Junior Nation Goes Wild

Which would include me as well, just in case you didn't know.

Yesterday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the NASCAR season opening Daytona 500 after a ten year stretch since he won the last one, and also ending a 57 race winless streak. You could see every year that the Steve Letarte led Hendrick team was gelling and it was all coming together. Two years ago Dale's season was torpedoed when he removed himself from driving the car for several races due to continuing ill effects from a concussion. Last year Dale just couldn't get around his Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson for the win at the Daytona 500. There were other races - where he was in the lead but had to nurse the car for fuel mileage, and Kevin Harvick ran him down and passed for the win.

Then there was the Nationwide series, where a joint effort between Richard Childress Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Inc. (headed by Sr.'s widow Theresa), and JR Motorsports (Dale Jr.'s and his sister Kelly's race organization) would field a throwback tribute to Dale Sr., in yellow and blue just like back in the day, and with the number three, at the summer Nationwide race at Daytona. Jr. that race, but he said he'd never run the three again - the incredible expectations and pressure to win were just too much. He managed to pull it off that time, but as he has said so many times in the past that he is not his father.

They certainly have completely different personalities and driving styles. Junior is his own man who leans upon his sister. I can totally relate right there.

At any rate, Junior fought to the lead in the closing laps and had a dominant enough car to cut off any advances, kill the air behind him and so on to stay up front. He also had a car that was very strong on restarts - he got the jump on everyone several times and stayed in control of the race. The white flag found him in the lead, and a crash and last second yellow that froze the field's order kept him in the lead.

He really didn't need that, he was in no danger of losing the lead.

But during all those restarts Junior Nation was sweating. What if someone side drafted Junior too closely and cut a tire or damaged the car irreparably? What is someone got the jump on Junior? What if a stout line freight trained him and put him ten places back or so?

All of these were distinct possibilities, but it was Dale's day. He crossed the finish line first and won the race.

Plus, he joined Twitter!

Tonight seemed like as good a night as any to join Twitter. How is everyone doin? #2XDaytona500Champ pic.twitter.com/4k4JVA7fG9
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 24, 2014

Junior had been resisting joining Twitter for some time, but he obviously had the name reserved and kept away from squatters, etc.

All this time, we the devoted kept the faith. Many did not, voicing their impatience on one of the several SiriusXM Radio NASCAR channel, or on the many NASCAR themed websites and so on.

Rick Hendrick kept the faith. Of course, Junior is a money making marketing machine - from the souvenir sales (through the roof) or just Junior endorsing a product - he pulls in some serious Madison Avenue bucks.

However, it's not about the money with these guys. Hey, they ain't stupid - they're gonna make what they can, but honestly - they are there to race and win. Rick could get out and go run his gigantic auto empire, but he has committed his efforts towards giving his drivers the best equipment he can manage to produce. And it is good stuff, so much that others such as Tony Stewart lease it. And they like it.

Dale could go home and run his Whiskey River bars and sit on his continually growing merchandise income. He about knocked himself out of a functioning brain when he had his concussion issues, but as soon as he was healthy, he was back in his car racing.

So I congratulate Dale Jr. for his persistence in the face of surmounting losses. He and his team prevailed - they finally got it to click, the shots started falling in and everyone else missed their tackles. It's been a long drought, but the wait was well worth it.

Now on to a  Sprint Cup Championship!

It Was A Dark Day

Thirteen years ago today NASCAR President Mike Helton stood before a group of anxious racing journalists and fans watching the sports channels and said:  "We've lost Dale Earnhardt."

Things have changed since that day. Drivers tend to walk away from crashes similar to the one that killed Dale because of the HANS device and other major safety improvements in the car and at the tracks. There are not as many NASCAR fans at the tracks nor watching the races on television, either. While many argue that is due to a bad economy and other reasons, I strongly suspect that many casual fans were turned off when the sport's major hero was killed.

But that all came later and has been a steady evolution that has not finished. It was just a shockingly sad day to be a NASCAR fan and in particular if you were an Earnhardt fan, which clearly I was and still am.

“You can’t let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones.” - Dale Earnhardt

Sad Anniversary

Twenty years ago today Davey Allison perished from injuries sustained when he failed to land his helicopter properly in a confined area at Talledega Speedway. He was the son of NASCAR legend Bobby Allison and the nephew of Bobby's brother and fellow legend Donnie. The Allisons, Red Farmer (who was in the crash and is still alive), Davey, Neil Bonnett, Hut Stricklin and Jimmy Means were all part of a group loosely called The Alabama Gang, because they were all from Alabama.

Larry McReynolds, who is now a color commentator and racing analyst for Fox, TNT and a columnist for FoxSports.co, was hired to be his crew chief and they had quite a bit of success. It was assumed that Davey would eventually win the Winston Cup - he mixed it up regularly with Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Bill Elliot, Richard Petty, and Rusty Wallace, all champions as well.

NASCAR has more than a bit of nepotism built right in. Right now, there are several rising stars that are sons of former drivers - Jeb Burton (son of Ward Burton) and Chase Elliot (son of Bill) are a couple that pop into my head. But, there are no more Allisons for NASCAR.

And during that time, drivers weren't just getting killed on the track, no, they were dying in aircraft as well. The very same year Davey died, Alan Kulwicki, the newly crowned Cup champion, was killed in a crash in his sponsor's plane (Hooters).

But these days, they all seem to die on the track.

R.I.P. Dick Trickle

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In a sport liberally populated with memorable characters, Dick Trickle stood out.

At about noon on Thursday, the Lincoln County Communications Center received a call indicating that there would be a dead body at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, and it would be the speaker's. Return calls to the number went unanswered. Crews arriving at the scene found Trickle's body lying near his pickup truck.

At the moment, no one knows why.

His name alone made him memorable and the butt of late night comedians' jokes for years. The fact is that he was a hard nosed race car driver who was quite successful in regional racing across the nation. He never did win a Winston/Sprint Cup race, but he did win in the Busch/Nationwide series.

I remember when Dick Trickle finally won a #NASCAR Busch race, Hickory '97. In Victory Lane he says "I get free beer, right?"
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) May 16, 2013

From all accounts, he would have made an excellent ambassador for a beer sponsor.

One reason he didn't excel in the top tier of NASCAR's hierarchy is that he didn't start until most drivers had retired - he won the Rookie of the Year honors in 1989 - at the young age of 48. Mark Martin is the "old man of the sea" in NASCAR right now, and he is currently 54, but he started in NASCAR before Dick, in 1981. 

He was also from Wisconsin - a rarity in NASCAR back in the day. He said and did what he wanted, political correctness be damned. He was probably the last of the blatantly public cigarette smokers in high profile stock car series - the video shows him lighting up one during a caution. Not long after that, NASCAR's high command decided that had to stop. He had permission before - but the powers that be decided it was detrimental to their image. He had cigarette lighters installed in his cars, and in some helmets he had holes drilled to insert a cigarette.

I had the opportunity to see him in person at Texas Motor Speedway many moons ago. We happened to be in the infield in the area between the two series' garages during practice. The Busch series had wrapped up, and the Winston Cup was getting ready to start. The "double dippers (drivers who had entered both races) were hustling across that area to get to their Winston rides. Dick and Michael Waltrip were walking and talking together - Dick hurriedly burning one. It was quite a contrast - Michael is 6'5", and Dick was considerably shorter. For every two steps Mikey made, I think poor Dick had to make three or four.

He was a legend in stock car circles in and around Wisconsin and much of the Midwest area. His kind isn't made much anymore, nor are they all that welcome. Truly a shame, and I hope he found rest from what ever was driving him to suicide.

Rest in peace, race car driver.

Sigh......

Happy Birthday, man. Miss ya.

Twenty Years Ago Today

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Alan Kulwicki, reigning Winston (now Sprint) Cup Champion , lost his life in a plane crash along with key crew members and personnel involved with Hooter's - his primary sponsor. It was their plane.


Alan was a significant personage in NASCAR history because he bootstrapped his way to the top. His pit crews were often volunteers, and Alan's education as an engineer was key in setting up his cars. At one point, he had no sponsors. Hooter's sponsored car was unable to make the race in question, and asked to talk to Alan. A one race deal was struck, and at the Atlanta 500 he scored am eighth place finish. This led to a continuing relationship between Hooters and Alan.

The car was a Ford Thunderbird. Later, Alan campaigned NASCAR to allow him to change the nameplate from "Thunderbird" to "Underbird" to note his underdog status, and they allowed it.

He won his Championship in one of the closest races ever in the pre-Chase days.

The 1992 Hooters 500, the final race of the 1992 season, is considered one of the most eventful races in NASCAR history.^[47] It was the final race for Richard Petty and the first for Jeff Gordon.^[47] Six drivers were close enough in the points standings to win the championship that day.^[48] Allison led second-place Kulwicki by 30 points, Bill Elliott by 40, Harry Gant by 97, and Kyle Petty by 98 and needed to finish sixth or better to clinch the championship.^[49] Kulwicki received approval from NASCAR and Ford to change the "Thunderbird" lettering on his bumper for the race to "Underbird" because he felt like the underdog in the contention for the championship.^[50] During Kulwicki's first pit stop, the first gear in the car's transmission broke.^[20] Andrews said, "We had to leave pit road in fourth gear, because we had broken metal parts in there, and only by leaving it in fourth are you not going to move metal around as much. We could only hope that the loose piece of metal didn't get in there and break the gears in half. We had three or four pit stops after it broke. I held my breath all day long."^[20] Allison was racing in sixth place, closely behind Ernie Irvan, when Irvan's tire blew with 73 (of 328) laps left in the event.^[49] As a result, Allison ran into the side of Irvan's spinning car and his car was too damaged to continue.^[49] Kulwicki and Elliott were left to duel for the title.^[47] While leading late in the race, Andrews calculated the exact lap for his final pit stop so that Kulwicki would be guaranteed to lead the most laps and would gain five bonus points.^[46] Kulwicki made his final pit stop only after leading enough laps to guarantee the bonus points.^[20] To save time, the pit crew did a fuel-only pit stop. Not changing tires allowed them to be available to push the car to prevent it from stalling, since the car had to start moving in a higher gear.^[20] Because the team's fuel man hurried to add the gasoline during the quick stop, he did not add the desired amount into the tank.^[20] As a result, Kulwicki had to conserve fuel to ensure that his car was still running at the end of the race.^[20] Elliott won the race and Kulwicki stretched his fuel to finish second.^[47] Kulwicki won the 1992 Winston Cup Championship by maintaining his 10-point lead over Elliott.^[3] He celebrated the championship with his second Polish Victory Lap.^[51] Always conscious of his appearance for potential sponsors, Kulwicki combed his hair, making a national television audience wait for him to emerge from his car.^[52]

1992 NASCAR owner's championship trophy

Kulwicki had overcome the 278-point deficit in the final six races of the season by ending with a fifth, a fourth, and two second-place finishes.^[23] Kulwicki won the championship because of his consistent high finishes.^[43] It was the closest title win in NASCAR Cup Series history until the implementation of the Chase for the Cup format in 2004.^[48] The championship was noteworthy for other reasons: Kulwicki was the last owner/driver to win the title for nearly two decades,^[53] the first Cup champion with a college degree,^[24] and the first Cup champion born in a Northern state.^[24] The song that played during a short salute to Kulwicki at the year-end awards banquet was Frank Sinatra's "My Way".^[1] During the prep work for the banquet, Elvis' version of "My Way" was found, but Alan insisted on Frank Sinatra's version.

Alan was also noted for being pretty picky!

Another tradition he started was the Polish Victory Lap. After he won a race, he'd cruise around the track backwards, so he could see the crowd and wave, and they could see him. After his death, several of his peers honored him by doing the same when they won, including Dale Earnhardt and Rusty Wallace.

I was a Dale Earnhardt fan back then, through and through. I think I was rooting for Davey Allison to win the championship, but when he had to drop out, I just sat back and enjoyed the race, watching how Kulwicki and his crew chief  Paul Andrews work out the strategy that won them the points necessary to defeat Bill Elliot. Awesome Bill from Dawsonville had won a bunch already, so it seemed to me only fair that the Underbirds should have a shot.

The whole thing was pretty cool because no owner/driver had won the thing in many, many years. We all knew we'd seen history being made, and it was quite a shock when Alan and his mates were killed. What a loss......

And as a side note, Hooter's is still involved by sponsoring their own racing series. They just couldn't bring themselves to sponsor a car in NASCAR's higher echelon. They tried, but found no happiness. They were never to have a relationship like they had with Alan. He was truly one of a kind, and the world is a lesser place without him.

Test Drive

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Jeff Gordon pranks a car salesman. And burns off several thousand miles of rubber on that black Camaro. Yee Haw!

And yes, I'd ride along. In a freaking heartbeat.

Random Sunday Thoughts

I'm a South of the Border kinda guy. Yep, I'm hooked on the crap Taco Bell shovels out at us all. I just do - it tastes good to me. Not that I don't like going to most Tex Mex restaurants - I do, and love the biggest share of all those places I've been. But when I need something quick to haul home because I just don't feel like taking the time to cook or to stop and eat, South of the Border is right up there with Wendy's, Sonic, et. al. I grew up with Taco Tico (and after non payment of taxes, eating there in the State of Kansas is Right Out), and frankly their offerings taste really, really musty and dank to me now. And to think I used to consider that crap some pretty fine hangover food. Honestly, the greasy sludge seemed to sop up queasy stomach crud immediately if not before. But, it's all Bell alla time these days.

I also like the "new" Doritos Locos Tacos in Nacho Cheese and have some with most orders. So, it was with great anticipation I awaited my opportunity to feast upon the all new Cool Ranch Doritos Tacos.

Surprise, surprise - I like 'em. Sour cream only improves things. I like them more than the Nacho Cheese variety. Something about that flavor blends more into their other seasonings better than the Nacho Cheese Dust. But, as in all things, YMMV!

And my other random thought for the day?

 

Marie Osmond. Sang the Star Spangled Banner at the NASCAR race in Vegas earlier this afternoon. Wind blowing rather unpleasantly and ruffling up her hair didn't bother her a bit - she's a trouper for sure. Sang great, and guess what? Still flippin' hawt!

I've parked my libido on the porch and let the big dawgs run, but I still have eyes that see. Just call me an art lover. Or a dirty old man. Both work.

Breakin' Out The Ol' Laser Eyes

Warning for language content!


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Mike Stefanik is a very successful, long time old school racer who has won a ton of races and championships. He had worked his way to the front of the feature race for the Whelen Modified Tour - the opener of the final night of racing at the UNOH Battle of The Beach event at Daytona, showcasing three different classes of racers under the auspices of NASCAR.

And, as in every other class's feature race, he got punted at the end. In any other venue other than NASCAR, Steve Park would have been put at the end of the line for aggressive driving.

But this was expected. This set of races was for prestige and money only. The track itself is temporary - using part of the backstretch and infield up against Lake Charles. A flattened paperclip shape with wide corners and no banking made this a rather unique short track. The eyes of the world were on these races, since they are now part of the opening events at the Daytona 500, and all the NASCAR movers and shakers are there watching.

So, for a couple of up and coming young guns like C.E. Falk and Kyle Larson (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing development driver and K&N Pro Series East Champion), this was a big deal. Both East and West K&N division drivers were invited.

And what a race it was between those two at the end of their feature. Falk had the lead, Larson wanted it. Larson got Falk on the inside, Falk put a slide job on Larson and got it back. Several times. But as the race drew to a close, it was clear that Falk either was taking a line away from Larson, or Larson's car had faded. Kyle couldn't keep his nose under Falk in those wide corners.

So, Kyle came burning in and used C.E. as a bumper, trying to knock him out of the way. He failed the first time, but he burned in again even harder and spun Falk out, going on to the win, to a chorus of boos. Twitter was apparently 80/20% in condemning Larson.Of course it was the topic du jour on the SiriusXM NASCAR channel. Most thought the action was wrong, but one thing was agreed upon. (Video here)

That last night would be more of the same, and all because of NASCAR's policy.

Seems Big Bill France didn't think people who had spent hours under the hot sun watching races, and go home thinking they had seen who had won, only to find out in the paper the next day that they had not. Some administrative decision taking away a win would drive people away from the sport. So, NASCAR might fine people, take points away, or whatever, but they will not take away a win.

You can see just what Mike Stefanik thinks about that kind of thinking. Good thing Big Bill is six feet under - that gaze would cut him in two.

Twelve Years Ago Today

We lost Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

Things have changed a bunch since he was killed at the Daytona 500. Tracks have SAFER barriers that help absorb a large amount of impact force - which helps avoid the basilar skull fracture that killed him. The cars have gotten a lot less lethal as well - for both the crowd and the drivers. Tethers hold hoods, wheel assemblies, trunk lids and so on so when a major crash occurs, the parts stay together and not fly into the crowd. The cars themselves are capable of absorbing some pretty hard hits without transferring that energy to the drivers' bodies. They've been aerodynamically tweaked to try to keep them from flying into the air when they get sideways or backwards.

There are those who disagree with all this - the drivers should be wearing football helmets and piloting cars straight from the showroom floor with the glass knocked out and a maybe a roll cage tacked on inside as a minor concession. That would make it a sport for manly men again.

I dunno - if I'm going into a gunfight, I'm not wearing a t-shirt with a target on it to show what a stud I really am. I'll be wearing whatever ballistic clothing I can get and using cover, etc. to save my ass. I'm all in on the staying alive thing.

I don't see why racers should have to die for our entertainment to be entertaining.

The Dark Knight Rises

Image from Jayski

Chances are you will have to hide under a rock to avoid this news: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., ended his four year, 143 race win drought today at Michigan International Speedway at the Quicken Loans 400. By the numbers?

He was 5.393 seconds ahead of the next finisher Tony Stewart. Pretty big margin, but not unusual at Michigan. He gained six points in the Chase race on Matt Kenseth, who only leads Junebug by four points. The 88 car started seventeenth, and had handling issues right off. An extended pit stop that included the installation of a rear spring rubber dropped them into the twenties, but the improved handling enabled Junior to work his way through the field and take the lead, also leading the most laps.

"Today was pretty special because we whooped them pretty good.

One of the quotes from an after race interview. Yep, he did. In a black car, too - his main sponsor today is the movie The Dark Knight Rises. Remember, his daddy drove the black 3, just in case your memory needs jogging. Black cars and Earnhardt pretty well go together.

I've been hearing now for years how Dale is overrated, his daddy got him where he was at, once he quite DEI he'd never amount to anything, how Rick Hendrick should fire him for not winning right after he hired Dale, how Hendrick trying different crew chiefs for Dale was not the problem - he needed to change the driver, and so on ad infinitum. Even though he made the Chase last year, he was still some sort of hopeless bum.

Well, I don't like to curse very often here, but to those people I say fuck off. I think that statement is just about as strong a series of words can be that express how I feel about the subject. People like that ignore the facts about his many wins, his Nationwide championships, and his consistent finishes putting him in the top ten for many years.

Here's to hoping he takes the Chase Championship!!!

From NASCAR on SPEED's Facebook page

Oh, and Junior's much rumored girlfriend was in Victory Lane to give him a hug and a kiss. Look for a ton of coverage and her identity being exposed.

Photo credit @MISpeedway

Proof That I'm Easily Entertained

I'm always tickled if I can get one of the famous folks on Twitter to reply to something I said to them. Today is no different.

Well, guess what? I got one back!

Kyle is something of a smart aleck on Twitter, so my tweet this time was crafted appropriately, as you can see. I get a large charge outta following the various NASCAR stars, publicists, crew chiefs, spotters, and reporters - particularly during the race. I've gotten responses before - the last one was from @delanaharvick - Kevin Harvick's wife. I asked her why she and Kevin didn't appear in a commercial together, and she let me know they had a new one coming out on ESPN later that month. They all are fairly accessible to fans, and some of them are downright hilarious in their responses and banter between each other. Or, I'm easily entertained.....

Excuse me while I go off and play with some alphabet blocks or my Fisher Price Push Popcorn Popper.....

Eleven Years Ago Today

The crash that took Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s life happened in the closing laps of the Daytona 500 in 2001. I saw it happen, and from the angles the cameras caught it really didn't look like a big deal. Network coverage ended without any news. We saw the ambulance leaving the speedway, and that was it.

Later:

About two hours later, at a press conference, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced, "This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements I've ever personally had to make. But after the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt. link

NASCAR's premier driver was dead. Love or hate him, he was a polarizing figure whose popularity brought NASCAR into the "modern era" separate from drivers like Richard Petty or old moonshiners such as Junior Johnson. He was an "everyman," escaping a life of mill work and tedium for racing.

I, of course, was a fan. Heck yeah, I knew he used the "chrome horn," but if one returned the favor to him, he had no complaints. Live by the sword.....

At any rate, there has been no one to replace Dale in the hearts of fans everywhere. There is no spokesman for the sport that even comes close to his influence. His son, the current most popular driver for nine years in a row, is a lightning rod for many, being called overrated mostly, because he's never won like his father. He is not his father and never will be. What he is - a good NASCAR race driver with a proven record.

After Sr.'s death, NASCAR went on a major overhaul of the cars and the tracks to improve safety. "Safer barriers" on the walls of speedways now help absorb and slow down impacts. The cars are completely redesigned, with larger greenhouses for larger crush zones. Drivers are surviving crashes that would have killed them fifteen years ago.

I have changed my status as a fan - still gotta watch, and I do root for Junior, but mostly I want an entertaining race where no one gets hurt. Death is now and always has been part of racing, but that does not mean I want to watch a blood sport. So, I enjoy the show, and cringe when someone takes a header into a wall, or tumbles down a straight at 180+ mph. I've seen enough death in the sport.

Tony Seems Testy

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Tony Stewart getting pissy with the press? Imagine that. He's obviously feeling the pressure of making "The Chase" in NASCAR. He's in tenth place at the moment with no wins. If Brad Kesolowski should happen to score some big points and Tony gets knocked out early in tonight's race at Richmond, since he has no wins, he can be knocked clear out of the contenders list for the Chase.

He's certainly had his moments in the past.

The 2001 season was not without controversy, however. Jeff Gordon pulled a "bump and run" on Stewart to gain a better finishing position in a race in Bristol, and it resulted in Stewart retaliating in a post-race incident by spinning Gordon out on pit road. Stewart was fined and placed on probation by NASCAR. He got into further trouble at Daytona, when he confronted a Winston Cup official after ignoring a black flag. At the same race, he also got into an incident with a reporter, kicking away a tape recorder. He confronted the same NASCAR official at the race in Talladega after refusing to wear a mandated head-and-neck restraint. Stewart was not allowed to practice until wearing one and only managed to practice after his crew chief, Greg Zipadelli intervened. His fines and probation periods resulting from these incidents have earned Stewart a reputation of having a hot-temper, and he became NASCAR's "bad boy".

Then there was 2002:

The second half of his season was plagued by an altercation with a photographer after the Brickyard 400. NASCAR put Stewart on probation for the rest of the season.

Then things were pretty quiet for Smoke, unless you count his on track encounters with Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Elliot Sadler, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon. He was fined after his use of obscene language in the winner's circle at the Brickyard 400 in 2007. It was also roughly in this period where he had nothing good to say about the series tire provider Goodyear, and claiming NASCAR and the new car might as well be all star wrestling with predetermined finishes. All of these incidents got him into some trouble with NASCAR - with fines and probations.

Then last winter at a race in Australia when in a disagreement with a track owner, Tony allegedly smacked him in the head with his helmet.

So Tony has a history of losing his cool. This whole incident tickled me because of the furor on Twitter and even a little bit of it was covered on ESPN. Smoke started to go off on a reporter we couldn't see off to the right - that was Mike Massaro of ESPN. Jenna Fryer, the blonde woman wearing sunglasses (and towering over Tony) to the left stated that she was just trying to take the heat off Mike and give Tony an out so he wouldn't go off on a rant, but Tony wasn't having any part of it and chewed at Jenna. He'd sunk down into his anger zone and wasn't going to set it aside. Jenna wasn't upset over the incident - she wasn't trying to ask "dumb questions" - she was trying to get Tony to say what was acceptable, which Tony took exception to and he jumped her about "doing her job."  I happen to think Jenna is a fine reporter who shows no bias, and she has a rep for digging for stories that want to remain hidden. She is one of NASCAR's best investigative reporters. And of course, the NASCAR trolls on Twitter were in force - some assuming she'd tried to bang Tony and he wouldn't have her, or the size of her ass, or other pertinent debating points.

But I happen to like Tony, and one of the reasons is that he does let it all hang out. This is what comes with wanting your stars to be more colorful. They act in a colorful manner, which generally means not politically correct. It's not fair to Tony to muzzle him and then complain about how generic and predictable the drivers are. Tony is a lot like his hero Super Tex - aka A.J. Foyt, who was never afraid to mix it up with other drivers, track officials, or whomever pissed in his Post Toasties. Just ask Arie Luyendyk about a hot night at Texas Motor Speedway. Tony is like A.J. in his ability to drive about any kind of car competitively as well.  So, Tony is a kind of throwback to an era past. And, it's fun to watch and see what happens next with him, because you never know what will set him off. I imagine he'd find this "Threat Level" funny, but only up to a point!

"I'll Give Biffle The Whipping He Needs"

Yesterday, in the rain delayed NASCAR race at Watkins Glen, NY, NASCAR drivers Greg Biffle and Boris Said had some major disagreements about their on track encounters with each other. After the race was over, Boris drove up to Biffle for a confrontation. Said claims Greg punched him a few times while he was still strapped in his car, but after he climbed out, he hid behind his crew members. I saw this, and it did look like that was a legitimate complaint on Boris's part. Naturally Biffle's crew members would protect him, but Biffle appeared to be baiting Boris from a safe place he wasn't willing to abandon. On the other hand, Biffle and other drivers found fault with Boris's actions on track, particularly since he caused a wreck that involved Biffle's Roush-Fenway Racing teammate David Ragan (that was a very scary crash, too).

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Greg Biffle should watch his back, given Boris Said's comments after Monday's rain-delayed Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International. After the drivers traded shots on the race track, they squared off on pit road after Marcos Ambrose took the checkered flag for his first Cup win.
Said had relayed through his spotter that he thought Biffle (who had run out of fuel on Lap 28 and was two laps down) was racing him dirty, Said's crew chief, Nick Harrison, explained after the race. Said told his spotter he wanted to settle the score with Biffle after the race.
After crew members restrained the drivers on pit road, Said didn't mince words when talking about his adversary.
"He's the most unprofessional little scaredy cat I've ever seen in my life," Said fumed. "He wouldn't even fight me like a man after. So, if someone texts me his address, I'll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs. He needs a whipping, and I'm going to give it to him. He was flipping me off, giving me the finger. Totally unprofessional, two laps down -- I mean he is a chump.
"I went over there to go talk to him. He wouldn't even let me get out of the car. He comes over and throws a few little baby punches, and then when I get out, he runs away and hides behind some big guys. But he won't hide from me long. I'll find him. I won't settle it out on the track. It's not right to wreck cars, but he'll show up at a race with a black eye one of these days. I'll see him somewhere."

Tonight the Biff will appear on Speed TV's Race Hub on a show titled  "Boris Said Can Find Biffle on NASCAR Race Hub Tuesday Night." Okay, that right there is funny, but what really tickled me was Jenna Fryer, AP's NASCAR reporter who appears on Yahoo's sports pages online as well, had to say on Twitter:

The Biff will be Steve Byrnes' in-studio guest on Race Hub tonight. So that's where he'll be if Boris Said is really looking ...
True Story: A few years ago at Chase media day, hotel security tried to enter Biff's room in middle of night as he was sleeping (cont)
Biff told us he instinctively "reached for his pistol" because he was disoriented and thought he was at home (cont)
That led many of us to wonder aloud why Biff sleeps with a pistol next to his bed. He explained he had been robbed by some n'hood kids (cont
If I recall, the kids robbed him more than once, and the entire experience spooked him. So, the moral of this story is ...
Said better be careful rolling up on The Biff's house, especially if it's nighttime.

Awesome. This is why I like social media so much. Frankly, I do not expect Said to actually find the Biff at home - he's not stupid. The bad publicity he'd get from ending up in jail on assault charges would make any sponsorship money evaporate. It really isn't news that most NASCAR participants are conservative, so guns are a major part of their lives. Many are unabashed hunters who have set up non profit wildlife federations. It might be nice if more were public about their support of the Second Amendment, but again, sponsorship issues muzzle any tendency to bring political issues into the NASCAR environs. They aren't afraid to mention shooting, hunting, religion, capitalism, family or other conservative hot buttons, but they don't prosthelytize. Except for their sponsors products. They are hired salesmen, after all.

At any rate, there has been a bunch of feudin' and fightin' in the ranks lately, and it's been pretty damn entertaining if ya ask me!

As a side note, Jenna Fryer, Bob Pockrass, Dustin Long and Nate Ryan are all NASCAR beat reporters who are a pleasure to read. They are old school reporters who really work to keep any personal bias out of their stories, as opposed to the mainstream media, who have forgotten the difference between reporting and editorializing. So, kudos to them, I say!

Danica Earns Some Respect

Last night's Subway Jalapeno 250 winner was Joey Logano, while Danica Patrick earned tenth place, six places worse than her best Nationwide finish so far.

However, the order of the finish doesn't always tell the full story. Danica has been the center of some controversy in NASCAR as well and IndyCar because of the perceived ratio of driving talent versus marketing skills. She's good looking, and uses her looks as well as her racing fame to forward her career. She's only won one race in IndyCar - where she won on fuel mileage. Even in NASCAR that seems to warrant an asterisk beside the win in the record books. So, the argument that she's all marketing and not enough talent dogs her in both series. Plus, her record in her development series (Formula Ford, Formula Vauxhall, Barber Dodge Pro Series and Toyota Atlantic) is impressive with the highest finishes by a woman, she never actually won a race or championship.

Danica has so far only committed to a partial schedule in Nationwide in an apparent effort to learn and get her feet wet without jumping in whole hog, as it were. She has shown an ability to mix it up at times, and has made her share of rookie mistakes. All to be expected.

She is also with a top tier team - JR Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - but is really run on a day to day basis by his sister Kelley, with help from uncle and cousins Tony Eury Sr (Pops). and Jr. Lately, in IndyCar, Andretti Motorsports isn't necessarily the top tier team she needs to provide her with top notch equipment. So, the rumors abound that she may come over to NASCAR on a permanent basis. Her sponsor GoDaddy's owner Bob Parsons has unequivocally stated his company will support her whatever her decision - so she's got the sponsorship nailed down to bring to a Sprint Cup team.

Plus, there is a lot of debate and anecdotal evidence that the jump from open wheel to NASCAR just may be too great these days. AJ Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Tim Richmond and many others ran cars in whatever they chose and succeeded in all of them. Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart were open wheel champs. One thing to note is that the last three spent some time in the Busch/Nationwide series percolating before jumping to Cup.

But today's open wheel champs are struggling. Most notably is Juan Pablo Montoya. He is a Formula One champion, fer cryin' out loud. Sam Hornish, Jr. gave up driving for the Captain (Roger Penske) in IndyCar and moved to NASCAR Sprint Cup. His lack of success finds him in the Nationwide series. Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier couldn't cut it. Dario Franchitti (Mr. Ashley Judd) - an oval IndyCar champ seemingly ready made for NASCAR failed as well. He's done well since going back to the open wheelers.

So, there is a lot of pressure on Ms. Patrick. Can she cut it? Can she win?

One very huge hurdle is learning "the draft" at a "restrictor plate" race such as Daytona or Talledega. Danica's last drafting challenge found her wanting as she didn't seem to want to take turns pushing. Daytona has a brand new paved surface that has changed the racing from huge clumps of cars to single sets of two, one a pusher and one driving the train. They have to switch off because the pusher will eventually overheat following so close in the draft. The strategies for winning the plate races have changed considerably (If you don't understand "restrictor plate" - Wikipedia has a very good article explaining it far better than I could). She had a notable tendency to take advantage of a pusher, but tried to race them when they wanted to switch off, dropping both of them far back in the pack.

So, with all that, she must have done pretty well last night for me to write up an article about her today, right?

Yep, she did.

Tony Stewart teamed up with her for a while, and she really appeared to learn a lot. He pushed Danica to the lead - the first time a woman has led a NASCAR race at Daytona. She was having problems with the idea that dragging her brakes was a necessity to keep the cars together - when she'd get bumped and sped up, she'd leave her pusher behind and they'd slow down and lose the leaders. She picked up on that technique in a hurry. Danica actually pushed well, too. She and Eric Almirola (a teammate with JR Motorsports) hooked up and towards the end it really appeared the race was hers to win, if she only timed it properly. Her decisions when she was being pushed were improving greatly as well - she was threading her way through some pretty narrow spots and making it work.

But, she got excited and jumped to the lead several laps too early, leaving her competitors way too much time to run her and the 88 down and pass. At the last lap, she and the 88 were taking the outside groove and making a run for the lead when Mike Wallace got into Danica. After she brushed the wall, she caromed off Mike and a clot of cars hit the wall together, sliding across the finish line, Danica in tenth.

Rather a spectacular finish, frankly. This is no guarantee that she will win in the future. This was also a restrictor plate race - not a road course nor a short or intermediate oval, either - all of which require a completely different set of skills to master and win. "Running in the draft" in NASCAR is a completely different animal than it is for IndyCar, and Danica Patrick has demonstrated to me that she has picked up the necessary skills to be successful in that particular endeavor.

It would also seem logical to assume that the other skills needed for success are within her grasp with some more experience. If she does "come over," I really hope for her sake that she chooses to run at least a full season in Nationwide rather than jump right in to Cup level competition. That was a grievous error that her less than successful predecessors made, and are suffering the consequences now. Showing flashes of talent and success in the Nationwide series is not a guarantee of success in Cup. Cementing her abilities before the huge jump in the competition level can only help.

And for the record? I was one of the "all hat and no cattle" people before. I thought she was severely overrated and overhyped. Frankly, I still think that, but I also now believe that there is a very good possibility that Danica Patrick can back it up. Good luck and go for it, Danica!

Eastbound and Down

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This clip is really hilarious when you consider the current relationship between the drivers represented by their haulers - Carl Edwards in the 99, and Brad Keselowski in the 12. To say they have a rivalry would be an understatement. Maybe y'all remember hearing about the Atlanta race last year, when Edwards, upset by previous contact by Keselowski, deliberately took Brad out after spending 150 laps in the pits getting repairs (to gain points, which he sort of squandered right there). Carl got a three race suspension for that move, which sent Brad airborne, luckily without injuries (clearly it rang his bell). To be fair, Brad sent Carl airborne into the catch fence at Talledega - but it was racing for the win rather than revenge.

Then last week at Gateway in the Nationwide series, Carl spun Brad out, totaling Brad's car and several others as well. Brad had given Carl the "chrome horn" earlier in the lap - but he didn't knock Carl out. Believe me when I tell you that NASCAR talk radio was abuzz for several days over this controversy, even after Carl was fined points and money, plus put on probation for all NASCAR events for the rest of the year, and Brad on identical probation. Just about all the major players felt Carl took Brad out intentionally, and that his actions weren't just retaliation - it was escalation.

Well, you can see how I feel about the issue. Brad and Carl aren't afraid to mix it up, but Brad has shown restraint and better judgment. The general consensus is that it's ok to bump someone just enough to move 'em outta the way - but to put them into the wall - destroying their cars and several competitors behind the melee who had nothing to do with any of their problems is going too far.

So, when I saw this ESPN commercial - I had to laugh. It's beyond certain that this controversy is selling tickets and television time.

Finally, He Wins One

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins at Daytona! In a Nationwide race, at any rate. It's his first win in that series in four years. This one is special, even if it did break a drought.

Junior was driving a "tribute" car - it was to remember his father at Daytona, where Sr. was considered a master - he only won the big one once, but he won a ton of support races over the years there. Sr. excelled at plate races, period. Wrangler and Earnhardt Sr. had a relationship that started before Sr. landed in the #3 for Richard Childress. So, even before the iconic black Goodwrench cars - Sr. had Wrangler for a sponsor. And, back to Daytona - of course that is where Dale Sr. lost his life.

In order for the tribute car to happen, JR Motorsports (Junior's Nationwide team), Richard Childress Racing, and Theresa Earnhardt had to get together to sign off on the whole idea. Which was an accomplishment in and of itself - if you remember the frosty relationships between certain parties involved. Another big deal is the fact that this is the debut of the new "Car of Tomorrow" for the Nationwide series - so everyone was in brand new cars that are considerably different than the "old" cars. This means past data on setups and such are bupkis - the Nationwide cars are dissimilar enough from the Cup cars that data from that series isn't completely applicable, either.

Aaand, just for old times sake - Junior's crew chief for this race was Tony Eury, Jr. - his crew chief for years until he was replaced by Rick Hendrick during Junior's race winning drought.

"I was so worried that I wasn't going to win, 'cause nothing but a win would get it-for everybody," Earnhardt said after getting hugs from Childress, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and a multitude of others in victory lane. "If we didn't win, what a waste of time. ...

Can you say "Junior had a LOT of pressure on him for this race?" I knew you could. He has enough pressure just being the son of the Intimidator, much less actually driving the number three.

Earnhardt reiterated that he will never run the No. 3 again. He insists it's not his number.

"I don't ever want to do it again and I won't ever change my mind," he said.

Sheesh.

The race definitely had some storybook moments. Junior started third, but found his way to the lead by lap number three, when the crowd all stood and held up three fingers. Detractors of NASCAR often claim the action is scripted. I would go so far as to say perhaps the fellow competitors "allowed" the lead change to happen, much like they would allow a teammate to take the lead to gain the five bonus points for leading a race, and then taking the lead back.

Junior faded for a while, but he stayed in the top ten for most of the race and out of trouble. He did work his way to the front in the waning laps and managed to keep the lead after some late cautions bunched the field. The race went into "overtime" and finished under the "green/yellow checkered flag." Joey Logano pushed him to the victory:

"I want to win races … but it was pretty cool to see the 3 back in victory lane," Logano said. "I probably gained a lot of fans by pushing the No. 3 to victory but I'd much rather be in victory lane."

Logono tried to get a run on the 3 car, but his car just didn't have it. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (in a COT Ford Mustang, which looks pretty damn cool, if you ask me) finished in third - perhaps if he and Logano had worked together more effectively, they could have gotten by the 3, but Junior drove a pretty wide car, too.

So, conspiracy theories aside, Dale Earnhardt Jr. can still drive a race car and win. Lots of people seem to have forgotten that.

Ol' DW on Twitter

I'm on Twitter. Not much of a tweeter - just over 200 tweets since I signed up. However, I'm logged in most of the day. NASCAR stars and those associated with the industry is the main reason I follow. There are a bunch of very well known drivers and personalities who tweet. Well, I'm here to warn you or just inform ya - depending on your feelings - that Darrell Waltrip is now on Twitter. He's a natural - obviously someone in his PR dept set up his account and March 1 he started using it himself. Ol' Jaws has tweeted almost sixty times as I write this. Aaand, he's actually pretty informative, interesting and funny. Others I follow:

jamiemcmurray - recent winner of the Daytona 500 EGR #!
kaseykahne - the Bud driver that the Allstate girls were always chasing - RPM #9
Kylebusch - driver of JGR#18 - a polarizing driver the past several years
gbiffle - Greg Biffle, old school hard nosed driver for Roush Fenway #16
dennyhamlin - teammate of Kyle Busch, driver of JGR #11 - another Young Gun
SIRIUSXM128 - the NASCAR channel on Sirius XM Radio. It's where Choc Meyers posts his Hump Day Show and Tell pics on Wednesday
maxpapis - #13 Germain Racing - Italian F1, F3000, CART open wheel star
SamHornish - driver Penske #77, three time IndyCar champ - open wheel star
RyanNewman39 - Driver of Tony Stewart's #39 - his tweets are about half pr and half him
BrianLVickers - Red Bull Racing Team #83
KevinHarvick - driver #29 Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt Sr.'s old car - also Kevin Harvick Racing which fields cars for the Nationwide Series and the Truck Series
DeLanaHarvick - Kevin's wife, listed owner of KHR. The interplay between her and hubby is quite entertaining.
Elliot_Sadler - #19 Richard Petty Motorsports driver
Kenny_Wallace - "The Herminator" - NNS driver, Speedtv color announcer, easily one of the most entertaining NASCAR tweeters out there, brother of Rusty and Mike, both NASCAR drivers
jpmontoya - Juan Pablo Montoya, #42 EGR - teammate of Jamie McMurray. Columbian open wheel star, F1 star, CART champion. His world wide appeal is why he has the most followers of anyone in NASCAR on Twitter. He's really into radio controlled model airplanes.
mw55 - Michael Waltrip, semi retired driver, owner MWR, NASCAR tv personality. NAPA and Best Western ads, need I say more? DW's younger brother
Bobby_Labonte - #71 for The Racer's Group/ Cup and Nationwide Champion
kylepetty - former driver, color announcer for NASCAR events, son of The King Richard Petty - great person to follow during a race - very insightful and smart.
HermieSadler - older brother of Elliot current tv color analyst
WendyVenturini - SpeedTV pit row reporter and analyst
JennaFryer - Yahoo Sports and AP writer who covers NASCAR - very good race tweets and writes great articles
ClairBLang - Sirius XM reporter/talk show host - doesn't tweet all that often

There are more - I haven't looked too hard as of late. Danica Patrick, for instance. Dale Jr. has been quoted that he doesn't feel like he wants to have a PR person do his tweeting for him, and he's not sure if he could devote the time to make his fans happy.

So, if you tweet and are a NASCAR fan (boy, I'll bet that's a small intersection of people who read this fairly regularly), this might be of some interest to you.

We'll Have Diamonds As Big As Horse Turds

The full quote was "Stick with me, kid, and we'll have diamonds as big as horse turds." J.C. Elder, better known in NASCAR circles as Suitcase Jake Elder, said that to a young Dale Earnhardt Sr. after coaching Dale to his first win. But, he was Suitcase Jake - he didn't stick with Dale.

Elder, one of the most successful crew chiefs in the history of NASCAR, died Wednesday. He was 73 years old and had been in failing health since suffering a stroke in 2006.

Elder was the top wrench for driver David Pearson when Pearson won Sprint Cup championships in 1968 and ’69. Over a career that began in the late 1950s and stretched over the next 40-plus years, Elder worked either as a crew chief or leading mechanic for some of racing’s best drivers, including Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Fred Lorenzen and Benny Parsons. He attended public schools for only three years, but he might have been the best “shade-tree” mechanic ever in NASCAR racing.

During Elder’s crew-chief years, the job was more about preparing the car and less about organizing and scheduling, as is the case today. Elder’s main task was to produce durable, winning race cars.

Rusty Wallace remembers:

Jake was old-old school. He worked for soooo many teams. But he was the guy you would call when you needed some help. If your old car wasn't running right, and you were confused, you'd want to call Jake and say, ‘Hey, can you come bail me out?' And he could help you fix it. I called him once, when my car wasn't running right, and asked, ‘Jake, can you come over and crew chief this car for me?' And he said, ‘All right, just one race.' And he came over with his tool box -- which was filled with so much doggone prehistoric stuff that it was unreal. He had the string out, and the levels, and said, ‘You do this and this.…' And I took it to Charlotte and had my best run ever."

J.C. Elder was a standout of a character in the early rough and tumble days of NASCAR, when characters were legion and the cars were essentially stock. He worked with many teams and drivers, notably Holman Moody with David Pearson and even Mario Andretti in his 1967 Daytona 500 win. Darrel Waltrip, Benny Parsons, Buddy Baker and Terry Labonte are also on the list. Writer and broadcaster Steve Waid:

"Perhaps there was not a more truly gifted shade tree mechanic in stock-car racing, one who succeeded without formal education. Elder never got past the third grade and could neither read nor write."

"And perhaps there was never a keener observer and nurturer of raw talent."

A bit of a far cry from today's crews, where engineers are hired just for shock absorbers.

“He could hook up whatever horsepower they had to a chassis and make it work,” said long-time NASCAR broadcaster Barney Hall. “He knew what made the cars work underneath. Teams would see him coming down pit road and let the jacks down on their cars because they knew he could take a glance at the springs and know what they had.

“And he was a man of few words. I remember several radio interviews with him after his car fell out of a race. Somebody would ask him what happened, and he’d say, ‘Blowed up,’ and walk off.”

"They" don't make 'em like Suitcase Jake anymore - and if they do, they can't get a job in today's NASCAR.