Thanks Dale! Part II

In our last entry, we looked at the early stages of Dale Jarrett’s NASCAR career, in which he started driving for small time teams with superteam skills to his initials years with the powerhouse team of Robert Yates Racing. Some of the early highlights of Respectful Dale included his first career win at Michigan International Speedway, when he traded paint with the late Davey Allison in August of 1991, the big upset over Dale Earnhardt in 1993 to capture that year’s Daytona 500 and thus creating the Dale and Dale Show, and his move from Joe Gibbs Racing’s #18 team to Yates’ Texaco team as a fill in driver for the then injured Ernie Irvan.

1995 looked like a promising year for DJ, who looked to improve from his struggles of 1994 which included a lowly 16h place finish in the points standings, a missed show at North Wilkesboro and a late season win (after the fact that he announced his move to RYR). He was going to drive Yates’ powerful #28 entry, which in ‘94 when Irvan was behind the wheel, looked nearly unbeatable. No way on Earth that a good driver, great team, and a tremendous horsepower package would struggle to make the top 10 in points…no way!

Unfortunately, sometimes what looks good on paper doesn’t always produce what’s expected by fans, critics and even the drivers and teams. That’s not to say that bad luck and the mere factor of orientation had any say on their season in ‘95. The 28 team started off on the right foot with five top tens and a pole position for the Daytona 500. Then the wheels fell off for the Yates faction, from a 19th place finish at Talladega to two DNFs at Charlotte and Dover (engine and crash related DNFs). Fans expressed their disproval and frustration over seeing the 28 team looking like the prizefighter whose only reason for competing was its name, not performance. DJ would experience mixed results, but salvaged his season of struggles with finishes of first, second and third at Pocono, Talladega and and Indy. His win at Pocono was probably a career saver for Respectful Dale, and why he was able to net the second ride with Robert Yates’ then powerful team.

1996 came and Yates was beaming with the return of his top driver, Ernie Irvan, who recovered miraculously from life threatening injuries from a practice crash for the August Michigan race. DJ, now a year under the Yates regime, had a firm idea of what to expect from his equipment and superior engine. Ford also made huge gains in the offseason, bolstering its engine program and updating the nose on the Thunderbird to cut the air as well as their rival in the Chevy Monte Carlo camp. Yates was standing tall and pretty happily for all of ‘96 and went to victory lane six times in the 31 race season that year, nearly won the championship that Irvan and the late Davey Allison came close to tasting, and oh yea, won that highly coveted Daytona 500 and the already popular Brickyard 400.

Surprisingly, if you thought it was Irvan who netted those huge wins and was teased by the Winston Cup in ‘96, well, it’s a bit understandable to assume the 28 camp returned to true prominence. That’s not to say that a 10th place finish in points, 2 wins (which came at Loudon and Richmond) and a handful of poles wasn’t impressive. However, DJ experienced what a kind of renaissance that truly cemented his place as his OWN Jarrett. He captured two of the sport’s crown jewel events in the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 and beat his teammate Irvan to win the Brickyard 400. Under the guidance and mentorship of Todd Parrott, who defected from the Penske racing camp of Rusty Wallace, a Gordon-Evernham-like chemistry was built for Ford’s leading team. Fans would get used to seeing the blue, red and white #88 Quality Care T-Bird at the track, often leading bulks of laps in events, a perennial frontrunner that’d trade paint with Earnhardt’s menacing black Chevy, Gordon’s rainbow moving billboard and the cereal box of Labonte’s Monte Carlo. Ford had its answer to Chevy dominance and the promises of a championship for Yates AND Jarrett would be answered in time.

From ‘96 to ‘98, the 88 team finished 3rd, 2nd and 3rd in the points chase.  DJ would claim the Winston No Bull bonus at the ‘98 Winston 500 at Talladega, pull off an impressive come from behind win at Phoenix in ‘97, and JUST miss the Cup in ‘97 by 14 points. Like nothing. DJ would also win at Darlington in ‘97 and ‘98 (the spring events), continuing the proud tradition that his father Ned had at the track when he whooped the field in ‘65 by winning the Southern 500 by more than 10 laps. If critics and fans though the Jarrett Juggernaut couldn’t trump their successes of that 3 year span, they didn’t know 1999 was coming at full song.

About the only thing missing on DJ’s magnificent season in ‘99 was that third Daytona 500 win. It might’ve been his that year, if you’re superstitious and all (winning in ‘93 and ‘96). And had he not been wiped out (and flipped out) by the Big One that occured just about 60 laps from the finish that year, fans might’ve not witnessed the daring pass that Gordon pulled off on sentimental pick Rusty Wallace. No matter, that crash and bitter defeat at that 2.5 mile arena stung the 88 team…or more like leaving the stove on with a pot full of now steaming water. Not only did DJ win the Brickyard 400 (convincingly, might I add), he drove about one of the most consistent seasons ever in the modern era. He had a few blemishes along the way in what was otherwise a near pefect season, with four wins, twenty four top 5s and twenty nine top 10s.

All of that translated into Yates and Jarrett’s first NASCAR Winston Cup championship, a moment that proved very popular and emotional amongst long time fans of the sport, who witnessed the agonies and tragedies that befell Allison and Irvan. In a decade that was as revolutionary as its predecesor in the 1980s for NASCAR, the sport witnessed two second generation races capturing titles, the indepedent warrior in Alan Kulwicki who proved you could do it all alone, a rejuvenation for the Iceman’s career, and a young driver whose triumphs will probably not be fully appreciated until Driver 24 hangs up his helmet for a final time. 1999 epitomized all those characteristics of the championship, and rewarded “one of its own” with a title.

While he didn’t reach the 40+ win plateau, Jarrett’s accomplishments speak for itself and he did not obtain his success with his looks, his name or money. In a day and age in racing that’s now changed and all about the almighty dollar, DJ didn’t have that back then and received very little help on his way to the top. Sure his career wasn’t quite the same after ‘99, although he had a great season in 2000 with his third Daytona 500 win and a 4th place finish in points, a terrific 2001 (and switchover to his probably lifelong sponsorcast as the UPS guy), and decent 2002 season. And fans of the new NASCAR probably thought of DJ as just a ran in from 2003 til now. The results will show that he wasn’t spectacular after ‘02. Was it the car, was it the driver?

Hopefully, fans won’t remember the DJ that only won twice after the 2002 season, the DJ whose only true claim to fame was his commercials in this time span. We’ll be able to remember the hard work and the grit and determination that Respectful Dale gave from his first day as a racer to the the checkered flag of this year’s Sprint All Star race. I hope fans will remember how competitive and dominant that Quality Care Ford was in the 90s, or the jelopies that DJ drove before ‘92 in which old school fans probably thought, man if he just got a break, he’d SHOW these guys. DJ was like that determined veteran racer, who never asked and got his rides by saying he was a Jarrett. He’s a true NASCAR legend for doing all the things that Dale Jarrett accomplished and the sport will always have an ambassador and strong leader in DJ for as long as he’s in that garage area, even when he transitions to the world of broadcasting. As a fan of NASCAR and of your career, my hats are off to DJ, a true champion and true racer.

- Rob

Thanks Dale! Part I

Well DJ fans, your driver isn’t quite walking away from the sport as a driver yet.  DJ will return one more time for the All Star Race.  However, his points racing career is officially over and it ended in about the most unspectacular fashion possible, finishing 37th and ten laps off the pace. Clearly, the Dale Jarrett that racing fans grew to love (or hate) in the last five years was not the same DJ that fans of the 90s were accustomed to seeing reach Victory Lane and Top 10 in points frequently, almost to the point that one of the top 10 points spots the “guaranteed DJ Seed.”

Fans who started to watch NASCAR from 2001 on will probably remember Jarrett as the grey haired ambassador of the sport who was the voice of the veterans and also the perennial spokesperson who was reluctant to drive The Big Brown UPS Truck. Sadly after 2002, his ads became more memorable than his on track performance, with only victory after relatively successful seasons in ‘01 and ‘02. His final points paying win coming in 2005 at Talladega in a race that was marred by two Big Ones. They may have seem championship quality flashes from DJ but he became nothing more than a subpar top 15, 20 and eventually, relegated to the field filler driver status.

But that wasn’t always the case for Classy Dale. Unlike many of his younger contemporaries who either gain rides through their congeniality or perhaps their raw talent, Jarrett (who then sported the Jeff Foxworthy look of a mustache and eventually a mullet) raced in many short bullrings in the Southeast, particuarly in North Carolina, just to make a living and perhaps live out the NASCAR dream. Just possibly, someone would take a chance on him. He raced in the most underfinanced cars that would make even a star veteran driver cringe, having to realize that the best of their equipment was about 8th-20th place. He perservered through the 80s, and when he saw that maybe his Cup career aspirations weren’t the greatest, he raced part time in the then NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. His #32 car owned by Horace Isenhower became one of the more perennial front running cars which won quite a few times.

After several years in the Cup side driving jelopies of cars, his big break would come when the Wood Brothers needed a driver to fill in for the injured Neil Bonnett. No, he didn’t drive and make the #21 Citgo Ford T-Bird a guarantee top 10 runner/finisher, but he raced a car that wasn’t exactly Grade B quality and put in an A+ effort. Fans would see that the second generation driver had surely earned his racing stripes amongst fans and competitors for his grit and determination.

That’s probably why his first career win in 1991 just by a narrow margin over fan favorite Davey Allison was a very popular victory. It was a jubilant moment for the then 34 year old driver who shared his debut win with his father, Gentlemen Ned, who was there covering the race for ESPN (that was REAL coverage then!) with Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons. It was a touching moment for father and son - Ned, often a very unbiased and very keen observer with his stop clock watch abilities and his very informative observations during the race, broke away from being an impartial journalist and became a proud daddy during Dale’s first few wins in which he was there.

Most notably in ‘93 during the Daytona 500 by STP, calling on air the moves that his son needed to do to beat the Intimidator. He’d do it again in ‘96, showing the family side to NASCAR (and maybe irking a few fans and journalists about the whole impartiality deal). DJ had risen to the occasion and became a household name on his own, no longer just known as “Ned’s son.” Those moments would become one of the more popular occasions in recent NASCAR history.

Part II will look at DJ’s career from ‘92-on, as we’ll examine his move from the Wood Brothers operation to the then new Joe Gibbs Racing team that would build its foundation from Hendrick bought equipment cars to a serious contender on the Cup ranks.  We’ll also look at the circumstances that led DJ to his longest tenure team in Robert Yates Racing and close it out with his final years driving for the Michael Waltrip Racing outfit. Feel free to share your memories of Dale Jarrett! If there was a favorite racing moment you had of DJ or perhaps a meeting with DJ during an autograph session, tell us here at Checkers or Wreckers!

Editor’s Note: Lastly, and very rarely will I step outside my NASCAR writing self and into my personal self, but I have to say it’s been one of the more tumultous weeks as a person. I’m doing fine but I recently found out that one of my best friends passed away after her valiant and courageous battle with breast cancer. Kaylin Smith Coulter was one in a million and one of the most enthusiatic NASCAR fans and friends I knew. Keeping tabs of races and even talking about NASCAR has been a healing process for me to realize she’s not here, but that her spirit will live on. I extend my condolences to her family, including her husband Keegan, her son Parker, and to her relatives and friends all around the world. My life will never be the same, but as I truly believe, we’ve all gained an angel in Kaylin. God bless and speed to you all, and I miss you a lot, dear friend.  

The Usual Suspects?

Fans of the team may blame the Sports Illustrated cover that previewed this young season, or the many publications who dubbed this year’s edition of Hendrick Motorsports as a force to be reckoned with, winning races off the gate with ease. After all, Dale Jr. was going to win the Daytona 500, and in California, we might’ve seen a toss up between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Vegas was a sure fire shot of Jr. or JG to win in Sin City, who represent the faces of the 2006 improvement on the intermediate trovals (my term for tri-ovals) movement that are blanketing the racing schedule.  Based on practices and previews at Daytona, it was going to be the Daytona/Toyota hype that writers would incessantly predict to be the dominating story of 2008.  Oh and Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing were Toyota’s saviors.

But…

It’s been anything but that in 2008.  Were you in the majority of NASCAR Nation who forgot Dodge existed in competition?  Felt that Ford was going to be an endangered manufacturer?  That Rocket Ryan forgot how to drive into VL?  The 60th edition of the auto racing sanction has been a bit surprising (to me) - things we did not see in 2007 (or for that matter, even parts of 2006) are happening now.  If NASCAR awarded points for the best racer based on his position in the race instead of his finishing position, Smoke and JG would be having a helluva season.  In JG’s scenario, he’s had a good car in all 3 races, has run competitively, but his team is clearly experiencing some mechanical issues as well as even a few relapses in the driver’s department.  It’s not too late for he and Tony Stewart, who crashed hard in Vegas (twice, thus prompting me to put in a “Hit Me” pun here) to make their case known in 2008 that they’re not to be counted.  Nor is Jimmie Johnson.

Or am I simply sticking by the book?  Because some writers felt that way for Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray last year.  Kahne was definitely your “Troval King” of 2006.  He swept the races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, won at Texas, Atlanta, Michigan and the fall California race.  Last year, McMurray took honors at the summer 400 miler at Daytona, showing glimpses of a resurgence in his career.  However, both drivers failed to make the cut for the Chase, and were relegated to racing for 13th place and Forgetful Jones’ Land.

No offense to Kahne and McMurray, as both are not former NASCAR Cup champs, though they are formidable and excellent racers.  Would it be weird to see Gordon finish outside the top 12?  He’s shown to us that he’s human as recent as 2005, when he missed the Chase due to a summer of struggles in the handling of his DuPont Chevy Monte Carlos (which led to the departure of then crew chief Robbie Loomis).  His team this year has more team spirit and togetherness than ‘05, but he and his team cannot afford more poor finishes if they want to make the “playoffs.”  I definitely see the 24 team getting their act together, winning at Bristol or Martinsville after a solid top 5 finish this weekend at Atlanta.

And no need to worry Smoke fans.  Provided, he drives for a well financed, high profile sponsored race team with tons of money, but it seems like whatever manufacturer Tony Stewart drives, he excels.  Like JG in ‘05, Stewart also struggled tremendously in the 2006 season, but in his case, it was plain inconsistency and too many accidents that led him to be the “best 11th place” driver of that year.  We’ll see some resurgence too in the Home Depot/J-Gibbs Racing camp as he’s traditionally prone to a somewhat slow start to his seasons.

Or are these finishes indicative of what will be their seasons?  To quote Larry McReynolds with some slight modifications, “It’s the racing god’s time to shine on these drivers, we’ll just have to see how it plays out.”

Allmendinger having a bad week

Ever feel like you’re living in a constant bad dream, just begging to wake up and have everything dissapear?

I bet AJ Allendinger is feeling that this week.

It was announced this week that Team Red Bull will be pulling him from the 84 Cup car temporarily to assess some problems the team has been having. The move makes sense for the team, AJ is new at the stock car game, and hasn’t been able to qualify for the races. If the team is to find out what is wrong with the team, they are going to need a more experiences driver behind the wheel to give feedback, and someone they are confident can qualify the car. They decided the best course of action would be to set AJ aside and have Mike Skinner step in, he will be trying to qualify the 84 in Atlanta this weekend.

AJ will likely be spending his time learning from Skinner, as well as running some Nationwide and Truck events to gain some seat time. He seemed okay with the decision, saying “Do I want to be out of the car? No. But, I know Skinner can help both me and my team. All I can say is he better be prepared for me to eat, drink, and sleep with him. … OK, well maybe not the sleeping part, but I’m ready to attach myself to him and learn everything I can.”. Quite typical of AJ’s humor, and gave the impression he is okay with it, and accepting the decision.

So, just as all that’s setting in he gets another heart-breaking blow.

Brett Favre is retiring from the NFL.

The saddest part is remembering something AJ said earlier this year. He was in Germany when the Packers lost thier playoff game, missing thier shot at the Superbowl. AJ was pretty ticked off about watching at 4am, in german and then having to catch a long flight back to the states. He had said “It’s ruined the rest of my year, I’m still mad. The only thing I’m happy about is that I’m pretty sure Brett Favre won’t end his career on an interception, so at least we’ll get another year of watching Brett.”

Nope, sorry AJ, we won’t even get that.

On a personal note, Brett’s retirement is a bummer and a shock for me as well, I had been planning on going to Tampa to see him play one last time, don;t get to now.

So, I think we can all feel quite a bit of sympathy for Allmendinger this week, it’s just one of those times when life won’t stop dumping on you, and personally I feel for him

-Katie

Robbys points given back, Carls taken away

Today Robby Gordon has got to be resting easier. They made thier appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission and we’re able to get thier owner and driver points back, and have the suspension on crew chief Frank Kerr. He isn’t getting off without penalty though, Kerr will remain on probation through 2008, and the fine has now been increased to $150,000 (that’s $50,000 more than the inital penalty). The circumstances surrounding the penalty, as I blogged about earlier, we’re extremely unusual, and the rules we’re far too black & white for this grey situation. I don’t think anyone could be anything but pleased with today’s ruling. I feel what they did was fair, they took away the points penalty and suspension, the points we’re going to be the biggest issue for the team. The money is a major blow to them still, being small organization, but regaining the points was extremely vital. NASCAR couldn’t take away everything, a rule was broken, so some sort of penalty had to be handed down. Luckily they we’re wise enough to reconsider the circumstances, as well as the effect the original penalty would have had on this team. I feel NASCAR needs to take a step back and realize they can’t ave these black and white, one-size fits all penalties. They need to take everything on a case-by-case basis, because every team and every infraction is so different. I don’t mean they should favor certain teams over others, but they need to realize that a $150,000 fine is much more signifigant to Robby’s organization than Rick Hendricks. It’s the same as fining you $10,000 and fining Paris Hilton $10,000. Who is going to be hit harder? Who is being punished more? Obiously you. NASCAR needs to really be able to take all that in to account, and i feel they we’re able to do a pretty good job of that here, and I will commend them for that.

Robby is still dissapointed with the fine, but overall is pleased with the decision. “We feel like justice was done and appreciate NASCAR creating a system that allowed us to take our appeal to the National Stock Car Racing Commission.”.

 In other news the 99 team was docked 100 owner/driver points for the oil cover not being in place aftr the race. This knocks Carl from the points lead, to 7th place. A substantial blow, but nothing they can’t rebound from. The whole penalty is a carbon copy of what the 7 team got for thier infraction. Suspension, probation, $100,000 fine, and 100 points. The team is debating whether or not to appeal the penalty, but don’t count on it. They likely wouldn’t win, and they realize this. The cirsumstances are unfortunate for them, but with the team they have, I’m sure they will do just fine in recovering, quite quickly at that.

 -Katie

NASCAR Officials

No writer ever calls them out on thier non-sense. Clearly, I don’t care, so I will. These people get paid to make decisions, that’s in a nutshell their job. Now, I’m not talking about the officials on pit road, or in inspection, etc, I’m talking about the people we just call “NASCAR”. “NASCAR” gets to decide if we postpone a race, or delay it, how long we wait, etc. “NASCAR” decides penalties, and well, to be honest I’m not sure what else they do. It must be something huge because they really stink at the other two.

I went to sleep at 10:30pm EST last night. The race was red flagged at the time and my ocal news was on so I really had no idea where they stood. But I do know how “NASCAR” works. I know from countless times they have done it before, they they would drag out the delay for hours and hours, saying “we will dry the track and get the cars going soon”. It seems like a sick game, they can see the weather radar, they can tell that they are not going to get this race in, yet they keep the drivers, teams, and fans at bay while they sit around waiting to officially call it. I hate that they have to ”officially” call it. When everyone else in the world has already unoffically called it in their head.

Now you probably are thinking, “okay Katie what is the big deal? They are just trying to be 100% sure they don’t miss a chance to get it in on Sunday.” That’s fine, but when it’s clear it isn’t going to happen, then do us the courtesy of calling it at a reasonable hour. From the fans perspective, there are a lot of reasons waiting for hours to do that is extremely irritating.

1. Watching it at home, especially on the east coast, it got late! NASCAR fans are normal people, they have jobs to get to, school to get to, things to do on Monday morning, they can’t stay up all night Sunday watching the rain fall at a racetrack because the officials and TV announcers keep feeding them false hope.
2. Being at the racetrack is worse, I know from experience. These fans wil stay in those seats until it is official. What if they head home and while they are driving away the race gets going? That would be pretty awful. The race fans at the track aren’t typically able to check weather radar and see. ‘NASCAR” can, and when they se there isn’t going to be a break, and that the track is too wet already, CALL IT. These people don’t need to sit in the rain for hours on end waiting for you to make a decision. It is completely insane.
3. The drivers and teams. They generally know that “NASCAR” is wasting thier time, so I’m sure they prepare and already know they are not going back racing, but they still have to stay out there all night until they call this thing officially postponed.

Here’s my problem, i can understand waiting all night for a break if it is already past halfway, and it would be over if they don;t go back, but when you have a whole other day waiting for you to finish this race, then just call it! It really isn’t that hard, I called it at 10:30 when I went to sleep, I was done with it. Unfortunately, I know plenty of people that stayed up, sticking with that false hope “NASCAR” dangled at them. That just is a bad way to treat the fans. I think “NASCAR” gets to full of itself, they seem to forget this is a sport, for entertainment purposes. It isn’t Congress. You are there simply to entertain the viewers. Rain hitting pavement is not entertainment. Cars driving in circles at 2am when everyone on the east coast is sound asleep is also not entertainment. They needed to take that into consideration as well. All the people on the east coast either gave up up on it earlier, or stayed up way past bed time to watch… nothing. Figure it out “NASCAR”, because apparently, that’s all your job is anyway.

Robby Gordon Penalized Unfairly, Again.

It’s getting old really fast. I don’t think NASCAR targets him, but it seems like he gets the worst of thier bad judgement. I won’t go into arguing why the Busch race last year was insane, but it was. So now, here he is, trying to start of 2008 the right way, and by an error no one even knew about he get’s a huge penalty.

The infraction itself is stupid, they had the wrong nose on the car, the difference in the nose of the Avenger and The Charger is just decal outlines (oooh that will really give them an edge). They took what Evernham sent them, how we’re they really supposed to know the difference? That team is just too small to have to worry about “are we sure this is an Avenger, not a Charger nose?” they are so similar no one could tell by looking.

Honest mistake, that didn’t give them any advantage. During inspection NASCAR saw it, and told them to change it. They did, without any issues, and when they raced, they had the approved Avenger nose on the front of that car.

Here’s the saddest part to me, Robby raced and finished 8th, that would have been such an awesome way to start the season right, to make a turn around for this struggling team. And then, bam, as quick as it came, NASCAR takes it all away. 100 points, gone, $100,000, gone. His crew chief for the next 6 races, gone, and on probation through the rest of 2008.

Now, I understand NASCAR wants to be consistent in thier penalties, yet, they haven’t been. They think by slapping a cookie-cutter penalty down on everyone, that it will make everything fair. No. It does not work that way, and the big wigs in the sport are coming off looknig like complete inept morons. Yes, I just called the sanctioning body of our sport a group of morons, but would anyone argue differently? Joe Shmo watching the race on Sunday will probably think of 500 things they could change to make the sport better, but they just don’t. They leave the screwed up rules as they are, and then decided to add dumber ones. Come on, this is all you are paid to do, so do it right!

Last season two Hendrick cars screwed with their cars to gain an edge, they got this penalty and had to start at the rear of the field come race day. Wow, must have REALLY hurt them and taught them! No. One of those cars still wound up with the big trophy in November. That kind of penalty means nothing to those big teams, but to guys like Robby Gordon it can cripple them for the whole season.

Take for example last year at New Hampshire. From what I recall, a few cars all had a height infraction in post-qualifying inspection. NASCAR acknowledged it as something that must have happened on track and against those teams control. Yet, penalized them by dissalowing thier times in qualifying. Sounds fair unless you consider the 83 team, who then had to pack up and go home because of it. That’s where NASCAR gets stupid. The end result needs to be the same, not the penalty you hand down. That rule needs to be “you start at the back now” not dissallowing times, because some guys just started at the back, while for some others that means packing up and heading home, which is exactly what happened to the 83 team.

NASCAR really does need to look at intent and what actually happened, they try to make it ll black and white when it really isn’t. Our legal system can do that, there is a hgue difference between murder and manslaughter, so why can’t NASCAR distinguish a difference when they hand down penalties?

Robby is going to appeal this penalty, as he should, and NASCAR better think before they make a decision for once. Jime Beam has sent people out with petitions at the track to reverse the penalty, and they have shirts for fans to wear that say “Rally For Robby”. I encourage anyone out there this weekend to rally for Robby with Jim Beam, stand up for the underdog. If it was Dale Jr, I know somehting would have already been done to change the situation.

 -Katie

Kyle Busch Got Lucky

Today’s race was pretty boring by the usual standards of Daytona. Way too much green flag single file racing, and no big-one. No, I don’t hope for a big wreck, but when you watch the same guy lead for so long, anything to stir things up is welcomed. The one thing that continually grabbed my attention was Kyle Busch. The guy was driving way too aggressively throughout the whole race. He was cutting off his teammate Denny Hamlin on lap 5, almost getting clipped every single time. That is insane behavior. He raced this way all day long. FOX’s coverage of the event was weak at best, but they even took notice and said he needed to calm down. I understand wanting to protect your position, but he was weaving back and forth cutting guys off way too much way too early. The last few laps, heck yes, go for it, but lap 12? Not so much. Sometimes, you need to just let the faster car go, it’s Daytona, and you can get back up there in a lap or two. There was really no need for him to drive that way.

Then, there was the just plain stupid move where he was leading, and Brian Vickers was 1 lap down. Brian was in line behind the leaders, and then for whatever reason, he went low, and almost started to pass Kyle. It wasn’t for position, it wouldn’t change anything for Kyle, but he swerved down, and cut him off. He almost wrecked himself trying to block a car not even on the lead lap. That was just dumb. It was crazy watching him narrowly miss accidents every lap. At first I thought, wow, he has some skill to drive that way and not wreck, but the more I watched the more I realized that he wasn’t doing it by skill. He was doing it by luck, and was aided by the skills of the drivers around him. I expect to see that kind of driving when it comes down the the wire, but through the whole race, it’s just careless. That’s why it isn’t skill, since anyone with skills would know when to calm down, and when to go for it. He can’t make that distinction and it was really scary watching him. I am totally baffled that he didn’t take out half the field today.

In happier news, congratulations to Ryan Newman and the #12 team for taking home that gold trophy tonight. Well played. Glad to see that Penske teamwork at the end to overtake the powerhouse Gibbs car of Tony Stewart, it was definitely a cool finish and one I didn’t expect at all! Congratulations.

Here are the points after the Daytona 500:

RANK       DRIVER                       POINTS             BEHIND

1            Ryan Newman                    190             Leader

2            Kurt Busch                        175                 -15

3            Tony Stewart                    170                 -20

              Kyle Busch                        170                -20

5            Reed Sorenson                   160                 -30

6            Kasey Kahne                      151                 -39

7            Elliott Sadler                      150                 -40

8            Dale Earnhardt Jr.              143                 -47

9            Robby Gordon                    142                 -48

10          Greg Biffle                         139                 -51

11          Bobby Labonte                   130                 -60

12          Jeff Burton                        129                 -61

13          Brian Vickers                      127                 -63

14          Kevin Harvick                     121                 -69

15          Sam Hornish Jr.                  118                 -72

16          Denny Hamlin                     117                 -73

17          Dale Jarrett                       115                 -75

18          David Reutimann                 109                 -81

19          Carl Edwards                      106                 -84

20          Martin Truex Jr.                  103                 -87

21          Scott Riggs                        100                 -90

22          Paul Menard                        97                 -93

23          Clint Bowyer                         96                 -94

24          Jeremy Mayfield                 94                 -96

25          J.J. Yeley                            88                -102

26          Jimmie Johnson                     87                -103

27          Jamie McMurray                    85                -105

28          Michael Waltrip                     81                -109

29          David Gilliland                       79                -111

30          Travis Kvapil                        73                -117

31          Mark Martin                         70                -120

32          Juan Pablo Montoya              67                -123

33          Dario Franchitti                    64                -126

34          Matt Kenseth                       63               -127

35          Kyle Petty                           61               -129

36          Regan Smith                        55               -135

37          Dave Blaney                        54               -136

38          Casey Mears                        52              -138

39          Jeff Gordon                          51              -139

40          John Andretti                       43              -147

41          Joe Nemechek                      40              -150

42          David Ragan                        37              -153

43          Kenny Wallace                      34              -156

-Katie

What’s that Seinfeld line again?

  Oh yea, so the beloved sitcom line, “Hello, Newman,” will be out on full force for a good portion of this week because unofficially (wow, instant bloggage!), Ryan Newman, with drafting help from teammate Kurt Busch, has won the 50th running of the Daytona 500, a race that was predicted (by me) to have been basically a Chevy and Toyota show.  Only one Chevy took a top 10 spot, and the sole Bowtie chauffer was that of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 9th.  Six Dodges, Two Toyotas, and one Ford (Greg Biffle) filled the top ten finishers of the 500.

Almost the forgotten nameplate in Speedweeks, Dodge has come through when it truly counts in Sprint  Cup racing, and the South Bend, Indiana native has captured the Great American Race, which is also car owner Roger Penske’s first 500 win.  It looked to be all Smoke for the finish, but it seems like the current car makes being in the lead before a restart an undesirable position as the lame duck “soon-to-be” passed driver. 

As far as my predictions go…well, it’s safe to say that Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans around the NASCAR world are probably going to hate on Tony Eury Jr.’s call to stay out not once, not twice, not three times, but four times.  Claiming it’d help Jr’s track position, would a pitstop (even just for gas) really have hurt the 88’s chances of winning the race if he pitted (with everyone else)?  Racing mind games or not, Eury Jr. will have the wrath of Dale Jr fans’ voices ringing in his head, going from the lead to a 9th place finish.

Tony Stewart and Reed Sorenson did finish in the top 5 - however, they finished in an order different from my predictions, as both drivers finished 3rd and 5th respectively (unofficially).  And oh yea, as for Jeff Gordon, mechanical setbacks and tire blistering relegated the DuPont Chevy to a dismal 39th finish, his lowest finishing position in the Daytona 500 since 2001, when he got collected in the Big One that took out 1/3 of that year’s field.

Super runs and finishes by Elliott Sadler, Robby Gordon and Bobby Labonte, who came home respectively in 6th, 8th and 11th place.  Can we hype up the Dodge Charger program now?  Hopefully, we’ll see some manufacturer parity. 

If you heard a collective sigh of relief, it’s probably from traditionalist NASCAR fans that did not see that “damn” Japanese manufacturer win the Great American Race.  Seriously people, I really don’t understand the animosity of a foreign manufacturer winning in NASCAR - but I’ll save this argument for a future entry on here.  In short, I’ll just say that NASCAR needs these personalities if you want to have some controversy, some attention to the sport that could make racing (and ratings) better not just in America, but around the world.

More to come later on…but congratulations to Ryan Newman.  This is his first win in three years!  What a way to break a dryspell from the winner’s circle!  It was only a matter of time before the driver dubbed “Rocket Man” would return to Victory Lane, having knocked on the door several times during the last ten races of the 2007 season…oh wait, I mean, the Chase. 

I’ll chime in more about the Daytona 500 later on - let us know what you think of today’s Daytona 500! 

- Rob

P.S. Proof that my title is right, Yahoo! Sports’ NASCAR page has followed suit on my predicted headline…and they won’t be the only one!

Former champs in familiar places - same fate for the 500?

  “The World Center of Racing” has delivered some exciting races in the past two days, with a 2 time-former Cup champ crossing the line first in the Nationwide Series opener and the ‘06 Craftsman Truck Series champion taking flight in a wild finish to the checkers on a Friday night spectacular.  The Terrell Owens of stock car manufacturers, Toyota, has gone two-for-two so far in its attempts to reach victory lane, and their chances to win on Sunday for the big race look stout.

I’m definitely not jumping on the bandwagon for the Toyota contigency, and as Katie said in her entry, we shouldn’t say that Toyota was saved by Joe Gibbs Racing.  On the Sprint Cup side of things (and in the Nationwide series too), it’s not like they were a lost cause without JGR.  Whenever Brian Vickers made the field last season, his #83 car ran well but would run into unforseen circumstances such as mechanical failure or a victim of circumstances in someone else’s mess.  Dave Blaney ran magnificiently and finished a stout 3rd in the fall ‘Dega race behind the Chevys of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.  But we can’t ignore the fact that unlike last year’s 500, Toyota looks to be a strong contender to win the Daytona 500, along with the Hendrick Motorsports cast of drivers as well as the Ganassi cars.

Friday night’s Truck Series opener did not disappoint racing fans in attendance or watching the Speed Channel telecast, with 8 lead changes among 6 drivers (including ‘95 champ and oh-so-close ‘07 runner up Mike Skinner, ‘06 champion Bodine and 3 time and defending champ Ron Hornaday), the “Intermediate One,” and the obligatory “Johnny Benson Jr. gets passed for the win” deal, this time done by Driver 30.  Only Rick Crawford and his perennial Tom Mitchell owned #14 truck stopped TRD’s chances of sweeping the top 5.

Saturday’s “Cup Lite” opener produced a sampling of how the Daytona 500 may play out, as the Gibbs versus Hendrick storyline played a major angle in this race.  JGR pilots dominating the first third of the race, with Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch taking turns at the front of the field. It would then become the Martin Truex Jr. versus the Toyota contigency show, with Truex leading 20 of 120 circuits of the race. From there on out after a mini “Big One” that took out 9 cars (which consisted of Kasey Kahne, Johnny Sauter, Nationwide Series icon Jason Keller, former Big E crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine, Stanton Barrett, Steve Wallace, Cale Gale and last year’s Truck Serie Rookie of the Year Willie Allen), all bets on helping teammates were off and Rowdy Shurb and Vickers went at it for the top spot, with Tony Stewart lying back waiting for the right time to pounce and attack for the lead with a handful of laps to go.  Biding his time, the driver of the #20 Armor All Toyota took the lead, one that he would never relinquish for the rest of the Camping World 300, with Busch in 2nd and a rejuvenated Dale Earnhardt Jr finishing a solid third in an ill-handling Chevy.

So what will it take to win the Daytona 500?  Perhaps a fast car with a good handing setup package helps things, and the case has been that Toyota has been strong right off the bat since the first practice sessions at the track.  Good pit stops also play a factor in deciding the race.  Past 500 races have shown that the difference between winning the money and trophy to defeat is on pit road, where a slight hiccup in changing a tire, or miscommunication between crew chief and driver when the jack drops can turn a dominant car to damaged goods merely out there for points for the championship.  Mike Joy of FOX Sports and the Speed Channel was proud to claim that the “slingshot” is back, with the less aerodynamic current car (or for those who liked the old car, the “car of tomorrow“) and higher RPMs making plate racing as exciting as its been.  Make no mistake, some of the hesitance, or as drivers deem, “conservative give and take racing,” we saw in the fall Talladega race will be on display for a portion of the race.  Read in between the lines if the drivers say they’re biding their time in learning the car, because simply put, every driver and team racing tomorrow wants nothing to do with the potential “Big One.” 

Because the racing at the plate tracks is more forgiving on passing due to the ability to pull out and pass cars at will, some of these advantages have created a new con in tire blistering.  Competitors fear not only about a Big Crash, but there’s also the glooming possibility of tire failures.  Hopefully it won’t turn out to be a microcosm of what the 2005 season was like, when debris and tire blistering became as frequent of a headline at the tracks as this year’s ”big stories” of when Tony Stewart and previously Jeff Gordon’s hair would be cut.

So who do I think will win the race today?  It’s hard to tell with race time closing in, but expect the lead to be swapped between the Hendrick camp and the Toyota Trio of Stewart, Shrub and Busch.  Mix in a little Dave Blaney who looked stout in the Shootout, and the almost forgotten Richard Childress Racing camp, the quiet but strong Dodge of Reed Sorenson  and even the Fords of Roush Fenway Racing and the 50th edition of the Great American Race looks to be a harbinger.  If I wanted to be the fan and tell you who’ll win, I’m picking Jeff Gordon, who’s starting eighth and has run well in all of the races so far during Speedweeks.  But as the amateur journalist and wanna-be racing journalist I want to claim I am, I can’t help but notice how strong Dale Earnhardt Jr has run all week long.  Perhaps it’s the Hendrick program on all cylinders, but the fact he no longer has the distraction of his former team on his mind and basically, having nowhere to go but up with his dismal ‘07 season, I expect him to win the 500 over Tony Stewart and Dave Blaney, with Reed Sorenson playing the role of would-be spoiler and Jeff Gordon lurking in the shadows but taking a top 5 spot.  More to come later on that.

On a closing note, when the season truly gets started, we will have a weekly email session in which Katie and I will reply to your emails about the racing world to even what you think of our blog.  Something in NASCAR that’s bothering you?  Want to tell us a laundry list of things you’d do if you could be Mike Helton for the day?  Let us know whatever is on your mind…well racing wise, at CheckersOrWreckersBlog@gmail.com!  We’ll most likely start our weekly email segment next week.  We have some exciting ideas we’re throwing around and when we have a new feature we’d like to put on display here, we’ll be happy to announce them on here!  So until next time, from the Philippines, I hope your race day is truly a flag-to-flag experience!

- Rob

P.S. Spread the word about Checkers or Wreckers to all your racing friends!!!