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Tonight’s race at Darlington – the track too tough to tame – is another race that is going to either add to some drivers and teams dilemma for the season or possibly help them start a turn around in it. Not very many expect the latter to happen and some have already resigned themselves to dealing with the standings pretty much the way they are. I, however, am not one of those. Since we are only 10 races into the season, I am one of those that thinks the season is only 10 races old and from this week on, a team can do exactly what they haven’t been able to do – win and finish consistently in the top five or ten, (preferably in the top five.)

How can I say this you may ask?? Well, I just look at last year and what happened to Brad Keselowski before and after his accident at a practice track. Before the accident, no one thought he had a chance of even being close to the top ten in points and after the accident, he almost made the Chase on points alone. He didn’t but, he did make it with the victories he got after it happened.

Greg Biffle has been riding a wave of consistency (along with showing up to the tracks week after week with fast race cars) and sits on top of the points. Does that mean he is a definite threat to be the Cup Champion by the end of this years Chase? Not at all… in fact, the very same adversity that has been affecting others this year, could begin for him tonight and go on for the next 10 – 16 races and he could be struggling to make the Chase when the time arrives.

Carl Edwards is another good example of what I’m talking about from last year. He was number one in points for much of the season last year but that didn’t matter when it came to the Chase. He ran consistently upfront, scored points regularly and still finished second (although tied for first with Tony Stewart, a story we all know too well.)

What I am saying, is there are still 16 races left to make it into the top ten in points or score a few victories and claim a wildcard slot. Just because it looks like there is no way some can make it doesn’t mean there is no way they will. I know the competition is closer than ever in the Cup series and there is a lot to be said for momentum in this sport but, NASCAR has not always been predictable and “racing luck” can turn for the worse for anyone. No one is guaranteed to be able to continue on through the whole season with the same results they start with and carry for only ten races of 26 to qualify for the final ten races of the Chase.

Sure, I do admit for some things do look mighty bleak but I have seen more than one of them go on a tear and win several races and totally turn around their season over the final sixteen races to qualify for the Chase (and contend for the Championship.) I have also seen some go an a tear toward the negative and completely miss the Chase and not be contenders at all for the rest of the season.

It doesn’t really matter that much for tonight’s race either. Darlington is a challenge for all that sit in the driver’s seat tonight and just because someone qualified near the front doesn’t mean they won’t have problems and end up several laps down or with a DNF. Unfortunately with the way things can change, the ones finishing in the back tonight could be the ones highest in points and it just could be the beginning of a slide into oblivion for the next 15 races.

Greg Biffle still looks strong since he is starting on the pole for tonight’s race but I still look at qualifying as a very poor way of judging how a race will end. Even though he is enjoying very consistent season, tonight could be the beginning of someone else enjoying the same level of consistency and passing him in the points in the near future.

Names like Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson come to mind just as quickly as possible winners for tonight’s race. Heck, I’m not even ruling out a possible turn-around for Jeff Gordon beginning tonight but, it is going to have to be a turn-around that lasts more than one race and some others are going to have to start having his luck from this first part of the season for much to happen quickly for him (although a win would certainly help a lot in many ways.)

It seems the more people talk about the possibility of #200 happening for Rick Hendrick, the more things go wrong for all four of his teams (even when it looks like the win is inevitable.) Yeah, this could be the night and all four teams have a good chance at winning it for Hendrick MotorSports, that is at least until the green flag drops…

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© May 12, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

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Talladega… Before the restrictor plates came into use it was probably the fastest track the NASCAR Cup Teams ever had to face. (Yeah, I know some will argue with that statement, but honestly, that doesn’t matter that much to me.) It is wider than Daytona and it has more banking than Daytona and the speeds are fast, even with the restrictor plates. Besides all of the facts just mentioned, it has also been the track where some of the most dramatic finishes in NASCAR have taken place and probably the most memorable one was last year when eight cars finished less than a quarter of a second apart.

Usually, qualifying has very little drama and it is more important for the one that wins the pole and gets to claim the number one pit stall. Yesterday’s qualifying session appeared as though it was going to go much as expected… that is, until Jeff Gordon took his turn in the session. He didn’t run the expected lines during his two qualifying laps but he did end up with the fastest qualifying time. For today’s race, Jeff Gordon sits on the pole.

If anyone needed a boost from something good happening, it would be the #24 team and its driver. It’s not that they haven’t had fast cars most every weekend nor has it been that the driver hasn’t run strong in almost every race this year. He just seems to be going through one of those times that many drivers and teams face (usually more than once) throughout their careers. No matter how strong or good they have been running, something has happened to keep them from finishing a race with the results it looked like they deserved. Whether it has been blown engines or getting accidently put in the wall by one of their Hendrick team-mates, things have just not gone well.

I don’t know what you think about it, but from my view, no matter how a season is going, Jeff Gordon always appears have a positive attitude. Now, I’m not saying he doesn’t show signs of being discouraged, but he doesn’t throw his team under the bus. He continually looks at how they are performing and what they are doing right and what’s going wrong.

From this fan’s view, it shows the character of the driver and the team. When tough times come, they don’t blame each other, they suck it up and look how they can use the positive and improve on the negative things they do each week. To me, that is why the #24 team and its driver are champions and I expect they will come out of their slump soon. In fact, even though starting on the pole doesn’t mean much when it comes to restrictor plate racing, it could be today.

No matter how you look at it, the drama in today’s race will be exhibited from the drop of the green flag until the checkered flag falls. I don’t look at it as being an “on the edge of your seat” race every lap, but there is a lot of stuff going on in the minds of the drivers and crews that will make it dramatic, even thought the action on the track may appear to wane at times.

Over-heating is the biggest concern of many of the teams for today’s race and it will be one of the biggest performance factors for every team all day. Add to that the expected temperatures of the air and track and it could prove to be the “perfect storm” for some that otherwise could finish up front.

A J Allmendinger surprised many by taking the outside pole position and will start next to Jeff Gordon on the front row. In fact it was a surprise to some that the Fords didn’t qualify up front much as they did at Daytona. From this fan’s view, that doesn’t mean they won’t be the ones to beat this afternoon, but it could mean the “pack racing” could be much more exciting than it even usually is.

Since the rule changes NASCAR made to try and break up the “two car tandem” that brought back “pack racing” to the Super Speedways has worked (more because of over-heating concerns than anything else) there is the possibility of the “Big One” taking out possible contenders for the victory. That doesn’t mean we won’t see the two car draft, but it is highly expected it will be saved mostly for the laps near the end of the race.

It is hard for anyone to pick a winner for a restrictor plate race, especially Talladega. I won’t even try to do that but there are some I would like to see win and some I would rather not. I do expect to see the usual ones at the front fighting for position especially in the closing laps. Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and the Bush brothers should be there along with Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and, of course Dale Earnhardt Jr. Of course, I can’t leave out Michael Waltrip Racing’s teams either.

With the way all of the teams have been running, it is anybody’s race. I expect the last 25 laps to be very intense and the finish to be as dramatic and intense as any we witnessed in recent times. Of course, there is also the possibility the end could come with a bunch of torn up race cars sitting, smoking and steaming and someone totally unexpected sitting in Victory Lane.

But, I reckon we won’t know that until the checkered flag drops… will we?

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© May 6, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

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Denny Hamlin won the STP 400 in Kansas last weekend and, if you listened to many about this weekend at Richmond, they had already declared him or his team-mate Kyle Bush as the likely winners of tonight’s Cup race. The problem is, there are several other drivers that are making a strong case that that just might not happen. In fact, Mark Martin is sitting on the pole and Carl Edwards is sitting next to him on the front row and one of them would like nothing better than to put an end to the regularity of the Joe Gibbs teams success at RIR.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that there is more than one driver in the Cup Series that is hungry for a victory. So far, 2012 seems to be a year to expect the unexpected and, personally, this fan doesn’t expect the race tonight to be any different. Even during qualifying the unexpected happened. Many of the ones with the faster lap times in the first practice didn’t fair well when it came time to qualify. Even though the expectation is for the late qualifiers to run faster, it didn’t happen that way for several, (except of course, Mark Martin) and they will start in mid pack.

The real surprise so far this year, at least from this fan’s view, is the strength of the Michael Waltrip Racing teams. They have shown up every week with strong cars and have performed extremely well in this first part of the season. Martin Truex Jr’s second place finish from last week didn’t really tell the whole story. He led a bunch of laps and looked like he was going to pull off the victory until the last pit stop. That’s when his car fell off the pace just enough for Denny Hamlin to catch and pass him and stay out front.

Over the last four weeks in particular, Martin Truex Jr has finished in the top ten and always been in the hunt for the victory. He hasn’t won yet, but it is only a matter of time from this fan’s view. He and Mark Martin have been very impressive and either one of them could win tonight.

Now, Clint Bowyer is another story for MWR. He is kind of in the same boat as Jeff Gordon of Hendrick MotorSports when it comes to how he’s finished. Both he and Gordon have been competitive almost every week so far but have little or nothing to show for it. Both have experienced blown engines and both are outside the top ten in points, although Bowyer is just outside in eleventh. Both of them like this track and either one could end up in Victory Lane tonight, (but, I’m not picking any winners yet.)

The Jack Roush teams of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle continue to run consistently fast each week and could be up front at the end of tonight’s Capital City 400. Since I’ve been talking about expecting the unexpected, I don’t really think one of them is going to win tonight but that doesn’t mean they won’t be in there fighting for it. I mean, Biffle is still sitting at the top of the points and Kenseth is in third. If something disastrous doesn’t happen to them I expect they will make a good showing tonight.

The Hendrick Teams will be looking for that 200th win for their boss, Rick Hendrick tonight and once again, Dale Jr looks like a possible victor in this short rack race tonight. He has been running very consistent lately and he really does run well at RIR.

Jimmie Johnson just hasn’t looked confident in his car on the track this weekend but when it comes down to crunch-time, I expect the five time champ to be pressing toward the front and possibly be leading at, or near the end of the race. As for four time champ Jeff Gordon, well… it is definitely a possibility and I expect he and his crew chief, Allan Gustafson will be doing all they can to bring home number two hundred for Hendrick.

When it comes down to the end of the race, there are several I haven’t mentioned yet that I expect to be possible takers of the checkered flag. One would be AJ Allmendinger and a real shocker would be Marcos Ambrose. Of course I do think AJ has a better chance than Marcos, but then… we are talking about expecting the unexpected… aren’t we?

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© April 28, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

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A J Allmendinger will start from the pole Sunday afternoon and it seems as though it is as big a shock to him as it was anyone. Although he didn’t think it was that fast of a lap and he was one of the last to qualify as the track temperature was rising, he did pull off the fastest lap. In fact, he was one of the fastest that faced the higher track temperatures of the later qualifying group and one has to wonder if that gives any insight into how his race will go Sunday afternoon.

Once again, this fan wonders if the qualifying speeds tell anything at all about how the race will go. Lately (or maybe I should say, usually) having a fast car for qualifying and being able to stay up front during the race haven’t been the case. You don’t have to think back long or hard to see that qualifying hasn’t generally been the deciding factor in the 2012 NASCAR season.

In fact, you don’t have go any further back than last weeks race in Texas. Martin Truex Jr didn’t fair all that well last weekend even though he sat on the pole. (Now admittedly, sixth isn’t all that bad but not at all like his qualifying speed suggested he might do.) Just for a reality check, just look at how Kevin Harvick finished at Martinsville after starting second. Kasey Kahne didn’t have anything to show for his fast race cars even after winning two poles and Denny Hamlin finished eleventh after starting on the pole at Fontana.

This fan still stands by what he said last weekend… One or two fast laps does not a race make. I really don’t think the winner of the STP 400 is necessarily going to be the one of the ones starting on the front row. Of course, I could be wrong and one those two could get lucky, but I just don’t know that it will happen for them.

What I am looking for in today’s race winner will be the consistency of the lap times and the one that has the fewest mistakes, whether it be on the track or in the pits. I do admit, the Penske teams (and Allmendinger is one of them) do look awfully strong and all three of them qualified in the top eleven. I can’t rule out the Toyotas either since there are five of them starting in the top eight. There are only three Chevys in the top ten but there are seven in the top sixteen.

From this fans view, I think many were surprised at the lack of speed shown by the Roush Fords in particular and all of the Fords in general. After last weekend and the level of performance of Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards, I expected the Fords might flex their muscles again and not only start up front, but finish up there, too. As it is, the three Roush Fords qualified 17th, 18th and 21st and all three of them have their work cut out for them and their teams if they intend to be up front at the end of the STP 400 today.

One thing that is going to be working against all of the teams is the track. This fan thinks there are going to be a lot of yellows (well, at least enough to keep good tires on the cars and fuel in the tank) but I’m not so sure of that to think it won’t be a fuel mileage race in the end. I am expecting more than the usual number of cautions and I do think they will have something to do with who actually takes the trip to Victory Lane.

So what does all this say about those top qualifiers? Well… what it says to this fan is just about anybody in the top twenty five could win this one and I’m still not at all convinced it will be A J Allmendinger or Kevin Harvick. I see some very strong cars spread out through those top twenty five and I’m figuring it may just well be one of the Hendrick cars for that 200th victory.

I’m not saying he will, but, Dale Jr could be the one that takes the trophy home and wins the coveted 200th for Hendrick MotorSports and breaks his winless streak all on the same day…

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© April 22, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

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Greg Biffle won the Samsung Mobile 500 last Saturday night… but then, you already knew that. He also broke a 49 race drought of being in Victory Lane… but that’s just about all you heard about his victory all week, too. So, what else is there to talk about when it comes to the race at Texas Motor Speedway? Well… I guess that depends.

You see, Greg Biffle not only has the points lead, but he has a victory to go with it. Some would say he is on a tear (while others may say “on a roll”) and that’s okay because either one fits. Compared to last year, he is doing great and is running consistently up front. Even if he runs into some rough races in the weeks ahead, that victory will carry some weight along the way for him, but, he will probably need more than one if the bottom does drop out for him. Add to all that the fact that Roush teams have a tendency to run well at 1 ½ mile tracks and it is very possible he could win at least one more (and probably more than that.)

Some have already crowned him the Cup Champion for the year and they could be right. Even with the new points system, he really needs to stumble for most of the field to even stay close to him, but this fan thinks it is way to soon to be naming someone to take the Cup Championship.

Yeah, it’s true he has looked unstoppable so far and all of his finishes are in the top fifteen but that doesn’t always mean he will continue with his present stats. Admittedly, it does look like he is going to continue with his strong showing but, this is not quite 1/3 of the way into the season.

From this point on, anything can happen even if it is someone (or several someones) hitting a hot streak and the #16 team just having decent finishes outside the top ten. If that does happen, there is always the possibility Biffle and his team could start trying to press their own envelope to try and regain the performance levels they’ve enjoyed in this early part of the year and begin to fall backwards in the points. Of course you know this is just speculation from this fan’s view but it could happen.

Once again, the Hendrick teams didn’t score the 200th victory for their boss, Rick Hendrick but all of them did have a good day at TMS. (I hate to state the obvious, but two of them, Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon, really needed it.) It did appear that Jimmie Johnson was going to take home the trophy and the honors for scoring number two hundred for Hendrick MotorSports, but Biffle’s power slide past him as they dealt with lap traffic late in the race put an end to that possibility.

Michael Waltrip Racing had a very good showing with two from that camp finishing in the top ten. Mark Martin lead the way for MWR finishing third and Martin Truex Jr finishing sixth. It is very obvious that MWR has turned a corner on performance issues of the past and all three teams are showing up every weekend with fast cars and good race-day runs. That doesn’t mean they are perfect yet, but it does mean they could be in Victory Lane at any time in the near future.

From this fan’s view, Texas proved just how close the main teams are running these days and how important track position is every week. It also showed that Roush Racing has a strong grip performance-wise on the 1 ½ mile tracks and that could prove to be a good thing, in particular for Greg Biffle and the #16 team. It just may mean that Greg Biffle does have a chance at staying at the top of the points, at least up to Chase time. Then again, it could mean absolutely nothing at all for him or Roush Racing when the Chase begins.

Can anyone say, “Carl Edwards…?”

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© April 18, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

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After Martinsville many of the NASCAR Sprint Cup teams welcomed the week off and hoped to re-group or get a fresh start when things pick back up in Texas this weekend. The short track in Virginia claimed a few victims and some that were expected to do well, didn’t. Even though he started out strong, Kevin Harvick struggled for most of the day and his team-mates didn’t fair much better. To say the RCR teams underperformed may be a little dramatic but it is true and the week off was hopefully beneficial to them.

Martinsville turned out to be a rough day for most of the Hendrick teams, too and they didn’t come away with number 200 for their boss, Rick Hendrick. Jeff Gordon dominated the day but he didn’t end up in Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson came from the middle of the pack and worked his way near the front, was clocked speeding on pit lane and put at the end of the longest line. He proceeded to move back to the front and was leading on lap #496, but he didn’t go to Victory Lane either. As for pole-sitter, Kasey Kahne well… it was just another typical day for him in the year 2012 and he didn’t even finish the race. Now, Dale Jr… well he had a pretty decent finish and is now second in the points.

To say Martinsville had a surprise ending would be more than a little bit of an understatement…

From this fan’s view (and looking at the race with six laps to go) it looked as if there was going to be a real shootout between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and no matter how it turned out between the two, Hendrick Motorsports was going to come away with its 200th victory in Cup. All of that went out the window with the throwing of the yellow flag with about three laps to go. The caution was exactly what Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson did not need, or want, to see.

I know it has been analyzed and talked about and analyzed again, but I just have to put in my two cents from this fan’s view. It is very obvious that the yellow flag could have been avoided and probably was a bad decision by David Reutimann and his team to try and continue but it is just one of the beasts that has reared its ugly head because of the top 35 rule. Reutimann admitted the only reason he was still on the track was because he was trying to stay in the top thirty five in points. We all know how it affected the outcome of the race and we all know how badly Reutimann felt about having changed the outcome of the race. What doesn’t seem to be very clear (at least to this fan) is how that situation can be completely avoided in the future.

Had it not been for the top thirty five qualifying rule, he wouldn’t have had to make that decision at all. As it is, it is a decision that affects how all of the teams struggling to stay in the top thirty five think about how to get as many points as they can. As anyone will tell you, especially in NASCAR Cup, it is a whole lot easier to get and keep sponsors interested in you if you are guaranteed to be in the race.

That is what the top thirty five rule does and this is not the first time it has been brought up in the last several years. As this fan remembers, the last time it was really questioned was when teams were making the races even though there were cars that had faster qualifying times but weren’t in the top thirty five so the slower cars made the race. Now, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the rule, but I am saying it does affect the racing week in and week out and as it stands, everyone knows about and has to deal with the top thirty five rule whether good or bad.

From what I can tell, the time it becomes most important to anyone is when it affects them in a negative way. (In other words, as long as it doesn’t affect anyone other than those outside the top thirty five, it isn’t even on the radar of the others. When it does affect the others… well… you know…

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© April 11, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman and Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

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Kasey Kahne will start on the pole this afternoon at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and I find it interesting that he said he might have been trying too hard the first two races this season. He was referring to the fast cars he had at both Daytona and Phoenix and yet ended up with poor finishes. That being said and him sitting on the pole for Vegas and setting the new track record, makes this fan wonder if he has eased up yet. Of course you know I’m sort of joking about that, but still, he does have a fast race car for the Kobalt Tools 400 this afternoon.

Yeah, I know he was only one of fifteen drivers that broke the old track record set last year by Matt Kenseth but, he was still the fastest of those fifteen. I also know there were a lot of cars showing a lot of speed in the last practice Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, some of the faster cars showed there are some treacherous spots at LVMS and two of the the top ten starters will be starting in the back in backup cars. Kyle Bush qualified second but will be one of those starting in the back while Jimmie Johnson is the other. Even though Johnson qualified sixth, he will also be in a backup car to start the race. Both of them will have their work cut out for themselves if they expect to have any chance at ending up in Victory Lane. Since we are talking about Kyle Bush and Jimmie Johnson, neither one can (or should) be counted out for being up front at the end of the day, but if they do, they will definitely have to work for it. Plus, there are forty one other drivers ahead of them that I don’t think will be just waiting around for them to catch up.

Once again, the Fords didn’t qualify all that well but they are expected to run well during the race. After all, the 1 ½ mile tracks are supposed to be their forte. Carl Edwards had a fast car but didn’t qualify as he had hoped and starts twenty first. His teammates, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth did a little better at ninth and eleventh. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ruling out the Fords but I do think the Chevy’s and Toyotas are looking a bit stronger (at least in the practice and qualifying sessions.)

So you may be asking why I think the Chevys are going to make a good showing this afternoon. Well, that is a good question and I would just point you a couple of obvious reasons. First, until Jimmie Johnson had his problems, the Hendrick camp had three cars in the top six starting spots. Second, the Childress team of Kevin Harvick was another fast Chevy. He ran fast in practice and qualified third. With as consistent as he has been over the last two races, I would not be surprised to see him contending for the win at the end of the day.

It’s true, there are a lot of fast cars and one thing this fan has noticed this year is, the competition between teams appears to be even closer than it was last year and that in itself makes it difficult to choose possible winners, especially at the Vegas track. From this fan’s view, this will be another fuel mileage week and once again, the pressure will be on the crews to perform flawlessly and help their driver make up as many spots in the pits as they can. Because the track is so fast, track position will be crucial to the eventual winner today and that puts even more pressure on the pit crews. Although I expect the competition to be tight, passing may be more difficult and that could lead to a bit more bumpin’ and runnin’ and maybe just a little bit of short tempered impatience by the end of the race. That could mean more yellows and possibly more vehicle carnage during those double file restarts and open up even more opportunities for a surprise winner.

Now, I really do hate to keep bringing this up week after week but, Dale Jr looked mighty strong in all of the practice sessions and with his qualifying spot of fourth. Since Kyle Bush is having to move to the back, doesn’t that mean Dale Jr will be starting on the front row, right next to Kasey Kahne? I know that is not as big a deal as it might seem but, that is a very strong Hendrick front row if it turns out that way.

From my view, this could very well be the week Dale Jr (and crew chief, Steve Letarte) break that string of non-wins he’s been enduring for a while now. If that happens (and it very could) Jr Nation will be very happy when they leave Las Vegas and you can be sure it will be one thing that may happen in Vegas but won’t stay in Vegas…

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© March 11, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman and Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

Not everyone was happy with the results of the 2012 Shootout at Daytona Saturday night. There were rumblings from certain areas that they were going to be tearing up a lot of racecars and it was gonna be costing everyone a lot of money. Of course you know, most of those statements were from owners of teams as they recognized that something needed to be done to stop the carnage that became evident Saturday night. But, when the drivers were asked what they thought, they said they were having a lot of fun and enjoying themselves immensely. (Of course, they didn’t quite say it like that. I guess if the truth be known, unless they were owners themselves, they weren’t too worried about the wrecked cars. Besides… this was the Shootout.)

From this fan’s view, the best word to describe the race Saturday night (which is always a little rough and a bit on the wild side) would be “wreck-fest” and I don’t think many would disagree with me on that. There were a lot of wrecked cars all during the night and there was more than one big one that happened as the drivers got used to pack racing once again. And then there was and that ever present problem (discovered, in particular, when the two car draft became the norm) of bumping and pushing on the left rear bumper at the wrong time, causing the front car problems and often sending it spinning out of control. Of course that wrong time I mention would be as they enter the turns, just in case you’re wondering.)

Even with all of the spinning and bent up metal, the overall consensus was that this was one of the best Shootouts ever. I don’t disagree with that and it just goes to show that almost everyone likes to watch good close racing and finds it exciting.

I have to agree with many that commented on the race that it was really good to get back to that thing called “pack racing” especially on the Super Speedway at Daytona. The “Two Car Tandem” racing was interesting for a while, but nothing beats the two and three wide bumper to bumper, door handle to door handle pack racing lap after lap at almost 200 miles per hour .

Kyle Bush was the winner of the event (which is not new news, but worthy of commenting on.) He showed his great car handling abilities and impressed just about everyone when he saved his car from spinning into obvious oblivion had he not done so. (He did so not once, but twice.) It wasn’t a cake walk for him to end up in Victory Lane but there was absolutely no one that could say he didn’t work for it or deserve it. Yeah, it’s true… because he did make those two fabulous saves, he was right where he needed to be for his slingshot move on Tony Stewart coming out of turn four to take the checkers slightly ahead of him at the finish line.

This fan wants to make a quick comment about NASCAR and the racing we witnessed Saturday night. Once again NASCAR has proved they are interested in what is best for the fans and the sport. The changes they made that resulted in minimizing the “two car draft” (and appears to have given us a return to “pack racing”) worked well and are sure to give all NASCAR fans a great show and good racing throughout this week’s events. I know I can’t speak for all of you, but as for me, I’m looking forward to the 54th running of the Daytona 500 even more than I was before the changes were made. I can’t wait for the Duels on Thursday or the 500 on Sunday.

After the way last season went, especially with the drama of the Chase going right down to the last lap, NASCAR had it’s work cut out to try and match the level of competition, excitement and drama from last year. If the Shootout is any example of what we have to look forward to in 2012, especially on the Super Speedways, then I’d say they’ve got a good jump on it. All I can say is, Hold on, 2012 is gonna be another great one…

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© January 21, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman and Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

Well, its that time again and the Shootout at Daytona tonight should give us all a good look at how things might shape up for next weekend at the super-speedway for the Daytona 500. Of course we all know the Shootout is a bit different than the race next weekend but, as a fan, I think it will give insight as to what we can expect when it comes down to the actual racing.

NASCAR has done all it can to minimize the two car draft (or the two car tandem as some still like to say) and that means we should see a whole lot more pack racing. That means we should see two and three wide racing with a little bit of the two car draft thrown in at strategic moments for a couple of cars to hopefully blast by the rest. At least, that is the word around the Daytona Super Speedway at the moment.

Personally, I like the fact there could be more two and three wide pack racing because as a fan the two car draft is relatively boring to watch for 500 miles. Of course, if you listen to the drivers they would also rather do pack racing them the two car tandem draft. They also say it is less stressful than the two car draft. One thing I notice about the pack racing is at any moment they can have the “Big One” and that has to weigh on their minds. From this fan’s view, I have to admit that I have always liked the pack racing much better than the two car draft.

I think NASCAR made a good move when they decided to try and minimize the two-car draft during the Super Speedway races. I also am happy that they’ve eliminated communication between the drivers in case they do want to do the two-car draft. It will be good to see them get back to racing for the win themselves rather than having to depend upon a partner to get or stay up front. That doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to use the two-car draft to go forward or take the win but, it does mean that the two-car draft will be used as a tool rather than a strategy. It is still very obvious that when two cars look up via the two-car draft, they’re noticeably faster than a single car or a line of cars.

As expected, electronic fuel injection isn’t, and won’t be, very noticeable as far as performance on the track is concerned. However, there may be some situations that arise because of the electronic fuel injection, whether it be during pit stops or at other times, simply because some of that information won’t be gained until it’s in the heat of the battle. I’m not really looking for that to be a difficulty for the engineers for the teams because they seem to have no trouble figuring things out at any other time. I’m just glad that they’re not doing it in the middle of the season. I’m also glad that all the teams are facing the same problems at the same time.

This fan is looking forward to the race tonight and is certainly glad that the 2012 NASCAR season is starting. With all of the changes that have been made since Homestead in 2011, I think it will prove to be a very interesting season. Yes, there are still 26 races to go and then 10 in The Chase but there are also a lot of unknowns as we go forward into the year.

Will this year be as exciting as last year last year? Who’s going to win tonight? Will they have a Big One tonight? All of that remains to be seen but one thing is certain – anything can happen tonight and probably will, but, only part of what we get to watch tonight will carry over into next weekend. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get started…

By the way, just in case you’re wondering who I think is going to win tonight, I’m going to stick my neck way out and say it is going to be one of the Hendrick drivers. Dale Jr? (Yeah, could be.) Kasey Kahne? (Uh, maybe.) Jimmie Johnson? (Hm-m-m.) Jeff Gordon? (Possibly…) Of the four, probably Dale Jr is the most likely in my book followed by Jeff Gordon, but my picking the winner for the Shootout is like naming the Champion for the year before the first race is run… If it happens the way I say, it would just be dumb luck.

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© February 18, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman and Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions

I don’t know how you feel about it, but from this fan’s view, the more things change, the more they stay the same when it comes to NASCAR. This fan thinks that NASCAR 2012 is gonna be a lot like last year even though there will be some very big differences. What with the driver changes, the loss of some sponsorship dollars and some drivers and teams determined more than ever to win their first or another Cup Championship, I don’t see how there could not be change. But even though there will be a lot of differences in the coming year, I think a lot of things are going to stay the same. I believe the drivers and the teams are likely to be just as competitive, if not more so than last year, and I expect to see some real excitement all throughout the first 26 races and the last 10 races when we get to the Chase.

But wait a minute… I may be getting way ahead of myself.

It may sound strange to make this statement at this time, but even though there has been a major change to the power plants under the hoods of the cars, I still expect the competition to be as close, or even closer than it was last year. Of course, everyone knows the major change in the power plant is fuel injection and it still remains to be seen how it will affect the individual Cup teams over the long haul. I expect there will be some challenges along the way, but I also think the engine builders and engineers will have it all figured out in very short order (if they haven’t already done that.)

Personally, I am glad they had the testing sessions in January at Daytona and can’t wait to see how the teams and NASCAR put it all together for speed weeks at Daytona this February. (In reality, I don’t expect there to be much of a change in performance (which was pretty much proved out at the test sessions), but with some of the changes NASCAR is making to try and break up the now expected and continuous two-car-drafting at the Super Speedways, it could prove to be a very interesting Daytona 500. What effect that may have on the other tracks will remain to be seen, but at Daytona and Talladega, fans could see at least a partial return to pack racing and less tandem drafting.

I really don’t think we as fans will know until they get down to the actual racing and, if I know anything about the Cup teams, they will find the fastest way around the Super Speedways, even with any changes NASCAR may make to the rules. Believe me when I tell you, that is NOT a statement against NASCAR. Over the years, they have proven they want what is best for the fans, the teams and the competition amongst those teams. (And just as a side note, they do seem to learn from and correct their mistakes, but maybe not as fast as some fans think they should…)

Yes, it’s true, 2012 could prove to be a very, very different year even while the level of competition remains quite the same. All of us are going to have to learn to associate different driver names with different car numbers and team owners (and let’s not forget, Danica Patrick is going to be full time in NASCAR, too.) Even though she was involved part time in the Nationwide series last year, this year will see her focusing on the NASCAR Nationwide and Cup series instead of the Indy cars and all of us expect a lot of attention to be focused on her, at least early in the season.

I’ve been listening to all the speculation from many sources about the 2012 season over the last month and a half or two and I agree with some and disagree with others, but overall, I’m ready for the season to begin and can’t wait to see how things pan out… How about you??

See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© January 30, 2012 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Just A Fan’s View and Nascarfansview.com
All audio productions by www.podcastnorm.com and PodCastNorm Productions