Well it was a snowy weekend, but the Atlantic City Indoor Races still went on as scheduled! This year's race was a lot more exciting, and many believe it was due to some of the changes that were made to the layout of the track. There were still several cautions and some scary moments, but there was lots of side by side racing. It was interesting seeing the mix of drivers in the field, including some of the Northeast's top Micro Sprint and TQ Midget drivers, a few NASCAR modified drivers and even a multi-time Indy 500 competitor! It was my first time using my Flip Video and I love it! I got some great shots from the pre-race "FanFest" and compiled them together. The videos are up at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Also, photos from the Motorsports 2010 show can been viewed at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049140&id=37801386&l=aefe0df5fa.
Now the focus has shifted to Daytona Speedweeks. It looks like Hendrick Motorsports is the team to beat once again. I may be biased since I'm a fan of them, but I think this is the year Jeff Gordon becomes a 4-time Daytona 500 champion. If not, then it could be Jimmie Johnson with his second Daytona 500 victory. Don't count out the Childress cars either, and my underdog picks are David Reutimann or Marcos Ambrose. The sentimental pick would be fast qualifier Mark Martin. No doubt he will have a front running car, but it would be great to see him pull off the victory.
The Nationwide Series looks like it will be another dose of "Cup Lite" this year. I haven't seen an entry list yet, but the Gibbs cars are most likely the favorites, but my pick is whoever is in the KHI #33. I think it's going to be Kevin Harvick, but it could be Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman.
The Truck Series should be exciting this year with a bunch of new teams coming in, but I believe it will be another battle between Ron Hornaday and Todd Bodine, with Hornaday coming out on top this time for KHI and new crew chief Dave Fuge. Surprisingly, Hornaday has never won a Truck race at Daytona.
Lastly, I'd like to say kudos to a team from my neck of the woods as Lebanon, PA's Bobby Gerhart won his sixth Daytona ARCA 200 Saturday. He has Daytona down to a science and seems to be one of the nicest guys in the garage area. In fact, he was one of the first drivers I ever met when I moved to PA at the age of five.
As for me, it looks like I'll be spectating from the couch the next few months. No travels planned, except for a poker tournament in late February in Myerstown, PA. However, I might venture out in the Spring weather to one of my local tracks in April, perhaps Big Diamond Raceway near Pottsville, PA. In May I plan to travel down South for the first time in 2010, but haven't decided where yet. The good thing is there are many options for where to go in May when it comes to short track racing!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
First Big Racing Weekend of 2010 Preview
Welcome to 2010 everyone! I've already cashed in a poker tournament and the racing season is about to begin!
In fact, I'm looking forward to the first big racing weekend of 2010. No, I'm not talking about the Daytona 500 or Speedweeks. I'm talking about the last weekend of January where there will be several races across the United States and even one major event overseas.
In my opinion, the Free State 500 sanctioned by the American Speed Association taking place at Phakisa Freeway in South Africa will be the most interesting race of the weekend. There are two ways to look at this event and they're both valid points. On a track similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with cars very similar to the NASCAR Camping World East and West Series, some have been saying that it's going to be a very inexperienced field and could potentially be a disaster. I'm taking the optimistic approach and applauding ASA president Dennis Huth for giving several drivers, their crews and families an opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of this race. Two very experienced drivers, Geoff Bodine and Ron Barfield, could be the favorites but they are no doubt going to be helping out some of these inexperienced drivers prior to the race. Many time Midwest late model champion Steve Carlson and many time Northwest late model champion Gary Lewis have deserved a shot like this for several years. Don't count them out, as well as NASCAR competitor Scott Wimmer's younger brother and my pick to win Chris Wimmer, and young drivers Marc Davis and Tiffany Daniels. Also, who knows what the international competitors in the field will have for the drivers from the states. It should be an exciting race, and is supposedly going to be televised although I haven't seen anything official.
Perhaps the most notable race of the weekend will be the 24 Hours of Daytona. Although I don't follow sports car racing very much, the annual endurance event always has an interesting mix of drivers and this year is no different. There will once again be a strong presence of NASCAR and IRL drivers, including Jimmie Johnson, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, and Bobby Labonte. My picks to win are one of the Ganassi teams in the Daytona Prototypes and one of The Racer's Group teams in the GTs. The race will be televised once again on SPEED and the weekend will also feature the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge as a support race.
Also being televised once again on SPEED this year will be the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, California. After last year's rain-plagued and shortened events this year may be a little up in the air as to who will show up. Already some big names have announced they will run in the Camping World Series event though, including Joey Logano who was involved in a controversial finish in 2009. This year; however, Logano may be a slight underdog driving for former East Series champion Mike Olsen rather than the big buck Joe Gibbs equipment. Short track up and comer Matt DiBenedetto will drive for JGR. Local driver Nick Joanides made news that he will compete in all three events during the weekend. There will once again be a super late model and late model race, and hopefully the bad weather will stay away this year and not drastically shorten the support events. I'm going with somewhat of an underdog to win the Showdown: making the tow all the way from New England, Eddie MacDonald.
If the Showdown in California isn't enough, there will be plenty of short track racing on the East Coast as well. The annual Speedfest will return again to Lanier National Speedway in Georgia for a 250 lap CRA sanctioned event. This race will feature a star-studded field with defending race winner Kyle Busch being joined by David Stremme and Steven Wallace. Short track standouts currently entered include Eddie Hoffman, Johanna Long, Brian Campbell, Bubba Pollard, John VanDoorn, Jeff Fultz, Scott Hantz, Casey Smith and Ryan Blaney. My pick to win will be the local guy Jason Hogan who went winless in 2009 and is hungry for a victory. There will also be a 150 lap Pro Late Model race and if a driver wins both races they will win a $10,000 bonus. Speedfest can be heard live on Race Talk Radio.
Entering the trend of early season races will be the Pro All Stars Series with a 150 lap Winter Fest event at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida for their super late models. This will be a PASS National points event so expect some teams to come down all the way from Maine. One driver that will not be competing is 2009 PASS South and National champion Ben Rowe whose team parted ways with him following the season. Former NASCAR Camping World East Series champion Brad Leighton takes over in that ride and could definitely be a threat to win right away. The exciting thing I find about PASS especially in the South is there never seems to be a clear cut favorite to win during the season and for the championship. With Rowe departing it appears to be that way again. Maybe this could be the breakthrough year for Cassius Clark from Maine. However, with this particular race being in Florida the local favorites are going to be hard to beat which is why my pick to win is Tim Russell.
Finally we come to the race that I will be attending in much colder Atlantic City, New Jersey: the Gambler's Classic Atlantic City Indoor Race! There are already over 80 TQ Midgets/Micro Sprints entered, including former NASCAR Modified champion Mike Stefanik who will definitely give 2009 winner and another former NASCAR Modified champion Ted Christopher a run for his money. Other notable racers entered for this event include Bobby Santos III, Billy Pauch, former Gambler's Classic winners Mike Tidaback and Joey Payne, 2009 ATQMRA champion Alison Cumens, sprint car racer Becca Anderson and an Indy 500 veteran (which I'm assuming will be Davey Hamilton). Slingshots and Champ Karts will also be in competition during the weekend. My roulette money will be on Mike Stefanik coming down from Rhode Island to steal the win away!
I'll be debuting my recently purchased Flip Video at the Atlantic City Indoor Races and will post the videos to my YouTube account upon my return. I'll also post a blog update when I get back, which will include a link to photos from my visit to the Motorsports 2010 Race Car & Trade Show the weekend prior, a summary of the January events and perhaps a Daytona preview.
Who's ready to begin the 2010 racing season?!
In fact, I'm looking forward to the first big racing weekend of 2010. No, I'm not talking about the Daytona 500 or Speedweeks. I'm talking about the last weekend of January where there will be several races across the United States and even one major event overseas.
In my opinion, the Free State 500 sanctioned by the American Speed Association taking place at Phakisa Freeway in South Africa will be the most interesting race of the weekend. There are two ways to look at this event and they're both valid points. On a track similar to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with cars very similar to the NASCAR Camping World East and West Series, some have been saying that it's going to be a very inexperienced field and could potentially be a disaster. I'm taking the optimistic approach and applauding ASA president Dennis Huth for giving several drivers, their crews and families an opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of this race. Two very experienced drivers, Geoff Bodine and Ron Barfield, could be the favorites but they are no doubt going to be helping out some of these inexperienced drivers prior to the race. Many time Midwest late model champion Steve Carlson and many time Northwest late model champion Gary Lewis have deserved a shot like this for several years. Don't count them out, as well as NASCAR competitor Scott Wimmer's younger brother and my pick to win Chris Wimmer, and young drivers Marc Davis and Tiffany Daniels. Also, who knows what the international competitors in the field will have for the drivers from the states. It should be an exciting race, and is supposedly going to be televised although I haven't seen anything official.
Perhaps the most notable race of the weekend will be the 24 Hours of Daytona. Although I don't follow sports car racing very much, the annual endurance event always has an interesting mix of drivers and this year is no different. There will once again be a strong presence of NASCAR and IRL drivers, including Jimmie Johnson, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, and Bobby Labonte. My picks to win are one of the Ganassi teams in the Daytona Prototypes and one of The Racer's Group teams in the GTs. The race will be televised once again on SPEED and the weekend will also feature the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge as a support race.
Also being televised once again on SPEED this year will be the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown in Irwindale, California. After last year's rain-plagued and shortened events this year may be a little up in the air as to who will show up. Already some big names have announced they will run in the Camping World Series event though, including Joey Logano who was involved in a controversial finish in 2009. This year; however, Logano may be a slight underdog driving for former East Series champion Mike Olsen rather than the big buck Joe Gibbs equipment. Short track up and comer Matt DiBenedetto will drive for JGR. Local driver Nick Joanides made news that he will compete in all three events during the weekend. There will once again be a super late model and late model race, and hopefully the bad weather will stay away this year and not drastically shorten the support events. I'm going with somewhat of an underdog to win the Showdown: making the tow all the way from New England, Eddie MacDonald.
If the Showdown in California isn't enough, there will be plenty of short track racing on the East Coast as well. The annual Speedfest will return again to Lanier National Speedway in Georgia for a 250 lap CRA sanctioned event. This race will feature a star-studded field with defending race winner Kyle Busch being joined by David Stremme and Steven Wallace. Short track standouts currently entered include Eddie Hoffman, Johanna Long, Brian Campbell, Bubba Pollard, John VanDoorn, Jeff Fultz, Scott Hantz, Casey Smith and Ryan Blaney. My pick to win will be the local guy Jason Hogan who went winless in 2009 and is hungry for a victory. There will also be a 150 lap Pro Late Model race and if a driver wins both races they will win a $10,000 bonus. Speedfest can be heard live on Race Talk Radio.
Entering the trend of early season races will be the Pro All Stars Series with a 150 lap Winter Fest event at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida for their super late models. This will be a PASS National points event so expect some teams to come down all the way from Maine. One driver that will not be competing is 2009 PASS South and National champion Ben Rowe whose team parted ways with him following the season. Former NASCAR Camping World East Series champion Brad Leighton takes over in that ride and could definitely be a threat to win right away. The exciting thing I find about PASS especially in the South is there never seems to be a clear cut favorite to win during the season and for the championship. With Rowe departing it appears to be that way again. Maybe this could be the breakthrough year for Cassius Clark from Maine. However, with this particular race being in Florida the local favorites are going to be hard to beat which is why my pick to win is Tim Russell.
Finally we come to the race that I will be attending in much colder Atlantic City, New Jersey: the Gambler's Classic Atlantic City Indoor Race! There are already over 80 TQ Midgets/Micro Sprints entered, including former NASCAR Modified champion Mike Stefanik who will definitely give 2009 winner and another former NASCAR Modified champion Ted Christopher a run for his money. Other notable racers entered for this event include Bobby Santos III, Billy Pauch, former Gambler's Classic winners Mike Tidaback and Joey Payne, 2009 ATQMRA champion Alison Cumens, sprint car racer Becca Anderson and an Indy 500 veteran (which I'm assuming will be Davey Hamilton). Slingshots and Champ Karts will also be in competition during the weekend. My roulette money will be on Mike Stefanik coming down from Rhode Island to steal the win away!
I'll be debuting my recently purchased Flip Video at the Atlantic City Indoor Races and will post the videos to my YouTube account upon my return. I'll also post a blog update when I get back, which will include a link to photos from my visit to the Motorsports 2010 Race Car & Trade Show the weekend prior, a summary of the January events and perhaps a Daytona preview.
Who's ready to begin the 2010 racing season?!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
2009 Recap and 2010 Preview
Well, the 2009 racing season is all but over and overall it was a pretty good year. NASCAR still has some things they definitely need to work out, and while I continue to get annoyed when I watch the TV broadcasts I'll get lured back in during the Daytona 500 coverage in February 2010.
Short track racing (asphalt and dirt) appears to be headed in the right direction for the most part. In a time where the economy has seemed to wreak havoc on many things, most short tracks and series have survived and I'm looking forward to attending some of their races in 2010. It will be neat to see the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway late next year, but at the same time sad to see historic tracks like Nashville and Milwaukee perhaps going away.
My travels were a success in 2009. Drove down to North Carolina three times: PASS South Series at Orange County Speedway, ISCARS at Hickory Motor Speedway, and my first visit to Rockingham Speedway for the ARCA and UARA series! Also, supported some of the local tracks in the area including an annual stop at Mountain Speedway in St. Johns, PA, a return to Williams Grove Speedway for the first time in awhile, and my first trips to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, PA and Big Diamond Raceway near Pottsville, PA.
2010 will be even more exciting, beginning with my 2nd annual trip to the Atlantic City Indoor Races in late January. I'm still trying to firm up the rest of my travel plans, but I will be going to North Wilkesboro either for the Labor Day weekend PASS race or the October USAR Pro Cup race. What I'm looking the most forward to is my first trip to Pensacola, Florida for the 43rd annual Snowball Derby next December! I plan on purchasing a Flip Video over the holidays so I'll be posting more videos to my YouTube account in the new year.
2009 was a year to forget in the poker world. I only had the opportunity to play in one tournament in Atlantic City and did pretty poorly. In fact, I don't really recall making it into the money in any cash tournaments I played in. Then there was my second place finish in a tournament where the winner received an all-expenses-paid trip and $1,500 buy-in into a tournament in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. That was probably the heartbreak of the year. Oh well, there's always next year. I plan on attempting to win a couple trips to the Borgata in Atlantic City and the World Series of Poker again. No matter what happens, over the summer I will be traveling to Atlantic City to play in at least a $300 tournament.
So until next year, I wish everyone happy holidays!
Short track racing (asphalt and dirt) appears to be headed in the right direction for the most part. In a time where the economy has seemed to wreak havoc on many things, most short tracks and series have survived and I'm looking forward to attending some of their races in 2010. It will be neat to see the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway late next year, but at the same time sad to see historic tracks like Nashville and Milwaukee perhaps going away.
My travels were a success in 2009. Drove down to North Carolina three times: PASS South Series at Orange County Speedway, ISCARS at Hickory Motor Speedway, and my first visit to Rockingham Speedway for the ARCA and UARA series! Also, supported some of the local tracks in the area including an annual stop at Mountain Speedway in St. Johns, PA, a return to Williams Grove Speedway for the first time in awhile, and my first trips to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, PA and Big Diamond Raceway near Pottsville, PA.
2010 will be even more exciting, beginning with my 2nd annual trip to the Atlantic City Indoor Races in late January. I'm still trying to firm up the rest of my travel plans, but I will be going to North Wilkesboro either for the Labor Day weekend PASS race or the October USAR Pro Cup race. What I'm looking the most forward to is my first trip to Pensacola, Florida for the 43rd annual Snowball Derby next December! I plan on purchasing a Flip Video over the holidays so I'll be posting more videos to my YouTube account in the new year.
2009 was a year to forget in the poker world. I only had the opportunity to play in one tournament in Atlantic City and did pretty poorly. In fact, I don't really recall making it into the money in any cash tournaments I played in. Then there was my second place finish in a tournament where the winner received an all-expenses-paid trip and $1,500 buy-in into a tournament in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. That was probably the heartbreak of the year. Oh well, there's always next year. I plan on attempting to win a couple trips to the Borgata in Atlantic City and the World Series of Poker again. No matter what happens, over the summer I will be traveling to Atlantic City to play in at least a $300 tournament.
So until next year, I wish everyone happy holidays!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Not My Four-Time Champion!
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and their entire team on being four straight ten race chase champions! I’ll give them that. They got the job done when they needed to, but I still can’t convince myself that it was history in the making. It’s incomparable to the feats that Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, and Jeff Gordon have accomplished and besides being on paper I don’t see it as something better than any of them have done.
I have to admit that I am a “classic” points fan, but before anyone forms a rebuttal saying that they would have raced differently if there wasn’t a chase, “classic” points are different from when Richard Petty won some of his championships before 1975, etc., they have to realize that I am looking at the overall season statistics and what the outcome may or may not have been.
Saying that the drivers would have raced differently does have some accuracy. 2008 and 2004 done the “classic” way could have had a different outcome due to the close points race. However, 2007 is where this point is flawed. No matter how you crunch the numbers, in any other system that rewards consistency Jeff Gordon would have been the champion. Not since 1990, did a driver with as good of an average finish as him fail to win the championship AND have a better average finish than the champion. That was Mark Martin, and the reason he was second in points is because his team incurred a 46 point penalty following the spring Richmond race. The final difference in the championship was 26 points. One thing I have to add regarding Mark Martin is that if after he and his current Hendrick teammates retire, and Jimmie Johnson and/or Jeff Gordon are inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame before he is then I will refuse to visit that place for the rest of my life. There is no better driver representative for NASCAR, a sponsor, and fans today than Mark Martin and while he has or may never achieve a championship I think those aspects alone make him a true NASCAR Hall of Famer once he is eligible.
The Richard Petty different points system theory is debatable for two of his championships. Based on my rough calculations, he still would have edged his closest competitors for the championship though (Cale Yarborough in 1974, Bobby Allison in 1972). However, for his other three championships prior to 1975 there is no doubt in my mind he would still have been champion in almost any points system. Also, with the “classic” point system Petty would have been a contender for the championship in 1973, 1968, and 1963 so clearly he could be a seven (or more) time champion no matter what system is used to calculate points. I consider Jimmie Johnson at best a three time champion, which is still great and a notch above Tony Stewart (he pretty much has two fair and square) and a notch below Jeff Gordon who I believe at worst has five (or maybe six) championships.
What are historic are the team combination aspects. Maybe only twice has a driver and crew chief combination been successful for so long besides Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus: Richard Petty/Dale Inman and Dale Earnhardt/Kirk Shelmerdine. Jeff Gordon/Ray Evernham I actually put below the Johnson/Knaus combination since they weren’t together for as long.
The team itself Hendrick Motorsports, has performed historic proportions never seen before in NASCAR. For the past decade and a half, no matter how it’s calculated, the team has racked up nearly two-thirds of the championships. That has never been done in such a vast amount time, although some may argue that back in the day there weren’t multi-car operations like todays. It still goes to show that no other team today can seem to win championships and back it up year in and year out.
One other thing that I believe is historic is the driver to driver relationship. While Jeff Gordon tends to downplay the fact that he’s mentored Jimmie Johnson somewhat, the fact is it’s still a fact! Gordon was integral in choosing Johnson as a driver and while some say Johnson doesn’t deserve the ride I believe he paid his dues at least more than many other drivers currently in the series. Johnson raced for two years in the American Stock Association which was an excellent proving ground, and he and his ASA team together moved into the NASCAR Nationwide (Busch) Series. While their success was marginal it showed that Johnson could perform with a startup team in a series, which in a way was what the #48 team was their first year. I would consider Jeff Gordon the legend here, because I have never seen a former NASCAR champion have so much impact on a driver and have it result in championships. Ned Jarrett and Dale Jarrett might be the closest to those criteria, but Ned didn’t really play a major part in Jarrett being with the Yates Racing team. Many are similar but didn’t result in championships on one end or the other (Junior Johnson never won a championship but helped Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip win multiple). Other father-son/mentor-protégé combinations may have worked out well, but never resulted in Cup Series championships on both sides (Earnhardt/Earnhardt Jr., Richard/Kyle Petty, David/Larry Pearson, Richard Childress/Dale Earnhardt, Benny Parsons/Greg Biffle).
To sum things up, I believe Jimmie Johnson and the entire team is the best out there right now, but I still need to give it time before I call them historic or legendary. We’ll see what happens over the next decade and maybe I’ll change my mind. As far as the chase goes, it is what it is. People can keep suggesting methods in which some of them seem very good on paper, but there always seems to be some sort of flaw. I'll believe what I believe, and everyone else can believe what they want to believe.
As for the 2009 season as a whole, it was one of my least favorite seasons since I started watching in 1988. It was the first time where I watched Talladega and was rather disappointed. The first time I have completely lost interest in traveling to Talladega to see a race there. The first time I wished my favorite driver would just retire already so I didn’t have to watch anymore. The first time that I couldn’t stand watching pretty much all of the races on TV (from Digger to the mentioning of Jimmie Johnson every five seconds). Maybe I’ll just listen to them all on MRN next year. Time will tell if I gain/lose interest in NASCAR from now forward.
I'll be back soon to discuss my plans for races I'll be attending for the 2010 season.
One more non-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series related thing: for anyone looking forward to the Snowball Derby race this Sunday I've uploaded the entire 1995 Snowball Derby which was broadcast live on Prime Network affiliates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXCoW50cjBw&feature=PlayList&p=F9E4A25FD0657EB1&index=0&playnext=1
I have to admit that I am a “classic” points fan, but before anyone forms a rebuttal saying that they would have raced differently if there wasn’t a chase, “classic” points are different from when Richard Petty won some of his championships before 1975, etc., they have to realize that I am looking at the overall season statistics and what the outcome may or may not have been.
Saying that the drivers would have raced differently does have some accuracy. 2008 and 2004 done the “classic” way could have had a different outcome due to the close points race. However, 2007 is where this point is flawed. No matter how you crunch the numbers, in any other system that rewards consistency Jeff Gordon would have been the champion. Not since 1990, did a driver with as good of an average finish as him fail to win the championship AND have a better average finish than the champion. That was Mark Martin, and the reason he was second in points is because his team incurred a 46 point penalty following the spring Richmond race. The final difference in the championship was 26 points. One thing I have to add regarding Mark Martin is that if after he and his current Hendrick teammates retire, and Jimmie Johnson and/or Jeff Gordon are inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame before he is then I will refuse to visit that place for the rest of my life. There is no better driver representative for NASCAR, a sponsor, and fans today than Mark Martin and while he has or may never achieve a championship I think those aspects alone make him a true NASCAR Hall of Famer once he is eligible.
The Richard Petty different points system theory is debatable for two of his championships. Based on my rough calculations, he still would have edged his closest competitors for the championship though (Cale Yarborough in 1974, Bobby Allison in 1972). However, for his other three championships prior to 1975 there is no doubt in my mind he would still have been champion in almost any points system. Also, with the “classic” point system Petty would have been a contender for the championship in 1973, 1968, and 1963 so clearly he could be a seven (or more) time champion no matter what system is used to calculate points. I consider Jimmie Johnson at best a three time champion, which is still great and a notch above Tony Stewart (he pretty much has two fair and square) and a notch below Jeff Gordon who I believe at worst has five (or maybe six) championships.
What are historic are the team combination aspects. Maybe only twice has a driver and crew chief combination been successful for so long besides Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus: Richard Petty/Dale Inman and Dale Earnhardt/Kirk Shelmerdine. Jeff Gordon/Ray Evernham I actually put below the Johnson/Knaus combination since they weren’t together for as long.
The team itself Hendrick Motorsports, has performed historic proportions never seen before in NASCAR. For the past decade and a half, no matter how it’s calculated, the team has racked up nearly two-thirds of the championships. That has never been done in such a vast amount time, although some may argue that back in the day there weren’t multi-car operations like todays. It still goes to show that no other team today can seem to win championships and back it up year in and year out.
One other thing that I believe is historic is the driver to driver relationship. While Jeff Gordon tends to downplay the fact that he’s mentored Jimmie Johnson somewhat, the fact is it’s still a fact! Gordon was integral in choosing Johnson as a driver and while some say Johnson doesn’t deserve the ride I believe he paid his dues at least more than many other drivers currently in the series. Johnson raced for two years in the American Stock Association which was an excellent proving ground, and he and his ASA team together moved into the NASCAR Nationwide (Busch) Series. While their success was marginal it showed that Johnson could perform with a startup team in a series, which in a way was what the #48 team was their first year. I would consider Jeff Gordon the legend here, because I have never seen a former NASCAR champion have so much impact on a driver and have it result in championships. Ned Jarrett and Dale Jarrett might be the closest to those criteria, but Ned didn’t really play a major part in Jarrett being with the Yates Racing team. Many are similar but didn’t result in championships on one end or the other (Junior Johnson never won a championship but helped Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip win multiple). Other father-son/mentor-protégé combinations may have worked out well, but never resulted in Cup Series championships on both sides (Earnhardt/Earnhardt Jr., Richard/Kyle Petty, David/Larry Pearson, Richard Childress/Dale Earnhardt, Benny Parsons/Greg Biffle).
To sum things up, I believe Jimmie Johnson and the entire team is the best out there right now, but I still need to give it time before I call them historic or legendary. We’ll see what happens over the next decade and maybe I’ll change my mind. As far as the chase goes, it is what it is. People can keep suggesting methods in which some of them seem very good on paper, but there always seems to be some sort of flaw. I'll believe what I believe, and everyone else can believe what they want to believe.
As for the 2009 season as a whole, it was one of my least favorite seasons since I started watching in 1988. It was the first time where I watched Talladega and was rather disappointed. The first time I have completely lost interest in traveling to Talladega to see a race there. The first time I wished my favorite driver would just retire already so I didn’t have to watch anymore. The first time that I couldn’t stand watching pretty much all of the races on TV (from Digger to the mentioning of Jimmie Johnson every five seconds). Maybe I’ll just listen to them all on MRN next year. Time will tell if I gain/lose interest in NASCAR from now forward.
I'll be back soon to discuss my plans for races I'll be attending for the 2010 season.
One more non-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series related thing: for anyone looking forward to the Snowball Derby race this Sunday I've uploaded the entire 1995 Snowball Derby which was broadcast live on Prime Network affiliates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXCoW50cjBw&feature=PlayList&p=F9E4A25FD0657EB1&index=0&playnext=1
Sunday, November 22, 2009
November North Carolina Trip Summary
I apologize for the lack of an update, but it's been an extremely busy week since I got back from my mini-vacation to North Carolina.
It was an excellent trip, even though there wasn't much going on at most of the dozen or so race shops the Friday I visited them. Most if not all of the teams were in Phoenix already. I thought it was amazing that these race shops look like usual corporate offices, but then you can look in the wide windows in many of them and check out the race shops. I stayed local to the hotel I was at, which was in a business park with several race shops. Next time I plan to go a little off the beaten path and visit Penske, JR Motorsports, and maybe even over to Charlotte to check out Hendrick Motorsports and some other teams.
One of my personal favorites during the weekend was my visit to the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. If you haven't been there, I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance. What an excellent museum with tons of motorsports history that is very informative and interesting! I even purchased an old school Jeff Gordon Baby Ruth early 1990's T-shirt from the gift shop! In addition, I made touristy stops at Lake Norman and downtown Mooresville.
Then Saturday was race day! The ISCARS Dash Touring Series sanctioned by ASA was at Hickory Motor Speedway for their championship event. Three drivers were separated by eight points coming into the event. Danny Bagwell, who was the two-time defending champion, won both 75 lap races. Bagwell was not eligible for the championship since he missed a couple races earlier in the season. The championship battle came down to the wire. After race #1, Randy Humphrey finished 2nd and Jason Shultz 3rd. However, Shultz led laps so Humphrey's point lead was still slim. In race #2 Shultz jumped out to an early lead, while Humphrey marched through the field. Humphrey would spin going for second place and rebounded for a third place finish, but it wouldn't be enough. With his second place finish, rookie Jason Shultz won the championship! The full article can be found at: http://iscarsonline.com/viewnews.asp?News_ID=8462.
Along with the ISCARS were the East Coast Flathead Fords. It was my first time seeing this series, and was cool to see some of the vintage vehicles racing around the historic track. Stuntman James Smith was on hand as well doing some neat stunts.
Photos from the race can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/.
Photos from the entire trip can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046856&id=37801386&l=185bb0e747.
Videos from the race can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24
Next week probably following the Thanksgiving holiday and after I collect my thoughts, I will post/rant a post-NASCAR season summary.
It was an excellent trip, even though there wasn't much going on at most of the dozen or so race shops the Friday I visited them. Most if not all of the teams were in Phoenix already. I thought it was amazing that these race shops look like usual corporate offices, but then you can look in the wide windows in many of them and check out the race shops. I stayed local to the hotel I was at, which was in a business park with several race shops. Next time I plan to go a little off the beaten path and visit Penske, JR Motorsports, and maybe even over to Charlotte to check out Hendrick Motorsports and some other teams.
One of my personal favorites during the weekend was my visit to the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. If you haven't been there, I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance. What an excellent museum with tons of motorsports history that is very informative and interesting! I even purchased an old school Jeff Gordon Baby Ruth early 1990's T-shirt from the gift shop! In addition, I made touristy stops at Lake Norman and downtown Mooresville.
Then Saturday was race day! The ISCARS Dash Touring Series sanctioned by ASA was at Hickory Motor Speedway for their championship event. Three drivers were separated by eight points coming into the event. Danny Bagwell, who was the two-time defending champion, won both 75 lap races. Bagwell was not eligible for the championship since he missed a couple races earlier in the season. The championship battle came down to the wire. After race #1, Randy Humphrey finished 2nd and Jason Shultz 3rd. However, Shultz led laps so Humphrey's point lead was still slim. In race #2 Shultz jumped out to an early lead, while Humphrey marched through the field. Humphrey would spin going for second place and rebounded for a third place finish, but it wouldn't be enough. With his second place finish, rookie Jason Shultz won the championship! The full article can be found at: http://iscarsonline.com/viewnews.asp?News_ID=8462.
Along with the ISCARS were the East Coast Flathead Fords. It was my first time seeing this series, and was cool to see some of the vintage vehicles racing around the historic track. Stuntman James Smith was on hand as well doing some neat stunts.
Photos from the race can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/.
Photos from the entire trip can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046856&id=37801386&l=185bb0e747.
Videos from the race can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24
Next week probably following the Thanksgiving holiday and after I collect my thoughts, I will post/rant a post-NASCAR season summary.
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