Tony Stewart

Fireworks!

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

I can’t believe I haven’t been here in The Park for a few weeks.  It has been somewhat crazy in my life.  I am still adjusting to a new little one in the house, but it has been fun. 

I have been watching quite a bit of NASCAR lately that I haven’t ignored.  There has been some greating racing over the last few weeks and last night was no exception.  I didn’t get a heck of a lot of race watching in because we had some friends over for the 4th.  As we all racing at Daytona doesn’t disappoint the fans.  Because there was a rainout of qualifying and by virtue of the rules, Tony was once again sitting in the cat bird’s seat at the start of the race.  But Daytona is one of those tracks where starting up front doesn’t necessarily give you an advantage. However, it doesn’t hurt.  From the part of the race I did get to watch Tony had everything dialed last night.  After shooting off fireworks outside with friends, family and a few neighbors, I came back in to watch some more fireworks. Tony was clearly headed for his second win of the season in my book, but with a late caution and the laps winding down it looks like it wasn’t going to be easy.  With the double file restarts that put Kyle Busch on the outside of Tony on the front row.  As the green flag dropped they were off.   Klye go around Tony and took the lead and the white flag, but this IS Daytona.  It ain’t over until the checkered flag is flown and the car in lead crosses the finish line.  Tony got behind Kyle in order to make his move.  As Tony moved out from behind the #18, Kyle went to block and that’s when this went crazy.  Kyle clipped Tony’s front bumper and well, into the wall went Kyle as Tony crossed the finish line victorious.  Unfortunately, Kyle got the worse end of it courtesy of Kasey’s #9 and a few other cars.   I was so excited and yes that was me and the rest of the Smoke fans cheering.  Congratulations Tony!

For those out there who may think Tony took Kyle out for the victory are just plain wrong.  It was racing.  We all knew something was going to happen.  Would I have been upset if it was Tony hitting the wall?  I am sure I would have been, but I would hope after seeing the footage I would have seen it was just a racing deal.  I hope that I would have had the objectivity to see that it was racing deal if the tables were turned.  Even in the post race interview with TNT, Tony seemed bothered by the end of the race.  TNT of course didn’t show much post race coverage, but I wonder what Kyle was thinking about the results.  I would hope he would understand like Tony it was racing.  That’s it…racing!  When you have two passionate racers like Tony and Kyle challenging for the win they would understand how things work.  Now matter what they put on a good show.

Now for the last couple of weeks…

  • I loved how the road race turned out.  I would have loved Tony to have one, but I was happy for Kasey.  I mean when you hold off one of the better road racers towards the end, you deserve the win. 
  • Congratulations to Joey Lagano for his first NASCAR win last week at New Hampshire.  I know there are those who think it wasn’t fair to get your first win on a rain shortened race, but who cares.  A win is  a win.  I am sure Joey would have like to continue the race and caputre the win a different way, but Mother Nature had other ideas.   Isn’t part of racing out thinking the other teams?  The leaders had the same opportunity to start out, but they chose to pit.  It’s not like Zippy hasn’t seen a few of these situations before.  I mean he has two championships under his belt.  Besides, Joey would have had to pit if the race had continued.  I thought it was very classy of Tony to come over and congratulate Joey and Zippy. 
  • Doube file restarts have brought a little excitement back into the racing and are going to start playing into some teams’ strategies if they have already.  I still want to see how the double file restarts would fair in trucks.  The trucks already put on some of the best racing around.  Can you imagine what double file restarts would do?
  • Jeremy Mayfield…this is going to get messier before things all settle out.  As I have said before this is going to be interesting to see if NASCAR’s drug policy stands up to scruntiny.  I haven’t said too much about the whole Jeremy saga in The Park, but the only thing that bothers is the fact he didn’t tell NASCAR about the prescription he was taking prior to the drug test.  If anything that can come out of all is that NASCAR can step and reexam it’s drug policies and procedures, then so be it.

I hope to get back on track with things here in The Park now that I have a handle on things on the home front.  I hope everyone had a great 4th of July.

Pocono

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I was able to catch most of the race on Sunday.  We got home from our little tour around Texas about 50 laps into the race.  I have to say I do like the double file restarts.  I don’t know if it made that big of a difference at the 2.5 mile track, but I can’t wait until the boys return to Bristol, Martinsville and Talladega.  I have never like the lapped cars sitting in the front of the lead lap cars especially when the leaders are sitting 3 or 4 rows back.  It can get quite confusing at times, plus the leaders don’t have to negotiate around cars that don’t have a snowball’s chance to be a factor in the race.   Plus the lapped cars can create more issues at the beginning of restarts.  But for now I like them.

Now on to the best part of the weekend.  Congratulations to Tony Stewart for getting his first win of the season (technically it’s his 2nd one), but as we all know it’s the points races that matter.  This is the first win by Stewart Haas Racing and I am sure this is not going to be the last.  I didn’t realize it until I read one of my favorite blogs, Tony won his first race at the 14th stop of this year’s season.  Coincidence…I think not.  Tony earned the pole by virtue of owner’s points due to the rainout of qualifying on Friday.  But his luck would be short lived when he crashed in practice and had to go to a backup car.  This meant instead of starting first, he would be delegated to the 43rd spot.  Of course it didn’t take long before Smoke was leading the race.  As it always seems to fall Pocono came down to a little gas mileage.  Kudos to Tony’s crew for taking advantage of the money stop and getting Tony out in front of Carl.  And here is where Tony and Darian rolled the dice.  I was holding my breath hoping and praying that Tony was saving enough gas to get him to the checkered flag.  It was sweet to see that #14 cross the finish line in first.  It was cool to see Tony’s dad get excited about his son’s victory and how touching to see him congratulate him in Victory Lane.   What a great early Father’s Day present.

Other notes from this past weekend

  • The boys on to Michigan.  If Junior doesn’t pull away with a victory it will mean he has gone a full year without a victory.  I guess all the broadcasters will be making note of this fact a little bit more.  Oh well…
  • I have been listening to the “talk” about Danica Patrick coming over to race in NASCAR.  I think she has the skill set, but I don’t if she can  take on all that is NASCAR.  I don’t know how the fans are over there in IRL, but here in NASCAR we can get a little passionate about a sport.  Time will tell. 
  • Kyle Busch smashing his guitar trophy after the Naitonwide race.  My opinion…it’s his trophy, he earned it and he can do what he likes.  I like Kyle Busch.  He has put a little spice back into NASCAR.
  • I guess TNT did okay on the broadcast.  I didn’t really pay attention all that much because after touring Texas for a week you have quite a few things to unpack and wash.

Dover

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On vacation still…this is coming from my new Dell laptop (Woo Hoo!!!). It’s red just like Tony’s car and I even have a red cordless mouse to go along with it.  I sent the Macbook to my mom’s house so she could have a computer.   Went to the zoo today with my mom, Postman and Little Smoke.  It was a blast.  It’s amazing to see a zoo through the eyes of a five year old.  The only bad part about the trip…THE FREAKIN’ HUMIDITY!  For the love of Pete, I took a shower this morning and yet it was like I had another one by the time we were through with the zoo. 

I had the race on once we got home from the zoo, but I was trying to transfer all my files from the old computer to the new one.  So it took some time to get things transferrred, but I have for the most part got everything transferred.  But I did watch the battle between Smoke and Jimmie.  I have to say that was some fun racing.  Now that’s the kind of racing I would love to see every week.  Of course Jimmie did just get passed Tony for the race win, but Tony leaves Dover with the points lead.  I am very proud of Tony at this point of the season.  He has in this race fan’s opinion brought Stewart Haas Racing to a whole never level.  I had to chuckle when Fox presented him with the trophy because he was the leader for their part of the season.  And what did Tony do with it…put his Coke bottle in it.  Classic Tony!  Tony was the only driver for Stewart Haas ending up in the top 10 this week.  Newman finished 8th and leaves Dover  5th in the standings and 173 points behind his boss. 

Dale Jr. finished 12th today.  Not bad for his first race without Tony Eury.  I don’t know if Mr. Hendrick had a come to Jesus talk with the whole #88 team, but if he did I think the #88 team is headed in the right dircetion.  I am not a fan of Dale Jr., but I hate to see any team struggle as he has struggled lately.  Only time will tell to see if the changes Mr. Hendrick has made will be effective.  Dale just needs to let the crew chief do his job while he does his.

Speaking of the points lead I am hoping I am still ahead in my fantasy league “One and Done”.  I had a points lead of 9 points (I believe if my Math was correct) and I picked Ryan Newman.  Ryan gave me a great finish today, but I won’t know things until later this week as to whether or not Ryan keep me atop the standings.

Million Dollar Man!

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

smoke.330I had a post pretty much planned out for the All-Star Race Weekend, but that was all thrown out the window after the last 10 laps.  And yes that was me and the rest of us Stewart fans yelling and cheering as our man took the checkered flag tonight!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO TONY STEWART!!!!

We all knew it was just a matter of time before Mr. Stewart finished first.  That was a great pass by Tony to take the lead from Matt Kenseth.  It looked like Kyle Busch was going to be a factor in the last 10 laps and he was until he went three wide with Jeff on one side and  Newman on the other.  But there was that #14 lurking right behind them.  When Tony Stewart decided to leave Joe Gibbs Racing after 10 years with the team and start his own racing team, people were wondering what was he thinking.  I for one was unsure how this year would go.  All I knew was that Tony was going to be successful with this new team.  I felt bad for Newman because he had Kyle in his sights, but when you try to go three wide with Kyle Busch you better be prepared for some beatin’ and bangin’.  But Tony took them all to school and showed them how to do things.  Wow…what a birthday present! (Tony’s birthday is May 20).

All I have to say is…watch out boys that’s the #14 in your rear view mirror and that was the #14 passing you.

The Bullet List

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

Sorry about not posting in awhile–this is my busiest time at work and I am lucky to get out with some kind of damage like at Talladega. So with that being said here is my bullet list for the past couple of weeks.

  • I was ok with the result of the Richmond race.  I was hoping for a Denny Hamlin victory or at least closer to the front so it would have given me a bigger lead in my fantasy league, but I came out leading the points after that race.  Not too shabby I must say.  Congratatulations to Kyle Busch for yet another win this year.  Say what you want, but this boy can drive that car.  With the win at Richmond that gave him 4 wins so far on the season.
  • How ’bout that race at Darlington?  That’s the second win for Mr. Mark Martin this year.  It’s 2 wins in the last four races.  He is now up to the 11th spot in the standings with 20 bonus points.  He has one more win than teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.  And 2 more than Junior.   I believe I heard this was his first multiple race win season since 2000, but I am not sure on that stat.  I was half listening at times and I think it was on the radio and not tv. 
  • Thanks Jeff Burton for a decent finish for me.  You allowed me to keep my lead in my fantasy league.  Granted it’s a small one, but a lead nonetheless.
  • I listen to quite a bit of NASCAR on Sirius.  No matter what the topic somehow, someway, talk will turn about Juniors’s performance or lack there of this season.  Normally when the talk turns to Junior I usually switch channels because frankly I really don’t care about it, but the other day one of the callers made a decent point.  He said perhaps Junior doesn’t know how to communciate to Eury Jr. about how this new car reacts or what needs to be done.  This is a different car than the old one.  I mean all you have to do is look at how Jeff has struggled with the car.  I have watched Junior drive the wheels of the Nationwide car.  However this car is similar to the old car.   I just think Mr. Hendrick is going to have some tough choices ahead of him.  I mean think abou this…Mark Martin just joined HMS this year and he already has more wins with HMS than Junior has with HMS.
  • I am excited about the results Stewart Haas has been putting up lately.  Tony and Ryan finished 3rd and 4th respectively at Darlington.  Both drivers are in the top 12 with Tony sitting 2nd just 29 points right behind Jeff Gordon.  While Ryan is sitting 8th in the points.   I am excited about the rest of the season.  Both drivers are so close to that first win for Stewart Haas.  I would love for Tony to get the first win for his team, but I would take a Newman too.
  • How ’bout them rookies?  Brad K finished 7th and Joey Lagano finished 9th. 
  • I have to say I was a little disappointed about the suspension of Jeremy Mayfield from NASCAR especially since he was tryign to make a go of it with his own team this year.  This is a no-tolerance policy.  I can’t say I blame NASCAR for having such stringent policies.  Does a driver want to be out on the track driving 150 plus mph with another driver who may be under the influence.  Will Jeremy be able to come back into NASCAR at some point?  I can’t answer that.  But it is going to be interesting to see how this all plays out.  Jeremy has named his wife Shana as the owner and tagged JJ Yeley to drive his #41 car.
  • It’s all-star week in NASCAR.  One of my favorite events takes place tomorrow–the pit crew challenge.  I love to watch this event.  This is the time these guys get to show what makes them best out there.  Many times these guys get no recognition unless they  make a huge mistake, but if it wasn’t for these guys doing what they do best soem of these drivers would be able to do what they do best.
  • Have you voted for your favorite driver?  I have a couple of times, but that’s about it.  I will go and vote a couple of more before the deadline.  So if haven’t voted…go vote!
  • Don’t forget about NASCAR Day on Friday May 15.  Wear your favorite NASCAR gear to work, home, or whereevery to let everyone know what NASCAR means to you.  Of course, for those who are friends and family memebers of a NASCAR fan, you already know what NASCAR means to them.

Post Dega

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

Personal note…I can’t believe I went by I didn’t acknowledge April 12.  No it wasn’t my birthday…that’s June 15 or my wedding anniversary that’s June 9…but the anniversary of The Park.  I can’t believe it has been 4 years already.  What started out as a way to just share my randomness in my life as well as my passion obsession, has turned into a place where I have meet some wonderful people who love to blog just as much as I do.  At one point I thought about giving up on The Park, but it has become a part of me.  I may not have the traffic or the readers so people do with their blogs, but I like to think I can brighten someone’s day out there with my efforts.  Thank you to all those who stop by and comment and for all those lurkers out there.  I hope you continue your travels through The Park.

I was planning on posting my thoughts about the race at Talladega on Tuesday, but with the sudden passing of David Poole, I wanted until today.

As I have mentioned here before I like racing at Talladega.  I like the sitting on the edge of your seat kind of racing and Sunday was no exception for me.  Of course the face of the race took a different look on Lap 7 when the Big One happend.  I mean it took out several of the race contenders in one fell swoop.  it shows how one itty bitty wiggle/bobble can cause a massive pileup.    This race took out Jeff Gordon, the points leader as well as Mark Martin who had managed to climb to 13th in the points standings.  I felt bad for Mark. He was gaining  momentum and to have it all taken away just plain SUCKS.

I make no bones about the fact I am not a fan of Dale Jr.  I won’t go into all the horrendous details and detailed explanation of why, but on Sunday I found myself wondering where he was on the track.  It wasn’t because I was thinking of becoming a member of Junior Nation…the reason I picked him as my driver was for one of my fantasy leagues.  I was in the lead coming into Talladega and I wanted to maintain my lead as well increase my lead, plus Junior was still on the block for me to pick so why the hell not?  I mean I am not a fan of his, but I am not going to let that come between me and winning.  I mean look at the numbers at Talladega for Junior.  His best starting position is 3rd and well his best finish is first and he has done that 5 times.  It’s all about winning in my book.  And with the finish on Sunday I am have maintained my lead and stretched it out. 

Now on to The Crash…

We all know the best part of the race usually happens within the last 25 laps.  This is where those who have a possibility of winning begin to make their moves and find their drafting partners or better yet who they call follow to the front until they can pull out to take the lead.  Just like they did in the Nationwide race on Saturday, Newman and Junior hooked up nose to tail as they made there way to the front.  Plus you couldn’t count out David Ragan either since he was just about in the same spot after the last restart on Sunday as he was on Saturday.  But as we all know, this is Talladega…anything can happen.  Since Tony had a rough go on Sunday and to be honeset I thought he was going to make it interesting near the end, but as luck would have it no.   But there was the other SHR car driven by Ryan Newman.  If Tony couldn’t get the first win for Stewart Haas Racing, it was perfectly fine and dandy that Newman get it.  I was thinking Dale would make his move around Newman sooner than he did on Saturday, but the next thing you know he comes Carl Edwards being pushed by Brad Keselowski.The two of them passed the Newman/Earnhardt Express like they were standing still.  There was Carl I grimmaced.  He pretty much rode around all day until he needed to make his move…of course this was nothing new.  I have seen other drivers do this as well.  You have to do what you have to do to WIN. 

In my opinion, the incident between Carl and Brad was a racing deal.  Brad held the bottom line and did not go beyond the yellow as he was instructed by NASCAR during the driver’s meeting.  If he had gone below the yellow when Carl came down on him, it would have cost him the victory (see Fall 2008 Dega race).  It was a horrific accident.  Every piece of safety equipment did it’s job from the fence to the Hans device.  Carl was able to walk away and make his way to the start finish line.  I believe if Newman’s car had not been there when he started flipping I don’t think he would have ended up in the fence.  From what I could tell he was headed back down to the track surface when he hit the front of Newman’s car which accted like a catapult.  Eight fans were injured because of debris from Carl’s car.  This begs the question…should NASCAR car look at ways to prevent something from this happening in the future?  That I can’t answer.  NASCAR considers safety of the drivers, crewman, and fans priority number one and I am sure NASCAR will be disccussing these things in the near future.

Congratulations Brad for your first win in the Cup Series.  I think you have a might bright future in NASCAR!

Talladega

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

As I lay in my recliner trying to beat this sinus cold that has taken over my body, I flipped on to Speed TV to see a replay of the 2007 Aaron’s 499.  I must say it was kind of exciting to watch even though I knew who the winner was going to be.  I like Talladega.  I have made no bones about this fact here in The Park before.  It’s a chess game of sorts.  One little move can make or break the race.  One wrong misstep could take out a gaggle of cars and change the race in a second, but I still love it.  This race could change the face of the standings as well.  I don’t know how it would effect them this soon in the season, but when the boys come back in the fall it could change the face of The Chase.

I do have a little dilemma this week.  Dale Jr. tends to race well at this track, but he hasn’t had the best luck this season.  Even though this little tidbit has not escaped me this week, I am still thinking of choosing Dale Jr. as my driver for this week over at On Pit Row’s “One and Done” Fantasy Racing contest.  I have a slight lead and sitting a top the standings, but like anything else it could all fall apart of this weekend.    But sometimes it’s about points racing and maintaining that lead.

I am hoping this is the weekend Tony Stewart gets over that hump and get his first win in the #14.  He won last fall’s race after a discussion regarding the yellow line, but I think he will be one of several drivers to watch this weekend.  I have to admit I think Dale Jr. will also be one of the drivers to watch this week as well.  All his teammates have each won a race this week and to some there may be some pressure on him to win on for HMS.  But Talladega is one of the those tracks where he runs well.  So maybe he will come through for me…but of course it needs to be behind Tony.  Come on now…let’s don’t all go drinking that crazy kool-aid.