(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Jimmie Johnson was seeing red after Kurt Busch pulled off the “short track bump and run” on him with just seven laps to go in the race.  The four-time Sprint Cup champion was not a happy camper!

“Inside the car, I was livid,’” Johnson said. “I was so pissed off that he got . . . → Read More: Bump, Run, and Win]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Jimmie Johnson was seeing red after Kurt Busch pulled off the “short track bump and run” on him with just seven laps to go in the race.  The four-time Sprint Cup champion was not a happy camper!

“Inside the car, I was livid,’” Johnson said. “I was so pissed off that he got into me. I thought, I don’t care if I win this race or not; I don’t care if I finish this damn thing, I’m running into him and get by one way or another.”

It took Johnson five laps to catch Busch and there was a lot of anticipation as the #48 Chevrolet moved up on the rear bumper of the #2 Dodge.

But better judgement overcame anger as Johnson nudged Busch on lap 299, pulled nearly even at the finish line and then shot into the lead heading into the first turn on lap 300 in the 301-lap race. He went on to win for the second straight week as Tony Stewart bumped past Busch on the final lap to take second away.

Busch didn’t realize that he had angered Johnson by his “bump and run”.  Busch thought that it was just good short track racing.  Johnson, however, didn’t see it that way.  Fortunately for Johnson he had a few laps to get over his anger before he reeled in the back bumper of Busch’s “Blue Deuce”.  Dealing with his anger allowed Johnson to pass Busch rather than wreck him, possibly himself as well.   Instead Johnson record his fifth victory of the season and his second victory in a row.

Here is the official results for the Lennox Tools 301.

The next race track for both the Nationwide and the Sprint Cup drivers is the restrictor plate race at Daytona International Speedway over the July 4th weekend.  These two races should provide some excitement for the fans!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

After watching the Toyota/Save Mart 350 I was aghast with the way that Marcos Ambrose let the victory slip right through his grasp!  I was just simply appalled watching him shut off his engine trying to save fuel, when it was apparent that fuel was not an issue for him.

WOMR has been . . . → Read More: Gaffe Or Blunder?]]>

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

After watching the Toyota/Save Mart 350 I was aghast with the way that Marcos Ambrose let the victory slip right through his grasp!  I was just simply appalled watching him shut off his engine trying to save fuel, when it was apparent that fuel was not an issue for him.

WOMR has been to a couple of NASCAR races at Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, and everyone knows that the elevation change from turn #1 to turn #2 is about 150 feet!  Also knowing that the fuel pickup may an issue, WOMR finds it hard to understand what was running through the mind of Ambrose!

Up to that point it appeared that it was going to be a shootout between his car, the JTG/Daughtery #47 Clorox Toyota, and a hard charging HMS #48 Lowe’s Chevy for the victory, with Ambros being out front on the point.  It appeared that the race was set for an “old fashioned western, gun-slingin’, shootout” at the end!

Now having set the stage for what maybe known later as a huge gaffe/blunder, we all now know that Jimmie Johnson went on to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sears Point, no make that Infineon Raceway.  WOMR had to go to the reference material to really try to understand the term that needed to apply to this scenario for Sunday’s sudden turn of events, and it needed to be printable!

Mariam Webster defines a gaffe as “a noticeable mistake”.  The definition of blunder is, “to make a mistake through stupidity, ignorance, or carelessness”.

With the knowledge of those definitions now fresh in your mind, WOMR feels that the question begs to be asked.

Did Marcos Ambrose commit a gaffe or make a blunder?  Which is worse, committing a gaffe or making a blunder?  Is there a difference?  What do you think?

Surely this will follow Marcos Ambrose for all of his career.  This could be NASCAR’s answer to the 1986 World Series Game 6 blundering error made by the Boston Red Sox first baseman, Bill Buckner!

Lesson to be learned from Sunday’s race at Infineon Raceway:

WARNING!  WARNING!

Changes in altitude may affect your attitude!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Jimmie Johnson was literally handed his fourth victory of the season today at Infineon Raceway, winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350. During a yellow flag Marcos Ambrose was shutting off his engine to conserve fuel, while following the pace car.  But after he passed the start/finish making a left to go uphill  to turn . . . → Read More: Ambrose Goofs And Johnson Wins]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Jimmie Johnson was literally handed his fourth victory of the season today at Infineon Raceway, winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350. During a yellow flag Marcos Ambrose was shutting off his engine to conserve fuel, while following the pace car.  But after he passed the start/finish making a left to go uphill  to turn #2, he could not get the motor to restart until he had fell to seventh place on the grid.

NASCAR rules say that you must maintain the speed of the pace car to retain your position.  Ambrose failed to maintain his position and had to restart in seventh position, a major gaffe on his part.  Ambrose most likely was going to win his first Sprint Cup race, if not for this error on his part.

For Johnson it was his 51st Sprint Cup victory of his career, however, it was his first victory on a road course.

Johnson, who jumped from fourth to second in points with the victory, gave credit for his first victory on the road course to increased emphasis on that part of his game. He said driving Grand-Am prototypes has helped his progress.

Throughout this afternoon the cars looked more like they do after a race at Bristol.  The sheet metal was bent, dented, and crumpled.  From the drop of the green flag there was give and take.  Unfortunately,  there was very little giving and a whole bunch of taking!  The race today more resembled a boxing match or a wrestling match, than a road race.  There was beating, punching, a take down or two, some field goal kicking, and of course some well positioned punting as well!

Here is the unofficial NASCAR results from Infineon.

Is this a precursor to what we can expect at Louden next week?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Chris Graythen/GettyImages)

Wednesday night Tony Stewart, owner, promoter, and race car driver, put on the 6th annual Prelude to The Dream at his race track in southwestern Ohio.  That race track is better known as Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH.

The entire proceeds from this annual invitation only event go to four children’s hospitals, Cincinnati Children’s . . . → Read More: 2010 Prelude To The Dream]]>

(photo courtesy Chris Graythen/GettyImages)

Wednesday night Tony Stewart, owner, promoter, and race car driver, put on the 6th annual Prelude to The Dream at his race track in southwestern Ohio.  That race track is better known as Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH.

The entire proceeds from this annual invitation only event go to four children’s hospitals, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Levine Children’s Hospital, Riley Children’s Hospital, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The driver lineup was the who’s who of the many disciplines of auto racing.

The winner of the 30 lap main event this evening was Jimmie Johnson with Clint Bowyer putting a “San Jose slide job” on ol Kylie Busch for second place!  Quite interestingly, Tony Stewart elected to go to the back of the 27 car field trying to win an additional $50,000.00 for his team’s charity.  He didn’t win the race, however he passed 21 cars and finished the race in 6th place.

Even though Jimmie Johnson was the race winner, the real winners are the children’s hospitals!  Levine’s Childrens Hospital will receive 45% of the total proceeds,since their team won the event.  St. Jude will receive 25% of the proceeds, their team finishing 2nd.  Riley Children’s and Cincinnati Children’s each receiving 15% of the proceeds because their teams finished 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Even though WorkingOnMyRedneck appears to be critical of “ol Smoke” on the race track, nevertheless, over the past six years his organization has raised millions of dollars for Victory Junction, St. Jude’s Hospital, and other worthwhile children’s charities.  WOMR applauds Tony Stewart, Tony Stewart Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, and all of Tony Stewart’s business associates, as well as the participating drivers and their sponsors, for raising and donating money for these wonderful children oriented medical facilities!

WOMR salutes Tony Stewart!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy John Harrelson/Getty Images)

After starting on the pole because qualifying was rained out, after two encounters with the outside retaining wall, after a hard charging pack on the last restart, Kurt Busch in the Penske “blue deuce” captured a cool million dollars for the victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night by winning the NASCAR . . . → Read More: Kurt Busch Wins The All Star Race]]>

(photo courtesy John Harrelson/Getty Images)

After starting on the pole because qualifying was rained out, after two encounters with the outside retaining wall, after a hard charging pack on the last restart, Kurt Busch in the Penske “blue deuce” captured a cool million dollars for the victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night by winning the NASCAR All Star race.

Busch appeared to have the dominate hot rod early in the contest.  But his choice of racing lanes, “high, wide and in his case not so handsome”!  Yes, my friends, he was driving the Penske #2 Miller Lite Dodge way up high and not afraid to die.  But two encounters with the retaining wall slowed his Dodge up through the middle part of the contest, and dropped Kurt out of the top ten.  That allowed Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and little brother Kyle Busch to contend for the lead.

By the last 10 lap dash segment, the Miller Lite pit crew got Kurt patched up, changed a couple of shocks, sent him back out in 11th place, and allowed the “blue deuce” back into contention.  Denny Hamlin, driving the JGR #11 FedEx Toyota faded,  little brother Kyle Busch, driving the JGR #18 M&M’s Pretzel Toyota, crashed after his fellow teammate Denny “Gimp-Along” Hamlin squeezed him up into the fence.  Jimmie Johnson spun out, leaving only Martin Truex, Jr., and Joey “Sliced Bread” Logano to challenge Kurt.

Neither Truex nor Logano had anything for the #2 Miller Lite Dodge and Busch motored away to his first ever NASCAR extracurricular activity race victory, ie the All Star race or Bud Shootout race.

The All Star victory made his boss’ trip to Charlotte all worth the flight.  Earlier in the day Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves won the pole for the 2010 Indianapolis 500, so “The Captain”, Roger Penske, had a great Saturday afternoon and evening.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy NASCAR)

Over the past four years how many times have the fans seen Jimmie Johnson miss a wreck or a near disaster? The driver of the Hendrick Motorsports #48 Lowe’s Chevy always seemed to have had leprechaun riding on his shoulder.  He had an uncanny knack for avoiding most, if not, all trouble on the . . . → Read More: Has Johnson’s Luck Run Out?]]>

(photo courtesy NASCAR)

Over the past four years how many times have the fans seen Jimmie Johnson miss a wreck or a near disaster? The driver of the Hendrick Motorsports #48 Lowe’s Chevy always seemed to have had leprechaun riding on his shoulder.  He had an uncanny knack for avoiding most, if not, all trouble on the race track.  No matter what happened at the race track, Johnson could always fall into a bucket of s##t and come out smelling like a rose!  But is that run of luck now coming to an end?

Johnson was cruising around Darlington Raceway last Saturday night, minding his own business and staying out of trouble – as he usually does – when suddenly A. J. Allmendinger lost control, zinged up the track, and nailed Johnson’s Chevy. Jimmie was OK,  but his car was a demolished pile of sheet metal and knocked out of the race.

In the past Allmendinger’s skidding car would have hit inches in front of Johnson, or just  inches behind him. And the announcers would have whooped about “another close call” for Jimmie.  But not this time. This time Jimmie was in precisely the wrong place at precisely the wrong time.

The crash at Darlington was Johnson’s third DNF (did not finish) in 2010.  The #48 team is used to racing an entire season without a single DNF, but that is not the case this year.

And so the question begs to be asked:  Has the incredible luck of the #48 Lowe’s Chevy run out?

Whether it is “luck” or defying “the odds”, Johnson has either been very lucky or just great at defying the odds.  That is what makes his four consecutive championships such a remarkable feat, but sooner or later you must pay the piper.  And it appears that the piper is standing on the pit box now collecting for the past four years!

This could be the year that the #48 Lowe’s team has to repay for all the good fortunes of the past four years!

What do you think?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

There was a time when race car drivers would do ANYTHING to win a race!  Do the names like Dale Earnhardt, Sr., David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Fireball Roberts, and Junior Johnson ring a bell?   These men were hard charging, blatantly fierce race car drivers. 

Yeah I know that was long ago and in . . . → Read More: Competitors Fierce or Friendly?]]>

(photo courtesy Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

There was a time when race car drivers would do ANYTHING to win a race!  Do the names like Dale Earnhardt, Sr., David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Fireball Roberts, and Junior Johnson ring a bell?   These men were hard charging, blatantly fierce race car drivers. 

Yeah I know that was long ago and in a far away place right, kind of like Star Wars?  Wrong!!! That was NASCAR competition, pure and simple!

What is with these so-called team mates being so happy, friendly, wanting to help their team mates score extra points by pulling over and allowing their team mates to lead a lap and pick up 5 bonus points?  What happened to the fierce, macho competitive edge that was once displayed?  Where is the game face of these “steely eyed“, fearless men? 

 Has Corporate America taken control of the one last bastion of fierce, masculine, take-no-prisoners type of independent competition? 

Was too much made out of the competitive beating and banging of team mates, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, after all, they are both four time Sprint Cup champions?  They are supposed to have that “fire in their belly”!  Do you think that Junior Johnson, Cale Yarborough,David Pearson, or Richard Petty would have pulled over and let his team mate lead a lap for some bonus points?  I think NOT!

What is your take on the subject of team mates?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Mission accomplished!  For Chad Knaus it seems that his oft-stated goal of not just winning every mechanical battle, but also prevailing in the psychological war as well, is all but over!  At least that is how it sounded as contender after contender fell out and talked of being “Jimmie-d” again at the . . . → Read More: The Winner Of The Head Game: Johnson and Knaus]]>

(photo courtesy Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Mission accomplished!  For Chad Knaus it seems that his oft-stated goal of not just winning every mechanical battle, but also prevailing in the psychological war as well, is all but over!  At least that is how it sounded as contender after contender fell out and talked of being “Jimmie-d” again at the Food City 500 at Bristol.

Kurt Busch who led the race best 278 of the 500 laps, seems to have his hands firmly wrapped around the While Flag pole, better known as the surrender flag, after finishing third Sunday!

“We looked at the lap tracker  for Saturday’s practice, saw the 48 was going to be the car to beat,” Busch said. “They are every week.  It’s up to the best of us to knock him off the top.  So it’s rough.  You know, they’ve won three times this year.  Not that we need to deserve to win, it’s just that they are winning every chance they’re given.”

Oh, baby, that’s the kind of sugar papa Knaus likes!

The whole garage watches every little thing that the #48 teams does.  The other 42 competitors track the #48′s practice speeds on Friday and Saturday’s outings, discuss the #48 team’s progress in their own team meetings, and target Johnson and Knaus on Sundays!  All the while they are surrendering small pieces of ground on the psychological battleground.

With every quick lap clicked off in practice, qualifying, and during the race, subcutaneous gut wrenching desperate feelings of hopelessness increase in the 42 other competitors in the garage.  And why not?  It seems like each and every weekend it is the same old story.  When the #48 needs a great call from the pit box, they get it.  When they need a great setup from back in the shop, they get it.  When they need a great late race pit stop, they get it.  When they need a late yellow flag, they get it.

THE # 48 TEAM JUST GETS IT, PERIOD!

Do other teams notice that? You bet that they do!  They have just come to believe that those situations are going to happen each week, and it does!  It simply has to affect them.  Thoughts of self-doubt and doom become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and Chad Knaus knows that!!

With 1/6 of the season now behind them, Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson has the competition right where they want them in the psychological war……on the run!

What are your thoughts?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson finally got his first career victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway after his 17th race in this storied racing facility.  This victory was Johnson’s 50th career victory tying him with another Johnson, the legendary Junior Johnson, and Ned Jarrett for 10th place on the all time NASCAR win list.

The Bristol . . . → Read More: Johnson Gets First Win At Bristol]]>

(photo courtesy Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Jimmie Johnson finally got his first career victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway after his 17th race in this storied racing facility.  This victory was Johnson’s 50th career victory tying him with another Johnson, the legendary Junior Johnson, and Ned Jarrett for 10th place on the all time NASCAR win list.

The Bristol victory is Johnson’s 3rd victory out of first 5 races in this young season of 2010!  Don’t look now boys, but Johnson has a huge leg up on all of the competition early in this season in trying to score his 5th championship in a row!

A QUESTION FOR ALL:

Does anyone in the field have something for the #48 team?

Finishing behind Johnson was Tony Stewart in second, Kurt Busch in third, Greg Biffle in fourth, and Matt Kenseth rounding out the  top 5 finishers.  Having a very good day at the Bristol Motor Speedway was another Hendrick Motorsports team mate of Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt,Jr. crossing the stripe in 7th place.  That finish was enough to move Junior up five places into 8th place in the Sprint cup point standings. (Go #88, excuse my partiality!)

With Matt Kenseth’s 5th place finish, it was good enough to move him into second place just 1 point behind the leader, Kevin Harvick, after five races.

Did you notice that #99 and the #12 cars never even became a threat to each other Sunday?  Do you think that the “meeting” with NASCAR had anything to do with that?  What is your take?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

“Well since my baby left me, I have found a new place to dwell, down at the end of Lonely St. at “Heartbreak Hotel”!  I’m feeling so lonely baby, I’m feelin’ so lonely I could die”

“Heartbreak Hotel” was most likely the song many of the teams were singing last night after the culmination . . . → Read More: Heartbreak Hotel!]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

“Well since my baby left me, I have found a new place to dwell, down at the end of Lonely St. at “Heartbreak Hotel”!  I’m feeling so lonely baby, I’m feelin’ so lonely I could die”

“Heartbreak Hotel” was most likely the song many of the teams were singing last night after the culmination of the Duels.  That old Elvis Aaron Presley song sums up just how those teams that failed to qualify, or were unable to race their way into this year’s Daytona 500 feel!  The pressure is immeasurable for these race teams to secure a slot in the single largest paying race in the NASCAR season, The Daytona 500 !

The Duels, like the Bud Shootout ended with nail-biting excitement.  There was a large amount of rubbin’ along with the racin’ yesterday during the Duel 150′s!

Duel #1 was won by Jimmie Johnson in his Hendrick Motorsports #48 Lowe’s Chevy, his first Duel victory.  The margin of victory was .005 of a second or about 4 inches!!  Finishing second was Kevin Harvick driving the Richard Childress Racing #29 Shell Chevy, the victor in the Budweiser shootout.

Duel #2 was equally exciting.  Kasey Kahne, driving the Richard Petty Motorsports #9 Budweiser Ford finished ahead of the Stewart-Haas #14 Office Depot Chevy driven by Tony Stewart.

But even more importantly is the story of who made the Daytona 500 and who must pack up and haul their team back to the shop, thus missing the most important and richest payout of the season!  Even though Michael Waltrip was involved in a spin and crashed into the inside retaining wall, he made the starting lineup of the 2010 Daytona 500 because of failures by other teams.

Michael Mc Dowell and Max Papis earned the two transfer spots allocated from Duel #1.  That means that Michael McDowell will have another highlight for the newsreel other than the horrendous crash that he had at the Texas Motor Speedway in the Michael Waltrip #00 Toyota in 2008.  Additionally Max Papis made it into the 500, his first, in the Gremain #13 GEICO Toyota.

In Duel #2 the transfer spots went to Mike Bliss and Scott Speed.

So the 2010 Daytona 500 field is set.  It is a HMS front row featuring Mark Martin on the pole along side of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., with Earnhardt’s former team mate Michael Waltrip tagging the rear of the field for, what most probably will be his last Daytona 500 race.

For those race teams who are going home and have suffered “the agony of defeat”, there are also 43 race teams remaining that have the opportunity to feel the “the thrill of victory”!  With the few rule changes that NASCAR has instituted at the beginning of the 2010 race season, it appears that it has increased the quality of racing.

It is 2 days til “The Great American Race” gets the green flag!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!