Cup Series Woooohoooooo!! The Pass is Complete Jeff Gordon moves by Dale Earnhardt (#3) At Talladega with 77th career victory and The Cup Points Lead. - Spydertrader <img src=http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=1451515>
Another joke finish. Does RCR also operate the caution flags for NASCAR? The second Gordon nosed into the lead they threw that caution. And I guess the Empire does not like media criticism, especially from a driver. The first race after Tony Stewart accused them of running races with all the competitive integrity of pro wrestling, they nail him for pit road speeding. Only guy ticketed the entire race from what I could tell. Nice touch at the end when the 38 took him out under yellow. How can they allow that? The fans showed their appreciation for NASCAR by pelting the 24 car with beer cans again.
NASCAR has but two rules: 1. NASCAR is never wrong. 2. In case NASCAR is ever wrong, refer to Rule #1. - Spydertrader
NASCAR is basically a family business. There are good and bad points to that. The good is that the next generation hopefully remembers the traditions. The bad is that you run the risk of ending up with morons running things. We seem to have gotten the worst of both. The new leadership has a tin ear for tradition. NASCAR is paradoxically going through a rough patch just as they seemed to achieve their greatest success with the new TV deal. The races on the mile and a half tracks are dull at best. There are an awful lot of young untested drivers who ruin races with poor driving. A few years ago a guy like Guililand would never sniff a ride like the 38 car. Like Tony said, he basically lucked into it. Now he is in position to screw up the finish of one of NASCAR's signature events. Montoya is all over the track running into people, but since he is the great latin hope, he is above criticism. He needed at least a year in Busch, but that was never going to happen The top drivers lack star power and fan appeal. They are not the rough guys we grew up idolizing. These guys would wet their pants if they had to deal with a guy like Bobby Allison or Cale Yarborough. They are more like corporate spokesmen who happen to be drivers. It's no coincidence that the most popular driver, Dale Jr, is also the most authentic. Even his situation is clouded by the DEI corporate infighting and family drama. Most likely, he is out of there at the end of the season. NASCAR faces a real threat with the antitrust suit. Clearly they favor their own tracks. They could end up with a huge judgment against them, plus lose the ability to control their schedule. The Stewart situation is an even bigger problem. A top driver and past champion is saying out loud what a lot of other drivers will only mutter, that the competition is not always above board. If the races lose credibility with the fans, I don't see how they ever can get it back.
Clearly, The Clowns now running the show have made a mess of our beloved sport. Moving the Labor Day Race from Historic Darlingtion to the snoozefest known as Fontana, has proven to be the single greatest idiotic move the France Family has ever made. Cookie Cutter Tracks, Lucky Dog, Template Style Car of Tomorrow represent additional opportunities to change back the sport to what made it great. High Octane, High Emotional Racing - and not the Entertainment venue it has become today. However, as the old saying goes, "you don't piss in someone's sandbox, and not expect to get your dick smacked." Tony Stewart ran his mouth on national radio. As he has done so many times in the past, Tony allowed his emotions to override his logic. His valid point (seriously, do you need five laps of caution to pick up one piece of metal debris??) became moot, once he stomped his feet like a tantrum throwing 2 year old. Dale Earnhardt used to blast NASCAR all the time before he died - most frequently after winning a Talladega Race. Somehow, he managed to avoid a NASCAR style smackdown. As Tony Stewart knows (from his experience with NASCAR's goon squad) it's all in the delivery. Refusing to head to the media center (when a driver signs his race application form stating he will do so was just plain childish. Running his mouth on national radio, simply added fuel to the fire. Tony has done the same thing over and over again throughout his career. he knew what he was doing way before he did it. - Spydertrader
WOOOOOO EEEEEEEE Just got back from talladega..>What a place, what a race and what a great time to see jeff win ( almost got my ass kicked after the race but I took of the 24 hat and ran ) i've got a boat load of pics and video to upload...Jeff came to out hosp. tent and spoke for about 20 minutes...great guy and i have some great pics and video... here's a funny one i took...i was in the first row , 2nd level (awesome seats) and people kept standing by the fence....I yelled to this one guy " hey Mister, i can't see the race"...then all of the sudden someone behind us yelled, " Hey Mister, i can't see the SUN!!!" that's my buddy on the right!
"Hey Mister, i can't see the SUN!!!" <img src=http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=1452394> ROFLMAO!!! - Spydertrader
I think NASCAR has to consider seriously a rule prohibiting blocking in restrictor plate races. IRL has a no blocking rule I believe. It used to be only the leader would block, but now you 've got guys all through the field doing it, like that moron Jamie McMurray at the end on the race. If they hadn't already wrecked behind him, he could have caused a 25 car wreck when he pulled out in front of the 20 and rode him into the wall. For what? Fifth place? There is a growing problem in the skill gap between the really elite drivers, like the Gordons( ok, Jeff, not Robby), Johnsons, Burtons, Kenseths and Stewarts and the guys who are filling out the top teams, guys like McMurray, Boyer, Yeley, etc. In the old days, these latter guys would never get what were then called "factory" rides. They were reserved for the elite drivers who had earned them. Now every team is looking to hire the next Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon, so they put guys with pretty thin resumes behind the wheel of top equipment. Some, like Kyle and Hamlin, pan out. Most don't. The problem is they aren't driving around at the rear of the field where they can't affect the outcome of races. They are often up front doing stupid stuff. Talledaga was a perfect example. You had guys like McMurray and, even worse, Gilliland and Montoya, up there at the end with guys who knew what they were doing. The result was a spoiled race and disappointed, angry fans.