Ask Winston Cup Series points leader Jeff Gordon, who has been highly successful at Daytona, if he didn't want to pad his lead with a victory. After all the points winner collects a cool million at seasons end. I'm sure that Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd, who are both hot on Gordon's heels, would never let anyone go by just for sentimental reasons. Ask any of the Winston No Bull 5 drivers if they would pass up the million dollar bonus to let Dale Jr. win.
Ask that arrogant hot head Tony Stewart if he would let anyone pass. There was no fix! Sure, Michael Waltrip made a spirited charge to the front the last couple of laps, and may have actually been faster than Dale. But Michael and Dale are teammates. I was up yelling for Michael to be a team player and thankfully he did!
The victory celebration that started in the grassy area between the track and the pits continued at least until NBC's coverage went off the air a half hour after the race. Lot's of drivers and crewmen were quoted as saying a better script couldn't have been written. Some people immediately took that to assume the race was fixed. They are certainly entitled to their opinion, even if it's wrong. For those of us who are Dale Jr. fans it was a race that was a delight to watch. The restrictor plates, which nearly every driver it seems despise, are meant to keep the cars slowed down making them equal and therefore run in huge packs all race long. Dale didn't ever lead by a lap, but once he got to the front he was simply unbeatable. I loved it!
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Tony Stewart, part of my All-Wheezy Windbag team, showed his ass again Saturday night. NBC reported at the top of their broadcast that the drivers were told at the drivers meeting that driving below the yellow line was going to result in a penalty. With a handful of laps remaining, Stewart was attempting to pass Johnny Benson. Stewart obviously had a faster car, but as usual, showed no patience. Stewart went low in the tri oval area and below the yellow line in his attempt to pass Benson. NASCAR black flagged Stewart, who in turn ignored it. Smooth move Scott Goodyear Jr. After the race, Stewart was informed he was being dropped 20 positions in the final race standings and he did his usual meltdown. He had to be physically separated from NASCAR competition director Gary Nelson and later pushed and knocked a tape recorder from a reporter's hand.
Stewart is a menace both on the track and off. Last year he put other drivers in jeopardy driving like an idiot in the Winston. Now I don't like Jeff Gordon at all, but Stewart's actions in the pits after the race at Bristol were reprehensible. That incident earned him probation until August. Now this boob is at it again. He drove below the yellow line. It's just that simple and he knows it. But he thinks he's God's gift to racing. NASCAR needs to set this punk down for a race or two and let him decide if he wants to heed the rules or if he would like to go back to the dirt tracks from which he came. I suppose there is a fine line between being aggressive and being dangerous. This moron has crossed the line too many times to just call it racing and blaming emotions.
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The IRL ran their first race at the new Kansas Speedway yesterday. Wow! Besides putting on another excellent show, even if Eddie Cheever won, they actually drew a great crowd for the race. The track holds 75,000 and that's how many seats were sold. Now before you think the IRL can sell out in the Kansas City area, keep this in mind. The track sold tickets to the IRL race, the truck race on Saturday and the Winston Cup race in September as a package. IRL officials knew the 75,000 tickets sold were bought because of the Winston Cup show. They were simply hoping that the ticket holders would come out and see their product. Much to the surprise of everyone, they did! I'm sure it helped that the race took place at a time when the Winston Cuppers weren't running, but nevertheless the stands were full, and the Indy boys didn't disappoint.
Side-by-side racing was the norm. Hopefully the race will encourage those who were there just out of curiosity to attend other IRL events. If they can start to increase attendance, the IRL may just wipe CART off the map.
The Kansas Speedway proved to be an excellent venue for Indy Car racing. The mile and a half tracks seem especially well suited for the cars and for exciting racing action. IRL has decided not to go back to Atlanta next year, which is a shame, but crowds were just dismal. However they are picking up Michigan and there is even some rumblings of a street race in the future. I welcome the new ideas and tracks. I would like to see Pikes Peak left off the schedule as it just does not seem to inspire good racing. The IRL is off to the new track at Nashville. Let's hope they have a good turnout for that event!
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