If you are a NASCAR fan, you owe it to yourself to check out SiriusXM Speedway Hosted by Dave “The Godfather” Moody and Angie Skinner.  I listen to about an hour out of the four that it is on. A half hour on the way to work during the live airing and a half hour on the way home during the replay. Its a talk radio show that take calls from armchair engineers and officials, woulda-coulda-shoulda been drivers, along with some premier NASCAR drivers, spotters, crew chiefs, officials, and legends who actually have a little knowledge to share.

On the way home, I heard Dave Moody take a call from a gentleman asking why NASCAR was inconsistent with the way the whole Danica vs Sam Hornish deal in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega played out.  From the sound of the caller, he was basically comparing this incident with the Kyle Busch/Ron Hornaday debacle.    The response from The Godfather was basically let the past be the past.  Had I had the opportunity to hear this call live instead of during the replay, I may have just made my first call into the show I’ve listened to for about 2 years now with something possibly halfway intelligent to contribute to the show.  I say halfway intelligent because there are those instances when a caller calls in with some dimwitted comment with nothing to back it up.  The Godfather then proceeds to basically “treat their ass”, then send ‘em packin’!  I sit there driving down the road with a mixture of embarrassment, sorrow, and a smart-ass grin on my face.  Not to get back on track, had my call been taken afterward, it would have gone like this:

“Hi Dave! First time caller (midieval style horn).  I was just calling to respond to the guy asking why Danica didn’t get penalized and Kyle did.  Simple.  Danica [on the NASCAR side] is not in the elite category that Kyle Busch is.  Danica is racing in the series she declared at the beginning of the year.  Kyle was moonlighting the Truck Series and wrecked a guy who had an outside shot of winning a points championship.  Kyle is an elite driver, and elite drivers should be, and in his case was, held to a higher standard.”

Dave would then go on to say how awesome of a person CheeseBurger is and how Ol’ CheeseBurger was the greatest caller in the history of the show.  Then I would be showered in gifts from Steven Singer, 1-800- Pro Flowers, free SiriusXM subscriptions, and a free trial of Identity Guard.

See!! I could be a driver after all.  The last paragraph had all the makings of a perfect post race interview.  Now if I could only control that car on the track…

Kyle Busch dominated the Truck and Nationwide races, and looked like he was getting the broom out for the weekend sweep. Enter Jeff Gordon. Gordon, who led the most laps of the day, looked like he was going to settle for second with 20 to go. After all, Kyle was unstoppable this weekend. Gordon chipped away at the lead and with 8 to go, he made the pass in Busch’s strongest point of the track. After tucking up under the 18 Camry and getting him loose, he made the pass and cruised on to victory for the first time since April 2009 at Texas. The win is number 83, tying him Cale Yarbrough for 5th all time.

“It’s been a long time I know, and I’m gonna savor this one so much”
– Jeff Gordon

How much crap is Trevor Bayne going to catch for wrecking early (lap 51) after starting in a back up car. I will just say this kid is awesome, and he’s a ROOKIE. He’s running a partial season with the Wood Brothers, and full time in the Nationwide Series. I love how he is going to race part time Cup and run for the Nationwide Series title. He’s not jumping right into a full season with an underfunded team. Yes, the Wood Brothers are not a top tier by any means, but they will be making the races they want to go for and Trevor will be getting the experience. It looks like a win-win. I have no problem with the direction it looks like they are going in as a “satellite team” for Roush-Fenway. They are not running for any championship points, so it looks like a logical idea. Look for Bayne to hop into that 6 car next year. David Ragan is signed through 2014, but he may just get released early if he continues with the sub par performances.

The Busch brothers are atop the points standings heading into their hometown track of Las Vegas. Kyle has won there in the past, now can Kurt have his turn to win in front of his friends and family? He’ll have to beat brother Kyle, 2010 race winner Jimmie Johnson, and the Phoenix winner Jeff Gordon. If he is the Gordon of old, then he will be tough to beat from here on out.

Trevor Bayne turned 20 on Feb. 19th. A day later he wins the biggest race of the season… in his second start. This kid is just amazing. If Joey Logano is Sliced Bread, the Bayne is definately the greatest thing since sliced bread. Maybe the 9th wonder of the world (behind Andre the Giant of course). Any how, like I said at the end of last year, I had hoped Waltrip wasn’t kicking himself in the rear for letting Trevor Bayne slip through his fingers and going with Travis Pastrana, who did have a good showing in the Toyota Showdown. The only negative out of this win is he will definately be held to a higher standard in the Nationwide Series. This is definately a kid to watch out for. This isn’t just a fluke either. He beat forty 40 veterans in the field. One including the NASCAR-Nation’s favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. His dreams of winning his second 500 were crushed when he was caught up in the last wreck of the race. Earnhardt’s number 88 was a legit favorite to win. After wrecking in the Shootout, winning the pole, then wrecking his primary car, it seemed only logical he should at least finish in the top 5. Crew chief Steve Letarte did an amazing job with all of the obstacles thrown in front of him, but that is Daytona. There is no safe place to be except in front. It would be great for the sport if Earnhardt shot off a good 5 wins, qualified for the chase, and was at least contending up to Homestead. I really don’t see this happening. His seasons at Hendrick has yielded a 12th (08), 25th (09), and a 21st (10). There is just something over there that is not clicking. Maybe he is being punished by the Racing Gods for being a Judas. But that number 8 is still open and I’m quite sure that he could find sponsorship if he decided at the end of 2012 to put the Earnhardt back into Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.

Other notable events: Rookie Brian Keselowski, who canceled hotel reservations before qualifying, raced his way into the Great American Race with the help of brother Brad. Unfortunately he was caught up in a wreck. It was nice to see that Brad talked Roger Penske into helping Brian with a Penske engine.

Tony Stewart wins his forth Nationwide Race at Daytona in a row. Seriously, did anybody really NOT see that coming. A nice 1-2 for KHI after Stewart edged the 33 of Clint Bowyer.

Danica finishes 14th and becomes the first woman to lead at Daytona.. Nice to see, but if it wasn’t for her popularity in the IRL series, she wouldn’t be in JR/Hendrick equipment.

Michael Waltrip wins 10 years to the day in the Camping World Truck Series when his former owner/friend Dale Earnhardt passed. Nobody else in the field deserved that win more. Just a nice feel-good moment. Now, Mikey has 1.000 winning pct. in the Truck Series.

For these drivers, it seemed as if they were actually trying to write storylines for the 2011 NASCAR season.

Should be settled at the end of the last race.

     November 21, 2010 will be a day where history is made.  But for whom?  For points leader Denny Hamlin, it could be his first Sprint Cup Series championship and also a first for Toyota.  For second place Jimmie Johnson, it could be an unprecedented fifth straight championship.  For third place Kevin Harvick, it could also be his first championship and the first championship for Richard Childress Racing since Dale Earnhardt won it in 1994.  The next chapter will not be written until the checkered flag is waved at the conclusion of the Ford 400, thanks to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

     Now a lot of die-hard NASCAR fans would argue that the year’s best driver just may not win the championship.  This has happened three seasons (2004, 2007, 2008) of the 6.  While this may be a valid argument, lets take a look at this years MLB playoffs.  Tampa Bay entered the playoffs at 96-66 (.593) and Philadelphia entered with a 97-65 (.599) record.  Tampa Bay lost during the ALDS to the “worst” team in the American League (Rangers)  and Philly lost in the NLCS to the “second best” team (Giants) in the National League.  That is how the playoffs work and how they are designed to work.  Take the top teams let them play each other and winner takes all.  Exactly what the Chase does.  Sometimes the best regular season team wins, and sometimes they don’t.  I am not saying the Chase is perfect, but I feel it is better than having a champion clinch the series title a race or two early.  How many time have the Superbowl champions clinched during the the game before the Superbowl itself?

     This year under the cumulative points system, Kevin Harvick would have a 295 point advantage over Jimmie Johnson (and coincidentally this is the year I am not too wild about the chase being a Harvick fan).   Therefore he would have clinched at the end of the Kobalt Tools 500k.  The only storyline would be how the 29 team was very consistent, instead of this very tight points battle heading into Homestead.    I don’t know about you, but I have been very excited for every Chase race this year. 

I really have my doubts that Travis Pastrana will work out in NASCAR.  Lucky for co-owner Michael Waltrip, Pastrana is very marketable.  The sole reason he is even considered is the almighty dollar.  Hopefully Waltrip doesn’t kick himself for letting Trevor Bayne slip through his fingers when he finds out that Pastrana is just another failed crossover (i.e. Franchitti, Villenueve, Carpantier, McGrath, Fisher, etc).  There is only so many AJ Foyts, Tony Stewarts, Tim Richmonds, Juan Pablo Montoyas, and Robby Gordons (all of which have won multiple races in the 3 premier series).  Maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh on the kid since he hasn’t even raced yet.  I’m rooting for him.  Honestly I am… just not for the same reasons I’m rooting for Danica.