Track Smack - Latest Comments

Re: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins with a Little Help from his Friends

Mary — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:24:59 -0000

It was so nice to see the 3 car set-up by Tony Jr. and JRM. They only had to make very small changes thru the night, the 88 pit crew did a great job. The result was a victory and it was magic.

Jr. Nation is already calling for the return of Eury Jr. I think they have short memories.

Re: Angie’s Excellent Adventure at Darlington Raceway

Mary — Wed, 12 May 2010 07:53:14 -0000

Darlington is on my bucket list as well Robert. I felt like I was right there with you Angie. Maybe next year?

Re: Angie’s Excellent Adventure at Darlington Raceway

Tarheel Rambler — Wed, 12 May 2010 06:55:02 -0000

Sounds like you had a great time, Angie. Besides the adventurous aspects of your trip to Darlington, you did a great job of covering the race. I'm betting that Speedway Media will be giving you similar opportunities in the future. For one thing, get ready for Charlotte. It's right around the corner. And I'll be bringing my camera!! :)

Re: Angie’s Excellent Adventure at Darlington Raceway

Robert Bourne — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:58:22 -0000

I am green with envy..Darlington is on my bucket list..maybe next year

Re: Who’s Coming, Going or Treading Water

Angie Campbell — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:08:42 -0000

HMS: Even though Jimmie Johnson has shown some vulnerability, I don't think you can ever count him out as a contender for another championship. Jeff Gordon seems to be right on the edge of breaking through so I think he's one to watch also. I agree that Mark Martin doesn't look as strong as he did last year. As for Dale Jr, I think he'll be lucky to make the Chase this season. They still have some work to do on that team.

JGR: At this point, the only other one who seems to have the potential to have a legitimate shot at the championship is Denny Hamlin. I said the same thing at the end of last season and I've been really impressed with him so far this year. Kyle Busch should make the Chase this year but I 'm not sure if he'll have the consistency to have a shot at the Championship. He may get there but I'm still waiting to see if he'll implode. Logano is talented but still needs some seasoning before becoming a real contender.

RCR: It goes without saying that Kevin Harvick is having a great year so far. Jeff Burton looks strong and Bowyer is right there too. It's good to see this organization back in the mix again.

SHR: I'm not sure what's going on with Tony. He's such a talented driver, I think it's too early to count him out but he needs to step it up soon. Newman has shown some improvement over the last 5 or 6 races but has a long way to go.

Penske:Kurt Busch looks strong from this group but I don't think Keselowski will make the Chase. There's no doubt that Brad is talented, but I think it may be next year before he becomes a real threat in the Cup series. Hornish ...well they don't call him Sideways Sam for nothing.

MWR: I've always been a fan of Truex and he looks like he has a good shot at getting into the Chase but I'm not sure the organization is strong enough yet.

Roush: Like you said, they seem to be slipping and I'm not sure if any of them will make the Chase. I'm going to have to withhold judgment on this group.

Re: The Cool Down Lap – Kyle Busch Denies Gordon the Win at Richmond

Robert Bourne — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:11:46 -0000

great race.. enjoyed the whole thing the double file restarts are the best thing since sliced bread..:)

Re: Talladega Superspeedway Delivers with Record Breaking Fight to the Finish

Tarheel Rambler — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:47:00 -0000

This was probably one of the best super-speedway races I can remember in a while. Other than the fact that my driver was wrecked toward the end of the race that is. Seriously, the constant passing and non-stop action was something that has been missing for the past few years. Not sure if it's all due to the spoiler or not, but this was a great race.

Nice summary, Angie.

Re: Talladega Superspeedway Delivers with Record Breaking Fight to the Finish

livintheblues — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:39:38 -0000

I'm about wore out just from watchin..:)

Re: NASCAR Beginnings: Featuring Red Farmer

Angie — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:39:58 -0000

Thanks Lee, I love learning about all the drivers, both old and new. And, the more I learn, the more I love NASCAR.

The people with all their different stories are what make NASCAR so interesting. Of course the fast cars don't hurt either.

Re: NASCAR Beginnings: Featuring Red Farmer

Lee — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 12:53:27 -0000

Great profile, Angie. I remember hearing Red Farmer's name when I was a kid growing up in Illinois. I don't remember the context, but I do remember knowing he was a stock car driver. A lot of the guys that ran the circuit back then for the major races at local tracks often came through our area, and he may have been one of those.

NASCAR has such a diverse and interesting history that I never tire of reading about. I guess that's what being a race fan is all about.

Re: NASCAR Beginnings: Featuring Red Farmer

Angie — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:36:19 -0000

Thanks Robert. Red Farmer makes Mark Martin look like a teenager and gives us all hope.

If he's still doing what he loves at 81, or however old he is, I guess it's never too late to pursue your dream.

Re: NASCAR Beginnings: Featuring Red Farmer

Robert Bourne — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:31:36 -0000

Guys like Red and Dick trickle give us old guys hope..:)..nice article Angie
.-= Robert Bourne´s last blog ..The Road ...The Beginning part 13 =-.

Re: The Cool Down Lap – Texas Edition

Angie — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:30:26 -0000

Lee and Mary,

I got a kick out of seeing Gordon so fired up.

I wonder if he ever regrets his decision to bring JJ to HMS? It's good for his pockets but not so sure if it's good for his ego.

Good to see Jr running up front but still waiting for him to close the deal.

Don't think we'll see Jr and Mark beating and banging since Mark is so much of a gentleman, lol, but I'm sure the fans would have fun with it.

Re: The Cool Down Lap – Texas Edition

Mary — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:50:17 -0000

I look forward to more trading paint from these two. It makes Johnson seem like less of a robot.

Now if Jr. and Mark Martin could get in the mix, can you imagine the reaction that would get?

Good read Angie.

Re: “Dega” One Of My Choices

Lee — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:34:17 -0000

Great summary of everything that is 'Dega, Robert. I agree with your analysis of action on the different size tracks for the most part. Charlotte is one exception in the 1 1/2 mile category. For some reason, the racing at that track is almost always good.

Talladega is kind of inconsistent too. There have been several races there that were pretty boring. Last fall's race is a prime example. A lot of people blamed the wing for that, but there are examples from the past with the spoiler that were very similar. If the cars get spread out, and run single file, there's not much to get excited about.

If anything, I blame the drivers for the quality of the race last fall. They were content to run around the track, nose-to-tail, with no one willing to pull into another lane and start racing. Wing or spoiler, the freight train only forms when the drivers choose to race that way.

Re: The Cool Down Lap – Texas Edition

Lee — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:27:24 -0000

Don't read to much into the Gordon-Johnson dust-up. They are competitors when they get behind the wheel, but Gordon is still one of the owners of the 48.

Thank goodness they are willing to trade a little paint on the track. Not something you see among other teams outside of Hendrick. I have a feeling they know how far they can push each other and neither one of them has gone over the edge yet. Will they ever go over that line? Time will tell.

Re: As The Hendrick World Turns

Angie — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:16:34 -0000

Great story and interesting theory.

I've often wondered if Junior really fits in at HMS. Part of me believes that when he formed JRM, he saw it as a way to cement his own future.

But, I'm not sure if he's at that stage of his career yet.

Personally I think he'll stick it out at HMS at least until his contract expires making SHR the most likely choice.

But as you said, this it still one possibility to consider.

Rick Hendrick is a shrewd businessman and I'm sure he has a plan. It will be fascinating to see how it all unfolds.

Re: As The Hendrick World Turns

Robert Bourne — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:54:00 -0000

Thank you Mary..I agree Junior has short arms and deep pockets..:) but it's the cheapest way to go about it..the building isn't such an issue they don't need something overly large as Hendrick would do all the heavy work and you can bet your boots Hendrick would work it so he would still have control of the cash cow in some shape or form..SHR is probably the favored option but I still feel this is a possibility
.-= Robert Bourne´s last blog ..The Road..... The beginning continued part 12 =-.

Re: As The Hendrick World Turns

Mary — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:17:36 -0000

Forgot to add, good article Robert!

Re: As The Hendrick World Turns

Mary — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:16:15 -0000

If that is the plan and JRM does move to CUP, several things will need to happen.

1. They'd need a bigger facility, as it stands now it simply isn't set up for Cup racing.
2. They'd need new equipment and lots of it.
3. Jr. would have to part with his money and he's never been prone to doing that.

Hendrick would need to step in and help fund pretty much everything.

I think Kahne goes to SHR next year, Martin steps down and Kahne comes back in 2012.

Hendrick isn't ready to part with his cash cow (Jr) any time soon.

Re: The Cool Down Lap – Phoenix Edition

Angie — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:18:02 -0000

I think the lead changes count is often misleading. When I took a look at the lap by lap on nascar.com, it looked like most of those lead changes took place during pit stops.

And while the television coverage misses a lot of the passing and racing for position back in the pack, I heard several comments from people who were actually at the race, about how boring it was.

I supposed it's all about perspective.

Newman ran a great race all night so I'm sure his fans enjoyed the entire race.

As for me, most of the excitement came at the end of the race. It was a great ending and a much needed victory for Newman and SHR.

I'm glad I stuck it out until the end.

Re: The Cool Down Lap – Phoenix Edition

Lee — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:06:34 -0000

I followed Twitter comments through most of the race Saturday night, and frankly got tired of the comments about how boring the race was. In fact, the race Saturday night either set or tied the record for most lead changes for the April race. And the finish was fantastic.

Since I watch the race on Raceview, I know there was a lot of passing and racing for position back in the pack. It just wasn't shown on television all that often. I think this is the weakness of trying to watch a race on
TV. And Fox Network's coverage doesn't help the situation. In my opinion, they stink.

I can't help but wonder what fans mean when they call a race boring. Is there not enough passing? Not enough crashes? Not enough of their driving in the lead? I suspect it is the last two more than anything else. That and the perception that if Jimmie Johnson is leading it's a boring race. (By the way, I'm a Ryan Newman fan!)

Re: Remembering Alan Kulwicki – Against All Odds

Angie — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:48:56 -0000

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

Kulwicki was certainly one of a kind. I love learning about the history of NASCAR and the drivers who made it what it is today.

Matt Kenseth is having a great season so far so maybe he'll be able to get that 2nd title. I don't know if anyone has a chance against Jimmie Johnson, but Matt is looking good so far.

Re: Remembering Alan Kulwicki – Against All Odds

Don Fischer — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 18:12:57 -0000

Wisconsin racers have had competed in NASCAR for a long time. Dick Trickle, our 1200 feature win local guy, got me to start watching NASCAR when he took over the Bobby Allison ride. His limited success in NASCAR kept me going until Kulwicki came along. Wow, all that success Alan had made Wisconsin race fans proud. I continued watching NASCAR and along comes Matt Kenseth. He was our local track champion two out of the three years he raced here at WIR. Matt's first year at WIR he got beat out of the track championship by our local 12 time track champ, Terry Baldry. Matt also won his championship in NASCAR. I can't wait to see which Wisconsin racer steps up to the plate next. Yea, I like Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Dave Marcis, and Jim Sauter also, because I saw them race at WIR against the local guys like Kulwicki.
Thanks for the great article on Kulwicki.

Re: Remembering Alan Kulwicki – Against All Odds

Angie — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:20:46 -0000

Thanks Rob. I wish I had been fortunate enough to have seen him race in person but I've always admired him.

His determination to do it his way and the success he had is an inspirational story to anyone pursuing a dream.