Bud Shootout Teases NASCAR Fans
Bud Shootout Teases NASCAR Fans
Are you ready for some racing? NASCAR kicks off the 2012 season Saturday night under the lights at Daytona with the 34th running of the Budweiser Shootout.
The Shootout, originally called the Busch Clash began in 1979 and the first winner was Buddy Baker who held off Darrell Waltrip by a car length. Originally it was a 20 lap event with no breaks. The event was a contest between the previous year’s pole winners and there were only 9 drivers in the field.
Saturday night’s event will be a little different. It will be a 75 lap race with a 10 minute break after 25 laps. Kurt Busch is the defending champion of the race who won last year’s event by a record .058 seconds on a last-lap pass of Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman becoming the 19th different driver to score a win in the race. That win was the only win for Dodge in Shootout history. That race had a record 28 lead changes over 75 laps.
Five drivers have won the race by leading only the final lap. Dale Earnhardt was the first in 1980, Neil Bonnett in 1983 and 1984, Rusty Wallace in 1998, Dale Jarrett in 2004 and Kevin Harvick in 2009.
Dale Earnhardt Jr scored the win in 2008 leading a total of 47 laps, an event record. The No. 88 car has been to Victory Lane 5 times in Budweiser Shootout history with three different drivers; Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Dale Jr. The only other car number with as many wins is the No. 3 with 5 wins by Dale Earnhardt.
The green flag is set for 8:10 Saturday night, so pull your belts tight and get ready to race.
Who are you picking to win?
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Why Dale Jr Won’t Quit Any Time Soon
Dale Jr said he isn’t done with racing any time soon, but he does talk about what he plans to do when he hangs the helmet up. This may be a pretty short video but Dale Jr answers some pretty big questions in it like:
- Why he would retire from racing.
- Where he would race at if not in the Cup series.
- How long he plans to drive.
- Would he consider becoming a Cup car owner?
- Would he consider a 2nd career in broadcasting?
- Watch this and please leave your thoughts in the comments
Warning: Restrictor plate racing ahead
Photo courtesy NASCAR Media
Do you want to see two by two tandem racing in the Daytona 500 like you saw last year?
That is a question that Daytona International Speedway president Joie Chitwood III has been asking fans – and he says most people are telling him they definitely don’t want to see that style of racing again in 2012. According to Chitwood race fans expect to see the big pack style of racing at Daytona.
NASCAR has in fact made some changes to eliminate the 2 car breakaways. Spoilers have been adjusted and radiators have been reduced in size to make tandem racing more difficult.
Driver to driver radio communication has also been eliminated. In 2011’s Daytona 500 drivers had 20 to 30 other drivers radio frequencies dialed in so that they could talk to each other. Now the only communication allowed will be between the driver, crew chief and spotter. The spotter may only talk to his driver and may not spot for 2 drivers at the same time.
But Dale Earnhardt Jr says that NASCAR has not gone far enough if they really want to stop the practice. According to Junior if more changes are not mad this year’s race will look just like last years.
If fans leave Daytona unhappy it may be difficult for NASCAR to continue to hold their interest later in the season.
NASCAR learned a hard lesson in 2009 when it tried to enforce no bump drafting rules at Talladega. Fans were outraged at officials for telling drivers how to drive the car. Sometimes NASCAR does have a hard time figuring out what race fans want. According to my friend David Newton at ESPN when we had pack racing fans were calling for the pack to be broken up – and now that the pack is broken up they are calling for pack racing.
So why do the drivers insist on racing this way? The cars simply go faster in twos. Speeds topped 204 mph during winter testing at Daytona. If a race car driver can find a way to go faster they are going to go faster.
So do you like the tandem racing, or would you rather see Daytona pack racing? If you were in charge of NASCAR would you try to stop it? What would you do?
Michelle Obama’s Command to NASCAR Drivers
Photo credit: Pete Souza, The White House
President Obama needs your vote.
That is the message First Lady Michelle Obama will be sending when she serves as the Grand Marshall in NASCAR’s season finale Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Mrs. Obama will be joined by Dr. Jill Biden to lead the pre-race ceremonies and give the command to start engines for the Ford 400, the last race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It is a part of their Joining Forces Initiative honoring the Military and their families.
Neither of the Obamas bothered to attend any NASCAR race during the last campaign. In fact, no Democrat acknowledged NASCAR fans as several Republican candidates were making the rounds at NASCAR races.
So why the change of heart? It’s because Obama needs your vote. NASCAR fans make up a huge block of voters, and If President Obama can sway the NASCAR vote he just may have a shot at 4 more years.
So how’s the hope and change thing working out now for the President. Now it’s “I hope I can change their minds before the election.”
Will you be more likely to re-elect Barack Obama now that he is a NASCAR supporter?
Do You Accept Kyle Busch’s Apology?
Kyle Busch issued this apology following being parked by NASCAR for intentionally crashing another driver under caution Friday night.
He apologized to race fans, his team, sponsors and to the victim of his crash Ron Hornaday.
Here’s the letter in Kyle’s own words:
To all,
I’ve had a lot of time today to sit and reflect, and try to put my thoughts into words as best I can.
I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during Friday night’s Truck Series race at Texas.
I apologize to my fans, all my sponsors, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports.
After talking with my team, it’s great to have their support and encouragement to assure me that there are better days ahead. Even though this took place while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, I am sorry for how difficult this has been for everyone associated with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series teams.
I’d also like to apologize to Ron Hornaday Jr., and everyone associated with the No. 33 team in the Truck Series.
I understand why I was taken out of the car for the rest of the weekend. NASCAR officials had to act, and I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions.
As a racecar driver, the hardest thing to do is to sit on the sidelines listening to cars on the track when you know you should be out there competing. For this, I have no one to blame but myself.
Through a lot of support from the people around me, I feel like I’ve made a lot of strides this year, but this was certainly a step backward. Moving forward, I will do everything I possibly can to represent everyone involved in a positive manner. However, I know my long-term actions will have more of a bearing than anything I say right now.
Sincerely,
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch Parked by NASCAR Following Hard Crash at Texas
Photo Courtesy NASCAR Media
Kyle Busch will not race in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas. NASCAR has parked him following an on-track incident in Friday night’s truck race.
Early in the race Busch and Hornaday were involved in a minor crash that would normally be considered “just racing.” Both drivers scraped the wall but neither appeared to suffer any major damage. Not until the caution flag flew, that is.
Kyle Busch never slowed down. Instead he put his bumper against Hornaday’s bumper and pushed Hornaday until both trucks crashed hard into the wall. The crash was so intense that Hornaday’s rear wheels lifted off the track, and the front of his truck was demolished.
NASCAR immediately parked Busch for the remainder of the truck race.
On Saturday morning NASCAR announced that Busch would not be allowed to race in Saturday’s Nationwide race or Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas.
NASCAR President Mike Helton made the announcement explaining that NASCAR would know when the line was crossed, and that the line has been crossed.
Kyle Busch blamed the crash on Hornaday being too aggressive early in the race. “Maybe Ron could have played it a little bit smarter on lap 15,” Busch explained.
“If I just lay over and give up everything for Ron Hornaday that’s not Kyle Busch’s fashion, said Busch. “I’m out here to win a race just like everyone else is.”
“I ended up losing my cool. I’ve been wrecked 4 weeks in a row, and finally I just had enough of it.”
Ron Hornaday didn’t see things the same as Kyle Busch. He was at the NASCAR trailer after being released from the infield care center demanding Busch be parked.
“So I can go over and beat his ass and let’s have at it,” said Hornaday. “He lives too close to me. We’ll see what NASCAR does. If they don’t handle it right, I’ll be over at his house Monday morning.”
Did NASCAR do the right thing?
Any Occupy Wall Street Protestors Need a Job? NASCAR is Hiring
All those Occupy Wall Street protestors seem to be having a pretty good time camping out in downtown New York’s Zuchotti Park. If they would only put that much time and energy toward getting a job they could probably have one.
NASCAR is hiring. I found these openings posted on the Official NASCAR Job Board.
- Tax Director / Accounting and Finance, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Broadcast Engineer, NASCAR Media Group, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Manager of Training and Development / Competition Development
- Software Engineer, NASCAR Headquarters, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Manager of Stakeholder Communications, NASCAR Charlotte North Carolina
- Director of Business Development, Grand Am Broadcasting, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Account Executive for Retail Licensing, NASCAR, Bentonville, Arkansas
Now I didn’t even know NASCAR had an office in Arkansas, but I am betting this is related to Wal Mart NASCAR licensing.
If you want to work for NASCAR here’s your chance.
Do you think any of the protestors are qualified for these jobs? Would they even apply?
Dale Jr to Retire from NASCAR?
Photo courtesy sun dazed via flickr
Is Dale Earnhardt Jr ready to retire from NASCAR? I don’t think so – but Jimmy Spencer does.
“Judging by the way he’s racing and acting, Dale Earnhardt Jr. looks ready to hang it all up…” said Spencer in an article on SPEED.
Mr. Spencer called Earnhardt out for asking about the Redskins game over the team radio during the Dover race recently, and questioned Earnhardt’s focus on racing.
Jimmy Spencer feels that Dale Jr does not have the same passion for NASCAR as his father had, and that even Kurt Busch has more interest in NASCAR than Junior.
If you believe Jimmie Spencer then Dale Jr is losing fans week after week to the likes of Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. I don’t know of one person who has made that switch – do you?
Are Dale Earnhardt Jr fans disappointed and frustrated? Yes, but not with Junior – they are frustrated with his lack of support and competitive equipment. Dale Jr himself is frustrated too.
Maybe Jimmy Spencer has a better idea of what is going on in the No. 88 camp than everyone else. He is a former driver and current TV commentator. What do you think about his views?
Jimmie Johnson meets Obama
Here’s a video of President Obama meeting with Jimmie Johnson to honor his 2010 Championship. Do you know why the President waited almost a year after the fact?
Who do you think will be meeting this time next year?
JR Motorsports Shop Tour [Video]
Take a Tour of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports race shop. This behind the scenes look will show you areas not open to the public. What do yo think? Let me know in the comments.