NASCAR 2010

Bumper Cars

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

NASCAR announced on Thursday the bump drafting rules at Talladega and Daytona have been eliminated.  Watching the fall Talladega wasn’t much fun for me.  I like a little bump drafting with my racing. 

I am not advocating going out there and playing bumper cars and using your car as a weapon, but you need to allow the drivers to have the freedom to take care of things themselves.  There are a couple of drivers that need to be taken out back to the woodshed.  I am a little tired of the drivers not saying what they feel for fear they would get called on the carpet for it or have to retract their words days later.  I guess that’s why I like Tony Stewart.  He has never been afraid to say how he feels about things.  He is that passionate about his sport and his racing.  That’s part the appeal of Kyle Busch to me as well.  Some drivers are a little  too vanilla for me. They say all the right things to everyone.  I know some people like that, but it’s boring to me.  Drivers shouldn’t be afraid to step out of their cars right after an incident and so how they feel.  Isn’t that the reason the pit reporters are RIGHT there with the microphone?

 I am looking forward to seeing Denny H. and Brad K. mix it up on the track in 2010.  There needs to be some rivalries in the sport.  I am a Red Raider to the core.  I bleed red and black, and I detest those Longhorns from the University of Texas.  Every time Postman or I see a little kid with a Longhorn shirt we want to cry child abuse.  Seriously though is there a true rivalry in NASCAR?  Perhaps with the drivers being given a little bit more freedom to race we might see a new rivalry emerge in 2010.

Just one final note and to quote a line from “Days of Thunder”…No, no, he didn’t slam you, he didn’t bump you, he didn’t nudge you… he *rubbed* you. And rubbin, son, is racin’.

Are You Ready For Some NASCAR?

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Sorry for “borrowing” the tag line from Monday Night Football…but I am ready for some NASCAR!

Here’s what I found out the local Walmart last night.

I love the Swagger metallic red color.  Don’t get me wrong I love that fact that his Office Deport car is red and black, but the metallic red is just cool! 

I also bought this as well.

I haven’t gone through the entire magazine yet.  There is an interesting article on the Busch brothers.  Notice who is on the cover…not Jimmie, but Tony.  And if you look at the their “Top Ten” notice who is listed as 2nd right behind defending champion…you guessed it, Mr. Stewart himself.  This is definitely different than where is was picked last year.  I can’t remember if it was The Sporting News or another one of the magazines, but one of them didn’t have Tony qualifying for The Chase.  Let’s recall…where did he end up at the end of 2009?  I believe it was 6th.  No bad for a driver who left a championship team at Joe Gibbs Racing to start out on his own. 

I can see why Tony was  a force to be reckon with last year.  He ran a total of 10,468 out of 10492 laps.  That means he missed 24 laps…24 laps.  His lowest point in the standings 8th and that was after a 26 finish at Vegas.  He never strayed out of the top ten in points all year long.  He also ran all the laps in The Chase with the exception of 10 laps (8 at Talladega and 2 at Phoenix).  Come February 14, 2010, Tony will begin is 11 year in NASCAR.  His first start was February 14, 1999 at Daytona.  His finish that day 26th.  If 2009 is any indication, 2010 is going to be even better.

NASCAR 2010

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

It has been awhile since I have posted anything of substance here in The Park.  This has been in part to my little affection for Facebook, but I found I really do miss The Park.  I didn’t think I would because it was becoming something I felt I had to do.  But then I realized it was a place I could escape and talk NASCAR.  I don’t have many people around who have the same passion I have about NASCAR.  In fact many don’t even understand and when I try to explain, well, it’s like trying to explain quantum physics to a 6 year old. 

By the end of the 2009 season I was drained.  I hate to say it, but I grew tired and even at times complacent with NASCAR.  I guess after the Chase began and it was inevitable Jimmie was going to win his 4th championship I found other things to bide my time on Sunday afternoons like football.  I don’t think I really watched a whole Chase race in 2009.   But the off season has allowed me to get rejuvenated for NASCAR.  I have my new 2010 Tony Stewart calendar up in my office.  I have perusing the bookstores and the local Walmarts looking for my preseason magazines in order to prepare for the 2010 season.  I have already warned my family and friends that NASCAR season is just around the corner. 

I have high hopes for the 2010 season.  I am interested to see how the new rear spoiler will perform versus the previous wing on the car.  I wasn’t aware that Tony was in my home state of Texas doing a tire test at TMS with the new wing on the car.  It doesn’t look too bad.  I hope it does what the drivers and NASCAR hope it does.  I hope it brings some more exciting racing.  Racing was exciting last year, but I am always looking for more. 

I think this 2010 season will be one to watch.  I am looking to see if Jimmie can be dethroned as NASCAR champion.  I am not diminishing his run as champion and what he has accomplished the last four years, but I would like to see the #14 standing atop at the end of the season as NASCAR season.  The only other driver that I would be ok with is Mark Martin.  He had an amazing 2009 season.  I think it surprised a lot of NASCAR fans.  It was as if he had been rejuvenuted and he was a 50 year old man driving aorund, but a 24 year old.  He definitely raised the stakes for everyone last year and he has set the bar high for the 2010 season.

There has been much discussion over the offseason about Danica Patrick’s foray into NASCAR.  At this point I am not swayed either way.  I think she has the skill set to race in NASCAR , but how she will fair is another story.  I am looking forward to seeing her out there racing against the boys.  Part of me wants to see her and Kyle Busch tangle and watch it all unfold.  She isn’t afraid to go over and tell a driver how it is and neither is he.

I love the double file restarts in Cup and Nationwide.  It definitely made the restarts fun to watch.  Now you the Truck series will have double file restarts.  Truck racing is crazy as it is and now you have double file restarts….wow…let the racing begin!

And finally….Dale Jr.  If you have been to The Park you know I am NOT a Dale Jr. fan.  He will be heading into his thrid year wtih HMS and he hasn’t performed up the expectations as everyone wanted.  There were times Dale Jr. was racing his heart out and having great days only to end up in the crapper.  I think removing Tony Jr. was a move that needed to be made.   Perhaps now that he will have a full year with Lance McGrew will help him get back to where his fans, owner, and Junior himself want him to be.  I have to say there were times during interviews he sounded like he didn’t want to be at the track or even racaing.  But we all get like that at our jobs.  We begin to question why we chose the career we did and if we should continue.  Perhaps this off season he has had a chance to step back and see where he wants to go and he will get back on track (no pun intended). 

Well…that’s about it for now.  I am so pumped for the season to begin.  How ’bout you?