Katie's Komments: 7th Edition

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!