Daytona Doze Fest

This beauty actually fell asleep during the race

Well, I was afraid that the race would be a downer and I was correct. I don't have the stats in front of me but I would be willing to bet that this was one of the quickest Daytona 500s in history. The race was over in a mere three hours. Because of the aerodynamics of the new cars, racing was at a minimum. Most of the time the cars looked like a train on a track. The bottom groove never really came in and all the drivers stayed at the top. I am hoping that when the cars get to a "normal" track like Phoenix this weekend, that the racing will be much better.

Now the truck race on Friday and the Nationwide race on Saturday produced a different story. The trucks were very racey and the aero on the Nationwide cars is different than that on the Cup cars which made for an exciting race and a scary finish. Hopefully NASCAR can come up with some changes to the Cup cars before the next restrictor plate race at Talladega this spring.

I actually had a representative at the Nationwide race and she was able to provide me with these never before seen photos. Viewer discretion is advised.


She has a splitting headache

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time

A disabled fan's service dog was also caught up in the wreck

That's gonna leave a mark


 

This week's race is in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon. Qualifying is at 5 P.M. on Friday, therefore I will need your picks by 5 P.M. on Friday. I hope you all are using the chart I sent you to keep track of the number of times you have used a particular car number. Here are the results from week one.

Chuck-166, Jim 151, Neil 136, Brent 119, Toby 110, Joe 103, Terry  103, PT 101, Michael 101, Freddy 100, Dennis 80, Norb 74

Daytime Duals Determine Daytona Details

Kevin Harvick has been the star of speed week so far. Not only did he win the first dual, he also won the Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night. Kevin Harvick is a skinny little turd and Delana Harvick has a man face. Do you ever wonder how two unattractive people can have a cute kid? Well the Harvicks have managed to do it. Keelan Harvick is a cute little butterball. Here is a photo of him on Santa's lap.

What a cutie

 



Kyle Busch was the winner of the second Budweiser Dual. After viewing these two races, I am a little concerned how the racing will be on Sunday. The outside line is the preferred line. If a driver gets stuck on the inside, it is almost impossible for them to pass, even with a push from another car. I hope that the teams can figure out how to race on the bottom of the track or it could be a boring race. However, with Harvick and Busch starting in row two, we could see some early fireworks.

 

 

 

 

Well the starting order is now set. The top 15 in the starting order are: 10, 24, 29, 18, 16, 5, 42, 33, 48, 15, 78, 20, 14, 55, 2. Below are your points from qualifying.



Chuck-48, 18, 42, 16=39
Freddy-88, 20, 42, 29=26
Norb-14, 18, 21, 20=19
PT-14, 20, 21, 16=18
Michael-14, 20, 21, 16=18
Dennis-14, 22, 21, 29=16
Toby-88, 20, 21, 18=16
Terry-14, 18, 21, 88=15
Neil-16, 55, 21, 99=13
Jim-88, 20, 21, 48=11
Joe-14, 20, 51, 11=7
Brent-11, 20, 21, 88=4

Finally Some Action On The Track

After three months, the NASCAR season is quickly approaching. Kevin Harvick led the most laps and went on to the victory in the Sprint Unlimited, but did not have the best car. It appeared that Matt Kenseth in the Joe Gibbs number 20 had the car to beat. He was able to pass cars without the aid of a push from another car. He had the unfortunate luck of getting shuffled to the back with about 2 laps to go and was not able to get back to the front. Just as the testing indicated, pack racing is back. There will be no two car tandems in this year's 500. That will set the field up for "the big one" which will eventually happen. It happened in the Unlimited race on Saturday night and will again in the 500.

History was made at qualifying for the Daytona 500. Danica Patrick became the first female to win a pole in Sprint Cup history. Her qualifying run was the second fastest in restrictor plate history.

Danica on the pole.

Jeff Gordon joins Danica on the front row. The remaining starting order will be established on Thursday with the running of the Budweiser Duals. The first dual will determine starting positions 3,5,7,9 etc. The second dual will determine positions 4, 6, 8 10 etc. After the duals I will send out qualifying points.

I still can't figure out who's man boobs that Danica is signing. It could be Chuck, my son Michael, or Brent. It has got to be one of you because the resemblence is down right uncanny.

It looks like that there will be no Daytona 500 viewing party this year. Hopefully we can get together for one of the Saturday night races later in the season.

Many Questions For The Season

Well the time is near for the beginning of another year of racing. There are many questions to be answered. First and foremost is the effect that the Gen 6 cars will have on the racing. The new cars have been configured to more closely resemble their corresponding street models. If testing is any indication, the four restrictor plate races will be interesting. The bump draft and two car tandems are gone. The cars now have rounded bumpers and won't snug up against each other so it should be back to more pack racing. I think the only driver who will still try to snuggle up to the rear of another racer is Dale Earnhardt Jr. He just feels most comfortable there. It is still to be determined how the new cars will work at the other tracks.

Another question will be how Penske Racing does after switching from Dodge to Ford and will Keselowski be able to beat off the other drivers. I don't know if Keselowski can beat off the other racers but Dale Jr. said he would sure give it the old college try. Penske is also welcoming a new driver as Joey Logano joins the team.

We will soon find out how Kenseth does now that he is driving a Joe Gibbs Toyota. It will also be interesting to see if the 18 team of Kyle Busch can return to form after a disappointing 2012. Dale Jr. did volunteer to mentor Kyle Busch, much the same way that a Priest mentors a young man.

Will the 99 team return to form in 2013? After finishing second to Tony Stewart in 2011, Edwards had a very lackluster year in 2012 and failed to make the chase. Ricky Stenhouse will be in the 17 this year and be the front runner to win the Rookie of the Year and could even win a few races with the power of Rousch Racing behind him. It was announced that Stenhouse is dating Danica Patrick. When Earnhardt heard the news his comment was, and I am quoting here, "ooooh that is so gross."

Danica joins Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman as the third car for Stewart/Haas racing. I am still not quite sure if she will be successful. But who cares, she is hot and sells tickets and merchandise.

Michael Waltrip Racing had quite a year and both of their drivers made the chase. The big question will be whether Bowyer and Truex can keep building on the success of last season. And perhaps the most pressing question will be which race that Bowyer decides to seek revenge on Jeff Gordon. My guess is that he will wait for the first Bristol race in March. It's much easier to hide the fact that you have just intentionally wrecked someone at a short track then it is at a super speedway. Dale Jr. was heard saying that he sure would like to rear end Jeff Gordon or Clint Bowyer.

RCR racing may be in trouble this year. They were down last year and I don't forsee much improvement. Harvick is leaving after this season to join Stewart/Haas Racing and while Paul Menard is a good driver, I don't see him winning many races. I think RCR is retooling for next year when Childress's grandson, Austin Dillon join the team.

Some of the other teams really struggled last year. McMurray faded after a good 2011 season and 2012 was a disaster. Montoya is Montoya. Maybe the 42 will set the world on fire this season. Who knows? The 9 car of Marcos Ambrose will do great at the road courses but he still needs to prove himself on the ovals. And Dale Jr. if you are reading this, I said ovals not orals. Kurt Busch will be in the 78 full time this year. That is until he blows a gasket and punches a reporter. Almirola had some good qualifying runs but failed to get in victory lane or even come close to making the chase. I don't mean to hurt any feelings but the rest of the drivers are just an afterthought.

And finally, I bet that Jimmy Johnson feels like the walls are closing in. For God's sakes, he hasn't won a championhip in two whole seaons. I will be curious to see how the 24 team looks out of the starting gate. I just have a hunch that Jeff Gordon's brilliant career is coming to an end. I doubt that the 88 will do much this year. He hasn't done much in the last four seasons so why start now. Not that any of you care, but my pick to win the championship this year is the #5 of Kasey Kahne. He had a strong finish last year and I think this team is primed to win.

Well good luck to everyone this year and don't forget that I need your picks in by Sunday, February 17 at 11 A.M. Qualifying will be held Sunday afternoon. Lets go racin boys!!!