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Happy Thursday everyone!
Today In Nascar History
May 8, 1999: Greg Biffle gets his first NASCAR victory, beating another driver looking for his first win, Kevin Harvick, by .241 seconds to win the Memphis 200 Craftsman Trucks Series race. Biffle goes on to win eight more races in 1999 and finish second in the points race to Jack Sprague by eight points. Harvick gets his first NASCAR win in 2000 in the Nationwide Series.
Number of the Day
8: Laps led at Darlington Raceway by Tony Stewart in 15 Cup races, the fewest laps he has led at a Cup track. Next fewest is 17 at Rockingham, which no longer hosts Cup races. Stewart has raced at 23 tracks in his 10-year Cup career.
You want to know about America?
It’s in the squeal of rubber, the scream of the engine and the roar of humanity seeing one of its own triumph against the odds. It’s there in a last lap duel. Joyous as Victory Lane, devastating as hitting the rail. Here, life lessons are learnt and man it’s as obvious as the number of
the car in pole position.
It’s simple – NASCAR born in America.
Power Rankings
Most Popular Driver…
Vote here!
Quote of the Year
"NASCAR ain't doing nothing I like right now." "I don't like the rules they are doing...you can bump somebody and they want to fine you for it." Pearson saw the look on Carl Edwards face and made sure to say he knew that Edwards could not speak-up or he would get fined.
--David Pearson
Quote of the Day
In one weekend, Kyle supplanted Ulysses S. Grant as "the most-hated person in the history of Richmond."
--Mark Aumann In his Power Rankings comments
Comments
from the Peanut Gallery
From HM
Momma;
I think JR got a bad deal Saturday. The incident with Kyle was questionable at the least. I personally think he tried to wreck Jr. But what really cost him the race that idiot Hamlin knowing he had a flat tire, staying out until it went completely down and then stopping right in the middle of the race track to get a caution flag when Jr was pulling away with only a few laps left. That was a Joe Gibbs move. I used to like Joe but he and many others including fox have sold out to Toyota. I thought NASCAR meant American. And I don't want to hear that B.S. about Toyota’s being built in the U.S., THEY ARE JAPANESE ALL THE WAY!!! Every Toyota driver is hi-lighted twice as much on fox as Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet drivers. H.M. in TEXAS
P.S. JR IS A TRUE GENTLEMAN. HE HAD NOT ONE BAD WORD AGAINST ANYONE.
From Bob S
Heresy of the week: For all the angst and anger, probably in their heart of hearts, most of the Junior Nation (and Junior hisself!) realizes that Kyle is driving more in the spirit of Dale than any other driver ... his son included! Bits and Pieces
Lamar, Biffle Team Up To Race For Furry Friends
CSD Staff
CSD Staff
Burney Lamar has a soft spot in his heart for his pets which include three cats and three dogs. For him and his wife, Niki, these six furry friends are family. This weekend Lamar and Baker Curb Racing will pair up with the Greg Biffle Foundation to show their devotion to their beloved animals.
Lamar’s No. 37 Greg Biffle Foundation Ford will take on the “Track too
Tough to Tame” at Darlington Raceway for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200.
“Greg and Nicole have taken the power of NASCAR and the passion of their heart, animal advocacy, and rolled them into their foundation,” said Lamar. “I am pleased to be part of this organization and lend my support as well as my personal resources.”
The Greg Biffle Foundation was founded in 2005 by
Greg and Nicole Biffle to create awareness and serve as advocates to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motorsports industry. Financial support for the foundation comes from a variety of sources including individual contributions, NASCAR Pets calendars, and the sale of various racing and other sports memorabilia. To date, the foundation has granted money to over 83 shelters nationwide.
"Its great to have people in the racing community care about our foundation as much as we do,” said Biffle. “And what a great supporter Baker Curb Racing is to display our logo for the Nationwide race to help us continue to create awareness for
thousands of homeless animals across America."
Lamar and the No. 37 team are in action Friday night under the lights at 7:30 pm on ESPN2.
John Andretti at Indy looking for ride
CSD Staff
CSD Staff
Veteran driver John Andretti was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wednesday looking for a ride for this year’s Indianapolis 500.
"That's why I'm here," Andretti told the Journal and Courier. "I'm not much of a fan. This is what I love to do."
Andretti has competed in eight Indy 500s, finishing fifth in 1991.
The cousin of Michael Andretti and nephew of 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti raced in the 500 every year from 1988 to
1994, then returned to the race in 2007.
"If the right opportunity came along, I would be all for it," Andretti said. "Right now there is nothing set."
Andretti has made three starts in the Sprint Cup Series in 2008 for Front Row Motorsports. His best finish was a 35th at California.
Hamlin Getting Into the Restaurant Business
CSD Staff
CSD Staff
Denny Hamlin will be lending his name and star power to one of Salisbury North Carolina’s more popular restaurants.
The Salisbury Post reports that in coming months, The Original Steakhouse & Sports Theatre, located at the Salisbury Mall, will be changing its name and look to become Denny Hamlin's Grille 11.
The "11" refers to Hamlin's number for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The extensive changes to the restaurant will be made through a licensing agreement between Celebrity Ventures Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Hamlin, who is currently sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.
Wallace steering clear of fracas
by Rob Gray, Des Moines Register
by Rob Gray, Des Moines Register
Rusty Wallace laughed when asked about Kyle Busch's other NASCAR brush-up under the lights at Richmond.
The conflagration happened to be with Wallace's son, Steve, in Friday's Nationwide Series race.
"Steven's a big boy and he'll have to handle it himself," said Wallace, a NASCAR commentator for ESPN and ABC as well as the designer of Iowa Speedway in Newton. "I've got to be impartial about that."
But Wallace is understandably partial when describing the-mile track in Newton, and touting the facility's May 18 NASCAR Camping World Series race featuring Kasey Kahne.
"Right now there's 55-plus entries on the list," Wallace said of the race that will include 44 cars in its main event. "They expect the list to grow to 65 and one thing I want to emphasize is this is the only race all season long in the Camping World Series where it's the East versus the West."
"Steven's a big boy and he'll have to handle it himself," said Wallace, a NASCAR commentator for ESPN and ABC as well as the designer of Iowa Speedway in Newton. "I've got to be impartial about that."
But Wallace is understandably partial when describing the-mile track in Newton, and touting the facility's May 18 NASCAR Camping World Series race featuring Kasey Kahne.
"Right now there's 55-plus entries on the list," Wallace said of the race that will include 44 cars in its main event. "They expect the list to grow to 65 and one thing I want to emphasize is this is the only race all season long in the Camping World Series where it's the East versus the West."
Wallace de-emphasized any potential Wallace vs. Busch scenarios, but did offer his take on Friday's incident, which stemmed from a late-race bump.
"I was pretty surprised when Kyle walked up to his window and he started mouthing off to Steven and Steven reached out and grabbed him by the helmet," Wallace said. "Steven - he's a pretty tough kid himself. ... He said, 'Dad, I'm not going to put up with his mouth. I had my best top-five finish, he was running third, we bumped bumpers and he still finished third. It's not a big deal.' "
It became a minor matter when Busch, who will compete at Newton in July, raced Dale Earnhardt Jr. aggressively up front late in Saturday's Cup race and Earnhardt wrecked.
Fans of Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver by a wide margin, were audibly and visibly incensed.
"Kyle got himself into a lot of trouble last week," Wallace said.
"I was pretty surprised when Kyle walked up to his window and he started mouthing off to Steven and Steven reached out and grabbed him by the helmet," Wallace said. "Steven - he's a pretty tough kid himself. ... He said, 'Dad, I'm not going to put up with his mouth. I had my best top-five finish, he was running third, we bumped bumpers and he still finished third. It's not a big deal.' "
It became a minor matter when Busch, who will compete at Newton in July, raced Dale Earnhardt Jr. aggressively up front late in Saturday's Cup race and Earnhardt wrecked.
Fans of Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver by a wide margin, were audibly and visibly incensed.
"Kyle got himself into a lot of trouble last week," Wallace said.
Stewart gives few hints about future: #20-Tony Stewart returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on
Wednesday to help Chevrolet unveil its new midget-car engine, an appearance that prompted another round of questions about Stewart's plans and whether they might include IndyCars. "There's a part of me that thinks running at Indy and in IndyCar is a chapter of my life that is closed," he said. "Then there is the emotional part of me that says, 'Never say never.' I don't know if I'll ever get in an IndyCar again, but if that happens, it's going to be a long way down the road because I have a lot of commitments on the NASCAR side." Stewart has been running with Joe Gibbs Racing since 1998, and his current contract doesn't expire until the end of next season. Yet he's already fielding offers from other teams and said last month he had discussed terminating the deal early, depending on which offer he accepts. Some of those offers also include ownership of a team. Many believe Stewart, who turns 37 on May 20, is looking to move in part because he has long ties to Chevrolet, one
of the Cup series' manufacturers. JGR is now using Toyotas, and Stewart remains winless this season after winning 32 times in his first nine years on the Cup circuit. While Stewart acknowledged he considered Chevy's deal with his own open-wheel teams a personal endorsement, he brushed off the suggestion that he was upset with driving a Toyota. "It wasn't weird when we started the program," he said. "It wasn't weird then, and it's not weird now. When we started our (open-wheel) program, Mopar provided us with engines and both sides understood." As so often happens when the Indiana native visits the speedway, however, the discussion quickly turned to one of his favorite subjects -- the Indy 500 -- and whether he would still like to race here. The answer: Only if it's a full-time gig in the IRL. "If I was going to come to Indianapolis again, I don't want to come and show up for the month of May," he said. "If I am going to do it, I need to start at Homestead. I need to run
all of the races leading up to the month of May to really feel like I am being fair to the team and being fair to myself. ... As long as I'm driving a stock car, that basically takes that part of it out of the equation."(Associated Press/ESPN)
#18 team wins 1st Qtr Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: The #18 M&M’s Team for Joe Gibbs Racing recorded one win and has been in the top five of the 2008 Sprint Cup Series championship
point standings through the first eight races of the season. As a result of their outstanding work on the track and in the pits the team has been named the first quarter finalist for the 2008 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award. The Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award is given quarterly throughout the Sprint Cup season. At the end of each quarter, the winning pit crew is determined by a vote of each team’s crew chief. The four quarterly winners are eligible for the year-end Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award and a check for $100,000 awarded at the 2008 National Motorsports Press Association Myers Brothers Media Luncheon in New York City. 2008 #18 M&M’s Pit Crew: Michael Lepp, Pit Crew Coach; Jeff Fender, Jackman; Nick O’Dell, Front-Tire Changer; Brad Donaghy, Front-Tire Carrier; Jack Seminara, Rear-Tire Changer; Kenny Barber, Rear-Tire Carrier; Tom Lempe, Gas man; Jason Hinson, Catch Can; Steve Addington, Crew Chief.(Mechanix
Wear)
Office Depot to MWR? Hearing Office Depot, currently the sponsor for #99-Carl Edwards, is considering a move to Michael Waltrip Racing with driver #00-Michael McDowell. UPS has been rumored as a possible sponsor for Edwards and Roush Racing in 2009.
Burton still has run every lap: #31-Jeff Burton is the lone Sprint Cup driver who has completed every lap (3,297) of competition this season. Burton also has completed 77.5% of the total laps (2,555 of 3,297) running in the top 15 and leads all drivers with the most runs on the lead lap (3,277 of 3,297).(RCR)
Fuel Prices hitting Race teams too: As gas prices soar across the country, the thought of paying $6.25 a gallon would make any consumer cringe. Yet that's what it costs in NASCAR, where race teams use a special Sunoco 260 GTX unleaded fuel to fill their cars. Although the gas is free -- part of Sunoco's agreement as NASCAR's official fuel supplier -- it doesn't mean car owners and drivers aren't feeling the pain at the pump. "It affects all of us, anybody that's in business," said car owner Richard Childress. "Getting our cars to the racetracks costs a ton in gas money for the haulers. Bringing our people to the tracks, the rising costs of jet fuel. It's very, very expensive to do
what we're doing." Childress, owner of a highly successful race team, isn't complaining. Nor are the drivers who pull in multimillion dollar salaries and don't flinch at $85 fill-ups on their luxury SUV's. But no one in NASCAR is immune to the weakening economy and rising costs on fuel. Just because they can afford it, doesn't mean they aren't feeling the pinch. Under Sunoco's deal with NASCAR, teams are provided free fuel at any sanctioned test, practice or race for all three top divisions. A company spokeswoman said it's impossible to determine just how much fuel is used per weekend because of fluctuations in schedules, weather and the teams' practice times each week. When teams tested earlier this week at Lowe's Motor Speedway, their gas was once again free. But the good teams test a lot, traveling all over the South to facilities not sanctioned by NASCAR. Sunoco doesn't cover those all-day sessions, and a race team typically brings a 55-gallon drum of gas to get them
through the test. Even so, there are critics who complain that NASCAR races are dipping into the national supply. But NASCAR officials claim the amount of fuel being used -- less than 175,000 gallons per year on the Sprint Cup Series -- doesn't come close to the 366 million gallons that Americans average in daily usage. So NASCAR has no current plans to shorten races, as it did in the early 1970s when OPEC hoarded oil to increase prices, causing long lines at the pumps.
But the pain is still felt away from the track, where teams have noticed a significant increase in transportation costs. From sending diesel-chugging haulers across the country to transport the race cars, to the exorbitant jump in jet fuel, costs are soaring in simply getting drivers, crews and equipment to each event. With diesel fuel now over $4.00 a gallon, and each hauler holding roughly 300 gallons, fill-ups now cost more than $1,200 for a truck that only gets between 4.5 and 7.5 miles per gallon. The real pinch, though, comes in jet fuel. Many team owners shuttling crew members, and drivers flying private planes on weekends, are considering cutting down on the luxuries. Many drivers own their own planes and use them for personal and professional travel. But at about $4.30 a gallon, Carl Edwards estimated it costs him $2,000 a trip to fill his airplane -- not worth it for a spur-of-the-moment vacation. Many also consider themselves lucky to be at the highest level of racing. Fuel isn't free outside of NASCAR, and as high as the ARCA level, teams are paying for gas to get to the track and once they get there.(in part from the Associated Press/ESPN)
But the pain is still felt away from the track, where teams have noticed a significant increase in transportation costs. From sending diesel-chugging haulers across the country to transport the race cars, to the exorbitant jump in jet fuel, costs are soaring in simply getting drivers, crews and equipment to each event. With diesel fuel now over $4.00 a gallon, and each hauler holding roughly 300 gallons, fill-ups now cost more than $1,200 for a truck that only gets between 4.5 and 7.5 miles per gallon. The real pinch, though, comes in jet fuel. Many team owners shuttling crew members, and drivers flying private planes on weekends, are considering cutting down on the luxuries. Many drivers own their own planes and use them for personal and professional travel. But at about $4.30 a gallon, Carl Edwards estimated it costs him $2,000 a trip to fill his airplane -- not worth it for a spur-of-the-moment vacation. Many also consider themselves lucky to be at the highest level of racing. Fuel isn't free outside of NASCAR, and as high as the ARCA level, teams are paying for gas to get to the track and once they get there.(in part from the Associated Press/ESPN)
Waltrip, Mears make nice after Richmond wreck
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Michael Waltrip was allowed back on the track Monday, two days after getting his first taste of NASCAR's harshest penalty.
After Casey Mears knocked Waltrip's car into the wall late in Saturday's race at Richmond International Raceway, Waltrip retaliated by ramming into the back of Mears' car and pushing it several hundred yards.
NASCAR parked Waltrip for the final 58 laps, a penalty that cost him as much as 60 Sprint Cup points.
"I've never gotten parked before," Waltrip said Monday during a break in testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I read in the paper where people got parked, but I didn't know how you did that. Now I do."
Mears, also at the track for an extra testing session for the Car of Tomorrow, said he had a breakdown in communication with his spotter.
"I don't know if we just had a radio problem or what happened there, but we were kind of running by ourselves there for quite a while," Mears said. "I think the 55 came out on new tires and was running us down and I just wasn't aware of it, and I came off of (turn) 4 and hit him. I had no idea he was there."
He certainly knew Waltrip was there when Waltrip slammed into the back of his car after they both came off the wall.
"It was just an accident and Casey's a good dude," Waltrip said. "I know he didn't do it on purpose and sometimes when somebody does something that I viewed as being pretty stupid, that will make you madder than if someone did something on purpose.
"It was unfortunate for me that I got wrecked and as soon as he came off the wall he was just right there in front of me and I lost my cool for a split second and ran into the back of him."
NASCAR said Waltrip won't face any further penalties, and Mears believes Saturday's punishment was sufficient.
"I can understand why he'd be upset, because it definitely wasn't really his doing," Mears said. "But obviously afterwards what he did wasn't right. I can understand the emotion and being upset, but you definitely don't want to do something like that. Obviously he realizes that, too, and we'll all move on."
Junior has no hard feelings over wreck
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. was frustrated as he climbed out of his car following a testing session
Monday.
But Earnhardt's angst wasn't directed at his fans' newest villain.
His throng of supporters loudly blamed Kyle Busch for the wreck Saturday night that ended Earnhardt's best chance to end his winless drought. But Junior was more concerned with the hit he took in the Sprint Cup standings after a possible win turned into a
15th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway.
"The only thing I'm upset with is not being able to get the points out of it I should have been able to get," Earnhardt said after the morning test at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "We've been working hard to stay consistent all year. I want to get as good of a finish I can with my car each week."
While Earnhardt hasn't
won since 2006, he's been consistently good in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports. He had seven top 10 finishes in the first nine races, and when Denny Hamlin's dominance in the first 381 laps of Saturday's short-track race ended with a flat tire, Earnhardt moved to the front.
But after Hamlin stopped on the track instead of limping to pit road, the caution allowed Busch - whom Earnhardt replaced at Hendrick - to get on Earnhardt's bumper for the restart.
They raced side-by-side until Busch's car appeared to get loose and they made contact in turn 3. Earnhardt's No. 88 Chevrolet spun and hit the wall.
The winless streak would hit 72 races.
Earnhardt said Saturday night he needed to watch replays before commenting on the wreck. Outside his hauler Monday, Earnhardt was careful
not to take a shot at Busch.
"It was just hard racing," Earnhardt said. "Kyle has his style of driving. I would have been a little more - I don't know. Maybe I would have ran as hard at it as he did. I don't know what I would have done."
After finishing second to Clint Bowyer on Saturday, Busch moved into the points lead ahead of Jeff Burton. It came with Busch facing boos and insults from Earnhardt's fans.
"It's nothing new to me. I'm used to it," said Busch, whose aggressive style has helped cultivate a bad-boy image. "I pretty much told them, 'Grow-up, that's racing.' We were racing hard and I feel like there are a lot of worse cases in this world than someone getting spun out in a race."
It doesn't mean
the 23-year-old Busch didn't learn from the close-quarters wreck.
"We probably could have given each other a little more room," Busch said. "I probably could have dove further to the bottom, Junior probably could have run somewhat similar to the line he had been running on the previous run than he was on the first couple laps of that restart.
"He was trying to find something that would work better for his car so he could get
away from me and we just made contact. Unfortunately, he got the worst brunt of it."
Earnhardt remained in third place, but he trails Busch by 104 points. That stuck most with Earnhardt on Monday.
"I've been real proud of that with what we've been able to do this year and the way we've been consistent," Earnhardt said. "It's a little bit of a bruise on the stats. It won't show at the end of the year how good we really were that
weekend. I want to minimize that throughout the season."
Saturday marked the third time Busch and Earnhardt have wrecked in less than a year. Earnhardt, who blamed himself for a crash at Kansas last year, expects to talk to Busch to avoid another frustrating day of lost points.
"Hopefully once me and him have a chance to talk about it we can come to some kind of understanding of where we won't have to deal with it ever again,"
Earnhardt said. "Then we can just go out there and race and try to race each other with a little more respect and have a better outcome."
Busch let it all hang out at Richmond
by Jeff Hammond/foxsports.com
The fireworks were definitely flying at Richmond both on Friday and Saturday nights. To
me, the most interesting part of it was that the guy who was center stage on both events was Kyle Busch. This is what Richmond and short-track racing is all about. People are going to have some questionable moments on the track that will result in a show of passion, which you like to see if you are a fan of racing.
To me, if you take away the names of who was involved in both instances Friday and Saturday night, it was just good hard racing. It's what you see when guys are trying to block one another and protect positions on a race track. You are going to see bump-and-run. You are going to see guys roughing each other up.
Friday night was more of a bump-and-run where Saturday night was more of a case where it really could have gone either way. Busch definitely was letting it all hang out because he realized that if he could ever get around Dale Earnhardt Jr., then he could win that race. I think he was probably trying a little too hard and I think Dale misjudged how much to crowd the young man. He didn't cut down on him, but he really pinned him down and didn't give him a clear lane either. So again, it could have gone either way on Saturday night.
I doubt Dale Jr. will ever admit to this, but racing Busch is a lot like racing Dale Sr. When he is there, you have to get ready for contact. He's a contact racer and he is not afraid to make contact. So when you know that, you go into things with your eyes wide open.
We experienced that at Martinsville with the NASCAR Craftsman truck team I co-own that is driven by David Starr. I knew we were going to get roughed up by Kyle before it even happened and I said so on the air. When Kyle is behind you or around you and you give him a crack of daylight, well he is going to try and shoot through it. That is his style of racing. That
doesn't make him a bad person. He just wants to win. He is that passionate and he is going to give it his all.
Is Kyle Busch worried about making fans or is he worried about winning races? I think if I had a chance to ask him that question, I would like to hear his answer.
The other controversy from Saturday night was Denny Hamlin stopping on the race track. Denny wasn't stopping to help his teammate, Kyle, catch up to Dale Jr.
Denny stopped to try and get a caution to help himself out. That is an old short-track trick. I don't blame him for trying to do it. He clearly had the best car all night. I really think he just did something that works at all short tracks around the country. He was going to lose two laps if he came to pit road to change his flat tire anyways, so the NASCAR penalty was well within reason.
You could not have any more empathy and feel any sadder for a guy than Denny Hamlin. Actually, there were three guys I felt bad for Saturday night. Denny was number one because he clearly had the car to beat. Number two to me was Dale Earnhardt Jr. It was a sad turn of events for him. It looked like that 71 race,
two-year non-winning string was going to finally come to an end and then he and Kyle get together and Dale ends up in the wall. Then the third one you kind of have to have some sympathy for is Kyle Busch.
Again, this is his style of racing and he was racing as hard as he could. All of a sudden he has made Junior Nation mad at him because of how aggressive he is. He is just doing his job and doing what he knows best, which is to try and win all the races at all cost. But know he is going to pay a pretty heavy price in the court of public opinion as far as racing is concerned.
Now let's move over to the Casey Mears and Michael Waltrip issue. It looked to me that Mears and Waltrip were victims of each other. I don't know whether to blame it on Mears and his spotter because Waltrip had on brand-new tires and was making a whale of a run up through the field. I think Mears just misjudged where he was at and cut Waltrip off and put him up in the wall.
NASCAR appoints panel to look into changing drug-testing policy
OK, but didn't you just say racing needed more of that?
THATSRACIN.COM OPINION
DAVID POOLE/The Charlotte Observer
Hendrick Motorsports
Victories at Darlington
(Message over 64k, truncated.)
I think Waltrip then lost his temper and overreacted. The in-car camera clearly showed that
he shoved it up into a lower gear, jacked the kid up and carried him all the way down there until he wrecked him. NASCAR, in my opinion, had to do something about that because it was clearly retaliation. It was nothing more than Waltrip saying, "You wrecked me and now I am going to finish you off."
Friday and Saturday night, to me, clearly showed why you always hear us say that Richmond is one of the best stops on the circuit. We had a lot of action, and in the end, we had a lot of drama. That place is just an ideal track to go to. We had it all there this past weekend.
Kyle Busch is not Dale Earnhardt
By- Sharon Bundy/insidethepitbox.com
By- Sharon Bundy/insidethepitbox.com
In 2001, the sport of NASCAR lost an icon, arguably the sport's greatest driver. When Dale Earnhardt lost his life on the final lap of the Daytona 500, the sport seemed to lose it's identity. A family lost a husband, a father, a grandfather, a son, and a brother. The racing world lost it's hero. Since that time, the sport has lacked something. The sport lacked the bravado, the swagger, the rough and tumble character of Dale Earnhardt. Since 2001, the sport has
searched for that same character.
When Kyle Busch entered the Sprint Cup scene, many knew this kid was probably going to ruffle a few feathers, step on a few toes, and thoroughly tick off fans and other drivers. Mission accomplished. Kyle Busch is the bad guy that NASCAR so desperately wanted. And maybe we the fans needed too. But he is not, nor will he ever be Dale Earnhardt. Sure there are some similarities between them in driving style. But with Dale Earnhardt, it was more about intimidation, not fear. He could pull up behind another car and not do a thing, just being there would intimidate the driver to make a mistake that he would prey upon or simply move over because well, a driver just didn't know what to expect. That is intimidation. With Kyle Busch, it's fear. When this kid pulls up behind a driver everyone fears the worst. He is going to wreck them without provocation. That is not intimidation, that's stupidity.
NASCAR needs a bad boy. Kyle Busch seems to be that choice. But being the bad boy doesn't make him worthy to be put on the pedestal next to Dale Earnhardt. There will never be another Dale Earnhardt, there will never be another Richard Petty, there will never be another Jeff Gordon. To utter the name of Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Busch in the same sentence is ridiculous. Dale Earnhardt is a seven time champion, won 76 races, won the Daytona 500 and so on. Kyle Busch has six career wins, no championships, so the comparisons to Earnhardt are not valid. It is not to say that Kyle won't win championships, it is not to say he won't win 70 plus races. But to compare him to a legend is a tad premature.
It is unfair to compare this kid to Earnhardt in any way. We have to realize he probably reads about or hears these comparisons. That would affect anyone. At 23 years old it would surely affect the mindset of someone when that kind of comparison is made. Kyle Busch needs to be true to Kyle Busch and not try to be Earnhardt. He may not be trying to, but if the media and fans continue to throw out that comparison, it could affect how he approaches situations. Let Kyle Busch forge his own path to greatness or obscurity. There will only be one Kyle Busch and let him create his own legacy in his own way and on his own terms. He can never be Dale Earnhardt, he is Kyle Busch.
When Kyle Busch entered the Sprint Cup scene, many knew this kid was probably going to ruffle a few feathers, step on a few toes, and thoroughly tick off fans and other drivers. Mission accomplished. Kyle Busch is the bad guy that NASCAR so desperately wanted. And maybe we the fans needed too. But he is not, nor will he ever be Dale Earnhardt. Sure there are some similarities between them in driving style. But with Dale Earnhardt, it was more about intimidation, not fear. He could pull up behind another car and not do a thing, just being there would intimidate the driver to make a mistake that he would prey upon or simply move over because well, a driver just didn't know what to expect. That is intimidation. With Kyle Busch, it's fear. When this kid pulls up behind a driver everyone fears the worst. He is going to wreck them without provocation. That is not intimidation, that's stupidity.
NASCAR needs a bad boy. Kyle Busch seems to be that choice. But being the bad boy doesn't make him worthy to be put on the pedestal next to Dale Earnhardt. There will never be another Dale Earnhardt, there will never be another Richard Petty, there will never be another Jeff Gordon. To utter the name of Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Busch in the same sentence is ridiculous. Dale Earnhardt is a seven time champion, won 76 races, won the Daytona 500 and so on. Kyle Busch has six career wins, no championships, so the comparisons to Earnhardt are not valid. It is not to say that Kyle won't win championships, it is not to say he won't win 70 plus races. But to compare him to a legend is a tad premature.
It is unfair to compare this kid to Earnhardt in any way. We have to realize he probably reads about or hears these comparisons. That would affect anyone. At 23 years old it would surely affect the mindset of someone when that kind of comparison is made. Kyle Busch needs to be true to Kyle Busch and not try to be Earnhardt. He may not be trying to, but if the media and fans continue to throw out that comparison, it could affect how he approaches situations. Let Kyle Busch forge his own path to greatness or obscurity. There will only be one Kyle Busch and let him create his own legacy in his own way and on his own terms. He can never be Dale Earnhardt, he is Kyle Busch.
NASCAR appoints panel to look into changing drug-testing policy
RICHMOND, Va. -- NASCAR president Brian France has appointed a group of company officials to an interim committee that will study the sport's drug policy, vice president of communications Jim Hunter said Friday.
The group, whose members Hunter said have "been around a long time and know the sport," will report back to France with any recommendations "within six weeks or so."
Among the topics they will survey, Hunter said, is whether or not to add a staff substance abuse expert and whether or not random testing should be implemented.
Currently, drivers are drug tested only under "reasonable suspicion."
"We know the [current] policy is a good one, but maybe we need to enhance it, maybe we don't," Hunter said. "Maybe we need to do random testing, maybe we don't. But within six weeks or so [France] wants a report with recommendations on what we should do."
Hunter said the biggest hurdle for the sanctioning body is privacy.
"We've always respected that and we're going to respect that," Hunter said. "But if random testing is the answer I know the drivers are all for it. It's a question of getting the team owners to cooperate with us."
Sprint Cup driver and Nationwide Series owner Kevin Harvick, who was outwardly critical of NASCAR's policy following an ESPN The Magazine report that Aaron Fike had raced under the influence of drugs, recently implemented a random testing program within his company, Kevin Harvick, Inc.
Hunter hopes other owners follow his lead.
"We applaud Kevin Harvick for his stance," Hunter said. "Kevin's being a leader by stepping out and saying, 'Okay, I said we need a better deal, I'm going to do my part.' What we [at NASCAR] need is to get everybody to do their part to eliminate any perception at all that there's a problem in this sport -- because there's not.
"Any time something happens like the Aaron Fike situation it casts
some doubt out there. The integrity of the sport is at issue, and everybody has a lot at stake so we're taking this very seriously."
Any change to the policy, Hunter said, wouldn't likely take place until the 2009 season.
OK, but didn't you just say racing needed more of that?
THATSRACIN.COM OPINION
DAVID POOLE/The Charlotte Observer
Some midweek thoughts on the motorsports beat from the Charlotte Observer's David Poole:
MY TWO CENTS
Allow me to try to summarize the circular logic I've been getting this week from a lot of NASCAR fans.
Kyle Busch is a nothing but a young punk who has a big mouth and one day he is going to get "what's coming to him."
Not only does he need to show more respect for the sport and his fellow drivers off the track, he needs to stop driving "over his head" and trying to push a car to and maybe beyond its limit.
He needs to be humble and apologetic after being involved in any incident if another person is aggrieved, even if that incident took place in the course of battling for a top position in the final laps of a race at stock-car racing's highest
level.
He needs to back off the throttle or not go into a turn so hard if there's the slightest chance he's going to make contact with another driver - especially anybody who’s more popular than he is.
In other words, Busch needs to be more mature and be more like other drivers who're in Sprint Cup racing.
You know, he needs to be more like all of those guys in NASCAR these days who are so dull and so lacking in personality that they've ruined what once was a grand sport.
Apparently, Busch is not enough like the guys who've become sated with all the money they're making and who're more concerned about having a good points day and thanking sponsors than about winning.
What NASCAR sorely needs right now is more colorful characters who don't mind talking a little trash or mixing things up when they feel like they need to - or even when they want to.
Until, that is, someone like that actually comes along.
OBSERVATIONS
--• It's too bad Joey Logano's birthday isn't a few days earlier than May 24. It would have been nice to see Logano turn 18 in time to compete in the Nationwide Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway instead of having to wait to debut at Dover. When you see him do what he did at Sunday's Automobile Racing Club of America race at Rockingham, you have to work to keep
expectations within reason. The question that looms is how good, how fast can this kid be?
• The Observer has learned that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the cover of the newest issue of ESPN the Magazine. Apparently, Lebron James needed a week off.
• It's bad enough that Fox Sports keeps hammering viewers with a cartoon gopher when it shows shots from a camera in the track. That Fox goes way out of its way to hawk T-shirts featuring the varmint is even more galling. Surely the money being made off that is going to some charity and not into somebody's pocket, right?
BY THE NUMBERS
155 – Actual count, with some undoubtedly missed, of laptop computers being used during Monday's afternoon session of the Sprint Cup test at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
12 – Laps Jeff Gordon has run outside the top 15 in
the past three Cup races at Darlington.
By The Numbers
Darlington
Lady in Black could help Gordon get into top 12
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
He's ranked 13th in points, 339 behind leader Kyle Busch but just six back of 12th-place Kasey Kahne. He's on pace to lead fewer laps this season than any other since 2000. And he's still searching for his first win of the season -- providing a glaring zero in the W column that hasn't appeared since his rookie year in 1993.
Yet Jeff Gordon has got to feel good about this weekend.
He's the defending winner, beating Denny Hamlin last year on pit strategy and opting to stay out during the final round of pit stops to lead the final 22 laps -- his only time up front in last year's race. He pulled into Victory Lane with steam spewing like a geyser out of his No. 24 car for his seventh victory at the Track Too Tough to Tame, inching him closer to former tamers David Pearson with 10 wins and Dale Earnhardt with nine.
Quite frankly, Gordon has been the master of Darlington. In 27 starts there, he's led laps in all but five races. He even led one lap in his debut, a 22nd-place finish in a 39-car field.
Following a three-race stinger in 2003 and 2004 when he finished 33rd, 32nd and 41st, Gordon has made podium appearances since: third in the 2004 fall race, second in 2005 and 2006, first in 2007.
So if it's victories Gordon is in search of, Darlington has been the medicine in the past. If it's points, the Lady in Black has provided for both Gordon and his stable mates.
1,401 Points scored by Jimmie Johnson in the last 10
Darlington races, ranking him second behind Jeff Gordon's 1,404. Johnson, however, has only started nine of those races.
Hendrick Motorsports
Victories at Darlington
| | | | | | |
| Year | Race | Start | Finish | Driver | Led |
| | | | | | |
| 1986 | Fall | 1 | 1 | Tim Richmond | 168 |
| 1991 | Spring | 13 | 1 | Ricky Rudd | 69 |
| 1995 | Fall | 5 | 1 | Jeff Gordon | 54 |
| 1996 | Spring | 2 | 1 | Jeff Gordon | 189 |
| 1996 | Fall | 2 | 1 | Jeff Gordon | 52 |
| 1997 | Fall | 7 | 1 | Jeff Gordon | 116 |
| 1998 | Fall | 5 | 1 | Jeff Gordon | 64 |
| 2002 | Fall |
(Message over 64k, truncated.)
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