NASCAR news

[Garrett Duke]

Well thought now was good as time as any to start another thread. And with the NASCAR season in full swing right now, there is plenty of news to go around.

As of now, don't really have any for the Sprint Cup series as news related, but do have a bit of news for the Nationwide Series race. They raced in St. Louis last Saturday night where Carl Edwards (also a cup driver) won the race, though has sparked a lot of controversay with it. On the last lap, Edwards passed Brad Keselowski (another cup driver. Brad and Carl have a history of wrecking each other and so forth. Brad flipped Carl last year at Talledeg and Carl flipped Brad at Atlanta this year after Brad knocked him out of the race for several laps. Carl went back and hit him for retaliation to send Brad air born.)

Anyway, Brad went back and hit Carl to take the lead back. Carl got upset and went back and hit Brad that sent caused a big accident - Brad got hit pretty bad by other cars as Carl went on to win the race. Luckily Brad and everyone involved in the accident was OK afterwards, it looked really bad.

NASCAR has placed both drivers on probation for the rest of the 2010 year in the Nationwide series. Carl got fined twenty-five thousand dollars as well as sixty Nationwide Series points. And Carl being second in points behind (you guess it) Brad Keselowski who is leading the Nationwide Series in points, probably is a pretty big hit to him.

[RogerDuke]

So what do you think Garrett, is that an appropriate punishment under the circumstances?

[Garrett Duke]

I feel like NASCAR was too harsh on Edwards. I am not big on retaliation and all, Edwards did deliberately wreck Keselowski where Keselowski bumped into Edwards, but at the same time, Keselowski bumped him on the last lap to take the lead away. Any driver in Edwards' spot, I feel, would have came back at Keselowski to take the lead back. If Brad is going to drive people like that, he needs to expect that they may repay him for what he done. Especially on the last lap, especially when it is with someone like Edwards who he has wrecked in the past like that. Edwards I feel is not an overly aggressive driver, he just races other drivers the way they race him and Keselowski seems to find ways to run into him and other drivers. NASCAR needs to look into what starts it all, not just how it ends. They need to punish everyone the same. As I said, Edwards did take it a bit over board with how hard he hit Brad and he admitted to wrecking Keselowski on TV afterwards, but at the same time, it all started with Brad bumping into him to get the lead. I am just glad that NASCAR, this time, has also put Brad on probation as well (Both of them on probation on both series through 12/31/10), but they shouldn't have docked or fined Edwards for what he did. I feel probation for them both would have warranted the whole ordeal.

That is my two cents worth on the topic. Reading online other people's reactions, I know there is a lot of people that feel differently, but that is how I feel about it. Anyone else watch it? (I didn't watch the race, but did watch what happened on computer) What you think of it and NASCAR's punishment?

[RogerDuke]

My other NASCAR source says they weren't going to fine drivers in cases like that. (NASCAR officials made that statement at the beginning of the season)

But this incident went too far. If they wouldn't have taken action then things could have gone even farther in the future. They had to draw the line somewhere.

By the way Garrett, are you going to start a thread for points standings?

[Garrett Duke]

I agree with your friend, Roger. NASCAR had to do something, but they should have fined both drivers. Not just Edwards. These two drivers have been at each other for the past year now and as far as I can remember, Brad starts it with bumping into Edwards. I think Edwards is just plain tired of it. My opinion of course. NASCAR had put in a boys have at it mentality this year where they can police themselves, but Edwards flipped Keselowski in Atlanta to take it too far and now he caused a big wreck that could have also hurt Keselowski. So yeah, NASCAR had to step in. All I am saying is, is that they need to punish them both the same. It's not just Edwards that's doing it...they need to look at 'why' Edwards went back at Keselowski like that. I am just hoping that this doesn't boil over to the Cup races this Sunday or any other races...they took out a lot of cars last Saturday night, would hate to see them do that in the Cup series race (especially if they took out Gordon or Johnson...) which is probably why they put them on probation for the Cup series as well. Hopefully it will help them both not to attempt to try anything. . .

I will be glad to start a point standing thread. I think I will make two of them. One for the Cup series and one for the Nationwide Series. I could make one for the truck series too if you wanted or if anyone is interested. Don't watch the Nationwide or the Truck series, but can look it all up and follow it on NASCAR.com and all. Perhaps I could do one for the race results and happenings. Something like that. Have to think of the title. Unless you want to do that. Don't want to hogg all the threads here. Tell me what you think.

Hey Roger, what you think about the penalties for Keselowski and Edwards? As I said, all that is what I think and is of my opinion. Am sure a lot of people would disagree with me. I'd just have to disagree with them. LOL.

[Garrett Duke]

OK this isn't news, but I got a kick out of it. The race tomorrow is on ESPN so I am really hoping that they show this commercial. (I enjoy the NASCAR commercials with the drivers in it.) I guess they aired it for the first time during the St. Louis race for the Nationwide Series last weekend that was aired on ESPN. It is an ESPN NASCAR commericial. I was going to post the link to the Utube version of it, but didn't know if that would be allowed or not...

Anyway it is a renditin of Smokey and the Bandit...perhaps that is why I thought it was funny - that being my favorite movie. But it shows Carl Edwards' and Brad Keselowski Sprint Cup semi haulers at the gas tanks and the drivers gassing the trucks. (Coincidently this aired on the race where the two drivers got into it with each other so to speak.) To summarize it, they race out of there to get the attention of a cop who was in the middle of eating a burrito or something...all while the song "East Bound and down" was going on...Jerry Reed's song I believe, from the movie "Smokey and the Bandit."

Anyone else see it? I thought it was great seeing it on the computer. Just something to keep your eyes open for in tomorrow's race. Or if it is OK I could post the Utube link here. I don't know how that works.

[Garrett Duke]

NASCAR Sprint Cup series car owner Jack Rousch (owns Carl Edwards', Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, and David Ragan's cars) was hospitalized Tuesday after a plane accident in Wisconsin. He is serious but in stable condition. Guess he is under doctor's observations as he suffers facial injuries.

[Garrett Duke]

Further news on Jack Roush...he has been transported to a Mayo clinic after he had surgery to his facial injuries he had suffered. He is still in serious but stable condition.

[RogerDuke]

Do you have any more details like how many people were on the plane? I'm hoping it was only him. Was he the pilot?

[Garrett Duke]

Good questions, Roger. I have wondered that myself and just looked through an older article on it on NASCAR.com. Knew he was a fan of flying planes, of which I think he was on the way to was something to do with flying planes in Oshkosh WI when it happened. But wasn't for sure if it was him driving the plane. It was Jack Roush driving the plane and he had one passenger who was treated and released. I haven't heard nothing new about Roush other than what was posted above that he had surgery on his facial injuries he suffered in a Mayo clinic. Read somewhere he gotten in another plane accident in 2002...don't know about him or your, if I was him, I'd be calling it quits right about now. After all of his and there has been other plane accidents that were carrying NASCAR drivers or crews or what not as well. I just hope that he will have a fast and speedy recovery and that we'll be seeing him at the track soon (as soon as he is fully recovered.)

[Garrett Duke]

Just a little something more about Jack Roush's accident...I saw a small video of it (of him leaving the plane). He did walk off the plane by himself before getting help by his rescuers. So hopefully that is a good sign. Heard someone say they heard on Sirus radio that he was OKed to land, but tried to land earlier in order to avoid a smaller plane. Anyway it happened, I hope he'll be OK.

[Garrett Duke]

I don't have a lot of detail or a lot of news at this point, but it looks like next year's schedule is going to have some big changes to them. I am excited and sad about it at the same time. Looks like the Kansas track will be getting a race or perhaps two (wasn't sure if they meant they'd get one there or two by the article title.) next year while they are taking out one of the Atlanta races. Am looking forw ard to seeing what Kansas' track looks like and to see how Gordon and the rest will drive there, but am sad to see them taking out an Atlanta race. Atlanta isn't neccessarily my favorite track or race, but I like it all the same. And instead of starting the chase in New Hampshire where I think it has always been started at, it will be started at ChicagoLand Speedway in Joliet Ill - where they normally race in July. I am the most excited about the Chicago race for several reasons...that is one of my favorite tracks/races and it is the closest to me and I think it to be exciting and huge to have the chase start there! (Plus I have been to the track...though not for a race.) I read that Chicago is the second largest media market that is on the Sprint Cup tour...so I am sure they are trying to pull in more viewers and more people to the track since the numbers have been way low the last couple of years. (NASCAR is working on fixing up the chase as well, but has yet to come out with any more details as to what...you ask me, they should just discard the chase and go back to the old point system. Though I can garauntee you that will NOT happen. That's only my opinion...)

[Garrett Duke]

In other news...Jeff Gordon and his wife are now parents of two! Gordon's wife, Ingrid, gave birth to their new son this morning (Monday, August 9, 2010). Baby Leo Benjimen Gordon is healthy and happy, mom is doing well too. My congrats go out to Jeff and Ingrid and to their daughter Ella Sofia (though I doubt they will read it here...) on their new addition.

I can now let out a big sigh of relief because Jeff Gordon will be heading out to Michigan later this week to participate in all racing events at the track. I was worrying the last couple of weeks that she'd deliver on the weekend and he'd have a replacement driver drive for him. I still don't know how that works out with points since I always thought that the driver had to start the race in order to get the points...am interested to know how'd that work out, but am glad I don't have to learn how that works out with Gordon. It'd just be wrong to see anyone BUT Gordon drive the Dupont 24 car.

[Garrett Duke]

I don't have a lot of detail or a lot of news at this point, but it looks like next year's schedule is going to have some big changes to them. I am excited and sad about it at the same time. Looks like the Kansas track will be getting a race or perhaps two (wasn't sure if they meant they'd get one there or two by the article title.) next year while they are taking out one of the Atlanta races. Am looking forw ard to seeing what Kansas' track looks like and to see how Gordon and the rest will drive there, but am sad to see them taking out an Atlanta race. Atlanta isn't neccessarily my favorite track or race, but I like it all the same. And instead of starting the chase in New Hampshire where I think it has always been started at, it will be started at ChicagoLand Speedway in Joliet Ill - where they normally race in July. I am the most excited about the Chicago race for several reasons...that is one of my favorite tracks/races and it is the closest to me and I think it to be exciting and huge to have the chase start there! (Plus I have been to the track...though not for a race.) I read that Chicago is the second largest media market that is on the Sprint Cup tour...so I am sure they are trying to pull in more viewers and more people to the track since the numbers have been way low the last couple of years. (NASCAR is working on fixing up the chase as well, but has yet to come out with any more details as to what...you ask me, they should just discard the chase and go back to the old point system. Though I can garauntee you that will NOT happen. That's only my opinion...)

I have a correction...the Kansas track will be getting a second cup race in 2011 or asked for a second cup race and it is Kentucky track that will be the new track in the Cup series schedule for 2011. I mixed the two up which is why it wasn't making much sense to me...LOL. Sorry for the wrong info I gave out!

[Garrett Duke]

Looks like Kasey Kahne will be driving one of the Red Bull cars next year. Kasey Kahne has signed a contract to drive for Rick Hendrick in 2012 when Mark Martin's contract ends...he'll be in the number five car. Rick has been working hard to get Kahne a ride for next year since his contract for Richard Petty Racing expires or ends at the end of this year. Right now Red Bull Racing has two cars / drivers and it is unclear as of now which car Kahne will be driving...either 82 of Scott Speed or 83 of Brian Vickers who has been out with blood clotts until at least the end of the year. He won't know until Novemeber if he'll be able to return next season or not. Speed's contract ends at the end of this year, but read Red Bull has a lot invested in Speed or something of the sort.

Some odd info...Kasey drove a Dodge last year, a Ford this year, will be driving a Toyota next year, and in 2012 he will be driving a Chevy. Guess he'll know which manufacturear he likes the best when all this gets sorted out.

[Garrett Duke]

Well I got some good news about Jack Roush. He got released from the hospital on Thursday and I guess he is at the track in Michigan this week. He says he fractured his back, broke his jaw, and lost his left eye due to his plane accident - he tried to land his jet at an overcrowded airport. Roush said that his two main problems are with his back and his nose that they got nose packing in it and he is left having to breathe through his mouth. As for his eyes...his right eye he said was the better and more prominent so he said that he'll be seeing more than he should. (I got all that from an article on NASCAR.com)

[Garrett Duke]

Well Jack Roush was at the track for today's race and did talk to reporters. I guess he did not lose his left eye as it read in the article I read, but lost eye sight in the left eye. He said he should get everything back, except eye sight out of that eye. His drivers didn't win today, but they did good for him.

[Garrett Duke]

Brian Vickers, who is the normal driver for the number 83 Red Bull Toyota, has been out since May when he went to the hospital with chest pains. Ends up he had blood clots in his left leg and lungs. He was put on medicine that he is not able to drive with or race on, so they've had several drivers driving his car for him.

He had a conference today and said that he had two surgeries last month. Said he did have another clot in is finger that they believed came from a hole in his heart, so last month they did heart surgery to close the hole. They then found that he had May - Thurner, which is a blood clot disorder. The next day he had another surgery to put in a stent.

As Rosco would say, Good news! Good News! He will be off the blood thinners by January first and will be able to drive his number 83 Toyota in February 2011 (Next year). It will be great to see him back out on the track once again! I miss seeing himout there!

[Garrett Duke]

Well this isn't exactly NASCAR news as the thread title describes, but didn't know where else to put this and didn't see fit of making a new thread out for it, so decided to put this little info here.

On September 14th at 8:00 PM ET/PT CMT will be airing CMT Cribs, which episode will be about NASCAR King/legend Richard Petty! Richard will show his house as well as his racing mueseum as well as his garage.

Richard Petty drove the number 43 STP car to win 200 races and won seven championships in his racing career. He now is a car owner for Kasey Kahne, AJ Allmindinger, and Elliot Sadler. (Kahne and Sadler will be leaving at the end of this year, but Australian Marcos Ambrose will be driving Kahne's number 9 car next year. AJ drives Petty's famous number 43 car.)

Being a Duke fan before being a NASCAR fan that I am today, Richard was one of the first drivers I knew due to the Dukes "Repo Men" where the Duke boys bought a wrecked Richard Petty race car from crooked car dealer, Ace Parker. (The Richard Petty car was used in a commercial, Luke had said and wasn't his normal 43, but the number 71. Which I thought was different when I saw it last night.)

I am hoping to record it to watch it later on when I have the time. I never got the chance to see Richard Petty drive or race since I didn't get into NASCAR until '97 or '98. Think Richard Petty's last race was at Atlanta (that had been the last race of the season at the time) beleive it was in '93. Some little info...Richard Petty's last race, was Jeff Gordon's first race. Kinda like passing down the torch if you ask me. Gordon will never get to 200 wins (Don't see anyone getting there in the near future) and maybe not seven championships...but he does have four championships (would be at least six championships if they had stuck to the old point system and didn't go to the chase format they have now (since '04)) and has 82 wins which I think is sixth or fifth in the standings for the most wins. Then again, my opion is way biased since Gordon is my all time favorite driver .

Just thought I'd share the info to any other Richard Petty fans out there. May not have watched him race, but wish I had. He had an amazing career and helped NASCAR be what it is today if you ask me. Plus the Duke boys liked him, so he musta been pretty awesome. Him and Cale Yoroboro who had been on the show a couple of times...he had a pretty awesome career as well, then again, I didn't get to watch him race either. . .

[Garrett Duke]

Well I just read some shocking news...well I guess it wasn't too shocking since I kinda read about it yesterday, but wasn't expecting it to turn out like this. Yesterday I read that NASCAR officials pulled Clint Bowyer and his car owner in and told them that they were close to being outside the limits for their rear end. Clint Bowyer won the N.H. race last Sunday to move him from twelveth in points to second. (NASCAR takes the winning car plus one random car back to N. Carolina after every race to take the car apart and examine them more thoroughly.) Well yesterday, didn't think that was that big of a deal. No secret that each team presses everything to it's limits to make the car as best as possible...

Well read in Yahoo an hour ago that NASCAR was pulling Clint and his team in to discuss what NASCAR decided to do. Which confused me since if it was close to pressing the limits in the back bumper, but if it is close, then why penalize them or do anything about it as long as it is within limits?

Well, it looks like NASCAR has decided that Bowyer did break regulations in the rear of the car! (NASCAR.com says that the car equipment did not meet NASCAR rules. Bowyer's crew cheif Shane Wilson has been fined $150,000 and suspended for six weeks, suspended from NASCAR until November 3. His car chief has been suspended for six weeks from the cup series, and suspended from NASCAR until November 3. (They both will be on probation until the end of the year - Dec. 31) If that wasn't bad enough. . .Clint Bowyer and car owner Richard Childress has been fined 150 championship points!!!!!!!!

Micheal McDowell, number 46, was penalyzed as well for his engine's exhaust vaulves did not meet mininum weight requirement. Though he wasn't docked as heavy as Bowyer. His car cheif was docked fifty thousand dollars and suspended until Nov. 3, on probation until Dec. 31. He was docked 50 points. As was his car owner.

Micheal McDowell is a part time driver who I really don't know other than his name. Hard way to be starting out a career.

Well I guess this goes to show just how sensitive NASCAR is to the COT (car of tomorrow...guess now it is the car of today). I remember the first year they drove this car, Gordon, Johnson, and Jr were all caught outside some limit and were fined fifty points (I think) as well fined and perhaps their crew cheifs as well. I can't remember exactly what they got, but it wasn't as much as Bowyer's I don't think. I guess it is fitting that they higher the penalty now that they have been driving the car for a couple of years now.

I like Clint Bowyer, he seems like a good guy and is a good driver. Usually things like this, I believe, comes from the crew cheif and the pit crew trying to give the driver the best cars. Though if they fail inspection, I guess they have to pay the consequences. Odd how the car can pass inspection before and after the race and not the final inspection in N.C. Bowyer will still be listed as the winner of Sunday's race...though if you ask me, if they are caught cheating like that, then that should be taken away and given to the second place driver. Oh well they didn't ask me and good thing for Clint they didn't. As I said, I like Clint and do feel bad for him and his crew after having such a high day on Sunday to be deflated by this.

What hurts the most is the points...150 championship points...NASCAR.com hasn't reset the points yet, but he will be twelveth, I'm thinking. Don't know if Ryan Newman would have more points than him, since they are running on two different point systems. But since the chase format has already been set, don't see NASCAR dropping him out of the chase. Sadly it looks like he has went from twelve to second and probably second back to twelve. Well, his dreams of winning the championship this year has just been flusehd down the drain. . .

[redneck woman]

No kidding? Jeez, that really sucks for Bowyer and RCR. I'm not sure how Nascar is going to work that, but if Bowyer is still going to be in the Chase it sounds like he is going to be in the negative points. Thanks for posting this Garrett, I hadn't heard.

[Garrett Duke]

You are welcome, Redneck Girl...just surprised I was able to be the one to tell you. I feel bad for Clint, but I guess if you are going to get the car wrong like that, then you gotta pay for it. Looks like he's still in the top twelve at twelveth...can't recall the exact number but it was like -185 points behind Hamlin. Could be wrong about that though. Hopefully he can cut into that point gap this weekend, but the championship hopes for him seem to be over just as soon as they got started.

[Garrett Duke]

Well Richard Childress Racing, the team Clint Bowyer races for, is appealing NASCAR's penalty that was placed on them last week, today. I was hoping to come online and see the results, but so far, nothing. I will keep you posted. Read that out of all the appeals NASCAR has had, only ten were succesfully overturned. So I guess what's that saying is that statistics are not on Clint's side for his appeal.

For Clint's sake, I am hoping that NASCAR made a mistake and will fess up to it, and that nothing was wrong with the car. And that Clint will win his appeal. I like Clint. He seems to be an honest driver and an honest guy, so it is hard for me to believe that his car was wrong -especially after being warned about pressing NASCAR's tolerance the week before. But if NASCAR is not wrong and his car was wrong, then I feel the penalty should stick. He was warned and yet his car was found out of regulations which is unfair to all the other drivers. Especially since he won the race. Though I do feel for NASCAR to give him and his team such a steep penalty as they have, that they are pretty sure of the infraction and that there was little to no question about the car being wrong. That is my opinion and hopefully I am wrong.

Well I'll stop my rambling. I will let y'all know whenever I find out what happens with the appeal one way or another.

[Garrett Duke]

Well Bowyer's and RCR's (Richard Childress Racing) appeal was over ruled this afternoon after an almost five hour appeal. So the penalty sticks. Childress is now taking his appeal to a higher court in NASCAR, but doubt that would take him far if all three people on the appeal panel overruled or denied his appeal. Childress even had a guy recreate how the tow truck could make whatever got higher, get higher. . Childress' pro reconstruction guy seemed to go all out and gave good examples of what they said happened and claim NASCAR paid no attention to it all. . .NASCAR states that there was discrepencies in his story and with what NASCAR found. Example that was given was that the man stated how it could raise the left rear end, not the right when both were up too high or something like that. If Childress' story is right, then why would they allow the tow truck bump into him like that to push him to victory lane - if the little love tap as they call it, could do damage to the car that they would take back to the shop? I don't know...though what gets me is how he passed post race inspection and then fail the one at the shop.

Feel bad for Bowyer that they didn't even cut down his penalty at all, especially if their expert is right. But at the same time, if NASCAR found his car wrong, it is up to them to regulate it so that kind of stuff won't happen again. I want to believe Bowyer and Childress. They don't seem to be the types to cheat in order to win and don't remember them getting caught with something like this before. But at the other side, I still think for his penalty to be so high, that NASCAR must have found something specific that has made them so sure of the car being wrong. I could be wrong though. . .

Well I have went back and forth and given y'all my two cents on the whole thing. What y'all think about it all? Would be interested to hear what you think about the whole thing, especially since y'all put up with all my ramblings about it.

[RogerDuke]

You sure predicted that one right Garrett.

Those penalties don't get overturned often.