RaceWay Tours Blog

NASCAR Rule Changes could Even the Field

NASCAR Rule Changes could Even the Field
Posted by GEORGE February 26, 2009 6:46:58 AM

NASCAR's top 35 rule: Any driver who is in the top 35 in points at the end of the previous season is guaranteed a starting spot in the first six races of the next season. Any driver who is in the top 35 after the first six races of the new season is guaranteed a starting position in subsequent races, each week, as long as they stay in the top 35.

Many weeks, at least one driver who qualified in the top 43 does not get a starting position due to the top 35 rule. I know why the rule is there, I just don't agree with it. The rule ensures that the most popular drivers are in the race, regardless of how they qualify, but it also means that the 43 fastest drivers are not necessarily the drivers who get to race.

I'm a fan of several drivers, and I want them all to be in every race. But I think they should earn the right to race every week, not be automatically qualified by their past performances. If the top 35 rule didn't exist, it would also make qualifying a better event.

How about awarding points for qualifying? Consider how hard drivers race to get five bonus points for leading a lap in a race. Get rid of the champion's provisional, then make every driver qualify every week for a starting position in that week's race. I also continue to campaign to "ditch the dog," because I don't think any driver deserves to have a free lap given to him.

I'd buy a ticket to qualifying every time if these changes were made! Let's even the playing field for everyone, and get on with NASCAR racing!

See you at the track!

Kenseth Wins Again - 2009 Auto Club 500 Recap

Kenseth Wins Again - 2009 Auto Club 500 Recap
Posted by GEORGE February 24, 2009 8:05:38 AM

It hasn't been done since Jeff Gordon did it back in 1997: Matt Kenseth has won the first two races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

"Masterful" best describes Kenseth's driving in last Sunday's Auto Club 500 in Fontana, California. But the real heroes of the race were the Killer Bees, Kenseth's pit crew. During the course of the race, the Killer Bees gained Kenseth at least 10 positions, and gave him the lead after the last pit stop. From then on, Matt Kenseth was out in front. Jeff Gordon caught up, but to no avail. Gordon used up his tires with about 15 laps to go, and couldn't pass Kenseth when it counted most.

It was a good finish for Gordon, and he seemed pleased with his team's effort and his car. Gordon is going to have a good year in 2009, and you can feel the excitement around him and his pit crew.

The current standings don't mean much this early in the season, but surprises after the first two races are Tony Stewart in 4th-place and Jimmie Johnson in 19th-place. And what about those Hendrick engines, which are supposed to be the cream of the crop? Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mark Martin finished 39th and 40th, respectively, due to blown engines. I bet the Hendrick stable already knows the cause, and it won’t happen again.

Frustration abounds in the Dale Earnhardt Jr camp, and interviewers are questioning Junior's work ethic. Earnhardt says he works as hard as anyone in NASCAR racing, but admits that being the most popular driver doesn't mean that he is the best driver. Although many are calling for Tony Eury Jr's head, I don't believe he is the problem. Bad luck certainly enters into the equation, but I also believe Earnhardt Jr is working hard and doing the best job he can. Dale Jr is not in the same league with Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and the other top notch drivers.

The Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is next on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. This is always a great race, and the facilities are fantastic, to say the least. Can Matt Kenseth make it three in a row? It wouldn't surprise me one bit!

See you at the track!

The Tony Stewart Report

The Tony Stewart Report
Posted by GEORGE February 19, 2009 10:52:22 AM

Tony Stewart fans were thinking cautiously, but positively, going into the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and why not? "Cautiously" because Stewart-Haas Racing is a new team, and "positively" because he is a championship NASCAR driver.

Historically, new teams haven't performed as well. In addition, Stewart's move broke up a proven driver/crew chief team which was one of the best in the business. But Tony took his lead from Joe Gibbs when he put his new operation together. Gibbs' philosophy is to hire the best people you can find and let them do what they know how to do. Don't micro-manage, and you will have a successful operation.

It's hard to argue with Gibbs' success rate, not only as a NASCAR team owner, but also as an NFL coach. Stewart hired Darian Grubb as his crew chief, and it looks like a perfect match right now.

Tony had a solid chance to win the Daytona 500 last Sunday, and barring the rain-out, he may have pulled it off. Tony says he is disappointed in his 8th-place finish, especially after having led the race at one point. But the 8th-place finish is just what Tony needed to prove to the world of NASCAR that he is ready to run for the title. It showed us that this is not a young, upstart operation as some thought it might be.

Stewart is on a championship-caliber team with solid equipment, a proven crew chief, and his team will be the team to talk about later in the season.

Jeremy from Winnipeg asks, "Rather than cancel the last 50 laps of the Daytona 500, why didn't they run the remainder of the race on Monday?" Officially, the race was stopped after 152 of the 200 scheduled laps were in the books. NASCAR rules state that a race is official after half of the laps are complete. Thanks for the question Jeremy.

See you at the track!

2009 Daytona 500 Recap

2009 Daytona 500 Recap
Posted by GEORGE February 18, 2009 9:29:17 AM

Matt Kenseth literally stole the show, as he took the lead on the lap that counted the most, right before the rains came to Daytona. It was a much-needed win for Kenseth. He had not won a race since 2007.

Staying out of trouble was key, and Matt did a masterful job of working his way through the field late in the race. The 2009 Daytona 500 was a sellout event, which was a boost for NASCAR and a great way to start the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

Rain spoiled what would have been another dramatic finish for the Daytona 500, and many fans felt that NASCAR called the race too early. But the track was lost to moisture, and radar indicated that the earliest the race would have continued was around 11:00 PM. It was the right call, but it was anti-climactic.

Many drivers became a little testy during the race, resulting in unnessary accidents and ill feelings that will undoubtedly carry into races to come. Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr caused a multi-car crash in the Daytona 500.

Joey Logano received a true baptism into Sprint Cup Racing, finishing dead last in the race. Logano's experience from last year will help him this season, but it was obvious that the rookie driver was struggling on the track. This is to be expected, and not just because he is a rookie. It takes a few races to match the equipment to the driver.

Congratulations to Jack Roush for picking-up his first Daytona 500 win! Roush has done great things for NASCAR, and we're glad to see him get the win.

For you soap TV enthusiasts, Jeff Burton will make a cameo appearance on General Hospital in mid-March on ABC. I am not much of a soap TV fan, but I may have to watch that episode, although I'm having trouble imagining Jeff Burton as an actor.

There are 47 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Auto Club Speedway race in California, and there are 46 cars on the list for the Nationwide race at the same track. This is a good sign which I believe will carry through the 2009 NASCAR season.

See you at the track!

The 2009 Gatorade Duels

The 2009 Gatorade Duels
Posted by GEORGE February 13, 2009 5:56:35 AM

The 2009 Gatorade Duels are history, and one thing is for sure; There are a lot of questions going into the Daytona 500 on Sunday, even more than there were a few weeks ago. The 500 is up for grabs, and all of the pieces are in place for the best race ever!

All four Hendrick Motorsports cars finished in the top ten in the Gatorade Duels, sending a message to the world of NASCAR that they are all for real and are ready to make another major splash in this year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. I'm here to tell you, NASCAR fans, that Mark Martin is already the surprise of the season with his front row start in this Sunday's race and his outstanding performance in the Gatorade Duels. Kyle Busch may have taken the top spot, but Martin impressed me the most today.

Dale Earnhardt Jr showed that his heart is certainly in the right spot by finishing in the top ten after a tire problem. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson showed their superiority in the Gatorade Duels, with Gordon displaying the kind of form which has won him NASCAR championships.

The driver and car which I was least impressed with was Carl Edwards. Edwards is my pick to win the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, but he didn't really show up as a factor in the Duels.

I want to mention Jeremy Mayfield and the job he did! A few short weeks ago, Mayfield looked like a man in need of a job. No one was interested in Jeremy, so he started his own team, and raced his way into the Daytona 500. That's unbelievable performance for an upstart team, even with a veteran behind the wheel. Congratulations Jeremy!

This is the best start of a NASCAR Sprint Cup season in years!

See you at the track!

Truex Jr, Mark Martin Start in Front for the Daytona 500

Truex Jr, Mark Martin Start in Front for the Daytona 500
Posted by GEORGE February 10, 2009 6:03:54 AM

Because the Daytona 500 is a 500-mile race, it's not important where a driver starts, but it's a great boost to the driver's confidence to qualify on the front row, and that's exactly what Martin Truex Jr and Mark Martin did.

Truex's team has done the right things during the off season, and they are starting the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season with a leg up on the competition. Any thoughts of Mark Martin not taking this season seriously have been put to rest along with rumors of other drivers on the Hendrick Motorsports team getting better equipment than Mark.

Drafting is more important than starting position in the Daytona 500, evidenced by cars gaining 15 to 20 positions in half a lap on the 2.5-mile track. You need a partner to win the Daytona 500, and 4 or 5 partners improves the chance even more.

The front row for the Daytona 500 is set, and the Gatorade Duels on Thursday will set the remainder of the field. This is a "go or go home" race for many drivers, as a large number of new teams are competing for the last few positions in the race.

Speaking of new teams, the late influx of new, upstart teams is exactly what NASCAR needed to kick off the 2009 NASCAR season. The more teams competing for 43 spots in a race, the better. Hopefully this will help to eliminate teams which plan to qualify, run a few laps in the race, and then park their car and take their money home. They are of no benefit to NASCAR or NASCAR fans.

The Budweiser Shootout was exciting, even with the record number of cautions. With no Sprint Cup points involved, one might think the teams would not take this race too seriously, but all of them wanted to win the Budweiser Shootout in the worst way. It's racing, it's NASCAR, and it's competition which no driver can resist. There is always a big payoff for winning, of course, but the chance to prove their equipment and win is what makes it a great event!

So here we go NASCAR fans! From here on out it all counts, and in November, the 2009 Daytona 500 winner will still be remembered!

See you at the track!

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout
Posted by GEORGE February 5, 2009 9:40:22 AM

It may not be a points race, but the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season kicks off Saturday with the Budweiser Shootout, the first real test of the cars after an off-season of tweaking.

Qualifying for the Shootout has been a bit confusing this year. Originally, the top six cars in owner points for each manufacturer were in the race. Unfortunately, this left out a few drivers who NASCAR felt needed to be in the race. So the rules changed.

Now, any owner outside of the top six in 2008 owner points whose driver is also a past NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion who attempted to qualify for all of the 2008 races will be included in the Budweiser Shootout. Only one driver of each car manufacturer can qualify by this rule; based upon the most recent past champion per manufacturer. If an owner/manufacturer does not have a past champion, the next-highest eligible owner outside of the top six will qualify.

Basically, NASCAR threw in four wildcard spots in order to get Tony Stewart into the race.

The line-up, by manufacturer, for the 2009 Budweiser Shootout:

Chevy: Casey Mears, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dodge: Kurt Busch, Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne, David Stremme, Elliot Sadler, Reed Sorenson, and AJ Allmendinger.

Ford: David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Paul Menard, and Carl Edwards.

Toyota: David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Michael Waltrip, Scott Speed, and Brian Vickers.

The Budweiser Shootout will be split into two segments of 25 laps, followed by a 50-lap run to the checkered flag. Starting positions are determined by a blind draw. This is a sprint to the finish for a lot of money and a couple of positions in the Daytona 500.

Speaking of the Daytona 500, there are currently more than 50 entries for 43 starting spots in the race. The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is building up to be the most closely-contested season ever, and the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 are only the start!

See you at the track!

The Origin of NASCAR Racing

The Origin of NASCAR Racing
Posted by GEORGE February 3, 2009 8:19:30 AM

Throughout much of NASCAR's history, the sport has been viewed as "southern," and rightfully so. NASCAR originated in the south eastern United States, and the original drivers were from the South. Race tracks were in the South, and the South was the home of moon shine, which played an important role in NASCAR racing's start.

I'm sure you've heard stories of moon shining, the fast cars needed to deliver the "'shine," and races which took place when the cars were not on the road delivering liquor.

Times have changed, NASCAR fans, and NASCAR's popularity has spread across the country. NASCAR racing is no longer a sport which only our southern friends enjoy. It has become popular in every state, and most foreign countries.

California produces the most drivers on the track today with twice as many drivers as any other state. Tied for second is Michigan. Two current drivers are from Australia and Columbia, which is the same number of current drivers from North Carolina.

This year, drivers from outside of the South outnumber southern drivers almost 2 to 1. In 1979, the same ratio was more than 1 to 3.

It's only a matter of time before Canada produces its first NASCAR Sprint Cup driver, and NASCAR racing is growing by leaps and bounds in other countries as well. NASCAR racing will always have its home right here in the USA, and the South can forever claim the title of "NASCAR Country." But we are now most certainly a "NASCAR Nation," with the world of NASCAR on our doorstep.

See you at the track!