Off Week

Well, NASCAR decided to have an off week and it turns out I needed it too. 4 wisdom teeth removed, 2 MAJOR projects at work, and prepping for a full on family vacation to Disney World.


At some point I'll try and put together my thoughts on the Bristol race (which I thought was a good race). Until then I'll just pick up from here. Today I'll be back in the saddle with my in race opinions for anyone interested in following.

Bristol - All the In Race Thoughts

Here's all the in race thoughts from my twitter account. Starts at the bottom and works to the top.

• way to go childress. great finish.
• tony has to be in a great mood.
• drama.
• i just saw the blue flag thrown.
• looks like juniors car is coming.
• KARMA.
• I guess that's how jimmie says bye to a legend.
• Somebody invited chilldress to the party.
• Ouch. Kyle with the bad luck. He about saved it.
• Casey mears can't get a bit of luck.
• Junior doesn't seem to like running behind aric at all. Guess it doesn't matter now.
• I was expecting more from the busch brothers today. Of course the day aint over.
• Looks like stewart did.
• Did we miss that restart?
• You've really got to appreciate what juan pablo did his rookie year.
• I really wanted dj to have a much better showing in his last race.
• Good luck with that one mikey.
• Debris. Really?
• Bowyer looks strong. Real strong.
• Of course ken helped a little with that.
• Robby looks a little loose.
• Easy shrub.
• Green green green.
• Engines are hot.
• Oh yeah, dw's mt dew car is sweet.
• Getting ready to fire em up.
• catching up on fox coverage.

In race updates

I'm going to try a little something new today. (Obviously it's new, the whole blog is new.) During the race I'm going to post updates via my twitter account. By updates I don't mean, "Lap 34 leader Carl Edwards.", but more like "Ouch, that loose lug nut just kicked Sadler in the no no place." It's purely experimental, so I'm not sure exactly what everyone should expect...but I think it could be a pretty cool deal.

You'll see the last 20 updates in the right hand column of this blog. Also you can follow them on my twitter page.

http://twitter.com/backedNthefence

If you sign up for a twitter account, you can have the updates sent to your cell phone via text message or to you favorite instant messenger.

Different schools of thought

Last year during the fall Bristol race I found myself in a house divided. My stepfather and a few others seemed uneasy with the race. It wasn’t the “old Bristol” and they weren’t happy. However, I was excited with what I was seeing. It wasn’t the “old Bristol”, but it was great racing.

I loved the beating and banging that Bristol had always given us. Sheet metal peeled back, panels crushed in, and cars looking like they’d tried speeding through a concrete forest. Rusty and Jeff, Dale and Terry, and countless other bump’n’run/beat’n’bang type races captivated me. I won’t lie, I missed some of that. However, I didn’t miss watching cars ride around for a third of the race under caution.

We also got something from the new surface that we’d never seen to this new extent. Passing. Bristol has always been a 1 ½ lane track at best, but this surface has made for legitimate 3 wide passing in the turns. No longer do you have to tune your car to 1 groove. A driver can search the track for the line that fits his current setup. Not only that, but as opposed to nearly wrecking the car in front of you in order to get around them you can pass. You can pass high. You can pass low. You can finally work the track.

Maybe there’s a happy medium. Maybe once the new surface gets a bit more seasoned we’ll see a compromise between passing and bumping that will please everyone. For now however, I’m just excited that we’ve got great short track racing to watch this Sunday.

Oil lids, tires, and the burning Busch

So much has happened since my last entry and I'm not sure where to start. First things first, I've got to say how happy I am that Robby Gordon's Daytona penalty has been rescinded. Sure, he's out another $50k, but if teams could buy 100 points for $150k then you'd see points races in the 10's of thousands.

Speaking of penalties, the oil lid just "came off" did it Jack? Sure it did. And the passenger window clips came loose just enough to let some of that extra heat and possible fumes get out. When you're caught, you're caught boys. The thing that has blown my mind on this whole situation is that the garage has turned into the media's dream. Every single place you can turn there is someone ready to call out the Roush Fenway team. I've never seen anything like it. Last year when the 48 and 24 had their little incident with the body I never heard anything from other teams. Even the team members with their own tv/radio shows skirted the topic. Things are changing in the garage and I'm anxious to see where this is all headed. Obviously the Toyota official that made the initial comments about Jack had his own agenda. He'd previously worked for Rousch as well as currently working for Toyota, a company that Jack Roush likened to the Japanese Kamikaze bombers from Pearl Harbor just over a year ago. However, Elliot Sadler didn't have a real subversive agenda in calling out the Cat in the Hat, nor did Dale Jr. That didn't stop them though.

Speaking of Toyota, Kyle Busch is doing work right now. I think people are making a little too much of the truck, Nationwide, & Cup trifecta. I could name about 10 drivers right now that could do something close to the same. If you can be a solid contender in Cup, you can do the same in all 3 I believe. However, regardless of the type of car Shrub is wheeling his car like nearly no one else. He's the definition of checkers or wreckers. He's so close to the edge that I think he'll go ever several times this year and catch some dnf's, but the risk/reward will pay off in points. The #18 is a contender and there's no other way to put it.

Finally, the big topic of the race was TIRES and the reactions to them. In a tactful way Jr., Gordon, and several other drivers crushed Goodyear with their comments. If that wasn't bad enough Tony Stewart did the equivelent of smacking Goodyear's mother in the mouth and kicking their dog. NASCAR said they wanted the personalities back in the sport and they've got it. We'll have to see how they react to one of their top tier drivers dog cussing one of their top sponsors.

As for the tire itself, I can see the drivers point. No one, and I mean no one, had a handle on their cars. All I've ever heard is how tight the COT is and Sunday it looked like they were driving on snow. Teams saw minimal tire wear at best and nearly everyone tapped the wall once. I understand Goodyear didn't want drivers hauling off into turn 1 at 200mph and popping a right front, but I'm gueesing teams didn't want to be sides ways at 170mph exiting 4 either. Goodyear missed it and they'll fix it, but it'll take more than a week. I heard Jeff Hammond say that Goodyear should start up a full Cup test team that runs year round. When he said it I thought, "That's a great idea." Then after a while I couldn't figure why this hadn't been something already in the works. If they're a non-competitive team they could tire test every track with all 4 makes if they like.

Now for the good news...Here comes Bristol!

The COT is The Car

Rarely do I pray during a NASCAR event. With all the issues in the world and in my life in general I think it’s almost selfish to ask God to take time to help Jr.’s “tight in and loose off” condition. On the rare occasion that I do, it is in fear and shock to what I’m seeing. In the past few years I can think of a few times I have done what could almost be considered begging to the Lord during a race. Labonte’s car on fire at Chicago, Mikey on fire at California, Jr. with a neck brace on lying on a back board at California (I think it was there), Reutimann’s hit at California as well. This past week watching Jeff Gordon smack that wall live I felt a deep dark feeling. I leaned forward and almost in a trance started saying, “Please drop the window net. Please drop the window net. Please drop the window net!” I was genuinely afraid we had lost another legend. Come race day I’m liable to shoot several profanities at Kyle Busch and hope he loses a tire, smacks the wall, bends his suspension, but casually walks out of the infield care center for an interview. It’s fun to root for someone and its fun to have a rival to root against. However, there is no circumstance in the world where I would want to see harm befall any of these drivers. That brings me to the Car Of Tomorrow/Today…the current car.

Thank you NASCAR. The hit Gordon took in Las Vegas was ridiculous. If his angle was a little different, I’m not sure any of the safety equipment could have done a bit of good. It’s amazing that after all this time people still find a way to complain or question this car. The number one fact is that this car is safer for our drivers. “Oh, it drives a little tight?” Really? I bet those dirt cars you drove were a little free. I bet those late models didn’t have the best “front end geometry” in the world. The driver’s are adapting and the crews have adapted fairly well. It just seems like the fans can’t adapt.

Why in the world is anyone having an issue adopting this car? It seems like every COT race I can think of ends with a side by side finish or at least with drama in the finish. Yes there are some runaways, but that will always happen. When I think of the current car I think of Jimmie and Jeff at Martinsville, Burton and Busch at Bristol, and tons of other good finishes. Not to mention some great side by side racing and passing. Carl may have ran off at the end of the Las Vegas race, but that was because Jr. and Biffle were locked in a pretty tight battle for 2nd.

The COT is here and more important than anything else it is keeping these drivers much safer. Not only that, it truly is giving us better racing. The drivers and crews may have to adjust, but as long as the product is better then that’s something those healthy paychecks should take care of.

It gives you wings

There has been a ton of talk over the past 48 hours about David Ragan's Las Vegas finish. While I agree that it is a great improvement, I must also think we need to be weary of jumping to conclusions. When did 1 top 10 become an arrival? Derrick Cope won the Daytona 500 and as best I can tell that didn't exactly spark a memorable career.

My point isn't to take away from Ragan's finish, but to say that in a sport where consistency is king there is someone else that I am becoming thoroughly impressed with.

Brian Vickers.

He has quietly been putting together something rather special. We're 3 races into the 2008 season and even though he has had to qualify on time for all 3 events, Brian has competed in all 3 events. Not only has he competed, he's performed as well. Right now the Red Bull car is setting pretty at #13 in the point standings, which is a ride saving run at this point. Red Bull can't afford to spend another season trying to get into every event on speed and thanks to the #83 they won't have too.

Last year, in a startup team no less, Vickers was the flag ship for Toyota. Sure, Michael Waltrip had the commercials and David Blaney was praised for his consistency, but Vickers was the guy. He averaged 1 position better than Blaney for the year, but more importantly he was in the mix for wins. Until he had a problem in the 600 last year it seemed like he was on a mission to get Toyota its 1st win. If it weren't for the Gibbs switch I had every dollar on the #83 bringing Toyota its 1st Cup points win. While the Busch/Stewart/Hamlin trio may be the odds on favorite to hand deliver a trophy to Tokyo, I'm still not counting out the kid who looks a little too much like the Notre Dame leprechaun...hey, it is March isn't it?

Double Standard

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl begin a relationship. A problem arises that causes them to separate. Boy makes an outrageous attempt to win back girl. In the end everyone's happy. There's a million ways to fill in those details, but at its heart that is the basis for around 492,924 movies. Everyone seems to tell the same basic story a different way.

Yesterday while everyone on air was pining over NASCAR's ruling to allow Carl Edwards to keep his position after his tire rolled across the infield I could help but think, "Has anyone told Robby Gordon about this?" I'm guessing not, because if so he probably would have taken a hard right at the start finish line, drove up the stands, and right up to whichever box NASCAR officials had their throne's positioned.

In essence, Carl's team lost the tire across the infield because someone not paid by RFR was not only in the pit stall, but in the way. As the team pleaded their case the NASCAR officials decided that while the tire that the #99 team was responsible for did in fact roll across the infield, it was something out of their control. I say hogwash, and I don't know if I've ever said that.

Robby Gordon was sent a part by his own manufacturer that looked, smelled, and tasted like the right part. The part actually had the correct part number on it as well, except that one number did not end in a -. If there's no number after the -, then why have the -? Just have another number, but that's another argument. Sure Robby's team should have checked, double checked, and then triple checked...but that works BOTH ways. Do you think that throughout the day that any team up and down pit road used the phrase, "Excuse me kind sir, but we have to make our pitstop now. Could you kindly move yourself back a few steps?" Probably not. My guess is that several crews said, "Get the F@#* outta the way man!".

In my opinion NASCAR made a judgment call yesterday and it was probably the right thing to do. I'd hate to see someone lose a top 5, let a lone a win because some of the tv crew didn't know their boundaries. I just hope the boys at the #7 garage had the tivo going, because NASCAR may have just given them their closing argument for the appeal.