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WHAT?

Well, the overall racing at the Glen this year was less exciting than last year, until the 83rd circuit of the afternoon. If you missed it, you missed what appeared eerily similar to what happens when you go backwards on your favorite NASCAR video game. It started when David Gilliand and Michael McDowell were being pushy with each other. From what I could tell coming out of turn 11 McDowell had enough of the so called tom-foolery and decided to take out Gilliand.
What happened next was pure carnage, that left 9 cars torn to shreds, and Bobby Labonte with a hospital visit just for precautionary measures after he complained of rib/abdomen pain. The collection in the rather small area of the track caused the race to be red-flagged for about 43 minutes. Gilliand and McDowell were then called to the 'Oval Office'. After the race was able to resume, it was a race mainly for third place, as Kyle Busch held off Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose to win for the 8th time this season, locking him in as the top seed in the Chase.
If you missed the carnal destruction, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmLRa9zIPIo

If any penalties are handed down to the #00 team or McDowell I will post these as a new post with my opinion of them.
On another note look for podcasting to begin in the next week or so.

Pocono/ Centurion Boats @ The Glen

First of all, assuming I have regular readers, I'd like to apologize that there was no review of Pocono, I missed part of the race due to the fact I was moving, which also made it difficult to write. Therefore I will do a Watkins Glen Preview.

I've said it before and I do suppose I'll say it again, I believe that the new car the sprint cup teams use has tremendously improved the quality of the two road course events. Now, maybe my tastes have just changed, but I believe it to be the fact of the new car doing what NASCAR had hoped it would do, improve racing. Maybe it just put everyone at the same advantage/disadvantage, it doesn't matter why, it matters that it is that way.
Now, that being said, who's going to be contending for the win this Sunday?


My Favorite to Win: Jimmie Johnson- with how determined he wants to win a road course, the two-time Champion will most likely to find victory lane.

Contenders (will run up front):RCR Cars: 29,31, and 07, Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon and the series points leader, Kyle Busch.

Dark Horse(s): David Gilliand- lacks experience but showed he can race road courses quite well. He's my dark horse pick because he's had a lot of experience at Infenion but not much at Watkins Glen. Also people often don't think of Kevin Harvick as a great road racer, but he's always up front, watch out fo the Shell Chevy to contend (NASCAR.Com did make a note of Harvick's ability, but it was referencing the Nationwide Series)

Just Makin' Laps: Ryan Newman, Allmendinger, Kvapil, Sorenson. Specifically these few I don't believe will factor in unless their respective crew chiefs can get them up front and/or if it comes down to fuel mileage, which given the history of this race, it very well may.

JUST IN!+ CUP QUALS RAINED OUT ++ Boris Said and Brian Simo WILL NOT RACE

Actions Detrimental to Stock Car Auto Racing

***THIS JUST IN***

NASCAR has been fined $500,000 and put NASCAR and Good Year on Probation until December 31, 2008 for Violations of Section 12-4-A of the NASCAR Rule Book "Actions detrimental to stock car racing" specifically section 12-4-GY; horrible tire testing policies by Series and Tire provider. NASCAR will not have the right to appeal this penalty because they pissed too many people off"

That's how it should be, but it's not. However, I did find out that the test was moved from Indy to Pocono after a polling of crew chiefs. On a more disturbing note, track chairman Tony George denied all wrong doing with the diamond-grinding of the track. I think that if Indy is not willing to cooperate with NASCAR, there is a certain track in Sparta, Kentucky that would love to have that date, or Rusty's track in Iowa, there's plenty of places that, in my opinion, deserve a second date as well. Well, I hope that NASCAR evaluates their testing policy and how well Good Year is carrying the "official tire". Only time will tell, I suppose.
I will end this with a positive note, Robin Pemberton DID apologize saying,according to NASCAR.com, "I can't say enough how sorry we are and it's our responsibility being NASCAR that we don't go through this situation again."

The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard

It’s times like today that we need more Tony Stewarts in the racing world. People able to say it like it is and place the blame somewhere. I heard Denny Hamlin say ‘it’s no one’s fault; we can’t blame any one group’. Yes we can, and yes, I will.

If you didn’t see what has become a prestigious race in NASCAR, The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, consider yourself lucky this year. Fiasco, circus-like is what I’m thinking of calling it.

Assuming you missed the race or gave up on watching it, let’s begin with a press conference this morning in which Robin Pemberton, director of competition for NASCAR, and Greg Stucker, an official from Goodyear’s racing division. That event obviously alluded there was a serious problem heading into this afternoon’s race at the historic 2.5 mile track.

Regardless of the 11 caution flags and hundreds of cord-bearing Goodyear Eagles tossed aside, defending series champion Jimmie Johnson was able to hold of Carl Edward’s in a final 7 lap shootout for the win, making Johnson only the second driver to win from the pole in NASCAR’s history at the Brickyard, the first was Kevin Harvick in 2003.

Now, I think I feel most frustrated for the fans that went to the Hoosier state to witness what has arguably become the 2^nd most prestigious race in stock car racing. However, tire wear is nothing new at the famed Indiana speedway. It was only three years ago that the US Grand Prix made a mockery of a race with only six cars starting after Michelin’s falling out there. Everyone in the NASCAR garage knows it’s not a kind track to the heavy stock cars which prompts two questions: 1) what data did Goodyear/NASCAR extract in April with the tire test there? And 2) why did NASCAR move the test date from Indy to the hills of Pennsylvania (Pocono)?

I, unfortunately cannot answer either of those questions. What I can say is that I will place blame on both NASCAR and Goodyear. If Goodyear would’ve gathered better data I don’t think this would’ve happened. NASCAR gets the biggest blame though. Two reasons, moving to the ‘new car’ sooner than originally plan, even if the teams were OK with it, it seems it may have been too much for other pieces of the puzzle. Also, for moving that test from Indy to Pocono, simply because if they’re that similar they should’ve gone to the one that holds the more prestigious race, the one that is going to be on a bigger stage. This brings up Brian Vickers’s statement saying that it was “embarrassing.” Three-time winner Jeff Gordon said “strange, very strange”. What else can you say?

Obviously what is done is done. Thank goodness that this one is just that. Yet, with that being factored in, what about the race for the chase? The races that lead up to Richmond are some of the most vital of the season. In most cases you’d hear that Watkins Glen is the “wild card”- the track that will shake the point standings up, twist them around, make it close and turn it on its head. No. Not this year. This year’s wild card just happened, a problem that has been there before, but was magnified this year, due in part to the higher center-of-gravity, according to Tony Stewart (makes sense to me).

NASCAR did what it had to do though, as horrible as it is that we ended up in this circus. Even though I think they’re the main ones to blame for this situation happening, they handled it well. Had we not seen a mandatory yellow every ten or so laps (the longest green flag run was a mere 12 laps) we could see that it would’ve had just as many cautions, many more destroyed race cars and possibly injuries due to blown tires. Remember, if you will, that when a right-front blows it throws the car in that direction, to the right, and therein stands the wall. My thankfulness goes to NASCAR that nothing worse occurred. There was a race with a full field and a few exciting moments, like Jeff Burton running over some birds, rest in piece feathered friends, or a beer can stuck on Denny Hamlin’s FedEX Office Camry.

The actual race may have been boring but fortunately NASCAR is a team sport. Today focused on the pit crews and their more than usual load of pit stops. So today Jimmie Johnson didn’t go to victory lane, his crew did. Here’s my solution, next year cancel the pit crew challenge and just bring back the same tire package to Indy next year.

Joking aside, I actually agree with Tony Stewart, and now that he’s a team owner maybe he’ll have more pull with NASCAR. It’s time for more competition; it’s what our country’s economic structure is built on. Let at least one other tire manufacturer in the sport, give teams a choice, don’t just switch, let the teams figure out which tire is best for their set-up. Of course, I imagine, they’d have to stick with the same tire throughout the year, but at least they’d have the initial choice. One bright note on the whole day- at least TNT’s coverage is over!