http://justafansview.com Just a fan's view of Nascar Sprint Cup Racing Sat, 12 May 2012 17:50:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Just a fan\'s view of Nascar Racing Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing skynorm@embarqmail.com skynorm@embarqmail.com (Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing) Copyright Rusty Norman 2006-2010 Just a fan's view of Nascar Sprint Cup Racing http://justafansview.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://justafansview.com TV-G http://justafansview.com/2012/05/12/nascar-at-darlington-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/05/12/nascar-at-darlington-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 17:47:00 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2789 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/05/12/nascar-at-darlington-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 http://justafansview.com/2012/04/22/the-stp-400-at-kansas-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/04/22/the-stp-400-at-kansas-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:11:41 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2767 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/04/22/the-stp-400-at-kansas-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Racing *************************Two Buck Themes ad **************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ****************************************************************************** - *************************Two Buck Themes ad **************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) ****************************************************************************** (http://nascarfansview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/091218_iPhoneCamPixes-060-003A-150x150.jpg) 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. Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 6:12 http://justafansview.com/2012/04/11/after-martinsville-from-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/04/11/after-martinsville-from-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:23:14 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2748 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/04/11/after-martinsville-from-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 motorsports,Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Racing *************************Two Buck Themes ad **************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ********************************************************************************************* *************************Two Buck Themes ad **************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) ********************************************************************************************* (http://nascarfansview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/20100220RSNTest001-120x150.jpg)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, Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 6:09 http://justafansview.com/2012/03/24/thoughts-after-bristol-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/03/24/thoughts-after-bristol-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:42:45 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2734 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/03/24/thoughts-after-bristol-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Sprint Cup Racing *************************Two Buck Themes ad **************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ********************************************************************************************* *************************Two Buck Themes ad **************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *****************************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 6:55 http://justafansview.com/2012/03/08/phoenix-after-thoughts-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/03/08/phoenix-after-thoughts-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:41:54 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2715 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/03/08/phoenix-after-thoughts-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Sprint Cup Racing *******************Two Buck Themes ad ********************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ********************************************************************************************************* *******************Two Buck Themes ad ********************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) ********************************************************************************************************* (http://nascarfansview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/20100220RSNTest001-120x150.jpg)There were several surprises at Phoenix International Raceway last Sunday afternoon and not all of them were associated with the winner of the race. Yes, it's true Denny Hamlin did end up in Victory Lane with the help of his new crew chief, Darian Grubb. As everyone knows, Darian Grubb was crew chief for Tony Stewart last year and has continued his winning ways with the number 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. It should come as no surprise and now, statistically speaking, Grubb has won six out of the last 12 races in NASCAR as a crew chief. No matter how you look at it, or what you think about him, that's a very interesting statistic. It almost makes this fan wonder what Tony Stewart is thinking about his decision to release Darian Grubb and take on a new crew chief. (Notice I said , almost...) From this fan's view, it is way too early for someone to start second guessing himself and I am sure Tony isn't doing that. It is just interesting how the momentum generated during last years Chase seems to be following Grubb, at least for the moment. I guess time will tell if that continues or fades as the season progresses. Could it be that the expectations everyone had for Denny Hamlin last year is going to be something that happens this year? Well... as far as that goes, time will tell about that, too. The other most obvious surprise of the weekend had to do with the EFI system. It appears all the bugs are not yet worked out and, even though we know this is part of the learning curve, there are still a few problems the teams are going to have to learn how to contend with. It's just an observation from my view, but not only are the crew chiefs going to have to figure it out, but the drivers, too. It doesn't appear to be associated with any one car or team, but the differing minor problems are spread out over several teams and hardly ever is it the same problem for the same team. One possible reason there were problems at Phoenix could be because it did become a fuel mileage race as it has often been in the past. I was thinking with the introduction of EFI that it might not be that, but I was proved wrong and I guess I should have expected it. From my view, I do think EFI will eventually make a bigger difference in fuel mileage than it did in Phoenix. It does appear that the fuel pickups and some of the things drivers used to do to save fuel may have to be altered somewhat but, we all know these are just minor setbacks and challenges the engineers are more than willing to take on. Now, I understand that EFI is new to everyone and that problems and situations should be expected, so I'm not too worried about the ability of the different teams to figure it out. I do think, as we witnessed at Phoenix, that there may be some frustrated drivers and even some frustrated crews and crew chiefs until that happens but, I don't expect those problems to be long-lived. It is this fan's best guess that it is only a matter of time until things like this happening will be in the rear view mirror. Jimmie Johnson did exactly what he needed to do by finishing fourth to start digging himself out of the hole they were in after Speed Weeks in Daytona, with his trip into the wall early in lap two causing him to finish 43rd along with the penalties NASCAR imposed on them after the failed inspection. Although the jury is still out on the penalties for the crew chief and car chief, it does appear the team is already on the road to recovery. Just as a quick side note to that situation; I just have to put in my two cents about the whole thing. Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 6:55 http://justafansview.com/2012/03/04/sprint-cup-at-phoenix-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/03/04/sprint-cup-at-phoenix-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sun, 04 Mar 2012 12:29:09 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2707 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/03/04/sprint-cup-at-phoenix-from-just-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Sprint Cup Racing *******************Two Buck Themes ad ********************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ********************************************************************************************** *******************Two Buck Themes ad ********************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *******************************************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 6:36 http://justafansview.com/2012/02/21/daytona-2012-shootout-afterthoughts-from-a-just-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2012/02/21/daytona-2012-shootout-afterthoughts-from-a-just-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:20:41 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2686 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2012/02/21/daytona-2012-shootout-afterthoughts-from-a-just-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 http://justafansview.com/2011/11/22/homestead-and-2011-season-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2011/11/22/homestead-and-2011-season-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:10:32 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2646 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2011/11/22/homestead-and-2011-season-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Racing,The NASCAR Chase *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ***********************************************************************************... *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *******************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 7:57 http://justafansview.com/2011/11/17/chase-race-at-phoenix-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2011/11/17/chase-race-at-phoenix-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:44:10 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2635 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2011/11/17/chase-race-at-phoenix-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar Articles,Nascar fan opinion,The NASCAR Chase *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ***********************************************************************************... *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *******************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 7:47 http://justafansview.com/2011/11/13/chase-race-nine-at-phoenix-from-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2011/11/13/chase-race-nine-at-phoenix-from-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sun, 13 Nov 2011 06:59:23 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2614 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2011/11/13/chase-race-nine-at-phoenix-from-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Racing,The NASCAR Chase *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ***********************************************************************************... *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *******************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 7:39 http://justafansview.com/2011/11/05/chase-race-eight-at-texas-from-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2011/11/05/chase-race-eight-at-texas-from-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sat, 05 Nov 2011 19:22:53 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2606 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2011/11/05/chase-race-eight-at-texas-from-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 nascar chase,Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Sprint Cup Racing *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ***********************************************************************************... *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *******************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 8:23 http://justafansview.com/2011/11/04/martinsville-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/ http://justafansview.com/2011/11/04/martinsville-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/#comments Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:15:55 +0000 Rusty Norman http://justafansview.com/?p=2603 Continue reading →]]> http://justafansview.com/2011/11/04/martinsville-after-thoughts-from-a-nascar-fans-view/feed/ 0 Nascar Fan,Nascar fan opinion,Nascar Sprint Cup Racing,The NASCAR Chase *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 ***********************************************************************************... *******************************Two Buck Themes ad ********************************** MUSIC MAKES IT BETTER =>> Get 5 new themes, video tutorials each month for $10 (http://twobuckthemes.com/amember/go.php?r=10&i=l1) *******************************... Just A Fan's View of Nascar Racing clean 7:58