Dale Earnhardt Jr Lead (Sort of) The 2011 Diecast Sale Momentum... Again

Even though he's not achieved a victory on the track in a while, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is holding his own in the 2012 standings, holding at 3rd, only 14 points out of first.  But he has no wins this year and it's been a while!  Yet by the shear momentum of his popularity, he continues to be the golden child, so to speak of NASCAR merchandise.  And to be honest, when he does get his next win, fans will be feeling pretty vindicated.

But no matter what, Dale Earnhardt Jr., being the most popular driver of NASCAR, again, led the diecast sales of 2011.  A while back Lionel sent out a list of top selling diecasts.

Now true, Dale Jr. is not the No. 1 selling single diecast, but if you look at 4th, 7th, & 9th...  well, you'll see:

Lionel's top-10 diecasts for 2011, measured by sales:
1. Jeff Gordon No. 24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
2. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet
3. Trevor Bayne No. 21 Motorcraft Daytona Win Ford
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Amp Energy Chevrolet
5. Tony Stewart No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet
6. Dale Earnhardt No. 96 Cardinal Tractor Ford
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 National Guard Heritage Chevrolet
8. Tony Stewart No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Dale Jr. Foundation/Vh1 Save the Music Chevrolet
10. Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Military Tribute Chevrolet

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Kurt Busch, Tony Gibson & Others On Probation From Darlington Events

Kurt Busch has found himself on probation yet one more time, and also has found himself contributing $50k to the NASCAR foundation from the events that took place at Darlington last weekend.

Last weekend a few things took place with a few laps to go and in the course of getting repairs to his car, when his team was done with him on pit road, he went screaming out of his pit, passing through Ryan Newman's pit.  Apparently it was a wee bit too close for some in that pit stall because I believe there were still a few guys standing around in it.

After the race, some of the crew for Ryan Newman's No. 39 car, took offense to the behavioral patterns they were observing and a few of them went over to Kurt's pit stall to "chat" about it!

Oops.

Here's how things look when all was said and done today after NASCAR handed out the penalties:

"NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 51 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, $50,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until July 25 for his actions during the May 12 race at Darlington Raceway.

Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; reckless driving on pit road during the race; involved in an altercation with another competitor after the completion of the race) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book.

Craig Strickler, a crew member for the No. 51 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; interfering with a member of the broadcast media).

(Seriously, Craig?  Did you not take notes when Kurt went off on Jerry Punch?)

Tony Gibson, crew chief for the No. 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, has been placed on NASCAR probation until June 27 for violating Section 12-1 and Sections 12-4G and 9-4A (Crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his team members, aka, Rueger?).

Andrew Rueger, a crew member for the No. 39 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until June 27 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; failure to comply with a directive from a NASCAR official)."

Kurt Busch Has Another Bad Night and Ryan Newman's Team Didn't Like It!

Last weekend saw another Busch brother incident but I don't think it was what the media is making it out to be.

It all started with Kurt Busch getting loose and spinning late in the race.  Ryan Newman slowed to not hit him and got spun himself by someone else.  It was just racing and no one person caused the other person any harm.

Kurt wasn't having an optimal day as this was his second issue of the night.

But...

After pitting, apparently Busch was ticked at the world and once he finished his pit stop, peeled out through Ryan Newman's pit stall, which was in front of his.  The No. 39 team felt that was a bit haphazard.

But still, no big deal.

But then after the race, while Kurt was (per him) removing his helmet, hit Ryan's car.  That's when teams got into it with some difference of opinions and one of Ryan's guys went over to "chat!"

Nothing huge came of it, but a NASCAR official did get pushed a bit and ended up on the Kurt's hood.

To be honest, Kurt and Ryan had nothing to do with each others spin, technically.  Kurt was ticked and some sources say he was tearing up a verbal storm after his own spin.  But when he bumped Ryan's car, well, there was nothing Kurt could have been mad about and that, I'm sure, was just an accident or oversight.

But Ryan's team member might be getting an opportunity to contribute to the NASCAR foundation via a nice penalty.  We'll see what comes of that on Tuesday.

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Will Denny Hamlin Snag Another Win at Darlington?

Headed into Darlington for the the Bojangles' Southern 500, one has to wonder if this is the night that Jeff Gordon will stop having silly luck or will Denny Hamlin pour it on and snag another win?

Or will Jimmie Johnson or Brad Keselowski snag a win away from the favorites?  Check out the brief set of stats below and see what you think!

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DARLINGTON-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M / OH / ES Ford)

·         Two wins, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 14.2



Kyle Busch (No. 18 Wrigley Toyota)

·         One win, one top five, three top 10s

·         Average finish of 17.1



Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, seven top 10s

·         Average finish of 15.2



Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

·         Three top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 13.9



Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

·         Seven wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 11.1



Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota)

·         One win, two top fives, five top 10s

·         Average finish of 6.5



Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet)

·         Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s

·         Average finish of 9.8



Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Rockwell Tools Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, three top 10s; four poles

·         Average finish of 14.6



Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

·         One top five, two top 10s

·         Average finish of 7.3



Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, five top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 14.5



Ryan Newman (No. 39 WIX Chevrolet)

·         Seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

·         Average finish of 11.6



Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         Three top fives, 10 top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.3


Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)

·         Two top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.3

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NASCAR is at Talladega & All You Wreck-Fest Fans Can Be Happy

NASCAR is at the Talladega Superspeedway, the place where the "big one" (Racing accident involving 5 or 10 and upwards of 15 cars sometimes) tends to happen, more often than not.  That means for those of you who seem bored with good quality race track action this year, you might just want to tune in and check out the NASCAR race this weekend, no matter which series it is.  Though if all you are is a wreck monger, I'd bet the Nationwide Series event on Saturday is where you'll get more bang for your buck.

This season has been a bit of an eye-opener for me as fans would seem to be getting bored with races that have fewer cautions.  This has the industry chatting about what it is the TV fan wants.  And from what I've seen, the TV fan wants to see wrecks.  I get it.

More than 15 years ago, I use to make sure, if anything, I'd tune into the Talladega and Daytona races from NASCAR because the racing accidents are spectacular.  Back then, I didn't care who was driving what or who was in the standings where.  No...  just show me racing and the inevitable wreck.

Since those days, I've come to appreciate the actual form of racing.

Getting a race car on the track and winning takes more than getting inside and turning left repeatedly.  It takes a driver who can repeat the motions of "turning left" with inhuman precision.  It takes guts to be turning left and having your back wheels chirping and kicking out to the right at 160 to 200 mph.  Guts and talent, which I appreciate watching.

I am in the minority when I say I like the in-car and bumper camera shots.  But again, those shots exemplify the talent and daring going on during the race.  I sit, marveling at how the cars bounce about and not hit each other at 200mph.  But then again, that's because of the drivers constantly counter steering against the improbably act of physics trying to do its thing while the drivers are trying to keep the car going forward at an insane speed where the back tires are trying to pass up the front end of the car.

And the engineering, whether it be on-the-fly, or in the garage at home before getting to the track, is an amazing feat.  A combination of scientific factors of weight management combined with the effects of tire wear and driver skill all come together on the track during the race.

That's the prize for me.  But I'm not your regular TV fan.

I've seen the regular TV fan revel in the wrecks at the sports bar and I get why Fox panders to them with their ads full of carnage.  And if anyone is seriously hurt or killed, the fans & Fox they'll commiserate with the masses later, while Fox ignores how they glorify the wrecks in their marketing.

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So sure, the huge wrecks are an incredible event to watch but I'm not sure I enjoy the actual results, the injuries to the drivers or fans and all the time and money spent creating these demo-derby cars.  If you really need to see wrecks, watch those Fox shows that show wrecks. 

Better yet, support your local small track and hit them up when they have figure-8 races or demo-derbies.  That way you'll support your local racing industry while getting this need for carnage out of your system.

Me, I'm here to watch the tactics, planning and racing itself.  But that's just me and I'm weird that way!

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FOX Let's The Debris Black Helicopters Continue To Circle

Last Saturday night's Richmond race was pretty interesting as fates of drivers changed hands quickly during the different late-race cautions.

But one in particular, was when Tony Stewart was trouncing the field in his clean air and looking like the race was his to lose.

That is, until the debris caution.

Now maybe I looked away and maybe they just didn't cover it, but I don't remember seeing on the TV coverage from Fox, the debris.  Tony Stewart's been quoted in grumbling about the debris being a plastic water bottle.  But he had additional issues when his pit crew flubbed it up a bit too.

But others saw a piece of sheet metal being picked up, so maybe Tony was focused on the wrong thing.

Regardless, Dave Moody said he saw the metallic debris getting picked up and that is wasn't a water bottle.  He added during his Sirius XM NASCAR broadcast that drivers constantly toss out water bottles after leaving pit road and the they usually drift down the embankment towards the inside wall.  And we don't see cautions for those.

So be it as it may, while fans are getting in a tizzy about the mystery caution, it seems the Fox dropped the ball again on covering the debris.

Why?

Because fans get suspicious when yellow flags come out at wonderfully opportune times to gather up the field and they need to be soothed.  At least the logical ones do.

In jest, some were suggesting that the track man who picks up the debris should hold it up and pose with it until the TV coverage catches it.  I say put a helmet cam on the man, or make him tweet a picture of what he picks up.

Either way would be good evidence that would circumvent telecast oversights.

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Carl Edwards Restart Gate, The Newest Drama in NASCAR

During the Richmond race last Saturday night, those last 50 laps or so saw fortunes come and go, but none so much as the Carl Edwards snafu that took place when he took off too early on the green flag.

But did he goof or get overtly over aggressive?  Depending on who you read, different names/numbers were on the leader board in the infield.

It seems at one point, the infield leader board showed Carl Edwards as the leader, and when the race restarted on lap 319, Edwards took that to heart.

But then later Tony Stewart said that after the caution, they were the first to line up after the pit stops that were under caution and when he looked, saw that he was the leader on the board.

Oh, that pesky board.

Looking around the web (Twitter, Facebook and the myriad of hundreds of other social platforms), here's what bits I caught:

At one point, the leader board did seem to show Edwards leading.  A few folk relayed that message around to the team members.  (Yet I'm thinking, if you know you pulled out of the pits 2nd, why aren't you thinking this one through?)

But then what I heard was that while the cars were scuffing/warming up the tires under caution, Edwards car pulled a bit in front of Stewart's car and the leader board, being live apparently, registered this change, and some folks had bad timing when they looked up to see who was supposed to be where.

We've seen that a million times, the pair of lines of cars coming down the track, the cars swerving madly (so it looks) left and right to get the rubber schmootz off the tires, getting ready for the restart.  Right?

And when they do that, either line can incidentally scoot out in front of the other one for just a second or two.  No one is worried about places during this phase of the lap, because it's under caution.  The critical time of the race is when the flag flies.  Then you need to be in the right spot on the track.

So it was bad timing when then Edwards team members and Carl, looked up to see where they were at.

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The other issue was that Carl "started" the race way too early, before the approved acceleration or start line zone on the track where the competitors in the front row can put the pedal to the metal.  Yea, he left a wee bit too early.

With that said, another mistake that could be a costly one, come this November, if Carl Edwards is contending once again.  This could be the one moment he looks back and kicks himself.  Or, like last season, pick one!  Any one moment last season, had he inched out one more position in any of the races last year would have captured him the championship.

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Bruton Is Scraping Down The Outside Line of Bristol

Today (4/25/12) Bruton Smith had announced what they're doing to Bristol's track surface.  The kludge being applied to the mini-superspeedway will be focused on the outside line in the corners.

-Bruton Smith, in a radio press conference noted that the cars coming off the outside line had an advantage in the last event held there and from what he described, he wants to remove that advantage.  To do that, he's going to take off some of the angle in the top groove of this progressive banked track in the corners so that the cars that end up there don't have more banking than the cars in the middle or lower grooves.

By removing the "advantage" that, in Smith's eyes, will "mix it up."

This change is a result of a survey that Bruton Smith gave fans, and the fans said they wanted more bumper to bumper racing.  But their own survey indicated that around 40% of the survey takers wanted change, so change it is!  The minority has spoken.

But even so, Smith indicates that ticket sales have increased, (tripled) since they announced a change will be made to the track.  I wonder how large a number that is... is that the now sold 3 versus 1 ticket?  Snark!

His tackling the track surface like this is in response to what he (Smith) believes are that fans want more wrecks.  So he's catering to them.  I'm sure the hard core fan is aghast to that premise.  Hell, if he wants to give that demographic of fans more wrecks, why not install a figure-8 track in the middle of the place?  Everyone will have a great seat for that one!!!

But despite the long-term, hard-core fan not liking the idea of wrecks, other fans, the casual fans, light up and enjoy them.  I've been in sports bars and when NASCAR comes on one of the tubes and they show wrecks, the crowd gets animated.

And that kind of attention from the casual fan is hard to ignore because of the potential of numbers that the casual fan can represent.  At the end of the day, the dollar is the bottom line, no matte what hard-core, long-time fans may worry about.

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So applying this kludge is going to eliminate the third, outside lane of racing, forcing racers to use the inside or middle lines.

We'll see how that goes.

This change will put you in one of two groups.  Those who like it and those who don't.  But once Smith jumped the shark with the 2007 change, the original track was lost forever, and so too, the spirit of the races at Bristol.  Bruton is NOT bringing back the old configuration.  He's adapting the newest or best approach he thinks will work.  Before we condemn him, remember, he does have a knack for finding what works and making it happen.

Well see how things pan out at the next event at the bullring.

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I Can't Take D-Shaped Tracks or Daryl On TV Any More!

Well, after ten plus solid years of never missing and watching each televised NASCAR race in its entirety, Daryl Waltrip won and for the first time in eleven years, I did not watch the entire race, as televised, from Texas or Kansas.  And there were a few factors that contributed to this slip.

D-Shaped Tracks Can't Be Good for TV Ratings
Cookie cutter mile and a half (or mid to large sized D-shaped tracks) can be quite the challenge to the viewer as you watch the race start and then the teams stretch out around the circuit.  There's only so much you can do with a D-shaped track and when there are so many of them in the season, well, it gets old.  No matter how much they pitch that track surface characteristics are different.  (And it's true.  Track surfaces in different climes can become different beasts.  But to the TV viewer, that's just word-smithing that more than likely falls on deaf ears.)
And the most shocking thing I did was that during Texas, I tuned in, watched the start.  And then I rented a movie.  When the movie ended, I still had plenty of time and racing action to get my NASCAR fix.  Kansas is interesting but in the end, it too provides a D-shaped racing experience.  Though I have to admit, a few of those restarts definitely got me on the edge of my seat.
Sorry gang, but that's how it is.  I make points with my wife, don't get too bored with the racing show, and still can keep up with the sport.  If the races were shorter I'd have a better reason to stick around.  But even though this is a sport about endurance and skill, I get the length of each event.  But fans, I think, need more to have an anticipation for.
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And Then There's Daryl Waltrip
Daryl Waltrip has won.  His presentation of what information he has is getting distracting at best for this viewer.
I think I started anti-focusing on Daryl back during the Daytona race this year.  I remember his statement about the fuel truck when it was on fire...  He more or less said that (while it was burning) someone should get in the truck and drive it off the track to prevent further damage from occurring to the track surface.  ...crickets.
Since then I've been a bit focused on what he says and I have to say, he seems to come up with some gems during each race.
I like to think I respect the experience of a driver whose behind the microphone, but I'm coming to realize that I'd rather appreciate the skills from a driver whose driven one of the cars from this era.  Right now, all Daryl has to offer is an opinion on a generic mindset of racers and some incredible historical perspectives.  Aside from that, I've seen more often than not his in-race predictions pander out a lot.  It's not his fault, but you'd think someone would direct him better.
Maybe it's just me, but he's become distracting
And as I look at that, I have to wonder who Fox is trying to appeal to with the cast of characters they've been presenting NASCAR with.  Sure, it's their roots, but isn't that demographic already sold on the sport?  And maybe that's working for Fox.  Who knows.

NASCAR on 'Top Gear'

Top Gear visited NASCAR recently and plans on airing the results from their visit on their episode that's airing on April 30th.

In the episode, Top Gear will touch on the history of the sport while also spending time chatting with Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya.

The show spent time at the recent event at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Top Gear comes from the BBC and focuses on different, unique and entertaining aspects of motor vehicles.  In one episode, they alloted the hosts very little money to buy a junker, then drive it a specified distance.

But then on the other end of the spectrum, they get to also test out some of the snazzier sports cars out there.  It's pretty interesting with the cut and dry British humor you'll find laced throughout the show.

It could be very interesting to check out, that's for sure.

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