Working On My Redneck ™ » nationwide series

Gateway Nationwide Race a Wakeup Call?

Leon — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:22:34 +0000

(photo courtesy Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Has NASCAR reached a new low point in the new “Have at it era”? Some have already said that on Saturday night when Carl Edwards dumped “Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski into the outside retaining wall just prior to the start/finish line, NASCAR hit a new low!

Edwards made no secret that he intentionally punted Keselowski. However he did not address where he did it, on the front straight just prior to the start/finish line, directly in front of oncoming race cars. It was as blatant as his previous dumping of “Blazingly Bad” Brad at Atlanta back in March of this year.

One had to feel for Bob Keselowski, Brad’s dad, who had to sit by once again and see Edwards put his son in grave danger! Bob Keselowski has been around long enough to remember that people do get killed in race cars. Just the fact that he used the word “killed” several times in a live TV interview show that at least someone at the track was aware of what could happen as a result of “Have at it” gone wild.

Notwithstanding all the safety improvements that occurred over the past 60 years in NASCAR, with both the race tracks and race cars, intentionally wrecking a driver at 120 mph or 200 mph could have catastrophic results that could never be undone. Edwards almost put Keselowski into the grandstands at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. Brad K walked away from the crash in Atlanta, he was also able to get out his race car last night under his own power,stunned and shaken nonetheless, likewise all the other race car drivers who wrecked because of Edwards willful and intentional crashing of Keselowski climbed from their race cars seemingly unscathed. It certainly could have worked out quite to the contrary in both crashes!

There are business consequences too. Will mainstream sponsors continue to support drivers, and a sport in general, where intentional, controversial and possibly life-threatening high-speed wrecks are allowed?

And where is NASCAR in all of this? We don’t know yet. However, we do know that he apparently will be allowed to keep his win at Gateway and that in the 12 hours since the crash there was no word from NASCAR about the incident, one way or another!

WOMR believes that it is time for NASCAR to issue some kind of punishment that is equal to the “crime” that Edwards perpetrated on a fellow race car driver, not just a 3 race probation slap on the hands like back in March!

Additionally, WOMR believes that “Bad” Brad should pre-apologize to Jack Roush and advised Mr. Roush to please crank up your car building facility for at least for Edwards, ’cause Roush is going to need to build Carl at least a couple of extra cars for both of the series, Sprint Cup and Nationwide!

Did someone say that NASCAR is now sanctioning “Destruction Derbies” that are companion races and that run simultaneously with the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series races on the tack?

What is your view of Edwards turning into a one man wrecking crew?

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

Edwards Wins, Controversy Swirls!

Leon — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:09:58 +0000

(photo courtesy nascar.com)

“Have at ‘em boys”!

That phrase is now becoming a huge topic of conversation amongst the NASCAR community, now that the driver of the Roush-Fenway Racing’s #60 Aflac Ford, Carl Edwards, has become a one-man wrecking crew in both the Sprint Cup Series and now the Nationwide Series! Unfortunately, Edwards seems rather focused on just one competitor in both series, Penske Racing’s “Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski! Humm!

The wild ending was setup by a late race crash that brought out a yellow flag, precipitating a green-white-checkered finish. On that restart “Blazingly Bad” Brad was on the inside of the front row, with Edwards to his outside. When the green flag waved, Keselowski drove it deep into the first turn from the inside lane, banged fenders with Edwards, and came out of turn #2 in the lead.

As the two cars raced down the back straight and thru turns #3 and 4 the Penske Racing #22 Discount Tires Dodge was ever so slightly in the lead. Coming out of turn #4, heading for the checkered flag Brad K was still in the lead by approximately 1 car length. With the finish line was just a mere few hundred feet straight ahead, victory seemed to be all but assured for Keselowski. Were it not for Carl Edwards sticking his left front fender hard into Brad K’s right rear quarter panel, turning the #22 Discount Tires Dodge hard into the outside retaining wall, causing havoc from behind, several cars were trying to stop but hopelessly piling into each other, and finally Keselowski taking a very hard T-bone type hit just a few feet from the finish line, “Blazingly Bad” Brad would have won the race!

However, that was not to happen Saturday night at Gateway International Raceway. Instead, Keselowski’s unrecognizable pile of crumple sheet metal was relegated to the rollback and 14th place. Edwards, nevertheless, was ushered up to victory lane for the celebration of his victory. In Edward’s media interview, there was no remorse for the havoc and destruction that he caused. In fact, Edwards took full credit for his works!

The move was a payback, Edwards said, for an incident earlier in the final lap when Keselowski tapped him from behind to get the lead in Turn One.

“I just couldn’t let him take the win from me,” Edwards, who drew a three-race probation in March for unabashedly turning Keselowski in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta, with the unintended consequence of sending the #12 Dodge upside-down into the frontstretch wall, said. “My guys work way too hard for that.

“We had a great restart. My guys built me a great car. We came to the checkered flag, and I hate to see stuff tore up, but we came here to win and he took it from us there in Turn 1. Just an awesome race. … I’m sure some of them don’t like that win – Brad Keselowski fans and stuff – but, man, I just couldn’t let him take it from me. I had to do what I had to do.”

Did Edwards really have to do what he did? Is it time to reign in some of these drivers? Where do you draw the line on overly aggressive driving? Instead of ambulances does NASCAR need a hearse at the track?

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

It’s A Family Tradition

Leon — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:18:31 +0000

(photo courtesy Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

It was the third time that the #3 Chevy had been on the track since Dale Earnhardt, Sr. lost his life back in February 2001. It was the second time that Dale, Jr. had driven the #3 Chevy since his father’s death.

Earlier Saturday afternoon Dale Jr.qualified the blue and yellow #3 Wrangler Chevy into the 3rd position for the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the very same track that his father lost his life in a last lap wreck. It was also a cumulative effort by three different entities, JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Dale Earnhardt,Inc.

On the third lap of the race Dale Jr momentarily took the lead. Simultaneously, the crowd was on its collective feet with their hands held high with three fingers extended in honor of “The Intimidator”, “Ironhead”, or just “The Man In Black”, Dale Earnhardt,Sr.!

For most of the race the #3 Wrangler Chevy hung around the top ten. However, with 26 laps to go Dale Jr. made a pass for the lead and the entire crowd rose to their feet in a joyous celebration, as an Earnhardt driving the # 3 was bolting to the lead!

From that point it was Earnhardt,Jr’s race to loose. The the unthinkable happened, a yellow flag signifying what would be a green-white-checkered finish. On the restart Joey Logano pushed Dale Jr. to the lead and it was all that was needed to secure a very emotional victory for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and for all of Junior Nation!

All is well in Junior Nation!

This victory leaves Dale,Jr. one shy of his father’s record at Daytona. After all, Daytona and Earnhardt victories-that is just a family tradition!

What is your view of the Subway Jalapeno 250?

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

Next Generation Nationwide Cars

Leon — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:21:48 +0000

(photo courtesy Ford Racing)

The “new generation” Nationwide Series cars are on the track this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for the Subway Jalapeno 250.

What you see is just what you get with this new generation Nationwide race car. The Dodge, Ford, Chevy, and Toyota race cars looks like their badge plate mate on the showroom floor. One of the exciting things about these new cars is that they actually look very cool just standing still. You can tell the differences in the manufacturers without having to read the decal on either the front bumper or the rear bumper.

To paraphrase one of the Ford engineers, there’s no reason why the performance and appearance of a race car can’t both be right. Judging from initial practice times, the Mustang and Challenger are in the same ballpark with the new generation of Nationwide cars from Chevy and Toyota, brands that chose to stick with the same model as raced in the Sprint Cup. The Impala and Camry at least benefit from front and rear overhangs that are proportional as well as the absence of a snaggle-toothed front splitter.

But are we at a defining moment in NASCAR history? Are brands and approaches like those made with the Mustang and the Challenger the wave of the future in the Sprint Cup, a veritable sea change?

What is your view on this new and exciting change in the Nationwide Series?

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

Danica Mania Round Two

Leon — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:57:34 +0000

(file photo courtesy nascar)

Here we go again, race fans. This weekend at Louden, N.H. begins Danica-mania round two. After four months at her “day job”, the IndyCar series, Danica Patrick returns to her apprenticeship in the Nationwide series.

The open-wheel “glam queen” of the IZOD IndyCar series precipitated a media frenzy in her first foray into NASCAR during the first three races of the 2010 season. Her first stock car race was the ARCA race at Daytona where she finished sixth, excellent for her first attempt. However, her learning curve resembles a vertical line, straight up! With finishes for JR Motorsports no better than 31st in her trio of Nationwide races before her return to the IndyCar series, she still has much to learn from the “door slammers”.

The buzz died down when Patrick went back to her Andretti Autosport entry in the open-wheel series. And it became a bare whisper when she got off to a miserable start in IndyCar. But a sixth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500, followed by finishes of second and 10th at Texas and Iowa, has buoyed Patrick and perked up interest again.

Longtime NASCAR crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who will again work with Patrick this week as she takes part in the New England 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, says Patrick is making all the right moves.

The New Hampshire event is the first of 10 more Nationwide events she is to run this season in the JR Motorsports #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, including the final six races – after the IndyCar season is over.

For the track in Loudon, N.H., Patrick’s participation is a huge ticket-selling bonus. Whether she’s running up front or mid-pack, the diminutive driver is a major attraction. Some people love her, some hate her, but everybody seems to want to see her in or out of a race car!

Coincidentally, it appears Patrick’s first appearance at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway race track will also coincide with the announcement that the IndyCar Series will return NHMS in July 2011 after an absence of 12 years.

Do not think that Danica Patrick will jump to stock car racing in the very near future, she still has two more years to go on her contract with the Andretti team, and also is contracted through 2011 to run the part-time Nationwide schedule for the team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Nevertheless, there may even be a Sprint Cup start mixed in there somewhere, you just never know! In any case, the fans in Louden, N.H. are going to get their share of Danica Mania, beginning this weekend.

What is you view of the return of Danica Patrick to the Nationwide series?

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

Former Busch Champ Suspended

Leon — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:50:44 +0000

(Randy LaJoie)

NASCAR has snared its highest profile player yet! Two-time Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion Randy LaJoie has been suspended indefinitely for failing a drug test administered on June 11th.

The former champ told SIRIUS radio that he smoked marijuana once in May, but was not “a user”. Additionally, LoJoie said that he has been suspended from ESPN as a race analyst. The network did not issue a statement, but did confirm the suspension.

LoJoie said that he had been auditioning for a job as the spotter for the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 M&M’s Toyota race team.

How does someone who is intimately involved in NASCAR safety through his racing seat company, The Joie of Seating, fail a drug test? It seems to be quite incomprehensible!

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

Danica Bows Out Of NASCAR At Iowa

Leon — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:27:14 +0000

(photo courtesy IndyCar series)

A very interesting news tid-bit gleaned from both my cyberspace buddy over at brusimm.com and the gazzetteonline, Danica Patrick has decided to not race in the US Cellular 250 on July 31 at the Iowa Speedway.

However, she will be entering into the Nationwide race, The New England 250, at Louden,N.H. this weekend. The following week Danica will return to the IndyCar series in Watkins Glen on the July 4th weekend.

“I’m doing so much more driving than anything else which is a definite shift in the schedule,” Patrick said at a news conference Saturday morning. “It’s fun. It’s hard, though. You’re always on the spot. You’re always trying to be faster and faster and up against the clock but it makes you a better driver. It’s helping me to be able to adapt in more situations and I think it can only make you a better driver.”

Is this just the beginning for Danica? Is she finding out that it is very difficult to bounce between two very different disciplines of auto racing? Did Danica decide to focus more on the IndyCar racing? Is racing the big “Dump Trucks” more than she bargained for? Is there more there than meets the eye? Or is it just as we see it, a choice not to race there at the Iowa Speedway?

This piece of racing news may give the “talking heads” something more to write about!

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

Three In A Row For Logano!

Leon — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:27:05 +0000

(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!

Keselowski Wins At Nashville

Leon — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:25:52 +0000

(photo courtesy nascar)

“Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski, driving his Penske Racing #22 Discount Tires Dodge, wins the Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Saturday night. This was his third nationwide series race win of the year and increases his series lead over Kyle Busch by 196 points. “Blazingly Bad” Brad logged his ninth win in this series in just 117 starts.

Even though Carl Edwards was able to briefly edge Keselowski twice for the lead on late restarts, he ended up finishing second. With his second place finish tonight, Edwards moved up in the point standings from 4th place into 3rd place. Paul Menard had a great night finishing third in the race. Rounding out the rest of the top five is Justin Allgaier and Mike Bliss.

This race in Nashville is the first of the “stand alone” nationwide races. These stand alone races give the “nationwide only drivers” the opportunity to showcase their driving skills with only a very few of the old “buschwackers” shuttling between the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races.

One noticeable fact tonight, “Blazingly Bad Brad” didn’t attempt to smash his beautifully handcrafted Gibson guitar like the winner of last year’s race tried to do!

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

Hamlin Dominates The Royal Purple 200

Leon — Sat, 08 May 2010 16:13:42 +0000

(photo courtesy NASCAR)

Less than six weeks removed from ACL surgery on his left knee, Denny Hamlin opted for a weekend double at the track he considers one of the most grueling on the NASCAR circuit.

So far, so good. Staying out on old tires while other contenders came to the pits under caution on Lap 123, Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch, who also stayed out, to win Friday night’s Royal Purple 200 presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at Darlington Raceway.

Hamlin had the lead on the restart but was passed briefly by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Hamlin, who led a race-best 111 laps, quickly recaptured the lead and then began to walk away from Kyle Busch. The final margin of victory was about 10 car lengths.

It was the ninth time the two JGR drivers have finished first and second to each other in a Nationwide race.

Jamie McMurray, who restarted sixth, charged to a third-place finish.

Darlington Raceway truly lived up to its nickname Friday night, “The track too tough to tame”! The infamous “Darlington Stripe” adorned many of the race cars by the end of the race. Some of the competitors, however, were not so lucky as to just get “the stripe”. Some of the very unlucky cars had to be put “on the hook”, lifted back into their haulers, and headed for the scrap heap!

The race was a domination of the Joe Gibbs Racing tandem of Denny Hamlin and ol Kylie Busch. However, Hamlin’s #20 JGR Z-Line Toyota was most definitely the class of the field all race!

What do you think about Hamlin’s durability after going through ACL surgery four weeks ago?

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