Dale Jr. gets the Daytona 500 Spotlight

There is no doubt that the talk of the race is all about Dale Jr. From the missing the pit box, to an inch over the pit box line, slicing and dicing his way through the field due to impending rain, to the unfortunate accidents that occured.

I am sure that all the Jr. fans out there will find excuses for his actions on the track but lets face it, Jr. was in the wrong. Jeff Hammond stated before the race began that the one of the keys to winning the race is not to let yourself get beat in the pits or on the track, well Jr. let that happen in both cases.

How many excuses will we hear on why he missed his pit box? Jr. has been racing in the series for over 10 years now and this is not the only time he has missed his pit box but to blame it on there were too many pink signs waving in the air sounds pretty poor to me. Jr. is a very talented driver but he is letting his emotions and frustrations beat him on the track. I really feel he senses the pressure of living up to his father's reputation on the track. Jr. is not his father in the driving sense, there will NEVER be another Dale Earnhardt and perhaps once Jr. realizes that, he might start winning some races and even bring home a championship.

There are so many people quick to jump on the bandwagon and bash Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson but lets face it, between these two, they have 7 Championships combined. Jimmie has not been in the sport for as long as Jr. has but low and behold, Jimmie has achieved a level of driving that is beyond imagination. Jimmie nor Jeff were born with silver spoons in their mouths or inherited a famous last name, these are two drivers that have worked their way up the ranks to show everyone that they can get behind the wheel of a car and win. What is Jr's excuse? Well we have heard quite a few and it is getting old. Jr. needs to get it done and be the racer that he is inside his heart.

The incident that happened between Jr. and Vickers will have debate till days end. Was it Jr's fault? Was it Vickers at fault? It is all up to interpretation but at the end of the day, everyone will see it that if it wasn't for Vickers going down to block Jr. that none of this would of happened. I give credit for Vickers during his interview and not holding back but not once did Vickers make a comment as the one Jr. did about not feeling sorry for him but the others that were involved in the wreck. Does that mean if Vickers was seriously hurt it would not have mattered to Jr? Oh, but wait, a few laps later after that we see Jr. get tied up with Jeff Burton causing Jeff to go into the wall and wreck and then we hear how Jr. was very apologetic about his actions towards Jeff that he should of worked more with him vice causing him to wreck and that he felt horrible about what happened. Hmm, so Jr. feels bad about wrecking Burton but not Vickers, what is wrong with this picture? Oh yes, Jeff Burton is a veteran driver and very well liked by the other drivers and the fans so instead of looking bad, Jr. makes mends.

The one driver that really suffered out of all of this is Kyle Busch who did have the best car on the track. Kyle was an innocent victim and pointed the blame towards Jr. Yet another driver not afraid to voice his opinions about Jr but we do know these two have a history of getting together a time or two and how we remember how much Kyle got chastised when he took out Jr last season. People may hate Kyle but here is another talented driver that won an amazing 8 races last year to Jr's one win at Michigan which was just barely a win running on fumes.

Jr. has all the tools and resources available to him. He left DEI to go to Hendrick Motorsports but did we really hear that much negative publicity about how Jr. left the company that his dad founded to go to the team that has the two drivers that are probably the most boo'd in the sport? No! It is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Now, I am not saying that Jr. is not a talented driver but he really needs to be focused on the job at hand and that is winning races and getting his first championship. I wonder if Mr. Hendrick will be having a little heart to heart with his driver over what happened at Daytona. I am sure that Mr. Hendrick, unlike NASCAR, will tell Jr. the way it is.

Come on Jr, you are the Most Popular Driver in NASCAR six seasons running, now it is time to give the fans something back in return instead of excuses.

Streak To The Finish...The Brickyard 400

First off, lets hear your best caption for the picture above, I am sure some of you can figure out some witty comments for this one.

I am not going to beat a dead horse because all the talk about the tire issues at Indy have run thin and it is water under the bridge, so to speak.

Building Something Together: Did anyone think that Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Team would not win a race this year? Come on people, this is the two time defending champion and they are just gearing themselves up for the Chase. They are not showing their hand and I expect that this team has some surprises in store for everyone. Stand by.

Money Spent: Can you imagine paying $1400 for a set of four tires for your car? Now, take that number and times it by a factor of 12 and you have a bill for $16,800 for race day. You know that has to hurt the one car teams. Hmm, do you think Goodyear has a replacement policy?

Taking the Bull by the Horns: Big Kudo's goes out to AJ Allmendinger!!! This is a kid that most people wrote off and thought would end up looking for a job but I have said it in the past that he is one to keep your eye on. He and his team showed they have what it takes to run out front and finish strong. AJ led 4 laps and got his first Top 10 finish coming across the bricks in 10th. I know he is sitting 40th in points but they are making it into the races on time, doing it the old fashioned way since they are outside the Top 35 in owners points. He is one to watch.

Watch What You Say: Mark Martin did say before the start of the race that he was going to win it but alas, he who talks smack ends up going to the back. Luckily, he didn't go to far in the back and finished 11th.

Disappointment: For one of the biggest races of the year besides the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 turned out to be a series of 10-12 laps sprints. What kind of race is that to put on for the fans? You really can not fault Goodyear. Yes they do make the tires but remember it was NASCAR that opted not to test here. A lesson learned but too much, too late.

Can You Say, OH NO! : Kevin Harvick was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he got slammed by Kurt Busch after Busch's car got loose and collected Harvick. Matt Kenseth, who did have a car capable of winning, fell victim to the failing tires. That is probably the worst damage I have seen from a blown tire. Heck, it even blew out the side rear window. Last but not least was Brian Vickers whose engine let go, at least it was not a tire and it was a great move on Vickers part to keep his car up high to avoid laying down oil all over the track. That should be the Move of the Race.

Got a Snickers Bar: This was one race that really dragged on and it was almost painful to watch. All the excitement came in the last 20 laps of this race. Not really what I expected to see from a race at the Brickyard.

Safety First: Yes, NASCAR did throw all the competition cautions to avoid any disasters but come on people, this was totally unnecessary if NASCAR would just take the time to do testing. Are these people really that ignorant?

To sum it all up, it was not the greatest race to watch for one of the biggest of the year but there were some lessons learned here. NASCAR and Goodyear need to put their thinking caps on and come up with a solution. Great job by the drivers to try and put on the best race they could with what they were given.

Streak to the Finish...Michigan LifeLock 400

Well Good afternoon to everyone. I am finally back and ready to start my weekly article called Streak to the Finish. I have been away far too long and it is about time to Crank this up!!!

First and foremost, congratulations to Junior, it has been quite a dry streak for him but he proved that even on vapors he can win a race, thank goodness for a Yellow. I know for a fact that one very special person in my life is so happy to see him win and that is my daughter Amanda. She is a diehard Junior fan and that past couple of races have been heart breaking for her with him coming so close but yet so far. Enjoy the win Amanda!!!

Here are some of my thoughts about the race at Michigan:



1. Did anyone else notice the amount of empty seats in the stands? It is hard to believe that a track like Michigan would have that many empty seats. It shows just how much the economy is really taking effect on the sport and it is not going to get any better. Gas prices are soaring and people are just having a hard time driving from point A to point B let alone going to a race. Ticket prices are still high and that coupled with fuel prices, people are opting to just sit at home and enjoy the race. Can you see race tickets going up in price with the price of fuel for the cars to race? I believe it is coming but come on people, this sport makes soo much money it is really sickening. Lets remember the fans and perhaps if more incentives are there for race packages, people might be willing to go to one.



2. How about Citizen Kahne? Is this guy on a mission or what? Back to back wins and now gets a second place finish. Do you think driving under Budweiser has given him that extra umph to get the job done or is it he is out to impress more of those older women...LOL, just kidding. I am very impressed with Kahne this year and after his poor showing last season, he is showing he has what it takes to win races. Now we just have to figure out what is wrong with his teammate Elliott Sadler.



3. Vivacious Vickers!!! I really did think that Brian would win the race yesterday, gotta hate those late penalties. His Toyota was so strong yesterday and the way he was cutting through the field was quite impressive. Heck, even his teammate AJ looked impressive yesterday. That kid is going to get the job done and you bet your sweet you know what that after he had to sit out a few races that that gave him the push he needed to start getting his head in the game. Watch out for this kid in the future and he should do well next week at Sonoma.



4. Time for Tony. Alright, we all know that Tony is not having the most stellar season of his career. He is hanging on to the 12th spot in the standings and could drop out at anytime. Tony has the talent but I do think deep down inside he is more concerned about what he is going to do once he decides to either leave Gibbs Racing or not. He has made it clear he does like driving under the flag of Toyota but a good driver can adapt to any condition even though he might be driving a different brand of car. We all know it is just a matter of time before Tony gets in that winner circle and next week is right up his alley with a road course race.



5. Fox Fanatic. I really do miss the broadcasters at Fox. It is something about that Boogity, Boogity, Boogity. I am not a big fan of TNT and Bill Weber is like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Can we get a replacement for Wally? I know we can find someone else to drive the TNT car around the track. One thing I do miss is Benny Parsons. It is strange not to see him in the booth. I do like Kyle up there and he does bring alot of knowledge, lets just hope it bleeds over to Wally.



6. Ho-Hum. Lets put just another so so race in the books for Michigan. It wasn't really that exciting of a race and the only highlight was everyone wondering if Junior would have enough gas to cross the finish line. It is a very fast track but lets admit it, sometimes an insurance seminar is a tad bit more exciting.



I know some of my comments may sound harsh but hey that is my opinion and my blog. We all have our views and opinions on what happened during the race. Let's hear yours.