2:42 PM Mon, Jul 13, 2009 | Permalink |
If you're a stock car driver and they call you "an old man," take it as a compliment if they liken your driving style to Mark Martin. And make no mistake Mark Martin is not "a crazy old man."
Watching Martin wheel his number 5 Chevrolet around Chicago Speedway Saturday night was a pleasure. He had the class of the cars and led so many laps it looked as if he'd walk away with an easy victory. But late race cautions can shake up the order, and it did to Martin when he came out having to line up in the second row with but a few laps to go.
Here's where the "old man" smarts come into play.
It was Martin who let the leaders beat and bang and race like youngsters. And when they slipped up the track, Martin guided his car down to the inside line and passed 'em all.
That's four wins this season and Martin is now in the chase at number 11 in the standings.
Is there a chance he could falter and not make the chase? Perhaps. But my money is on Martin. He'll let the others on the bubble fret their way through the remaining races up to the chase, let them take their chances on the track, while "Old Man Martin" will let the wisdom of age guide him to the promised land.
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3:34 PM Tue, Jun 09, 2009 | Permalink |
Just back from vacation and my yearly sojourn to Dover, Delaware. How 'bout Jimmie Johnson? He dominated the Dover race. But a late race yellow forced the cars to pit and Johnson came out in the 8th spot. Not to worry. Johnson made his way through leader and lap traffic and eventually pulled into the number 2 spot behind Tony Stewart. Stewart can drive wide, but couldn't hold off Johnson, who passed him with a few laps to go. Johnson wins in one of the more exciting finishes at Dover I've seen.
But fear not for Tony Stewart, even though he crashed his car during practice at Pocono. He would have started in the poll position because rain washed out qualifying. With a replacement car, Stewart started last, yet finished first. He had just enough gas to finish the race. Not bad for a new owner/driver. And his teammate, Ryan Newman, finished in the top five. I've never been much of a Stewart "fan," but he is without a doubt one of the top drivers on the Sprint Cup circuit. And maybe the best this year.
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3:48 PM Mon, May 25, 2009 | Permalink |
David Reutimann gambled and stayed out on the track during a caution. It turned into a rain delay. Then all Reutimann had to do was wait for the rain to keep falling, which it did and gave him his first Sprint Cup Series win, and Michael Waltrip's first win as a car owner.
Of course, Reutimann probably wouldn't have won had the race re-started and gone the full 600 miles. But he'll take it.
During the post-race interview, Reutimann celebrated with his father and thanked all of his car's sponsors and Waltrip for giving him a ride in the big leagues. Reutimann also said he's looking forward to his next victory, which, he says, he'll have to earn. Good for him. He new luck played a big, big part in his victory.
As for the fans, good for them to stick around through Sunday and into Monday. In a later post, I'll have my own rain day at Charlotte story, which actually turned into a pretty good time.
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9:21 PM Fri, May 22, 2009 | Permalink |
We're approaching Nascar Sprint Cup's longest race, 600 miles this Sunday at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Ryan Newman's on the pole. Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne is the defending race champion; his number 9 car qualified 6th. But this got me to thinking about the guys who are starting 3rd and 5th for Sunday night's race, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Johnson's cut his hair and grown a beard. Gordon's now one of the "old men" on the circuit, battling a bad back. These guys, though, are a lot alike.
Jeff Gordon has started 556 races in his career winning 82. Johnson has won half as many, 41 in 266 starts. Johnson's win percentage is actually a bit better than Gordon's, 15.4 percent to 14.7. Gordon won his first race at the age of 22, Johnson was 25. Both drivers have won 5 times at Charlotte; 3 times in the 600 and twice in the October race.
Will Jimmie Johnson catch Jeff Gordon in career victories? Gordon finds winning difficult these days while Johnson is the 3 time defending series champion, he's in his prime.
One thing is for sure, don't count either driver out for the 600 mile race. And they'll probably be very close to each other by the end of the race.
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8:25 PM Thu, May 21, 2009 | Permalink |
The drivers have already been turning left and driving fast since the Daytona 500 in mid-February.
So, I got a late start. Better late than never.
Your intrepid anchorman is the biggest NASCAR fan in the newsroom; in the station for that matter. It's fallen upon me to begin blogging about one of my favorite sports that doesn't involve running, jumping, hitting a ball, or throwing one (whether to the catcher, through a basket, or to a fleet wide receiver). I'll be posting comments and a few opinions about the races and drivers that make NASCAR such a great sport to follow.
We're early in the season and there's lots of good racing coming up, so we ought to have quite a bit to talk about. Here's my invitation to you to read this blog and comment about my postings. There will be plenty of room for everyone to talk about their favorite race moments, argue about who's the best driver on the circuit, or whether you think NASCAR has become too upscale for its own good. I might even throw in a comment or two about the Indy Racing League.
And if you like what you're reading here, tell your friends about it. The more the merrier. We're not restricted to a car count of just 43.
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