Congratulations to Justin Allgaier,who won Saturday's Nationwide race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Allgaier's win proves that nice guys do finish first.
Aside from the fact that a non-Cup Nationwide regular won the race,it was also refreshing that Allgaier raced clean with his Nationwide teammate Brad Keselowski to an exciting finish. Also,this is Allgaier's first NASCAR win. First wins are always exciting but even more so when it's a driver who's as well-liked as Allgaier.
I believe this is the first of many wins in the Nationwide series for Allgaier. Also,whenever Allgaier moves to the Cup series,he will be a force to be reckoned with there as well. Allgaier has just the right combination of being a determined and fierce racer but he races clean and has rightly earned the admiration and respect of his fellow drivers and many fans. He is a humble and likable person. Allgaier is one of the most fan-friendly drivers.
Enjoy your win,Justin. You deserve it.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Way To Go,NASCAR...Not!
Well if this does not prove NASCAR plays favorites with certain drivers, I have no idea what does. NASCAR has dealt a meaningless three-race "probation" to Carl Edwards after he deliberately wrecked Brad Keselowski in the closing laps of Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Three races?! That's outrageous, not even probation for the rest of the season. NASCAR harps on about safety but does not back up what they say with corresponding action, not in this case. It seems NASCAR does not care if one of their cash cows endangers the lives of the other drivers on the track and the fans in the stands. Hypocrisy reigns supreme in NASCAR. Apparently, it will take death or serious injury on the track or in the stands before NASCAR does something.
Kenny Wallace,in a Twitter entry,sounded like he blamed NASCAR fans for what happened on Sunday at Atlanta and tried letting NASCAR off the hook. Nice try,Kenny,but it's not the fault of the fans. The COT is poorly designed, badly engineered, and was definitely a factor in Sunday's wreck,but in the end,it's a person's inability to control his or her own emotions that causes tragedy. I am for the drivers having the ability to police themselves,but as the late radio commentator Paul Harvey wisely noted,"Self-government cannot work without self-discipline". The drivers should police their own emotions before policing those of other drivers.
I knew Carl Edwards would get a light penalty but it looks like in this incident,he's getting no penalty at all. This will likely embolden Edwards to pull more stunts like this if he snaps again. I agree that Brad Keselowski's brash attitude and overly aggressive driving have been problems for other NASCAR drivers. If the wreck had been much less severe,I might have said Keselowski was "getting his cage rattled" as payback, but a major wreck like this,deliberately caused by another driver, cannot be written off as a "racing deal". Thank God that Keselowski walked away safely from his wreck but who is to say there might not have been injuries or deaths?
If NASCAR cared about safety,they would have suspended Edwards for 5 races and put him on probation through the end of the season. Today's decision shows NASCAR's true colors.
Kenny Wallace,in a Twitter entry,sounded like he blamed NASCAR fans for what happened on Sunday at Atlanta and tried letting NASCAR off the hook. Nice try,Kenny,but it's not the fault of the fans. The COT is poorly designed, badly engineered, and was definitely a factor in Sunday's wreck,but in the end,it's a person's inability to control his or her own emotions that causes tragedy. I am for the drivers having the ability to police themselves,but as the late radio commentator Paul Harvey wisely noted,"Self-government cannot work without self-discipline". The drivers should police their own emotions before policing those of other drivers.
I knew Carl Edwards would get a light penalty but it looks like in this incident,he's getting no penalty at all. This will likely embolden Edwards to pull more stunts like this if he snaps again. I agree that Brad Keselowski's brash attitude and overly aggressive driving have been problems for other NASCAR drivers. If the wreck had been much less severe,I might have said Keselowski was "getting his cage rattled" as payback, but a major wreck like this,deliberately caused by another driver, cannot be written off as a "racing deal". Thank God that Keselowski walked away safely from his wreck but who is to say there might not have been injuries or deaths?
If NASCAR cared about safety,they would have suspended Edwards for 5 races and put him on probation through the end of the season. Today's decision shows NASCAR's true colors.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Carl,Carl,We Hardly Knew Ye
Congratulations to Kurt Busch for a consistent performance and keeping the lead to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. One of my favorites,Matt Kenseth,had a solid second place finish and is second in points after a consistently strong season so far with crew chief Todd Parrott.
It was a great day for Penske Racing as well,with Kurt Busch winning the race,and great runs by teammates Sam Hornish Jr and Brad Keselowski but in the closing laps of the race,Keselowski's car was punted and sent airborne by Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards. Fortunately, Keselowski was not injured. Some say what Edwards did was payback for an incident involving Edwards and Keselowski at Talladega last year. While I am not a fan of Keselowski and find him to be arrogant and disrespectful sometimes,what Carl Edwards did was out of line and uncalled for. Edwards had just been getting back into my good graces after the post-fall race incident at Martinsville Speedway in 2007 when Edwards fake punched teammate Matt Kenseth during a post-race TV interview Kenseth was doing. I somehow thought that Edwards' wholesome,nice guy,always smiling image would unravel at some point. It looks as if Sunday's race at Atlanta was a breaking point for Edwards.
It makes no sense that Edwards would do what he did,when Keselowski was on the lead lap and Edwards was more than 150 laps down. If Edwards was battling Keselowski for a position on the lead lap,it might have been dismissed as a "racing deal". Edwards could have dealt with Keselowski away from the track,outside of NASCAR's jurisdiction. Edwards,with his build and agility,could have confronted Keselowski face to face instead of using a 3,400-pound car moving 190 miles per hour as a weapon. I hope NASCAR suspends Edwards for at least one race but a longer suspension would set a better example. During the off-season,NASCAR made a wise move by letting the drivers police themselves on the track,but obviously with the understanding that the drivers would control their emotions.
Carl Edwards has a long hill to climb to restore his reputation and fan appeal. The image he has cultivated as a wholesome,always smiling nice guy took a beating Sunday. Edwards might have already done irreparable damage to his image. I guess only time will tell.
It was a great day for Penske Racing as well,with Kurt Busch winning the race,and great runs by teammates Sam Hornish Jr and Brad Keselowski but in the closing laps of the race,Keselowski's car was punted and sent airborne by Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards. Fortunately, Keselowski was not injured. Some say what Edwards did was payback for an incident involving Edwards and Keselowski at Talladega last year. While I am not a fan of Keselowski and find him to be arrogant and disrespectful sometimes,what Carl Edwards did was out of line and uncalled for. Edwards had just been getting back into my good graces after the post-fall race incident at Martinsville Speedway in 2007 when Edwards fake punched teammate Matt Kenseth during a post-race TV interview Kenseth was doing. I somehow thought that Edwards' wholesome,nice guy,always smiling image would unravel at some point. It looks as if Sunday's race at Atlanta was a breaking point for Edwards.
It makes no sense that Edwards would do what he did,when Keselowski was on the lead lap and Edwards was more than 150 laps down. If Edwards was battling Keselowski for a position on the lead lap,it might have been dismissed as a "racing deal". Edwards could have dealt with Keselowski away from the track,outside of NASCAR's jurisdiction. Edwards,with his build and agility,could have confronted Keselowski face to face instead of using a 3,400-pound car moving 190 miles per hour as a weapon. I hope NASCAR suspends Edwards for at least one race but a longer suspension would set a better example. During the off-season,NASCAR made a wise move by letting the drivers police themselves on the track,but obviously with the understanding that the drivers would control their emotions.
Carl Edwards has a long hill to climb to restore his reputation and fan appeal. The image he has cultivated as a wholesome,always smiling nice guy took a beating Sunday. Edwards might have already done irreparable damage to his image. I guess only time will tell.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Nationwide Series Being Invaded And What NASCAR Should-And Must-Do
I know this topic has been discussed on NASCAR radio and TV talk shows, Internet message boards,and in NASCAR-related blogs, but I feel it is worthy of being mentioned again.
The stats for the first three races of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide series should be most disturbing. All three Nationwide races run so far this season have been won by Cup series regulars. The last several Nationwide championships have been won by Cup drivers. Almost every Nationwide race is won by a Cup driver. Why should NASCAR fans be bothered by it?
The main purpose of the Nationwide series,since its inception as the Busch series in 1982,has been to nurture up and coming talent and prepare drivers for the Cup series but the privilege of Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide series has been abused in recent years. This keeps out potential talent that will be needed in the Cup series in the future. Some argue that the presence of Cup drivers makes full-time non-Cup Nationwide regulars more competitive. That might be true up to a point but if too many Cup drivers are in the same Nationwide race,it does not make it very competitive for upstart drivers who are supposed to compete against each other for wins and open doors for themselves in the Cup series in the future.
Another argument is that Cup drivers help boost attendance at Nationwide series races. While NASCAR is a business and they obviously want to make as much money as possible,it's still unfair to up and coming drivers who have dreams of being the next Richard Petty,Tony Stewart,or Jeff Gordon. I have no objections to the presence of a few Cup drivers in each Nationwide series race but NASCAR should place restrictions on how many races a season Cup drivers race in the Nationwide series. NASCAR should make it restrictive enough to the point that they do not take too many points or too much money away from the full-time non-Cup Nationwide regulars.
Cup drivers must be reminded that it is the Nationwide series,not a practice session for Cup races. Also,the arrogant,condescending attitudes of some Cup drivers in the Nationwide series is very disturbing. How soon they forget that they were once seeking to fulfill a dream like the Nationwide regulars they belittle. Whether NASCAR is too timid or too greedy to do anything about it is a matter of debate. What's not debatable is that it is a problem and an issue NASCAR must do something about now if the Nationwide series,and perhaps NASCAR itself,is to have a future.
The stats for the first three races of the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide series should be most disturbing. All three Nationwide races run so far this season have been won by Cup series regulars. The last several Nationwide championships have been won by Cup drivers. Almost every Nationwide race is won by a Cup driver. Why should NASCAR fans be bothered by it?
The main purpose of the Nationwide series,since its inception as the Busch series in 1982,has been to nurture up and coming talent and prepare drivers for the Cup series but the privilege of Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide series has been abused in recent years. This keeps out potential talent that will be needed in the Cup series in the future. Some argue that the presence of Cup drivers makes full-time non-Cup Nationwide regulars more competitive. That might be true up to a point but if too many Cup drivers are in the same Nationwide race,it does not make it very competitive for upstart drivers who are supposed to compete against each other for wins and open doors for themselves in the Cup series in the future.
Another argument is that Cup drivers help boost attendance at Nationwide series races. While NASCAR is a business and they obviously want to make as much money as possible,it's still unfair to up and coming drivers who have dreams of being the next Richard Petty,Tony Stewart,or Jeff Gordon. I have no objections to the presence of a few Cup drivers in each Nationwide series race but NASCAR should place restrictions on how many races a season Cup drivers race in the Nationwide series. NASCAR should make it restrictive enough to the point that they do not take too many points or too much money away from the full-time non-Cup Nationwide regulars.
Cup drivers must be reminded that it is the Nationwide series,not a practice session for Cup races. Also,the arrogant,condescending attitudes of some Cup drivers in the Nationwide series is very disturbing. How soon they forget that they were once seeking to fulfill a dream like the Nationwide regulars they belittle. Whether NASCAR is too timid or too greedy to do anything about it is a matter of debate. What's not debatable is that it is a problem and an issue NASCAR must do something about now if the Nationwide series,and perhaps NASCAR itself,is to have a future.
Welcome!!!!
This is the first post on my new blog. I will post about different topics,mostly sports,some basketball,some football,but mostly NASCAR. I also plan on posting non-sports related topics as well. You might disagree with me. You might agree with most of what I write. Whatever your opinion is,I hope you enjoy my blog.
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