NASCAR Auto Club 400!

The Generation 6 NASCAR Sprint Cup race car delivered on Sunday. The race was brilliant!



Get well soon Denny. It may have been a great battle but we don't want our gladiators hurt in the fight.



You have got to love the passion these guys have for their racing.



A great NASCAR race then...

Long may the action continue!

Dennys Fine, No Really He Is...

So Denny Hamlin comes off of the track at Phoenix, after a back to front drive which saw him miss out on second by a whisker to the 48 car and makes a "disparaging remark" about the quality of the racing with the new Gen 6 race car.

NASCAR did not like these remarks and decided in their infinite wisdom to do something about it.

Except NASCARs infinite wisdom department was obviously busy when this decision was made and someone with no "clue" handed out a $25000 fine.

Fined $25000...

For having an opinion...

Ouch...

NASCAR desperately needs to get away from having dull, emotionless, corporate machines driving race cars and get back to humans with attitude, aggression, an edge, thats why I love having  Keselowski and Stewart as recent Champions.

Here's the same situation with me behind the big desk in the NASCAR hauler...

"Hello Denny, come in... slap...

Look... slap...

We know the Gen6 is a work in progress... slap...

But for gods sake shut up... slap...

The last thing we need to do is start talking negatively about the car... slap...

Come and talk to us about what's going on, how it is racing... slap...

But don't bad mouth the new car after two races or you surely will get a... slap..."

And the door opens, no one is any the wiser.

I have said before that it will take half the year before the sport learns the new car. Tyre compouds will change, set ups will develop, NASCAR will adjust the rules, all in the hope of improving the "show".

NASCAR, you just made yourselves look stupid, do not silence the drivers, encourage them... until they cross the line, then give them a good slapping behind closed doors and let them carry on.

The fans want personalities in the race cars not corporate entities. I think fans want drivers to have an opinion without the sponsors dictating what they can or can not say. Give me a Brad or a Tony any day, and in this case give me a Denny.

Hamlin might have a point, maybe the car has not raced as well as hoped, so far, but lets give everyone involved the chance to get it right before we ring the death bell.

Progress A Fresh Fit At Phoenix

A progressively banked Phoenix gave us a NASCAR Sprint Cup race that got progressively better as it progressed.

Phoenix was a race as much of failures as successes. A brake failure for Casey Mears brought out one of seven cautions. An electronic failure of sorts for a fuel saving Tony Stewart ended his day, while a fuel strategy failure for Kevin Harvick denied him the chance to really go for it at the end. These were offset by some good racing and the early season success of new partners driver Denny Hamlin and crew chief Darian Grubb, the partnership proving to be a "fresh fit"!

Another success of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 was the 312 mile race length. Strange I know, but the race was held over 500 kilometres, therefore 312 miles and laps. Quite what a distinctly European kilometre has to with a distinctly American race series is beyond me, but I have long been an advocate of shortening certain Cup Series races so the principle worked for me. Now use the same thinking at other tracks, Pocono perhaps, but call the race the "Whatever 312" next time and make a feature of the shorter race distance.

The most exciting moments of the race came when Mr Twitter, Brad Keselowski in the, still a Penske Dodge, 2 car battled with the 48 Chevy of, a determined to earn some points this week, Jimmie Johnson and, the always aggressive, Kyle Busch in the 18 Toyota, and when the Rowdy vs Harvick feud reared it's head. These battles proved the still new progressive banking can produce good side by side racing once the grip comes in. I am still not sure about the "short cut" though! The other exciting moments were the closing stages, the "will they make it, won't they make it" laps.

The most bizarre moment of the race came not on the track but in the garage, with the news that to investigate what went wrong with the 14 car, Tony Stewarts crew would have to "plug the car in".

Welcome to the modern world NASCAR. Computers in stock car racing...

That's what they call progress!

Wham Bam Thank You Men

Martinsville.

Action...

Wrecks...

Contact...

Retaliation...

All the top drivers having a go...

A late caution...

A late pass for the lead and a close finish...

What was not to like?

The little paperclip delivered just what the Sprint Cup needed, a good old fashioned short track bust up, and in the process injected some much needed on track action into the Chase.

We watched the sports best, from Gibbs, Roush, Childress, Hendrick Stewart Haas and others battle it out, no holes barred.

Finally they all got it together at the same time, and the result was great to watch.

The late pass by Tony Stewart on the outside of Jimmie Johnson showed class from both drivers. From Smoke a classy move, squeezing the 48 down low and getting the win. The lack of contact once the lead was lost showed a level of respect from the reigning Sprint Cup champion towards his fellow driver. Would I be blaming or holding it against the 48 car if the bumper had been used, no, thats short track racing, but it did show respect and a level of class from Jimmie Johnson.

For the opposite style of racing look at Earnhardt Jr among others. Again, nothing wrong with a bit of contact, nothing wrong with a bit more either.

Should NASCAR be worried about the retaliation? Not in my book. The rules at Martinsville may be different to those at Texas but I am still all for "have at it boys".

NASCAR has always been a contact sport and there have always been rivalries. It may be a bit "primal", a bit "wrestling" but hard hitting short track racing is as much a part of the sport as drafting at Daytona... And long may it continue!

Performance Parity - NASCAR

Over the last few weeks we have had some fuel mileage racing, some pit strategy racing, some “boys have at it” racing, some good racing, some not so good racing...

The best thing about the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series? To take a phrase from BTCC driver Jason Plato, “Performance Parity”!

The Hendrick cars are up there, but not dominating. Sure Jimmie Johnson is high up in the points and Jeff Gordon has ended his winless streak. Dale Jr is looking good, has come close to ending his winless streak and is also high up in points... but none are dominating!

The Gibbs cars are competitive, are leading laps and getting in the wars, but are not dominating!

Kevin Harvick, the “finisher” and dictionary definition of “boys have at it” has won races and looks like he badly wants the end of season trophy, but none of the Childress cars are dominating!

The Roush Fords are back in the hunt this year after a quiet season last year, but are not dominating!

Holding up the honour for Dodge are the Penske cars, good at times, but not dominating!

This is Tony Stewarts time of year to shine... the Red Bull cars of Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers have looked good... the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing cars... the Richard Petty Motorsport cars have all been running well... at times very well... however no one is dominating!

But here’s the thing...

Carl Edwards is currently leading the points, just ahead of... the 48! You remember him don’t you; he’s done quite well over the past few years... Somehow the 48 car always seems to find a fifth gear once the Chase begins!

In my opinion the drivers most likely to keep up with Johnson once the Chase starts are Edwards, Harvick, and if he can get it together, Kyle Busch.

I am glad Dale Jr has been running well. He finally looks like he can drive a race car and is third in points right now but does he quiet have enough? Only time will tell.

But again, the question is... Who has what in reserve for the Chase?

Performace parity... that's BTCC talk, in NASCAR it's called good hard racing!

NASCAR 150 Thoughts

It's Duel day!

Since the Shootout NASCAR has mandated changes cars to slow them, and to reduce the two car hook-ups that dominated that race.

Changes have been made to the cooling systems; a smaller grille opening and a "pop off valve" all designed to make the engines overheat quicker. In theory this should stop the cars bump drafting lap after lap as the pushing cars engine will overheat, making the two car hook-ups a method of overtaking, not a way of just running round as in the Shootout. 

NASCAR have also reduced the restrictor plate size by one-64th of an inch, to 57-64ths. This has already dropped speeds from the 206mph in the Shootout to 200mph in practice.

I think it is a shame they didn't run the 150's with the bigger plate to see what effect the cooling system changes would have made on their own, but NASCAR obviously wanted to slow the cars as well as limit the two car drafting.

One thing has been bothering me since the Shootout... the yellow line rule. Should Denny Hamlin have been penalised for going under the yellow line when he was alongside Ryan Newman above the line. I am still of the opinion that the driver should not be allowed to jump below the yellow line to advance your position. However, on the run to the flag, if a driver pulls out and is alongside the other car above the line, should they be penalised if they are forced under the line by the other driver? Put it another way, drivers should not be allowed to block! Bearing in mind what happened 10 years ago this should go without saying!

Its also great to see the new Nationwide cars at Daytona. It is a pity that the new square fronts of the Challenger and Mustang are limiting speeds... to 200mph!! Cool!!

Gatorade Duel Race No. 1 Lineup - 
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 186.089
2. Paul Menard No. 27 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 185.422
3. Ryan Newman No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 185.002
4. Mark Martin No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 184.991
5. Tony Stewart No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 184.911
6. Kurt Busch No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge 184.896
7. Juan Pablo Montoya No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 184.763
8. Marcos Ambrose No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 184.748
9. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 184.740
10. Jimmie Johnson No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 184.687
11. Bill Elliott No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 184.532
12. AJ Allmendinger No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 184.290
13. Joe Nemechek No. 87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota 184.222
14. Matt Kenseth No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford 184.102
15. Dave Blaney No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 183.793
16. Regan Smith No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 183.681
17. Kasey Kahne No. 4 Red Bull Racing Toyota 183.602
18. Bobby Labonte No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 183.576
19. Brian Vickers No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota 183.557
20. Kevin Conway No. 97 Nemco Motorsports Toyota 182.949
21. David Gilliland No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 182.697
22. Michael McDowell No. 66 HP Racing Toyota 182.434
23. JJ Yeley No. 46 Whitney Motorsports Chevrolet 180.977
24. Andy Lally No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 180.828

Gatorade Duel Race No. 2 Lineup -
1. Jeff Gordon No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 185.966
2. Trevor Bayne No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford 185.445
3. Clint Bowyer No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 185.223
4. Jeff Burton No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 185.071
5. Greg Biffle No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford 184.911
6. David Ragan No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing 184.612
7. Carl Edwards No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford 184.475
8. Travis Kvapil No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford 184.271
9. David Reutimann No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 184.019
10. Brad Keselowski No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge 184.008
11. Michael Waltrip No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 183.966
12. Jamie McMurray No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 183.685
13. Kyle Busch No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 183.595
14. Martin Truex Jr. No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 183.456
15. Joey Logano No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 183.206
16. Todd Bodine No. 60 Germain Racing Toyota 183.057
17. Casey Mears No. 13 Germain Racing Toyota 182.867
18. Steve Wallace No. 77 Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota 182.574
19. Robby Gordon No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 182.120
20. Terry Labonte No. 32 FAS Lane Racing Ford 181.492
21. Robert Richardson No. 37 Front Row Motorsports Ford 181.466
22. Denny Hamlin No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 181.316
23. Derrike Cope No. 64 Max Q Toyota 177.894
24. Brian Keselowski No. 92 K-Automotive Dodge 177.581

Hey Buddy, Need A Push? Yea Cool!

The 2011 Budweiser Shootout certainly lived up to its name, a Shootout. Two drivers, who was going to draw first? Actually two sets of two drivers, but you get the point.

It definitely was a different style of racing. 

Some will say that it was dull. No big packs. No solid 2x2 trains of cars. No "pack" to speak of. Is this a bad thing? Throughout the 90's restrictor plate races were full of cars running together, unable to race for themselves. Race winners were decided by who had the most cars behind them. If the low line had 5 cars nose to tail and the high line only had 3, the low line was probably going to be ahead at the flag. One-on-one passes for the lead on the last lap were few and far between. Top speeds were always kept just under the 200 mark, and big packs were the order of the day, literally.

With the COT all that changed. The big square cars have been able to draft much more than the last generation cars. What we saw in the Shootout was drivers who were able to decide their own destiny, drivers who were able to "race" for themselves. Yes they were still being pushed, still reliant on help from behind, but that's just the nature of racing at Daytona, it was this way before restrictor plates and it will always be this way.

I liked the race. I liked the fact that the drivers could overtake. I liked that come the last lap the third and fourth place cars were able to pull out and get level with the leader. I also liked that the second place driver was able to slingshot round the leader coming out of turn four on the last lap, with no help. 

Was NASCAR right to call Kurt Busch as the winner? Yes. The yellow line ruling should be enforced at all times. The last thing we all want is another (avoidable) airborne wreck. Will Hamlin pull down below the line next Sunday, err no.

Do I want 500 miles of that next Sunday? No... 100 miles? Yes!

Do I think that's what we are going to see? No. 

Even without NASCARs new cooling system pop off valves I do not think the 500 would be like that. Firstly; 43 cars will be on track, not 8 as it was at the end of the Shootout. That many cars on track together are going to stay together. There may be breakaways but eventually the rest will catch up and the pack will be together again. Secondly the drivers are not going to be able to maintain that style of intense racing for the whole race. 75 laps is one thing, 500 miles is something very different. We all know that the first 400 miles of a 500 mile race is a matter of survival, while the last 100 miles are serious. With this in mind I think the drivers will give each other a bit of room until the last 100 miles.

I also like NASCARs answer to the speed issue. For a change they have resisted a change to the restrictor plate. By leaving the plate the same NASCAR are saying, we like the racing, we like the draft, we like the overtaking. What NASCAR are trying to do is limit the length of time the cars can bump draft by restricting the airflow to the engines. The longer you bump draft, the more chance you have of overheating. So in theory the cars will still be able to hook up and pass as they did in the Shootout, but not for 50 laps solid. Now the two car draft should be used as an overtaking tool and not for lap after lap driving. If this works NASCAR should be applauded for being bold and not just running to a plate change to slow the cars.

 

Hopefully on Sunday we will see 43 drivers who can draft, can overtake in the pack with help and  one-on-one for the win. 43 drivers who are able to race for themselves and not just sit in the pack unable to move, waiting for the wreck. Drivers having fun!

The 125's will give us an idea of whether NASCARs changes have worked.

I for one can't wait!

2011 BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT RACE DAY!!

Lineup -

1.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.		7.	Clint Bowyer		13.	Juan Montoya		19.	Matt Kenseth
2.	Tony Stewart		8.	Ryan Newman		14.	Jamie McMurray		20.	Mark Martin
3.	Carl Edwards		9.	Derrike Cope		15.	Jeff Burton		21.	Kyle Busch
4.	Denny Hamlin		10.	Michael Waltrip		16.	Kevin Conway		22.	Joey Logano
5.	Kasey Kahne		11.	Greg Biffle		17.	Kurt Busch		23.	Jimmie Johnson
6.	Bobby Labonte		12.	Jeff Gordon		18.	Kevin Harvick		24.	Regan Smith

The season starts here...


GREEN GREEN GREEN!!

Home Sweet Homestead

One race... 400 miles... Three drivers... One Champion!

The race for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup title is close, 46 points close. In a sport where the top non-Chase drivers have 4200 plus points, that's close!!

#11 Denny Hamlin - leading , #48 Jimmie Johnson - second 15 points back, #29 Kevin Harvick - third 46 points adrift...

Others have tried... Tony Stewart had a run of good performances but fell away, Clint Bowyer is good at the 'plate races, Jeff Gordon has been a regular under-achiever, Carl Edwards won last week to break his winless streak and put him next in the standings, but none have stayed with the top three throughout the Chase.

In the past the last race, at Homestead-Miami, has been a disappointment. The top drivers were more interested in calculating the points and staying out of trouble than they were going for the win. This year, with the points this close, the top three will have to race hard!!

The driver who leads on track, the driver who leads the most on track, the driver who wins on track will be Champion. No sitting back and watching the points, they will have to race, hard!

Homestead, the 1.5 mile progressively banked oval, could finally deliver the explosive season ending "race" that NASCAR needs and it's fans want.

Potential first time Champion driver and first time Champion manufacturer vs. Potential five timer vs. Potential first time Champ trying to put Richard Childress back on top.

So come on "have at it boys"!!

Texas Spoiler

Rain rain go away...

and when it did the 90,000 fans who returned to the track were rewarded with some pretty good stuff.

The return of the spoiler brought fears of the dreaded aero push and Texas was the first long track and first chance to see if the fears would come true. Well fear not, as it appears NASCARs testing and research resulted in an aero package which allows the drivers to run close together in the turns, with more stable race cars, and draft more on the straightaways.

As a COT fan I was worried about the effects on the racing, changing to the spoiler, as the car had been developed for and with the rear wing. I am still interested to know what NASCAR thought the wing did for the cars and the racing compared to the spoiler, but so far the return of the spoiler has gone well.

In Texas the drivers seemed able to run nose to tail going into the turns with the following car not losing too much ground in the turns. On exit a lot of the cars were loose, partly due to the track surface but also due to the new looser characteristics of the cars, if some of the drivers are to be believed. Personally I would much rather watch the top 43 stock car drivers drive cars that turn in but might get a bit fun on exit than cars that cannot run together and push on entry. With any luck this all means that one of NASCARs intentions for the COT, to take away the "aerodynamic set-ups", and put the emphasis on chassis and tire set-ups is coming good. I actually look forward to the 1.5 mile races with now even though I do think there are too many, and think some races are too long.

The Texas race also had its own "big one" - 3 wide in turn 4 at Texas turned into a lot of wrecked cars in a hurry. Some drivers would have whinged and moaned, but Tony Stewart put his hand up and said he got loose and Edwards had nowhere to go. Not many drivers take the blame for a wreck that took a potential win out of his own hands as well as many others as easily as Smoke did on Monday.

Had the race been one lap longer then Texas would have been another win for JJ. It wasn't, so Denny Hamlin took the flag just ahead of the 48. To be fair you feel the other drivers are lining up to have a go at the 48, always watching him, wanting to know where he is on track, when he pits, what he eats for breakfast, and how he takes his coffee. You've gotta love Jeff Gordon for his aggression and determination to stay with or ahead of his team mate. Even the 88 had a good race until the red flag, leading some laps and racing well. He was obviously frustrated after the race, feeling that the red flag and the short sprint afterwards wrecked his day... that son, is racin'. He's running up front on a more regular basis now and hopefully will turn the good runs into race wins soon.

Speaking of which, it's Talladega next and don't be surprised if JJ finds it hard to get drafting partners. I am looking forward to seeing the new aero package at 'Dega and hope the COT's flight issues will be confined to the history books. Remember though that NASCAR cars took off before the wing and may continue to do so after, but hopefully the spoiler and wicker on the rear window and trunk lid will help stop the cars taking off quite so easily.

This years' Sprint Cup season has produced good races, exciting finishes, wrecks, action... bring on 'Dega!!

Mother Nature Throws the Racing World a Curveball!

Two weeks ago, the world had to be woken up from its F1 induced slumber.

This week, just when F1 needed to look good, against all odds, the weather delivered a wakeup call.

To be fair the Australian GP is generally one of the better races, but this years was good!! Did I just say that?? Let me try that again... the GP was good!! See, I said it again... and I meant it.

Somebody in the F1 paddock must have performed a major rain dance, as the only way the race was going to be any good, if the first race and the drivers opinions were anything to go by, was for something to upset the balance. Thankfully the weather did just that. We had a first corner incident, overtaking, pit strategy, overtaking, late race drama, overtaking, and a surprise winner. WOW!!

Please, please, please let it rain again next time!!

While mother nature did F1 a favour, American auto racing was not so lucky as the top three racing events, NASCAR, IRL, and NHRA were all postponed to the Monday.

FoxSports are currently running a poll - Question, "Was Denny Hamlin too aggressive in Martinsville?" At the time of writing, with more than 7000 votes cast, over 60% said "Yes", with an even split of the rest voting for "No"  or "Thats Racing".

What do NASCAR fans want? I feel sorry for NASCAR. They let the drivers "Have at it boys", an attempt to reintroduce drama back into the Cup races, and now it is happening the fans think the driving is too aggressive. It wasn't just Hamlin at the end, the whole race was a bit physical, its Martinsville, what do you expect. Would you want it any other way??

The end of the race was great. Proper, hard, bump 'n' run, short track, "honest to god," edge of your seat NASCAR racing. The G-W-C rule and the 2 wide restarts did just what the racing Doctor ordered yet again, creating excitement.

NASCAR - More short tracks please!!

Also... Welcome back to the rear spoiler. As a self confessed COT fan from the start, even I must say again... the cars look better with the spoiler. Lets hope they race well come Texas.

Lastly... Well done to Paul Bonhomme who won the opening round of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship. What those guys do in the air is stunning!

See ya'll next time.