Texas Motor Speedway

“Finish Line Throwdown” Re-Buttal: Lighten Up!

Now that I’ve made sure that my health coverage is in place (you tread lightly in the presence of Tagoo48), I have a few things to say amount the comments seen in Thursday night’s post.

Car of Tomorrow: The “Car of Tomorrow” addresses not only addresses safety concerns, it also addresses cost reduction and performance upgrades as well. Tagoo, I think even you’d agree that you can never be TOO safe. Yes, the old cars were not suicide machines. Well, actually, I’d say the HANS device has had as much to do with the absence of driver deaths since that fateful day in Feburary, 2001 as anything else. By the same token, if you can make a car safer, should you not do it? I thank God today I did not have to write a memorial post for Michael Mc Dowell two weeks ago. As far as I’m concerned the safety features did much to enable able the rookie to sit behind the wheel in a back-up car the following Sunday instead of watching the race from a hospital room. That wing on the back has also done a lot of good as a safety feature in spinning crashes. The new car is a safer car. Period.

I’m far from an authority on the cost of putting (and keeping) a car together, but I do know that cost reducation has also factored into the this car’s creation. There are now fewer cars in a team’s fleet than there once were. This car is a tank. More cars are finishing races, and more cars make for better racing.

The new car is still a work in progress. The lack of testing at Texas in the new car was evident by the race we saw, but I think we saw last weekend how the experience was shown by the quality  of race seen in Phoenix where the new car ran twice in 2007. There’s only one way to develop the “new” car into a better racing car- and that’s to get it out there to run races!

That brings me to my next point. To say that this season has been boring is to say that the races at Martinsville, Bristol and Phoenix were not good. I beg to differ! These were good races filled with lead changes, bumper bangin’, dangerous passes and the whole 9 yards! For the love of Mike- can someone please tell me why NASCAR fans are so quick to complain about races and tires when things go wrong and yet they say nothing when things go well??? Has anybody besides the media made comment how we’ve had no tire manufacturer issues since Atlanta? Shouldn’t Goodyear be commended for getting it right the VAST majority of the time? Concerning Texas- have we ever really had a great race there? I haven’t seen one. Is it not a little too simplistic to blame it on the car? Jimmie Johnson complained about the car after that race. Funny- where was this complaining about the “new” car when he was winning the Chase last year in it? Hmm. Interesting.  

Fundamentally, I think the fan base of NASCAR has an attitude problem. If you watch other sports, you see games that aren’t good. Heck, we’ve had boring Super Bowls. Does that mean the NFL should change their qualifying rules? Should baseball change it’s rules because of the 22-inning snooze fest that was the Rockies-Padres game this week? No!

Having said that- NASCAR should allow for change if over the course of time it’s PROVEN that the car in it’s present state is not a good racing machine on the intermediate tracks- the places where the races have not been up to par. But again- I think we need to give racing teams time to get it right. Testing won’t do it. We’ve got to race the doggone thing out there to really get a handle on it. Changes now would create a moving target nobody could hit.

As for race coverage quality, the smart network is the one who gives race fans what they want. I’ll tell you why we know about Junior every time he so much as breaks wins- because the overwhelming number of race fans LOVE Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Junior is the most popular driver in NASCAR- BY A MILE! FOX, TNT and ABC/ESPN would be stupid to ignore him. I actually watched last Saturday’s race with a VERY critical eye, and I thought FOX did a good job of filling me in on the drivers fighting to get in or stay in the top 35. I saw passes deeper in the field…but let’s be honest. Most people really want to know what’s going on up front. 99% of the audience doesn’t care one whit about the battle for 40th between Joe Nemechek and Robby Gordon.

You mentioned Kyle Busch Tagoo, maybe he’d get his own “personal” camera man if he didn’t act like a butt-munch towards the camera anytime he has a bad race. Carl Edwards, Junior, Jeff Gordon and even Michael Waltrip get the coverage they do because these drivers get it. They know that you have to take the good with the bad.

As for victory celebrations- I’m sorry you hate the backflip. It demonstrates orginality. Something that I will agree is seriosuly lacking in NASCAR, but I’m not sure you’re proposed solution will cut it. The best I’d ever seen was Dale Earnhardt’s celebration after he’d finally won the Daytona 500. Now that was cool!

Overall, I think this has been a good season. NASCAR is as competitive as it’s ever been- even though the most serious contenders come from the top 4 or 5 teams. Still, we really have no idea who’s going win it all this year, and that’s good for racing.

We’re going to have good races, we’re going to have bad ones. This is no different than any other sport. I think the sooner we have the attitude of looking for the good in something, rather than getting all bunged up over the bad, the better off we’ll be.

So- be patient. We’re not even out of turn one for the 2008, and a lot of what we’ve seen so far has actually been pretty interesting. I don’t think anyone could have predicted some of the story lines we’ve had so far- whether it be Ryan Newman’s victory at Daytona, HMS only having ONE victory out of 8 races so far, or whether it’s the performance of Richard Childress, Carl Edwards or veteran Jeff Burton.

There’s a lot of season left. As of right now, I wouldn’t change a doggone thing.

Race Re-Cap: “Cowboy” Carl Is King In “The House of Roush”

Alright, alright! Those talking heads that predicted a Carl Edwards victory are smarter than I am. I’m o.k. with that. Today was a day of vindication for a couple of men who had taken a beating over a couple of incidents this season. A couple of good men.

Add those 100 points that Edwards got docked and he’d be 4th in the Cup standings now. Deduction or not, regardless of how of why the oil tank lid came off at Vegas to produce the deduction of points, you’d have to agree that Carl Edwards looks like no less than a top five driver in the 2008 season. The 28 year old roped the wind and held on on a day that a lot of people could not.

For a while, Junior looked like the man- the #88 looked every bit as stout at the onset as it did Friday, with Edwards and Kyle Busch giving a push. Unfortunately for Lil’ “E,” he kept fading on long runs and with the speeds at Texas that produce few cautions (I lost track but I think we had a new record for fewest cautions), Earnhardt was just cursed. The longer they’d run, the looser Junior would get- and there just didn’t seem to be an answer for it. Busch’s story wasn’t radically different. I thought Darrell Waltrip’s comment that Shrub would’ve wrecked that car last year was a keen insight. Busch fought the car, and the car won- but this time Kyle wasn’t stupid about and held on for a solid 3rd place finish.

Edwards’ teammate Matt Kenseth looked as though he might have something for the Missourian. Until a near miss with Juan Pablo Montoya, Kenseth had a good stretch of leading. I’ll bet Kenseth misses Robbie Reiser. It just seems weird to have one of the best pit bosses ever making calls for somebody other than the #17. Kenseth was strong, but like the 41 others that didn’t have the #99 painted on the car- he wasn’t quite strong enough.

Jimmie Johnson looked as good today as he has all season. Johnson took a nice long turn as leader and made some exceptional moves today. Johnson really threaded the needle on a couple of passes and did a great job of hanging onto his Chevy when it got loose. Still, in post race interviews, Johnson admitted he just didn’t have anything for Edwards.

Though Texas Motor Speedway is a track known for parity- we’ve had 13 different winners in 15 Cup races- the Fort Worth track is truly “The House of Roush.” Edwards is the only 2-time winner at TMS, joining Jeff Burton in this select company. Burton’s 1st win at Texas came while driving for “The Cat In The Hat.” Today’s win gives Jack Roush 6 wins at Texas- Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and Mark Martin have won in Roush cars here.

This give me occasion to cut Jack Roush a little slack. I know I’ve made some nasty comments about Roush over “Sway Bargate,” and “Oil Tank Lidgate,” but at the end of the day, he’s one of the savviest minds in the motor sports business. Being the son of a welder/metal fabricator, I can see how Roush might feel a little protective of his handiwork. Roush comes at this with the perspective of an engineer, and it has to be maddening when you find things that you created in somebody else’s shop. I’m not sure the sway bars have done Michael Waltrip any good, but I am growing to understand why Roush made a big deal of it.

Some other random thoughts:

It was nice to see Mark Martin run well today to remind us he’s still got it….It’s a crying shame to see 3 cars in the field with no sponsor on the hood (John Andretti, Travis Kvapil, and David Gilliland)….Nice day for Gilliland to run 15th…David Ragan’s 13th place run proves he’s learning something out there…For all of you that think Jeff Gordon whines too much, I’d say you should’ve seen his in-race interview. No pointing fingers, no whining about the “new car,” just no whining. Period……Some Young Guns sure made some noise…That was quite a dash between Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer at the end…What happened to Kasey Kahne????….

I don’t know this is the best race I’ve ever seen, but as a radio sports guy, I give credit to the FOX boys for some smart insights today. Today was a real education about how a fan could learn about how a car is handling by watching a driver’s hands on the steering wheel.

My “Rocky Balboa Award” goes to Junior and Kevin Harvick. Both of these guys had cars that were horrors and still finished in the top 15. Happy and Earnhardt earned their check today.

I’m not real sure I’m ready to call Edwards a front runner for the Chase this year. And while it’s true that championships aren’t won in April, they can sure be lost in April.

Carl Edwards looks like he really wants to win one.

Fearless Forecast: Who Will Win at Texas?

Predicting a NASCAR winner isn’t like picking a Final Four Winner. When you’re picking a winner in the stick and ball sports, it’s a heck of a lot easier to choose between two teams than it is picking a winner among 43 drivers. I haven’t picked a winner yet this year, but I’ve come darn close with Jeff Gordon finishing second last week, Tony Stewart taking third at Daytona and Junior’s third in Atlanta.

Let me start by saying that I’m choosing this week’s winner on the basis of speed. With in mind, I see the racers from Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing as the teams most likely to produce a winner at Texas Motor Speedway. Looks like a pretty safe bet when you consider that Lil “E” has the pole and he’s joined by Carl Edwards of Roush on the front row. Ryan Newman, one of NASCAR’s premier qualifiers is up towards the front, and then you have some other of the usual suspects in the front of the field: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth.

David Ragan will be someone to watch. The pilot of Mark Martin’s old ride did well at Martinsville, and he’s the front of the pack. Let’s tip a cowboy hat to Mike Skinner. Team Red Bull has been vindicated by their selection of the guy more famous for his truck racing prowess to take the #84 over from A.J. Allmendinger. Their goal? To get in race- which unfortunately A.J. wasn’t doing. Skinner got a 9th position yesterday and he’s been getting his car in the race, so the move pays off. I’m not sure Petty Enterprises move of Chad Mc Cumbee for Kyle Petty really did any good, There will be NO #45 car in tomorrow’s field.

So who will win this? The talking heads over at Yahoo! Sports are going with Carl Edwards. A good choice. Some are saying Jeff Gordonwill get HMS off the 2008 snide. Knowing the resemblence this track bears to Atlanta bodes well for AMS winner Kyle Busch. David Reutimann makes a nice dark horse pick. I think if his equipment can hold up, he looks like a winner. Starting out front will be a boon for “Beak” (a nickname given him in high school because of his prominent schnauz), it will keep him away from the wreckers, which is his problem half the time, getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two time winner Jeff Burtoncan’t be ignored. Niether can Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make history tomorrow. He will do what no other has done at the “Great American Speedway”- win at Texas from the pole. It will be Junior that gives Rick Hendrick his first victory of 2008.

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

This race is about speed and Dale Earnhardt Junior is wicked fast.

Michael McDowell Texas Qualifying Run Crash

Michael McDowell who has taken over the #00 car for David Reutimann got into a horrible wreck during his qualifying lap at Texas going into Turn 1. If you haven’t seen this yet, check out the video. Its pretty amazing to see someone walk away from a crash like that with no scratches! It’s proof that NASCAR has come pretty far with safety, especially with the Car of Tomorrow.

Did You See That???

I just saw the photos of the Michael Mc Dowell crash today. That was unbelievable! Today we saw a classic defense for the car formerly known as the “Car of Tomorrow.” The funny part is, I was originally going to post about the changes that have happened under the watch of Brian France, and offer my defense for those choices, regardless of whether I agreed with them or not. The new car and what its done for NASCAR is now the centerpiece of my defense.

Many fans have complained they hated the car. Heck, even Kyle Busch, the first CoT race winner said it stunk. “It’s too boxy.” “It’s ugly.” “It’s changing racing, and not for the better.” These are just a handful of complaints I’ve heard. We saw today one of the major reasons why the car was developed- for safety. Watching how Mc Dowell hit that wall at Texas Motor Speedway was eerily similar to the way someone else once hit a wall at 180+ m.p.h.- the crash that took the life of Dale Earnhardt. It’s not the same I know, but if you’ve ever been in a collision, all you have to do is increase what happened to you at the speed of that crash and multiply by a factor of at least two, and you get the idea of what happens when you hit an immovable object at that speed. That could have killed him.

I know many of you think that NASCAR is run by incompetent corporate shills. You’re entitled to your opinion. It’s not hard to see how the game has changed and it is the nature of people to hate change. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: all sports have changed if you look over the last 30 years. I’m not suggesting that all changes have been good. I HATE the Top 35 rule! But on the whole NASCAR’s governing body has worked to make the sport better, and generally speaking, I think they have. To their credit, NASCAR has been good about changing up their approach where they’ve seen mistakes made. You gotta give them credit for that.

One of those good changes is the Car of Tomorrow.

Thank God we’re not mourning a driver today.

Pull Your Belts Tight! (Texas Preview)

Up Next: The Samsung/ Radio Shack 500, Texas Motor Speedway, Forth Worth, Texas, Sunday, April 6, 2008, 1:30 p.m. EDT, 10:30 a.m. for those in Rio Linda and points elsewhere in the Pacific. Broadcast on FOX- TV and MRN radio.

Track Facts: TMS is a 1.5 mile oval track with 24-degree banking in the turns and 5-degrees on the straights. This was once home to one of the fastest non-restrictor plate tracks on the circuit with qualifying times that pushed 200 miles per hour in earlier years. Jeff Burton won the first race here in 1997. Two races per year are held at this track. Burton has won more Cup races than any other driver, signalling parity and a good chance we may see yet another different driver winning here. Brandon Gaughan has won four CTS races at Texas. Two Cup drivers have three Nationwide wins in the Lone Star state- Mark Martin and Kevin Harvick- the top two all-time Nationwide winners. Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte have won the most poles, ironic because Labonte has never won at his home state track, and Newman’s in-race performance at TMS doesn’t measure of to his performances elsewhere.

Track Records: Of all people, Brian Vickers holds the qualifying record, with a speed of 196.235 m.p.h. for a lap time of 27.518 seconds back in November, 2005. This was back in Vickers days at HMS. The race record is held by Carl Edwards. On that very same weekend, Edwards ran a race at TMS in 3 hours and 19 minutes, or an average speed of 151.055 m.p.h. Ryan Newman won here the age of 25 years, 3 months and 22 days in 2003 making him the youngest race winner at Texas. Dale Jarrett holds the record for the oldest winner at age 44 years, 4 months, 6 days in 2001. The record for the most caution flags on this fast track is 12, which happened on 3 occasions- most recently the November, 2007 event. The fewest? 6- in 2005.

This will be a different race than what we’ve seen at the last two. Texas is a fast track, with speeds often pushing 200 miles per hour. Speed will be more of a factor, favoring the teams with good equipment and the drivers who can take care of it. Interestingly enough, the winners here tend to be past champions- the Texas honor roll includes Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett and Matt Kenseth. Kurt Busch has also at the Lone Star track in the Nationwide Series.

The hot drivers right now are guys who’ve won in Texas- Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, and Dale Earnhardt all have the highest recent average finishes, and whether it in the CTS, Nationwide or Cup competition, they have wins in Texas. The exception? 4 time Cup titlist Jeff Gordon. Texas and Homestead are the only tracks that “The Rainbow Warrior” has not won at.

I have an opinion as to who will win, you’ll have to read my “Fearless Forecast” Saturday to find out who.

NASCAR Terminology- A NASCAR for Dummies Primer (and a handy guide for the rest of us)

Cowl induction: Now, we’re not talking winning over that surly American Idol judge. Cowl induction is the housing for the air cleaner connects the air intake at the base of the windshield to the carburetor.

Sway (anti-roll) Bar: It’s only fitting given their high visibility presence due to the Jack Roush/ Michael Waltrip flap. This magical part that gets Roush so angry (not the sarcasm her) is used to resist or counteract the rolling force of the car through the turns. Not as influential in making a car go fast as, say, a removed oil tank lid.

Alternate Exit: as opposed to the alternate reality Jack Roush (oops, I did it again) lives in. NASCAR issued a recommendation to teams in 2003 for an alternate exit, more commonly known as a roof hatch. The safety initiative provides drivers with an alternate exit through a “hatch” in the roof of the car in the event of an emergency situation.

That’s all for today folks! Pull your belts tight, ‘cuz its gonna be a fast one!!