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| Sprint Cup Forum NASCAR Forum. ShortTrack to SuperSpeedway, come trade some paint with other race fans. Talk about everything that's NASCAR racing in our NASCAR Forum. |
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09-24-2008, 10:08 AM
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 2008 Chase Observations I'm taking a slightly different direction for the “Observations” posts for the 2008 Chase. Instead of a separate thread for each of the 12 races, there's only gonna be 1 thread and I'll just keep adding to it as the 12 races complete. To start of the Chase, I think it's important to show the tracks that are hosting Chase races along with the starting points for the drivers in the Chase and those seeking the $1M first non-Chaser prize. The 2008 Chase Schedule:
BTW: sorry for being a little slow getting this going, life keeps interrupting my plans.
__________________ I Am Y2K Compliant A selection of Ben Franklin-isms.
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09-24-2008, 10:11 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Sylvania 300 Observations Some “pre-race” observations (in no particular order)
And so the green dropped and the race (and the Chase) was underway. The first thing I noticed was there were 3 drivers who got most of the “attention” from the cameras and announcers for the first 50 laps or so: Kyle Busch (and rightly so), Matt Kenseth (that's strange .. wonder why Carl was “black balled”?) and (I can't believe it!) Joey Logano!!! Then after that it seemed Tony or Clint were the darlings of the media! On lap 31 I lost the sound! I was beside myself, looking both ways plus up and down all at once. What had happened? Turns out I sat my snack plate too close to the remote an bumped the mute button! Whew!!! Only missed 7 laps of the mindless drivel... Did ya notice, that when Junior took the lead he was looking awfully squirrelly? I think he was doing his best to overdrive the car .. I think the pressure to produce is getting to the guy! Oh well, by lap 190 he had started his customary slow slide to the rear. Don't know what happened! I was out of the room when Kyle B. had his wreck. And Rusty (the dog) wasn't any help at all. I don't remember them showing it again 'till late in the race when Kyle was involved in another incident. Tony was too anxious .. caught speeding on pit road .. put him a lap down and he spent the rest of the race racing his way back to the front. Ya gotta wonder how well he might have done had he not had so much lead in his driving shoes? Good old Joe .. he took pity on Tony and had a wreck so Tony could get his lap back with 81 to go. Then with 71 to go Petty got loose when they went 5 WIDE. Ended up collecting Kenseth, McCumbee, Mears, Gilliland & Vickers in the ensuing melee. They had to red flag the race for 10 minutes while they cleaned up the mess. Tony had “splitter smoke” at 50 to go. I still don't know if that's bad or just annoying.. With 35 to go, AJ wrecked courtesy of McDowell. Then at 21 to go Ragan spun. Both of these guys had a bad day. And on the restart at 13 to go, the Biff drives away from everybody!!! Some interesting post race comments:
And commercials of note:
This week's Winners and Losers: Winners:
Losers:
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09-24-2008, 10:12 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Standings after Race #1 The 2008 Chasers:
The $1 Million Prize Competition (first non-Chaser):
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09-24-2008, 10:15 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA Observations Some “pre-race” observations (in no particular order)
Not much to talk about with this race. Other than some early fast laps, and the last 40 laps, the race was pretty boring. But, I'll see what I can get out of my notes that was interesting. I guess David Gilliland was in a hurry to get to the front early .. like on lap 2!!! David, my boy, even if the race is one of the shorter ones, it still takes hours to run .. lap 2 is too early to be making a dangerous move! Did ya catch Jamie McMurray's comment on the radio when asked by his crew chief for status? He said “Just cruising...” It was plain to see he had the best car in the field. But his chances of winning the race had been sabotaged by his owner. Jack had done a crew member “shuffle” so that the three Chasers' teams had all the best crewmen and Jamie, being the lowest in points, was left with the worst Jack had .. and it showed. On two successive pit stops, Jamie's crew was slow enough they lost him 4 spots each time he came into the pits. And that led to Jamie being where he was when Robby spun and collected Jamie, effectively ruining Jamie's day. Had Jack not done what he had, he might have had his 2nd 1,2,3,4 sweep. Just goes to show what being greedy does... There was no doubt, Matt Kenseth has caught the fancy of the media. They spent a lot of time focused on him and talking him up. Now, don't get me wrong, I like Mattie and think he's gotten a raw deal from the media this season, but this was almost at the “Junior worship” level. Not even Flipper's big smile and post race antics could overshadow Mattie's performance (if based on the way the media covered the race.) JGR had a bad day .. in fact their day was the exact opposite of RFR's day. Denny Hamlin's unlucky number was 38. A little speeding penalty and he goes from top 10 to 30th. He finally landed at 38th, you guessed it: 38 laps down. Though Tony Stewart managed to finish on the lead lap, he wasn't able to break into the top 10, finishing just outside in 11th. And just when you thought Kyle Busch had recovered from the previous week's bad luck, it strikes again. “It's blowing up ... Yeee Haw!” Ya could tell he wasn't in the mood to talk as he blew right past Jamie Little, not even glancing her way, on his way to the hauler. She looked almost dumbfounded he didn't stop. I bet her first question was gonna be “How do you feel.....?” What's your opinion on Jimmie Johnson's (actually Chad Knaus') last pit strategy? Was it good or bad? I haven't made up my mind yet, but from the way things turned out, it wasn't so hot. Ya gotta wonder how much that debris caution cost the #48. I'm not sure if he had enough to hold back the Biff, but he might have been able to hang on to 2nd. How about Carl Edward's (actually Bob Osborne's) late pit strategy: taking 2 tires when everyone else took 4!!! Was it good or bad? I think they messed up big time. But then they still finished 3rd and that's nothing to sneeze at. Did ya notice the 2 non-chasers in the top 10? Mark Martin was obviously trying to impress his new boss as he was the highest finishing Chevy (4th). He might have even impressed his current boss! And then there was Mikey quietly going about the business of driving .. and finishing 10th! Just goes to show what he's capable of when he's not distracted by the camera. From all accounts, the Biff was ecstatic with his car in practice even though he didn't qualify all that well he still managed to start 5th. But he showed great poker playing ability, never showing his real strength until time to take the pot. And take it he did! Congrats to Greg Biffle on his win and being the first Chaser to win the opening two races. Methinks the Biff has everyone else muttering in their beers .. except for maybe Mattie who responded “I guess I'm 2nd happiest...” when asked how he “felt”, though he didn't smile much (are there any pictures of him smiling?) I have to say, though, that the last 40 laps were probably the most interesting and exciting racing to come out of Cup in quite a while Now if we could only get more races like this one (at least the last part), people would start tuning into the races again. This weeks Winners and Losers: Winners:
Losers:
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09-24-2008, 10:16 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Standings after Race #2 The 2008 Chasers:
The $1 Million Prize Competition (first non-Chaser):
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09-25-2008, 12:47 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations I thought they did away with the million dollar prize for the 13th place loser! |
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09-25-2008, 08:40 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Quote:
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09-25-2008, 10:40 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations they didn't. |
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09-25-2008, 11:11 AM
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09-30-2008, 07:22 PM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Camping World RV 400 presented by Coleman Observations Chase Race #3 Pre-Race “Stuff” 7 of the 12 Chasers are starting 24th or worse on the flat 1.5 mile “cookie cutter” at Kansas City. Lots of excuses/reasons, but the most heard are:
So I have this question? If everybody came here in the same boat, how come more than half of the “Best Drivers/Teams in NASCAR” can't do a better job qualifying? And how do you explain the 5 cars who are 22nd or worse in Owners (the Chosen) Points who qualified in the top 15 spots? Seems to make a strong argument for eliminating the Chosen 35 rule and letting the 43 fastest race, doesn't it?. Pre-Race Driver Comments:
The National Anthem:
Announcers and Reporters: Have you noticed Misters Punch, Petree and Jarrett cannot talk without hand gestures? Yep, they stop moving their hands when they're silent, but as soon as the first utterance escapes their vocal chords their hands are moving. I also noticed they start the pre-race with their jackets on, but by the time the race is over the jackets are elsewhere .. but the ties are still smartly knotted and sharp. Do ya think it might be “pre-programmed” that way? I know I do .. and that makes it phoney. In race reporter this week: Carl Edwards. Wonder how many times he's been “selected”? I know it's been a bunch. Pitcrew cam: Kyle Petty's rear tire changer. Sleeper Predictions:
As I was watching the parade laps waiting for the green flag, a random thought popped into my head and I almost dismissed it .. until I decided it might make a worthwhile topic of discussion. Here's my thought as it materialized: “I wonder whatever happened to the Le Mans start? Can you imagine these guys, with all their paraphernalia, running across the track and trying to get into their cars and safely strapped in before starting their engines and driving away? It boggles the imagination!” The Green Flag Waves... And Clint Boyer does a no-no which costs him many positions. It doesn't matter how slow Kyle Petty is, you still can't pass him before the flag stand on the start! Besides, ya can't win the race on the first lap! And Jeffie-pooh is under the weather but gamely giving it his best (which turned out to be pretty good!) After the race he commented: “I think I do better when I'm sick .. I need to be sick more often.” All I can say is if that's what it takes, do it! The Gremlins were under the hood of the #18 and made Shrub's day “self-explanatory”. Still he managed to finish about where he started, though the laps between the green and the checkered were not the happiest of his career. In fact, 2/3s of the JGR organization had a bad day. Denny Hamlin provided the only bright spot for them with his 11th place finish. Rick Hendrick put it best: “they're in a streak .. it happens to everyone .. you just have to keep doing what got you here and what you know is right.” (You might remember it was about this time last year when most were writing off the #48.) I wonder if he'll loan Chad out to the M&M's team for a few races? Remember Carl's primary rule for the race? If not, look back up the page .. I'll wait. Isn't it strange that shortly after uttering those words he “escorted” Vickers into his pit spot? Then a little later he got “up close and personal” with Dave Blaney on pit road. Methinks Flipper was only fooling around, but ya never know... Bono to Truex: “the track is gonna loosen up – I'm gonna make an air pressure change.” to which Martin responds “NO! Don't make any changes!” Well, by lap 70, I think Martin was kicking himself (which is pretty difficult strapped into one of those seats) Maybe next time he'll pay a little more attention to his crew chief .. (wonder if he's been hanging around Mark Martin a lot lately?) Mears gambled .. and lost. Decided to stay out when everyone else got tires and gas. Initially it appeared to be a good call .. but then green run got longer and longer and longer and... Casey couldn't make them tires any better. Is “RV Hill” at the speedway the highest point Kansas? Just wondering .. it sure looked like it. Boyer decides to help his cause .. and gets caught again! This time speeding! Does anybody think it's odd that the pit road speed it set to X, then they give you +5mph over that. And still these guys speed thru the pits! There were 6 cars caught speeding coming into the pits and 7 caught speeding coming out! Considering the penalty, I'd think it would be prudent to spend a couple extra seconds on pit road versus having to do a drive-thru and loosing a bunch more seconds. But race car drivers can be a bit hard-headed at times... Deja-Vue all over gain. David Ragan looked like the David of last year when he ran into Mikey who then ran into Sam, pretty much spoiling both of their days. But they must have put his medication in the Gatorade 'cause he calmed down and finished the race in good order. Speaking of Mikey, did you see that tire rubber disappear? Yep, Mikey shredded that thing and the rubber was flying off .. but it never landed on the track! NASCAR said it didn't and I believe them!  Mikey drove halfway around the track without leaving a spec of rubber anywhere!Late in the race, one of the announcers (I don't know whether it was Petree or Daugherty) said “Joe Nemecheck needs to move over for Edwards.” 'cause Carl was trying to run down Jimmie. To which I replied “BULL****!” Joe was not in the way and was giving Carl a lane down low and another up high! If Carl couldn't get around then he doesn't deserve to be in the Chase. It's that kind of mentality that makes the Chase such a joke. If the other 31 cars are “interfering” with the running of the Chase, then have them Chasers run their own race .. just the 12 of them. Then find somebody else to blame for their poor showing. This is a good time to bring up “media favorites.” I thought I'd never see the media pull for anyone over Jimmie Johnson, but they did. They were so in Carl Edwards camp, they've been cooking breakfast for him for the past two weeks! You could hear the disappointment in their voices as JJ drove away from Carl .. then the glee returned when Carl made his last gasp effort .. but the glee left quickly as JJ showed he wasn't Champ for nothing. Now, I will freely admit I'm not one of JJ's fans. In fact, I cheer when he has a bad day. But this day I was rooting for him BECAUSE OF the way the media was fawning over Edwards. They hardly gave Biffle any notice at all .. the guy who just won the last 2 races! They essentially ignored JJ (they have chosen their driver and the defending Champ isn't their man) Plus they hardly even mentioned Junior!!! They gave Gordo just a courtesy mention because he lasted the whole race, but I'm sure they were salivating over the prospects of him, near collapse, being hauled out of the car during the race. The nerve of him .. he even finished in the top 5! Chase Race #3 – Post Race “stuff” So, JJ wins the race (you didn't know? .. imagine that.) and the lovely pit reporter corners Knaus and fires the “feelings” question cleverly disguised in “drama” wording about how concerned he must be with such a tenuous points lead. Chad shot that one down with “It doesn't matter right now.” (Translation: there's still 7 more races .. anybody can still win .. it only matters to the media who's in the lead at the moment!) And Clint explained his brain-flatulence as “trying too hard. Is Junior sick or is he just out of condition? It was obvious to this observer he was in no condition, nor was he inclined to, give any kind of interview after the race. By the way he had his head buried in that towel, he was suffering from more than dissappointment. Kudos to Allmendinger (9th), Sadler (10th), Mears (14th) and McMurray (15th) for their good showings. It's obvious they've stepped up their program. Also to Chasers Gordon, Kenseth and Harvick for stepping up their programs as well. Winners and Losers The Winners (those who gained the most positions):
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09-30-2008, 07:23 PM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Standings after Race #3 The 2008 Chasers:
The $1 Million Prize Competition (first non-Chaser):
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10-08-2008, 07:54 PM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Amp Energy 500 Observations Hoo Boy! Where to start? The top? The bottom? The start? The end? Or somewhere in the middle? One thing about this race, it had something for just about everybody (I even found a few laps to snooze thru!) As a result, this week's Observations are a little different than the usual drivel I put out. Pre-race “Stuff” I knew these drivers, for the most part, are not what I'd call “big” guys – there's a few (Edwards, Said, etc.) but not many. So I was really struck by what I saw when Jamie Little interviewed Dale Earnhardt, Jr in the pre-game show. Maybe it was just the camera angle but he looked so small and frail standing next to her. But, he did make some good points about himself and his year: he has the equipment; he has the team; he has the drive and the desire, but he still needs to learn patience and he admitted his conditioning was lacking. (Didn't I say something about his conditioning just recently?) The National Anthem was spirited and exciting .. and sung? That wasn't singing .. it was talking. Did ya notice they painted up a school bus with the Amp Energy colors and are gonna give it away to some fan. Just think what the Amp Energy school bus would look like parked in your driveway! What? You don't think it would fit? Well, sell that place and get one with a bigger driveway! The lineup: hmmm. The middle of the pack were in front and the front (Chasers) were scattered from 12th all the way back to 39th (most being closer to 39th than 12th!) There were two “regulars” who didn't make the show (Hornish & Carpentier) and two part-timers who did (Mike Wallace and Sterling Marlin). Two old timers (Martin and Elliott) turned over their part time rides to the kids (Almirola and Wood) for the wreck-fest. Two full-timers (Allmendinger and Petty) were booted off the team and their seats taken by two “senior” drivers (Skinner and Terry Labonte). McDowell was given the chance to improve his bench experience while an old pro (Kenny Wallace) handled the wrecking chores. True to form, Kenny didn't disappoint, but confounded all the odds and finished on the lead lap in 12th! Ken Schrader, who was taking is turn in the rotation at HOF also overcame the odds and finished on the lead lap 4 spots behind Kenny. The “In Race Reporter” was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. No “crew cam” was identified, but I think this was ABC's cost cutting effort in the face of the down economy. The Race Is On! After as uneventful start at Talladega as I've ever witnessed, I'm starting to get drowsy: settling into the recliner for a long afternoon of “plate” racing. Something broke my peaceful “drifting” .. what was that? JJ is off the pace?!? Yep, after I pry the eyeball covers open and regain focus, there he is .. all alone .. nary another car in sight! By lap 11 he's 17 seconds off the pace. Meanwhile those DEI upstarts (Almirola and Menard) hook up and sail past Vickers for the lead. OK, back to normal “plate” racing... and much needed eyeball resting. Then Ken Schrader decided to keep JJ company. By lap 25, this dashing duo have gone a lap down. Where's the debris caution? We can't let the defending Champ stay in this situation! Come on NASCAR, DO SOMETHING! And they did ..8 laps later! By then it was too late for JJ. Robby had also gone a lap down and got the Lucky Dog instead of JJ. Meanwhile JJ's nemesis (Edwards) has been “cruising” near the back of the pack .. staying, not inches, not feet, not even yards, but furlongs away from the other “tail-enders.” In a stroke of genius (some say folly) Carl pits 1 lap later than the rest of the pack. Hurriedly the pit reporter rushes to Osborne to find out “whaddup?” “We're OK, just working our strategy....” he replies. Verified in short order by the “In Race Reporter.” Then Kenny W. shorts out between the ear-plugs: 100+ mph on pit road!!! What's that all about? Bobby Labonte and Schrader try to follow but get nabbed by the law also. Then Robby gets held a lap for taking fuel twice???? Where is that in the rule book? Finally they're all going again .. but not for long. (Green flag lap 38, yellow flies lap 45) NASCAR finally “found” debris on the track at the right time so JJ could get his lap back! The world is beginning to tilt back to normal. Pit stops are looking good .. Sadler is first out! But Ryan stalls on pit road .. his crew has to push him back to the pits .. but they get charged with too many men over the wall (has Ryan been hitting the fried chicken too hard lately thus needing some extra muscle to push him around?) Green Flag lap 49 .. lap 50: Ryan is in the garage – he's lost a cylinder. Dave Blaney is complaining of electrical problems. And what's this? Kyle Busch and Hamlin are hooked up and charge into the lead the next lap. But brother Kurt ain't gonna let little brother show him up, so he and Vickers hook up and pass Kyle on the next lap! Then Rooty blows a tire and Gordo crashes trying to miss him. Yellow on lap 54. Robby gets his lap back. (No matter what you do, NASCAR, you ain't gonna get Robby Down!) Carl (and CC, Bob) sees they're gonna be smack dab in the middle of the pack if they pit when they're supposed to, so they pit early and draw the “TE” penalty (Tail End of longest line.) This race ain't even a third done and it's gotten completely out of hand. NASCAR better do something! Green flag lap 58 .. OK starting to look like a Talladega race .. 'cept all the wrong cars are fighting for the lead. Uh Oh - The Big One!!! It only took 10 laps before Vickers blew the right front tire with Junior in the lead .. taking out 9 cars. Yep, the world is getting back to where it's supposed to be. A 17 minute Red Flag follows while they scrape up the parts off the track. Junior brings 'em down for the restart on lap 72, but 9 laps later, Mike Wallace blows a tire .. nobody crashes, but Waltrip gets some damage from Wallace's tire and heads to the pits for repairs. Shrub brings the field to green on lap 86, Wallace is in the garage from the tire damage, but Gordo joins the pack a lap later .. 33 laps down. On lap 97, Hamlin takes the lead and a lap later his right front tire explodes sending him hard into the turn 2 wall. They load him on a gurney and whisk him off to the hospital .. he's awake and alert, but the docs want to observe him a while longer. Riggs brings the field to green on lap 104. Then follows 32 laps of lead changes with Harvick assuming the lead for most laps lead at lap 131. But 7 laps later Gordo slows everything down with smoke and fluids coming out of his car .. Gordo's done for the day. On lap 142, Biffle pits turning the lead over to Nemechek, setting a new record for most drivers leading a race at 27. Then Nemechek pits and Shrub brings the field to green on lap 144. JJ restarts 5th but quickly begins his rearward march (their race strategy: run at the back until the end.) Meanwhile Junior is employing the opposite strategy .. get to the front as much and quickly as possible. HMS 4th car (Mears) is mostly forgotten, though he started on the front row... 20 laps later Harvick spins giving everyone a chance to relax for a lap or two and let the blood back into the white knuckles. Montoya brings the field to green on lap 169 .. the finish is in sight. Whoa up there buckaroo! The BIGGER One calls a halt to the proceedings 5 laps later as Edwards bump drafts Biffle in the corner, sending his Roush teammate into a spin that ends up taking out 10 more cars, including Happy who just survived the spin a few laps before. The race restarts on lap 178 with Tony Stewart bringing the field to the Green. But the euphoria of the end of the race is delayed as McMurray blows a tire on lap 184 (this is what, the 5th to explode in the race?) Happy gets back on track for the final few laps to collect whatever extra points he can. Stewart leads the field to the Green – White – Checkered. But there's controversy as Regan Smith crosses the stripe first. Did Regan purposefully go below the yellow line to improve his position or was he forced there? NASCAR said he did it purposefully. Regan said he was forced there. But NASCAR is wearing the referee stripes, so their call is law. Stewart gets the win. Regan gets a “drive thru” penalty which places him at the tail end of the lead lap .. in 18th. After the Race Tony, happy to “finally” get his win at Talladega, admits in post race interviews he forced Regan Smith below the line. But he likes NASCAR's call... NASCAR says they didn't see it the way Tony said. Allegations fly as folks say NASCAR is playing favorites again .. that if it had been Junior rather than Regan, the call would have went the other way.... Goodyear is getting heat again 'cause their tires are blowing up (exploding) for no reason (that they can find.) They promise a “full investigation” .. back at Akron. To recap: Reutimann – RR, Vickers RF, M. Wallace – RR, Hamlin – RF, McMurray - RR After the race Junior said there's guys out there who don't know how to bump draft (wonder if that remark was directed at Flipper?) .. that there was too much banging going on .. that it was “real dangerous.” Maybe Junior needs to hold a class for drivers called “Bump Drafting 101” .. after all, he was taught by the best bump drafter ever! And so the Chasers didn't have such a good outing. Even though one of them won the race, only four finished in the top 10. But then, that's Talladega! The only commercial of note this week (that I made note of) was
Winners
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10-08-2008, 07:55 PM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Standings after Race #4 The 2008 Chasers:
The $1 Million Prize Competition (first non-Chaser):
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10-22-2008, 12:06 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Tums QuickPak 500 Observations Some housekeeping: I was out of town last week and missed the race. But I had it recording on the DVR. However, when I got home late Sunday night, it seems my daughter-in-law had accidentally erased it. So, without any first hand knowledge of the race, I decided to skip the Observations for the Lowe's race. Plus, I've found my relaxation time severely cut into by all the re-working going on at GoTeamsGo, I'm hoping you appreciate what the staff is trying to accomplish: grow all the forums. Like all growth tho, there's often growing pains to go with it. Believe me when I say, we understand the frustration some of you have, we're suffering also. But as is the case of untrained amateurs trying to fill paid experts shoes, it's oftentimes slow and painful. However, we don't lack enthusiasm .. just skill. So bear with us as we learn. Here's what you can do to help: remember that story you saw elsewhere that you wanted to comment on? Well, you can help us eliminate some of the news-bot posts by posting the story yourself. It's easy, and if you need help, that's what me and the other mods are here for. The Pre-Race Show I'm just guessing, but it looked like the Martinsville High School Marching Band was about 30 strong. And I'm proud to say they did an excellent job with the National Anthem! )The kids get it! I wish some of those “entertainers” that we've had to suffer thru this year “got it”...) And how about the Army Master Sargent's “Gentlemen Start Your Engines!” Some would say, it was the best this year .. and I would agree! In-Race Reporter, Clint Boyer, said his focus was “being patient” (something he neglected to do at Talladega.) His crew chief, Gill Martin, said their strategy was to “treat it like a road race .. work back from the end.” It's hard to say whether he/they did or not. But he got a 9th, starting 5th. Rusty's Keys to Surviving Martinsville:
Sleepers:
The Race is on! Remember these words: tires and rear end gears. Early movers in the race were Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch (following Tony to the front.) I couldn't believe my ears: “Gordon isn't giving Johnson any room to pass him!” Those words uttered from one of the crack (and obviously biased) announcers. My question is: Why would he? He was in 1st place and JJ was 2nd. If JJ wants the lead he has to work for it! That bit of obvious announcer bias was followed shortly by “Junior rolling thru the corner touches McMurray.” What I saw was Junior drive way too hard into the corner and use McMurray to slow himself down. My son said: “In real life, Junior would have been sent to the back for rough driving and McMurray given his spot back.” But then it was JUNIOR so no foul (no matter what the harm.) I was glad (and somewhat surprised) that Brad Daugherty spoke up and told it like it was. (I don't think he was very popular in the booth after that.) Shrub has a flat and gets a 2 lap penalty 'cause he chose not to drive around the track with a flat tire. Somehow that seems all wrong. But then I remember: that's NASCAR! Shrub's problem was a melted tire bead .. two more cars had the same problem in the same corner just moments later and parked behind him on the track. But they didn't get a penalty... That's NASCAR! The epitome of consistency. Following on with the crack group of announcers: at lap 375 Brian Vickers passes Carl Edwards for 3rd and one of the announcers sees it and says “We haven't talked about him much.” Then they switched the subject to the Hamlin – Gordo battle for 6th. Talk about things falling just right: with 115 to go, JJ's jackman slips on brake dust and falls coming around the front of the car. Still wobbling, he continues on and .. they still come off pit road first!!! With 100 to go, McMurray breaks a rear end gear while running 4th (yes, he was in front of Junior .. way in front) sending him to the garage. Jamie wasn't the only one suffering this problem .. last I knew about 4-5 cars had the same problem. Burton gets boxed out of his pit space by Gordo, causing him to go in at an awkward angle and stopped with a front wheel outside the box. Before they realize what's happened, the crew has already changed right side tires .. automatic penalty. This little faux paux took him out of contention for a T5 and gave JJ a significant points lead. Records of sorts:
Post Race Junior was pleased with his performance. Then he said the famous words “I was wanting a long green but NASCAR's gonna get some cautions at the end of the race to pack 'em up” referencing there's no chance for the leaders to run off and hide from the rest of the field 'cause NASCAR wants a tight pack for the final laps .. it builds excitement (and causes wrecks!) I about fell out of my chair when Daugherty said “Did I hear that right?” Evidently so, cause I understand Junior said it again in the media center a little later. The only commercial of note was: “I'm not used to working this long” Ron Capps to Michael Waltrip in a NAPA spot that was starting to get a bit old by the end of the race. Plastic ties? Did you notice the ties on the 3 stooges during their race wrap-up? Reminded me of those cheap synthetic clip-on's you can buy for a buck when you forget to pack yours. Is ABC getting cheap or did all 3 forget to pack their ties? My Opinion:
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10-22-2008, 12:10 AM
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| Re: 2008 Chase Observations Standings after Race #6 The 2008 Chasers:
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