Voting for the
2012 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) NASCAR Most Popular Driver
award is now underway. The 10-week playoff format will return,
with the top 10, based on votes received, competing for top accolades at
season's end.
Fans can visit www.MostPopularDriver.com and vote once a day
for their favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup driver. Voting for the full field of
drivers will end on Sept. 8 at 11:59 PM ET. The 10 drivers with the most votes
will be announced as finalists, and the vote count will reset to zero.
Fans will then have 10 race weeks to cast their votes once a day to
determine the 2012 NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver from the final field of 10
drivers. Voting will conclude Nov. 18 at 11:59 PM ET. The winner will be
announced at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon in December.
Dale
Earnhardt Jr. notched his ninth consecutive NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver
Award last season. Only Earnhardt Jr. and Bill Elliott have won the award nine
consecutive times since the award's inception in 1953.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Daytona needs more repave work
Daytona
International Speedway plans to make long-term repairs to the area of
Turn 3 where Juan Pablo Montoya struck a jet-dryer during the Daytona
500 and ignited a large fire that delayed the race for more than two
hours.
Lane
Construction, which handled Daytona's recent repaving project of the
entire track, will remove the affected area of Turn 3 and repave it.
The project will be completed in time for the July NASCAR race
weekend.
“Once
this work is complete, we expect no further issues related to the jet
dryer crash,” said track president Joie Chitwood III.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
NASCAR drivers pick their Final Four
It's March Madness time and even many in NASCAR pay close attention to the four weeks of basketball that culminates with the NCAA Championship.
Here is a rundown of several NASCAR drivers' Final
Four picks. Do they match yours? In my bracket, I have Kentucky, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Missouri.
Brendan Gaughan: Georgetown, Florida State, Michigan State, Duke
Kurt Busch:
Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Kansas
Austin
Dillon: Kentucky, Florida State, Missouri, North Carolina
David
Ragan: Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, Syracuse
David
Gilliland: Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio St, KansasJustin Allgaier: Kentucky, Missouri, Syracuse, North Carolina
Jason Bowles: Kentucky, Murray St., Syracuse, Michigan
TJ Bell: Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio St.
Dakoda Armstrong: Indiana, Michigan St., North Carolina, Ohio State
Paulie Harraka (and Duke senior): Duke, Duke, Duke and Duke
Travis Kvapil: W. Kentucky, UNC Asheville, Long Island, and Lamar/Vermont winner (All 16th place seeds)
Aric Almirola: Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio St., Michigan St.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Q&A with Rick Hendrick
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick took several questions following his appearance Tuesday before the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Board. The three-member board upheld all penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 48 team following rules violations found in opening day inspection for the Daytona 500.
Hendrick: I appreciate the process. It was a lot of conversation today, and of course we’re disappointed that the outcome was the way it was. But we’re going to go ahead to the next level and present our case one more time. So I stand firmly behind our guys. But I do applaud NASCAR in giving us a process that we can present our side of things, and then try to come to a conclusion. So for that I’m very appreciative of the system that NASCAR has in place. So we’re just onward and upward. We’ll go to Bristol (Tenn.), and we’ll try to get No. 200, and we’ll deal with this one when the time comes.
Q: Because of the appeal, will Chad Knaus be in Bristol?
Hendrick: Chad (Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet) will be in Bristol.
Q: When do you expect the next appeal to be heard?
Hendrick: They’ll just have to tell me when to show up.
Q: How comfortable do you feel about the appeals process?
Hendrick: All I can tell you is I believe in my guys, and I believe in the system, but we’ll just have to take it. You know, you won’t know till it’s over, and I know how we feel, and so we’ll just have to go on. I appreciate you letting our guys do their jobs until it’s over.
Hendrick: I think it’s best that I just wait till we go through the processes. There’s really nothing for me to talk about that you don’t already know, and when we have an opportunity to go through the process, then we can talk about how we disagree.
Q: Would you like to see the process changed?
Hendrick: You know, it’s hard to say. I think it’s a good process, and I say these guys are very capable people. I think it’s just hard to have someone to try to digest everything that you have to digest in this situation. But again, from the days I started in this sport, and what you had to deal with to today, NASCAR has made tremendous strides and none of us want to have to go through this. But sometimes you just disagree, and this is one of those cases.
Q: Do you have a legitimate hope of having it overturned? Why don't you just accept it and move on?
Hendrick: I don’t accept it. Period.
Hendrick: I appreciate the process. It was a lot of conversation today, and of course we’re disappointed that the outcome was the way it was. But we’re going to go ahead to the next level and present our case one more time. So I stand firmly behind our guys. But I do applaud NASCAR in giving us a process that we can present our side of things, and then try to come to a conclusion. So for that I’m very appreciative of the system that NASCAR has in place. So we’re just onward and upward. We’ll go to Bristol (Tenn.), and we’ll try to get No. 200, and we’ll deal with this one when the time comes.
Q: Because of the appeal, will Chad Knaus be in Bristol?
Hendrick: Chad (Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet) will be in Bristol.
Q: When do you expect the next appeal to be heard?
Hendrick: They’ll just have to tell me when to show up.
Q: How comfortable do you feel about the appeals process?
Hendrick: All I can tell you is I believe in my guys, and I believe in the system, but we’ll just have to take it. You know, you won’t know till it’s over, and I know how we feel, and so we’ll just have to go on. I appreciate you letting our guys do their jobs until it’s over.
Hendrick: I think it’s best that I just wait till we go through the processes. There’s really nothing for me to talk about that you don’t already know, and when we have an opportunity to go through the process, then we can talk about how we disagree.
Q: Would you like to see the process changed?
Hendrick: You know, it’s hard to say. I think it’s a good process, and I say these guys are very capable people. I think it’s just hard to have someone to try to digest everything that you have to digest in this situation. But again, from the days I started in this sport, and what you had to deal with to today, NASCAR has made tremendous strides and none of us want to have to go through this. But sometimes you just disagree, and this is one of those cases.
Q: Do you have a legitimate hope of having it overturned? Why don't you just accept it and move on?
Hendrick: I don’t accept it. Period.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Does 2005 ruling doom Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR appeal?
The year was 2005. But the argument made in the NASCAR appeals process is very similar to the one Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson plan to make on Tuesday.
Team owner James Finch had argued before the National Stock Car Racing Commission that he could not be penalized for an illegal carburetor used by his team in a Nationwide Series race at Texas because it had passed the NASCAR inspection process several times previously.
The penalties for the unapproved carburetor were harsh - disqualification of driver Johnny Sauter from the event (no points and money from the event), and a four race suspension and probation for the remainder of the year for the team's crew chief.
The appeals board, however, would have none of it.
"The onus is on the entrant to present a car that is legal at ALL times. The onus is not on NASCAR to detect every rules violation at every inspection," the board wrote in its ruling.
In fact, the argument worked so poorly, the board actually INCREASED the team's penalty - adding a $25,000 fine to Finch in addition to the penalties already handed down. This is one of just two times in NASCAR history the appeals board INCREASED the penalties - which it has the power to do.
Johnson was docked 25 points, his crew chief and car chief suspended six races and crew chief assessed a $100,000 fine for having altered C posts on their car prior to qualifying for the Daytona 500.
One of the main arguments being made by Hendrick officials is that the car passed inspection four previous times in the same fashion.
Will it work?
Given the history, my guess is not a chance. In fact, the situation may only get worse.
Team owner James Finch had argued before the National Stock Car Racing Commission that he could not be penalized for an illegal carburetor used by his team in a Nationwide Series race at Texas because it had passed the NASCAR inspection process several times previously.
The penalties for the unapproved carburetor were harsh - disqualification of driver Johnny Sauter from the event (no points and money from the event), and a four race suspension and probation for the remainder of the year for the team's crew chief.
The appeals board, however, would have none of it.
"The onus is on the entrant to present a car that is legal at ALL times. The onus is not on NASCAR to detect every rules violation at every inspection," the board wrote in its ruling.
In fact, the argument worked so poorly, the board actually INCREASED the team's penalty - adding a $25,000 fine to Finch in addition to the penalties already handed down. This is one of just two times in NASCAR history the appeals board INCREASED the penalties - which it has the power to do.
Johnson was docked 25 points, his crew chief and car chief suspended six races and crew chief assessed a $100,000 fine for having altered C posts on their car prior to qualifying for the Daytona 500.
One of the main arguments being made by Hendrick officials is that the car passed inspection four previous times in the same fashion.
Will it work?
Given the history, my guess is not a chance. In fact, the situation may only get worse.
What's up with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin?
It was a little surprising when late in Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked like he purposely ran into the back of Mark Martin in order to clear him while making a pass.
For one, it's typically not a move made by Earnhardt. And second, it's even rarer to see Martin do something that upsets another driver so much.
Earnhardt was asked about the incident after Sunday's race.
"Personally, yeah, I don’t have a problem with Mark and have so much respect for him. But to me, personally, there is an unwritten etiquette that when the guy is running the top even if you are clearing him or passing him - if you barely clear him off the corner. I’m coming 10 miles an hour faster off the top of the race track, you stay low. Don’t knock a half second off my lap time being a jerk about it. Stay low. You are going to get it in the next corner and the position is going to be yours. Don’t pull up in front of somebody when they are going to come off the corner 10 miles an hour faster," Earnhardt said.
“I didn’t really mean to put him in the wall but from the cosmetic standpoint it didn’t look like it hurt his car. Probably looked like it knocked some of the right front suspension off of it, and I am sorry about that. But, you know I felt like I was pretty frustrated at the moment before that happened, and that just kind of really sent me over the edge there.
"
For one, it's typically not a move made by Earnhardt. And second, it's even rarer to see Martin do something that upsets another driver so much.
Earnhardt was asked about the incident after Sunday's race.
"Personally, yeah, I don’t have a problem with Mark and have so much respect for him. But to me, personally, there is an unwritten etiquette that when the guy is running the top even if you are clearing him or passing him - if you barely clear him off the corner. I’m coming 10 miles an hour faster off the top of the race track, you stay low. Don’t knock a half second off my lap time being a jerk about it. Stay low. You are going to get it in the next corner and the position is going to be yours. Don’t pull up in front of somebody when they are going to come off the corner 10 miles an hour faster," Earnhardt said.
“I didn’t really mean to put him in the wall but from the cosmetic standpoint it didn’t look like it hurt his car. Probably looked like it knocked some of the right front suspension off of it, and I am sorry about that. But, you know I felt like I was pretty frustrated at the moment before that happened, and that just kind of really sent me over the edge there.
"
Friday, March 9, 2012
Danica Patrick dialing back NASCAR expectations
It
appears after a rough Sprint Cup debut at Daytona and more
frustrations last week in her Nationwide Series race at Phoenix,
Danica Patrick is ready to dial back expectations.
“I
definitely feel like I want to do well for so many people,” Patrick
said Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “I think that I gave
myself maybe a little bit of false expectation about running this
year for the (Nationwide) championship and probably using those words
‘for the championship.’
“It’s my
first-ever full year, and what I’ve done still doesn’t add up to
one year, and I didn’t have anything before that at all in stock
cars.”
After getting
involved in three wrecks at Speedweeks – in a qualifying race, the
Nationwide race and Daytona 500 – Patrick ran just the Nationwide
event at Phoenix. But 30 laps in the race, she was a lap down. She
finished three laps down and declined all media interviews after the
race.
Two races into the
2012 Nationwide season, Patrick is 21st
in series points. In the offseason, she repeatedly said she believed
she and her No. 7 JR Motorsports team could be contenders for the
championship.
Patrick is also
running 10 cup races this season.
“I
think I need to remind myself every now and again of really where the
expectation level should be, and where mine should be,” she said.
“And I can’t let all of the exposure and hype and hope – I'm
serious when I say ‘hope’ - I can’t let that be something that
makes me feel like I have to do well.”
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