Hey, I just thought that I'd mention that some asswipe STOLE our 6' inflatable Jager bottle over the race weekend at MIS. That thing was impossible to locate (it searched for months on eBay), expensive to purchase and has been our calling card for the past 5 years at the track. If anyone knows who took it, or if anyone sees it in the infield next year at someone else's campsite, PLEASE let us know. There is only ONE of those at MIS (and possibly in the entire state of Michigan) and it's easily identifiable as ours. I won't say how, but let's just say that we could pick it out of a line-up.
Please help us get our "mascot" back. If you have any information you can e-mail me at marc@jagerbombsquad.com or post something on our Facebook fan page.
Thanks.
Marc.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Awesome Weekend at MIS - Again!
I just want to say thanks to all of our friend and loyal fans that came out to hang with us this past weekend at MIS. We had a blast, and I hope that you did too. From where I was standing everyone looked like they had an AWESOME time!
We apologize for running out of Jager at 1:45am on Saturday night. We would have liked to have had more than enough for everyone, but unfortunately economics play a huge role in how much we bring to the track each weekend, and 30 liters was "all" that was in the budget this time around. Hopefully things will be a little better financially for all of us next summer and we'll be able to bring more (but at $30/liter it ain't cheap.) We'll see. We'll shoot for 36-40 liters in June see if we can come up with the cash.
On a similar note, we also sold out of all the 2010 t-shirts we brought to the track, so just like the Jagermeister, we're gonna have to figure out how to come up with more money for shirts so we can bring enough for everyone who wants one. As it was we spent almost $600 on t-shirts and koozies. Realistically we needed at least twice that many. I think I'm gonna have to work some more OT this year to I can save up for our 2011 t-shirt, koozie and Jagermeister tab!
Anyways, thanks again for all of your support last weekend. We enjoy seeing all of your every race weekend, and look forward to seeing you again next year!
And...in case you didn't know - the Bomb Squad has a Facebook Fan Page. So if you're not already a member, join the Bomb Squad. We post pictures from each race on the page, talk about the race weekends, and will be chronicling our new bus renovation during the next 9 months. Joins us and follow along with our successes (and failures.)
We also have a Twitter page (but to be honest, I don't post to it very often. Mostly just in the weeks leading up to a race that we're going to, and maybe some Tweets while I'm watching the races on Saturday Nights/Sundays during the season.) If you're interested and like to Tweet, check it out and "follow" us. If nothing else its another way to get in touch with us. I might not post to it often, but I do receive every tweet that someone sends which mentions us (@JagerBombSquad) in it.
Looking forward to the 2011 racing season!!! We'll see you at MIS in June!
Marc.
PS - We own two spots next to each other on Talladega Boulevard (201, 202) for the fall Talladega race, and will not be able to make it this year. The race is on Halloween weekend and is a BLAST if you haven't been. If anyone is interested in purchasing our sites for this years race, shoot me an e-mail at marc@jagerbombsquad.com and we can talk about it.
We apologize for running out of Jager at 1:45am on Saturday night. We would have liked to have had more than enough for everyone, but unfortunately economics play a huge role in how much we bring to the track each weekend, and 30 liters was "all" that was in the budget this time around. Hopefully things will be a little better financially for all of us next summer and we'll be able to bring more (but at $30/liter it ain't cheap.) We'll see. We'll shoot for 36-40 liters in June see if we can come up with the cash.
On a similar note, we also sold out of all the 2010 t-shirts we brought to the track, so just like the Jagermeister, we're gonna have to figure out how to come up with more money for shirts so we can bring enough for everyone who wants one. As it was we spent almost $600 on t-shirts and koozies. Realistically we needed at least twice that many. I think I'm gonna have to work some more OT this year to I can save up for our 2011 t-shirt, koozie and Jagermeister tab!
Anyways, thanks again for all of your support last weekend. We enjoy seeing all of your every race weekend, and look forward to seeing you again next year!
And...in case you didn't know - the Bomb Squad has a Facebook Fan Page. So if you're not already a member, join the Bomb Squad. We post pictures from each race on the page, talk about the race weekends, and will be chronicling our new bus renovation during the next 9 months. Joins us and follow along with our successes (and failures.)
We also have a Twitter page (but to be honest, I don't post to it very often. Mostly just in the weeks leading up to a race that we're going to, and maybe some Tweets while I'm watching the races on Saturday Nights/Sundays during the season.) If you're interested and like to Tweet, check it out and "follow" us. If nothing else its another way to get in touch with us. I might not post to it often, but I do receive every tweet that someone sends which mentions us (@JagerBombSquad) in it.
Looking forward to the 2011 racing season!!! We'll see you at MIS in June!
Marc.
PS - We own two spots next to each other on Talladega Boulevard (201, 202) for the fall Talladega race, and will not be able to make it this year. The race is on Halloween weekend and is a BLAST if you haven't been. If anyone is interested in purchasing our sites for this years race, shoot me an e-mail at marc@jagerbombsquad.com and we can talk about it.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Jager Bomb Squad has a new home
The Jager Bomb Squad has a new home! Darrin and I went on a road trip yesterday and bought a BUS for the Bomb Squad! It needs some work, and since we only have two weeks before the August MIS race I don't know how much we'll get done between now and then, but it will be in the infield for the race! I've posted some pictures on the Jager Bomb Squad Facebook page. The August MIS race will be its inaugural "shake down" trip. We'll make a list of things that we need to do to it (the list is already long, and will only get longer as the weeks progress.)
It will be ready to rock for June 2011! New paint/decals, deck on top, bunks/interior finished, engine overhauled and running like a swiss clock. I can't wait!
We look forward to seeing all of you at MIS in a couple weeks. We're in our usual site - 3-B-15.
See you there!
Marc.
It will be ready to rock for June 2011! New paint/decals, deck on top, bunks/interior finished, engine overhauled and running like a swiss clock. I can't wait!
We look forward to seeing all of you at MIS in a couple weeks. We're in our usual site - 3-B-15.
See you there!
Marc.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Goodbye Pocono, Hello MIS!
Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. Life has been pretty hectic and I just haven't made time to sit down and talk NASCAR smack as I had hoped to this season.
Today was a pretty good race at the Pocono Raceway - especially the last 20 laps! Harvick dumps Logano, Kasey flips his car in the grass on the final lap wiping out half the field, and Hamlin pulls out his 4th victory at Pocono. Lots to talk about following this one.
Personally, I think Harvick is a punk. He dumps Logano while they are fighting for position, then says in the post-race interview that Joey doesn't show respect on the track. Are you kidding me? That was as blatant as the Carl Edwards dumping of Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, except Joey didn't flip upside down. And he blames JOEY?? What a chump. I think Joey was right when he said that Delana is the one "wearing the fire suit" in that relationship. Hilarious.
And Kasey - well, what can you say. The #43 dropped down to block, Kasey put it in the grass and all hell broke loose afterwards. I'm just glad nobody was hurt. These cars seem to be bulletproof nowadays, which has to be a good feeling for a driver when you're flying through the air upside-down at 200 MPH!
So, now that Pocono is in the past, it's time to look forward to MICHIGAN!! Can't wait to leave for the track on Thursday afternoon. We have a lot to do in the next few days to prepare, but as usual it will all be worth it when we're sitting in front of the camper in the infield Thursday night drinking a Bud, watching the sun set. I'm really looking forward to the weekend. We hope to see you all out there this weekend! We're in 3-B-16. Stop on by and say hello!
Marc.
Today was a pretty good race at the Pocono Raceway - especially the last 20 laps! Harvick dumps Logano, Kasey flips his car in the grass on the final lap wiping out half the field, and Hamlin pulls out his 4th victory at Pocono. Lots to talk about following this one.
Personally, I think Harvick is a punk. He dumps Logano while they are fighting for position, then says in the post-race interview that Joey doesn't show respect on the track. Are you kidding me? That was as blatant as the Carl Edwards dumping of Brad Keselowski at Atlanta, except Joey didn't flip upside down. And he blames JOEY?? What a chump. I think Joey was right when he said that Delana is the one "wearing the fire suit" in that relationship. Hilarious.
And Kasey - well, what can you say. The #43 dropped down to block, Kasey put it in the grass and all hell broke loose afterwards. I'm just glad nobody was hurt. These cars seem to be bulletproof nowadays, which has to be a good feeling for a driver when you're flying through the air upside-down at 200 MPH!
So, now that Pocono is in the past, it's time to look forward to MICHIGAN!! Can't wait to leave for the track on Thursday afternoon. We have a lot to do in the next few days to prepare, but as usual it will all be worth it when we're sitting in front of the camper in the infield Thursday night drinking a Bud, watching the sun set. I'm really looking forward to the weekend. We hope to see you all out there this weekend! We're in 3-B-16. Stop on by and say hello!
Marc.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Dominance Continues in Thunder Valley
It seems like Jimmy Johnson and Chad Knaus just can't be beat. Even at a track that they've NEVER won at, in a race that was dominated by other teams and that weather threatened to stop at any minute.
But, once again, the 48 crew ran just good enough to be there at the end, catch a break on the re-start and beat the Miller Lite Dodge for their first win in Thunder Valley. And they continue their dominance of the 2010 season. Even though they aren't leading in points (yet) due to a bad start at Daytona, they are on their way to the #1 spot, and heading into a weekend at Martinsville - a track that Johnson has DOMINATED over the past 7 years. In fact, I don't know if any other driver in NASCAR history has EVER dominated a track the way Jimmy has dominated Martinsville. He's definitely my pick for this weekend's race, and might just leave Martinsville with the points lead (sorry Harvick.)
In other NASCAR news, many teams were back on the track today at Charlotte Motor Speedway testing the new spoiler (aka. "the Blade") before it's re-introduction this weekend at Martinsville. They also did some spoiler testing last week at Talladega, so hopefully NASCAR and the teams have some answers regarding how the cars react with the blade as opposed to the current wing.
Many people are hoping that losing the wing and going to the wing will give the rest of the field a chance to catch the #48, thinking that the wing was somehow the reason for the #48's dominance. Hey...wait. Didn't Jimmy and Chad win a Championship BEFORE the wing went on the cars? Yep. Sorry other teams...it's gonna take more than a blade to cut the fifth straight Sprint Cup out of Jimmy's white knuckled clench. I'd recommend heavy artillery instead.
Marc.
But, once again, the 48 crew ran just good enough to be there at the end, catch a break on the re-start and beat the Miller Lite Dodge for their first win in Thunder Valley. And they continue their dominance of the 2010 season. Even though they aren't leading in points (yet) due to a bad start at Daytona, they are on their way to the #1 spot, and heading into a weekend at Martinsville - a track that Johnson has DOMINATED over the past 7 years. In fact, I don't know if any other driver in NASCAR history has EVER dominated a track the way Jimmy has dominated Martinsville. He's definitely my pick for this weekend's race, and might just leave Martinsville with the points lead (sorry Harvick.)
In other NASCAR news, many teams were back on the track today at Charlotte Motor Speedway testing the new spoiler (aka. "the Blade") before it's re-introduction this weekend at Martinsville. They also did some spoiler testing last week at Talladega, so hopefully NASCAR and the teams have some answers regarding how the cars react with the blade as opposed to the current wing.
Many people are hoping that losing the wing and going to the wing will give the rest of the field a chance to catch the #48, thinking that the wing was somehow the reason for the #48's dominance. Hey...wait. Didn't Jimmy and Chad win a Championship BEFORE the wing went on the cars? Yep. Sorry other teams...it's gonna take more than a blade to cut the fifth straight Sprint Cup out of Jimmy's white knuckled clench. I'd recommend heavy artillery instead.
Marc.
Monday, March 8, 2010
You Mess with the Bull...You Get the Horns
I have to comment on the incident at AMS yesterday between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. The media is in a frenzy over the whole thing, so I thought I'd weigh in my two-cents.
Did Carl Edwards intentionally dump Brad on the front stretch - absolutely. Not only was it intentional (which is corroborated by the video showing Carl's white gloves steering his car to the right when the incident occurred) but one could argue that it was premeditated. Carl was 150 laps down, and had been in the garage for nearly two hours stewing over the previous contact with Keselowski before heading back out on the track and exacting his revenge. In fact, he tried it a lap earlier, but missed him and had to catch him again on the following lap. In fact, the ONLY reason Carl even went back out on the track Sunday was probably specifically to do what he did. It wasn't about saving points or anything like that. I'm sure that he told his team, "Just get me back out there before it's over. I want him!"
Now, all that said, do I think that what he did was uncalled for and deserves punishment from NASCAR? That's a tough call. NASCAR did just announce the "old school racin'" and "let 'em go at it" paradigm shift a few weeks ago. This is really the first time that the new mindset has been tested, so I guess we'll see if they were serious about letting the drivers police themselves on the track. I heard several driver's say that Brad had that coming, and if it hadn't been done by Carl then someone else would probably had done it. Maybe not at Atlanta on the front stretch when they were down 150 laps and Brad was in the Top 5, but eventually. Maybe at Bristol. Maybe Martinsville. But it was coming. If you watched that race, and from reports of friends that I had at the race, Brad was messing with Carl all day and eventually Carl just snapped (after being wrecked.) As far as his "Now that I've looked at the tape it looks like both Brad and I both had a part in the wreck and it wasn't as intentional as I first thought" - that was a stone cold LIE. He didn't believe that for one second, and the fact that he could say that with a straight face on national television is a bit shocking. I think he should have won an Oscar for that performance!
So, with all that said, do I think that Carl should be parked for a race or two, or have points taken from him because of the incident? No, I don't. NASCAR said that they were taking the gloves off, and all of their commercials before races on FOX show bumping, crashing, fighting, pushing, helmet throwing, etc. If anything, this is exactly what NASCAR was looking for - the drivers policing themselves and making their own justice. It was unfortunate that Brad ended up on his roof, and Carl probably could have found a better time and place to exact his revenge, but in the heat of the moment shit happens. You mess with the bull...you get the horns.
If NASCAR parks Carl, then the whole pre-season mantra was all just a bunch of B.S. and nothing has really changed at all.
Those are my thoughts on the issue.
Marc.
Did Carl Edwards intentionally dump Brad on the front stretch - absolutely. Not only was it intentional (which is corroborated by the video showing Carl's white gloves steering his car to the right when the incident occurred) but one could argue that it was premeditated. Carl was 150 laps down, and had been in the garage for nearly two hours stewing over the previous contact with Keselowski before heading back out on the track and exacting his revenge. In fact, he tried it a lap earlier, but missed him and had to catch him again on the following lap. In fact, the ONLY reason Carl even went back out on the track Sunday was probably specifically to do what he did. It wasn't about saving points or anything like that. I'm sure that he told his team, "Just get me back out there before it's over. I want him!"
Now, all that said, do I think that what he did was uncalled for and deserves punishment from NASCAR? That's a tough call. NASCAR did just announce the "old school racin'" and "let 'em go at it" paradigm shift a few weeks ago. This is really the first time that the new mindset has been tested, so I guess we'll see if they were serious about letting the drivers police themselves on the track. I heard several driver's say that Brad had that coming, and if it hadn't been done by Carl then someone else would probably had done it. Maybe not at Atlanta on the front stretch when they were down 150 laps and Brad was in the Top 5, but eventually. Maybe at Bristol. Maybe Martinsville. But it was coming. If you watched that race, and from reports of friends that I had at the race, Brad was messing with Carl all day and eventually Carl just snapped (after being wrecked.) As far as his "Now that I've looked at the tape it looks like both Brad and I both had a part in the wreck and it wasn't as intentional as I first thought" - that was a stone cold LIE. He didn't believe that for one second, and the fact that he could say that with a straight face on national television is a bit shocking. I think he should have won an Oscar for that performance!
So, with all that said, do I think that Carl should be parked for a race or two, or have points taken from him because of the incident? No, I don't. NASCAR said that they were taking the gloves off, and all of their commercials before races on FOX show bumping, crashing, fighting, pushing, helmet throwing, etc. If anything, this is exactly what NASCAR was looking for - the drivers policing themselves and making their own justice. It was unfortunate that Brad ended up on his roof, and Carl probably could have found a better time and place to exact his revenge, but in the heat of the moment shit happens. You mess with the bull...you get the horns.
If NASCAR parks Carl, then the whole pre-season mantra was all just a bunch of B.S. and nothing has really changed at all.
Those are my thoughts on the issue.
Marc.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Expletive NOT Deleted
What is the big uproar about following the race at LVMS? Was it about Jimmie Johnson winning his second race in a row? Was it about Jeff Gordon leading 90% of the race on Sunday and then finishing third after taking two tires instead of four with 30 laps to go? Was it about Kevin Harvick finishing second again and sitting atop the points lead after three weeks? Nope. None of those things have hardly been talked about this week. Instead, most of NASCAR Nation has spend the last four days talking about Juan Pablo Montoya letting the heat of the moment get the best of him and saying "shit" on live TV when interviewed after getting out of his wrecked race car on Sunday.
Really? Is JPM being super pissed-off at his EGR teammate Jamie MacMurry after Jamie crashed him out of the race, and letting "the 'S' word" (as it has become known this week in the media) slip out on a live TV interview, really front page news? Really?? WHY???
If you've ever attended a race and listened in on a scanner, or listened to a driver-t0-crew channel on DirecTV or Sirius Radio during a race, you've heard raw, unedited commentary from drivers in the heat of battle on the track. They bitch, they complain, and they SWEAR! Just like many of us do when things don't go our way, or when we're talking to our buddies in the garage or at the bar. Big fucking deal! Grow up. I've heard people call into Sirius NASCAR radio this week ENRAGED that JPM said "shit" and vow NEVER to buy another product that he endorses ever again, or that they will never watch or attend a NASCAR race ever again because NASCAR didn't fine him for his outburst and "lude" behavior. Are they serious???
Let the man with no sin cast the first stone, I say. Obviously none of the people with that opinion are world-class athletes competing at the top level of their sport. Obviously none of them are ultra-competitive and would rather die than finish second (the first loser.) While I'm not a big JPM fan, I do like the guys FIRE; his "win at all costs" attitude. He's PISSED when he doesn't win, as he should be. I wish all of the Cup drivers had his fire and personality. Most of them are a bunch of sanitary, pre-recorded, boring robots. Monkey's have more personality than most of those guys do. Show me some passion! Puhleeeeeaze. I'm beggin' you!
So, while most people are spending their time this week telling me how mad I should be about Juan's "unacceptable behavior" I'm looking at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and wondering....is the #48 gonna make it three in a row on Sunday? It wouldn't surprise me if they did. And if JJ doesn't win, I hope he's pissed as hell and I hear him voice that anger on the radio. "@#$#$$%!! We should have won that race. F*@K me!" At least you'll know he cares!
Really? Is JPM being super pissed-off at his EGR teammate Jamie MacMurry after Jamie crashed him out of the race, and letting "the 'S' word" (as it has become known this week in the media) slip out on a live TV interview, really front page news? Really?? WHY???
If you've ever attended a race and listened in on a scanner, or listened to a driver-t0-crew channel on DirecTV or Sirius Radio during a race, you've heard raw, unedited commentary from drivers in the heat of battle on the track. They bitch, they complain, and they SWEAR! Just like many of us do when things don't go our way, or when we're talking to our buddies in the garage or at the bar. Big fucking deal! Grow up. I've heard people call into Sirius NASCAR radio this week ENRAGED that JPM said "shit" and vow NEVER to buy another product that he endorses ever again, or that they will never watch or attend a NASCAR race ever again because NASCAR didn't fine him for his outburst and "lude" behavior. Are they serious???
Let the man with no sin cast the first stone, I say. Obviously none of the people with that opinion are world-class athletes competing at the top level of their sport. Obviously none of them are ultra-competitive and would rather die than finish second (the first loser.) While I'm not a big JPM fan, I do like the guys FIRE; his "win at all costs" attitude. He's PISSED when he doesn't win, as he should be. I wish all of the Cup drivers had his fire and personality. Most of them are a bunch of sanitary, pre-recorded, boring robots. Monkey's have more personality than most of those guys do. Show me some passion! Puhleeeeeaze. I'm beggin' you!
So, while most people are spending their time this week telling me how mad I should be about Juan's "unacceptable behavior" I'm looking at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and wondering....is the #48 gonna make it three in a row on Sunday? It wouldn't surprise me if they did. And if JJ doesn't win, I hope he's pissed as hell and I hear him voice that anger on the radio. "@#$#$$%!! We should have won that race. F*@K me!" At least you'll know he cares!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Viva Las Vegas
Fontana is in the rear view mirror, and the NASCAR contingent has moved on to Sin City for this weekend's racing. For an intermediate track, LVMS is a track that many of the drivers like, due to the progressive banking that was used in the design of the track.
I'm getting ready to watch the Nationwide race at Las Vegas as I write this. The start was delayed due to rain, but it's finally ready to go green following track drying.
So...the million dollar question is: Who's gonna win on Sunday?? This race was won last year by Kyle Busch and crew chief Steve Addington. Addington has moved teams this year, but is keeping it in the family. He's now the crew chief for Kyle's older brother Kurt and the Blue Deuce. So far, things are looking pretty good for the weekend. Kurt won the Pole on Friday afternoon and will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday! If hometown favorite Kurt can win the race Sunday, Addington would make history by taking brother's to victory lane in consecutive seasons at LVMS - the Busch brother's HOME TRACK! How cool would that be??!! For the record, I am NOT a fan of either of the Busch brother's, but still think it would be cool for the hometown kids to win at their track.
Other than the standard race weekend news, there isn't a whole lot going on in the world of NASCAR this week. Legendary crew chief Jake "Suitcase" Elder died on Thursday at the age of 73. He was the crew chief for several NASCAR legends, including the late Dale Earnhart.
Have a great race weekend and I'll talk to you again next week!
Marc.
I'm getting ready to watch the Nationwide race at Las Vegas as I write this. The start was delayed due to rain, but it's finally ready to go green following track drying.
So...the million dollar question is: Who's gonna win on Sunday?? This race was won last year by Kyle Busch and crew chief Steve Addington. Addington has moved teams this year, but is keeping it in the family. He's now the crew chief for Kyle's older brother Kurt and the Blue Deuce. So far, things are looking pretty good for the weekend. Kurt won the Pole on Friday afternoon and will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday! If hometown favorite Kurt can win the race Sunday, Addington would make history by taking brother's to victory lane in consecutive seasons at LVMS - the Busch brother's HOME TRACK! How cool would that be??!! For the record, I am NOT a fan of either of the Busch brother's, but still think it would be cool for the hometown kids to win at their track.
Other than the standard race weekend news, there isn't a whole lot going on in the world of NASCAR this week. Legendary crew chief Jake "Suitcase" Elder died on Thursday at the age of 73. He was the crew chief for several NASCAR legends, including the late Dale Earnhart.
Have a great race weekend and I'll talk to you again next week!
Marc.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
(The Big) One Down, Thirty Five To Go...
Well....the 2010 Daytona 500 is in the books, and it was a wild one. Not wild, as in "the Big One" wild. Wild as in the most leaders in Daytona 500 history. Wild as in multiple green-white-checkered attempts. Wild as in Jamie McMurray beating Dale Jr. to the flag after Junior went from 10th to 2nd in less than two laps. Wild as in (you know I have to mention it) 2+ hours of red flag stoppages to fix a pothole between Turns 1 & 2.
As far as the racing goes, it was the best Daytona 500 in many, many years. NASCAR made several changes in the past few weeks that allowed this improved racing for the fans. First, they increased the size of the restrictor plate holes, adding approximately 12 HP to the cars and making it almost impossible to just run wide open the entire race. Secondly, they doubled the height of the "shark fin" on the back window of the car (and added one the same height to the decklid) which allowed more side-drafting, but also made the cars a little tougher to handle in the pack. Third, they "took the gloves off" and said that the drivers were going to be the ones policing themselves on the track (to a point) and allowed bump-drafting/slam-drafting in the race. Fourth, they changed the rules on the green-white-checkered finish to allow multiple attempts if the leader did not take the white flag under green.
All of these things made the racing better, and all of them came into play during the race on Sunday and made for as dramatic a finish to the Great American Race as I can ever remember.
Now, onto "Pothole-gate." NASCAR and DIS have taken some MAJOR heat during the past few days regarding the 2-hour plus delay to the race to repair a "pothole" that formed during the race between turns 1 & 2. Letterman made a mockery of it on Late Night when Jamie McMurray was on the show. ESPN has called the event "Hole-Gate" and bashed NASCAR as being a bunch of buffoons in dealing with the issue. I think that's all B.S.
Here's the deal....shit happens. When it does, you have to deal with it in the best way possible for the safety of the drivers, and the happiness of the fans. Did Daytona and NASCAR want a 2-hour delay in the middle of their "Superbowl" of racing?? No. Did they have a choice other than stopping the race to fix it?? Yes. They could have called the race, declared a winner (as it was past the halfway point of the race) and sent everyone home. Would that have been the right thing to do?? I don't think so. You think people were mad about the delay to the race, just imagine what they would have said if this race turned into the Daytona 251, especially after last years rain-shortened event.
The speedway and NASCAR did the only thing that they could have done - try to fix the issue so the race could finish safely and they could get a winner taking the checkered flag under green. And that's exactly what they did. It might have taken a while, and several different mixtures of various paving compounds before they found something that worked (which ended up being bondo BTW), but with the unseasonably cold weather none of their "usual" fixes worked the first time around. You definitely can't say that they weren't trying though.
What was the cause of this "issue"? Nobody knows for sure. Was it the fact that the pavement is 32 years old? Maybe. But the 24 hour Rolex race, the ARCA race, the Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duel(s), the Nationwide race, the Truck race and hours of practice and qualifying didn't cause any issues to the "old" racing surface. They walked the track before the Daytona 500 (as they do before each and every race) and there were no signs of imminent pothole disasters. The bottom line is, once again....shit happens. Nobody knows why, but it does. And it doesn't just happen to NASCAR tracks. What about a basketball game where the backboard shatters after a dunk?? Do they just call the game and go home? No, they spend an hour replacing it and then the game resumes. What about when the glass at a hockey game shatters from a slapshot? Yep, they fix it, clean the ice off, and get going again after a stoppage of play. What about rain delays in Major League Baseball? They tarp the field, make the fans sit around for hours sometimes, then clean up the mess and resume the game. Sunday's Daytona 500 was nothing different than any of those other examples, except for the fact that those other things happen MUCH more frequently than the pavement coming loose at a racetrack.
So just LET IT GO. Other than the delay, Sunday's race was one of the best ever run at that track, and there is a great story that goes along with it for winner Jamie McMurray. Let's talk about that instead, since he is now a Daytona 500 Champion! Congratulations Jamie!
Next up....Fontana, CA (southern California) and Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday. Oh, and some chick named Danica is racing in the Nationwide race on Saturday afternoon in the Stater Bros 300. Maybe you've heard of her??
As far as the racing goes, it was the best Daytona 500 in many, many years. NASCAR made several changes in the past few weeks that allowed this improved racing for the fans. First, they increased the size of the restrictor plate holes, adding approximately 12 HP to the cars and making it almost impossible to just run wide open the entire race. Secondly, they doubled the height of the "shark fin" on the back window of the car (and added one the same height to the decklid) which allowed more side-drafting, but also made the cars a little tougher to handle in the pack. Third, they "took the gloves off" and said that the drivers were going to be the ones policing themselves on the track (to a point) and allowed bump-drafting/slam-drafting in the race. Fourth, they changed the rules on the green-white-checkered finish to allow multiple attempts if the leader did not take the white flag under green.
All of these things made the racing better, and all of them came into play during the race on Sunday and made for as dramatic a finish to the Great American Race as I can ever remember.
Now, onto "Pothole-gate." NASCAR and DIS have taken some MAJOR heat during the past few days regarding the 2-hour plus delay to the race to repair a "pothole" that formed during the race between turns 1 & 2. Letterman made a mockery of it on Late Night when Jamie McMurray was on the show. ESPN has called the event "Hole-Gate" and bashed NASCAR as being a bunch of buffoons in dealing with the issue. I think that's all B.S.
Here's the deal....shit happens. When it does, you have to deal with it in the best way possible for the safety of the drivers, and the happiness of the fans. Did Daytona and NASCAR want a 2-hour delay in the middle of their "Superbowl" of racing?? No. Did they have a choice other than stopping the race to fix it?? Yes. They could have called the race, declared a winner (as it was past the halfway point of the race) and sent everyone home. Would that have been the right thing to do?? I don't think so. You think people were mad about the delay to the race, just imagine what they would have said if this race turned into the Daytona 251, especially after last years rain-shortened event.
The speedway and NASCAR did the only thing that they could have done - try to fix the issue so the race could finish safely and they could get a winner taking the checkered flag under green. And that's exactly what they did. It might have taken a while, and several different mixtures of various paving compounds before they found something that worked (which ended up being bondo BTW), but with the unseasonably cold weather none of their "usual" fixes worked the first time around. You definitely can't say that they weren't trying though.
What was the cause of this "issue"? Nobody knows for sure. Was it the fact that the pavement is 32 years old? Maybe. But the 24 hour Rolex race, the ARCA race, the Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duel(s), the Nationwide race, the Truck race and hours of practice and qualifying didn't cause any issues to the "old" racing surface. They walked the track before the Daytona 500 (as they do before each and every race) and there were no signs of imminent pothole disasters. The bottom line is, once again....shit happens. Nobody knows why, but it does. And it doesn't just happen to NASCAR tracks. What about a basketball game where the backboard shatters after a dunk?? Do they just call the game and go home? No, they spend an hour replacing it and then the game resumes. What about when the glass at a hockey game shatters from a slapshot? Yep, they fix it, clean the ice off, and get going again after a stoppage of play. What about rain delays in Major League Baseball? They tarp the field, make the fans sit around for hours sometimes, then clean up the mess and resume the game. Sunday's Daytona 500 was nothing different than any of those other examples, except for the fact that those other things happen MUCH more frequently than the pavement coming loose at a racetrack.
So just LET IT GO. Other than the delay, Sunday's race was one of the best ever run at that track, and there is a great story that goes along with it for winner Jamie McMurray. Let's talk about that instead, since he is now a Daytona 500 Champion! Congratulations Jamie!
Next up....Fontana, CA (southern California) and Auto Club Speedway for the Auto Club 500 on Sunday. Oh, and some chick named Danica is racing in the Nationwide race on Saturday afternoon in the Stater Bros 300. Maybe you've heard of her??
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Dueling in Daytona
Well...we are mere HOURS away from the start of the 2010 Gatorade Duels in Daytona! For all practical purposes, today's twin 150's will be qualifying for all but Mark Martin and Dale Jr., who have already locked in the front row for the start of Sunday's Daytona 500. The rest of the drivers will be jockeying for the best starting position based on how they finish in today's races.
There have already been quite a few wrecks during practices this week and last, forcing several drivers into back-up cars for the Bud Shootout (Kevin Harvick WON his 2nd consecutive Bud Shootout in a back-up car last Saturday night) and the Gatorade Duels. Some notable drivers in back-ups for today's races include Jimmy Johnson, David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer.
I'm so excited about the next several days. We've got the Duel's this afternoon (2pm on SPEED), the Truck race tomorrow evening (8pm on SPEED), the Nationwide race on Saturday afternoon (1:30pm on ESPN2) and then the Daytona 500 on Sunday (1:15pm on FOX.) Is that an AWESOME long weekend of racing or WHAT?? Oh, and did I mention that Danica is racing in th Nationwide race on Saturday? (as if you didn't already know that...)
Who are you picking to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday? I've always been a Kasey Kahne fan, and based on how he looked in his new Ford Fusion during the Bud Shootout last Saturday, he's definitely my pick for Sunday afternoon. He didn't qualify well on Saturday, so hopefully he can do well in the Duels (he's in the 2nd race) and get a decent starting spot for Sunday. After that it's all about handling and keeping that Roush-Yates horsepower on the ground. It'll be exciting to watch. I can't WAIT!
So...go out, buy some of your favorite frosty beverages, pop some popcorn, kick back and enjoy a bunch of good racing this weekend. I know that's what I'll be doing!
There have already been quite a few wrecks during practices this week and last, forcing several drivers into back-up cars for the Bud Shootout (Kevin Harvick WON his 2nd consecutive Bud Shootout in a back-up car last Saturday night) and the Gatorade Duels. Some notable drivers in back-ups for today's races include Jimmy Johnson, David Reutimann, and Clint Bowyer.
I'm so excited about the next several days. We've got the Duel's this afternoon (2pm on SPEED), the Truck race tomorrow evening (8pm on SPEED), the Nationwide race on Saturday afternoon (1:30pm on ESPN2) and then the Daytona 500 on Sunday (1:15pm on FOX.) Is that an AWESOME long weekend of racing or WHAT?? Oh, and did I mention that Danica is racing in th Nationwide race on Saturday? (as if you didn't already know that...)
Who are you picking to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday? I've always been a Kasey Kahne fan, and based on how he looked in his new Ford Fusion during the Bud Shootout last Saturday, he's definitely my pick for Sunday afternoon. He didn't qualify well on Saturday, so hopefully he can do well in the Duels (he's in the 2nd race) and get a decent starting spot for Sunday. After that it's all about handling and keeping that Roush-Yates horsepower on the ground. It'll be exciting to watch. I can't WAIT!
So...go out, buy some of your favorite frosty beverages, pop some popcorn, kick back and enjoy a bunch of good racing this weekend. I know that's what I'll be doing!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Counting Down to 2010
Tomorrow is media day at Daytona, and the Bud Shootout happens on Saturday night! What does that mean to us??? It's time to go racin', boys! The 2010 season is upon us, and there's lots to talk and get excited about.
I'm going to try to do a much better job keeping the blog current in 2010. Let's say that was one of my New Years resolutions for 2010. So, this is the first installment of many this season.
What should I talk about heading into the Duels tomorrow? Hmmmm....Jimmy Johnson's 4-peat and Hendrick domination (finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 2009 standings)? RPM dropping Dodge and moving over the Ford Fusion (Yates) power for 2010? Kasey Kahne in the last year of his contract with RPM - will he and Budweiser set sail for a more stable environment in 2011? Where will he go? Maybe Stewart-Haas racing? What do you think about Danica Patrick making an appearance in stock car racing? Will you watch the ARCA race on Saturday to see how she does? How will she do in ARCA/Nationwide this year, and what will her presence do for the sport of NASCAR?
Those are ALL great topics to discuss, and we might touch on each of those at another time, but for now I want to talk a little bit about the Top 35 owners points and the "brokering" of points before the start of the race. In the past week we've learned of at least two teams that have bought their way into guaranteed starting spots for the first 5 races of 2010, without EARNING that luxury. The first was Furniture Row Racing, who "acquired" the #7's Top 35 points after starting a "technical alliance" with RCR last week. And yesterday is was determined that Front Row Racing has started an alliance with Yates to acquire the #98's points from last year.
I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea that NASCAR allows this type of "points brokering" to go on. Technically it's within the rules, but I feel that it violates the "spirit" of the rulebook. They can sign all the minority ownership and technical alliance paperwork that they want, but in the end they just wanted the POINTS. They wanted to be able to assure their sponsors that they were going to be a LOCK for the first 5 races (and especially the Daytona 500.)
I think that in the off-season, NASCAR needs to take a look at this rule and make the necessary changes to allow the teams that competed the season before a chance to be in the Top 35. No new team should be able to show up, buy someone's points and be guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500 when there are at least 8 other teams out there that EARNED the right to grab that spot when a team that finished above them closes shop and folds. It's just not right.
Anyways, looking forward to the Duels (Thursday) and Danica's ARCA debut, Daytona 500 Qualifying , and the Bud Shootout on Saturday! It's gonna be an awesome start to another season. And then next Sunday (on Valentine's Day boys, in case you didn't realize it) we'll all be watching as another chapter in the Great American Race is written. I can't wait!
Marc.
I'm going to try to do a much better job keeping the blog current in 2010. Let's say that was one of my New Years resolutions for 2010. So, this is the first installment of many this season.
What should I talk about heading into the Duels tomorrow? Hmmmm....Jimmy Johnson's 4-peat and Hendrick domination (finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 2009 standings)? RPM dropping Dodge and moving over the Ford Fusion (Yates) power for 2010? Kasey Kahne in the last year of his contract with RPM - will he and Budweiser set sail for a more stable environment in 2011? Where will he go? Maybe Stewart-Haas racing? What do you think about Danica Patrick making an appearance in stock car racing? Will you watch the ARCA race on Saturday to see how she does? How will she do in ARCA/Nationwide this year, and what will her presence do for the sport of NASCAR?
Those are ALL great topics to discuss, and we might touch on each of those at another time, but for now I want to talk a little bit about the Top 35 owners points and the "brokering" of points before the start of the race. In the past week we've learned of at least two teams that have bought their way into guaranteed starting spots for the first 5 races of 2010, without EARNING that luxury. The first was Furniture Row Racing, who "acquired" the #7's Top 35 points after starting a "technical alliance" with RCR last week. And yesterday is was determined that Front Row Racing has started an alliance with Yates to acquire the #98's points from last year.
I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea that NASCAR allows this type of "points brokering" to go on. Technically it's within the rules, but I feel that it violates the "spirit" of the rulebook. They can sign all the minority ownership and technical alliance paperwork that they want, but in the end they just wanted the POINTS. They wanted to be able to assure their sponsors that they were going to be a LOCK for the first 5 races (and especially the Daytona 500.)
I think that in the off-season, NASCAR needs to take a look at this rule and make the necessary changes to allow the teams that competed the season before a chance to be in the Top 35. No new team should be able to show up, buy someone's points and be guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500 when there are at least 8 other teams out there that EARNED the right to grab that spot when a team that finished above them closes shop and folds. It's just not right.
Anyways, looking forward to the Duels (Thursday) and Danica's ARCA debut, Daytona 500 Qualifying , and the Bud Shootout on Saturday! It's gonna be an awesome start to another season. And then next Sunday (on Valentine's Day boys, in case you didn't realize it) we'll all be watching as another chapter in the Great American Race is written. I can't wait!
Marc.
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