Drivers To Watch In Vegas

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Las Vegas for the third race of the season. Some say that the season starts in Daytona, others say that the season starts at Auto Club Seedway, but I say that it begins this weekend. Why? Well, the first two races make it very difficult to get a measure of who will be successful for the WHOLE season, and who can be very consistent. Having two "cookie cutter" tracks in a row(although I disagree with that term) can give us fans and media what to expect. Now here are the drivers to watch this weekend:

* Jimmie Johnson: The 48 team just rebounded after a terrible finish in the Daytona 500 by winning the Auto Club 500. Now it is time to prove the media wrong that he does not have a golden horse shoe "where the sun don't shine." If he is a very good contender today(as always) then it would be a safe bet that he will contend throughout the year and for the championship.

* Jeff Gordon: "Big Daddy" seems to be getting off the a rough start this season after receiving two very low finishes in the first two races. He is currently the last Hendrick Motorsports car in the standings, so it is time to see if he will be a contender this year or not.

* Dale Earnhardt Jr: The driver who was last in the HMS stable last year has gotten off to a so-so start. A great finish in the opener, a bad finish in the second race. This could be a make or break race for Junior for his whole season. No pressure.

* Denny Hamlin: Okay, he wasn't my pick for the championship, but everyone else seems to think so. It is now time to see if he has what it takes. It's as simple as that.

* Carl Edwards: New father Carl has got some work to do. He went winless in 2009 and now he's got a baby on his mind. Can he rebound this weekend and return to victory lane? Well, he's done it here before, we will just have to wait and see.

These guys aren't the only ones. Anyone can break the odds this weekend in Sin City. Stay tuned, because it's just heating up.

Speedweeks In Review: Top 5 Moments

Well, well, well, what a week to remember. Whether for the good, the bad, or the ugly, NASCAR's biggest race of the whole year always gives us something to talk about. Here are the top 5 moments in all of speedweeks to remember:

1. A surprise winner:
Jammie McMurray, the 2010 Daytona 500 champion. Who would have thought of that? Actually, who wouldn't have thought of that? McMurray has seemed to become a pretty good restrictor plate racer. He won the last one at Talladega in the fall, and has won a Daytona July race also a few years back. In a way it was a surprise just because nobody really picked him, but in reality, it isn't. As of now, the streak of different winners in the past 9 years continues. He held off a very hard charging Dale Jr, and was able to make a victory in his first race back with Earnhardt Ganassi

2. Danica Mania:
Oh come on, you really didn't think I was going to not talk about this did you? Danica Patrick was the highlight of the whole speedweeks(at least it seemed like it). She did an absolutely fantastic job in the ARCA race, finishing 6th while rubbing fenders, and she did fairly well in the Nationwide race until she was caught up in a wreck. Let's not forget her effect on TV, raising the ARCA TV ratings around 55% as well as raising the Nationwide ratings 33%. She makes Dale Earnhardt Jr look like an average popular driver.

3. Watch Out! There's a hole in the track!:
One word: Pothole. Who would have thought, out of all the different things that could have stopped the race, that a pothole would? If you were to tell me that there would have been two delays for a hole in the track, I would've said your crazy. I would have thought snow would have been more likely to happen with the way the cold temperatures were. Anyway, not only did the hole hurt Clint Bowyer's splitter, it hurt the ratings. The ratings were down a tremendous amount because of the two delays, although there was a much larger amount of people watching this year than last year's event. Even though it made the day very frustrating for just about everyone, many say that the finish was worth the wait.

4. Junior!!!!!!!:
Enough with the pothole, did you see who finished 2nd? Dale Earnhardt Jr. At what had seemed like a complete disaster for NASCAR, NASCAR's most popular driver might have stopped the bleeding just a little bit. After looking much like his father at restrictor plate tracks, good Ole' Junebug came out of nowhere to end up 2nd. He ended up passing about 9 cars in 1 lap. The fans began to cheer. Even Darrell Waltrip was cheering for Dale Jr in the FOX booth, as many people knew it would have a huge effect on the sport. Although he didn't win, 2nd was better than his last season by far. In fact, this was his best finish since April of 2009, and his best finish with crew chief Lance McGrew. Maybe this is a sign of great things to come. Junior better hope so. He really needs to perform better because one day, Danica could be giving him a run for his money in the Most Popular Driver Voting.

5. Smoke rises to the top:
Tony Stewart didn't do all that great on Sunday, but as usual, he dominated the Nationwide race and ended up in victory lane on Saturday. He seems to be just as good as the Earnhardt's at Daytona, by winning every single event at least once except for the big one: The Daytona 500. Tony was one of the fan favorites on Saturday, and was able to end the day with the headline, instead of Danica Patrick. Smoke is always a threat at these races, and one day, he will end up winning the Daytona 500, something he said he would trade a few Saturday trophies for.

Well, mark 2010 Speedweeks in the books. It is over, and now there is nothing left to do but talk about it and watch the rest of the season unfold.

Just A Word:Other Than Patrick

Just A Word:Other Than Patrick
By Paul Denton

Tony Stewart did win the Nationwide race saturday afternoon,
 Dale Earnhardt Jr. was involved in a frightening, multi-car accident at Daytona International Speedway, where his car flipped upside down as he skidded along the superstretch during the Nationwide Series opener.

Earnhardt was battered from every direction Saturday as other cars could not avoid hitting the overturned No. 88 Chevrolet. He slid through the grass, and the car finally flipped back onto its wheels before coming to a stop. He is Ok

But most every place I looked I had to look hard to find the above stories.Everthing was Miss Patrick

Believe or not there were other drivers in the Nationwide race saturday There was quite alot of action and scary moments and from the look of Speedweeks It might just turn into one hell of a race season.

And I understand how Danica Partick's joining Nascar is exciting I totally agree and think she will do well there .but there are at least 43 other stories plus all the junk dugged up weekly by bored bloggers ,columnists and the like.


This is what I saw when I went to Fox SPORTS NASCAR

Lap 66: Danica Patrick up to 23rd now.
Lap[ 65: New race leader - two-time defending race winner Tony Stewart.
Lap 64: Danica Patrick passes John Wes Townley for 24th place.
Lap 63: Danica hanging on in the middle of the pack, much better laps now compared to earlier.
Lap 61: Tony Eury Jr. to Danica: "Best lap of the race."
Lap 59: Danica still can't find a dancing partner around the track -- nobody will draft with the rookie.
Lap 56: Danica 26th. She is running the low line now and her spotter is telling her to stay down there.

CBS sports=Debut cut short
ESPN=Wild Ride
Scencedaily=nothing
Cograds to SPEEDTV CHECK IT OUT GREAT COVERAGE

So to get down to it, I gave up looking sooooo cover her but cover the rest too people or you will lose more old die hard fans

Daytona Oh Daytona

Even though the racing events at Daytona had to be postponed due to Mother Nature showering the earth, there was still much anticipation and excitement brewing for the opening races of the 2010 NASCAR season.

The Daytona Duels showcased refreshing results due to some of the many changes that NASCAR has allowed to be implemented/enhanced/reintroduced this racing season. I believe the Daytona Duel finishes between Jimmie Johnson/Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne/Tony Stewart was just a preview of what was to transpire on the asphalt.

"The Great American Race" will probably resemble a very concentrated chess match at a high rate of speed. Faster speeds, less restrictions on bump drafting and intense motivation to win THE race will definitely make this event an exciting one.

The Nationwide & Camping World races turned out to be fast paced & unpredictable; therefore, I am sure the Sprint Cup race will provide for a photographic, wild finish. Who will be the first man to cross the finish line & take the checkered flag? Just a few more hours and we will have that definitive answer.

Congratulations to Tony "Smoke" Stewart (Nationwide) and Timothy Peters (Camping World) on their wins in today's Daytona races.

Until next time...Gear Up & Strap In For A Thrillin' Ride

Ron Hornaday Jr and Austin Dillon Spotlighted by NASCAR Media

Ron Hornaday Jr. and Austin Dillon topped the voting by members of the media in this year’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pre-season poll.

Hornaday took home a record fourth series championship in 2009 and is picked to join Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as NASCAR national series competitors with five titles.

Hornaday made history in 2009 as NASCAR’s oldest national champion at age 51. He would become the first driver in the 16 years of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to win back-to-back championships.

“I’m very honored they (the media) chose me to repeat as champion but there (will be) 35 other trucks out there for us to compete against,” said Hornaday, a 45-time winner in the series.

Austin Dillon was tapped to become the series’ second-youngest Raybestos Rookie of the Year, at age 19. Dillon, a North Carolina college student, will drive the historic No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for his grandfather, Richard Childress. The team, with Skinner behind the wheel, won the series’ first championship in 1995, and returns to full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck competition after a decade-long absence.

Runner-up in the rookie balloting was 2009 Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) champion Justin Lofton, followed by Jennifer Jo Cobb and Dillon Oliver.

Source: NASCAR PR