Love him or hate him, you had to be rooting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. those last few laps of the Bud Shootout Saturday night. I had goosebumps as he crossed the start/finish line, winning the race. He has said by leaving the security of Dale Earnhardt Inc., he was hoping to gain crediibility and respect. I think this win points him in that direction.
Friday practice
Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch are at it again. During Friday practice Stewart got into Busch sending him into the outside wall. Busch retaliated by driving into the side of Stewart's car a few times. They were both called to the NASCAR hauler. It is rumored that Stewart threw a punch at Busch while in the hauler.
NASCAR, supposedly, wants to let drivers show their emotions/personalities more this season without harsh penalties. I might be wrong, but I think Stewart may have stepped outside their comfort level on this one...(if it's true that he punched Busch) Penalties should be announced later this week. Here's the article that was posted January 23, on NASCAR.com.
For those of you who missed the altercation that happened on the track, here's a video from Youtube:
Qualifying
I can’t help it. I’m going to say it. It's completely wrong that Boris Said qualified ahead of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, AND Dale Earnhardt Jr., and he still has to race his way in to the Daytona 500. It’s just wrong.
Another thing, I cannot stand to listen to Darrell Waltrip talking up his brother, Michael Waltrip, all the time. It’s already old and the season has just begun.
What is the deal with Kurt Busch and giving his points to Sam Hornish Jr. I do not agree with that. These rules were to protect the top 35 in points, so now it is ok to give points away and use his past champion provisional. Maybe they need to get rid of that provisional. I still say if they cannot qualify on speed, no matter who they are, they need to go home.!
Another thing, during the national anthem before the shootout, Jeff Gordon's wife decided it was time to restyle his hair! She must have seen your blog on Tony and how scruffy her looked!
Posted by Sally February 11, 2008 01:45 PM
Sally - Shoot! I meant to throw something sassy in this entry about her styling his hair. That was freaking hilarious. I was sitting there in complete disbelief watching that.
Posted by Jen Lizotte February 11, 2008 01:49 PM
DW had such a successful career, he only wants his brother to do well. You would, too, if it was your brother and he's right, after the horrible season Mikey had last year it's a credit to him that he made the right changes and came back.
I see lots of crewmembers, sometimes drivers, and others doing weird things during the anthem. That's pretty disrespectful.
I'll bet Bill Elliot is glad his tire blew on the frontstretch. That blew right in front of us and we heard how hard he hit the wall as he went down the track. If that had been on a turn, that could have been really bad.
The pictures I took of Jr's burnout didn't come out well. Too much smoke and no wind to blow it away in time to get a clear picture.
That was one of the best races I've seen in a long while. Those guys were driving their butts off and now we know how Junior will be with Hendricks and how Tony will be with the Toyota.
Nascar is supposed to go easier on the fines and probations this year.We shall see now that Tony and Kurt have decided to test that.
When Nascar said that they will be more lenient with the drivers' displays of "personalities", did anyone think another driver than Tony Stewart would test it?
Both Biffle and Jr said that Busch was throwing unnecessary blocks for a lap before.
Either way, the racing has been incredible. Given what we've seen, does anyone even want to make a prediction? I don't know if I could!
Not brave enough to make a prediction, but I think the shoot out proved that those handfull of drivers who really understand the draft, can draft with any body,wing,or aero configuration.
All the favorites were there.
Posted by justracethecar February 11, 2008 09:52 PM
I'll predict a Hendricks driver. They will hang around in the back until the wrecking is over and then come to the front.That's their style. Wonder if Junior will go with that game plan.
It's going to be a really good Daytona 500 no matter who wins.
Racefan: Its fine for DW to want to see his brother do well, but do it in private. The gushing is uncalled for as a broadcaster, doesn't show any objectivity and its one of the reasons racing still gets a bad rap from the mainstream. He needs to save the gushing and verbal hugs for the Waltrip family dinner.
Posted by SJH February 12, 2008 10:11 AM
DW is from the old-school. He'll get personal, not read from the Nascar canned speech script.
Oh give me a break. Nobody said he was reading from a script. It gets old listening to him go on and on about his brother. That's not what he's in the booth to do. If he can't control his personal interests in the booth and give fans an objective view then he shouldn't be up there.
Posted by SJH February 12, 2008 12:59 PM
Guess France, Jr had it wrong and fans don't want any real personality afterall. DW, Dale Jr, Stewart, and Kurt all on the s--- list already and it's only the first week.
Jennifer is the newsroom
administrative assistant and
executive
assistant to the editor for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. She is married, lives in Pownal with her husband and son, and has been following NASCAR for many years.
About this blog:
I am hopeful that this will be a place where people can air their two cents' worth about a race, catch up on the gossip and share their opinions on the rules and regulations of NASCAR. I have always felt that there has been a need for such a place in Maine and that this blog helps to fill the void.
Subscribe