So now we know Regan Smith and Paul Menard hang out together! First up, no one was injured, so let's put that concern to rest.
But it seems that when Smith and Menard were headed to a ski resort in Colorado, Smith's truck hit some ice and they went "off-roading" through some trees when the truck slid off the road.
Everyone in the truck was OK.
Smith drives the No. 78 Chevrolet for Furniture Row Racing while Menard drives the No. 27 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.
[nascar.com]
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
So What Happened to Tony Stewart's EFI System at PIR?
Anyone remember before the season and hearing how the EFI system was bullet proof because it's used in other racing leagues? Anyone not believing that any more?
Well, I know a few teams that aren't believing it. And Tony Stewart's team is one of them.
Last weekend Tony Stewart tried to play the fuel-saving game by cutting off his motor to save gas, then found that he could not restart it.
Turns out that Stewart's new crew chief, Steve Addington, at least found the culprit as being a breaker switch that shut off. It didn't affect the car until Tony had turned the car off... it was then that the impact of the switch was made apparent when it wouldn't let the car refire... grr.
And it seems this situation may have been seen at both Daytona and PIR.
I had a car once that wouldn't turn back on... it had to do with no heat shield over a solenoid.. but that's not a breaker, unless the breaker is heat sensitive... but that's my uneducated guess.
Until then, I'm thinking the teams need to be more careful about killing the engines to save fuel, as that doesn't look like it's saving positions!
Well, I know a few teams that aren't believing it. And Tony Stewart's team is one of them.
Last weekend Tony Stewart tried to play the fuel-saving game by cutting off his motor to save gas, then found that he could not restart it.
Turns out that Stewart's new crew chief, Steve Addington, at least found the culprit as being a breaker switch that shut off. It didn't affect the car until Tony had turned the car off... it was then that the impact of the switch was made apparent when it wouldn't let the car refire... grr.
And it seems this situation may have been seen at both Daytona and PIR.
I had a car once that wouldn't turn back on... it had to do with no heat shield over a solenoid.. but that's not a breaker, unless the breaker is heat sensitive... but that's my uneducated guess.
Until then, I'm thinking the teams need to be more careful about killing the engines to save fuel, as that doesn't look like it's saving positions!
Another Journalist Who Doesn't Think NASCAR is a Sport And Crosses A Line Doing It
There's a site called The Sentinel, and I do believe that they are not of the mind to believe that NASCAR is a sport. Tsk, Tsk. They being Eric Rivera, an aspiring journalist for a North Idaho College.
Eric goes on to support his perspective by saying that NASCAR does not compare to hockey and football. Fair enough. And Eric does give credit to being able to turn left repeatedly with precision accuracy for hours on end. OK, that's nice of him to give some credit.
But then he goes on to compare NASCAR to being on par with a Wii athlete and says that he, himself must then compare to a professional driver becuase he plays Gran Turismo. If I read that right.
Then he further augments his perspectives by grouping NASCAR in with WWE and he finishes the statement by saying,
That's when I quit being so understanding of the ingorance involved in proclaiming something to not be a sport when, I presume, one has not even tried it. And calling the demographic supporting the support to be dumb.
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Indeed. I get the premise that people WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN IN a racecar (You can spell that forwards and backward Eric) thinks it's not a sport, as compared to stick and ball events.
I get that one doesn't understand how much muscle it takes or that how damn brave you have to be to be hurtling along at 100+ mph. When you turn left, I was surprised by the amount of G-force applied to my brain and how dang heavy my arms got in the corners.
But I'm good with that because they don't get it.
But I don't think they get the on-going and constant physical demands put upon a driver in a car without power-steering or power brakes and endure performing in an environment that gets up to 130 degrees. Or losing several pounds of sweat per race.
Nah, I'm good with that too, because obviously he didn't do his research. I'm OK with not getting it and that grey area of what a sport is, whereby a sport could be defined as
Or that it is a
But it's OK...
But when a reporter starts to call people dumb for what they like, then there's the backhand to a large demographic. That same backhand comes from a writer who doesn't get it because they've never tried it.
So I'm thinking we should all pile on over and leave some friendly and constructive comments that would help Eric understand that he's a bit off the mark with his perception and calling fans names. I will as soon as I can calm down because right now, nothing good is going to come out of my fingertips if I were to head over there. And I want to be friendly, constructive and gentle when I tell him to go to hell.
Oh, sorry, did that come out? See... I have to wait a bit before I get over there.
-Bruce
Eric goes on to support his perspective by saying that NASCAR does not compare to hockey and football. Fair enough. And Eric does give credit to being able to turn left repeatedly with precision accuracy for hours on end. OK, that's nice of him to give some credit.
But then he goes on to compare NASCAR to being on par with a Wii athlete and says that he, himself must then compare to a professional driver becuase he plays Gran Turismo. If I read that right.
Then he further augments his perspectives by grouping NASCAR in with WWE and he finishes the statement by saying,
"So it makes me want to say thank you to all the people who are hardcore fans. Those that push the notion that NASCAR is a true sport. You confirm my suspicion that being dumb and dangerous go hand in hand."
That's when I quit being so understanding of the ingorance involved in proclaiming something to not be a sport when, I presume, one has not even tried it. And calling the demographic supporting the support to be dumb.
-
Indeed. I get the premise that people WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN IN a racecar (You can spell that forwards and backward Eric) thinks it's not a sport, as compared to stick and ball events.
I get that one doesn't understand how much muscle it takes or that how damn brave you have to be to be hurtling along at 100+ mph. When you turn left, I was surprised by the amount of G-force applied to my brain and how dang heavy my arms got in the corners.
But I'm good with that because they don't get it.
But I don't think they get the on-going and constant physical demands put upon a driver in a car without power-steering or power brakes and endure performing in an environment that gets up to 130 degrees. Or losing several pounds of sweat per race.
Nah, I'm good with that too, because obviously he didn't do his research. I'm OK with not getting it and that grey area of what a sport is, whereby a sport could be defined as
"An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others."
Or that it is a
"Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively."
But it's OK...
But when a reporter starts to call people dumb for what they like, then there's the backhand to a large demographic. That same backhand comes from a writer who doesn't get it because they've never tried it.
So I'm thinking we should all pile on over and leave some friendly and constructive comments that would help Eric understand that he's a bit off the mark with his perception and calling fans names. I will as soon as I can calm down because right now, nothing good is going to come out of my fingertips if I were to head over there. And I want to be friendly, constructive and gentle when I tell him to go to hell.
Oh, sorry, did that come out? See... I have to wait a bit before I get over there.
-Bruce
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
TV Ratings Decline for Phoenix; But Can I Blame Digger?
If you're curious, Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500 race earned a 5.0 in the TV ratings.
This is a mixed bit of blessing in that this was the second-highest rating for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 (but that pitch seems weak when you see the chart below) but yet, tied for the lowest rating for the second race of any season, since Fox started airing NASCAR races.
Sure, there might have been other sporting venues on the tele, but there always are... and we just came off a huge, long, drawn out telecast from last weekend. There can be all kinds of things that account for the drop, including lack of appreciation of what goes into a race or those that tune in know that the big wrecks happen at the big tracks. (Sorry to say, but I've seen the generic fan reaction and it's a bit sad.)
Over on Sports Media Watch, they've charted out the ratings for the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, since 2001.
In 2009 the ratings took a huge dive.
Not to be a hater of the animated critter that was shoved down our throats by Fox, but wasn't 2009 when we started getting fed Digger bites, with the animation and then the next season, with that dreadful cartoon?
I'm sure I'm way off the mark on this one, but the emotional scars are still there and then this chart seems to correlate my own trauma. Did that many people really get turned off by the Digger marketing or just me?
Just sayin', in fun of course.
This is a mixed bit of blessing in that this was the second-highest rating for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 (but that pitch seems weak when you see the chart below) but yet, tied for the lowest rating for the second race of any season, since Fox started airing NASCAR races.
Sure, there might have been other sporting venues on the tele, but there always are... and we just came off a huge, long, drawn out telecast from last weekend. There can be all kinds of things that account for the drop, including lack of appreciation of what goes into a race or those that tune in know that the big wrecks happen at the big tracks. (Sorry to say, but I've seen the generic fan reaction and it's a bit sad.)
Over on Sports Media Watch, they've charted out the ratings for the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, since 2001.
Not to be a hater of the animated critter that was shoved down our throats by Fox, but wasn't 2009 when we started getting fed Digger bites, with the animation and then the next season, with that dreadful cartoon?
I'm sure I'm way off the mark on this one, but the emotional scars are still there and then this chart seems to correlate my own trauma. Did that many people really get turned off by the Digger marketing or just me?
Just sayin', in fun of course.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Ride Along as Tony Stewart races Daryl Waltrip for Charity
Hey all, thought I should pass this press release on... the time is short as the auction only goes through to tomorrow... but have at... good luck!
Are you interested in helping support charity by riding shotgun as Tony Stewart races Darrell Waltrip at Charlotte Motor Speedway? Who wouldn't be?
Tony Stewart and Darrell Waltrip are looking to raise some funds for Motor Racing Outreach through Charitybuzz.com. But what would charity be with some trash talk, because the two have been going at it about this Charlotte event!
Are you interested in helping support charity by riding shotgun as Tony Stewart races Darrell Waltrip at Charlotte Motor Speedway? Who wouldn't be?
Tony Stewart and Darrell Waltrip are looking to raise some funds for Motor Racing Outreach through Charitybuzz.com. But what would charity be with some trash talk, because the two have been going at it about this Charlotte event!
Fans that want to witness the legendary pair put their trash-talking to the test can bid on leading online charity auction website Charitybuzz.com to spend 4 laps in the passenger seat of Tony Stewart's car and 4 laps in Darrell Waltrip's car at Charlotte Motor Speedway as they take turns actually passing on the track. Bidding is open through Tuesday, March 6 at http://www.charitybuzz.com/catalog_items/294304.
Proceeds benefit Motor Racing Outreach, a nonprofit organization that serves the NASCAR community.
Charitybuzz raises funds for nonprofits around the globe through exclusive online auctions with the world's top celebrities, athletes and brands.
Jason Leffler will Participate in Rockingham Tire Test with The No 18 NNS Team
via Kyle Busch Motorsports press release:
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Jason Leffler and the No. 18 Dollar General Racing team will be one of three teams participating in a Goodyear tire test at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway March 6 and 7.
The test is being held in advance of NASCAR's return to the famed one-mile oval on Sunday, April 15 for the Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Club Roadside Assistance 200.
Other drivers that are participating include Timothy Peters (Red Horse Racing No. 17) and James Buescher (Turner Motorsports No. 31).
If you're interested, the grandstands will be open to fans, free of charge both days.
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Jimmie Johnson is Not In A Bad Points Hole Yet & Why I Think That
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I know that numerically, Jimmie's spot in the standings looks a bit dire, but the new points system can actually help him in the early weeks of the 2012 season.
In the old points system we had various point gaps between positions that made climbing up through the ranks a bit tough. But with the new points system in place, where only 1 point separates various finishing positions, the early weeks of the season could favor a strong showing for Jimmie Johnson.
Here's the thing...
The point spreads right now aren't huge or insurmountable. In this early part of the season while teams are feeling out their position in the season, there will be wins and 15th place finishes. All leading to a variability in the points for the teams.
For instance, though Johnson is 71 points behind points leader Denny Hamlin, a win by the former and a 10th place finish by the latter would pull Johnson to within 57 points of Hamlin. (This scenario assumes certain things to happen, and is the best case scenario for Johnson.)
If this happened a few times, things would be good. Obviously things don't work that easy, but right now, during these first few weeks of the season, Johnson can work the system while there's still some variability to be had in the points. It won't be too easy after the 4th or 5th week, but by then, Johnson has either regained his penalty points or not, and is in a position to work at his game.
The important part about the early weeks of the season is that positions will jump around at first. Look at this week after Phoenix. Kyle Busch climbed 8 spots into 9th and Brad Keselowski jumped 17 spots into 12th. Martin Truex Jr. clawed up 6 spots into 6th and the points leaders all swapped spots of 3 or 4 positions.
Right now there's volatility in the points standings that Jimmie Johnson has to take advantage of. At least if he wants to competitive early on and continuing into the latter-half of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
But that's just my take. Do you have any thoughts on the issue?
--
NASCAR-Bits-and-Pieces.com , on Twitter & Facebook .
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Sunday, March 4, 2012
Being A NASCAR Jet Dryer Driver Just Got Safer
No, Juan Pablo Montoya did not leave NASCAR. But after Montoya's car broke under caution and slid out of control into a Jet Dryer truck at Daytona, things have been changed for the better, at least for the drivers at the truck.
After the marshmallow roast that was the Daytona Jet Dryer truck, it was noticed that while scampering for his life, the driver didn't have a fire suit or helmet.
As unlikely as this event is to happen again, NASCAR instigated some new rules.
When jet dryer trucks are deployed, there will be an extra pace car behind the trucks with lights on, to apprise cars passing by about the truck that can go up in a ball of fire. And to slow down.
So the cars need to slow down when they approach.
Also the truck drivers will be wearing fire suits and helmets for the next time Montoya goes on a destructive bent! (sarc)-Bruce
They initiated the new rules at the Phoenix race today.
After the marshmallow roast that was the Daytona Jet Dryer truck, it was noticed that while scampering for his life, the driver didn't have a fire suit or helmet.
As unlikely as this event is to happen again, NASCAR instigated some new rules.
When jet dryer trucks are deployed, there will be an extra pace car behind the trucks with lights on, to apprise cars passing by about the truck that can go up in a ball of fire. And to slow down.
So the cars need to slow down when they approach.
Also the truck drivers will be wearing fire suits and helmets for the next time Montoya goes on a destructive bent! (sarc)-Bruce
They initiated the new rules at the Phoenix race today.
Short Recap of NASCAR's 'Subway Fresh Fit 500' from Phoenix
Darian Grubb Continues His Winning Ways at Phoenix with Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin sent a message today at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway by taking the checkered flag afte a hard-fought final set of laps. And defending champion crew chief Darian Grub also sent a message by getting his driver into the winner's circle.
Those last few laps were pretty intense because for all intent purposes, it looked like Kevin Harvick was overtaking Hamlin and that it would be Harvick's to not win. But with just over a lap to go, Harvick faded away from the back bumper of Hamlin's bumper, the conjecture being that he ran out of fuel.
Everyone was having fuel mileage concerns but Hamlin ran pretty good today at Phoenix.
Cars that had problems today included Clint Bowyer (tire), Kasey Kahne (Wall smack), Casey Mears (spin), Paul Menard (crash), collecting A.J. Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray, David Reutimann (engine), Ryan Newman (Crash) and Tony Stewart (FUEL INJECTION).
After 312 laps, 7 cautions, 15 leaders and 25 lead changes, Denny Hamlin showed that fear is not a factor... oh, wait, wrong show!
But Hamlin won, followed by Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, and Brad Keselowski. Danica Patrick WAS NOT in this race, so the media coverage was minimal. (snarc!)
Today's race propelled Denny Hamlin to the top of the driver points standings. Other improvements from last week were Greg Biffle (now 2nd), Kevin Harvick (3rd) and Matt Kenseth is now sitting in 4th.
These big jumps in positions are to be expected for a few races until things settle out.
Those last few laps were pretty intense because for all intent purposes, it looked like Kevin Harvick was overtaking Hamlin and that it would be Harvick's to not win. But with just over a lap to go, Harvick faded away from the back bumper of Hamlin's bumper, the conjecture being that he ran out of fuel.
Everyone was having fuel mileage concerns but Hamlin ran pretty good today at Phoenix.
After 312 laps, 7 cautions, 15 leaders and 25 lead changes, Denny Hamlin showed that fear is not a factor... oh, wait, wrong show!
But Hamlin won, followed by Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, and Brad Keselowski. Danica Patrick WAS NOT in this race, so the media coverage was minimal. (snarc!)
Today's race propelled Denny Hamlin to the top of the driver points standings. Other improvements from last week were Greg Biffle (now 2nd), Kevin Harvick (3rd) and Matt Kenseth is now sitting in 4th.
These big jumps in positions are to be expected for a few races until things settle out.
What? No Digger Mentions From Fox?
So this year, as I tuned into the Fox telecast, I sit and wait for the inevitable mention... and yet, nada! They've used the camera angle, and it is an awesome angle as the cars drive over the installation of Digger. And I've seen the animation pull out some ads from the side of the screen and such.
(Back in the day, it had been noted way back when, that Fox's David Hill wanted an animated mascot, much like Cletus from the NFL.)
But I got wondering why they stopped mentioning Digger? Why, after all that effort, would they be mum!
Maybe because the name Digger, as cute as it might seem, isn't the first time something animated has been named Digger.
So maybe fox caught that and backed off a bit. But with that said, I still love the camera angles the in-ground camera provides! It's a unique and rare perspective.
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