Welcome to the seventh edition of Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
Denny Hamlin’s Return: Denny Hamlin returned to the No.11 Fed-Ex Toyota full time this last weekend at Darlington Raceway and put on one heck of a show. Finishing second behind teammate Matt Kenseth, Hamlin showed us all that the weeks he spent up on top of the pit box were put to good use. Thanks to the points system put in place for the Chase, Hamlin still has a shot at making the Chase. He needs a few wins and needs to be in the top-20 in points. If he continues to run strong during the summer months, don’t be too surprised to see him grab one of the two wild card spots once the Chase starts in the fall. Sprint All-Star Race: This race is probably one of the most exciting races of the season. There are no points awarded, there are some weird rules that the teams have to follow, he race is broken down into segments, and only the best of the best get to race. Last season, Jimmie Johnson took home the cash prize and all of the glory with Hendrick Motorsports. This season he is strong again, but he has some strong competition. Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch have been some of the strongest competitors this season and could very well get Toyota their first victory in the Sprint All-Star Race. Keep an eye on those two; they just might beat out last year’s winner and current point’s leader Jimmie Johnson for the Victory. “Rule” Change Debate: There has been a lot of talk and a lot of not-so-nice articles that have been written in the last few days after NASCAR clarified some of the rules for the Sprint Showdown and Fan Vote. The clarification states that the Sprint Fan Vote winner has to have a car in raceable condition and does not have to finish on the lead lap of the Showdown. Most are calling this the “Danica Patrick Rule” because the fact of the matter is; she will be the winner of the fan vote. I find the name of this “rule” rude and unneeded. Last year was the first time it was stated that the fan vote winner had to finish on the lead lap, years prior, it was not the case. In the history of the Showdown and the All-Star Race, there have been less than 10 drivers who have not finished on the lead lap. Assuming Patrick won’t complete all of the laps scheduled is not really fair to her and her team. Let her race before judging her, she is doing a great job this season considering her team owner and boss Tony Stewart isn’t too far ahead of her in points. Kurt Busch in IndyCar: Kurt Busch recently tested an IndyCar at Indianapolis and reached speeds over 218mph. Could Busch be working his way up to competing in the Indy500 next year and pulling the double? I think the answer to that is yes! I could see Busch competing in an IndyCar event this season, especially if it is an oval race like Texas, Pocono or Iowa. Busch could be really competitive in IndyCar and would bring a lot of new eyes to the sport. If he can pull the double next season, there is a possibility that we could see two other NASCAR starts take a step back into their roots and try the double as well. Tony Stewart was approached by Roger Penske who offered him a ride if he wanted it and Danica Patrick has said that if she can find a competitive ride, she would want to run the Indy 500 again. I think having three of the Sprint Cup Series competitors in the Indy 500 would be a real treat for race fans of both sports and it would definitely be history in the making. That will be it for the seventh edition of Katie’s Komments and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own!
0 Comments
Welcome to the sixth edition of Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
Penske Penalties: After losing their appeal against the three board members, the Penske teams went to the Chief Appellate, John Middlebrook. Middlebrook cut their penalties down by quite a bit, especially when it came to the suspensions. What was once a six point’s race plus the All-Star Race suspension has now become a two point’s race plus the All-Star Race suspension. That means that the suspended Crew Chiefs and various other team members will be back for Dover. I really wasn’t surprised at the reduction of the suspension length. Although six point’s races really weren’t out of the question for a NASCAR penalty, it seems like whenever a team appeals, that is what gets reduced. I was a little surprised that the points weren’t reinstated for the No2 and No22 teams. When Johnson and his team appealed their penalties last season, the suspension and the points were reinstated. I guess Middlebrook thought that the Penske violations were a little more severe. Kenseth Penalties: Penske wasn’t the only team that was facing the appeals court this week. Matt Kenseth and his team went against the board of three to try and get their penalties from Kansas reduced and reduced they were. The original fine still stands but everything else was greatly reduced. Kenseth will now be missing his Crew Chief for one race instead of six and his 50 points that he lost have been reduced to 12. His win and pole at Kansas have also been reinstated and now count towards the Chase and the Sprint Unlimited next season. When the fines were originally handed down, I was shocked at how severe they were. I understand that NASCAR hates when teams mess with engines, but this wasn’t deliberate. I think that the appeals board made the right decision by reducing the penalties and I am glad to see Kenseth back up in the point’s standings where he belongs. Talladega Rain Delay: I want to start out by giving a HUGE shout out to each and every one of the broadcasters and reporters and cameramen that stayed out in the rain to bring us fans great coverage during the three and a half hour rain delay. The entire live broadcast, including RaceDay on Speed, lasted over nine hours. That is nine hours of continuous live television. As someone who has done a miniscule amount of live TV, it’s not easy. Those guys and gals did a great job throughout the entire race. But looking at the race, I was a little irritated, and I’m not talking about the commercials. With a rain delay that lasted almost four hours, restarting the race to finish the last 60 plus laps seemed silly. The race was well over halfway over and those last 60 laps were like a 60 lap shootout; a completely new race. Don’t get me wrong, I love that the David’s beat the Goliath s, I was cheering for an underdog to come out on top at Talladega, but the teams were racing the dark almost more than they were racing their competitors and to me, that’s not something that should happen. But hey, that’s just my opinion. The Lady in Black that is Too Tough to Tame: Darlington Raceway is by far my favorite track on the schedule although I don’t really have a solid reason why. Maybe it’s the excitement of seeing who will be the first to earn the coveted “Darlington Stripe” or maybe it’s the excitement of racing at a track shaped like an egg! Jeff Gordon is making his 700th start at Darlington and it just happens to be one of his best tracks. He has seven wins and could quite possibly turn his 700th start in the Cup Series into his 8th win at Darlington. Bring on everything that is the Southern 500 because us NASCAR fans are ready for some of the best short track action all season. That will be it for the sixth edition of Katie’s Komments and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own! Welcome to the fifth edition of Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
Denny Hamlin: Hamlin announced late this week that he was cleared to race at Talladega. As much as I love hearing that Hamlin can get back in the car and race again, I’m a little cautious about him hitting the pavement at a track like this. Talladega is a war zone. It’s rare for a car to get loaded up on the hauler at the end of the weekend without a scratch. I fully understand that Denny wants to get back in the racecar. Being forced to sit out of something you love is tough but in the end, health is more important. Hamlin could get caught up in a wreck at the start of the race and be right back to where he started, benched, or worse. If the doctors have cleared him, NASCAR is allowing him to race, and his team is behind him, then more power to him. I hope he gets out there, plays it smart, and earns the points he needs, and then turns the car over to Brian Vickers to finish out the race. Hopefully he can be back behind the wheel of his No.11 Toyota full time next weekend at Darlington. Scott vs Piquet Jr: There was some on and off track issues with these two full time Nationwide Series drivers. After an on-track altercation, Neslon Piquet Jr and Brian Scott confronted each other after the race but Piquet didn’t like that much. He kicked Scott and his foot made contact just below the belt. Not cool. After the race, near the driver’s camp, there was yet another argument that arose between members of the RCR and TSM crew that landed two in jail and left one with a shoulder injury. It seems like a misunderstanding on the track escalated very quickly into something much bigger that caused problems for the teams and drivers. Hopefully these two can work past their differences and get back out there and race! IT’S TALLADEGA!!!!!! This is one of those racetracks that I hope to see in person one day. The sheer size of this speedway is amazing and the racing that goes on here twice each year never leaves you sitting down for long. Talladega leads off into what I like think of as the best 5 weeks in the NASCAR schedule. Talladega produces some of the most exciting racing on the schedule and next weekend, the series heads to Darlington then to Charlotte for two weeks. If you can predict the winner of the Aaron’s 499, then you might just be psychic because this is one of the only races of the year where anyone has a fairly equal chance and taking the checkers. With that said, who do you will come out on top on Sunday? My guess is that we will see an underdog come out victorious. Could a certain driver dressed in green make history again this weekend? It is really quite possible. This is one race that I do not want to miss. That will be it for the fifth edition of Katie’s Komments and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own! Welcome to the fourth edition of Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
Patrick VS Gilliland: It was abundantly clear when listening to Danica Patrick’s radio that she was frustrated with David Gilliland last weekend at Kansas Speedway. The two of them have had their issues since Darlington last season and it has carried over to other tracks since. Gilliland responded to Patrick’s radio comments by saying that she needs to “shut up and race.” This little “altercation” has been blown WAY out of proportion. These two aren’t the only pair of drivers with issues on the track, but because of Patrick’s celebrity, it has been brought to the fore front. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big supporter of Danica and have been for many years, but the media tend to make things Danica related into a story that really shouldn’t be. This would be one example of that. Matt Kenseth’s Illegal Engine: When news broke that Kenseth’s Pole and race winning engine was found to have an illegal part, my heart sank. Kenseth is probably one of the most honest drivers in the garage and the same can be applied to his Crew Chief. I truly believe that they had no idea the connector was light and neither did Joe Gibbs. I really hope they can all overcome this penalty and come out stronger on the other side. Ricky Stenhouse Jr: This two-time Nationwide Series Champion sure knows how to wheel a race car. Stenhouse had his best start of his Sprint Cup career at Kansas Speedway when he sat on the provisional pole throughout most of qualifying and ended up taking the green flag starting P3. He ran up front for a majority of the race and even led multiple laps but a late race caution after his green flag pit stop put him a lap down. He ended up finishing 11th and on the lead lap and although it wasn’t the finish he deserved, it was still an impressive run. I think Stenhouse is Sprint Cup Champion material. He definitely knows what he is doing out on the track and improves each and every weekend. I can see him holding that Cup trophy high in just a few short seasons. That will be it for the fourth edition of Katie’s Komments and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own! Welcome to the third edition of Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
PENALTIES: NASCAR definitely showed their power this week when they handed down the penalties and fines to Penske Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Ron Hornaday. The Twitterverse exploded with tweets of outrage and disgust when the news broke saying the NASCAR was being unfair and the penalties, especially towards Penske Racing, were too harsh. I tend to disagree. The penalty given to MWR and the No. 56 team of Martin Truex Jr. was standard to what NASCAR has done in the past and MWR seems to agree; they are not appealing. The penalties given to the two Penske Racing teams seem harsh, but if you look at the penalties given to the No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson last season, they are fairly similar. The No. 48 team appealed the penalties which later were reduced and I see the same thing happening to the Penske Racing teams as well. Ron Hornaday’s penalty though, seemed a little lenient. Kyle Busch did the same thing to Hornaday in 2011 that Hornaday did to Darrell Wallace Jr. and was parked immediately and suspended. Hornaday was fined and put on probation until June. All in all, NASCAR was pretty consistent with their penalties and fines this week. Good job NASCAR. KANSAS: The Truck and Sprint Cup Series hits the tracks this weekend at Kansas Speedway. This track has always been one of the hardest to predict and with the new repave, it has become even more unpredictable. Since its first race, no driver has won more than two races at the track. I had the privilege of attending the fall race there last season after it was repaved and the Sprint Cup race was complete chaos. There were cars spinning at every turn and there was really no point in the race where you could determine a possible race winner. You can definitely look at drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch for this weekend but when the checkered flag flies, you never know who might just cross that finish line. KYLE BUSCH AND JIMMIE JOHNSON: We may only be seven races into the season but it is already clear that there are two drivers who are definite Championship contenders. Jimmie Johnson is no surprise. He is, more often than not, right up there in the final two or three when Homestead rolls around. He already has two wins this season and is a favorite to win this weekend. Kyle Busch is a different story. This Busch brother missed the Chase last season and is determined to NOT let that happen again. He, too, already has two wins this season in the Cup Series and four in the Nationwide Series. Busch is well on his way to making the Chase and if he continues down the path he is currently on, he might just win the entire thing. That will be it for the third edition of Katie’s Komments and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own! Welcome to the second edition of Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
Jimmie Johnson: Let’s face it, Jimmie Johnson and the Lowe’s 48 team dominated last weekend at Martinsville. Johnson took top honors of the weekend when he not only took the pole position but he broke the track record. Let’s not forget that he also led the most laps and won his 8th Grandfather clock. Johnson’s win at Martinsville makes this his second this season following his win in the Daytona 500, making him the first driver this season to reach Victory Lane for the second time. Although it seems like Johnson’s race was nothing but good, there was one instance on the track that left Johnson’s with a lot of hate mail, or hate tweets for that matter, following the race. After contact with Danica Patrick, fellow Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr spun out and was blocking the track. Johnson, leading the race, had to slow up in order for Dale Jr. to back up and get turned around. As Dale Jr. backed up, Johnson went forward and around, putting Dale Jr. a lap down. The rest of the field waited for him to turn around before they continued on. Now, the great debate is, was Johnson wrong for going around Dale Jr.? Dale Jr. says no, that he didn’t blame him for going around him at all. JRNation has other ideas. Johnson did what any other driver leading the race would have done. Just because Dale Jr. is a teammate, Johnson had only one thing on his mind and that was winning that race. Danica Patrick: If you follow me on Twitter, you can probably tell that I am a big Danica Patrick supporter. I do agree that she is over-exposed but that over-exposure is benefiting NASCAR in the long run. I am not here to discuss that, yet. Instead, I am here to talk about her 12th place finish at Martinsville. 12th place may not seem like a great finish but for a Rookie at Martinsville, that is spectacular. Patrick was the highest finishing car for Stewart-Haas Racing which means she beat her boss, Tony Stewart, a veteran at Martinsville. Patrick spun out early in the race and went two laps down but pit strategy put her back on the lead lap halfway through the race. Patrick passed cars all day long and battled Brian Vickers for many laps. Running 11th at the white flag, she, along with Vickers and Kevin Harvick, raced three-wide, leaving her 12th in the end. Many veteran drivers were impressed with her finish and frankly, I was too. Patrick and her team needed that great finish after the rocky road she’s been running on since Daytona. Expect her to carry that momentum into Texas this weekend and considering this is the track she is most familiar with (she has 13 starts here between IndyCar and NASCAR), this could be another great week for the GoDaddy team. KURT BUSCH: This poor guy can’t seem to catch a break. Kurt Busch started 19th and patiently drove his No. 78 Furniture Row/Serta Chevrolet SS to the front of the field. By Lap 195, he had entered the top-10. Lap 270 saw Busch headed to pit road with a flat left-front tire after a tangle with Joey Logano which put him 2 laps down. By lap 292, he had gained one lap back and was on the verge of getting the “Lucky Dog” position when a nudge from David Gilliland sent Busch spinning on the track. Lap 351 saw Busch heading to the garage with a fuel pump issue. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the track and all seemed to be working properly. Busch was running 38th and more than 20 laps down with 14 laps to go when his Furniture Row Chevrolet suddenly shot up into the outside wall and burst into flames. Coming into turn 1, his car lost its brakes and instead of careening into the corner and taking out his fellow competitors, Busch instead turned the wheel the other way and slid up into the wall. Flames bellowed out from under the hood of his car as it came to its final resting place at the top of the track. His entire season seems to be full of as many ups and down as his Martinsville race but one thing is for sure, the older Busch brother isn’t giving up quite yet. He was fastest for most of the first test session at Texas on Thursday and I think Saturday’s race might just be the best race of his season thus far. That will be it for the second edition of Katie’s Komment’s and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own! Welcome to Katie’s Komment’s, a place to find the latest NASCAR news and my opinion on it! All comments are my views only but feel free to leave your own!
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale Jr. has been on a hot streak since the season opener. He started off by finishing in the runner-up position for the Great American Race and hasn’t finished outside of the top-10 yet this season! Heading into Martinsville, Jr. is coming off of another second place run AND Martinsville is arguably his best track on the circuit. Although he has never won at the paperclip, he hasn’t finished lower than 15th in the spring race since his inaugural start in 2000. If Earnhardt Jr. can keep his streak up, he is in a good position to not only win races this season, but be a serious contender for the Championship. He had a very strong run going last season until a concussion midway through the Chase ended his Championship hopes. The No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team is more than ready to win races and I don’t see them slowing down any time soon. I can see Jr. finally making it to victory lane this Sunday at Martinsville. It will be his 600th NASCAR start (NNS and Cup combined) and with the momentum he has, this might just be Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s week to capture the checkers. Denny Hamlin: When I saw his No. 11 FedEx Toyota hit the concrete wall at Auto Club Speedway, I could tell it was not going to have a happy ending. The angle and sheer size of the impact was enough to send shivers down my spine. It was pretty clear after Hamlin climbed out of his car that he was injured and a back injury was exactly what many expected. A compression fracture of the L1 vertebrae would ultimately keep Hamlin out of the car for the foreseeable future. With a Doctor’s note saying 4 to 6 weeks out of the car, Hamlin now finds himself on top of the pit box and Mark Martin behind the wheel of his car at Martinsville. Hamlin’s return is slated to be Darlington, but in an interview this week he thinks otherwise. Hamlin hopes to return to the car as early as Richmond, his hometown track. It’s easy to see his urge to get back behind the wheel and wanting to race at your home track is completely understandable, but I think Richmond would be a little too early. Hamlin’s early return all depends on how his back heals, which will be determined in a few weeks. Until then, he will be sitting next to his Crew Chief, Darian Grubb, while watching another driver behind the wheel of his car. Generation 6: The first few races with this new car could easily be called boring. There was little excitement on the track and many drivers found it hard to pass. The Daytona 500 was 500 miles of “follow the leader” and not much else. As the races added up, the excitement on the track got a little better…and then we hit Fontana. Auto Club Speedway isn’t usually known for its exciting races and I went into the weekend thinking we were going to be seeing more of the same thing but boy was I wrong. The Auto Club 400 was by far the best race of the season and it wasn’t all because of the driver feuds out on the track. The new Gen-6 car really seemed to shine in Fontana. It seems like more and more race teams are finding new ways to make these cars better. If the excitement at Martinsville is anything like Fontana, then race fans are in for one heck of a ride this weekend. Joey Logano vs Everyone? : The on-track feud between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano will have to wait a few weeks until Hamlin is back in the car but there is a new battle brewing for Logano. Logano blocked Tony Stewart on the last restart in Fontana and his block caused Stewart to lose momentum. He went from a possible top-5 finish to finishing outside of the top-20. Stewart was noticeably upset after the race and confronted Logano. Punches were thrown, foul language was used, crew members got involved but in the end, nothing was solved. Stewart will definitely bring his anger and frustration towards Logano to the track at Martinsville so Logano might want to watch his back. Could there be other drivers out to get Logano? I really have no idea, but Logano might just have a few tough races in his future. That will be it for the first edition of Katie’s Komments and remember, if you don’t like mine, feel free to leave your own! |