(WOMR file photo)

This wasn’t just any Nationwide race, this was Talladega!  Talladega is the place where it is high-speed, high-banks, and high-danger.  It is also the place where strange bedfellows make for a good story.  Another way of putting it is that you have the opportunity “to dance with the devil”!

(WOMR file photo)

Saturday afternoon Joey Logano was “California Dreamin”, all the while, showing the rest of the Nationwide boys and girls the fast way around the two-mile Auto Club Speedway!  Joey Logano took the lead just after a restart with 12 laps to go and went on to win the Royal Purple . . . → Read More: Logano Wins The Royal Purple 300]]>

(WOMR file photo)

Saturday afternoon Joey Logano was “California Dreamin”, all the while, showing the rest of the Nationwide boys and girls the fast way around the two-mile Auto Club Speedway!  Joey Logano took the lead just after a restart with 12 laps to go and went on to win the Royal Purple 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. on Saturday.

The victory was Logano’s second at Auto Club and extended Joe Gibbs Racing’s winning streak at the 2.0-mile oval to eight races.

“It’s important to keep the streak going,” said Logano. “You don’t want to be the guy who didn’t win it and broke the streak. Obviously, it makes me work extra hard, not that we don’t work hard any other weekend, we try to win every one of them, but to keep a streak going like that is important for our whole company.”

Logano led a race-best 92 laps in his Toyota Camry and got his 10th NNS career victory. It was his first victory since the race at Daytona last July.

The defending 2011 Nationwide Series champion, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was the runner-up when the checkered flag flew.

It would appear that the rest of the competitors were left back at the check out desk in “The Hotel California”!

Check out the unofficial results of the Royal Purple 300.

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

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

On Friday Joey Logano won the pole position forf Sunday’s Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in the heart of California’s wine country.  He posted the fastest lap speed of 93.256 MPH.

It was his first road course pole and the second pole of his career . . . → Read More: Logano Wins The Pole At Infineon]]>

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

On Friday Joey Logano won the pole position forf Sunday’s Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in the heart of California’s wine country.  He posted the fastest lap speed of 93.256 MPH.

It was his first road course pole and the second pole of his career – the other came at Bristol in 2010.

“I was surprised it was as fast as it was,” Logano said. “I felt like the car had a lot more grip in it, and I felt like we fixed the car, but personally I felt like I screwed up about three times in one lap.  I didn’t feel too good about myself after it and I thought I screwed that one up.  It was good, car was fast.

“We’ll work on our stuff in race trim a little bit more tomorrow and see if we can get our Home Depot car fast.  This is place is so – you can have a fast race car here and it doesn’t mean a whole bunch here.  Obviously your strategy is going to be a big deal and I think the real big deal is staying out of trouble, which is where I need to work on the most than anywhere else.”

For the complete starting lineup see this.

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

However, because of the strewn wreckage, his partial involvement, and his rattled nerves, Edwards dispensed with his . . . → Read More: Edwards Survived The Monster Mile Carnage]]>

Carl Edwards survived a last lap mass carnage and won the 5-Hour Energy 200 Nationwide Series race at Dover International Raceway Saturday afternoon.  It was Edwards’ third victory of the 2011 Nationwide season.

However, because of the strewn wreckage, his partial involvement, and his rattled nerves, Edwards dispensed with his traditional victorious back flip at the start/finish line.  Instead, Edwards stopped his race car at the site of the carnage to see if Joey Logono and Clint Bowyer were safe and sound.

As Edwards was being interviewed in Victory Lane, he got a chance to view the video tape of the final lap of the race.

“They just showed the replay and I didn’t touch them, so I am happy for that,” Edwards said. “What a wild finish. I apologize for not doing the back flip there guys. I thought that I wrecked them and I didn’t want to be celebrating over that but it looks like we didn’t hit them, we won the race in our fast Ford Mustang and that is good.”

As a recap, the race was started over one hour late because of a very persistent morning rain.  At lap 140 of the scheduled 200 laps, Justin Allgaier blew a right front tire that slammed him hard into the wall.

The cars at the front of the field headed to pit road when the yellow came out. Josh Wise did not and inherited the lead.  Before the race could restart, it began to rain and the cars were red flagged and parked.

The race restarted with Edwards in the lead as Wise had to pit before the green dropped.  Logano quickly took the lead and held it until 15 laps to go. He and Edwards went door-to-door for a lap before Edwards eased into the lead.

With three laps to go, Michael Annett crashed to bring out a caution to set up a green/white/checkered restart.

Edwards got a great restart and jumped to a couple-car lead but a stalled car on the apron brought out another yellow and that set up a second green/white/checkered restart.

On this, the second of as many as three green/white/checkered restarts, Logano and Edwards went door-to-door, with Logano easing slightly ahead down the back straight.  As the two cars went through turns #3 and 4, Logano and Edwards battled door-to-door. As the two were beginning to exit turn #4, Logano got loose.  As he was correcting, Clint Bowyer slammed hard into Logano’s left rear quarter panel, destroying that part of the car, rocketing Bowyer’s car up on its left side, hurtling Bowyer’s car into the inside crash wall, and then getting T-boned by Steven Wallace’s car.

“That was pretty wild,” Bowyer, who said he feared his crashing car was going to jump the pit wall and cause a tragedy on crowded pit road.

The race ended under the yellow flag, since the leader had taken the white flag as all the carnage began to unfold behind Edwards.

Here is the unofficial results of the 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover.

What did you think of the 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover.?

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

(photo courtesy Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

The 2010 Sprint Cup season was far from the ho-hum boring races that some seasons of yore produced.  The drivers were “having at it” both on and off the race track.

Here is a list of the 2010 top five moments according to WOMR.

5.  Jamie McMurray’s . . . → Read More: Top 5 Moments of The 2010 Season]]>

(photo courtesy Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

The 2010 Sprint Cup season was far from the ho-hum boring races that some seasons of yore produced.  The drivers were “having at it” both on and off the race track.

Here is a list of the 2010 top five moments according to WOMR.

5.  Jamie McMurray’s resurgence

The 2010 Daytona 500 will always be remembered as the race that was plagues by the big pothole in turns 1 & 2.  But that race proved that Jamie McMurray was going to be a contender in the 2010 season.  It also showed that the McMurray-Roush-Fenway Racing relationship was a total misfit.

McMurray will be a Chase contender heading into 2011, but he’s going to have to be much more consistent if that’s to happen. With the wins at Daytona, Indianapolis and Charlotte and the close call at Talladega, 2010 may end up going down as a career year for McMurray. And if it does, that’s sure as hell not a bad career.

4.  Carl Edwards-”Blazingly Bad” Brad Keseloski

Edwards gave “Blazingly Bad” Brad K. flying lessons at Atlanta and sent him crashing inverted into the retaining wall.  Later at Gateway, “Cousin Carl” turned “Blazingly Bad” Brad around crashing into the wall on the front straight just prior to the checkered flag, and thereby stealing the win from Keselowski.

That Gateway crash was the conclusion to what might have been the most-hyped NASCAR rivalry of the 2000′s. Edwards’ two consecutive uppercuts put him in a light that many never could have envisioned would ever shine on him, and it was Keselowski that ended up being the sympathetic figure. But as we head to 2011, the rivalry has simmered, with Kyle Busch taking up the fight on behalf of Edwards.

3.  Dale Jr. wins the July Daytona Nationwide race in the #3 Wrangler Chevy

Even though it was not a Sprint Cup race, it was nonetheless heart wrenching to see him win at Daytona in the #3 Wrangler Chevy!

The obsession with Earnhardt Sr. may be setting the sport back with the main demographic that it’s losing, but that Friday night was one, maybe final, very necessary dose of nostalgia.

Earnhardt Jr. got a win, and was able to successfully and willingly walk in his father’s footsteps for an evening. The sport will be undoubtedly automatically healthier if Earnhardt Jr. can get a win in the Sprint Cup Series in 2011.

2.  Kurt Busch call the Hendrick drivers,”pretty boys”

Busch was mad at Jimmie Johnson for what happened between the two at Pocono (Johnson got into the back bumper of Busch on the Long Pond Straight) and had already expressed his desire to knock Johnson off his pedestal after the two bumped fenders at New Hampshire.  But instead of strictly going after Johnson, Busch went after the whole Hendrick organization. He didn’t even spare 2012 addition Kasey Kahne.

“Well, I mean the guys at Hendrick are pretty boys and get People magazine covers and that’s their job,” Busch said. “My job is to go out and race cars and that’s what I focus on.”

And here’s the part where Kahne comes in:

“(Busch’s car owner Roger Penske) really helped me mature as a driver on and off the track, and, you know, if I even thought that I had a shot of jumping in that 5 car, a pretty boy named Kasey Kahne got picked over me, so that could answer your question as well.”

If you forgot, Busch’s contract extension and Kahne’s Hendrick announcement came nine days apart. Do with that what you will.

1.  Joey Logano calls out Kevin Harvick’s wife

As the season progressed, it became apparent that there was no love lost between Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano.  That was extremely obvious after the spring race in Bristol.  But it really came to a head in the final laps at Pocono, when Harvick got into Logano into turn #3.

Harvick said Logano wasn’t giving him enough room. Logano said that Harvick dumped him. Who cares about that.

This is the money quote:

“I don’t know what his deal is with me,” Logano said. “It’s probably not his fault. His wife wears the firesuit in the family and tells him what to do. It’s probably not his fault.”

If you don’t think that’s the quote of the year in the Cup Series, then you’re insane!

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

(WOMR at the Talladega Superspeedway)

It is the day after Thanksgiving, the racing season is over, and it is time for WOMR to offer up a big serving of thanks!

First I would like to thank Jamie McMurray for putting on two really exciting races this season when he won the Daytona . . . → Read More: It’s A Big Serving Of Thanks]]>

(WOMR at the Talladega Superspeedway)

It is the day after Thanksgiving, the racing season is over, and it is time for WOMR to offer up a big serving of thanks!

First I would like to thank Jamie McMurray for putting on two really exciting races this season when he won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400.  For those who don’t remember, at the end of the 2009 season Jamie Mac was without a ride for the 2011 season when Roush-Fenway Racing released him for his contract.  His old boss, Chip Gannasi, offered him a ride in the Earnhardt-Gannasi Racing Bass Pro Sports #1 Chevy, and as they say, the rest was history.  Thank you, Jamie!

Next I would like to thank “Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski for putting on a great show throughout the Nationwide Series races this season.  Keselowski was also noted for his slightly aggressive driving style that landed him upside down and into the Atlanta crash wall, and sitting in a crumpled pile so sheet metal at Gateway International Raceway earlier in the season.  In addition to the exciting racing he exhibited, “Bad Brad” K. won the Nationwide Series championship for Penske Racing, its first NASCAR championship ever! Thank you Brad!

Another tip of the hat goes to NASCAR for giving those famous/infamous words out a press conference, “have at it boys”!  Those four words have produced some of the most exciting racing for NASCAR in recent memory!  Allowing  the drivers to police themselves has allowed the racing to be “racier”, more exciting, allowing the drivers to exhibit more of their emotions, and consequently some of the closest finishes ever, witness both Talladega races, and the Daytona 500, just to mention a few.  Thank you NASCAR!

When Boris Said, and the very underfunded RAB race team “put a whoopin” on the entire Nationwide Series race teams at Montreal, it was a huge breath of fresh air!  Boris Said, over the years, has taken it upon himself to teach and help some of the biggest names of NASCAR become better road racers.  Way to go Boris!

Who said?  Boris Said!!

Some of the “young guns” have come of age this year.  The 20 year old phenom, Joey Logano, got a few lessons bestowed on him over the past two seasons.  However this season, after getting punted on more than one occasion by Kevin Harvick, and putting on one heck of a car control, smoking tires, sideways slide at Pocono, he finally showed some backbone and confronted Harvick after the race.  I think the comment was something about his lack of control and that his wife wears the firesuit in the family!

Way to go “Sliced Bread”!

Another tip of the hat goes out to Todd Bodine and the whole Germain Racing organization.  That race team competed in, and ultimately won the Camping World Truck Series championship with little to no corporate sponsorship.  Thank you Germain Racing!

Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my wife for kinda understanding and kinda allowing me to watch racing each and every weekend, as well as write about it.  I would also like to thank her for excusing me from home for the sole purpose of working on my redneck at the Daytona 500, the Las Vegas and Phoenix races, as well as the fall trek to Talladega.

What are you thankful for this year?

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

(Photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Joey Logano won his first Nationwide Series race of the year at the Kentucky Speedway Saturday night.  But by winning the Meijer 300, Logano made history!  He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win 3 races in a row at the same track, and all the . . . → Read More: Three In A Row For Logano!]]>

(Photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Joey Logano won his first Nationwide Series race of the year at the Kentucky Speedway Saturday night.  But by winning the Meijer 300, Logano made history!  He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win 3 races in a row at the same track, and all the wins came from his pole qualifying position.

The victory was the seventh of Logano’s career in the series. It was his third from the pole at Kentucky.

It came a weekend after he was involved in a post-race brouhaha with Kevin Harvick after the Sprint cup race at Pocono.

Logano, who won five times a year ago in Nationwide, held off Carl Edwards to get the victory.

“Feels really good,” Edwards, who won five races last year but none so far this year, said.  After Edwards, points leader Brad Keselowski was third.

The Harvick-Logano incident has ignited T-shirt sales in the Kevin/Delana Harvick camp.  She has taken Logano’s dig at her “wearing the firesuit in the family”, and turned it into a marketable sales item for the Kevin Harvick foundation!  Now that is a lady who not only wars the firesuit but also knows how to turn a dig into money!

What is your take on the Harvick-Logano fracas?

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

Joe Gibbs and Tom Logano

(photo courtesy Nick Laham/Getty Images)

There is a fine line between being involved and being a hindrance when it comes to a family connection with your son or daughter’s career.

One of the great ironies of auto racing is that the sport is in many ways a . . . → Read More: What To Do With Racing Dads?]]>

Joe Gibbs and Tom Logano

(photo courtesy Nick Laham/Getty Images)

There is a fine line between being involved and being a hindrance when it comes to a family connection with your son or daughter’s career.

One of the great ironies of auto racing is that the sport is in many ways a family-oriented affair, but at the same time too much family participation can be a bad thing.

Racing dads are usually the main culprits.

Isn’t it ironic that a racer is most successful when he/she is charging full steam ahead, taking no prisoners, rarely backing off, applying 100 percent full on, all the time?  But when it comes to being a successful mom, dad, fiance, or any other family member, the best ones have to learn to back off and let that family member be on their own and handle the situation as best as they can.

It has to be hard on those racing dads and moms. They’ve devoted lots of time and money to jump start their kid’s careers. They obviously have good racing instincts or their kids wouldn’t have advanced past the entry-level divisions. But at some point, an overactive dad or mom or friend or fiancé becomes a liability for a driver. Car owners and crew chiefs  and even NASCAR officials have enough egos and opinions to juggle without having to hear from dads too.

Racing dads are in the news this week as Joey Logano’s father, Tom Logano, was a major player in a pit road incident at Pocono Raceway between his son and Kevin Harvick.

It wasn’t an unusual scene. Something similar to that probably occurred at dozens of short tracks the night before.

Nevertheless, this is the “big time”!  The driver must handle their own battles and stand up for themselves, if he/she is going to drive in the “Big Show”!

There is a old adage that goes something like this:

“If you can’t run with the Big Dogs, then stay up on the porch!”

What is your view on Tom Logano’s involvement with his son, Joey’s, latest problems with Kevin Harvick?

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

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Seems these days that there is almost an award for every thing and/or category, even in NASCAR.  So there should be a category of “Zinger of the Year”!

So far for the 2010 race season I think that young Joey Logano should be the front runner for . . . → Read More: Zinger Of The Year!]]>

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Seems these days that there is almost an award for every thing and/or category, even in NASCAR.  So there should be a category of “Zinger of the Year”!

So far for the 2010 race season I think that young Joey Logano should be the front runner for th4e award.  Last Sunday after Kevin Harvick punted Logano for the third time this season, the young man finally let Harvick know that he had a “chapped butt”!

Logano blamed Harvick for crashing him.  Additionally Logano stated, “His wife wears the fire suit in the family, tells him what to do, so it probably isn’t his fault.”

The dig referred to Harvick’s wife Delana who famously dresses in a bright orange-and-red racing uniform identical to her husband’s during her pit-road vigil at each race. Many other wives also watch from pit road, but none wears a racing suit. There’s nothing wrong with it of course; it’s just, well, unusual.

Normally there’s no sharper tongue in all of NASCAR than Kevin’s, but in this case Logano out-Harvicked Harvick!

Aside from being amusing, the crack was telling. It revealed a fiery side of the talented young Logano that most us had never seen. Logano had always come across as a polite, mild-mannered, almost shy youngster. Suddenly he’s raging and pushing and having to be restrained from getting to Harvick.

I suspect Logano’s stock went up among race fans. We like our drivers to have a little salt and pepper.

This is not a dig at Harvick, however, but he’s the king of the wisecrackers and has made plenty of cutting remarks at his fellow drivers over the years. That’s what made Logano’s comment score so high – the zinger got zinged.

What is your thoughts on the Harvick-Logano rivalry?

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