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Two Laps Down: Rocket Ryan Survives Manic Martinsville

Because there’s no bent sheet metal or burning rubber in basketball - Scotty Wazz (from the Face Off Hockey Show) and I share our views on NASCAR each week in Two Laps Down. Here is the e-mail transcript of our latest conversation:

—–Original Message—–

From: Scotty Wazz
Sent: Monday, April 1st, 2012
To: Todd – “Wilson!”
Subject: Rocket Ryan Survives Manic Martinsville

Talk about workin’ overtime, TB,

But rather than deal with BTO lyrics, we have to deal with the matter at hand. It’s not enough to talk about Ryan Newman and his ability to create havoc and get a win, AJ Allmendinger’s class in not creating a bump and run situation, or Hendrick Motorsports coming up short in trying to get Rick Hendrick’s 200th win; but we’ll talk about the talk of the garage afterwords.

With David Reutimann going around 25mph for about 20 laps because of a broken tire rod and then a failing engine forced him to stop on the backstretch, causing only the sixth caution of the race on lap 496, which was something that the leaders didn’t want to see. Now, after the race, Reutimann said that the team needed to go around the track like that in order to stay in the top-35 and be allowed in the races for the next little while should speed not be enough, but it makes you question the smaller teams priorities and all around eye on the safety aspect of it. While Reuti took the blame for it all, the fact remains that he’s got the whole garage hot at him and really screwed up the end for Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Clint Bowyer, since in this case the caution bred another caution involving those three cars I mentioned.

Now, the hot topic I want to bring up is what NASCAR is going to do and what they need to do when it comes to smaller teams and how they go about running the races in the fashion that they do, which is mostly “also-ran” status. Is there going to be a time where NASCAR starts to limit these teams doing what they’re doing, especially if they’re going nowhere fast?? Do you think we’ll finally see NASCAR actually knock down the number of guys who start because it’ll make smaller teams work harder to get better?? Let’s be honest, they often end up with the start-and-park guys going out quickly enough that it’s almost a formality.

Alright, on to the actual racing, where Ryan Newman scored a victory after doing what we would expect to see on the short-track style of racing, bumping and running– but this was from the 5th spot. While you can say the Clint Bowyer and the 15 team dive-bombed underneath Jeff Gordon before hitting the curb and shooting upward into the 24 and create a chain reaction– the replays show that Bowyer got help from Newman who gave him the bump from behind, propelling him to the curb. Many will say it was a bit of a shady move…isn’t that’s what short-track racing is all about?? This is what Bristol really has been lacking in the past couple of years and Martinsville provided that in droves. Though, in a world of fairness, is it right to finger-wag Newman for being out that caution to help his cause or do we just revert back to the old “rubbin’s racin’” and “let the boys have at ‘er” mentality??

While Newman did what he did, AJ Allmendinger took the high road and actually tried to race Newman those last laps in order to take the win, but came up short. ‘Dinger said that he didn’t want to win a race like that, and a second place finish for him is something that’s definitely solid for his new team. Dale Junior continued to catch the break for the Hendrick dream-team, finishing in 3rd,  Matt Kenseth had another solid run in the 17 machine finishing 4th, while Martin Truex, Jr. stirred up another great finish in 5th. In the end, Bowyer finished 10th, Johnson finished 12th, and Gordon 14th; not as good as expected, but at least it’s better than completely tanking for them.

One guy we didn’t see up front all that often was Kevin Harvick, who pretty much dominated that truck race this weekend– leading all but two laps on Saturday to take the first truck race to happen in over a month. It makes you wonder what is the really big change for Harvick, as he led only 21 laps on Sunday. While I could go on and on about the Cup drivers taking over the lower divisions (especially since Truck racing is very limited), what do you think happened with Harvick and what changed so much that he didn’t seem to equate much into the finish??

Off the track in the Nationwide Series could have been where the biggest news was. Blake Koch, who drives the Rise-Up and Register #41 machine almost lost his sponsors because of the fact that ESPN rejected their commercial due to overly religious tones to the ad. This is from a network who goes crazy over Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin. Even so, the fact that the network that carries all of the races is killing some teams because of it. You add that to RAB Racing saying that Kenny Wallace using social media to look for sponsors is making everyone in that situation look too needy, you have to wonder how much longer teams in lower divisions can be self-sufficient. Are we beating a dead horse or does our little entry have to keep doing the job that NASCAR is turning a blind-eye to??

I’ve yammered enough, time for some other stories in the Gas-n-Go segment.

-Michael Waltrip rewarded Brian Vickers the keys to the #55 for the road races coming up and even joked about if his runs continue to be solid, it could be his full-time gig. Despite starting 6th and finishing 18th– could Vickers keep being mediocre and still get the job in the 55??

-Sam Hornish, Jr. is about to make his return to the Cup circuit at Kansas in April. While he’s not going to be in Cup anytime soon, don’t you think we could see NASCAR loosening restrictions on how many cars a team can own with all these free agents out there??

-Rusty Wallace is returning to race at the Milwaukee Mile. How much old school tactics can we expect out of the TV analyst??

You’re up TB, what is NASCAR to do about Reutimann and teams like his?? Did Newman do what he needed or just get to excited?? Does Allmendinger look more respectable now for clean racing?? What’s the Nationwide series to do??

~SW

—–Original Message—–

From: Todd
Sent: Monday, April 1st, 2012
To: Scotty
Subject: RE: Rocket Ryan Survives Manic Martinsville

You hit the nail on the head, Scotty,

What we saw Sunday at Martinsville- that is exactly what Bristol has been lacking recently – that wild, unpredictable ending…and action that leaves at least a few drivers pissed off.

We certainly got a payoff on both of those. I’ll be honest – I was annoyed when that last caution came out. Gordon and Johnson had a fantastic battle going, and Gordon’s pass for the lead with four laps to go was classic short-track racing: he muscled his way under the No.48 car and forced him up the track. I though we were in for a great fight for the finish…and then the yellow flag came out…and then Bowyer dive-bombed into turn one and the two best cars on the track got taken out in a wreck…and then Newman – who had been a non-factor all race – came out of nowhere for the win with Allmendinger in tow.

It was crazy, it was unexpected. The entire race changed with four laps to go, and it left some people happy and others totally pissed – both on the track and in the stands…and THAT is what makes short-track racing so great. And like you suggested – that is what Martinsville still has going, and what Bristol wants to get back.

I think it was great, and made us all forget about the rest of the race, which was actually a little boring with Gordon and Johnson taking it to the rest of the field. And heck – we still got an exciting battle at the finish, anyway – Newman and Allmendinger put on a great show on the final restart, with a solid, clean side-by-side battle.

Turning to that battle between Newman and the Dinger – I think it is noble that A.J. wanted to play it clean and not make contact, but really – this is a short-track, and if you want to win, you have to lay the bumper to someone. I’m not necessarily saying that guys should drive dirty…I’m just saying that you can’t say you really, really want to win at Martinsville, but you’re not willing to put a fender to a guy to do it. Those two statements just don’t compute. In other words – it was a great fight between the No.22 and the No.39, but if the Dinger wants to be a real contender at the Cup level, he needs to seize opportunities like he had Sunday, even if it means pushing someone out of the way at a short track. Am I being too critical??

Of course, all of this was set up by what I think we can all admit is Reutimann’s clear blunder. His car was broken and failing, yet he continued to hobble around the track, at first just getting in the way, then coming to a complete stop. Now, we could simply point the finger at Reutimann and his team and we’d be justified, but what about NASCAR? Rootie drifted aimlessly around the track for a handful of laps and it was clear he wasn’t helping things nor was he coming in to pit – but NASCAR didn’t black-flag him. Why not??

And Rootie said he stayed out because he was trying to stay in the top-35, and I get that and admire the effort. But isn’t this a case where the top-35 rule got in the way of a good race? I’m not sure NASCAR should penalize him for the team’s decision, but they need to re-evaluate the whole top-35 thing – because you get two extremes from the bubble teams: the ones who start-n-park, and those who stay out too long and get in the way.

I’ll get to Harvick and the Truck/Cup race next round, but I gotta talk about the Blake Koch thing, because you made such a great point – ESPN was all-Tebow, all-the-time a few months ago, and then they shoot down Koch – who, from the article I read, wanted to do a Register to Vote ad that had no religious content whatsoever…they objected because the voting site has a link to Blake’s personal site…which is where there is religious content.

If the ad truly is just about voting, which is an important thing to encourage, and will get a young NASCAR driver in front of the fans – why not do it?

Gas-n-Go:

- MWR showed up big-time atMartinsville: Truex continues to impress, and Bowyer was right there in the mix the whole day, and without that bump from Newman, may have won the race. Like them, Vickers is a guy capable of winning a race, and he has been in the Chase before – Mikey can’t turn that down – it won’t make them into Hendrick Motorsports, but it will make the team better, I think.

- Hornish back in a Cup race? You gotta admire the guy’s dedication – he could probably got back to the IRL if he really wanted to.

- Ol’ Rubberhead behind the wheel?? I hope he lays the bumper to someone – maybe A.J. could learn a thing or two watching it. I think it is cool he is jumping in to bring attention to a charity race.

- What did you think of the Google/NASCAR April fool’s day thing??

Sorry for going so long – back to you, SW: Shouldn’t the Dinger have given Newman the bumper? Why didn’t NASCAR black-flag Rootie? When did ESPN suddenly become all politically correct??

TB

—–Original Message—–

From: Wazz
Sent: Tuesday, April 2nd, 2012
To: Wilson
Subject: RE: Rocket Ryan Survives Manic Martinsville

Here’s the funny thing, TB,

That it had to take to the end of the race to get that excitement, which I guess is when you need it. It makes me wonder if it’s better to have a pretty clean race and then it gets grimy at the end or just have a rough race from green flag to checkers?? Either way, it’s always amazing to see what Martinsville can provide. A flat, short track with narrow lanes is always a recipe for disaster, but it only provided seven cautions. You can see the patience of the drivers showing already.

I can’t say you were being too critical about ‘Dinger because I was going to start questioning his switch to Penske amongst other drivers/organizations. Maybe the thing with Dinger is that he’s going to be gunshy with new equipment as to not anger his new boss. While working for Richard Petty could be intimidating, Roger Penske is a guy who looks just as intimidating. Maybe learning the organization and how it works is preoccupying his motives, but the second place finish could be the jumping off point for him and maybe get a little aggression into his mentality.

Speaking of teams that have really dropped off, Dinger’s old team in Richard Petty Motorsports have been off the radar, especially Marcos Ambrose. He’s currently 23rd in points and while he did have a lot of momentum coming out of last year; he seems to be back in middle of the pack, not making much noise at all. Aric Amirola has been pretty solid in the #43, but is there a lot of expectation for him at all since this is his first year, full-time, in the Cup side of things?? Whatever it is, the RPM guys may need to get on their horses or else they may get lost in the Ford family and may have to go to Dodge to get some kind of help to get better.

You had a great point when it comes to Rootie and NASCAR should wholly be responsible for it all. This is not as bad as JP Montoya going around Daytona and making a big fire-ball, but it’s a constant thing we’ve seen with NASCAR being somewhat away through radio chatter that they hear from the crews, they should be aware and should have take the precautionary measure, definitely. However, it comes down to the owner actually trying to get points– where does common sense come into play?? Rootie was down 79 laps and his car was falling apart, but Tommy Baldwin didn’t seem ready to bring him in. What kind of silliness is that?? Sure, you want to stay in the top-35, but at the same time– come on now.

It’s definitely something where the top-35 got in the way, but at the same time, you have to wonder if you need to up it to the top-30 or even 25 so that these start-and-park and also-rans won’t be putting themselves and their peers in danger of a big accident. We’re already a couple races in, but the safety aspect on the track has been put into danger way too much to ignore it. Some rule changes need to be done, but at what extreme??

The funny thing about ESPN rejecting Koch ad was the fact that I don’t think they direct it right to Koch’s site, so his affiliation with it all is just the pitch man. Just like those “This is Sportscenter” ads, it’s not like those mascots and athletes are always there– so that’s horrific advertising right there. Even so, I can’t blame Koch so much, but the Rise Up and Register campaign is quite short-sighted by just going for the ESPN space rather than elsewhere. It’s something where if you’re going to just do one area to go for– why be surprised if it blows up in your face like that?? It sucks for Koch and really bad for ESPN– but that’s what happens when you have a narrow demographic to shoot for. If anything, they should be like the Winston cigarette group gathering up smokers for free smokes back in the day.

G-n-G

-The MWR crew has to move forward at some point. While Mark Martin is there to give some kind of leadership, the fact remains that the guys there have to take from it and move forward in some way, shape, or form. Vickers could bring some sort of help, but unless they can all learn from Martin or Mikey– this team will just be treading water.

-Maybe you have to wonder if Hornish is trying to make a comeback, especially with Penske moving over the Ford next year, freeing up more money to actually field a third team, perhaps.

-I can bet you that Rusty will leave someone in Memphis singing the blues, but I just hope that he’s not a start-and-park guy who they just talk to afterwords in the ESPN lodge.

-The Google thing was genius, mostly because you could see some of the people they talked to were highly inebriated. Plus it showed Clint Bowyer’s acting chops (much better than his  FOX spot) and Brian Pattie’s lack thereof.

One more time around, TB– can NASCAR do anything to replace driver/crew chief/owner common sense when stuff breaks?? Will things get more intense for Dinger?? Can RPM actually bring back some hype they once had?? Would driverless Google cars bring a better race experience at some tracks??

~SW

—–Original Message—–

From: TB
Sent: Tuesday, April 2nd, 2012
To: SW
Subject: RE: Rocket Ryan Survives Manic Martinsville

Maybe I am just getting old, SW,

But, for me, when I am at a short track, I want to see bashed fenders and bent sheet metal the entire race, not just at the end. It can go too far, though – I remember Bristol and Martinsville races that seemed to go on forever because of the dizzying number of yellow flags. In general, though, guys pushing and shoving is part of that kind of racing, and I’d rather see it throughout the race rather than just at the end. Of course, my opinion might change the next race, but after that exciting ending last Sunday, it makes me want to see that old-school action more often.

When it comes to those cars fighting for the tail-end of the top-35, I think NASCAR should give them the leeway to fight for their spot…but common sense has to prevail at some point. NASCAR has a minimum speed rule, but they are also smart enough to know when a car is broken and in danger of causing a problem – and they need to be a little quicker on the black flag in those situations. Heck – the whole Montoya thing happened in a car the team knew was broken…then a few weeks later, they don’t black flag Rootie under similar circumstances?? I’m not talking about bringing a guy in because he thinks he may have a tire going down, but doing it when something is obviously wrong and a driver still isn’t coming to the pits.

You’re probably right about A.J. – first year with a new team, he settled for the solid second-place finish rather than risk ruining his car and his race. I get that, but if he wants to be a Chase contender, he’s got to tap into a little more killer instinct. Especially when you’ve got a teammate as aggressive as Brad Keselowski.

And I actually disagree a little on Petty Motorsports. Almirola’s been far better than I expected him to be, especially last weekend at Martinsville, and Ambrose has actually looked fast to me – he just always seems to end up getting caught in someone else’s wreck.

Now, that being said, you don’t get points back because the wreck wasn’t your fault, so I do agree that the RPM guys have to get themselves in gear if they want to make anything happen this year. But since he’s looked fast at times, I think Ambrose will be a serious contender at both road courses, which also makes him a threat to grab a wild-card spot in the Chase. I also agree that, especially if they don’t finish well this year, they are a prime candidate for a switch back to Dodge.

And, you know, as silly as the idea of self-driving Google cars were, it would certainly make for some interesting options – fans could vote for cars to wreck during the race…they could be programmed to bang fenders without actually wrecking each other…there could be a guaranteed number of passes…ride-alongs for fans…and “Cars” could be made into a live-action movie…

So, what did we learn this week:

- Short-track racing is unpredictable racing, and we saw that this past weekend at Martinsville. If Bristol wants to bring back the fans, they not only need to fix the track, but take a cue from Martinsville and make sure they set it up so we get the same level of late-race action and uncertainty.

- The David Reutimann situation was less than ideal, but NASCAR is just as much to blame as the team…possibly more. They should have black-flagged Rootie long before he stopped on track, and the silliness of the top-35 rule brought it all about.

- We’re split on the status of RPM, but one thing is fore sure – if those guys want to get a car in the Chase, they better not wait any longer to make something happen.

- The traditionally non-politically-correct ESPN got way to PC over this whole Blake Koch thing, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

- If Google actually did make an automated racecar, then both of use would finally have the chance to be a NASCAR star…or at least not wreck our first half-lap out.

Next week: everything gets bigger inTexas

TB

Two Laps Down: Dodging Raindrops in California

Because we still haven’t won the lottery yet - Scotty Wazz (from the Face Off Hockey Show) and I share our views on NASCAR each week in Two Laps Down. Here is the e-mail transcript of our latest conversation:

 

—–Original Message—–

From: Todd – “Wilson!”
Sent: Monday, March 26th, 2012
To: Scotty Wazz
Subject: Dodging Raindrops in California

We said we needed shorter races, Scotty,

But not necessarily like we saw Sunday at Fontana. I think it was great that NASCAR made a quick, definitive decision about whether or not to continue the race as opposed to dragging everything out, but the only problem is that we never got to see how things were really going to play out – if maybe somebody like Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had something extra left that they were going to bring out in the closing laps.

Without getting too far off track, though, that would be one of the potential benefits of shorter races – instead of drivers biding their time and just waiting until the last portion of the race, they would have no choice but to run all-out from the green flag to get toward the front.

Back on track, though – how smart does Tony Stewart look right now? Here’s a guy who wins a championship, fired his crew chief, and now with Steve Addington on the box he’s turned in two wins despite the fact that he never does well at the beginning of the season. And it wasn’t like he got a gift from the rain – Smoke just plain drove by Kyle and then started checking out when the rain finally came.

So everybody is fully on-board the Smoke band-wagon right now, and I totally get that, but how long will this hot streak last? We see this every year – someone starts off hot and everyone starts talking championship – (perfect example – in the poll on Nascar.com right now, two-thirds of the people think Stewart will win at LEAST five more races this season, which is pretty unlikely) but by the time the Chase comes around, we’ve cycled through about three or four other drivers. So how long do you think Tony can keep it up?

Staying on the topic of hot drivers – we talked about Dale Junior last week, but what about Greg Biffle?? This will be his third week at the top of the standings, yet everyone has been talking about Smoke and Junior. I’ll be perfectly honest – I am surprised that he is still leading the points. He didn’t really build up a lot of momentum at the end of last season, and of all the Roushkateers, The Biff wasn’t the one I assumed would be in this position. Are you as surprised as I am?

Other observations from Sunday’s race: The racing was the same old follow-the-leader we’ve become accustomed to at Fontana…Jimmie Johnson got lucky: he had a leaking oil line when the rain caution came out, but was saved by the red flag instead of going laps down having to fix it…Kurt Busch actually managed a good finish (9th) – mostly because he didn’t have enough time to screw everything up and/or wreck…and Kasey Kahne moved himself from the brink of dropping out of the top-35, but not necessarily by doing anything impressive – he simply finished 15th.

Ok, Gas-n-Go time:

- Jimmie Johnson got (most) of his Daytona penalty thrown out – the $100k fine stays, but no suspension for Chad Knaus, and Jimmie got his 25 points back – were you surprised as I was?

- Penske is switching to Ford…but may still be making Dodge engines next year for other teams. Could this whole thing get any stranger?

- Noting the horrible attendance last week and (obviously) our discussion about how Bristol has lost it’s mojo – owner Bruton Smith says he is seriously considering putting the track back to the way it was before it got paved/progressive banking. Is that the best NASCAR news you’ve heard in awhile, or what?

Over to you, Wazzman – is Stewart just the first fad of the year? Where did The Biff come from? Was Fontana anything other than the same-old, same-old?

TB

—–Original Message—–

From: Wazzman
Sent: Monday, March 26th, 2012
To: Todd
Subject: RE: Dodging Raindrops in California

It could be a balance, TB,

Because last year, we saw Smoke get going in the last ten races, but Addington is a guy who was helping Kyle Busch to wins early in the season. It could be just what Smoke needed to have the guy to set the course early and then let his own instincts take over when he needs to the most– late in the season. And, like I said before, he’s adjusted and focused more on driving rather than the operations side of things– thus, less stress for him, I’m sure.

Honestly, I think that Smoke is just getting started. He’s making up for his lost first-half of the season last year, but actually knows how important that is. It was a wake-up call for him to get in gear early because that kind of luck probably wasn’t going to come around twice in a lifetime. For me, it’s a great sign for him that he’s able to build off the championship season and not have the “hangover” of winning a championship and actually resting on his laurels.

That said, five more wins….I don’t know. Polls in general are a bit silly, especially when you’re doing something with a popular driver like Smoke. It’s a bit of a high expectation for him to pull off five more victories– but he is tuned in, so never say never. At this point, you have to wonder if he’s going to start focusing on cruising throughout it all since he’s probably going to be in the Chase with the wins and the points. At what point do you think he’s going switch it to looking ahead to the Chase?? Hell, this early in the season– it’s crazy to even think about it, but could be food for thought later on.

Yet, the call to actually call the race quickly because of the rain was genius. You have to think NASCAR had to get an earful from the teams about having to finish Daytona on a Monday night and then having to travel cross country to Phoenix for next week’s race. With the fact the teams have to drive back to their shops in North Carolina and then up to Martinsville, NASCAR probably didn’t want to hear the same thing again, so since it was half-way; make it official.

Back to the race, I’ll tell you what, you’re completely right about Johnson. It’s this kind of luck that he’s had this week that makes me think he could be a threat more-so and many people may be underestimating him. I’ll get to the other stuff in the G-n-G, but my thought is that with the streak over, I think JJ is actually allowed to think about racing again rather than the hoopla that surrounded him last year.

And you talk about the Biff and I’m with you on the guy who really is the most overlooked and most unassuming of the Roush Rockets to actually be at the top of the table. Though at the same time, that’s the thing that could be making him run as well as he’s running. Biff knows he’s low man on the totem pole and has to prove himself; but also he won’t get the stress and questions that guys like Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth might get, which would definitely make him more comfortable. I’m sure he may get jealous if he keeps this up, but if he can get in under the radar, he could be dangerous down the stretch.

G-n-G time:

-The craziness about the 48′s deal this week is that you knew Mike Helton wasn’t too keen on the result handed down, but kept a brave, monotone face when saying he agreed with the Chief Appellate. How much of a boost does this give Johnson and the team and how much does NASCAR feel shame because of this ruling??

-Why would Penske keep building for their possible competitor?? Don’t you think Ford would put a stop to this?? Albeit, the fact there is no Dodge teams, it’s a bit of a moot point, yet all seems very crazy.

-The Bristol news is a great announcement, but you have to wonder if it’ll actually make a difference or if drivers will be more ticked off if it’s just not the same as it was in the late-2000s. Though, to bring back some more competitive racing, I’m sure they’d do whatever it took.

-One more note, good friend to us over the years– Hermie Sadler– will be back in the Sprint Cup, piloting the #33 Chevy for Richard Childress at Martinsville. We talked last week about Michael Waltrip using the #55 as a test for someone like Brian Vickers; but is it good for Childress to use the #33 for some older guys to try and get back into the scene??

Right around to you, TB– is there a new balance with Smoke because of Steve Addington?? Did travel actually play into the cancellation?? Can the Biff be the most underrated driver who will still be underrated if he wins a title?? Does JJ and the 48 have that horseshoe again??

~SW

—–Original Message—–

From: Todd
Sent: Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
To: Scotty
Subject: RE: Dodging Raindrops in California

Good points about Smoke, Scotty,

You’re right – here’s a guy who barely made the Chase last year, so this time they concentrate on getting off to a solid start so they don’t have to worry….and next thing you know, they are essentially locked in after two early wins.

But the even bigger point you made – now what? Do they keep pushing for wins? Start preparing for the Chase? Sure, it is early, but I’m sure discussions have already started, and while I can’t imagine that Stewart will put aside all the momentum he has right now, but I bet they are going to bring some extra parts and ideas to the tracks in the Chase the first time around to try in practice (and possibly the race) – but that’s the advantage of getting wins early in the season.

Of course, the real test for Addington will come in those final 10 – because so far he’s been a great early-season crew chief, but his record for wins in the Chase is lacking. It does seem like the perfect combination, though – a great early-season crew chief with a great late-season driver. I don’t know if it is a 7+ wins combination, but a real Chase contender, nonetheless.

And I wouldn’t be surprised at all if travel played a role in the quick decision to end the race early. If we had the old schedule and if rained in, say -Bristol the week before Martinsville, I bet they would have sat it out and possibly pushed the end of the race to Monday. I’m not sure if maybe that didn’t shortchange the fans a little, but I certainly understand the decision.

Talking about guys running under the radar this year – call me crazy, but I think Biffle and Johnson are in the same boat. With all the talk about Stewart and Junior, people are kind of glossing over guys like Biffle and even Johnson – assuming that Biffle couldn’t possibly hold on to the top spot and that Johnson isn’t the dominating force he used to be. All the JJ talk has been about the penalty, not really about his racing.

I think you are on to something about JJ, though – he’s smart enough to use the lack of attention to his advantage, and experienced enough to stay in the background until just the right moment.

But another guy that even I haven’t bothered noticing this season is Martin Truex, Jr. Heck, a few weeks ago I was asking you what was up with the No.56 team, but that was at Vegas, which happened to be his worst finish this year. Since then, he’s turned in two-straight top-10 finishes and is fifth in the points. We’re starting to get to that point in the season where guys start drifting out of Chase contention – so can Truex keep it going, or is he going to start to slip?

Gas-n-Go:

- It may have been status-quo for Helton and his slightly frown-y mega-’stache, but underneath he must have been pretty embarrassed. NASCAR threw the book at Johnson/Knaus, and it turned out they didn’t cover all their bases, and definitely got a slap on the wrist from the Chief Appellate officer. Knaus must be feeling pretty good right now – it should give the team a big boost.

- Penske claims that teams have been inquiring about their Dodge engines…but who knows who those teams are. I’d think the only reason Ford would allow them to keep building is so The Captain wouldn’t have to fire everyone in the engine shop if they run Roush powerplants.

- Even if the drivers prefer the current Bristol, I think it would be cool if they actually went back to the old configuration – not only for the racing, but just because that means they were actually listening to the fans.

- Hermie in the #33? It might be more of a favor to Elliott for the job he is doing in Nationwide, but I like it when the big teams throw a guy in a car to test them out/give them seat time – whether it be a Sadler in the 33, Stenhouse in the 6, etc. It should happen more often.

Take it to the finish, Wazz – when does Smoke turn his focus to the Chase? Is Johnson flying under the radar right now, of just Biff? What do you think about Truex’s hot start?

TB

—–Original Message—–

From: SW
Sent: Tuesday, March 27th, 2012
To: TB
Subject: RE: Dodging Raindrops in California

At this point, TB,

I think Smoke and Addington will keep going for the wins and trying to run as well as they can until the Coke 400 in Daytona before they start worrying about the Chase. That way, not only will it give them time to rack more wins up and make sure they’re in the Chase; but it’ll give them eight races to get into Chase trim and mind-frame. Almost a mini-Chase before they get ready for the actual 10-race shootout at the end.

Here’s the thing, and this is just me, is that Addington will probably get along fine with the late-season runs with Smoke. More over, Addington will have to be a passenger and actually let Smoke make all the calls, as Addington only has one win in the last two seasons during the Chase and only four top-tens in that span. You’d have to think that at this point, Addington will be a passenger and he might be alright with that. For a guy like Smoke to actually be in control could be best because he’ll be in charge of his own destiny. At the same time though, you can bet that the team jumping out in front so early will allow them to actually work on pressure scenarios much more than immediately being thrown into that situation without notice.

The interesting point about the travel is that we’ve talked at times in the past about just having that whole west coast swing to be clustered together because it’s silly and not that cost-effective to keep going coast-to-coast with the haulers over a span of four weeks. Of course, it would mean teams would probably have to set-up a Western shop, but could probably be for the best for the teams and less stress when actually getting cars set-up in a short time frame. I don’t think it short changed the Fontana fans….because they never seem like the most exciting of people out there.

I totally agree with Biffle and Johnson being in the same boat, but their ability to sustain is going to be the biggest part about these two. We all know that Johnson is a guy who can make a charge when he’s been thought to be down-and-out, but Biffle is the real wild-card. He’s a good driver, but never gets the credit he deserves. With him at the top, you have to think he has to take advantage of that now or else he’ll always be deemed one the better drivers to be underestimate because he couldn’t take the reigns and then go from there. It could be a big season for Biffle, but only if he wants it to be. If he doesn’t take control, no one will think one way or another– but the minute people start to notice is the minute after Biffle decides he wants to be the man.

And speaking of being the man, I think that’s what Truex is doing with his MWR ride. He was supposed to be the cornerstone of that team and then he just got lost in the fold. Now, he’s in a contract-year state of mind so he can maybe keep his ride– since getting a new ride is a rough proposition– and he is trying to show that he’s worth the money that Mikey is actually giving to him. However, I also think that addition of Mark Martin to MWR has helped Truex focus and adding someone like Bowyer with experience in growing up on the circuit makes things really more comfortable for Truex and takes some of the pressure off of him to actually perform.

One final thing about Penske, it’d be interesting to see what teams are the ones that actually inquire about the engines. That mystery probably has some of the Ford and Chevy guys looking around to see who’s unhappiest and then cater to them for a short time to make sure they don’t jump. Or it could be Truck or Nationwide guys seeing what they can get out of the shop– though that’s a bit of a stretch. You’re right about Ford letting him keep the shop open as to not actually have people lose jobs– but it could also be so the Penske makes sure he gives as good as he gets– or he’ll just switch right back to Dodge if not.

So, what have we learned??

-Smoke and Addington are running the show right now, but can they sustain this pace?? And more importantly, at what point do they start to actually focus on the Chase??

-A west coast swing is a great idea and could get more exposure and maybe some jobs to open up Western shops. That said, NASCAR seems content with the back-and-forth approach, which could hurt their bottom line with getting races to their full limit.

-Greg Biffle has been silent in the past when it comes to being a contender. He’s at the point now where he needs to put up or shut up because there’s not a better time than now to come from under the radar to actually make a true run for the title.

-It’s hard to believe that Jimmie Johnson could be considered under the radar, but breaking the streak could have done it. Not only that, but the early shot in the arm from the penalty being rescinded could be what he needs to elevate him again.

-You put experienced drivers with a guy who is on the fringe of being a top driver is what Martin Truex, Jr. may have needed in order to be comfortable with MWR.

Back with some East Coast flavor with some flat-track, bull-ring racing at Martinsville this weekend.

~SW

Wilson’s Race Report – Fontana Post-Race Podcast

Smoke dodges the raindrops at Fontana! Tony Stewart tells us who made the race-winning decision that nabbed him the checkered flag in California, plus – the latest standings and one of the hottest drivers of the 2012 season gives us the secret to his success – hear it all in Wilson’s Race Report!

Click ‘Play’ on the media player below to listen:

Thanks for listening!

Wilson’s Race Report – Fontana Pre-Race Podcast!

The Cup series heads to Sunny SoCal! Carl Edwards tells us why Fontana is such a driver’s track, plus – who to look out for in Sunday’s race, and there could be a BIG change at Bristol…find out what it might be on Wilson’s Race Report!

Click ‘play’ on the media player below to listen:

Thanks for listening!

Two Laps Down: Brad’s Bristol Back-to-Back in the Blue Deuce

Because we’re the only ones who didn’t try to sign Peyton Manning - Scotty Wazz (from the Face Off Hockey Show) and I share our views on NASCAR each week in Two Laps Down. Here is the e-mail transcript of our latest conversation:

—–Original Message—–

From: Scotty Wazz
Sent: Monday, March 19th, 2012
To: Todd – “Wilson!”
Subject: Brad’s Bristol Back-to-Back in the Blue Deuce

Talk about luck, TB,

After avoiding the first wreck of the race, Brad Keselowski took that second chance and turned it into a victory for him and the Penske team at the Bristol bullring. Leading almost half of the 500 laps, Keselowski seemed to have the Blue Deuce hooked up this weekend. Sure, Keselowski did have to battle Matt Kenseth towards the end, which was a great battle and great display on patience on both parties, Plus, it harkened back to the days when Rusty Wallace was the short-track master, running down the field at every Bristol race. And it’s the second straight Bristol race that Keselowski has won, winning the night race last August.

The biggest thing now is to wonder if this is going to kick off a run for Keselowski, as he’s a guy who last year had a string of great runs along the way to make him a contender. Do you think he actually is going to repeat what he did last year?? He’s in 13th in points now and probably has a solid chance of getting that wild-card spot again, but what kind of chance does he have at being a threat?? It’s one thing making the Chase by getting a win, but being able to run up-front week-in and week-out is another.

Outside of Keselowski, it was a big race for the Michael Waltrip Racing trio, with Martin Truex, Jr., Clint Bowyer, and newcomer Brian Vickers turning in a 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finish respectively. Heck, Vickers even came back and led over 100 laps in this Bristol tour– quite the display for a guy who didn’t have a ride coming into the year. While we did say last week this could be a try-out for for Vickers, is there a chance he could get picked up by someone else before MWR is able to get Mark Martin out of the ride?? Maybe form a fourth team?? This kid actually had a helluva run, but I’ll agree it could be too early to tell from one short-track race. Yet, he showed talent in the Red Bull Racing machines for the past few years and makes me wonder if not for the limit on cars owners could have– if he could have picked up sooner.

However, when I look at this race, it almost seems a-typical for Bristol. I mean, only five caution flags and not too much beating and banging. Have we seen a changing of the guard when it comes to these short-track races, where the drivers are more careful with their machines?? The past two spring races have had 10 yellow flags, the night races had six and seven in 2011 and 2010. It’s almost like a kinder, gentler Bristol, but still somehow has that charm and allure of the short-track feel. Are multiple wrecks and hard racing needed for this place to be special or can this new strategy era of Bristol develop into something that people will actually learn to love??

Yet, even with less cautions, Bristol still caught up some of the bigger names, as this race had sub-30th place finishes for Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Carl Edwards. While it’s something that won’t make or break them, you have to think that for at least Busch and Gordon, it’s another part of their disappointing starts. Busch is at least in striking distance of the top-ten, but Gordon is a guy who seems like he’s on his last legs of glory. Is it something where Gordon can actually bounce back from these bad happenstances or could this be the beginning of the end of this modern legend of the sport??

Time for some Gas-N-Go:

-Maybe Dodge could be dead as a dodo– as Robby Gordon couldn’t get his engine to fire for practice, couldn’t find anyone to fix it, and couldn’t get information from Dodge on how to fix it. This can’t be good for a team looking for a prime organization, can it??

-Some fans were allowed in the driver’s meeting in Las Vegas, making some drivers upset. Matt Kenseth went so far as saying the meetings are no longer for their purposes and it’s more than just drivers and crew chiefs with little questions being asked. Is this a tradition that’s going by the wayside or corporate doings going too far??

-Chad Knaus will be on the block for his suspension this week, which resulted in the car penalties to be upheld, but could reduce his personal suspension. Is it me or has this process gone on forever??

-Ryan Truex is back on the scene, driving the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine. His first race atBristolwas a 10th place finish, showing he’s still got the stuff to make him a great prospect. With all this young talent not making headway, is this going to be the common theme where we’re excited a youngster is back in a car??

What say you, TB– Can Keselowski become a favorite rather than underdog?? Did Vickers actually turn heads or will people still wait for another race to make an impression?? Can Jeff Gordon turn himself around?? Is this new Bristol a good thing??

~SW

—–Original Message—–

From: Todd
Sent: Monday, March 19th, 2012
To: Scotty
Subject: RE: Brad’s Bristol Back-to-Back in the Blue Deuce

Talk about a close one, Wazz,

I’m not exactly sure how Keselowski made it through that first wreck of the race – he narrowly missed both David Ragan and the devoid-of-any-luck Kasey Kahne. It was a good thing he did, though, because he had an insanely good car, and we would have been cheated out of a great battle between Brad and Matt if he would have been even a few inches lower on the track when Kahne’s car jumped back up the banking.

Back to the racing in a minute – first I’ll throw in my two cents about Keswlowski. I’ll admit it – ever since Brad started his hot streak halfway through last season, I pretty much thought it wouldn’t last. I figured, five…ten races at best. Then he made the Chase….then he actually was a contender up until the last few races. And now he’s had a fast car all four weeks of this season – bad luck hit him twice, but in the other two races he’s finished fifth and first.

So I’m pretty much thinking I was wrong on that one. At this point, having carried the momentum over the offseason, I am prepared to say that Kes is a legitimate contender now. I’m not sure why it took him so long or how it all happened so fast, but who can argue with the results and the confidence the kid has now?

That also begs the side question which I’m sure will come up several times this season – with Keselowski running so well, why dump Dodge now?

When it comes to the racing at Bristol, my opinion is kind of split. The racing Sunday was really good – lots of side-by-side, and you had to dig hard if you wanted to pass someone, especially in the bottom groove. They set out to make a true two-groove ‘drivers’ track with the repave, and it totally worked.

However…my opinion is changing a little – I really think it has lost that edge that made it such an iconic track. The one-groove racing may have made it harder to pass, but it was tougher, grittier racing that I think was actually a better test of a driver’s skill and concentration: when you had a guy filling up your rear-view mirror on the old track, you have to wonder what they were going to do – would they try to pull inside on the straight? Lay the bumper to you? Try to make a difficult pass up top? And while you were keeping an eye out behind you, the driver still had to concentrate on what they were doing – because one little mistake could lose the position or the race.

The new racing is great, and someone like Tony Stewart says it is better than ever from the drivers’ perspective, but there is something I like more about the old configuration…when the car in victory lane doesn’t have a straight fender left on it – that is real short-track racing. Agree?

One way or the other – like you said, Bristol still manages to be the ‘wild-card’ race it always has been, and in that respect it does indeed keep some of that old-school short-track charm.

Of course, one of the drivers bit by Bristol’s unpredictability was Gordon, and I think we saw his last serious championship push back in 2009. I can still see him winning races – between one and three a year for a few more seasons, and because of that we’ll still see him in the Chase…but I don’t see a serious championship run happening anymore. I could be wrong, though.

Moving on, I must say that I was impressed with Michael Waltrip Racing this weekend, and I’d argue that Brian Vickers almost upstaged Keselowski with with 100+ laps led and fifth place finish. I know it is just one race, but MWR may have made a score on this one…and heck – if you are going to judge a guy on one race, I’d rather base it on a place like Bristol rather than, say, Daytona. I’ll be very interested to see what happens over his next few races – Vickers may find himself getting more seat time than he originally anticipated.

Gas-n-Go:

- I’m adding one here: Where were all the people Sunday?!? That place looked half-empty, and I was genuinely shocked. I literally can’t remember seeing that many empty seats for a Bristol Cup race. Ever.

- Dodge kinda gave Robbie the finger there, didn’t they? It isn’t a good sign – if they can’t support the smallest of one-car teams, then how much attention are they even paying to the sport??

- Is there anything a track won’t sell? I already find it ridiculous that places are allowed to sell Hot Pit passes to fans…the drivers meetings are just too far. Next thing you know, they will sell tickets to hang out in the drivers motorhomes…and feed their dogs.

- I don’t get why it takes a week after the appeal to get the final, final appeal. No way the penalty gets thrown out, but I won’t be surprised if Knaus’ suspension gets cut in half.

- Truex in the #20 is a good sign that JGR is still making at least a little room to develop talent. It also reminds me that MWR’s Nationwide program is kind of like the Montreal Expos of NASCAR – first they cycled Bayne out, now Truex – they like to get talent in the series, then give it away. Bayne could be full-time in the #55 by now.

Back to you, Wazz – Do you think Keselowski is for real now, too? Do you like the old Bristol, or the new one? Will Gordon produce anything more than a few wins a season?

TB

—–Original Message—–

From: Scotty Wazz
Sent: Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
To: Todd – “Wilson!”
Subject: RE: Brad’s Bristol Back-to-Back in the Blue Deuce

You make a great point, TB,

With Penske dumping Dodge, at what point do you think Dodge will actually stop supporting the Penske guys?? Keselowski running well may have something to do with it, but if Dodge doesn’t have anyone by midway through the season– you can almost imagine they’re going to check out and start to just give the bare minimum to their teams. Hell, they’re doing it already with Robby Gordon, as we mentioned. That said, if Dodge were to do that, it would be a death knell for their racing careers, as NOONE will want to go to that manufacturer if they cut anchor from their teams when they need them the most.

Right now, the maturity and patience that Keselowski had gained last year from his injury, which led him on the hot streak, has transferred to this season. Especially since he’s the top dog at Penske with the years he’s been there, he has to take a leadership role in that organization. Because that new responsibility is there, he’s taking it seriously. He’s grown up a lot in the last few seasons and I think he’s finally getting past the learning curve, he’s focused solely on the Sprint Cup side of things, and he’s ready to be up there with the elite guys.

As far as the racing at Bristol, it’s definitely going to take me getting used to. The biggest thing about Bristol was the action and the wrecks and near-wrecks that came from it. With the one-groove, it’s almost automatic and you’re not thinking about what’s behind you or beside you, only what’s in front of you. More than the drivers, I think the spotters are more relieved than anything. And there’s something about that old school racing, beatin’-and-bangin’ that makes the track unique. It’s like the personality of the place is gone now and there’s nothing much left aside from the spectacle of high-bank, short-track racing. It was a place where you EARNED a victory and your car showed it at the end of it.

I’m a little so-so on the new racing, but if Smoke and others are promoting it, that’s what really matters, right?? If the drivers are happy, I think that’s all NASCAR cares about because they’re the guys making the whole thing money. Keep them happy and it should make for a great show regardless.

The thing about Gordon, he’s a guy who still has the ability to win and you can never underestimate him. The minute you forget that he’s out there– he’ll go on a solid run and maybe make a push for the wild card spot and could shock some people. Even so, his best days have to be behind and with his family coming along– you bet his focus may not be all there.

Brian Vickers could be the next guy in the #55 or whatever number MWR’s car will be. You’re right, Bristol is a great first test, but with more cookie cutter tracks than others on the circuit, if he can do well in those areas– you can bet that he’s going to assure himself in that MWR ride. Of course, more than that– MWR is showing how you can use an extra car in order to test new drivers and young guys in there to smooth over the transition. It’s pretty innovative and could catch on elsewhere.

G-n-G winding down:

-It is really disappointing how empty the place was, but at the same time, this is the second spring race where it’s been empty. Last year, 125,000 of the 160,000 possible were full. It’s a sign of the times, I believe.

-Like I said above, I can bet that Dodge will be out of there by mid-season when they can’t find anyone. They don’t seem interested and when you can’t help your grassroots side….you’re doomed.

-You mentioned the lack of attendance– they do have to sell EVERYTHING to make up for the lack of butts in the seats. Though I think it’d be a story to tell if you can feed one of Ryan Newman’s 1,400 dogs.

-At this point, Knaus has to get some cut from his suspension. It’s silly that this process is still going almost four weeks after the infraction happened. May as well let him walk since they made him wait this long.

-I would have said Florida (Miami) Marlins, but they never won a championship and disbanded after that. But it’s good to see these guys have their talent observed and get a pick-up in some way, shape, or form.

Finish it off, TB– do you think the leadership role made Keselowski become mature faster?? Does the track lose it’s identity despite the better, cleaner racing?? Can people come out more and more in the spring??

~SW

—–Original Message—–

From: TB
Sent: Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
To: SW
Subject: RE: Brad’s Bristol Back-to-Back in the Blue Deuce

You were right, Wazz,

Knaus not only got something cut from his suspension, they took the entire thing away. Not NASCAR, mind you, but NASCAR’s quasi-third-party Chief Appellate Officer John Middelebrook. He threw out the suspension, gave Jimmie back his 25 points…but left the $100,000 fine. Leaving the fine makes you think he agreed they did something wrong, but taking the entire suspension away and giving all of the points back makes you think they didn’t….strange…

I wish they had given us all the details over the weekend, because it would have been an interesting topic to talk about. Apparently Jimmie’s car was pulled and the C-pillars were cut off the car during visual inspection – not when the car was on the template. And that was the kicker – Rick Hendrick had enough paperwork to prove the car hadn’t been changed since it went under the template back in January testing, and they never put it under the template before the Daytona 500…so NASCAR basically said the car was illegal because it looked illegal to them, and even though the template was right there, they never bothered to check the car…also strange…

You’ve got to be right that Keselowski decided to step up to the challenge of being top-dog at Penske. It probably isn’t a coincidence that he started kicking ass right about the time Kurt Busch started pissing off everyone in the organization with his weekly rants. Heck – I give the kid credit, because he went through the process of going from hotshot young kid to serious driver in a LOT less time than it took guys like Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart.

And I’ve been thinking about the racing at Bristol, and I am sure Tony Stewart is right: from a driver’s perspective, the two-groove racing and progressive banking is better. But here’s the thing, and this is just me – you can get that racing all over the place – Atlanta, Charlotte, Vegas, even a place like Michigan – they all have banking and two-groove racing. Bristol is supposed to be different, and that one groove and do-anything-to-pass racing is what made it different. I want to see something unique – not just a pint-sized version of what we get at all the cookie-cutters. The racing may very well be better, but the aura is lacking.

Who knows – that may be why the place doesn’t sell out anymore…I wouldn’t be surprised. I shouldn’t be too tough on them about the crowd, though – the place holds 160,000, so it can be half empty and there would still be 80k people there. Still – they should lower ticket prices, or donate a bunch of tix to veterans or charity…something to fill up the seats.

So, what did we learn this week?:

- NASCAR made a rare slip-up in it’s usually iron-fisted inspection process. If you are going to throw the book at someone for fudging the bodywork a little, you better have the concrete evidence to back it up, or Chad Knaus and company will walk free.

- The racing at Bristol may be better than ever in the driver’s opinion – but it isn’t as much fun. Give us one groove, beatin’ and bangin’, bump-and-run racing anyday – the fans will have more fun and the stands will be full.

- Brad Keselowski was handed the reigns to Penske, and he’s run with the opportunity. If Kurt Busch ever wants to know what he missed out on by being a pain to his team, he can just look at the No.2 car at the end of the year, especially if those guys make the Chase again.

- On a related note – Dodge better take a cue from Keselowski and pick up the reigns themselves, because if they can’t even muster up some help for Robby Gordon, how do they expect to get someone else on board??

- Is Jeff Gordon a little over the hill? Maybe, but don’t count him out completely – he can still win races, and that makes him a Chase threat.

- You can buy anything in NASCAR – a ticket, a pit pass, a driver’s meeting pass…who knows, maybe they’ll let you scoop poo in the driver’s dog park for an extra $15.

Next week – put on your shades and suntan lotion – the series comes out to my neck of the woods -Fontana.

TB

Wilson’s Race Report – Bristol Post-Race Podcast!

The Blue Deuce (once again) is in victory lane at the Bullring! Hear what Brad Keselowski had to say about his team’s winning effort at Bristol, plus – the latest in the standings, and the driver who surprised everyone Sunday afternoon – hear about it all in Wilson’s Race Report!

Click ‘Play’ on the media player below to listen:

Thanks for listening!

Wilson’s Race Report – Bristol Pre-Race Podcast

It’s time to take on the Bullring! Brad Keselowski sums up why Bristol is a must-see race this weekend, plus – the verdict is in on Jimmie Johnson’s appeal…find out the result, and what to expect next for the No.48 team – all in Wilson’s Race Report!

Click ‘Play’ on the media player below to listen:

Thanks for listening!

Two Laps Down: Smokin’ in Las Vegas

Because our version of March Madness happens on a track - Scotty Wazz (from the Face Off Hockey Show) and I share our views on NASCAR each week in Two Laps Down. Here is the e-mail transcript of our latest conversation:

—–Original Message—–

From: Todd – “Wilson!”
Sent: Monday, March 12th, 2012
To: Scotty Wazz
Subject: Smokin’ in Las Vegas

Let’s try this again, Wazz,

After some e-mail issues and a crazy week for me after Phoenix, we’ll kick-start the ol’ TLD back on schedule this time around with Vegas. And we aren’t the only ones that were getting off to a quick start this weekend – what about Tony Stewart?? He’s not supposed to start winning races until June or July, and here he is inVictory Lane already in the third race of the season. How did that happen?

There were a couple of things I thought were interesting about this race, but first and foremost, I’ll continue on about Smoke. This was a big win for Tony, and not just because it came early in the season. The No.14 car looked darn near unbeatable on restarts, and it was the first points win for Tony with Steve Addington. After giving championship-winning crew chief Darian Grubb the boot after last season, Stewart had to be a little nervous that he made a bad decision – so to get a checkered flag so quickly has to be a big boost to him and the team.

Oh – and this win is big for Hendrick, too – after Roush and Gibbs split the first two races, Hendrick now knows he can compete by getting Chevy on the board, too.

The next thing that I was surprised by was the way Dale Earnhardt, Jr. dominated at the beginning of the race. The No.88 finally looked like a proper Hendrick car, even building a little bit of a lead before poor pit strategy plugged him mid-pack just shy of 100 laps in. Junior wasn’t really the same after that, although he did recover to finish 10th. Junior’s inability to be fast when he’s not out front is a little troubling, but here’s the deal – Little E’s 10th place finish Sunday was his worst of the season. Yeah – he’s finished 2nd, 5th and 10th, and he’s currently sitting fourth in the points, just 18 back of Greg Biffle. Is this a for-real great start – or just a little bit better version of what we saw last season – a decent start to what ends up being another disappointing season?

And speaking of the current point leader – The Biff is now up front in the standings, and how good is Ford right now?? Biffle and Kenseth were (once again) strong all day, Carl Edwards finished fifth, Trevor Bayne was ninth, and even Marcos Ambrose finished 13th (the results don’t show it, but he’s actually run strong all three weeks). It looks like Jack Roush has almost leveled the playing field with the introduction of fuel injection, although the proof will come through wins. Are we in for a killer three-way battle this season?

On the topic of Fuel Injection – EFI problems struck again – this time hitting both Penske Racing cars with fuel pressure issues. We saw a few problems in the Daytona 500, and then there were the fuel-cut off problems at Phoenix with Stewart and Mark Martin. Some people are starting to freak out, but I’m not about to panic, yet – it just seems like teams are ironing out a few kinks in the system, that’s all.

Ok, time for a little Gas-n-Go:

- We’ve had three Nationwide series races this season, and all three had winners that were non-Cup regulars (and two of those were Nationwide regulars) – how cool is that?!?

- Dodge, despite having no teams lined up yet for 2013, unveiled their new Sprint Cup car for next season. Their loss of Penske aside – isn’t that a darn good looking racecar? The Fusion looks even better, and I can’t wait to see the Chevy and Toyota offerings.

- Mikey Waltrip Racing announced that Brian Vickers will jump in the No.55 car for a handful of races that Mark Martin isn’t driving. Is this a good get for them? You think they are prepping him to take over the 55 full-time in the future?

Take is away, Wazzman – How big of a win is this for Smoke? Can Junior keep it up, or is his start just a mirage? And is everyone overreacting to the EFI problems early this season?

TB

—–Original Message—–

From: Wazz
Sent: Monday, March 12th, 2012
To: Todd
Subject: RE: Smokin’ in Las Vegas

You know what I blame, TB??

Solar flares. Not only for our lost emailing, but also for Tony Stewart not just winning, but doing it in a fashion that showed he had what it took under the hood to win the race. It makes me wonder that since Darian Grubb got a win, he almost had to one-up Grubb by winning at the start of the season rather than at the end of the season.

And the restarts– my lord. How did he not get caught on them, especially that next to last restart where it looked like he was shot out of a cannon?? Obviously, the addition of Steve Addington was key to get Smoke on the early start. Having someone who has dealt with the Busch brothers while being on top of the box, he knows a thing about getting the best out his driver, especially in difficult situations. One of the big things is to see how long this honeymoon will last. You have to wonder if this is a jumping off point for the two or just a one-off and then crappy happenstance will occur.

The funny thing about Junior is that he only had four laps led last season in the 1.5 mile tracks?? That seems wrong, but FOX said it–must be true. Plus, to add to the pit issues– he seemed to find everyone’s back bumper after that– first with Denny Hamlin, then with Mark Martin. Yet, the fact he was able to finish 10th makes me wonder what kind of Junior we’ll see the rest of the season. I want to believe that because he’s had a couple years in the Hendrick’s seat, he’ll be more adept to driving it and getting off that “Dream Team” kick. However, you can bet that he could have some problems and all that fun stuff that seems to have followed him since he left his father’s team. Here’s the thing, and this is just me, I think that the early lead in the standings and being so far ahead of his teammates (Jeff Gordon being in 17th to Junior’s 4th), that maybe he could use that as momentum. Thoughts??

It’s interesting how much more exposure the Blue Oval gang is getting this year and with the Biff, of all Ford guys, being at the front of the pack– you almost have to believe that Jack Roush has finally figured out what’s it going to take to run with the other powerhouse teams. That said, Roush has to stay ahead of the curve with this, too. The other manufacturers are going to pick up on how to catch up to what the Fords are doing and could probably make this a mirage of the first few weeks. That said– can Toyota and Chevy actually catch-up to these strong Fords or not??

Now, as we know– I’m not the biggest tech guy for this sort of thing, but at what point will the EFI problems be looked at in-depth? Is it going to take a huge public outcry or just a few heavy-hitters if the problems continue?? But, like you said– just needs some tweaks here and there to make it right. It’s the first three races for this and maybe it’s the teams who actually have to figure things out on their own stuff to get things sorted out.

G-n-G

-The system is working and I think once you saw Carl Edwards opt out of the series, other guys took heed, too. But the big thing is that will anyone care about the Nationwide besides those who have to care??

-With the Charger, it’s damn sleek and totally harkens back to the old days…but no one may see it unless Dodge gets someone in their stable– maybe Richard Petty Racing now that Penske will move up the Ford food chain??

-If nothing else, they want to see what Vickers has, whether it be for the 55 or if it’s for the 56 should Martin Truex, Jr. not get re-signed by one way or another. It’s a good way to scout talent since they don’t have a big Nationwide presence.

Back to you, TB– can the Stewart/Addington honeymoon last?? Has Junior gotten out of the shadows of his teammates after getting out of his father’s shadow?? Will Ford be caught in performance by other teams or can they keep schooling the field at times?? Could a partial team be the new Nationwide team for many owners??

~SW

—–Original Message—–

From: TB
Sent: Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
To: SW
Subject: RE: Smokin’ in Las Vegas

It was a risky move, Wazz,

For Stewart to dump Grubb – although, at the time they were struggling a bit, barely making the Chase. But of all the people that they could have replaced Darian with, Addington is one of the few that I think would be on par. He’s already been run through the mill a couple of times with Kyle and Kurt Busch…at this point, since Stewart has definitely mellowed out more than those two, he might actually have a chance to work on the cars instead of being distracted by the driver – so I won’t necessarily be surprised if Smoke continues to do well far earlier than we would have expected.

And I’d bet that Grubb/Hamlin’s win last week definitely played on the No.14 team. Heck – they fired a championship winning crew chief – I think both sides in the equation felt like they had something to prove right off the bat. Question is – will they continue to try to out-do one another? Could we have a season-long battle between the No.11 and 14 teams?? It certainly would make things more interesting if there was a quiet rivalry…

Moving on to Junior – we’ve certainly seen him have strong starts before, but you’re right – at this point, he might get a boost from being ahead of both Gordon and Johnson – and they have to capitalize on that momentum and keep it going. I’m not sure if that is exactly going to happen, but it certainly would be better for the sport if he did. Personally, I can only look at what has happened in the past few years and think Junior may fade a bit, but do you see anything that makes you think this year will be different?

Looking at Ford in relation to the Chevy and Toyota guys – Jack Roush has certainly leveled the playing field a bit; they haven’t been able to get to victory lane on a non-plate track, but they have been competitive – so I am liking the balance so far. If everything stays relatively the same from a competitive standpoint, I think we could really be in for a great three-way battle between the manufacturers…and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, especially since we’re already seeing the more marginal drivers (based on opinion) like Junior and the Biff running well, and we know Johnson, Gordon and Edwards are going to have something to say before we get to the Chase. So I like the balance right now.

Of course, mastering EFI could make all the difference, and the organization that gets behind is going to start complaining louder than anyone else about it, but as long as Roush, Hendrick and Gibbs stick to the general plan without complaining too much, then I think NASCAR will pretty much stay the course. I think that, by mid-season, all of the major kinks will be ironed out, and it will be full-speed-ahead with EFI. Overall, it is something NASCAR has to do to seem more modern, and let’s face it – we aren’t blazing any new territory, here – throttle body injection came and went in the 80′s, so these guys should be able to get a handle on it, don’t you think?

Gas-n-Go:

- I think it is great that the Nationwide series has non-Cup winners so far, but you bring up a good question – will anybody other than us really care? Will having less Cup drivers help the series develop more of an identity this year, or is everyone just too conditioned to a series with Cup drivers to take notice??

- I think Petty is the best hope for Dodge right now. Whoever signs on will instantly be top-dog in terms of money and R&D. Looking at everybody else, I don’t know who would even consider a change. You think they could survive with just a few marginal single-car teams for a year or two, or do they have to snag a multi-car operation? I think they need that one anchor to drive the brand…

- I could definitely see MWR considering Vickers for bigger and better things…what ever happened to Truex, anyway. I had such high hopes…

Take it to the house, Scotty – Do you like the current balance of power between Chevy, Ford and Toyota?? Is this a pivotal year for Junior? And what kind of organization does Dodge need to to snag to really continue in the series?

TB

—–Original Message—–

From: The Wazz
Sent: Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
To: Big T
Subject: RE: Smokin’ in Las Vegas

It’d be more than the drivers, TB,

If we get an 11/14 duel, it’s the master taking on the student– Joe Gibbs and his team taking on his old employee, Tony Stewart. If it were Joey Logano going against Smoke, it’d be a more dramatic story, but still– this is a great match-up for the two squads. And it’s more of a revival for Hamlin, who has someone who has won a championship on the box to get him into the same mindset that he got Smoke into last year and maybe give him a few tricks that Smoke doesn’t think Grubb knows. Sure, it’s a long-shot thing that these two can keep going side-by-side, but it’s definitely a nice storyline to start with.

As far as the Addington/Stewart contingent– you knew Smoke had to go big with his choice after the season he had with Grubb. I do like what you said that because Smoke is more mature, Addington doesn’t have to be the babysitter he may have needed to be a couple of years ago. Plus, another aspect to it all is that Stewart may have gotten a hang of this driver/owner thing and could be more in-tuned with his driving and balanced out the off-track stuff– he’s at peace with the new challenge and can get the momentum from last year and push it toward this season.

For Junior, the big thing for him is to not get caught up in the hype like he has in the past. For a guy like him who came in with pressure– he has never been able to deal with it well. The fact of the matter is that once he learns about dealing with the pressure and actually relaxing, maybe he could keep this run alive and maybe be a contender rather than just a name to draw some people into the sport. It’s to the point now where he’s almost lost in field of drivers and doesn’t have that pop he once had. If he can get to the end of April on this run, odds are he can get his swagger back.

The biggest thing Ford has to do is stay ahead of the curve. They finally caught up to the pack and now they’re actually going to need to take this momentum and go from there. I love the idea of the big three up there on the leaderboard, having a nice mix rather than one logo dominating the manufacturers side of things. Roush is going to be the guy and I think it’s a good deal for Penske to see this happening because it makes him believe he’s making the right choice when it comes to actually moving brands to be a sidekick rather than top dog.

Speaking of top dogs, I think the Dodge group needs to get Petty or get out. The single car teams will do nothing for them, unless it’s someone like Furniture Row Racing, who has success in the past. Having Robby Gordon be at the point for your company is not the best idea. Maybe if Front Row Motorsports can actually put together something, they could be an option– but since most of the time they are “also-rans” I don’t think you can count on them to be the Dodge guys. Petty has to be the team to move to Dodge or else the brand may as well pack up their stellar car and move from there.

So, what have we learned??

-Tony Stewart can win when it’s not in the Chase, but the fact he did it right after his old crew chief won with his new team– it makes for some great drama.

-The Ford guys are finally back in the fold, but they really need to keep it going to make serious headway against Chevy and Toyota.

-Dale, Jr. seems to be getting his swagger back, but will he buy into the hype machine that is created, or will he finally be able to tune them out??

-For Dodge to be legit again, they need an established team that has run well in the past. If they expect to be taken seriously, they need a serious contender.

-While Martin Truex, Jr. is 8th in the points, he’s also on a contract year. Should Brian Vickers be any good in his races for MWR, then you bet he could bet he next in line to be the Franchise.

Next week, we’re gonna have some real fun as the bullring at Bristol will shake up some nerves and maybe the standings.

~SW

Wilson’s Race Report – Las Vegas Post-Race Podcast!

Tony Smokes ‘em in Vegas! Hear what Tony Stewart had to say about his first points win of the season, plus – the latest standings, and Jimmie Johnson tries to get his lost points back – hear it all in Wilson’s Race Report!

Click – “Play” on the media player below to listen!

Thanks for listening!

Wilson’s Race Report – Phoenix Post-Race Podcast

Denny Hamlin outlasts everyone at Phoenix! Denny talks about getting his first win with crew chief Darian Grubb, plus – the latest standings and Penske’s big jump to Ford – all in Wilson’s Race Report!

Click ‘Play’ on the Media Player below to listen:

Thanks for listening!

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