Kyle Busch

Saturday Night Special

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Whew…what a race, well at least in the closing moments.  I didn’t get to watch much of the race last night, Little Smoke was being a little ornery.  He’s 4 and a boy so no further explanation should be necessary.

But I guess I did tune in at the right moment, Kyle Busch took his car to victory lane last night breaking the Gibbs #20 domination over the last several races in Nationwide.  It was kind of ironic that a Gibbs driving did break the #20 car’s domination however.  But the real excitement wasn’t in Victory Lane, it was in the pits.  

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #88 JR Motorsports Chevy, bumped Hamlin’s back bumper under the yellow right before the green/white checker.  Apparently Denny wasn’t happy with the bump from behind so Denny proceeds to get into Brad’s left front corner panel.  And well…that’s where everything went south.  Pit crews were “discussing” the incident in the pits while Kyle Busch was celebrating his victory on the track.  Nothing like a good “discussion” on a Saturday night.  Reminds me of those Saturday nights I spent with  my dad at the dirt track.

Denny-“Give a guy two inches to let him clear, and don’t just hang onto my rear quarter panel,” said Hamlin, who made it clear that his retaliation was for the bump under caution, not for the way Keselowski had raced him. “You throw a rock, I’m going to throw a concrete block back.”

Brad-“I race one day a week, not two,” he said. “I have 200 laps to prove myself, not 400. I have to make the most of every lap.”

Junior-“What the hell did he do that for?” asked Earnhardt, Keselowski’s car owner, after the race. “Brad bumped him just a little bit under caution, and Denny knocked the fender off his car. Now the car’s all tore up.

Sounds like Denny doesn’t like to be raced hard.  Um…did Denny get the memo?  Isn’t that what racing is about?  This is NASCAR Denny.  Like I said I didn’t get to see all of the race so I cannot say if Brad was driving him too hard or not.  In my opinion, as long as the racing is clean what’s wrong with a little hard racing.  C’mon on now!  Hey Denny…it’s time to put your big boy undies on and deal with it.

One more thing…Congratulations to Donny Lia for winning the Ohio 250 yesterday in Mansfield, Ohio yesterday afternoon on a last lap pass.  This was his first win in 8 starts in the Craftsman Truck Series and the first time a rookie has a won a race since Carl Edwards did it in 2003.  Way to go Donny

Now on with the “Day O’ Racing”.  I got my food, my adult beverage of choice and a nice comfortable chair to watch all the action.  I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day!

Kyle Strikes Again

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

When you are hot, you are on fire. Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green on Sunday. This is the second pole in a row at Lowe’s for Kyle. And look who he will be with him on the front row…Kasey Kahne, last week’s All-Star race winner.

This will be the first Coca Cola 600 for the COT. I am interested to see how the COT will perform under the conditions of the 600. This race is about being able to make adjustments througout the entire race. The race begins during the day and ends under the lights. This is the longest race of the year and the COT has yet to impress me on this size of a race track. I know teams have been struggling with the COT this year. It seems some teams try to adjust the cars just a little during the race, but it seems to make them worse. I am hoping some of the teams were able to get some valuable data from last week’s All-Star race. If the race is anything like the the All-Star race where the person who is a lead drives away from the field, I may have to change the channel.

As with every race, I want Tony to be up front and challenging for the win. Tony has one win at Lowe’s back in 2003 at the spring race. Last year he finished in the Top Ten in both races at Lowe’s. This is the time of the year where Tony turns up the intensity. Tony rolls off Sunday 31st. I am not worried about him though. Tony isn’t always the best qualifier. It will be fun to watch him work his way to the front. I mean it is 600 mile race, not a 6 mile race.

Will Jimmie return to victory lane at Lowe’s this year? Jimmie hasn’t seen victory lane since the fall 2005 race. Of course that’s probalby what we will hear about this weekend, how Lowe’s is Jimmie’s house, blah blah..and of course someone will mention the fact that Junior STILL hasn’t won a race in the last two years.

One more thing…as we enjoy all the fesitivities, parties, BBQs this weekend, take time and say “Thank You” to a veteran or an active serviceman or servicewoman, because without the sacrifice, we would not be able to enjoy this weekend. 

Saturday Racing

/ Trixie / 4 Comments

I didn’t get to catch much of the race on Saturday night.  I had to work during most of the day so by the time I got home it was about 5:30 then my brood needed to run to the grocery store to get the breakfast stuff for my Mother’s Day breakfast Sunday morning.

By the time we got home there was about 50-60 laps left.  All I know is that it was a good thing I was out shopping when #19 got into Smoke.  I am sure I would have been cursing at the television set despite the fact that I like the #19. 

Congratulations to Kyle Busch for his 3rd win this season on the Cup side. 

I have been surfing out there on all the NASCAR sites both in the media and those who are listed here in the Park.  There are different camps regarding Kyle Busch.  There are those who think he is a punk ass and should be taken out to the wood shed and those who think he is a great driver (yes, I have see positive posts about him).  I consider myself to be right in the middle.  I do think he needs to be taken out to the wood shed and have an attitude adjustment, but I really do like him as a driver.  This boy can drive.  I about fell out my chair last night while talking to my dad.  Let me preface here…die hard Earnhardt fan (more Senior than Junior), but a fan none the less. He actually agress with me on Busch.  He even mentioned how Rusty Wallace drove and behaved early on and now look at how we all view Rusty.  I think the same thing can be said for Smoke and yes, even Dale Sr.  I think he will come into his own as he continues on through his Cup career and yes, he might even pull it back during interviews, but hopefully not too much.  I kind of like his style.  That’s the reason I am a fan of Tony.  He says what he feels and pretty much does what he wants.  He’s a rebel. 

Speaking of Smoke…I am listening to him on Sirius radio right now.  He is a guest DJ on the Elvis channel tonight.  Plus he will be broadcasting live from Graceland as well during his own show tonight.  I wish I could listen to the show tonight, but have lots of laundry still to clean.  This just gives me one more reason to like Smoke–he and I are both huge Elvis fans.

Well, the boys get a weekend off from points racing this Saturday night, but the gloves I am sure will surely come off for that $1 MILLION DOLLARS.  I believe the Busch brothers took each other out last year.  It’s a million dollars people.  It’s every one for themselves!

Richmond

/ Trixie / 5 Comments

I wanted to post after the race, but was too…well what’s the word…amazed.  Before I get into the discussion on the “hit heard ’round the world” on Saturday, I want to congratulate Clint Bowyer for the win on Saturday!

Now on to what has probably been the topic of discussion on all the message boards, blogs, etc.  In case you missed it…here is the incident that has sparked quite a bit of discussion.

Now that everyone has had a chance to review things let me continue on with my post. I want to begin by stating what I have to say will probalby set off some of those Earnhardt fans out there, but if are a frequent reader to The Park, you know I have never claimed to be a part of the Junior Nation. I am a fan of his father, but that doesn’t mean I have to be a fan of his son.

If you caught the race on Saturday night you knew exactly when Junior took the lead. Thousands of people in the stands cheered. This is a usual occurence no matter when Junior is in the lead. And we all knew when Kyle got behind Junior after the last cauation it was going to get interesting. Kyle does have documented evidence of moving drivers out of the way to win. And if you watch NASCAR on a weekly basis, you knew there was a strong possibility Kyle was going to go for the win. And that’s what happened. Both drivers were pushing their cars to the limit. Both drivers wanted the win, Junior probably wanted it a little more, but that’s what it was–two pasisonate drivers wanting victory. Kyle’s car did get loose if you caught the numberous replays. Could each of them given each other a little bit more room? Why sure they could have, but I wouldn’t have expected them to. The result…Earnhardt is spun and finishes 15th and Kyle 2nd.

With all this talk about the incident, I forgot about Denny Hamlin.  Denny Hamlin dominated the race Saturday night.  He lead I don’t know how many laps of the race, I lost count around 200, but he should have one the race.  He had the best car, but as we always know the best car doesn’t always win.  It isn’t always about where you start, but where you finish.  Not to diminish the win by Clint, but somtimes racing in NASCAR is about being in the right place at the right time and that is exactly what happened Saturday night.

Way to go Smoke for your 4th place finish!

Bing, Bang, Boom

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

All I can say is WHEW!

Yesterday’s race kept me very glued to the television set even while cooking bbq ribs for Postman’s birthday festivities.  I was worried this race would turn out like last Fall’s race when the COT made it’s debut.   But on the contrary, it was well worth it.

Going into yesterday’s race, I knew it was going to be the Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart show.  Sorry for all the fans of other drivers out there, that’s just the way I saw this particular race shake out.  And it pretty much was that for majority of the race.  Except there was that #11 guy, Denny Hamlin.  Denny was either challenging for the lead or leading the pack.  But looming in the distance, you could see that big #20 and the #88.  But just when you think you have everything all figured out at Talladega, you don’t.

Earlier in the week, I did a comparision between Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.  I gave the edge of Dale Jr. and the rest of the field and that includes over my driver Tony Stewart.  Prior to yesterday the highest Kyle ever finished a race at Talladega was 11th.  And yesterday it looked like once again Talladega was going to get him again.

On Lap 44, Kyle was having difficulties with his car.  He tells his crew “This is a bad sign.”   Then comes the miscue on pit road where Kyle cannot get over to pit on Laup 62, thus having to go around and come back through.  This puts him 35th and almost a lap down.   He will eventually go a lap down and on lap 117 will get the infamous lucky dog.  But retarting at the back of the pack at Dega compared to staring at the back say at track like Bristol, is different and it was going to be a matter of time before Kyle made his way up front.  After all most getting sideways with Jamie McMurray, Kyle takes the lead on Lap 170.  I have to give major props to both drivers for not creating the Big One at this point of the race.  I believe if this were the old car, Kyle Busch would not be celebrating in vicotry lance.  At this point in the race, however, it was on as we say here in The Park.  Gloves are off and it’s ever driver for himself.  I know some of you Gordon fans out there didn’t like the way Kyle blocked Jeff, but hey it’s racing and that’s that.  I have seen Gordon do the same thing.  Like I said, it’s Talladega baby!  You do whatever and/or draft with whoever to get yourself to the front–and that’s just what Kyle did to capture his first win at Talladega.

CONGRATULATIONS KYLE! 

Talladega didn’t disappoint us with the Big One.  The Big One occurred on Lap 173 when it looked like mass chaos.  When it’s three wide and everyone is jocking for position, it’s just a matter of time before BAM!  Bobby Labonte gets sideways and heads up the track and well…collects Tony, Martin Truex, Kurt B. and Jamie McMurray.  Dale Jr. sustains damage to his vehicle.  However, it was the end of the day for Smoke.  He finished a bismal 38.  This wasn’t the only Big One for the day.  Just as white flag is thrown, Michael McDowell spins on the frontstretch, but no caution is thrown.  However, there is a big crash towards the back.  Apaprently #26 shoots up the track and collects quite a few cars including David Stremme who was having a great day substituting for Dario Franchetti who was injured the day before in a crash during the Nationwide race.  David finished 28th.

I have give some kudos to Juan Pablo Montoya.  He finished second to Kyle and I thought ran exceptionally well.  Where did Denny Hamlin end up?  That would be third.  And which HMS driver finished the highest in yesterday’s race???…wait for it…Casey Mears.  I turned to Postman at one point yesterday and jokingly said…Casey is racing today right?  I know it must be difficult at times when your other 3 teammates get all the press coverage before, during, and after the race.  Way to go Casey!  David Ragan and Travis Kvapil had good days as well both finsihing 4th and 6th respectively.

All in all this Dega race did not disappoint.  On a side note, yesterday we had Postman’s birthday celebration.  The race was over by the time all the non-NASCAR guests arrived, but like with any good party there were some beatin’ and a bangin’.  We had a sprainged knee, broken piggy bank, knee to the groin, and the final accident…a knee to the nose which caused some minor bleeding.  That’s when I knew the party was over.  Once you have blood drawn, the party’s over!  That’s what you get from a party over in The Park.

Now we move on to Richmond and some Saturday night short track racing!

#18 vs #88

/ Trixie / 6 Comments

The talk so far this season, in my opinion, has been about Kyle Busch and Dale Jr.  Both drivers moved from their prospective teams to new teams this season.  Both of the moves were interrelated to one another.  Kyle was let go at HMS to make room for Dale Jr., who became quite the free agent after deciding to leave his father’s team DEI after the 2007 season.  Kyle landed on his feet over at JGR which made a big move from Chevy to Toyota.  The expectations placed on these drivers was already high coming into the 2008 season.  How would Dale Jr. perform under HMS?  Would Busch find success under JGR and a new manufacturer?  And finally, at the end of the season, who will be judged as the driver who made the better move? 

In this race fan’s opinion, both drivers have performed outstanding.  And here is a little comparison, if you don’t believe me.

Kyle Busch

  • 1 win (Atlanta)
  • 4 Top 5s
  • 5 Top 10s
  • 11.0 avg finish
  • 2nd in the points standings

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

  • 0 wins
  • 3 Top 5s
  • 6 Top 10s
  • 10.5 avg finish
  • 3rd in the points standings

Now, this weekend I believe will be a whole other ballgame for the two.  I think this is the weekend, Dale has the biggest chance to come away with his first win of the season and his first win since the spring race at Richmand in 2006.  Last year, just wasn’t his year.  With all that was going on with DEI and the media scruntiny, one can’t blame him for having a rough year.  But this year is a different story.  Just look at where he was this time last…15th in the points.  He is now sitting 3rd behind Kyle Busch and points leader Jeff Burton.  Now speaking of this race weekend…Dale Jr. has not only the definite edge over Kyle, but I think the rest of the field.

Dale has 7 wins, 14 Top 5s, and 20 Top 10s at Talladega.  He has an average finish of 16.4.  The last couple of years at Talladega has been rough for him.  In 2007, he finished outside the top 20 in both races.  The spring race was due to engine issues.  In 2006, he finished 27th and 33rd, and in 2005, 20th and 36th.  He has not won at Talladega in a Cup race since the spring race in 2003. 

Kyle on the other hand hasn’t faired so well at Talladega.  He has had zero wins, zero top 5s, and zero top 10s.  His average finish is 31.7.  The highest he has ever finished at Talladega is 11th and that was back at the spring race in 2006.  Will that all change this year?  I am not sure.  The way he has been driving he might be able to tame Talladega and finish in the top 10, but Talladega is a different beast all together.

Kyle has been known to overdrive his car and not be there at the end of the race when it matters the most.  With Talladega, it’s all about staying out of the big one and putting yourself in position to make a challenge for the win in the closing laps.  It’s also about drafting partners too.  Dale will definitely have more drafting partners this year with Jimmie, Jeff, and Casey.  Plus there is always Tony who Dale likes to team up with on occasion.  Since Kyle is now teammates with Tony and Junior with the HMS guys, it will definitely be interesting to see how all the drafting dancing will work out this weekend.  But as we all know, we it comes down to the last few laps, all bets are off and it’s every driver for himself.  Hell, I’d even draft with Jimmie if it meant I could win!

And of course….

Plus you have The Big One which can take out many an experienced driver (This if from 10/7/07).


 

Note to Postman, I know Sunday is your birthday, but this is Talladega baby!  I love you!