Over at the FanHouse: Power Rankings

The Cup boys have the weekend off for Easter this week, so here at the NASCAR FanHouse, we won't be ranking the drivers according to their performance and likelihood of winning on track this week. Instead, this week is based on which driver would be the best hunter of Easter Eggs. So here it is, folks, this week's Easter Egg Hunt Top Picks.

1. Kyle Busch. Simply put, Kyle is the youngest guy out there with the most tenacity. He knows the new strategies to finding the most eggs and of course, the all-coveted golden egg. Dude's got mean elbows ...

continue reading about the rest of Top 10....

Indiana Daily Student NASCAR column

A columnist dedicated a piece to slamming NASCAR here, and I fired back.

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Mr. Shaffer,

As a fellow staff member of the Indiana Daily Student, I have put up with your writing for a while. A very high majority of the time you have no basis or sound reasoning to write the way you write. Essentially, you are nothing but sensational in your writing, and at the same time, quite ignorant. I have held back on this letter in the past, but now you have forced me to write because you have officially stooped to your lowest level yet with your column on NASCAR, entitled "Go to hell, NASCAR (and stay there).

First, I would like to refute your claim that NASCAR takes no physical athleticism. Or as you put it, "Placing your foot on and off the pedal does not require strength or conditioning." I could go with the argument that you should get on of these stock cars for yourself and take 5 laps around Bristol Motor Speedway. But obviously, you are too incredibly ignorant to want to try that. Instead, take for example that a vast majority of the drivers in the sport today have regimented work out plans and diets. It is not at all surprising that drivers lose over five pounds per race due to the extreme heat and g-forces placed on their body during the tenure of each race. Throw in the fact that the simplest of mistakes can put your race car into the wall at speeds above 200 mph, I'd say that's a pretty intense activity to not be considered a sport.

I know what you're trying to go for with your reference to Anchorman, but when's the last time you went to a football, basketball, baseball, or soccer game and nobody cheered for their team? I'm pretty sure screaming when Jeff Gordon takes the lead is quite similar, but you, Mr. Playin' It Shafe, must not obviously think the same.

"Pay Attention to a sport with a playoff system, not a points system" -- It's funny you should bring that up. Aren't they essentially synonyms? A team wins the most games, and gets to the playoffs. In NASCAR, a team earns the most points, they get to the Chase for the Cup. Awful similar, if you ask me.

What exactly is the difference between bringing alcohol into a race track or buying alcohol at stadium? Is the bought alcohol really that different? Does it not get you drunk Shaffer? Has there ever been an incident involving alcohol in professional sports? Hmm... I think something happened in Detroit involving a thrown alcoholic beverage a few years back -- but please, correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, your reference to "the Jiffy Lube guy" has confused me, but only because I feel that being statistically and factually right in a story is how journalism works. No, Andrew, there is no Jiffy Lube guy. There are actually over 100 Fortune 500 companies participating in NASCAR racing as sponsors. Was it really that hard for you to do some factual work, or are columnists not allowed to do that?

I do appreciate your almost accurate description of NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow. Yes, the steering wheel is closer to the center, the car is taller, and it sits more upright. Was there not enough room to talk about why drivers complained about the car? Or the radical appearance changes the included a rear wing and front splitter? What about the improved safety aspects? However, the track at Bristol has not changed a single bit -- despite you referring to "Bristol's higher banks, wider turns, and shorter straightaways". That is simply factually incorrect -- a trend that I am starting to heavily notice in this piece.

On a comparative note to that, did you say that same thing to NBA players when they complained about the new ball that was introduced this year? Did they get a "suit up, saddle up, and shut up" from you? It's an eerily similar situation.

I've to say, though, that not only pissed me off with your ignorance, but also completely and utterly offended me and likely quite a few others in the IDS readership with your "not cool with Billy Bob and Mary Ann conceiving a child on the track's infield. I'm sorry sport fans, but I don't think a brother and sister should be doing that sort of thing." comment. I, myself, have attended dozens of NASCAR races with my family and I really don't think you understand how bad that hurts to read. Are you saying that I am going to be involved with incest? The better question is, have you, Andrew Shaffer, ever seen this at a race track? Much less, have you ever been to a NASCAR event?

I think it's pretty apparent that you have not, and that you are doing nothing but slandering NASCAR racing and it's fans. Yes, Shaffer, that statement is completely unfounded, untrue, and completely designed to damage NASCAR's reputation. I'm 100% positive that you not only lack any ethical standards in your "journalism", but have also broken the law.

It should be noted that at this point I have written nearly 300 words more in rebuttal than your entire column length. Is that a sign that you, Mr. Shaffer, are wrong?

To me, this piece seems like one that you thought you could get away with because Bloomington is a liberal town and most of IU isn't in love with NASCAR. It's an off-day column that you wanted to create some spice. And damn, Mr. Shaffer, you did a good job with that. You were right -- writing factually incorrect and seat of the pants words will do that. But you guessed wrong in that no one in Bloomington would care about your ignorance. I will definitely not be the only letter you receive from this.

The Indiana Daily Student is a respectable newspaper, Mr. Shaffer, and you are doing nothing but degrading its image. You are doing nothing but hurting the rest of the staff that works so hard each day to put out a paper in both print and online. I feel personally victimized that tomorrow morning I have to wake up and acknowledge that you write for the paper that I work for.

It doesn't matter how trivial you think something is because unless you have bona-fide proof and evidence to back up your claims, you are doing nothing short of lying with this piece about NASCAR.

You are hurting yourself, damaging a respected publication, outright falsifying facts about NASCAR racing and all of the very, very good people involved with it, and most importantly hurting the co-workers around you.

I am shocked and appalled that this piece was shown any light of day in the IDS by the chain of command above you who undoubtedly read it, but most importantly, Mr. Shaffer, I hope that this shines a light on the fact that while you have freedom of the press on your back, you also have a responsibility with that.

A citizen in the "nation of nimrods",

Geoffrey Miller

welcome to the wreckfest.

just a quick race update with 237 to go.

1) Robby Gordon is a moron.
what was he thinking? three-wide into turn one early in the race? mor-on.

2) We've had 3 cautions in the first 20 laps. 3.
yep, the tire issue isn't gonna matter today. we have a caution before the tires ever get hot.

and now, we just our fourth caution. aric almirola spun it on the frontstretch.

this race could be over by 10pm est. if we're lucky.

auto club 500 monday race rewind.

Comin' at 'cha with some news and notes from a long day in Fontana, Calif. on Sunday.

The Story.
Winner: Matt Kenseth
How it was done: Held off Jeff Gordon after a late restart with 4 laps to go for his second victory of the weekend
Top 5: Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin
Yellow Flags: 9 for 37 laps with 1 red flag (David Reutimann Turn 3 Crash)
Points Situation: 1.Mark Martin, 2.Jeff Burton (-5), 3. Jeff Gordon (-26)

News/Notes/Ramblings.
-Just Another Day - Once again, just another ho-hum day at California Speedway. Kenseth walked away from the field on the final restart, illustrating how much the "dirty air" behind the lead car hurts handling. The final stats will show 28 lead changes among 12 drivers, but you'll get that with 2 green-flag pit stops. According to David Poole the announced crowd was 87,000, however the stands should a story much below that. NASCAR, it is time to realize that boring racing doesn't bring in the glitzy fans that Brian France so dreams about. Rockingham, how we miss you.
-Hard Hit. David Reutimann provided some very dramatic television after he pounded the turn 3 wall after being wrecked by Greg Biffle with less than 10 laps to go Sunday. When FOX cut to his in-car, Reutimann was slumped over the steering wheel and the radio traffic from his pit was unable to make contact with him. Reutimann finally came to and dropped the window net. It'll be interesting to see if NASCAR releases the g-force count from that hit. Let's just say Mr. Reutimann walked away from that crash today, but 6 years ago, that would have been a different story.
- New Digs. In case you didn't notice, FOX sports unveiled a new "Hollywood Hotel" for the pre-race show and in-race updates with Jeff Hammond and Chris Myers. The new space appears to have windows in the background like the old version -- except now they are large plasma displays with a direct camera feed. The reason for ditching the windows? Now, the "Hotel" can be placed closer to drivers and the garage area for more interviews throughout the weekend because it doesn't need to have a scenic backdrop.
- Power Outage. - Two DEI cars suffered engine failures early in the race, leaving perennial championship favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. stuck in 41st in the points standings. Martin Truex, Jr. blew up first and Junior later reported trouble. The attempted to fix the 8 car, but once on the track the engine blew up big -- and for good. The oil leaving the engine spun Earnhardt's car around in turn 3 and he somehow kept the car off the wall. After getting out, Dale Jr. bowed -- fitting for his miraculous job of keeping the car off the wall. Give that guy an Oscar!
- Hendrick Surge. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch got off to good starts for the intermediate tracks this season. All 3 finished in the top ten Sunday. Gordon overcame terrible handling early in the race by pitting early and often, and then racing his way back to the front. Johnson ran solidly in the top 10 all day and even led quite a bit. He was sidetracked, however, with 25 laps to go when one of NASCAR's mysterious debris cautions showed up again. Is anyone getting tired of NASCAR's consitent attempts at trying to make the race more exciting? They might as well just institute a mandatory caution with 20 laps to go in every race to get some credibility back.

Rank 'Em
(a new feature that I'll do on rewind to rank the top 10 drivers each week.)
1. Jeff Burton - How can you argue with a 3rd and 4th place to start the year?
2. Kevin Harvick - This team is on it right now, flat tire or not.
3. Jeff Gordon - Salvaged a top-ten at Daytona and came back yesterday. Solid.
4. Matt Kenseth - I'd make him higher if I got a full Arby's combo instead of fries. Matt, talk to your agent.
5. Jimmie Johnson - Has there been a champion that has been more under the radar than JJ?
6. Mark Martin - He'll move up if he stays consistent. And races at Bristol.
7. Tony Stewart - The team made a questionable call to put 4 tires on with just 4 laps to go. He has some points to make up.
8. Kyle Busch - He seemed a lot a bit too aggressive Sunday. Simmer, shrub.
9. Denny Hamlin - C'mon Denny, do more FedEx commercials. Like more donuts on a lown mower.
10. David Stremme - He's just getting a shout for being 10th in the points. Nice.

Next Race: The 3/11/07 UAW Daimer-Chrysler 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway on FOX

pick' em round 2 champ: Trevor Sager

the standings.

after round 2 of 36

1. 20 points - trevor sager (1 pick 'em win)
2. 10 points - drew owen* (1 - Top 5, 1 - Top 10)
3. 10 points - geoffrey miller* (1 - Top 5)

* = standings were decided by tiebreaker rule.

Wow, boys, wow. Our three picks this week at California? They finished 1, 2, 3. Matt Kenseth (Trevor, scoring 20 points) took the win, Jeff Gordon (Geoffrey, scoring 5 points) took 2nd, and Jimmie Johnson (Drew, scoring 0 points) came home third.

On a side note, that really sucks for Drew not to get any points for a third place finish, but as NASCAR should be, winning matters. "That's just the way the cookie crumbles."

We do have a tie for second this week, so it's time to institute the rules for a tie, mainly in the case of an end-of-season tie. Also, I'm looking at splitting up the season into parts, maybe a halfway champion or a Chase of the Cup style format? Feedback is much appreciated. The tie-break rules will be at the bottom of the post, partly according to the NASCAR rulebook.

Excellent job this week, guys, see ya at Vegas in two weeks. And Trev, nice comeback after posting the goose egg at Daytona.

Official Tiebreak Rules for 2007 pick 'em

1. # of Pick 'Em Race Wins
2. # of Top Fives (by Drivers Chosen)
3. # of Top Tens (by Drivers Chosen)
4. Coin Toss

see y'all in vegas.

kenseth does it fontana.

I thought I'd just leave a quick wrap from today's Nascar race in Fontana.

Matt Kenseth grabbed his first win of the year in the Auto Club 500 with Jeff Gordon running second and Jimmie Johnson third. The race ended under a 4 lap shootout after David Reutimann pounded the wall. Oh, let me restate. SLAMMED the wall in turn 3 after contact from Greg Biffle. His hit brought out the red flag and gave some very dramatic TV time for Fox as Reutimann seemed a little unconcious after the hit. The in-car view was very compelling.

Maybe he was thinking about how to best thank Greg Biffle for that one.

Kevin Harvick likely would have won the race, but he cut a tire under the ensuing yellow flag and had to pit. Mark Martin leaves as the leader in the points despite not intending to run the full schedule.

That will change.

Look for Pick'em Standings to come out later, and the monday race rewind tomorrow (with new features!)

a fantastic partnership.

kelly clarkson is a hero to many. she's that singing goddess that graces the walls and plays on the ipods. she is the american idol.

for 12 year old girls.

nascar is a homegrown sport. it's trying to evade its past of chicken and beer, rednecks and racing. it hates its roots. instead of main street it wants to be broadway. it's an american confusion.

i hope you've drawn the conclusion to this point. yes, kelly clarkson and nascar have signed an agreement for clarkson to promote nascar in a number of ways. she's carried out two of those assignments already by doing a commercial for nascar and singing before the daytona 500. she is also in line to promote "nascar day", a charity fundraiser for the nascar foundation. yes, the american idol is now synonymous with nascar.

or at least that's the idea.

this isn't the first time nascar or its related tracks and partners have seemingly gone outside its social makeup to bring in celebrities. jewel performed in kelly clarkson's role last year for nascar, fergie sang the national anthem at the 2006 daytona 500, kelly rowland sang at last year's brickyard 400, the american idol losers have sang at charlotte for two years in a row, ruben studdard has appeared, and the list goes on. you can understand the natural awkward moments in the stands when the person is announced and a collective "who?" is heard.

sure, nascar is trying to be more diverse. it's trying to get a larger audience to watch its races and spend its money. it wants to be a mainstream sport and have it's super bowl have an event at the half-time show stature. but nascar is missing a very integral part of what got it to the level of signing kelly clarkson -- its base fans. i'm talking about those fans that spend their only family vacation time of the year to go to daytona or (insert race here). these are the "loyal" nascar fans that sponsors crave because of their noted product support for nascar sponsors. these are the lifeblood of nascar. but instead of loving this financial support, nascar is aiming higher -- too high in fact. and evantually, this alienation is going to take a toll on its foundations.

hopefully, the broadway push won't ever leave because nascar might find main street as a ghost town.

wow.

update: the unofficial results from daytona now list jeff gordon as the 10th place finisher. the official results should be released by nascar sometime monday.

nothing else describes that finish. harvick and martin down to the line. kyle busch losing it off of turn four. car after car after car piling up. clint bowyer crossing the line in his jack daniel's chevy not only on fire -- but upside down.

can you freaking believe that? it was just simply amazing.

congratulations to kevin harvick, but you gotta feel bad for mark martin. he's now 0-23 at the daytona 500. but ya know what? look at that guy. 48 years old and gets out of that car with a huge smile in his face. good for him, and i'm super glad he's not retired.

as rusty put it on nascar now "but doggone, what a great race." it sure made up for the struggles that the 24 had.

gordon finished 12th, which was incredibly remarkable for running way down in the standings through the middle part of the race. we'll go get 'em next week.

pick em updates coming soon.

at least i've got racing.

well, the hoosiers blew it. again. 58-55 to michigan. should stemler have shot? yeah. does this team have a lot of work to do? definitely.

it seems that mental toughness is a problem with these guys. that's all i can muster to say. my disappointment is just overwhelming.

but for now, the daytona 500 on fox. gets under way a little after 3 today, and that's where i'll be.

hopefully we'll have a happier update tonight.

go 24.

sweet move.

8:39pm UPDATE: NASCAR has determined jeff gordon's winning car was just under an inch too low at the rear quarter panels due to a "part failure" that was "likely unintentional". despite this lack of intent, nascar will still move the 24 to the back of the field for the start of the 49th running of the daytona 500 on sunday. he will start 42nd. i realize nascar is trying to make a statement, but this is going over the line. when the director of competition calls it a "part failire", where is the penalty? this precedent set by nascar is very dangerous for their credibility in my book. it'd be nice if these violations could be traced to a black and white rule book, not just a gray area.

--

how bout dem apples? jeff gordon used an incredible move, with a little help from matt kenseth's favorite person (david stremme), to get by kurt busch on the last lap of the 2nd duel at daytona today for the win. gordon will now start 4th in sunday's daytona 500.

gordon ran behind juan montoya for the first 25 laps of the race before montoya broke a wheel hub and brought out the first caution. brian vickers later cut a tire and hit the wall, ruining red bull racing's chance at making the great american race, and bringing out a caution. gordon decided to come in and take two tires and came out 13th with less than ten laps to go. he marched through the field to himself in position at the white flag to grab the checkers.

in the first race, tony stewart won the race as michael waltrip and boris said both raced their way in to the field. waltrip has had quite a roller coaster ride in the past 24 hours after the discrepancies with this engine from qualifying on sunday.

tomorrow, the craftsman truck series takes on the high banks of daytona for their first race of the season under the lights and the busch series starts their season on saturday on espn2.

as for now? we'll celebrate the win and a good start to the season and hope for the best in the 500.

go 24.

that one hurt.

on the eve of the gatorade duels at daytona, michael waltrip learned of the repercussions his team will face after failing inspection before qualifying last sunday. waltrip will docked 100 driver points, his crew chief suspended indefinitely, his team manager ejected from the grounds of daytona, his primary car impounded by nascar, and a loss of 50 owner points before attempting to qualify for nascar's biggest race of the year. the penalty? probably the largest nascar has ever given out. but it came at a time when nascar is trying to build its integrity, so the ramifactions were that much more drastic. i have a feeling waltrip won't ever get caught with "jet fuel" or some other substance in his engine for a little performance again.

said waltrip later, "This was an independent act done without consent or authorization from me or any of my executive management team. As an owner, I realize I am ultimately held responsible for the actions of my employees. Therefore, I accept the penalties issued tonight by NASCAR. I respect NASCAR’s rules, its people and the sport’s integrity, which is why I am so sad and embarrassed."

waltrip will need to move swiftly and with an iron fist in finding who did this in his organization, or his credbility as a driver and owner will be long gone.

tomorrow, we race.

9:40pm UPDATE: according to espn's david newton, michael waltrip racing has fired michael waltrip's crew chief david hyder for the rules infractions at daytona.


visual: michael waltrip at the brickyard 400 during qualifying for the 2006 edition. credit: gm.

before the green flag on 2007.

nascar has indeed reached a point of crossroads. they have a new car, but they are alienating fans. they are punishing cheaters, but they are still racing. they are driving for diversity, but only drivers with diverse portfolios behind them are driving. the sport is getting richer, but its fathers poorer.

thatsracin.com's and the charlotte observer's david poole discussed the issues today on his SIRIUS radio show, and it was later transcribed to the web site. his "state of the sport" address, coming before the politcally correct and nothing address of the same variety by nascar head brian france, covered nearly everything that fans are seeing as crucial today that nascar has yet to cover.

his main concerns: less year-round emphasis on the championship, if you cheat you're out for a week, no more "winner's circle" type programs to reward teams -- just pay them for racing, make winning a bigger priority with higher race purses and more points, take care of the drivers from the 50's, 60's, 70's who got the sport to where it is, and make it easier for fans to go to races.

at what point is brian france going to take notice? when he is going to realize that fans are going to start leaving in droves when the price of a nascar weekend continues to rise and the access to drivers declines? the blatant disregard for what got him that job in favor of running an entertainment complex will evantually destroy this sport.

hopefully, he'll listen.