Dover International Speedway in Dover Delaware Race Recap…

2005.06.05–Dover is nicknamed “The Monster Mile”. Dover is like a mile long Bristol, banked all the way around. It’s like a big bowl. Jr said in 2001 that Dover was very “forgiving”, you can overdrive the car and it forgives you for it. It catches your car on the banking when you overdrive it. For the last several years, Dover has been sweeped by either Ryan Newman or Jimmy Johnson. At least this year a different driver dominated. Greg Biffle in the 16 National Guard Roush Ford took the checkered flag again this year in another boring fashion. Although there were several wrecks, nothing to impressive except for Jeff Gordon getting tapped by Tony Stewart and smashing the wall. The only time I saw the Budweiser car was when the leader was lapping him.*See Thought of the Week* The most excitement was when Greg Biffle started to do his burn out after taking the checkered flag and backed the car into the wall. A brain fart moment, I guess. So, Biffle now has four wins this season. Seems the new rules package played right into his hands this year. Another Roush driver on his way to the top.

Thought of the Week Again, the problems at DEI are really showing up at the racetrack each week. Jr is 15th in points, 418 behind the leader. It makes some wonder if he will even stay with DEI or move to another race team. Commentator, Jeff Hammond was asked how many races Jr would have won already this year if he was in a Hendrick Motorsports car. Hammonds answer “3”. A very strong statement and it leaves DEI fans wondering if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would not be better off away from Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Coca Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC Race Recap…

2005.05.29–Being a spectator in the grandstands for this race, I can tell you what pretty much happened. 5 green flag laps, Caution for 5 laps, 5 green flag laps, caution for 5 laps. OK, so Humpy Wheeler, owner of the Lowes Motor Speedway levitated the racetrack. Levitated as in a type of grinding to smooth out the bumps on the racetrack to make for better racing. In the past races, long green flag runs where common with the field being strung out around the entire track. I will admit that I find that extremely boring, but this year there was a record breaking 22 cautions with over a third of the race laps being ran at 55 mph. The last 10 laps were exciting but many predicted the outcome. The Lowes Sponsored car has won last two Sunday night races at the Lowes Motor Speedway and the Lowes car also won the Busch race the day before. So when the Lowes car crossed to finish line a half a car length in front of the FedEx car, there was a constant sound of boos coming from the 70,000 fans in attendance.

Thought of the Week Should corporations such as Lowes be allowed to sponsor a racetrack? Several years ago, the controversy over sponsorships came to a boil. Tony Stewart’s merchandise, Home Depot t-shirts and hats, were pulled from the track gift shop because of the rivalry of Lowes and Home Depot. They were still sold there; they were just boxed behind the counter so people had to ask for them. Lowes also had issues with the TV broadcasts. The TV people said that Lowes had to pay to have Lowes Motor Speedway announced on air. They had to purchase commercial time like every other sponsor. The commentators referred back to the original name of the track, Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lowes purchased the rights to the name in the late ‘90’s under, I believe a 10-year contract. With the past three Coca Cola 600’s being won by the Lowes car, it is getting really fishy. Something to think about…

Nextel All Star Challenge at Lowes Motor Speedway Race Recap…

2005.05.21–The Nextel challenge is a unique non-points race with a purse of 1 million dollars. Non-points means, race as hard as you can because you’re racing to win. Teams usually bring cars that are basically throwaway cars because you either win it or wreck it in a non-points race. The drivers have to earn their way into the All Star Challenge. The winners of all the races since the last All Star Challenge and any past winners of the All Star Challenge are qualified into the race. There are two open positions for drivers who didn’t qualify for the race. One position is for the winner of the Open race that takes place directly before the All Star race. The other position is a popular vote from the fans. The Open is always an interesting race because the intensity is so high. Drivers have won the Open and went on to win the Million so each driver is driving his hardest!! This year’s Open had a controversial ending with Mike Bliss leading on the last lap but bumped and spun out by Brian Vickers. In my opinion, all is fair in the Open. Only the winner moves on so do have to do what it takes. Yeah, spinning someone out is wrong but if he can get to your back bumper, then he’s faster.

Mark Martin, the sentimental favorite driving his final year, took the checkered flag and the million dollars at the end of the night. No one was upset to see him win besides Elliott Sadler who finished second and hasn’t had a great year. Jr was caught up in a wreck early on and limped his battered car through the race. He was never in contention. All in all, the All Star Challenge had excitement for the fans with wrecks, tempers and an awesome outcome.

Richmond International Race Recap…

2005.05.14–Richmond is an awesome racetrack. Three quarter mile of side-by-side racing. Well, at least that’s how it used to be until they resurfaced it over a year ago. Jimmy Johnson, the points leader, and his owner, Jeff Gordon, finally had bad luck, Jimmy wrecking on lap 82 which pulled the points standings closer together. With 9 cautions for 53 laps, Richmond was full of surprises and finally, my man, Kasey Kahne driving the 9 Dodge Dealers car pulled out his first victory after finishing runner up 6 times. He deserved his win and I don’t think any driver was not happy to see him win. He was asked the question prior to the race, ‘who would you like to race for the win?’ His answer: Tony Stewart who finished runner up 1.6 seconds behind Kahne. Stewart came to victory lane to congratulate the first time winner. Dale Jr. finished 14th after losing about 5 positions in the closing laps.

Darlington Race Recap…

2005.05.07–I will admit, I hate Darlington. “The Lady in Black”, Darlington’s nickname, has never put on a great race for me. I always find it rather boring. This is Jr’s worst track, which might be the reason I hate to watch it. I only watched the last 20 laps at a party with many other random race fans. Greg Biffle took the checkered flag in front of Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, and Ryan Newman. Dale Jr finished 8th, one of his better finishes of the year even at his worst track. It was funny because of all the fans watching that night, none where a Biffle fan. Interesting!! Dale Jr., Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon held the majority.

Talladega Race Recap…

2005.05.03–Drivers come to Talladega with one fear: The Big One. The restrictor plate cars run so close together that there is bound to be a wreck and usually a BIG ONE. When cars are traveling at over 190 mph and someone starts to wreck in front, the chances of slowing the car down is slim to none. Well, the 2005 spring race at Talladega had The Big One. On lap 133 of the race, 25 cars piled up when the fifth place car got spun out and the remaining cars had nowhere to go but into the melee and smoke. No one was injured and they all walked away thanks to NASCAR’s continuous safety research. The Big One left only 17 cars on the lead lap to contend for the win. All three DEI (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) cars were still in contention even after their poor qualifying attempts.

With three laps to go, Jimmy Johnson in the Lowes 48 Chevy, brushed the wall, bounced back into Kevin Harvick’s 29 Goodwrench Chevy who then collected the DEI cars of Martin Truex, Jr. and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The race was finished under a green/white/checkered (the drivers take the green flag then the white flag signaling the last lap of the race and then of course the checkered flag) which became the NASCAR rule after last spring’s chaotic Talladega race that finished under caution giving Jeff Gordon the win and Dale Earnhardt Jr second place.( Jr was passing Gordon when the caution came out but the field is frozen at the exact point of caution before Jr’s car was in front of Gordon’s car. Fans threw soda/beer cans onto the track in protest during Gordon’s victory lap.)

Jeff Gordon dominated the race, leading the pack for 139 of the 188 laps. Tony Stewart in the 20 Home Depot Chevy and Michael Waltrip in the 15 Napa DEI Chevy tried to team up against Gordon but came up short finishing second and third. Jeremy Mayfield in the 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge and Jamie McMurray in the 42 Havoline Dodge rounded out the top five. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished a lap down in 15th but climbed to 9th in the points standings, 298 points out of first. (To be eligible for the Race for the Chase in the last 10 races, a driver needs to be in the top 10 in points or within 400 points of the leader)

Rant of the Week… During the caution to clean up The Big One, the commentators spent the entire 45 minutes under the red flag trying to point the blame at a certain driver when the replay clearly showed many things happening all at once to cause the wreck. The drivers can’t be perfect for the entire 188 laps, running three wide and the entire field being within 3 seconds of each other. The Commentators would catch the drivers that were in the wreck coming out of the infield care center and asked them who caused it. None placed any blame on a certain driver but blamed the restrictor plates for causing such close racing conditions. I say, take the plates off. Let the best cars run over 200 mph while the lesser cars get left out of the draft. Make it about the cars, not which lane you get it. But, I believe restrictor plates are here to stay. They sell race tickets. The create The Big One. And in this messed up world, people look forward to The Big One… go figure…

Phoenix Race Recap…

2005.04.24–The hot sun in the desert didn’t stop my NASCAR boys from a hard fought Saturday night race. This race was an impound race where the drivers qualified their cars and the crew was forbidden to make changes on the car before the start of the race. If the car qualified loose or tight, that was how it would start the race. I don’t quite understand how they determine which racetracks are to utilize the impound rule but I don’t really think I like it. Another big rule change shaking things up this year.

Again, Roush racing dominated the race with Kurt Busch leading 219. Greg Biffle led some laps before getting caught up in an accident on pit road resulting in a piece of piping, used as a bumper support piecing the nose of his car and causing pretty substantial damage.

In a strange turn of events resulting from numerous cautions and pit strategies, put both DEI cars in the top 10 but they were no match for the dominate Kurt Busch 97 Irwin Tools Ford taking his first checkered flag of the season. Michael Waltrip in the 15 DEI Napa Chevy (the car Jr won in last season) made an impressive run for second, hushing the rumors that he only runs well on plate tracks. Dale Jr ended up 4th, great considering he ran around 19th position the entire race. RCR driver, Jeff Burton in the 31 Cingular Chevy had his best finish on the year coming to the line in 3rd. (He just happens to be my mother’s favorite driver!!) Brian Vickers in the 25 GMC Chevy rounded out the top 5.

Next weekend, we go to Dale-a-Dega… aka Talladega. The house that Earnhardt built!! Of course the favorites to win are Dale Earnhardt Jr and Michael Waltrip, the DEI team!! Finally a track where Jr has a great chance to win!! Bring it on!!!

Texas Race Recap…

2005.04.17–Ah, Texas Motor Speedway: A very fast track with a lot of action. A rule change mandating shorter spoilers had many race teams upset, stating the lack of down force on the rear of the car makes them had to handle. But, the drivers sucked it up and went racing. This race actually took the cake for the most action at Texas. It seems like everyone was running into each other bringing out 11 cautions, one shy of the record set in 2000. Greg Biffle dominated the race leading 219 of 334 laps, taking his second checkered flag of the season. Biffle started last in the 43-car field in a back up car after wrecking his primary car during practice.

Engine failure was a determining factor in the race, taking out front runners, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Kasey Kahne, and Bill Elliott. Actually Tony Stewart’s 20 Home Depot Chevy went up in flames, even in the cockpit where Stewart sustained first degree burns on his leg and elbow before getting the car stopped and climbing out. Stewart’s nickname, ironically, is Smoke and he also released his own Barbeque sauce this week. Interesting coincidence!!

Other race teams raced well. Chip Ganassi Racing put three dodge drivers in the top five: Jamie McMurray 2nd, Casey Mears 4th, and Sterling Marlin 5th. I know what your thinking. I’ve never mentioned them before! It’s good to see guys up front that have been struggling all year long. Dale Jr had a decent run finishing 9th after much chatter on his in-car radio about his disappointment with his team. At least he sees where the problems are! All in all, it was an interesting race to watch. With all the cautions, it seemed like amateur racing with veterans making stupid mistakes on the racetrack.

The next weekend, they are headed to the desert in Phoenix, Arizona. Saturday night under the lights. Dale Jr won both races last year at this track so turn and see if he can go for three!!

Martinsville Race Recap…

2005.04.11–GoodYear needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new tire… Again this week, tires were the cause of most of the 16 cautions. I hate to get down on GoodYear because the last couple of years, they had really been designing great tires, but this year, they are out of the loop. For the past 9 years, GoodYear has been the exclusive tire supplier to NASCAR Nextel Cup, NASCAR Busch Grand National and the Craftsman Truck Series. Maybe some other tire company should challenge them.

The racing at Martinsville was typical. Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag after being down three laps at one point. Kasey Kahne raced his way to second, still coming up short of his first Nextel Cup win. Rusty Wallace had a great car all day long but got caught speeding on pit road and was penalized. The new electronic timing system for pit road speed has affected every race so far. Drivers MUST maintain the proper pit road speeds or they are penalized. This has cost a couple of drivers a chance at the win.

The top five finishers included 24 Dupont Chevy of Jeff Gordon, 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge of Kasey Kahne, 6 Viagra Ford of Mark Martin, 12 Alltel Dodge of Ryan Newman, and 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Rusty Wallace. Dale Jr finished 13th, another decent finish.

This race win was special for Hendrick Motorsports. The last race at Martinsville in October, a Hendrick Motorsports plane in route to the speedway crashed in the mountains killing Ricky Hendrick, only son of team owner Rick Hendrick, Rick Hendrick’s brother and two nieces, along with other key people from Hendrick Motorsports. It was a fitting tribute to those lost.

Next up is Texas Motor Speedway. This track is the site of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first Busch Grand National and Nextel Cup victory. One of the fastest tracks on the racing circuit, Texas always has big winners. We leave the short tracks behind for a little while and head back to the mile or bigger tracks. Aerodynamics will play a huge part in the coming weeks more so than driver skills. Tune in this weekend and find out…

Bristol Race Recap…

2005.04.08–“Racin’ the way it ought to be…” That’s the catch phrase for Bristol Motor Speedway. It seems like every race at Bristol brings the drivers’ blood to a boil. This was again the case on Sunday with a caution polluted spring race. 14 cautions made tempers explode and angry words said, but at least no fights broke out. Many cars on the track where no more than roll cages with engines. Sheet metal becomes extinct at Bristol. All in all, there were 10 cars on the lead lap at the conclusion of the race and only 8 cars were in the garage due to damage, leaving the other 25 cars on the track a lap or more down, many with heavy damage. Again, the Good Year tire failed to hold up causing many teams to make unscheduled pit stops due to flat tires. (Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon both had tire problems with less than 10 laps to go.) Kevin Harvick in the 29 Goodwrench Chevy took the checkered flag followed by Elliott Sadler in the 38 M&M’s Ford, Tony Stewart in the 20 Home Depot Chevy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 8 Budweiser Chevy and Dale Jarrett in the 88 UPS Ford.

Kevin Harvick has been in a rut. He failed to win a race last year and many race fans had counted him out. The conspiracy to cheat at Las Vegas was the most news you have heard about Harvick, losing his crew chief for four races. Harvick proved again why he was the man to fill the seat of the late Dale Earnhardt. Although Harvick’s win does not hold a candle to Earnhardt’s 1999 Bristol victory over Terry Labonte that lead to making “I just wanted to rattle his cage” statement a common quote used by drivers and fans alike, he still managed to race his way to the front after starting last after an unapproved car repair. Call me bias, but Dale Jr finally had a respectable fourth place finish bringing him from 26th to 17th in the points standings… a far cry from where he has last year, but an improvement in his performance this year. Don’t count him out yet!!

This Sunday the short track theme continues at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Another half-mile track that is very different from the high banks of Bristol. Martinsville is a flat, paper clip shaped track using a ton of brakes. Jr runs fairly well here, along with Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace and Kurt Busch. Should be a great race, tune in and find out!!

Complaint of the week: FOX Sports has been doing a pretty good job broadcasting the races, this past Sunday however they didn’t even show the winners circle and Harvick’s speech, nor did they interview the top five finishers which is standard race broadcast format. Instead they played half of an episode of the ancient sitcom, Taxi. What the…??? I feel that is very disrespectful to Kevin Harvick and his fans plus the fans of the top five finishers. Goodwrench did not get their earned airtime they pay for by sponsoring the race winner. Just makes you wonder if it was a Hendrick car to win if the same mistake would happen??

Atlanta Race Recap…

2005.03.21–Lap 1—Big wreck… including Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, and Shane Hmiel. Even Kurt Busch had some damage but in a miraculous effort by his crew, stayed on the lead lap when the race resumed. At least Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t included because he qualified too far back. Oh well, he takes care of it himself by speeding on pit road, putting him 2 laps down. OK, so with Jr basically out of contention again this week, I again veered to Kasey Kahne who at least didn’t let me down with a 5th place finish.

Atlanta is known for it’s exciting finishes and this finish was textbook Atlanta. Jimmy Johnson and Greg Biffle traded the lead for the entire race leading for a combination of 307 of the 325 laps. Well, rookie Carl Edwards in the 99 Scotts Ford, coming off his first Busch series win the day before, was pumped and ready to give the veterans a run for their money. Only leading 7 laps of the race, Edwards lead the one that counted, lap 325. Fighting a loose car with worn out tires, Carl looked like a dirt track racer coming out of every corner sideways but never letting off the gas. He got a great run coming out of turn four on the last lap, passing Jimmy Johnson on the high side, beating him to the checkered flag by only a couple of feet (.02 seconds).

The best thing about Carl Edwards: his trademark back flip!! Carl pulled his car in front of the grandstands, climbed out the window of his car and did a back flip to the ground!! We’ve seen it in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Busch Series but this was the first back flip for Nextel Cup. Congratulations to rookie Carl Edwards!! The rest of the top five were the Lowes 48 Jimmy Johnson, Post It 16 Greg Biffle, Viagra 6 Mark Martin, and 9 Dodge Dealers Kasey Kahne. Jr finished 24th and Jeff Gordon finished 39th.

The next race will be in two weeks at Bristol Motor Speedway, one of the best tracks to watch. Bristol is a half mile short track with high bankings. There is a lot of beatin’ and bangin’ that goes on at Bristol and tempers come out. It should be a great race!! Have a good Easter and see you in two weeks!!!

NASCAR news of the week. The governing body of NASCAR is considering smaller engines in the future of the sport. They are cutting 100horsepower (from 358 c.i. to 325 c.i.). The current engine has been used in NASCAR since 1975. My opinion on that—if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Las Vegas Race Recap…

2005.03.13–Las Vegas… You would think that everything in Las Vegas is exciting. Well, this past weekend’s race proved that theory wrong. Cars driving in circles, that’s what it amounted to. There are some tracks that are ‘edge-of-your-seat’ exciting, then there are those that aren’t. Las Vegas is one of those. For me, the race ended on Lap 12. Out of an act of stupidity, Dale Jr. took himself and the 25 car of Brian Vickers out of the race. The most exciting wreck of the race and Jr caused it. In his defense, he is never good at Las Vegas. I guess it’s just not in the cards for him. Of course, when your driver goes out of the race early, you don’t stop watching the race; you pick another driver to cheer on. I picked Kasey Kahne who I was also going to be my pick to win the race again. Well Kasey wrecked out of the race at lap 102 of 267 so after that, nap time. You know a race is boring when they bring out 3 cautions just for debris on the racetrack. Of course with 10 cautions for 46 laps you would expect more than 9 cars to be in the garage at the end of the race. Jimmy Johnson, the 48 Lowe’s Chevy, won the race followed by Las Vegas natives Kyle Busch and his older brother, Kurt Busch. If you are a fan of any of these guys, sorry for my lack of enthusiasm.

OK, so what was exciting about the race??? Well the most excitement came on Friday before the race even began. Kevin Harvick’s 29 Goodwrench team decided to try to sneak some cheating by the officials for their qualifying run. They used an unapproved fuel cell, which gave the appearance that the car was full of fuel when in actuality it only held 4 gallons of fuel for the qualifying run. BIG NO NO in NASCAR. Of course, every team cheats. Most just don’t get caught. Heck, chances are Harvick’s team had probably got by with that stunt before. Harvick finished in the race but Tuesday Penalties were handed out. Harvick’s Crew Chief, Todd Berrier was suspended for the next 4 races plus fined $25,000. Harvick also lost 25 driver points and Richard Childress, race team owner, lost 25 owner points. Also very interesting was the fact that the 48 car (winner) and the 5 car (second place) both from the Hendrick Motorsports barn failed post race inspection. Johnson’s car was found to be too low after the race and he was penalized 25 driver points, car owner Jeff Gordon lost 25 owner points and Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus was suspended for the next two races and fined $35,000. Kyle Busch’s 5 car was too high on the quarter panels and his crew chief was also suspended for the next 2 races and fined $25,000. Kyle lost 25 driver points and Rick Hendrick lost 25 owner points. OK, so for you non-race fans, all this probably looks Greek to you. But an easy explanation is that driver points are very important and they determine who wins the championship at the end of the season. So, Johnson, winning the race on Sunday earned 180 points, while Kyle Busch earned 175. So now, after the deductions, Johnson actually only finished 5th (although they do not take wins away). Kyle Busch actually finished 6th. These penalties will come back to haunt these teams on race 26 where only those in the top 10 have a chance to race for the NEXTEL CUP.

This weekend we head to the fastest racetrack on the circuit (not a super speedway), Atlanta Motor Speedway. On this track they have been known to qualify at speeds over 200-mph. This is the only track where they reach this speed. (Of course higher speeds are possible at Talladega and Daytona sans restrictor plates.) The pole sitter for the Atlanta race is the one driver that proves he has guts. The driver who goes deep into each corner and doesn’t lift his right foot. It’s all about nerve. Balls to the wall! Atlanta is exciting, just tune in and find out!!!

Daytona 500 Race Recap…

2005.02.24–Yeah, yeah, Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Kurt Busch ran second with Dale Earnhardt Jr coming in third. In Jr.’s defense, the last wreck that brought out the caution was what cost him the race. He could have out ran Gordon in the final laps but the cards were stacked against him. He was satisfied with a third place run so all is well.

Daytona, being a SuperSpeedway (title given to tracks that measure 2 miles or more in length), it didn’t disappoint with no large wrecks. Although I don’t believe any of the wrecks were ‘The Big One’ as the drivers call it, there were some spectacular aero-tumbling by some cars. The smaller restrictor plates (plates that restrict air flow to the carburetor to cut down horse power of the engine) spread out the field more than previous years but tire wear was a main concern. Engine failure also occurred in several of the top race teams.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the teams loaded their cars on their haulers and headed home, ready to prepare and rebuild for the Pepsi 400 Daytona race in July. Next up, their off to Fontana, California to the California Speedway, unlike past years where they made the short trip to the historical Rockingham Speedway which lost its second race to the brand new ISC (International Speedway Corporation—owned by several big whigs in NASCAR plus shareholders) race track in California… but that’s another story. Anyway, tune in this weekend when the real racing season kicks off, no restrictor plates just speed, racing and rubbin’. Now we get to see who the cream of the crop is. (Favorites to win at California – #48 Jimmy Johnson, #97 Kurt Busch) Lisa’s Pick – #9 Kasey Kahne.

The Countdown Continues

2005.02.07—The racing season is upon us!! Although the Daytona 500 is still 2 weeks away, Speedweeks have started in Daytona. Speedweeks are the two weeks before the 500 where many races are ran, leading up to the Super Bowl of racing. The first Nextel Cup outing will be this Saturday night, the Bud Shootout. This is a race that you must earn your spot in during the previous season. All the drivers racing in the Bud Shootout must have won a Bud Pole Award during the previous season. The Bud Pole Award for you non-race fans is the fastest qualifier who will lead the start of the race. Qualifying happens usually on Friday before the race. Each car runs one or two laps on the track alone, trying to be the fastest. This is how NASCAR determines the starting line up: quickest to slowest. OK, now you know the basics about how the cars are lined up. BUT, that qualifying system doesn’t apply to the Daytona 500. They do qualify and give out the Bud Pole Award but only the two fastest cars are guaranteed their starting spot for the 500. The other drivers must race in the Gatorade Duel races (previously known as the Gatorade Twin 125s). These are quite possibly the most exciting races of Speedweeks. The remaining qualifiers are divided into two groups. Two races will be ran and where the driver finishes in those races will determine where he starts in the Daytona 500. So basically, if a driver is in a wreck during one of these races, there is a chance he won’t even make it into the 500. These races are very important. A lot is riding on these short 150 mile races (longer than the previous years 125 mile races). Of course that sounds like a long race but remember, the Daytona International Speedway is 2.5 miles long so each race is only 60 laps long. The Daytona 500 is 200 laps. So, if you are new to NASCAR and want to learn everything about the sport, I suggest you just watch the Daytona 500 and start learning the rules the next week at California. The Daytona 500 is a race all it’s own. Football ends their season with their Super Bowl, NASCAR starts their season with the Daytona 500, The Super Bowl of NASCAR. I hope you all enjoy the race… And remember, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be racing in the Busch Grand National series race on February 19th before the 500. He is going for 4 in a row. I think he can do it… (by the way, the Busch Grand National Series is like the minor league of racing. Jr won two Busch championships before he moved up to Nextel cup) Anyway, the countdown continues…

Countdown to Daytona!!!

2005.01.16–The NASCAR off-season will soon be coming to an end… At the present moment most teams have started testing (going to tracks and working on the cars) their Daytona cars and preparing for the 2005 Nextel Cup season. For those of you non-NASCAR fans, I’ll give you a little rundown on what its all about… cars going in circles… Ha, just kidding, it’s soo much more than that… OK, so I’m a die-hard fan. I wasn’t always though. I used to think like most people, it’s just cars going in circles. Of course that is before I actually attended a Winston Cup race. Entering into a racetrack is a rush in itself. You come out of from under the stands and before you is a huge track with sloped bankings and beautifully colored flags and cars speckle the infield. The sight is amazing to say the least but the excitement escalades when the patriotic ceremony begins, the anthem is sung and you see fighter planes fly over. It makes the hair on your arms stand at attention and then the most famous words in NASCAR are spoken. “Gentlemen, Start your engines”!! Now, you wouldn’t think that starting a car would be such a rush but when 43 stock cars with 600 horses under the hood start to rumble and the stands echo the sound causing a vibration that in turn, sends the entire crowd to their feet!!! Watching the cars roll past you at the common pace speed, usually around 55 MPH, you just anticipate the power and the speed you are about to witness.

Talladega Superspeedway

When the green flag waves signaling the start of the race, the cars cut through their gearboxes and begin to fly around the track. With each pass, you can feel the wind and the rubber in your face and the heat from the engines. The cars are running so close together that each lap, the drivers are cheating death. Imagine driving over 160MPH around an oval track, side by side, lap after lap. It truly is amazing!! I am convinced that if a non-race fan were to attend a race, they would convert. Granted, you need to enjoy loud noises and appreciate speed to really enjoy it, but the atmosphere is amazing. 170,000 people pack into the stands supplied with food and beverages all to cheer on their favorite driver, which usually isn’t the same driver of the people next to them. Race fans are very loyal to their drivers. Jeff Gordon fans drink Pepsi products. Dale Jr fans, of course keep the Budweiser flowing freely. Mark Martin fans… well, OK, they at least buy the Viagra T-shirts… Fans are also very vocal. During driver introductions, drivers are cheered and booed. Most fans choose their drivers by their driving style, personality or even family name. There are so many to choose from, there is usually someone for everyone. Of course, my favorite is Dale Earnhardt Jr.!! I know you were all wondering!!!

So, I am anxiously waiting for the off-season to end and the race season to begin. I have 4 more free Sundays until then. I can’t wait to hear those engines again and to cheer on Dale Jr to his first Nextel Cup title!! This year is his year!! I hope that I will convert one non-race fan during this race season so keep checking back!! I’ll keep you informed on what’s happening in NASCAR!!!

For those fans out there, keep up on the racing gossip and silly season (when drivers start switching rides) at www.jayski.com. Click here for more Tales from Sumner Road, by Lisa.

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