like he did with NBC/TNT), and I they come off as very uncomfortable when they do that. Jarrett may be sort of generic as a commentator, but I put a good part of the blame on ESPN for the way they do their NASCAR coverage. At least with FOX, we know that they're just in it for the show and have no interest in showing a true NASCAR broadcast. ESPN will sometimes tease us with a very professional broadcast or analysis from the commentators, but so often they try to hype everything up as a spectacle and a show instead of letting the racing do the talking. There's an old saying that goes "You can't be half-pregnant," meaning you have to commit to either one alternative (professional broadcast) or the other ("FOX-like" broadcast). There's no middle ground, and so far ESPN has done a lot of attempting to find that middle ground between covering a race professionally and like a show. It's too bad they can't just choose one or the other, instead of teasing us that they're a professional broadcasting network, which so far they have failed in their 2007-present NASCAR coverage. I guarantee you that the ESPN commentators, including Dale Jarrett, would look a lot better if ESPN were to cover a race professionally for once. 580. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow, Chris Murphy is getting destroyed on just about every outlet. As Golden Tate, Betty McCollum and now Christopher Murphy have discovered, don't mess with NASCAR fans. 581. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.11.2013 - 8:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) On his only 'unofficial' facebook page: "you're a complete and total douche, everyone that voted for you deserved a slap in the face...I hope you trip over a sidewalk in front of a huge group of people and get hurt." 582. Paul posted: 04.11.2013 - 8:41 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just watched the entire WWF Championship match from Wrestlemania 11 between Diesel and Shawn Michaels. Pretty good match considering that they had Shawn wrestle as the bad guy even though he was half the size of Diesel, not to mention Diesel's limited wrestling ability. They did a really good job of making Diesel look like a vulnerable giant by having Shawn work over his injured ribs, which would give Diesel pain even after he would slam Shawn down because of how injured his ribs were. There was even a spot in the match where Diesel gave Michaels a back suplex, and Michaels wound up making a pinfall attempt on Diesel just because the move hurt Diesel as well. I was mainly watching it to see the finish, which Kevin Nash (Diesel) described as Shawn taking "the worst powerbomb in the history of pro wrestling," which it very well might have been. Even though they're the best of friends, Nash believes that Shawn intentionally took a bad powerbomb to make Diesel (the character, not the person) look bad for screwing up his finisher on a guy that was half his size. Shawn had been lobbying for quite awhile that he wanted the Diesel's spot on the roster, so it's possible that he intentionally botched the finish for his own political gain. Watching this match reminded me of today's wrestling matches with the smaller crowds and most of the cheers coming from kids in the audience. The only real differences were the non-HD cameras, the commentators were actually calling the match as if it were real, and there was a shit ton of people at ringside, either working as camera men, announcers, or just random people with headsets on. Even though pro wrestling was at an all-time low in 1995, it was still being presented as a real sport by the WWE. It's a shame they decided to go all entertainment on us over the past decade. Also, I can completely understand why Shawn Michaels' career temporarily ended just three years later due to chronic back injuries, especially from the first few minutes of the match. There was a spot early in the match when Michaels was running at Diesel, and Diesel sent him high up in the air with a back body drop, with Michaels landing flat on his back as a result. Considering that Diesel is 7'1" tall and he sent Michaels about three feet over his head with that move. Ouch! I also got a kick out of the chants for Sycho Sid (Shawn's bodyguard) from the crowd during the match. I've noticed that he was usually cheered by the crowd, no matter if he was a heel or babyface. I'm not sure what it is, but there's something about him that just makes him unhateable. 583. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 9:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I feel for Shawn cause he also worked his ass of during wrestling's down days, destroyed his back, but helped launch the Attitude era with his edgy "DX" persona, had to go away just as it really took off to the stratosphere, and couldn't come back until things were back on the downside. Even though by prior to his comeback he was, by all accounts, including his own, a Grade A asshole, its a shame he missed the best part. On the plus side, him and Taker had two EPIC WrestleMania matches that didn't so much steal their respective shows, they WERE their respective shows. And I still love watching his SummerSlam match with ass clown Hulk Hogan and his over the top selling of Hulk's weak ass offense. I also love the way he plays the bad guy every time they go to Canada cause he is still hated there for the Montreal deal (get over it hosers). And I still say Bill France Sr and Jr ARE the HOF. Giving them a common induction isn't right. 584. Eric posted: 04.11.2013 - 9:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DaleSrFanForever, I hate to say it, but it was a good thing Shawn Michaels missed 4 years of wrestling due to his back because the fact is Shawn probably wouldn't be alive today based on how Shawn was by 1998. Shawn had serious Drug and Alcohol problems at the time. I remembered Bret Hart mentioning he didn't know who going to die first Shawn or Brian Pillman because both of them them had serious drug problems. 585. murb posted: 04.11.2013 - 10:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) HBK was great for sure. I was happy to see him make his comeback in 2002 because I was incredibly small when they were doing the original DX deal. It will be cool to see him drive the pace car and as previously mentioned, hopefully give Brett Bodine a little Sweet Chin Music, lol. "And I still love watching his SummerSlam match with ass clown Hulk Hogan and his over the top selling of Hulk's weak ass offense." You can say that again. I have SummerSlam 2005 on DVD somewhere (which also had a couple other great matches between Edge/Matt Hardy and Eddie Guerrero/Rey Mysterio in a ladder match), and Shawn without a doubt made that match. It's funny how Hogan is considered "Greatest Of All Time" in pro wrestling, yet his in ring ability has always been the shits. I think we've already talked before about the match he had with Warrior at Halloween Havoc 1998, so I won't mention that one. But there are other gems such as his SuperBrawl 1997 match with Piper, another one he had against Piper during his 2003 Mr. America gimmick, his match with Triple H at Backlash 2002, and the hugely overrated Wrestlemania match with The Rock, also in 2002. And even when you go back and watch some of his old 80s and early 90s WWF matches, you'll see that most of those sucked too (unless he was with a great opponent like Undertaker or Savage). So yeah, he may have drawn huge dollars, but he was less than desirable to watch in the ring, to put it kindly. 586. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 10:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anyone remember the Undertaker chokeslamming Hulk around '02 or so? Hulk couldn't even lift himself 2 feet off the ground and it looked hilariously awful. 587. Paul posted: 04.11.2013 - 10:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hogan took the worst chokeslam of all-time at Judgement Day 2002 against The Undertaker. There's a running joke in the wrestling community that Undertaker struggled to lift Hogan off the ground because not only did he have to pick up Hogan, but also Hogan's massive ego as well, and that contributed to the shitty chokeslam. Personally, I think Hulk Hogan's best match was against Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6, which sounds crazy because neither of them were very good as far as wrestling ability. That match showed that Hogan could have a good match when he was forced to lead the match in the ring, and while it wasn't exactly an in-ring classic, the fact that it's still a watchable match two decades later is a pretty big accomplishment. I wouldn't call Hogan the greatest wrestler ever, but I think that on impact alone, he certainly belongs in the top five. He's in the same category as Muhammad Ali, in that everyone knows who he is. You could know literally nothing about boxing and still know who Muhammad Ali is, and you could literally know nothing about pro wrestling and still know who Hulk Hogan is. For that reason alone, I think he belongs in a list of the five greatest wrestlers ever. Certainly not on in-ring ability, but for his impact on wrestling and on pop culture, and for his superstar personification. He certainly made the WWE popular and distance itself from smaller territories around the country for his colorful personality and look. Of course, he has always had a huge ego, even back in his AWA days. He left the AWA for the WWE without any notice in 1984, which became a trend for many other wrestlers and on-air personalities in the next few years. One of the reasons why he left was because Verne Gagne wouldn't put the AWA World title on him, as Gagne preferred wrestlers with great wrestling ability, which Hogan didn't have, and thought that Hogan would make for a better challenger than he would a champion. (Plus, Nick Bockwinkel was the AWA champion at the time, so it's not like they really needed to change champions.) Hogan's ego was huge back then, and it's huge now, and I'm not sure success got to his head so much as he's just always been a jerk like that. 588. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.11.2013 - 10:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Ha! Taker just couldn't lift Hulk and his ego too. That chokeslam lives in YouTube infamy. Just type in the search box "the worst chokeslam ever". Unfortunately the title says "Undertaker worst chokeslam" cause it was hardly Taker's fault. 589. Paul posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Thankfully, that chokeslam wasn't the finish to the match, as a better chokeslam would finally end the match AND Hogan's final WWE World title reign just a few minutes later. But aside from that embarrassing moment, I think 2002 was Hulk Hogan's most unselfish year in pro wrestling. He lost to The Rock at Wrestlemania 18 in a match that's meaning (Icon vs. Icon) was far more important than how good it was, he lost the WWE World title to The Undertaker (whom he dropped the title to way back at Survivor Series 1991 as well), lost to Kurt Angle at King of the Ring by tapping out to the ankle lock, formed a tag team with Edge and actually worked in the tag team division for a couple months, and lost to Brock Lesnar via a bear hug. Despite winning the WWE World title over Triple H at Backlash (just one month after losing to The Rock. WTF?!), 2002 might have been the most humbling year for Hulk Hogan, and it's too bad he couldn't have had more of those years during his career. 590. Paul posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I also just watched one of the new "Top 10" lists that NFL Network made online, called "Top 10 Things We Miss About Football." Here's the list: 1. Well-dressed coaches 2. The NFL in Los Angeles 3. Quarterbacks calling their own plays 4. Fullbacks 5. Goalposts on the goal line 6. Nicknames 7. Real grass 8. Angry opponents 9. Barefoot kickers 10. Stickum I agree with all ten things on this list. I like looking at old footage of coaches from the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, and even into the '80s when coaches wore suits, ties, and hats. Coaches like George Halas, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, and Paul Brown all dressed intelligently, and their appearance was a great representation of their coaching abilities. Now everyone is trying to look like Bill Belichick with the hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, so much so that Reebok now makes all the coaches' outfits and profit off of this unprofessional look. If you're the head coach of a professional football team, at least look the part, don't just show up to a game as if you just got out of bed. I think it's a sin that Los Angeles still doesn't have a pro football team, but from what I understand, the residents of L.A. don't seem to mind because this way they can watch any game they want and aren't forced to watch a team that might be lousy (like the late '80s/early '90s Rams and Raiders), and don't feel like they have to go to a game. I think it's also a football sin that the quarterback (a.k.a. the "Field General") isn't allowed to call their own plays, and instead have to rely on their coaches making decisions for them, whether it be through a headset or that silly looking color-coded armband. Back in the day, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Bob Griese, and Sonny Jurgenson all called their own plays, and they're all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for not only their great passing abilities, but also their leadership, as exemplified by their abilities to call a football game. One reason why I believe Johnny Unitas is the greatest quarterback of all-time is because he called all of his plays, to go along with the fact that he may have been the first great passer in football history. I think that 2-minute drill that he led against the Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship Game is the greatest drive of all-time for that very reason. Nowadays, coaches try to micromanage everything to the point where the quarterback barely has to do anything (and yet, most of them aren't very good). Aside from Peyton Manning, I can't think of a single quarterback today who's allowed to call his own plays, and I don't think most of them would know how to if given the responsibility. Fullbacks are becoming extinct in the NFL, and that's a real shame because some of the greatest running backs ever played that position, including Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, Larry Csonka, and Franco Harris. Now some teams just steal a play from the '85 Bears' playbook (which they stole from the '84 49ers) by having a big defensive lineman lineup at fullback. I know that the Packers have B.J. Raji lineup at fullback during goal line situations. And since very few teams have fullbacks that know how to catch or run the football, or run the ball enough that they really need a true fullback, the true fullback position may be on its way out of the NFL, and teams may start to use defensive players as extra blockers instead. Goal posts on the goal line, while dangerous, always made for great clips on "Football Follies" films with players running into them. But I like that they worked in ways other than as weapons, such as giving wide receivers objects to separate themselves from the defensive back by using the goal post as a pick, not to mention that they would add ten more yards to the already large field goal range and would give teams more chances to score points because of the extra ten yards. I highly doubt anybody in the NFL Rules Committee would suggest changing where the goal posts lineup, but at the very least it would make for a great addition to the next NFL Blitz-like video game. There are no great nicknames anymore. Everyone either gives themselves their own nickname (Adam Jones referring to himself as "Pacman," Chad Johnson changing his last name to "Ochocinco.") or are shortened versions of their own names (People calling Aaron Rodgers "A-Rod," or calling Ladainian Tomlinson "L.T."). Whatever happened to the great nicknames from the past? Dave Casper was "The Ghost." Joe Namath was "Broadway Joe." Walter Payton was "Sweetness." Then of course there were the great team/group nicknames like "The Fearsome Foursome," "Steel Curtain," "The Purple People Eaters," and "The No Name Defense." I think the media has just gotten lazy over the years to the point where we can't think of any good nicknames. Or maybe it's just that these players have become over-exposed due to the 24/7 football news coverage. Whatever it is, I miss the old nicknames. I really miss the real grass. This field turf stuff just isn't the same. I actually played on field turf two or three times back when I played football, and that stuff is just nasty. I dropped my mouthguard once and I got all these rubber pellets stick to my mouthguard when I picked it up. And that shit hurts when it gets in your eyes. I like seeing a football game where players have grass stains and mud all over their jerseys. It's a good indicator as to who was playing hard and who wasn't by the time the game is over. I wish "angry opponent" was higher up on that list. There used to be real animosity between certain teams, even during pre-game as quite a few fights between players have taken place even before the game started. That's where great rivalries are seen for what they are, with teams like the Raiders and Chiefs, Raiders and Steelers, Bears and Packers, 49ers and Rams, and the entire NFC East having legitimate hatred for one another that came out on the field. I hate seeing players hitting each other for about three hours with the simple goal of beating the other team, and then laughing and joking with each other after the game. To go from hating each other on the field to hugging and kissing once the game is over isn't what I want to see. I'll always remember after the 2008 NFC Championship Game when the Cardinals beat the Eagles to go to the Super Bowl, and Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter seemed more excited for the Cardinals than the Cardinals' players were for themselves. Definitely not something I care to see from players who were just trying to beat the other team just a few minutes prior. I want to see more players do what Ben Roethlisberger did after losing to the Cowboys late last season when the Steelers were officially knocked out of playoff contention, and walk back to the locker room without meeting up with any opposing player because you just can't stand the fact that you just lost. Seeing kickers kick barefoot was always a sight to see because it added an element of toughness to the kicking position that other players didn't have. I remember seeing footage of Rich Karlis of the Broncos kicking barefoot on a snowy field. I can only imagine how much kicking a football barefoot must feel, but to do that on a cold snowy field and kicking a ball that is as hard as a rock...yikes! Now those kickers were tough SOBs! I believe Jeff Wilkins of the Rams was the last kicker to kick barefoot, and he didn't even do that for most of his career. And I'd like to see stickum come back just because that way teams would be blunt and honest about getting a competitive advantage at catching the football. Nowadays they have the gloves that work similar to stickum (and yet most receivers can't catch even the simplest passes), and I'm pretty sure that they put sticky substances on their gloves that's harder to see because of the dark colors of the gloves. Players used to wear stickum because they had no gloves on and quite a few of them had broken hands and fingers because of the rough nature of the NFL, and it seemed like the best players always caught the ball. Now they wear gloves because they can't use stickum, and everyone is dropping balls. I don't think it's so much of a competitive advantage as it is the receivers' hands aren't tough enough to catch these balls, so maybe adding a little stickum will add some excitement to the passing game and eliminate some of the dropped passes. 591. murb posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:08 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I just read that Kevin Harvick will actually not be running the Truck race at Rockingham. Apparently there was a mistake on the entry list or something. 592. Paul posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wow this is disheartening. I just looked out the window and it's frickin' snowing again! It doesn't look too bad, but that's what I thought about the last one three weeks ago and it completely whitened out my spring break. Ugh. Well I haven't talked about racing in awhile, so here it goes. Greg Biffle and Busch were 1-2 in both orders in the two Texas test sessions yesterday, so look for those two to be perennial top ten or top five contenders on Saturday night. I don't know what I'm more surprised by: The fact that Austin Dillon, Casey Mears, and David Reutimann were faster than Jimmie Johnson in the 2nd test session, or the fact that Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton found where the gas pedal is and were ranked 5th and 6th on the speed chart. Good for them, and hopefully they'll both be fast this weekend. Also, some good news and bad news concerning Brad Keselowski. Bad news: He was 30th fastest in the test and was behind both BK Racing cars and two SHR cars. Good news: He was only slower than the four drivers from those two teams that have won races that didn't involve fuel mileage. Here's some more good news for Brad Keselowski: He and his 2012 championship team will be visiting the White House on Tuesday. I would laugh if he showed up intoxicated just to further piss off "the old guard" (Jimmie Johnson). Regan Smith and Austin Dillon were the only Nationwide regulars that were faster than Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in Nationwide practice. The fact that Smith was fastest in practice given his quality of equipment (very good, but not great) is a pleasant surprise to me. Perhaps he'll be the antidote to stopping this Cup driver disease that is trying to re-infect the Nationwide Series. It'll certainly add some more excitement to what could be a runaway Nationwide title, that's for sure. There's a rumor in the NASCAR garage that Chip Ganassi is considering selling EGR to John Menard. It's too bad that Paul Menard has improved quite a bit since his first few Cup seasons, otherwise there would be plenty of great jokes made about this. 593. 18fan posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "I think it's a sin that Los Angeles still doesn't have a pro football team, but from what I understand, the residents of L.A. don't seem to mind because this way they can watch any game they want and aren't forced to watch a team that might be lousy (like the late '80s/early '90s Rams and Raiders), and don't feel like they have to go to a game." Here in the LA area we are subjected to the Chargers all the time, but we also get the Giants or the Eagles seemingly every week. Thankfully I watch NFL RedZone instead and get to watch every game and get to watch the exciting parts of the games instead of watching bad games and having no other options. Of course for me the NFL takes a back seat to Cup racing until the NASCAR season ends. 594. Paul posted: 04.12.2013 - 2:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Of course for me the NFL takes a back seat to Cup racing until the NASCAR season ends." That used to never be the case for me until the past two seasons when I got back into NASCAR in 2011 (which is one of the reasons why some of the late season moments from years past, especially from '08-'10, are such a blur to me). Football has always been my favorite sport ever since I can remember, but NASCAR is a lot closer now than it was even a few years ago. "we are subjected to the Chargers all the time, but we also get the Giants or the Eagles seemingly every week" We always get the Packers game if they're playing in the late afternoon game (which is quite frequently now that they've established themselves as one of the best teams in the league). We also always seem to get games with any of the NFC East teams, the Steelers, Patriots, or Colts. We'll also always get the Bears/Lions game when they play twice a year. I think the scheduling is part regional/part national, as the big market teams seem to always find their way to my TV screen. I had NFL RedZone for the 2011 season and that was pretty fun as it allowed me to actually see certain teams that I never get to see, such as the Raiders, Browns, and Titans. 595. Jarrett88fan posted: 04.12.2013 - 6:05 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy... you're outta here!!! 596. cjs3872 posted: 04.12.2013 - 11:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Of course 18fan, being "subjected" to the Chargers wasn't that bad untl recently, as they were one of the elite teams as recently as 2009. And I think it may not be too long before the return to that stats. Where they'll be playing their games in two or three years is another thing entirely, considering the dump of a stadium they play in. And Paul, Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton won't be factors this week at Texas. You can bank on that. They just won't push the pedal down on that type of track any more. I will say this, however. Gordon's performances on the 1.5 mile tracks, especially in qualifying, have really taken a nose dive since Alan Gustafson became his crew chief. And of course, Burton's uncompetitive generally. Actually, Austin Dillon being fast in the #51 car should not really surprise anyone, and Casey Mears may be the surprise of the year so far, even moreso than Kurt Busch, bcause unlike the #78 team, which has shown poteial, the Germain Racing #13 car has not really shown much of anything until this year. It makes me wonder if Germain Racing has aligned themselves with Penske, especially given Casey Mears' family ties to the Penske organization, and that the #13 car is an unofficial third car for Penske this year, much like the #78 car is an unofficial fourth RCR car this year. And if you're right about Ganassi selling his team, there may go Kyle Larson's NASCAR career down the drain, which would be sad, because Ganassi's behind his Nationwide effort this year, and he's not made very many friends in his brief stay in NASCAR. And actually, it would also be sad for Jamie McMurray, since he's apparently having a comeback season in 2013, and it wouldn't surprie me if the #1 car contends for wins the way it's running. Of course, Montoya's hopeless except on road courses, but that's been a known fact for quite some time. 597. Paul posted: 04.12.2013 - 12:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "being "subjected" to the Chargers wasn't that bad untl recently, as they were one of the elite teams as recently as 2009. And I think it may not be too long before the return to that stats." They took significant strides in the right direction by firing Norv Turner (who I think is a great offensive coordinator, but I believe underachieved with a team that could have made the Super Bowl in 2007)) and A.J. Smith as head coach and general manager, respectively. The major question will be Philip Rivers, who has had back-to-back disappointing seasons, and this could be his "make or break" year. "Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton won't be factors this week at Texas. You can bank on that." I know that they won't be contenders for the win (barring a big crash or a rain-shortened event), but the fact that they actually showed speed yesterday pleasantly surprised me, considering how mediocre they have both been on 1.5-mile tracks over the past 2-3 seasons (arguably four seasons for Burton). "Actually, Austin Dillon being fast in the #51 car should not really surprise anyone" True. That team is doing a great job of running well with a revolving door of drivers this season. But the fact that they surprised me by being among the ten fastest drivers in the test session just goes to show you how much of a surprise team they are this year, especially considering that James Finch was considering not returning in 2013. They are arguably the biggest surprise team of the season, or at least a close second... "Casey Mears may be the surprise of the year so far...the Germain Racing #13 car has not really shown much of anything until this year." ...to this team. Phoenix Racing had at least had a few top tens last year, and even contended for a few wins with Kurt Busch at Sonoma and both Talladega races, but Germain Racing never really contender for anything last year other than Casey Mears' near runner-up finish at Talladega in the fall. They have already doubled their total number of top 16 finishes from last season in the first six races of this season (from 2 to 4), and seem to be on the verge of a top ten finish in the next few weeks. I don't know if it's because Germain improved, Casey Mears improved, GEICO's full sponsorship is kicking in, or a combination of the three (I'm guessing it's the latter), but I think they are the surprise team of the year, as they have already broken into the second tier of Ford teams, along with the Wood Brothers and RPM, and may surpass both of those teams before this year is out. "And if you're right about Ganassi selling his team, there may go Kyle Larson's NASCAR career down the drain, which would be sad, because Ganassi's behind his Nationwide effort this year, and he's not made very many friends in his brief stay in NASCAR." I don't think so. I think if anything, Larson's arrival to Cup will only be delayed, as Turner Motorsports seems content with just developing young drivers and I think they realize the gem that they currently have with Kyle Larson driving one of their Nationwide cars. And while Larson may not have made any friends out on the race track in his brief NASCAR tenure, I think his great talents are being realized and some car owner will make sure he has a full-time ride. "And actually, it would also be sad for Jamie McMurray, since he's apparently having a comeback season in 2013, and it wouldn't surprise me if the #1 car contends for wins the way it's running." I definitely see McMurray contending at Talladega, possibly Daytona (it's harder to pass at Daytona than at Talladega), and maybe even a marquee race such as Indy, Darlington, or Charlotte since McMurray has a habit of shining brightest in the biggest races, even when his season is an overall disappointment (such as his win at Talladega in 2009, which happened to be his lone top five of the season). I think McMurray is an underrated road course driver as well, and is a pretty good short track driver too. I think Menard will retain McMurray's services if this rumor turns out to be true for his versatility and his ability to thrive under pressure. "Of course, Montoya's hopeless except on road courses, but that's been a known fact for quite some time." True. I think it would be in Montoya's best interest to join Ganassi's Grand-Am team next season and run for the title there, as he and Scott Pruett could definitely dominate the series if given the opportunity to team up for a full season. I think Ryan Newman would be a great replacement for Ganassi/Menard to go after, as he is very similar to McMurray in terms of talent, versatility, ability to thrive under pressure. Unfortunately, that would leave Ganassi/Menard with two career No. 2 drivers in his lineup, but at least it would be an improvement on their current lineup. One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is the possibility of John Menard purchasing EGR and hiring his son Paul to drive for him as well. Judging by the uncertain shape and future of RCR, a possible driver change like that doesn't seem too unlikely. 598. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.12.2013 - 12:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good to see a team like Germain with solid, full season sponsorship from Geico, they even managed to get Valvoline on the car last year. 599. DaleSrFanForever posted: 04.12.2013 - 12:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Should I mention it has been in the 70's all week here? Our trees are already in full bloom. Of course my poor car is covered in pollen. 600. cjs3872 posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Again, I think that Germain Racing may have formed some sort of an alliance with Penske Racing, especially consdering the family connections to Penske Germain has because of having Casey Mears as his driver. Obviously I think Penske has a great deal of respect for Casey, as does Casey for Penske, and through their mutual connetcion to Rick Mears, who won the Indianapolis 500 four times for Penske and is Casey's uncle, I have to believe that there's some sort of an alliance between Germain Racing and Penske Racing. After all, there was a supposed alliance bewteen them and Roush last year that never materialized. But I'm not sure about Larson, because he's seemingly made only enemies in his short time in NASCAR. Go back to the Truck Series finale last year, the lower division race at the maeshift track on the backstretch at Daytona, and some of the races in the Nationwide Series this year, and he hasn't made very many friends, and that's the kind of thing that can haunt a driver, and if his single biggest supporter leaves, that could leave him hanging without anywhere to go. The only other hope for him is that he's also aligned with Hendrick Motorsprts through Turner Motorsports, but he has to stop making enemies. And also, I don't know who said it, but the biggest problem for Gordon and Burton is that they baby their cars too much, perhaps for fear of crashing hard at a high-speed track. It worked for Gordon late in last Sunday's race, though he was going to have to stop for fuel late had the race gone green, it also made his the fastest car on the track, but at Texas, he's going to have to work hard to keep from getting lapped, as was the case at both Califonia and Las Vegas. He got lucky at California, but not at Vegas. But as I said, Burton is uncompetitive just about everywhere, so there's little hope for him, and I think Burton's uncompetitiveness is what has sunk RCR the last couple of years, because it has given Kevin Harvick's team nowhere to turn for help, which in turn has made Harvick less competitive. And as for the Chargers, their biggest on-feld problem may be at QB, but not because Philip Rivers isn't talented, because he is, but rather because he's a physical wreck and has been for a number of years. Rivers might have the worst knees for a QB since Joe Namath, and because of that, his throwing mechanics are all fouled up, and quite possibly may never return, and his arm was never that strong to begin with, and got worse because of his bad knees, and now even the teams he plays know it. They hired a young GM, but I'm not sure about the head coach (why would Denver let their OC go to a team within the same division unless they know something about him?), but they've got to get a new QB within two years, or else, they're sunk no matter where they call home. 601. Eric posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) If Ganassi does sell to John Menard, I would have Ryan having a ride in that organization since Kyle Larson wouldn't be John's development driver. I think John would keep Jamie McMurray. Jamie is middle of a comeback year right now. I don't know what Richard Childress would do since Paul's contract is up after this year and that means the 27 car wouldn't be sponsored if John buys Chip's teams. If John Menard becomes the owner of Chip's teams, they would be expanding to 3 teams. The first issue would be the organization would have 2 2nd tier drivers and Paul Menard is 2nd/3rd tier driver. The 2nd issue is that organization John would be buying into has problems in the past having 3 teams. 602. Eric posted: 04.12.2013 - 1:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Paul Menard's contract is up after this season. RCR's problem is Kevin's taking Bud with him to Stewart Haas. That means the only sponsored car is the 31 for 2014 if Paul is leaving RCR. That means RCR would be a single car time for 2014 unless Austin is bringing a sponsorship with him without counting Furniture Row Racing as another team for RCR. 603. Paul posted: 04.12.2013 - 2:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sounds like the Dodgers and Padres had quite a brawl last night. 604. TeamPlayersBlue posted: 04.12.2013 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Alex Bowman is going to need ballast in the car for the huge balls he has. Taking Turn 4 Flat footed like that at TMS is no easy task, congrats on the pole Alex. 605. murb posted: 04.12.2013 - 6:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) BoB is currently 4th out of four cars in qualifying. She was pissed in her interview. Probably somewhere in the 40s again. What a surprise. 606. The Long Shot posted: 06.26.2013 - 7:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Withdrew: none 607. ch posted: 07.18.2013 - 3:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 19 Sponsor: Humphrey Smith Racing 608. 83andJoe posted: 09.25.2013 - 9:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #33 sponsor: Moon Shine Attitude Attire/Comfort Inns & Suites 609. Jared DiCarlo posted: 01.17.2018 - 4:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The largest amount of laps led by Jimmie in a single race 610. Rich posted: 12.19.2020 - 10:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip were the commentators. Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum and Krista Voda were the pit road reporters. Jeff Hammond was the roving reporter. Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip were in the Hollywood hotel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: