News and Notes – August 18, 2010

Announced yesterday Kevin Harvick will officially have sponsorship in 2011 by Budweiser. That’s good, as noted earlier by myself, it’s a good fit in sponsor and driver. The downside? Well for one, Budweiser will only be on the car for 20 races. Now I know that it takes a lot, I can’t stress that enough, a lot of money to run a Cup car now a days. But call me old fashion because I liked the old days where teams had one sponsor, maybe a few special paint schemes along the way. What would you like to see, #29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet or #29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups/Rheem Water Heaters/Realtree Camouflage Chevrolet presented by Brawny Hand Towels. Just saying…And it’s not just Harvick and Budweiser, but DuPont is bowing out from primary sponsorship of Jeff Gordon. Again, they’ll be there, but at a reduced level. What’s happening!? Back to Harvick,
I don’t like the paint scheme, and it has to do with the number. The number is the first thing you see, draws your eyes, which should the sponsor be pulling your eyes? I’m not going to go looking for some 12 packs of 29 Beer? No, I need to be drawn to Budweiser. Need to re-do the number font to something similar to Ken Schrader’s Budweiser car.

Also happening at Richard Childress Racing Paul Menard is bring his lack luster driving “talent” and father’s deep pockets there. Listen, I like the guy, that annoying yellow draws me in like a fly to a light, but he’s been racing NASCAR for seven years now with one win (Nationwide in 2006). Of all the drivers who use family ties to get to this level (think Eric McClure, Brent Sherman, and John Wes Townley) he’s the best. With that line up not sure how much of a compliment it is for him. Maybe he gets with RCR and does awesome next year, I’d be ok eating my words, but my gut is telling me another subpar season awaits.

Our flashback of the week brings us to Jocko Maggiacomo. This driver out of Poughkeepsie, NY ran 23 cup races over a ten year span. Still laughing about the name? What isn’t a laughing matter is why you might know him. He would be the driver who damn near killed Bobby Allison in 1988, but with a name like that, how can you stay mad?

Marcos Ambrose moves to the number 9 car for Richard Petty Motorsports which, as reported earlier by myself, is a great move to make himself top dingo. I can’t wait to see what he can do in this situation.

Finally found Speed Channel for the Truck race tonight, so far, very impressed. Got to see the Whelen Modified race before this, made even better by my boy Ryan Newman winning. Modifieds are what I grew up on and I’m glad Speed takes the time to show them. Hopefully more people get into them. Was hoping former Roush Racing castaway Chuck Hossfeld would have done better, but maybe Jack knows something I don’t know. As for the Truck race, hasn’t started yet but very impressed with the coverage. Anytime you can have Ray Dunlap report for you, good times will be had. Some cool pre-race specials such as a flashback moment and question of the week for the drivers. And pleasantly surprised by Krista Voda’s contribution, did a great job and should be included in the Cup series coverage somehow, and Krista if you’re reading this…congratulations on your recent marriage…sigh.

Kasey Kahne to team Red Bull was an interesting move, but makes the most sense. Don’t have to court a sponsor for him, it’s a competitive team, and he fits their image which they can exploit for a year. What doesn’t make sense about this whole thing (spoiler alert it isn’t Mark Martin staying for another season) it’s that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is there for another year. I know he’s a sponsorship cash cow (think more popular Paul Menard) but has been turning in subpar performances for over three years now (think Paul Menard again). How many chances can this guy get and continue to show he’s no good (think Paul Menard again…again)? I’m pretty sure unless everyone crashes, he won’t win again. He doesn’t have it, he had it when he first came into Cup, he just lost it. The Kyle Petty gene hit him hard and early, a flame out wasn’t planned until about five years from now.

Morgan-McClure Motorsports returned from the dead this weekend to try and get into the Bristol race. I’m sure their four fans are really excited about this. Sense some bitterness? Yeah, there’s some, well A LOT! I followed them in the early 1990s when Kodak sponsored them. My father worked at Kodak so it was a perfect car to follow with that connection. But they got cocky and thought since it worked in 1991, it’ll work in 2001, not paying attention that time and technology changes. So they ran that sponsorship into the ground, and I blame for running out of the sport after a few decent years with Penske, the damage had already been done. Flash to 2003, they had young up and coming driver Johnny Sauter drive their car. Sign him! Sign him! Nope, they didn’t, he goes to RCR, fired within 20 races. The next year (Kodak sponsorship gone) they have Kevin Lepage, fire him, then Johnny is available, what do they do? Jimmy Spencer, sure, why not? I’m sure he’s not old, washed up, terrible, smelly, old, not good, old, terrible, crash prone, old, or anything else. Good decision, wouldn’t change a thing. At least Larry McClure got his after getting sent to Federal prison, imagine that, the Federal government doesn’t like it when you don’t pay taxes, what a concept.

Now I’m angry, let me continue ranting. Rumors fly about a Nationwide chase proposal. Spoiler alert, WORST IDEA EVER! How will that “fix” this series? So now a Cup driver can miss races, if he’s in the top 10, bam, in the chase still can win. Here’s my proposal, cap the number of Cup drivers in each race, then cap the number of races they can make in a year. You sign something at the beginning of the year that you’re main series will be the Cup series, then you pick your races, first come, first served, or better yet have them send in their entries and again first come first served. That’s what you do, don’t further make this into Cup Series light. There already is a Cup Lite Series, and I have a feeling NASCAR is going to find a way to goo that up too.

Alright, Truck race just started, which is awesome, where else can you see Magnum P.I. cover the pits during a NASCAR race? Only on Speed baby! Ray Dunlap left, Magnum P.I. right, you tell me they're not the same person.

Kevin Conway? Really?

I just want our loyal readers to sit back in their seats right now, and think real fast about whom in their minds was the worst rookie of the last 28 years. Right now. You think of it yet? Chances are, of the 4 of you that are reading this, you came up with 4 different answers. Lord knows there is a plethora of good choices. You have guys like Clark Dwyer in 1984 (made 26 of 30 races, led just 1 lap, 0 lead lap finishes), Steve Christman in 1987 (20 of 29 races, DNQ’d for 5 of them, and again 0 lead lap finishes), or the fan favorite Eddie Bierschwale from 1985. I’d list off Eddies incomparable stats, but I’m sure you’re far too busy typing his name into Google to find out how to pronounce his name to care. But those are just a few of the individual rookies that decided to toss their hat into the NASCAR Sprint Cup series through the years. I want to examine a few of the worst CLASSES of rookies to see of which year was the incoming class the absolute worst, if anything just to show the masses that Kevin Freakin’ Conway and the 2010 rookies may suck harder than a Hoover in a power surge, but he may not the leader of the worst class of rookies. Or is he?

Now for a little bit of reasoning and criteria. I chose 1982 and forward, because basically, I was born in 1982 and I have little true knowledge of NASCAR prior to that point. There is no real point to me spouting wisdom about something to which I have little knowledge of. That would just make me a Fox News reporter, and that would be wrong. As well, its just plain easier to just focus on 28 years than it is the entire history of Sprint Cup racing. Who isn’t for easy??? We built this city on easy! And Rock ‘n Roll, but that’s neither here nor there. The actual method I used to select my “Worst Rookie Classes” was pretty basic and simple. In other words, it was completely subjective. I used some statistical analysis (with data strewn from Racing-Reference.info), along with some historical perspective to select whom I feel is the worst class since the Breakfast Club and Carrie. I mean, really, how bad could Kevin Freakin’ Conway and the class of 2010 be when compared to Greg Sacks and Phil Parsons?

With all that said, let’s get on with the dog and pony show!

Year: 1984
Top Driver from this class: Rusty Wallace (pictured)
Why did it suck? Well let’s see. Maybe because the second place finisher in the standings for the Rook’s was the wonderboy, Greg Sacks. He of 14 DNF’s in 29 starts, and an average finish so far below the Mason-Dixon Line, it had its very own tobacco plantation. Finishing right behind Sacks was Start ‘n’ Parks favorite current NASCAR team owner, Phil Parsons, who somehow wrangled 3 top 10s on the year despite not once finishing on the lead lap. Worse, still? Clark Dwyer. While not having the last name of Griswold, one would believe that Clark drove a wood paneled station wagon in most races, as poor as he ran. I can promise you that unless you are a NASCAR historian, or follow the sport as if it is a form of religion, you have no idea who Clark Dwyer is (he DID lead 1 lap though). That alone should tell you how bad this class was. Sure, Rusty came out of the class and turned into one of the greatest drivers of the Modern Era, even grabbing a Cup title. He even ran respectably in his rookie year. But that doesn’t take away from the sheer amount of suck eminating from the remaining members of the Class of 1984. Megan Foxs’ acting in “Jonah Hex” wasn’t this bad.

Year: 1988
Top Driver from his class: Ernie Irvan (pictured)
Why did it suck? I almost just wanted to name the winner of the Rookie of the Year for 1988, and say “That’s why.” Then walk slowly away as some calm, disenchanting music played behind me. But even though the top driver to come out of this class is Ernie Irvan, he didn’t win the award (and by all statistical accounts, didn’t deserve to anyway). The winner in 1988 was Ken Bouchard. No not that Bouchard. The other one. After 1988, he ran only 8 more races in his Cup career, which means his rookie season amounts to nothing more than a dine and dash at Dennys. At least Irvan stuck around to pay the check, collecting 15 wins over the next 12 seasons. However judging by his rookie campaign, it’s a miracle he did, as he never finished on the lead lap and parked it 7 times in 25 starts. What’s the kicker for this season? Brad Noffsinger. He of only 17 races in 1988 for Curb Racing. Of 17 starts, 7 were DNF’s. He averaged a start position of 35th. His finishing average was about the age the Olson Twins will probably OD on some sort of designer drug (25). He never raced in Sprint Cup again which came as a shock to no one. So, to summarize, this class stunk.

Year: 1989
Top Driver from his class: Dick Trickle (*giggle* pictured)
Why did it suck? First of all, the winner of the Rookie of the Year was born in the Jurrasic period, that should be reason enough. Just when you think that a rookie class headed by a guy named Dick Trickle couldn’t possibly stink worse than John Candy after a night at the buffet, bam! We hit you with some knowledge. The rookie class included Hut Stricklin, who had a minimal 6 did-not-finishes, by rookie standards, out of his 27 starts, but ranked last in the class with a starting spot of 28th on the grid. You don’t run well when you start three quarters deep in the field every race. Running just behind them, was Larry Pearson. He obviously didn’t receive the talent gene in the Pearson pool. Even worse for Larry, he was the only one of the class to not improve on his starting position on average, starting 21st every race, just to end up one back in 22nd. In his defense, those 11 times he did not finish in 29 starts really does hold back that average. Should I mention Jimmy Spencer, Mr. Excitement? Meh. He didn’t amount to much, wrecking out in 9 of his 17 starts. I won’t even venture further into that monstrosity. Probably ate too much of his sponsor (Crisco). Rarely did anyone in this class even sniff the lead lap, with the exception of Dick Trickle and his 7 lead lap finishes. Yes, I do plan on saying his full name, Dick Trickle, every chance I can get. Dick Trickle. No wonder ESPN always spotlighted him, his name, Dick Trickle, is just darn funny!

Year: 2008
Top driver from his class: Regan Smith (really? ...pictured. begrudgingly.)
Why did it suck? This class is still very young, in the sense that in NASCAR Sprint Cup now a days, its very hard to just jump in a ride and go fast. But now that we are 2 years removed, I think it is now pretty safe to start making points based on their performance. And lets just say, that performance left a lot to be desired. Regan Smith brought home the title of Rookie of the Year, despite not garnering 1 single solitary top 10, and even missing a couple races. Sam Hornish Jrs’ experiment coming from the likes of open wheel racing for Penske was a total disaster, as he missed 2 races, and tore up more cars than he brought home clean. Don’t even get me started on how many provisionals he had to use just to make the field every week. Patrick Carpentier may have been awful, but at least he got a pole at Loudon. When you’re done reading this, please tell me how THAT happened. Anyway, besides those three wonderkinds, we had Michael McDowell, who is more famous for his spectacular flip at Texas during qualifying than anything he ever did on Sundays. So basically, this class looking back, really has nothing going for it. The top driver now races for a team that is one small step away from being a start ‘n’ park (Regan Smith). Another is barely hanging on despite some strong runs in the last year (Hornish). Two others barely get a breath of gas fumes yet alone a decent ride to run in any of NASCARs top series (Carpentier and McDowell). This rookie bunch just goes to show you…….actually, I have no idea what it shows you. How many ways can you describe “bad” without repeating yourself?

Year: 2010
Top driver from this class: Kevin Freakin’ Conway
Why does it suck? Where do I start….First things first, lets’ get this fact out of the way. Kevin Freakin’ Conway does not deserve to be in a NASCAR Sprint Cup race car. In any way. The prevailing commonallity in a lot of the guys that we have mentioned in previous seasons is that they were selected by their owners because in some way, shape or form, they showed some exceptional talent in another series or lower divison. What has Kevin Freakin’ Conway done to deserve a top series ride? Oh yea….he brought along Extenze sponsorship. Great. Not only does he suck, he promotes a drug that makes me get a humongo hoo-hoo dilly on a weekly basis. He really is worthless, and looking at his statistics, it just affirms the fact that this guy needs to go. His average start is 40th, keeping in mind that only 43 cars start any given race. His average finish is 32nd. Mike could get 32nd in his stock 2009 Malibu. Heck, I could probably pull that off in my Aveo. I just want to sit here and spout off for the next 8 paragraphs just how much Kevin Freakin’ Conway is a gigantic waste of NASCAR space. Can anyone give me one good reason why Conway has a ride, yet other drivers who are far better at being mediocre toil around in the Nationwide series? No one can tell me Steve Wallace wouldn’t be able to get a top 25 average finish in a car, if Conway can’t even crack the top 30. This guy is the biggest joke since Carrot Tops “career”. The only thing he’s succeeded at is making me laugh at him every week. If he races outside of 2010 in any of the top three series, I will be utterly shocked. He alone makes mentioning the remaining rookies not even worth the effort. They could all be Dale Earnhardt reincarnates, but the amount of sucktitude he has kills any decency the others may have brought to the table. Oh wait he carries full sponsorship into 2011? Looks’ like we’re stuck with him. *sigh*

So looking back at all those numbers and all that information, it really does become clear that Kevin Freakin’ Conway and the rookie class of 2010 really is the worst in the last 28 years. The sport in its current form needs high talent, high marketability rookies to tout going into the next decade. Aging superstars like Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin (he was born around the time of Dick Trickle), and yes even Jimmie Johnson, they won’t be around forever. NASCAR needs new blood, and this years rookies just will not cut it. Brent Sherman need not apply. Joey Logano is a step in the right direction, but he’s just one fish in a big pond. We need another early 90s blitz, with Burton, Gordon, Bobby Labonte, and later in the decade the emergence of Kurt Busch and Dale Jr, along with Kenseth. Where will next years rookie class rate? Along side the guys just mentioned, or are we looking at 1984 all over again? NASCAR has no where to go but up, but Kevin Freakin’ Conway is not going to help.

Oh yea, I forgot. Dick Trickle.

Rapid Reaction Watkins Glen

Rapid Reaction to the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen from Watkins Glen

A very special Rapid Reaction for you all I’m going to jump into the memory lane machine and relive the races I’ve been to. Congratulations to Juan Pablo Montoya on the win, had the best car, and needed this win.

1992 Bud At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Kyle Petty

Very first race and got to sit on the front stretch across from the pits, which was notable because my driver Davey Allison had broken his wrist (and other things) two weeks before and had a driver change we got to see. Also met Ernie Irvan, who spent more time trying to get out of giving us his autograph than actually signing stuff. To an eight year old kid he might as well have kicked my dog being my second favorite driver, thanks Ernie, you prick. Only 51 of 90 laps run due to rain. Check out Kyle's flowing locks from back in the day.

1993 Bud At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Mark Martin
We moved our seats to the inner loop, it was alright there. Slight upgrade from the front stretch, but not the best still. Mark’s first of three wins in a row. Nothing really of note here other than this was the race Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt crashed in the esses, which we heard about as my Mom made us leave early. Thanks Mom!

1995 Bud At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Mark Martin
Missed 1994 due to a cross country trip, my Dad didn’t think we’d be back in time. Of course we were, but oh well. Moved our seats to the Red/White/Blue section in the esses. Of course no dramatic finish like in 1993 to witness.

1996 Bud At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Geoffrey Bodine

Same seats as in 1995, my driver of the time Ken Schrader ran upfront all day, then dropped back near the end opening up the win for Bodine, his last in his career. At the time I thought that was the worst race ever because of him winning, now looking back that wasn’t and historically it was good to see a Bodine win at the Glen.

1997 Bud At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Jeff Gordon
Gordon starts his strangle hold on the race, nothing much of note here.

1998 Bud At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Jeff Gordon
Ditto.

1999 Kmart 400 – Michigan: Winner Dale Jarrett
First time out to Michigan for a race and it was a snoozer. No cautions, Jarrett leads 150 of 200 laps, race over in 2 hours and 18 minutes. Welcome to Michigan.

1999 Frontier @ The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Jeff Gordon
New name for the event and Gordon dominated, led 55 of 90 laps. Nothing really jumps out in the memory bank about this one.

2000 Kmart 400 – Michigan: Winner: Tony Stewart
Rain shorted race saw 194 of 200 laps completed. Most vivid memory was seeing the guy in front of me with a brand new red hat that once it rained, began running red ink onto his white shirt. No wonder we pay those Chinese kids 5 cents an hour, look at the quality they’re putting out!

2000 Global Crossings @ The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Steve Park

Local boy Steve Park (East Northport, NY) gets his first win at his “home” track. Very good to see, also led 53 of 90 laps enroute.

2000 UAW-GM Quality 500 – Charlotte: Winner Bobby Labonte
Dale Jarrett got his by crashing on lap 158, make me watch the most boring race ever last year at Michigan you prick! Coolest part about this was stopping at all the race shops on the way down in the Mooresville area. Also scored Harry Gant’s autograph that weekend, that was cool.

2001 Kmart 400 – Michigan: Winner Jeff Gordon
Last trip to Michigan saw Gordon lead 143 of 200 laps beating my driver Ricky Rudd.

2001 Pennsylvania 500 – Pocono: Winner Bobby Labonte
Of course Rudd won the first Pocono race and not the one I go to. At least I got his autograph that weekend. Labonte came out of nowhere to beat Earnhardt, Jr. for the win. Race wasn’t that bad in person, but I’ve said it, this race on TV is too long and too boring!

2001 Global Crossings @ The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Jeff Gordon
Why doesn’t he just win every race I go to! I got Kevin Lepage’s autograph that day, not too broken up that I can’t find it anymore. This was annoying because that day I was pulling for Robby Gordon, and what have I said? This guy if he didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck. The box that houses the information sent to the TV broadcast (i.e. speed, braking, etc) blows up in his car. Only reason this was cool, since I was using a scanner I knew before anyone else what happened, given away with my very loud expletive I let out.

2002 Daytona 500 – Daytona: Winner Ward Burton

Thanks to Jeff Gordon running into Kevin Harvick to trigger a crash to eliminate most of the field, Ward Burton won this race. This, my friends, was the single worst race ever. I finally go to Daytona, and Ward Burton wins!? Being there for a week and a half was cool, just mad expensive for all the races. Nearly $200 for one ticket for the 500! Again, Ward Burton? And to think I was complaining about Jeff Gordon winning all the time.

2002 Sirius Satellite Radio At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Tony Stewart
Tony picks up the win over my new (and current favorite) Ryan Newman.

2003 Pontiac Excitement 400 – Richmond: Winner Joe Nemechek
Just below Ward Burton on the “if I could pick anyone to NOT win today’s race” list Front Row Joe would be up there. Another rain shortened race, 393 of 400 laps completed. Also notable for Jerry Nadeau getting messed up in a practice crash just before we got to the track.

2003 Sirius Satellite Radio At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Robby Gordon
Robby picked up the win after leading 30 of the 90 laps. I was happy, splitting my time cheering for him and Newman at this point. Notable as Johnny Miller’s second career start…don’t know who he is? Look it up.

2004 Sirius At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Tony Stewart

This Stewart guy is going to keep winning here, so we should all accept it. No qualifying this year, but this track is notorious for rain outs for qualifying. 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008 all rained out. Plus there was a few times we had to leave (to get home at a good time) before it could start because of rain.

2005 Sirius Satellite Radio At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Tony Stewart
Apparently “Satellite Radio” is cool again to put on the name. Oh yeah, Stewart led 83 of 90 laps, wish I had brought a pillow.

2006 AMD At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Kevin Harvick
I almost forgot this one, my Dad was excited as a Kevin Harvick fan. Random title sponsor, AMD as in the chip maker. Not those chips, chips like Intel, nice of me to mention a competitor that’s much better known to describe what they do.

2007 Centurion Boats At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Tony Stewart
Stewart kept it to 20 laps led this time around. Curious name again, because when I think boats, I think NASCAR.

2008 Centurion Boats At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Kyle Busch

Busch is a turd, but had the best car that day, led 52 of 90 laps. Got to see Marcos Ambrose run up front and that was fun. Side note, anyone from Australia/New Zealand, I can’t ever imagine them being angry. The accent makes them sound so happy all the time. Let's not forget when Harvick and Montoya tried to talk out problems on the track...with their fists!

2009 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Tony Stewart
This one doesn’t really count. I had a ticket, was there Sunday, but rain (again with the rain!) forced it to Monday. I kept track of it work, big crash with Sam Hornish, Jr. and Jeff Gordon and that Ambrose character finished second.

2010 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips At The Glen – Watkins Glen: Winner Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya had the dominate car, leading 74 of 90 laps. Our section cheered for Ambrose, but unless he crashed Montoya, he wasn’t going to win.

To conclude, I’ve been to a few races (25) to be exact. So if you ever go “what makes you think you’re an expert?” that is what makes me an expert on the fan experience. It was always nice to go see another track, but my heart is always with my home track of Watkins Glen.

Watkins Glen - Saturday

5:30 am - That's right, we're doing this thing early! Gotta get to Watkins Glen and beat all the traffic, that and I was too lazy to run errands last night after work. We're looking at leaving by 6:30 to be down at the Glen by 8:30 am.

8:45 pm- Arrived at the track.

9:00 am - First beers!

9:41 am- Walked into the track the blow cash, check out the chicks, and get free samples!

10:41 am - Blew through a ton of cash on 1/64th scale cars to pad my collection. Scored myself a Justin Allugair Verizon hat. Suck it Matt Bush! AT&T my ass. 10:51 am - Back to the car to drop off my loot and eat some subs. Cup qualifying going on. Montoya, R. Gordon, J. Gordon, and Menard last I saw.

1:25 pm - Back to the track, qualifying over Edwards, McMurray (? What did I miss?), Montoya, and Allmendinger top 5.

1:50 pm - Driver introductions. Drivers I'm cheering: Justin Allgair, Jacques Villenuve, Kevin Harvick, and Marcos Ambrose.

2:01 pm - National anthem time.

2:09 pm - Engines on! Kyle Busch looking for win 10 on the year, hopefully it doesn't happen.

2:28 pm - Brendan Gaughan looped it in one, Ambrose still leads.

2:45 pm - Pit stops started about lap 10, going for the work backwards strategy. Added bonus didn't realize my boy Newman was in this race. Ambrose in lap 17, let's see if streching it will hurt him.

2:50 pm - Caution out lots of action. 05 blew a left front, Menard. Booted Raines, and Harvick too fast on pit road. Logano was leading Ambrose, shows the difference in pitting early to late.

8:36 pm - So we kind of cut off here, well what ended up happening is when I was filming a restart there was about a 15 car pile up right in front of us! My youtube video. It was awesome I had the phone camera going, but with that in mind it killed the battery. So I had to decided between more pictures (maybe video) instead of continuing the blog and maybe missing some things. It was a fun, annoying haha, process of trying to keep you all informed. Unfortunitly I would need a lap top to make it easier to update and keep focus on what is going on. With that, there will be no Sunday blogging from the track. What you will see is that on my way back, battery power provided, I will try to post my reaction to the event. And if you thought I was kidding about blowing through money, 11 1/64th scale cars later...Until tomorrow, thanks for stopping by!

Rapid Reaction to the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 from Pocono Raceway

- Can I first say I still don’t like Pocono. Its’ too long of a race, and just plain boring.
At the track, I went in 2000, it wasn't so bad. I was totally ok missing parts of the race for a family function. On that note, I do like that with my Droid X I could keep track of things so I’d seem sort of intelligent today.

- Another quick house keeping item, I want to expand on something I touched on earlier this week. With Bobby Labonte, I got off topic, and I hope at some point he realizes he has the ability to be the first, maybe only, person to win the championship in all three top series. He got the two hardest out of the way, cap your career right with a Truck championship. Only Greg Biffle is poised to complete it, but he has to get a Cup title and I don’t see that happening.

- Elliott Sadler: I’m not suggesting there was a connection between posting that picture of him out clubbing’ and nearly dying in today’s race….but it makes you think.
Enter me trying to find a picture of Jimmie Johnson clubbing. But on a serious note, it is great to see drivers get out of cars after wrecks like that with nothing more than the wind knocked out of them. We’ve come a long way in nine years since Dale Earnhardt, which is light years from Neil Bonnett and J.D. McDuffie back in the 1990s.

- I hate to admit it, but good to see Ford in victory lane for the first time this year. Not sure why they fell so far off, but if they just want this one we can have Chevys, er, Chevrolet win on out. This is why in the end Jimmie Johnson winning isn’t as bad as it could be.

- Like the call by Sam Hornish, Jr’s team to try and steal one. Why not? What else do they got going on over there? Almost scored him a second place finish had his tires held up.

- The announcers got it right, Jeff Gordon has to be so sick of having the car to beat and not having the wins to show for it. I keep joking with Greg that he’s washed up, but that cat is scoring top 5’s and top 10’s left and right. Annoying part is I bet he gets a win, but cheaply, i.e. rain or fuel mileage versus dominating.

- Speaking of the announcers, check out Bump Draft and you’ll notice a great post by someone named “Michael.” I know what you’re thinking, and yes, that’s me, I get around. But more so, some great points from other fans that under score what I usually complain about. Are these guys terrible? No, not yet, we’re not talking TNT levels here, but they’re not, well, good. Room for improvement, and if ESPN needs my resume I’ll be more than happy to fax one over.

- Back to winner Biffle, he’s compiled a pretty good career while very silently doing that,
minus when Kevin Harvick almost beat him up. That was his 15th Cup win, has 20 Nationwide and Truck wins, plus a championship in each of those divisions.

- Another good run for Harvick, soon to be Budweiser spokesman. I think that’s a heck of a better fit that Kasey Kahne for them. Harvick looks like a beer drinker, Kahne I assume drinks mojitos when’s he prowling the town with Elliott Sadler.

- With this weekend in the books, I’m excited for Watkins Glen and to do some real time blogging. If you haven’t heard, I’ll be posting updates all day from the track. It’ll be like I’m a real NASCAR reporter or something, so keep checking it all day Saturday and Sunday.

The whos and the whats.....

Some recent musings about the goings-on in NASCAR:



- Why is Carl Edwards not suspended? The man almost kills a driver not once, but twice in the course of a season, and makes no bones about the fact that it was 100% intentional, yet all he gets docked is a few points in a series he’s not even running full time, and a few thousand bucks? Are you kidding me NASCAR? Where is the line? Does someone have to die in order for someone to be properly disciplined? Ok, don’t get me wrong. I love bumpin’ and rubbin’ as much as any guy. I grew up watching NASCAR in the 80s and 90s, I saw Dale Earnhardt at his best. Richmond in the 80s against Waltrip, Bristol in the 90s against Terry Labonte, I’ve seen him work. Those two examples are what I call rubbin’ and racin’. Neither driver was put in any true danger, and the result was nothing more than a few bruised egos and some harsh words. Flash forward to 2010, and you see Edwards taking out Keselowski at Atlanta, causing him to flip on his roof and land dangerously against the wall. Then flash forward to Gateway in the Nationwide Series, and here comes Edwards putting Keselowski in another precarious position, putting him perpendicular to the field (at speed no less), getting him broadsided by drivers who had no place else to go. That’s not rubbin’. That’s not racin’. That’s borderline attempted manslaughter, as Ryan Newman so eloquently put it. It’s one thing to bump a guy up a lane, or yes even spin him out harmlessly, in order to take the checkers. But to put a guy inches from death for no other reason than he rubbed you the wrong way the lap before, or in a race prior, that deserves a week or two off, and some stiff monetary penalties from NASCAR. Way to drop the ball again, France family.


- What ever happened to Bobby Labonte? I remember the late 90s when I was truly starting to get heavy into NASCAR after being a casual fan for the first part of my life, and the races always seemed to come down to Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte. Those four drivers always seemed to be right there at the end, no matter the circumstances. It even culminated in a title for Big Bobby in 2000. But since then? Sure, Jeff Burton had a down period as well, where he went from constant title contender to also-ran. But the last couple years he’s picked things up back to where he’s a constant race contender. Mark Martin is the ageless wonder who just won’t go away no matter what. Jeff Gordon, well, he’s just Jeff Gordon, maybe not getting the W’s but he’s not having any shortage of top5s and 10s. But Bobby Labonte went from a top dawg, top driver in NASCAR to driving the #71 TaxSlayer.com Chevy part time, and just announced he’ll be taking over the #47 Toyota for JTG/Daugherty Racing from Marcos Ambrose. So what happened? I find it hard to believe he just suddenly lost his talent, or his drive to win. I always like to think once a driver loses one or both of those, he should just walk away (see: Kyle Petty 1995 and on….). I’m curious to see how he will do in the #47 as that has been proven by Ambrose on many occasion to be a decent, solid to 20 ride. Will Bobby show some promise and maybe get one last trip to victory lane, or will he fade into the sunlight as just another also-ran? I guess it’s just a wait and see.


- Kevin Conway is in line to win the Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year. Kevin. Conway. Just let that one settle in for a minute.


- Does anyone else find it hard to believe that a Ford has yet to reach victory lane this year? With a super-team like Roush out on the prowl, I find it hard to believe it myself. Chevy will always be top dawg in NASCAR for the fact that it always seems to be the most well represented manufacturer, regularly recording superior driver counts in the top 3 NASCAR series, therefore more wins and titles. However, up until the last decade, Ford has always been able to put out an equal product on the track, frequently winning just as many races as Chevy. In fact, through the history of NASCAR, Chevy only beats Ford in number of wins by just a shade under 70 (As of this writing, 661 for Chevy, 595 for Ford). This is a mere drop in the bucket in the history of racing. So whats the deal? Is it the new FR9 engine they debuted last month? I doubt that, as no wins have been lost because the new engine blew, and no one has complained about lack of horsepower to my knowledge. It shouldn’t be the car, since at this point we are racing Spec cars anyway with negligible differences. Hopefully soon I can examine this a little more in depth and see if I can figure it out, because I’m totally stumped.


- Kevin. Conway. Just saying.


- I read recently that Richard Petty may be losing his presence in the garage in 2011, with sponsorship hard to come by. Losing Kasey Kahne to Hendrick is a mighty blow. That’s a guy I’d love to build a team around. But when you surround him with the likes of “Dinger” and Elliott Sadler, it’s hard not to blame him for walking. But next year, Dinger isn’t signed. Sadler expressed a desire to not have to sue his owner in order to get a ride, so he’s out. The only driver that’s rumored to be coming to the crew is Marcos Ambrose, who is a decent #2 but no way would I ever market him as my top driver. My priority if I was Petty would be to sign Dinger ASAP, as my #2 driver, because he’s shown a ton of promise this year and a few times has been right there at the end. He could get a W this year, and in my eyes he will next year. Ambrose I would bring on as my #2a-#3 guy, because he’s got some good experience and can pull a good run out of his rear every now and again. But, who is out there to be the #1? Mark Martin is too old and still technically under contract with Hendrick, so don’t bother. Paul Menard is nothing more than sponsorship fluff since he’s just terrible. The only one that’s worth the while as a #1 would be Jamie McMurray. But with Jamie, DEI would be plain old stupid to let him go. Maybe someone will fall into their laps, but if a few deals don’t come to fruition, it is entirely possible that Richard Petty may not be in the garage area next season. And to that, I weap. The King is to NASCAR like John Madden is to the NFL. He’s almost as big a name as the sport itself, and to move on without him just doesn’t seem right. Good luck, Richard, I sure hope it all works out in the end and you have your team on the track next year!


- Ok. Seriously. Kevin Fucking Conway is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. How is anyone OK with this?????






Until next time……

Where’s Start ‘N’ Park?

Many of you have been wondering if we at Start ‘N’ Park made like our name, came out strong, then mailed it in for the check. True we’ve been a little quiet, but we’re cooking up some good items for you. But don’t be sad, I’ll touch on a few topics here now.

I can honestly say I did not get to watch most of the last race, so I couldn’t do any sort of recap that did it justice. I will say great run by Jamie McMurray and crew, and way to prove that Daytona 500 win wasn’t a fluke. It also reaffirmed that there is no real “Earnhardt” at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Heck, I saw more of Felix Sabates that ghost owner Teresa Earnhardt. I don’t even associate that with being any remains of Dale Earnhardt Inc, and that’s sad because Dale Earnhardt built that into an empire just to have it crumble after he died. My proposal is that they just get rid of the “Earnhardt” in the name, Chip and Felix should just give Teresa a big check (like she needs another) and send her on her merry way.

Official, Bobby Labonte will drive the #47 Toyota next year for JTG Daugherty Racing next year. I like the move, the team has shown the ability to run up front. I believe I’m in the minority of people who thinks, if given a good car, Bobby Labonte can still race. Will he win? No, but I’m thinking he’ll collect a good number of top 10s next year. Well, he certainly can’t do any worse than this year. This all came to light because Marcos Ambrose. He took them as far as he could take them, and if the rumors are true, him heading to Richard Petty Motorsports, he’ll become the alpha dog. The best thing for RPM is to scale down to a two car team, maybe three if Paul Menard and his dad’s deep pockets want to stay. What’s the old motto? Less is more, and in racing that is the case. I think this team has stretched itself too thin the last few years just trying to keep four entries out there. Bring back AJ Allmendinger, maybe Menard and I stress maybe, and this could be a sleeper team out there.

With that in mind, unlike ESPN’s Marty Smith, I don’t believe Elliott Sadler has anything left in the tank. Not at the Cup level anyways. Here’s where I wish drivers who are almost too old would move down series, preferred the Camping World Truck Series. Best case is the dominate and win races, might not be paying the same as Cup, but at this point it shouldn’t be about the money. Remember when Mark Martin said he’d stop running Cup for the Trucks (ah, NASCAR's Brett Favre), then dominated the year before? That sort of thing. At what point is running at the back any fun? Bobby Hamilton showed that before he died, run the truck series and have fun. While re-reading this I realized I had gotten away from my original point of doing some Elliott Sadler bashing. Well, since pictures are worth a thousand words, here's a good one. And I thought he just looked goofy racing, I stand corrected.

You want to fix the Nationwide Series? Well, make it what it originally was, it’s own series! More stand alone races will discourage drivers from running both series. Any track that can’t get a Cup race should get the Nationwide and they should use that to reach all sorts of tracks, you know, like how it used to be?

I can understand if you just got stuck at the Sadler picture and can't stop laughing, but remember, you can always go back.

That sets me up for my last rant; Brian France wants to tinker with the Chase for the Cup again. During his reign he has done everything to appease casual fans and sponsors/people with money. All you have to do is go back to your core product to make ratings better, have people come out, and just produce something worth giving a crap about. I like NASCAR because it’s NOT football, baseball, hockey, or basketball. Stop trying to make it that way with this stupid playoff system. Ask the drivers what they like, everyone but Jimmie Johnson would say one point systems all year long. But alas, Brian France would rather line his already deep pockets but selling out the fans that made this sport what it is. Apparently he went through the same schooling as Teresa Earnhardt. Any irony in that he looks like a funeral director?

One last point, pending Verizon Wireless screwing up my order, I should have my brand new Droid X in the next few days. How does that benefit you? Well, there will be more posts and blogs because of it! Exciting, I know, and it will specifically be around Watkins Glen. Since I am going to the Saturday and Sunday festivities I plan on posting as much as I can to keep you all informed to what you’re missing. Joining me on the trip will be good friend Matt Bush (Jimmie Johnson fan), my father Kevin (Kevin Harvick fan), and an unnamed fourth person. So keep your eyes peeled for that in a few weeks, August 7th and 8th.