Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Jess

Global climate change strikes again! They're saying it never rains in Southern California...riiiight...

They got the Crafstman Truck race in today, at least. While watching NASCAR Live I was surprised to see Brandon Whitt's name on the lineup. Wow! I knew that he'd been testing for Morgan-Dollar but figured he wouldn't get a ride with them, but I couldn't find anything about it on his website or on Morgan-Dollar's website. My happiness was short-lived, however, when at the beginning of the CTS broadcast it was mentioned that Brandon had been replaced by AJ Allmendinger in a last-minute deal. I guess that fact that I like AJ and love to watch him race made it even harder to swallow. But I was really upset for Brandon nonetheless because even as a CTS winner he's been having a lot of trouble finding a ride. Looking at a blurb on TruckSeries.com it sounds like Red Bull had something to do with this and beings that the 47 truck was sponsorless I'm willing to bet Red Bull offered Morgan-Dollar a good sum of money to put AJ in the truck. It was bittersweet to see AJ finish 17th and thinking that that could have been Brandon. I hope that Morgan-Dollar gives Brandon a second chance, but I have no idea of this was a one-race deal or for multiple races.

Well they just cancelled the Nationwide race for tonight - now that's interesting because they're planning on running it an hour after the Cup race! Assuming they even get the Cup race in, that's a big undertaking for the double-duty drivers. Eight-hundred miles! Wow! But realistically it doesn't look like they'll get either race in tomorrow anyway because the forecast is, again, for rain. But we'll see I guess!

I didn't realize that the Nationwide cars were set by owner points as well, so here is how they line up:

1. Jeff Burton
5. David
9. Dale Jr.

The nice thing about rain delays is that to pass the time we get a lot of interviews from the drivers and often ones we don't hear from much, especially in the Nationwide Series. Kelly Bires is such a cute little thing!

There was also a very amusing competition between Bob Dilner and Rutledge Wood during NASCAR Live over who could interview the most drivers before the show ended. That was hysterical! Rutledge had the great idea of slipping over to the CTS driver intros to rack up his count and Bob had to run all the way there to have any chance of winning - which he did at the very last moment. It was great! The poor drivers, some of them looked so confused.

California Speedway - Qualifying

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
5. Casey
11. Martin
15. Dale Jr.
36. Kurt
37. DJ
40. David
41. Michael

Rain forced NASCAR to cancel not just qualifying today, but all on-track activities including Nationwide and Cup practice. It was pretty disappointing and boring (I love Dale Jr., but was I sick of watching Back In The Day!). It was just one of those consistant mists that never got going until the afternoon. I wasn't too impressed with the track drying - it just seemed like they weren't really trying or didn't have enough trucks to make much of an attempt. Plus, for being such a sophisticated "Hollywood" track, there seemed to be a lot of seeping issues even before the real rain actually fell. Or maybe I just felt that way because I think the California Speedway is a complete waste of a race date and is one big vain effort to attract some celebrity floozies and nothing else, since the grandstands never become near to full and the racing is a strung-out parade. Oh, excuse me, the Auto Club Speedway. Gimmie a break!

But anyway...about qualifying.

It took me up until an interview with Patrick Carpentier to realize that NASCAR changed the rain-out formula for the Star Cars. The top-35 owner points from last year are lined up first, which is why Casey starts 5th (the 5 was 5th in points) and Junior starts 15th (the 25 finished 15th in points). For the Star Cars, the 2007 race winner remained the same (Kurt) as well as all the past champions in the field (DJ and Bill Elliott). From there it differed. Instead of lining up the rest of the field by last year's owner points, NASCAR used this year's. That would put Brian, David and Michael in because currently they are in the top-35 in points (12th, 17th and 27th respectively). After them follow John Andretti and Joe Nemechek, who are currently 40th and 41st in points. Phew!

Unfortunately, this kind of hurt. It's a good format, I think, but it sucks that if by a stroke of luck a driver missed Daytona, he misses the next race too. AJ Allmendinger and Carpentier come to mind. This puts them in an even deeper hole. I'm sure NASCAR never expected a wash-out to happen so soon, but this change will probably cause quite a negative stir. Of course, there are people who think the top-35 rule is terrible anyway but that's a much bigger and more violent story than I will delve into here.

One thing that made me rather unhappy, though, is the fact that Bill Elliott got in. I know he's a past champion and I know he was a big winner years ago but damn... he's not even running full time and he didn't even come close to making the Daytona 500. The Wood Brothers' organization is clearly heading downhill and has been for so long, so this seems like another... maybe selfish?... way of keeping their ship barely afloat. Meanwhile, guys like AJ and Patrick struggle to make names for themselves - AJ would have made this race if Elliott had not been in the 21. I don't know. I've lost so much faith in the PCP in general after watching it be abused and tarnish the image of great drivers. I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Elliott after reading parts of his book where he trashes NASCAR and practically blames them totally for all injuries and deaths that have occurred over the years. Ironically enough, Elliott keeps racing. Apparently, in spite of his dislike for NASCAR, he still enjoys the money they provide!

All right, enough of my ranting! Hopefully tomorrow everyone will get some time on the track and the Nationwide series can qualify and race. And let's hope for some good racing, too!

Daytona Int’l Speedway - Daytona 500

Jess

RESULTS
1. Ryan Newman
2. Kurt
9. Dale Jr.
12. Brian
16. DJ
18. David
20. Martin
29. Michael
35. Casey

The Daytona 500. Finally!

Prerace festivities kicked things off with a wonderful concert by various artists (all fully clothed and appropriately clothed, thank goodness, for we've had some rather frightening outfits by a couple of the female artists in the past few years). Brooks and Dunn has been one of my favorite country duos for a long time so I was very excited to see them on stage and they did a great job. I love watching all the cool things they do on the frontstretch grass and really liked the way they pulled out the 50th running banner and had all the old-school cars on parade. Every year makes me wish I was down there!

At long length the race became the main focus and the green flag flew over a field of forty-three drivers hungry to call themselves a 2008 Daytona 500 champion. To my absolute glee, Michael began to power his way past polesitter Jimmie Johnson and he can say for the rest of the season that he was the first driver to lead a lap for a points race in 2008! It was very sweet to see him flex his muscles like he did and show off those pretty gold wheels.

While the cars remained bunched up it was exciting but soon the field spread out, whether it was from handling issues, caution regarding the possible tire problem or just caution in general. Daytona is getting more and more like that; when there are long green flag runs everyone gets single-file and plays follow-the-leader. Couple that with some green-flag pit stops and they got even more spaced out. Not a whole lot of fun for the viewer – and I'd imagine not for the drivers, either – but it does make the race go faster.

After the first caution for debris flew the action was ready to pick up. Brian had a tire go down after the race restarted and pitted, eventually going a lap down but keeping up with the draft and putting himself in position for the free pass. Kurt and Junior also had a close call on the backstretch when Kurt had to swerve, clipping the grass, to avoid the 88. That was exciting!

Another green-flag pit stop came to pass, scattering the pack once again and leaving Kurt with a speeding penalty, putting him way back in the running order. At one point all three MWR cars hooked up and they got some air time, which was nice. Michael got a little more attention for MWR when during his pit stop after the Lap 150 debris caution he slid through his stall, coming close to smacking into a bunch of spectators standing in the garage entrance. A risky place to watch the race! Kurt had more problems as well, overshooting his pit stall and being forced to come all the way back around to visit pit lane again! Could things go crazier for him?!

The first accident of the day occurred on Lap 161, when David Ragan slammed into teammate Matt Kenseth, putting them both out of the race. From the clip that was played on FOX from Kenseth's radio he was none too happy about things either – I don't think I've ever heard him yell like that!

Everyone pitted again except for Dale Jr., who expected to make it to the end. Tony Eury Jr. is a smart crew chief but I can't say I thought it was the best move to make since his tires would be a lot less fresh than the other drivers'. When the green flew again he struggled to keep the lead until the second wreck of the day exploded a few laps later.

Jimmie Johnson got loose and then was helped around by Sam Hornish Jr. (which wouldn't be the last bonehead move he would make that evening). In the chaos that ensued David just barely squeaked by and poor Michael – who was just moving up – ran into the back of Denny Hamlin. The damage to the nose of the 55 would ruin his chances of a good finish. Martin also spun with Johnson and would unfortunately never recover from that, although the car didn't seem to be hurt too badly.

Once again every car came to pit road except Dale Jr. Well, okay, at least he's consistent!

Green again, but not for long. Dale Jr. got shuffled back by Clint Bowyer, who couldn't revel in the glory of being the leader for more than a moment before Juan Montoya plowed into the back of him and sent him spinning!

What they say about cautions breeding cautions rang true for the end of the 500; two laps after the green Dave Blaney got jumbled up behind Montoya and then tagged by Kevin Harvick, which shot him into the wall and killed his car. This is just the story of Blaney's life! Run well all day only to have something stupid happen!

For Casey it was looking to be a great night and I was hoping for an opportunity to see him go for the checkers. But that went all up in smoke and sparks after the next green flag when he tried to slide up into the high line, hesitated and then slid up again: right into Tony Stewart's bumper. The 5 creamed the wall. I was so upset but couldn't be mad at anyone because he wasn't clear and shouldn't have been told he was, and the spotters have a hard time seeing on the frontstretch. My heart just broke for Casey and the entire team.

With only three laps left the race restarted again and things got very wild very quickly! Stewart was leading and I honestly didn't want him to win, mostly because I'd like to keep that first Toyota victory up for grabs a little longer! Meanwhile back in 12th, David and the Dream Machine crew were looking good…until the white flag. Sam Hornish had been riding behind him for a few laps and at that moment decided to show his true colors by ducking underneath the 00 and smacking into the side of the car, getting David loose and sending him on a free-fall. That just figures! David fell all the way back to 18th, behind teammate DJ, while Hornish can now bask in the praise of the media for being a "great driver". Interestingly enough, according to Carl Edwards, Hornish isn't exactly making too many friends with anyone: "…we had a deal where we got caught up with the 77 car and slowed us way down."

Back up front, the other Penske boys teamed up and aimed to give Roger Penske his first Daytona 500 victory, not to mention his first restrictor plate win. Ryan Newman pulled up in front of Kurt on the backstretch and the 2 shot the 12 out of a canon! They blasted by Tony Stewart like he was standing still! By now Danni and I were screaming and generally going crazy, cheering on the pair of blue Dodges. It didn't bother me at all that Kurt finished 2nd because I've been waiting for the Penske boys to finally get their luck together and hook up at the end of an RP race, and I knew that Kurt was going to be really happy for Newman.

The 12 crew, joined by Newman's family, went ballistic. Newman slowed on the frontstretch and did some sweet smoky burnouts for the fans before heading into Victory Lane. I was happy to see Krissie Newman wearing comfy-looking jeans and a hoodie – now that's my type of NASCAR wife!

When Kurt was interviewed I knew he'd have a lot to say about Penske Racing and that Newman is a good teammate, but I was actually shocked to see how emotional he got. It really accentuated how important Penske's organization has been not only to Kurt the driver but Kurt the person. In the short run a 500 win would be awesome for Kurt – but in the long run he solidified the trust between the 2 and the 12.

Looking at the running order, I was surprised to see that Brian finished 12th. Where did he come from? What a great points day for the 83 team!

Going back to David, whose radio I've listened to since last season, I was again very pleased with the communication between he and Ryan Pemberton. What a team! I'm going to try and pick one quote from every race that I thought was funny, inspiring or whatever and write it down.

During the first yellow flag pit stops on Lap 80 Ryan asked David to stop short in his box with the nose of the car pointed out. Apparently this didn't happen and David was really frustrated about it, claiming he was screwing up all the pit stops. Ryan kept telling him that it was all good and then said to remain calm. As an afterthought he added, "If we don't remain calm I'm gonna start throwing some chairs or something in here." Go Ryan! His confidence and humor is great for David; I'd like to have him on my side if I ever got into a bad spot!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Ryan Newman
2. Kurt -15
8. Dale Jr. -47
12. Brian -63
16. DJ -75
17. David -81
19. Martin -87
27. Michael -109
35. Casey -132

*UPDATE (Wednesday, 20 February): Due to Robby Gordon's penalty (the loss of 100 driver and owner points), all our boys that finished behind Dale Jr. get bumped up one spot!

NNS: Daytona Int’l Speedway - Camping World 300

Danni

RESULTS
1. Tony Stewart
3. Dale Jr.
4. Brian Vickers
11. Martin
14. David
18. Scott

I'll come right out and say it – this race was disappointing. I know plate races tend to get spread out at times, but for the majority of this one's duration, the cars were single file playing follow-the-leader. It just didn't seem like passing came easy at all, which was a surprise because the fin on the top of the Nationwide cars usually keep the packs tight.

The first bit of real action we saw unfortunately was a pretty scary wreck nearly halfway into the race. The 14 of David Gilliland was leading Greg Biffle's 16 and Mark Green's 70 when for some reason Biffle jacked up Gilliland's car in the middle of a turn. The 14 turned down and hooked Green's car up hard into the wall. I was surprised that it even occurred, really – I mean, they were single file! It's not like it was a crazy pack where a crash can happen at any moment.

It was hard to get much of an idea what was going on with our drivers because all the TV focused on were the leaders, usually consisting of Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch. From what they showed of Junior, he was pretty loose.

A couple of debris cautions followed because of Marcos Ambrose's blown tire and ensuing sheet metal removal. Things started heating up as a result of the field bunching back together. With only a handful of laps to go, the Big One happened when Brad Keselowski got into the back of Steven Wallace. The resulting spin collected eight other cars. Luckily, this all occurred behind David!

The shooutout to the checkers was pretty wild but it didn't bode well for David. He fought his way up and just kept getting ditched. So frustrating! It was also irritating to watch the rest of the field sort of hand that one to Stewart, but maybe that's because I'm not a big fan of him.

For David, a 14th place finish isn't horrible, but I understood his disappointment in his post-race interview. However, he should look at where the 3 other Cup drivers going for the championship fared – 9th for David Regan, 10th for Carl Edwards and 25th for Clint Bowyer. Those who finished in front of him are within easy reach, but I think possibly another reason for David's dissatisfaction was the fact that the 99 team had been caught with larger holes in their carburetor earlier in the week that allowed an increase in horsepower. Dale Jr.'s 5 team was also involved in a more publicized infraction involving post-inspection modifications of the car's rear decklid and spoiler. Penalties are expected for both teams (and I know the 5 is going to get slammed big-time) and I'm sure David is worried about a points deduction and especially a potential suspension of crew chief Jerry Baxter. The latter would be the most detrimental. I'm just hoping right now that because the carburetor issue wasn't talked about much that it wasn't all that serious.

In general, it seemed as if ESPN gave a lot more attention to David than they did last year – he was immensely underestimated and I think they were probably a little embarrassed they gave so little credit to the man who ended up finishing second in points for the majority of the season. Unfortunately, the interviews he got were conducted by the senseless Shannon Spake. His post-race one concluded with Spake stating cheerfully that David did not make the Daytona 500 last year, but did this year. Nice going, airhead, way to know your facts.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Tony Stewart
12. David -69
17. Scott -81

*UPDATE: Penalties were handed out Wednesday. The 99 got out lucky, with only a $5,000 fine and a 6-race probation for Jerry Baxter. David, in fact, got bumped up two positions in points as a result of the following: Dale Jr. was docked 50 points and crew chief Chad Walter was fined $25,000 and suspended for 6 races (ouch!). Johnny Sauter, who finished 13th in the race, lost 25 points for an oil tank modification.

Gatorade Duels at Daytona

Jess

RESULTS
Duel 1
1. Dale Jr.
4. Casey
11. Brian
14. Martin
27. Kurt

Duel 2
9. DJ
12. David
13. Michael

As the morning of the Gatorade Duels dawned, some drivers were locked into the Daytona 500 - the top 35 from last year's owner points and the three star cars who qualified on Sunday. No doubt those star car drivers walked through the garage feeling relieved - the Duels were just a simple lineup race and the thing they had to worry about the most was keeping their cars safe. Even if they start last in the 500 it wouldn't really matter. The Duels were just a big, intense practice session that pay well and give the potential for bragging rights.

Michael and David were in a position they haven't been in at MWR yet: they were locked in. Michael was even guaranteed a spot on the front row if he survived the Duel! But their teammate wasn't. Last season Dale could breathe a sigh of relief because he had his Past Champion's Provisional as backup - and he used it - but this year it was only an option if Kurt raced his way in during Duel 1. If he didn't, DJ would have to run the race of his life.

On the other side of the spectrum was Brian. He had no backup, no ounce of being guaranteed unless Joe Nemechek or David finished first or second of the star cars in their Duels, and then he would be the next car in on single-car speeds. But who wants to risk something not going perfectly? He had to race his heart out.

Brian's race quickly turned sour! On Lap 4 he shot across the backstretch as a result of Boris Said getting overaggressive and sliding up the racetrack, hooking the 83 and sending him for a ride. Thankfully Brian kept control - if spinning out can be called control - and kept the car off the wall. With little to no damage, Brian was at a disadvantage at the rear of the field but on a mission again when the green flew.

A few laps later Dale Jarrett knew exactly what he had to do when he hit the track for his Duel: he had to race his way in. Kurt went backwards in a hurry and headed into the garage with electrical problems - he was out of the race and was forced to use his PCP.

Other than Elliott Sadler's tire problems the first Duel was relatively tame, producing no other accidents. The racing, however, was amazing! For all the complaints about this new car it drafts incredibly well.

Dale Jr. swept his second Cup event at Daytona by playing with the heads of everyone in the field and letting them duke it out behind him as he and Reed Sorenson pulled away from the 2-wide pack. This is Daytona and he's in a Hendrick car so success is to be expected, but it sure is exciting seeing his face in victory lane again!

Brian Vickers also came out of nowhere and had a thrilling battle with Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek for that special star car spot. He wasn't satisfied with putting his faith in someone else finishing where he needed them to to lock in; he went for it! The only other star car in front of him was Kenny Wallace, and Brian knew when the checkers flew that he would race in the Daytona 500!

As proud as I was of Brian, and as happy as I was for Kenny Wallace, my heart broke into pieces when SPEED interviewed a distraught-looking AJ Allmendinger, who missed the 500 by two spots. I've been fearing for AJ's job ever since Scott Speed became a staple in Team Red Bull's blog, so I feel that it's especially important that AJ make races and perform this year. He has the talent and the attitude - he really loves NASCAR and wants to make his team proud more than anything, and he tried as hard as he could to race his way in. I know he'll do well this season, but will it be enough? Chin up, AJ.

Duel 2 was the nail-biter! Not only did DJ have to go for it, but the amount of inexperience in this field was astonishing. Everyone was expecting a big wreck.

I got on PitCommand and tuned into David's radio, curious to hear if their communication was as good as it was last year with Frank Kerr. I wasn't let down - Ryan Pemberton is freaking awesome! He fits right in with the team.

It was very exciting to have an MWR front row and Michael came on David's radio to let him know that he wasn't going to have a fast start and that if David got ahead of him he'd likely let him lead into Turn 1. David very much took this to heart because when the green flag flew David flew as well: right ahead of Michael. He pretty much knew the second he did it that he was screwed and NASCAR black-flagged him for crossing the line before the leader. He wasn't as upset as I thought he'd be...I guess being locked in lessened the panic! Despite the mistake he made it sure did look cool!


(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Michael was a huge contender and really impressed me. He led a lot of laps several times and it was very obvious his car was good and he was enjoying how good it was. He came on David's radio to chat a few times as well, which made me happy because the more communication between teammates the better.

Meanwhile, as the NAPA Camry was having a grand old time up front, David was all by his lonesome about half a lap down. At first I was afraid he'd get lapped, but these new cars seem to do a fine job holding their own on RP tracks. When the expected open-wheeler wreck occurred only a handful over a dozen laps into the race, he wasn't even close to being caught by the pack.

Jacques Villeneuve hit some bumps in Turn 4 and lost it all by himself, collecting Jamie McMurray, Stanton Barrett and Dario Franchitti. It was very unfortunate and a sign that Villeneuve may not be ready for Cup. How can he be? He has very little experience, and didn't bring along the sponsor BDR thought he was, so there's not even enough funding. Juan Pablo Montoya was a very lucky find for Ganassi, but these team owners can't expect every open-wheeler to be a Montoya and show success without being familiar with stock cars. I pity Villeneuve in that respect. I feel that he's grasping for straws by coming to NASCAR since he hasn't had much success in F1 in ten years.

But anyway, David was now back in the action with a car that was actually a good car (wow!). DJ was right there with him after chilling for the first chunk of the race and both of them got to wait around a bit more after Dave Blaney oiled down the track, causing a red flag to wave. David was getting anxious to get to the front and so was I...I really didn't think they'd have enough time.

Michael came on David's radio again and told him he would be coming back to get them with about 20 to go, or maybe sooner. The latter would turn out to be what came to pass, for Jeff Gordon had a "girly restart" (Michael's words, not mine! ), so it made Michael mad and he dropped all the way to the back. He tucked in behind Dale and the three MWR Camrys became a power train to the front.

I swear, it was the most amazing bit of teamwork I've ever seen. It's easy for two cars to hook up and follow each other, but three of them? And that quickly? In ten laps they were right up in the front! Maybe it was the giddiness of this MWR fan who's been waiting a year to see something like this, or maybe it was the fact that those team paint schemes look so gnarly nose-to-tail, or maybe it was just that Michael and David were giving up their own finishes to help a teammate make his last Daytona 500...but watching them and thinking, They're going to do it they're going to do it! is something that I'll never forget.

With only a few laps to go the race was red-flagged again because of poor Patrick Carpentier's tire exploding. Patrick seems like such a good guy with a lot of spirit so it made me unhappy to know he would miss the 500.

Before the restart waved, drivers other than his teammates expressed their willingness to help DJ keep his position, which at the moment would be good enough to lock himself in. That was so cool! In a sport where sometimes it's cut-throat and every man for himself, it's a relief to hear that kind of thing.

Michael laid back for the restart, which appeared to mess things up a little for DJ, who all of a sudden lost his MWR insurance policy. David was also having a hard time seeing because of all the quickie-dry film covering his windshield (for some reason this quickie-dry was more like baby powder than sand and it stuck to the windshields like paste!), so it looked like he nearly ran into the back of the 55. John Andretti blasted by both of them in a staggering burst of speed, passing David for the second star car spot and almost getting by DJ as well.

But that didn't matter! Because for the second year in a row, MWR had all three cars in the Daytona 500! No PCP! No jet fuel! Just 100% pure nose to the dirt speed and teamwork!!

David used the term "awesome" to describe how his car drove. Wow. Have I ever heard him use such a positive word in the same sentence with "this car" during a Cup race? Maybe at Talladega last season before the engine failed!

Denny Hamlin won, giving Toyota its first Cup win of any sort, which was cool. But that points win is still up in the air, and I think MWR can do it. I don't expect miracles this season because perfection isn't guaranteed, but it looks so much better already.

Bring it 2008!!

Qualifying Joy!!!

Jess

Sunday was qualifying day...a day in the past two years that has made my stomach tie up in knots, not to mention the drivers that have to live through it. I enjoy Daytona qualifying because even if you don't lock in during single-car runs you still have a chance; you also don't crash too easily no matter how hard you mash the pedal down so that's another thing I like about it!

I knew that the MWR cars were fast, but it's almost harder to get my hopes up when they look promising in practice than when they don't. As the first cars were making their laps, I stood in front of the TV and said a silent prayer in my head for Michael and David. I'm not religious, very rarely pray and when I do it's never for myself, but I know that Michael and David have a strong faith so I figured I'd try to offer a little help along the way. Then I just hoped it would work.

When DJ went out I was bummed he seemed to be lacking some speed, but the car didn't look wiggly and with his PCP I have some confidence, though that confidence basically relies on Kurt. Then it was David's turn...I was nervous to see he didn't do the traditional first lap wind-up and yet he looked great on the tracker, and even better on the second lap! He posted great times and even though I knew in my heart that would be good enough I couldn't say it out loud yet.

Finally Michael was on the track and holy crap was that nerve-wracking! He was on the pole! I couldn't even fathom Michael on the pole for the Daytona 500! But then at the last moment he dropped to second...

But I didn't care! Because he and David were in the Daytona 500!!!

Danni and I screamed and jumped and scared the dog! It was more than I could have ever dreamed of! Realistically, anyway. Seeing the smiles on Michael and Paul Andrews' faces was the most amazing feeling. What a way to start out the week of the 500!

So looking back I'm kicking myself for not adding in DJ to that little prayer. But maybe I shouldn't push my luck. Kurt has me nervous because he's in the more competitive Duel with a car that he had to save several times in practice today, so I don't know how much I can count on Kurt not using his PCP. However, if Dale can survive the wrecks I'm fearing in the second Duel I know he'll be in.

The Aftermath of Kurt’s Drama

Jess

I guess Speedweeks started out a little rough for me with the whole Kurt deal because whenever he gets in trouble I'm always afraid he's going to get suspended. As of today there's been no word from NASCAR what penalties may be in store, so I'm trying not to worry about it. He participated in the Shootout - and being parked for that race was my imminent fear - and battled side-by-side with Tony and didn't have any issues, although he had enough issues on his own, unfortunately.

Tony did a good job of making me want to pull my hair out with his comments about Kurt Sunday. He had nothing but nice things to say about his talent and passion, but what really interested me was that he remarked that he didn't blame him for the retaliation and that he (being Tony) has done a lot worse, so he can't hold a grudge against him. This is what freaks me out so bad about him and how the media treat him differently than Kurt! First of all, why does Tony have to keep getting himself into these situations to begin with? And secondly, why is the media calling for Kurt's head on a plate when Tony Stewart has admittedly done far worse things and has never been punished as harshly for it?

The media has been too harsh, IMO, on Kurt, and that includes the guys in the booth (I'll minus Darrell from this, as I think he's concerned about retaliation with cars but not totally against it, since he was one of those guys back when he raced), not to mention Jimmy Spencer, who in his days of being rideless is suddenly a self-appointed saint when it comes to racing emotion. Oh. Please. Tonight on This Week In NASCAR I expected Michael to go all out and bash Kurt to the floor because I know he's not all that fond of him. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the panel took the scene with a light heart and instead reminisced about their own retaliations - notably Michael's Darlington paybacks. I suppose I can't be one to preach about how retaliation is a total no-no, since I do have two pictures of Michael wiping out Jeff Green in 2005 on my college binder...just as a little reminder of how you can only let someone screw with you so long before you have to take a stand. Maybe Kurt was wrong, but he felt like he was being messed with and he wanted to let Tony know that.

I'm also curious about the rumored punch or the intention to punch; apparently Tony's fist went out of control inside the NASCAR hauler (good place) and was attracted to Kurt's face. And according to more rumors that Schrader shared with us tonight, it was over a comment Kurt made about Tony's new 'do. Ouch. As much as I try to refrain from jabbing at a person's physical appearance, I've never been a big fan of the long, greasy-haired looked either. Long hair is fine, but it doesn't require five pounds of gel!

So that's over for now. They're not out of the woods yet because NASCAR may still dish out some sort of a spanking, but I don't think it will be suspensions and maybe not even points. I think Kurt and Tony will be making their first donations to charity instead.

UPDATE (February 12):

Both Kurt and Tony were put on probation for six races; no point or monetary fines. I'm sort of surprised! But I hope that despite the light penalties both drivers will behave and leave each other alone.

Daytona Int’l Speedway - Budweiser Shootout

Danni

RESULTS
1. Dale Jr.
6. Casey
11. Michael
13. DJ
18. Kurt
21. Martin

The first race of the year is always highly anticipated, especially since it's the all-out go-for-the-win non-points Bud Shootout. Just practice incidents the night before were cause to promise a wild race. But this one had us even more excited than usual. Dale Jr. and Casey had things to prove in their new rides. Michael and DJ were ready for redemption after a miserable 2006 season.

To make things better, Michael got to start on the pole since Kurt dropped to the rear of the field in his backup car. Hoping for some good listening, we tuned it onto Michael's radio over PitCommand. When the green dropped, everything looked good – Michael led, Dale Jr. shot to the front and they ran side-by-side for a couple laps! Then, all of a sudden, Michael couldn't hold the car. He dipped too low on the high side and was funneled down the middle so rapidly I was just waiting for him to crash. From about that moment on, Michael really did nothing but complain. Not pleasant to hear.

The racing in general was excellent. There was a lot of worry that the new cars would run so poorly that it would simply be a parade from start to finish. However, they could drive two-wide easily and even three-wide without too much danger. The first 20-lap segment had only one caution for the blown tire and single car accident of Bill Elliott. At its end, Junior still led with the impressive Dave Blaney in second. All cars went to pit road for adjustments and rest.

As expected, the final segment saw more action. A few laps in, Jamie McMurray turned his 26 Ford across the nose of Denny Hamlin's 11 Toyota, bringing out the yellow and ending McMurray's night. After the restart, Blaney towed the field once more before returning the helm to Junior. Although other drivers could pass the 88, no one could stay in front of him for long.

The big crash of the race occurred on Lap 48 when David Gilliland blew a tire in the middle of the pack. Several cars were collected, including Martin, who unfortunately had not been much of a contender anyway.

Now the Hendrick power really showed. All four cars were at the front and it was nice to see Casey showing his stuff. With only a few laps to go, Kurt had a tire go down in Turn 3. His car went off the banking, back on the banking and all the way to the exit of Turn 4 before it actually spun out. Needless to say, everyone was quite amazed. With the old car, it would surely have been a massive crash. However, the FOX panel brought up a good point – the side plates on the wing. They create more stability during spin-outs and allow time for drivers to save the car. Now, Kurt is famous for his car control, but I don't think this is the last time we'll see someone save a previously unsalvageable wreck.

The three lap sprint to the end was pretty wild. Tony Stewart led the restart and appeared unbeatable until Jimmie Johnson gave Dale Jr. a huge push down the backstretch on the last lap. His first race in a new ride and Junior sat in Victory Lane, a place he hadn't seen since the spring of 2006! He dominated the race with a record 47 laps led.

I think I was relieved more than excited! I'd feared that Junior would struggle with the Hendrick cars since I've heard they drive very different than other teams. But I was very pleased with the teamwork I saw between him and Jimmie, Jeff and Casey. The burnout was awesome, as usual!

In his post-race interview, I realized how not himself he's been for the past year or so. He looked giddy! He sounded so different and acted like it was his first win. Some people think Junior is spoiled and selfish, and I agree that some of the things he's said and done at DEI infuriated me. But, much like Kurt, I truly believe a team's bad leadership creates monsters and once a driver feels secure with his team owner, a change in personality follows. Rick Hendrick has done that for Junior, just as Roger Penske has for Kurt.

As much as I was happy for Junior and Casey, I was pretty disappointed with Michael and Dale's finishes. Their cars just did not handle. Michael was downright rude to his new crew chief, Paul Andrews, and made some degrading comments about the team during a poor pit stop. To Paul's credit, he did not take crap from Michael, yet he remained calm even though I heard an edge to his voice several times. I understand that Michael was probably frustrated and maybe a little panicky, but man…he did not make friends with his crew. That includes his spotter Mark Green, whom he laid a lengthy, barely coherent tirade upon following the checkered flag. It certainly did not encourage me any and reminded me so much of last year. I am hoping things get better, or the Daytona 500 may be missing the MWR cars.

Kurt and the Budweiser Shootout Practice

Jess

I'm pretty upset right now...and I've had a long time to think about it. Everything was going great in Speedweeks - MWR is awesome, my other boys are doing fine, yay happy smiles. All I could think about was how much I was looking forward to every speck of NASCAR coverage SPEED is showing.

Last night Kurt drew the pole for the Budweiser Shootout, which was, of course, very amusing to all Kurt Busch fans because of the marketing nightmare that is to Budweiser. Despite being sick with the flu Kurt held himself so well I didn't even realize he was sick until I read it online. This was encouraging because he was focused and ready to go win the Shootout even if he was feeling under the weather.

First practice went well. It was pretty wild and the cars were moving around a lot, but other than J.J. Yeley's cut tire that he caught in time to avoid a wreck it was incident free. Ahhh.

Second practice was when all hell broke loose. Luckily for Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer their tangle seems to be talked over and all is well, even though it caused a huge wreck that took out a couple guys. From then on there was a tension.

Kurt was up near the front of the pack, and all of a sudden the commentators said that dreaded word "trouble" and showed the #2 slow on the track with smoke trailing behind it. At first I thought he blew an engine. And then I realized he was wrecked. And then, of all people, he was approaching Tony Stewart's 20 car at a high rate of speed.

KURT!!! STOP!!! DON'T DO IT DON'T DO IT DON'T!!!!!

But he did. SLAM!!

I had a flashback of the nightmare at Dover last season. Tony had been screwing with him the last few laps and finally wiped him out. Kurt retaliated on pit road, but to complicate things a crew member got involved and jumped out of the way as Kurt drove alongside Tony. I sat for days worrying. I was going down to Pocono the next weekend, and I was fully prepared to go and see someone else driving the #2 after Kurt was suspended. I was ready to accept that because I didn't agree with what Kurt did even though I understood why he did it. The crew member did not get hit, Kurt did not try to murder the guy, but I had to live with people saying he was out for blood. But I was lucky. He was 100 points down at Pocono, but NASCAR let him race.

Kurt gave Tony a good bump. He let him know how he felt. Then Pat Tryson came over the radio and told him to stop, and Kurt stopped. Tony decided to keep going, however. As Kurt went to turn into the entrance to the garage Tony slammed on the brakes and blocked him. Kurt went to go around his nose - and Tony blocked him again, not to mention he nearly took out Martin Truex Jr. at the same time. Kurt had to reverse, turn and reverse again to go around the back of Tony's car, where he was met by a few of the Home Depot crew. They threw up their arms like macho gangsters, they got near his window and as the parting shot one stepped right into Kurt's path as he was moving and slapped the hood and then the back of Kurt's car!

I was enraged by now. Who did they think they were? For a crew that was so concerned about the life of one of their own put in "danger" at Dover, they certainly had no thoughts about putting themselves in front of a car that was damaged by a wreck and leaving it very little room for it to maneuver. They had no business to march out onto pit lane. The #20 was drivable. The crew, though, was looking for a little drama. They were thinking of Dover, and knowing they are apparently immune to Kurt's car. That gave them the right to harrass him and put their hands on his sheetmetal? That was unbelievable.

I don't know what's going to happen to Kurt. Already I've heard way too many people on TV say over and over how wrong he is. He is. But they're leaving out the one person who instigated this mess with his cocky move on the track. The person with a long history of anger and car and physical altercations with a large list of drivers and just about anyone else who can walk around the the garage - a history Kurt can't even begin the compete with. Tony Stewart is a bully. He loves to push others over their breaking point. He loves to insult others, like he did to Darrell on live TV a few years ago. He has no respect. He is the master of manipulating any situtation into anyone else's fault but his own.

And he's allowed to do that. He's encouraged to do that. Bad boy. He wrecked someone. Yeah, bad boy. He punched a photographer. Bad boy. He tells a camera to get the fuck away. Bad boy. He blows off a fan for an autograph. Bad boy. He screws with Kurt's head and has a hissy fit when Kurt retaliates. Bad boy.

No, that sounds like someone with some issues to me. Like a spoiled kid he gets his way. Little slaps on the hand by NASCAR. Praise by the media he hates so much. Yet Kurt has been through more than he has. He has been humilated far more than he has. And Kurt is more of a man than he is. Funny how some go through controversy and grow up, and some just keep going through controversy and feed off of it.

And to what the media is saying about how using the cars to retaliate - okay. From Day 1 of NASCAR racing, drivers have used their cars to retaliate. Dale Earnhardt made using cars as weapons famous. Michael Waltrip used his car back at Darlington in 2005 to show Jeff Green how he felt about him. In fact, there are very few drivers who have never used their car as a weapon. So to point fingers at Kurt and say that he was so wrong is so hypocritical when it's a part of racing - a violent part that I don't really enjoy, but a part all the same and always will be until somehow a car will automatically turn off at the slightest touch, or at NASCAR's will. As much as I love DW, when he pointed that finger at Kurt I couldn't help but wonder how many times Darrell used his car to bump someone.

What are drivers supposed to do? Every time one gets mad at another is the whole race supposed to be stopped so they can all get out and beat the crap out of each other? Is it better to have these drivers physically assaulting each other than bumping side panels? I don't agree with being mad at someone and hooking them right into the wall, but the bumping Kurt did to Tony was harmless and justified. I'm sorry, but Kurt and Tony were not going to have a little sissy fight like Kevin Harvick and Juan Montoya did. If they had gotten to each other out on that infield there would have been fists and blood. Is that better for the sport? And let's say the crews come out to defend their driver and now we have a huge mob of people throwing punches. Give me a break. It's so funny in theory I suppose, but not in real life.

I want to cry when I think about what Kurt must be feeling. He's like the good kid in school who is bullied by the big tough guy that everyone is too afraid to stand up to. But then the kid loses his temper and fights back he's the one who gets suspended, and the bully holds his broken nose and bawls and gets escorted to the nurse's office by a cooing teacher. I hope NASCAR sees this; I hope they see he's a good person who has matured so much since he left Roush. Since he left that hell hole, the only person to make him snap is Tony Stewart. His own brother wiped him out and he didn't freak out.

Kurt deserves to race tomorrow. He really does. But if NASCAR won't let him...what can I do about it? He retaliated and he knows it, and NASCAR knows it, and it's exactly what Tony was hoping for because that's the story of his life. If Kurt has to sit my only hope is that Tony sits too and feels that humiliation I think he needs to feel to grow up. Don't worry about it, Tony. The fans and your precious media will always back you. Maybe. Keep listening for the boos when your name is announced - and keep listening for the increased cheers Kurt is getting. People like a guy who has grown into maturity.