Archive for the ‘NASCAR News’ Category

In January, NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton loosened the reins on drivers with an instant-classic phrase: “Boys, have at it.” On Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards sent Brad Keselowski’s No. 12 Dodge flipping into the air – and with it, all of NASCAR’s hopes for the first controversy-free week of the young season.

Keselowski’s flight was a terrifying inversion of the wreck on the final lap of the spring race at Talladega a year ago, the infamous wreck in which Keselowski sent Edwards pinwheeling into the fence at almost the exact same position on the track.

Whoa. One of the more frightening wrecks I’ve seen in a long time. Bad Carl. Bad, Bad, Carl.

Could this be the key that brings back interest in the Sprint Cup season?

NASCAR is finally about to lose its wings.

“We’re hoping within the next two of three races that we’ll be able to be at a point where we say it’s time to take the wings off and put the spoiler on,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said Monday.

While Helton didn’t provide a specific date for the expected removal of the wings from the cars, that timeline coincides with the March 28 race at Martinsville that most teams have expected to be the first with the more traditional-looking rear spoilers.

I honestly don’t see why they need to regulate anything as far as the body of the car goes. If the guys want to race a car, let them race a car. At least it would be interesting to see what happens.

No one is ignoring Jimmie Johnson’s run of victories, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t bored with the sport because of them.

Perhaps much of America’s racing fraternity is sick of hearing about Jimmie Johnson. Perhaps they are tired of watching him and crew chief Chad Knaus cavort about in Victory Lane. Heck, shortly after they did so for the second consecutive Sunday at sold-out Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a uniformed police officer and genuine race fan in far away Charlotte, N.C., actually approached me out of the blue and implored that “something had to be done” about it.

I was trying to figure out how to squeeze in more time for other stuff on the weekends anyway.

J.C. Elder, known as “Suitcase Jake” during his long tenure as a NASCAR crew chief with the likes of star drivers David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, has died. He was 73.

Elder died Wednesday of natural causes at Autumn Care of Statesville, the Bunch-Johnson Funeral Home said Thursday.

Elder was the crew chief for Pearson’s 1968 and 1969 series champions and directed Earnhardt to his first Cup victory in 1979 at Bristol.

Rest In Peace, J.C.

Five days ago, Drew Blickensderfer was dropped, and it appears he had a pretty good bounce, even if it was backwards.

Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Drew Blickensderfer will take over as crew chief on the No. 60 Nationwide team with driver Carl Edwards effective immediately. Mike Kelley, who had served in that position, will assume the role of competition director for Roush Fenway’s Nationwide Series effort, and Mike Beam will move into the role of speedway specialist in the research and development department for all of Roush Fenway Racing.

The move will reunite Blickensderfer — who worked last season as the crew chief of the No. 17 Sprint Cup team — and Edwards in the Nationwide Series. Before taking over as Matt Kenseth’s crew chief prior to the 2009 season, Blickensderfer and Edwards teamed for 19 races in 2008, running to seven wins, two poles and a second-place series’ points finish, while closing the season with nine consecutive top-five runs.

Now let’s see what they’re going to do.

Isn’t it a given that the pothole would be repaired?

Daytona International Speedway began repairs Thursday to the damaged portion of Turn 2 that forced two delays during the Daytona 500 totaling more than two hours.

Track president Robin Braig said a team of engineers and asphalt specialists from North American Testing Corp. decided a strip of pavement will be removed and a reinforced concrete patch will be poured in the area where a significant pothole developed during Sunday’s race.

Let’s hope this patch holds during the next race, unless of course you want a chance to eat some food during the repair time.

Good news for Todd Parrott, he’s climbing back on the box.

Todd Parrott has been named crew chief of Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 Ford, effective immediately.

Drew Blickensderfer, who has served as crew chief on the No. 17, driven by Matt Kenseth, since the start of the 2009 season, will assume a role in Roush Fenway’s research and development department.

Kenseth finished eighth in the season-opening race at Daytona on Sunday.

Blickensderfer had replaced Chip Bolin as crew chief for Kenseth following the 2008 season.

Parrott, who won the Cup Series championship with Dale Jarrett in 1999, has the third-most wins — 29 — among active crew chiefs in the Cup Series.

Not so good news for Drew Blickensderfer.

It shrinks in the cold, expands in the heat, and bends when a load is put upon it. In cooler weather it gets stiff, in warmer conditions slick and greasy.

Read more…

One thing that aggravates me is the whole “he’s the favorite to win” idea.

If history means anything, Todd Bodine is the favorite to win Friday’s Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

How confident is Bodine that he can make it three straight victories at Daytona?

How can anyone really be the favorite? Sure, Jimmie Johnson has won four championships in the Sprint Cup, but he’s hardly “the favorite to win” each week in a race.

I am not trying to diminish anyone’s skills as a driver or member of the crew, but let’s be honest. Daytona is one of the craziest races and there’s no way to know what’s going to happen til the checkered flag drops.

NASCAR officials are making a change to its green-white-checker rule, providing up to three attempts at a green-flag finish after late-race crashes that would otherwise cause races to finish under caution.

The change was announced Thursday at a drivers’ meeting before the afternoon qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.

Under the previous rule, officials would add two green-flag laps to the end of a race to avoid a finish under yellow after a late-race accident – but only try it once.

No matter what anyone else says, this is probably one of the most interesting changes this season. I wonder how long it will be until we see a race with more than one attempt?