Garrett Duke

Well race one of the Chase is in the books...leaving ONLY nine more races left of the season. I am already dreading the off season...why can't we just skip from Richmond to Daytona? Doesn't that sound fair? HA HA. Here is how the Chase looks after one race: Position Driver Points Behind Wins 1 Matt Kenseth 2063 6 2 Kyle Busch -8 4 3 Jimmie Johnson -11 4 4 Kevin Harvick -15 2 5 Carl Edwards -23 2 6 Kurt Busch -23 0 7 Jeff Gordon -24 0 8 Ryan Newman -28 1 8 Clint Bowyer -28 0 10 Kasey Kahne -31 2 10 Greg Biffle -31 1 12 Joey Logano -52 1 13 Dale Earnhardt Jr. -53 0 Also today is Jason Leffler's birthday...he'd have been 38 years old. RIP Jason. You are missed!

Well Roger...don't know if you know it yet or not, but this upcoming weekend is going to be a big one for both of us. Not only does your Pirates come to Chicago next Monday, but my BEARS go to your Pittsburgh on Sunday. You think your team is up for the Bears? After all, the Bears are 2-0 so far...meaning they have won every seasonal game this year! The Bears seem to have a great group of talented players playing for them this year and players who are supporting and protecting Jay Cutler...have heard a time or two, that this year is the Bears' year. So....are you ready????????????????????? LET'S GO CHICAGO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This has got to be one of the craziest seasons of NASCAR that I can remember...with all that has happened with the Chase. And with how many people are changing teams and leaving their team. With all that had happened last week, I had failed to report that Jeff Burton is leaving RCR (Richard Childress Racing) and that Ryan Newman will be racing the 31 car next year. (Sorry if I reported this already...wasn't sure if I did or not.) The latest is...Juan Pablo Montoya is leaving NASCAR completely and will be driving for Penske in the Indy car series.. for car number 2 in 2014. There is a lot of people moving around next year...am glad my team Hendrick will remain the same next year.

Well Matt Kenseth went on to win the opening race at Chicagoland, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Jeff Gordon make the top six. Logano and Earnhardt Jr both had engine problems it sounds. I turned it off with about a hundred laps to go...Jeff Gordon led a few laps before Cole Whitt's car caught on fire to bring out the caution and then a debris caution. Carl Edwards made it four wide after a restart which gave Gordon a flat tire and looks like a lap down. I was on my way to bed when I heard / saw Gordon going into pits. So it wasn't the win I was hoping for...but with all things considered, am happy with sixth.

Thanks Roger. I was and still super excited with NASCAR's great decision about including Jeff Gordon in the Chase. The Chase now has a whole different meaning to it than it did before. Yep just turned the race on...Matt Kenseth is still out front followed by Jimmie Johnson.

I am pretty sure that the race will start at 10:00 EST on ESPN2. I will have to write my review tomorrow afternoon after work and I get home. Sorry for letting y'all down, but I doubt I will be up to see the end. Not happy about this but perhaps Gordon will do better without me...let's go team 24!

I am hearing rumors the race may restart 8:00 central time or 9 central time...hmmm doubt I will be able to stay up to watch the whole thing. I have to get up at four tomorrow morning. Dang work anyway!

If the race goes green later tonight...it will be on ESPN 2. ESPN has said they will report at six to see if anything else is planned. Will keep you updated. Dang...what a lousy way to start the Chase.

So far it has been a pretty good race. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano are said to be the fastest on the track... We are now red flagged for more rain. We are currently thirteen laps shy of the halfway mark...

Race command has been said and the cars are on the track...it is cloudy over the track. Expecting more rain later on...hoping it will hold off until AFTER the race is over.

We are currently under rain delay...surprise.

As Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane would say...I got some baaad news, baaadd news. The boys...and Danica are racing at Chicagoland tomorrow/today which is the closest track to where I live...and all week they have been predicting rain/thunderstorms this Sunday (which we need...just wish it wasn't race day...) and after hearing talk on Twitter, I finally looked it up for Joliet Illinois where Chicagoland is at. They have a SEVENTY percent chance of rain on Sunday. Just read someone say on Twitter that the rain is suppose to start in the morning and end around nine or ten at night! So if it rains it will mean hours of delay before they cancel it and race on Monday around noon...when I have to be at work. Bet you can guess who is NOT happy with this, right?

Well first off Hoss...sorry to say but I have seen several of your post comparing NASCAR to F1...and sorry to break it to you, but NASCAR is not F1. As for your question one of the reporters I follow on Twitter was asked the same thing and he said that start and park cars are OK because they go as far as the money allows them to go. Personally I find them more of an annoyance and wish they would go away with them completely. Understand that they are out there for those five laps looking for a sponsor, but how can you prove yourself enough to gain an extra sponsor when you are out there for five or fifteen laps? As for if helping a driver lead for a lap for a point or pushing him...am unsure at the moment. Another article on the meeting

NASCAR held their meeting with the drivers to discuss what is OK and what isn't OK when it comes to team orders and what not...thanks to Clint Bowyer's intentional spin at Richmond last Saturday night as well as Penske's deal with Front Row Racing for Gilliland to allow Logano to pass him to give Logano that extra point into the Chase. Here is some of what I am reading... *Drivers are to give the race a hundred percent of their ability *Changing the way the race is played out in any way will be punishable by NASCAR (Such as Bowyer's intentional spin to help Truex Jr into the Chase.) *Drivers are now only allowed to have on spotter. *The Spotter stand will now have a camera that NASCAR can watch spotter activity. * Only two analog radios will be issued to spotter, none digital. *Further changes will come forth on restarts...do think I read that they will come out with it tomorrow at Chicagoland. I got most of this info through Twitter and from NASCAR reporters that I follow on Twitter, but here is an article from NASCAR.com that holds most of what they are saying: Change in NASCAR Rules Know Gordon was looking forward to this meeting and getting things addressed and hoping that they have done that today. I have followed NASCAR for over fifteen years now and never see anything like this...and do believe Jeff Gordon had said the same thing - that he never saw any thing like this in his twenty years as a Sprint Cup driver. Sad that certain drivers and teams have put NASCAR in this corner where they are forced to try to right a wrong...where no matter what they do, negative criticism will be given to them. No way you can go and undo what has been done, but do believe NASCAR has done the right thing for everyone affected...though still feel bad for Martin Truex Jr who was taken out of the Chase to put Ryan Newman in. Am really hoping that everyone can learn from Richmond and move forward...that this is the END of this ugly mess that Bowyer, Michael Waltrip, Penske, and Front Row Racing has created in order to help themselves and their teammates.

Thanks Hoss...did think about doing it yesterday but thought I would keep my good news up a little longer to make sure more people would see it. Was planning on doing it today...

Dang it Roger...give me some good news won't you? I've got Beltre on one of my three fantasy teams that I have...and am failing at. Someone's gotta help me. LOL. Anyway...let's go Cubs. You Pirates may have swept the Rangers...but not my CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And out of all this...Penske and Furniture Row is now on probation til the end of the year. At the moment I am unclear if that involves the drivers or just the team owners in their deal of the thing.

LOL. Darrell Waltrip just wrote that he was suspicious of the word triskaidekaphobia and was wondering what he meant...thanks to you, I now know what he means. But don't think I have that today...today the number 13 seems to be one of the best numbers (besides 24 and 01). Jeff Gordon is the 13th driver in the 2013 Chase on September 13th. Yep...must be a GREAT number!

Well y'all...I have just received the best news ever and after the past several days spent worrying and being upset over Gordon being robbed of the Chase by how others have manipulated their way into the Chase...I am beyond excited! JEFF GORDON IS NOW IN THE CHASE!!!!!!!! As I posted above they had a press conference on Fox Sports One and due to not having cable at the moment and missing it online, I didn't know about it til now when Jeff Gordon announced on Facebook that he has just gained 1250 points into the Chase...and Yahoo has just added an article on it. So now it is OFFICIAL! So instead of having twelve cars in the Chase as has been the case for the past several years, there wil be thirteen cars in the 2013 Chase. Still think they should have taken Bowyer out of the Chase, but it is what it is...and hope we can Richmond behind us. I am very proud of NASCAR for finally stepping up and facing the entire issue and not part of the issue. . .and considering Jeff Gordon just a ripple effect as they had earlier this week. Though it would be interesting to know just how much Gordon's fans had an impact on NASCAR's decision in all of this. There was a petition going around Facebook for fans to sign asking NASCAR to put Gordon in (do believe pulling Bowyer out MAY have been part of it too...) as well as people sending NASCAR's main phone number around Facebook asking people to call in support of Jeff Gordon. Sadly I wasn't one of the 10,000 signatures or called...too chicken to call (plus didn't know how good it would work...) and didnt' sign the petition due to them asking for my street address. We may never know that and at the moment, it doesn't matter. What matters is that Jeff Gordon is where he deserves to be...IN THE CHASE! JEFF GORDON IS THE 13TH DRIVER IN THE CHASE!

Well Roger I salute you for trying to see the enemy's ...*cough* *cough*...I mean Clint Bowyer's point of view in all of this. There may have been some team order in all of this. I know Michael Waltrip got fined $300,000 for the orders he sent out...but that could be for his call to bring Vickers into pits when he had no need for pits just so Penske driver, Joey Logano can get into the Chase. Though the drivers have contracts and if they are like the ones in MLB and NFL...it would be hard to just rip it up just because he didn't illegally spin out when told to. As for Logano and Gilliland...I have read or seen in different places that Logano's team owner, Roger Penske, may have made a deal with Furniture Row Racing...who Gilliand races for for that move to happen. It just saddens me that people will stoop so low as to manipulate the Chase as they had done at Richmond and it disappoints me that NASCAR only partially addressed the problem. Whether it was Gordon or not who was affected by all this...which it is Gordon...I would think that Bowyer is not deserving to be in the Chase...not if he is going to drive like that. And if Michael Waltrip had ordered the spin, he too should be on the outside looking in. Perhaps away from the track for the rest of the season. NASCAR needs to set an example to stop this from happening next year or next week or whenever. As it is Bowyer didn't get punished at all...and he is the one who has done the act. Just sad...all the way around. There are Jeff Gordon fans ready to give up on NASCAR completely. I am not one of those...I am too big of a NASCAR fan. But still upsets me! Though on other Michael Waltrip news...they are getting to know what the ripple effect has to do with them too...seeing as how all three major sponsors...5 hour Energy Drink, NAPA, and Aarons are now investigating the incident and are thinking of pulling out of Michael Waltrip Racing. What ya know...sposnors don't seem to want to sponor known cheaters. (Sorry...that wasn't too nice, but am proud to see people and companies that are willing to care about what is right and what is wrong. ) Though...have heard something on Facebook just now. I don't want to get my hopes up...but in one of my Jeff Gordon groups that I am in, one of the members or owner has just posted that according to Fox Sports 1 Jeff Gordon has just been added to the Chase. I haven't see that anywhere else so right now I don't know what to believe. Know what I want to believe...will let you know when it becomes official.

Joey Logano is still in the Chase after NASCAR's investigation...don't know if NASCAR did anything or not about Gilliland's part on helping him in the Chase.

There are team orders in NASCAR and I understand to lead a lap or two to help in points...but to help take someone out of the Chase and someone in? That is what I have a problem with. Logano as far as I know, the only teammate he has now is Brad Keselowski. At Hendrick (Gordon, Johnson, Jr, and Kahne's team) there is no team orders...which I like. I agree...I have a feeling that all of this is long from over. Roger - will be glad to keep you updated on all of this. I do believe we hav yet to see the conclusion to all this to play out...we got ten races to see what will come of this. Just sad it has to be this way. That is this way. And yeah, if you don't read up on NASCAR or follow them on Facebook it would be easy to overlook the seriousness of all of this...it just a huge mess. I liked your comment on Gordon's comments being classy. He seems to be a very classy guy and even through all of this as well as in life. Feel incredibly bad for his team to work so hard and as I have read in articles, had done everything right Saturday night...and yet still get robbed of the Chase. Here is an article I just read on Gordon's reaction towards it all...very good article on just how classy Jeff Gordon is: Jeff Gordon says MWR stepped over code of conduct line

Well I posted about the Richmond race "incident" under my race reviews...though I should have posted them here. When I wrote it all out, didn't think it would become such a big deal...even though it is a big deal. Just for recap: With seven laps to go, Clint Bowyer purposefully spun out in order to help his team mate Martin Truex Jr into the Chase while Brian Vickers' crew (Vickers is team member with Bowyer and Truex Jr) told him to pit despite him not needing to pit to give up an extra spot for Logano to ease into the Chase which would take Gordon out of the Chase. (Bowyer and Gordon have a history of not getting a long last year...after several times of Bowyer wrecking Gordon, and after getting wrecked while fifth or so with seven laps to go last November in Phoenix, Bowyer wrecked Gordon into the wall. Gordon go mad and finally retaliated and ran Bowyer into the wall in which Bowyer's crew attempted to attack Gordon and Bowyer ran after him - luckily Gordon's crew came to his rescue!) Well on reviewing Bowyer's spin out and listened to his radio communication (Bowyer was told right before he spun out that Newman was winning the race (if Newman won the race, he'd be in the Chase, and Bowyer's teammate Truex Jr would be out)...and came back with one of the biggest punishments in the history of NASCAR. They have taken Truex Jr out of the Chase (who didn't know a thing about the spin or it being on purpose) and put Newman back in the Chase (ultimately trying to undo what Bowyer did with his spin out), docked Bowyer 50 championship points (but since the Chase starts this Sunday and the points get reset, doesn't affect Bowyer one bit), put their crew cheifs on probation til the end of the year...and fined Michael Waltrip $300,000. And as for Gordon, NASCAR calls him the ripple effect of the spin out. Saying they can't determine if he'd be in or out of the Chase due to the spin...so he is still outside of the Chase with 13 in points being the best he can accomplish this year. (Needless to say, this 24 fan is NOT HAPPY about NASCAR's decision or punishment..Bowyer should be the one out of the Chase. He's the one that did the spin, not Truex Jr. Though I am not the only one upset by this call...there is alot of Gordon fans on Facebook that are not happy with it...) (Sorry if that is confusing...hopefully it sounds alright.) And if that is not enough...this dark snowball that MICHAEL Waltrip started by calling this to happen and by Bowyer's spin out...just keeps getting bigger and bigger with each passing day this week. Now their sponsorships (NAPA, 5 Hour Energy Drink, and Aarons) are thinking of pulling their sponsorships of MWR and are reviewing the actions at Richmond. And if that is not enough...David Gilliland's radio communication is now under inspection from NASCAR as he was told to let Logano past him with seven laps to go (after Bowyer's spin out) in order to help Logano into the Chase and which put Gordon out of the Chase. Which I doubt anything would change because of it...but there is a chance that more punishments will be handed out and another change in teh Chase. It just disgusts me that drivers and teammates are going out of their way to cheat in order to get team mates into the Chase like this. Whatever happened to race to see who has the better equipment under them, who has the better talent? And I do appreciate NASCAR stepping in the way they did and doing something...but do feel like they are punishing the wrong guy here and letting the guy who did it, get away with nothing. And Gordon a ripple effect? I just read Michael Waltrip's statement where he admitted to calling Vickers in at the last minute to help a team mate...though Logano isn't a teammate so I don't understand that unless he thought him pitting would also help Truex Jr out. Well in any count, I am proud with the fact that my driver, my team has more class and integrity than some of those out there that will stoop this low in order to help themselves or teammates get in the Chase...(That is my opinion of course. I have tried to keep my opinions here a minimum or on this topic so I apologize if I did express my opinion here...)

You two got quite the nerve hijacking my thread for your own series of racing :roll:especially during a time like this...geesh! Well I probably should put this in the news section, but aw well... Jeff Burton will be leaving the 31 CAT car at Richard Childress Racing at the end of the year and Ryan "Rocketman" Newman will be taking over the 31 car starting the 2014 season.