Dale Junior Still Hates Daytona

((HT: ESPN))

He's made no secret about it, but when asked what his favorite race track was on the eve of the Firecracker 400 at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt, Junior said something of the equivalent of: "the race after Daytona..."

He, basically, says the butt-buck racing style that has to succeed there isn't racing, and it's actually weird...

He was a little more colorful after the race Saturday night...


The HQ agrees... Daytona is boring and we sat through the whole thing waiting for what went down in the last ten laps...

If you don't have the horses, you'll finish where you oughta...
Have at it, boys...

Keslowski conquers Kansas, Junior 2nd...again

Brad Keslowski said he used a few secrets to keep enough gas in the tank. He used that to take the lead with 9 laps left and cruised to the win in Sunday's STP 400 at the Kansas Speedway.

It was Keslowski's second win since 2009 and may have established him as a player in the NASCAR top driver roll-call.

Kurt Busch seemed to have the dominant car all week, he was on the poll and led for 152 laps, but he had to stop for gas with 10 laps left and ended up finishing 9th.

Finishing 2nd, for the 2nd week in a row, Dale Earnhardt Jr, who is still trying to break a 106 race winless streak, or roughly the same amount of races it's taken Keslowski to win 2.

NASCAR.com gives us our highlights:



And NASCAR.com also provides some post-race sound for us:

Harvick steals race as Junior runs out of gas

Kevin Harvick/Courtesy: motorsport.com

Geez, what a weird day of racing on Sunday. The nightcap was every bit as strange as the Indy 500. Kevin Harvick got the wind in the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte late Sunday night thanks to a very late charge and a bit of luck.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. all but had the race won on the last lap. But thanks to bad luck and a couple of late race incidents with other cars, he ran out of gas heading into the last turn...literally.

Harvick who began the 2-lap restart at the end of the race in 6th, somehow navigated through traffic and blew by Earnhardt for the win. Earnhardt coasted across the finish line with a 7th place finish.

Ironically, Earnhardt was driving a car with the National Guard sponsorship prominently displayed on the hood. Rookie Indy car driver J.R Hildebrand, who crashed while in the lead in the last turn of the Indianapolis 500, his car was also sponsored by...wait for it....The National Guard.

No irony there at all, just a cruel coincidence for a couple of really unlucky drivers.

The last 2 laps of the race. Courtesy: TheNARLtv/FoxSports:

Talladega Finish Closest In While

((HT: NASCAR on Fox/MT89Motorsport2))

The larger issue at Talladega Sunday turned out to be who your favorite driver would use as a dance partner. If Dave Blaney had Regan Smith instead of Kurt Busch ((who was involved in three incidents with other drivers)), we all would be heading to Blaney's steakhouse sponsor with any kid we knew for a free meal...

But Roush went with Roush, Hendrick was with Hendrick, and so on and so on...

The four Hendrick cars were in the mess at the end, and the mess ended up being .002- or the length of a fender- good enough for one of the wildest non-Big One endings in a while... the closest margin since 1996...

Have you ever...???

Dale Earnhardt Plus Ten

Here's the end of the race plus a little post-race...
((HT: NASCAR on FOX/youtube))


You've seen all of these over the remainder of SpeedWeeks, so it's time for all of us...

Strangely enough, I was in Birmingham with two shooters doing a February sweeps piece on the XFL. We were set on doing four parts on the new league and its viability as a piece of entertainment for football fans. We were heading home when the sports talk station in town had turned their airwaves over to fans and phone calls.

We had no idea that Daytona had happened the way it did until that moment...

I called FOSG Mark Harmon and the assignment desk and wanted to know what the plan was...

The three of us suggested driving past Talladega and grabbing some people talking about the events in Daytona and their thoughts on Number 3. There was the standard outpouring of emotion and you had the laying down of flowers, but there was one guy who had taken his young son- he couldn't have been anymore than three or four.

They played to the camera perfectly: "Say, goodbye to Dale, son..."

The son kissed his hand and placed it on the #3 logo that was on a piece of paper at the SuperSpeedway entrance.
You race home. You have a lead story with a different perspective than everyone else...

It was one of those "remember when" moments... you know exactly where you are...
And you don't forget...
Ever...

Here's a piece ESPN put together with all the important people of that day...


In subsequent weeks, one of the first stories we did was with the man who created the HANS device- Jim Downing. I made a point to have the helmet and HANS put on me as part of the piece to explain its benefit to the driver.

And in some very sad way, that is probably the longest-lasting legacy of Dale Earnhardt. No one adjusts their five-point harnesses so they fit more comfortably. No one wears open-faced helmets in NASCAR events anymore. And safety devices for head and neck restraints are mandatory in stock cars.

It's these kinds of lessons that are the hardest, sometimes, to learn...

Earnhardt To The Back For Daytona

That's what happens when you wreck in a pile with Martin Truex, Junior...

Here you go, and Mike Joy couldn't be more correct...
((HT: NASCAR/Speed/youtube))


It will be Earnhardt's third car of Speedweeks. He wrecked the first #88 car in the Budweiser Shootout.

Earnhardt Junior On The Daytona Pole

Dale Earnhardt, Junior was .032 faster than Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon, and that was good enough to give him the pole for the 2011 Daytona 500. The #88 clocked in with 186.089 miles per hour just ahead of the #24's 185.966

The rest of the positions are determined by the Duel Duals on Thursday...

But one of the more odd incidents happened during Denny Hamlin's qualifying when his steering wheel just stayed left...

((HT: NASCAR on FOX/youtube/NASCAR.com))


With the probability of Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott both using past champions' provisionals to get into the field, only 6 spaces will be available for eleven drivers.

Potholes and Pitstops - McMurray wins the 2010 Daytona 500

((the Mac daddy in victory lane - courtesy Getty Images/sportsnet.ca))

Wow...official race time was 6 hours and 14 minutes, but this was one of the most exciting Daytona 500's I've ever seen. I thought for sure after the two hour pothole repair delay, either Greg Biffle or Clint Bowyer would take the checkered flag. However, going into overtime, and having two consecutive Green, White, and Checkered restarts - it was anyone's race.

25+ cars on the lead lap - all with a chance to win. Kevin Harvick was doing everything his car could do to win. However, Jamie "I love restrictor plate racing" McMurray and the #1 Bass Pro Shops Ford held off Dale "Junebug" Earnhardt, Jr to win the 52nd Great American Race. Little E and the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet came from 10th place to 2nd in the last two laps - apparently he still has a little Earnhardt left in him.

Here are the last two laps, courtesy of SlicedSmoke14 and the YouTube:
((HT: NASCAR Images/NASCAR on Fox))

Danica does NASCAR...Well at least The Nationwide

It looks like Danica Patrick will be working her way into NASCAR after all. She won't be running a "Full" schedule, but she will be running select Nationwide events (Nascar's version of AAA Baseball) this upcoming season.

Patrick signed a deal to be a part of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick's racing team and will Drive the #7 GoDaddy.Com car in the series. The announcement was made in Phoenix, Arizona.

More from the Phoenix Business Chronicle RIGHT HERE

((Danica Patrick tries to look Sultry//GoDaddy.com))

There has been a lot of discussion in the Motor Sports circuits as to whether she will or she won't. Most thought that when she signed her recent deal with Andretti Motor Sports that she was going to stay with the Indy Cars. She obviously will for a period of time, but it seems obvious that she is testing the NASCAR waters. Quite honestly, it's no surprise. There is a limited but devoted group of Indy Car fans...but the races are on the Versus Network and aren't seen by a whole lot of people. By contrast NASCAR offers a considerably larger viewing audience, never mind the 110,000 or so that attend each race.

Enjoy one of Ms. Patrick's finer moments...her argument with Indy Car racer Mika Duno...Thanks You Tube:

Danica Nearing Deal To Race For JR Motorsports

((HT: ESPN))

IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick is nearing completion of a two-year contract with JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Nationwide Series operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., and a source close to the negotiations described the talks as being "in the final phase."

A second source close to the situation confirmed the deal is moving forward, saying "talks are moving in a very positive direction and it would probably be a surprise if it didn't happen."

A deal is likely to be closed in the next week to ten days, but won't be announced until the off-season.

Patrick is trying to secure the number 7 for her ride, and it looks like her main sponsor in IndyCar will follow her to the Nationwide Series.

Here's Mike Massaro, Marty Smith, and Ryan McGee discussing the idea of Danica driving for Junior and in the Nationwide Series...


Those of us at OSG HQ hope that she learns the appropriate lessons of driving in NASCAR and carries them over to open-wheel...

If she doesn't she'll end up like her predecessors- Patty Moise and Shawna Robinson

GM Announces NASCAR Cutbacks

((HT: ESPN))

General Motors has told NASCAR teams it is cutting back on its support in all of the sanctioning body's professional series.

Among the teams already notified that they will lose funding are JR Motorsports, owned by Sprint Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick Inc., co-owned by Cup star Harvick and his wife, DeLana. JRM races in the second-tier Nationwide Series, while KHI has entries in Nationwide and the third-tier Camping World Truck Series.

Cuts are also expected in the top-tier Sprint Cup series.

Chevrolet spokesman Terry Rhadigan said Friday that GM, reorganizing through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, said cuts would be made soon.

"Our discussions are indeed NASCAR-wide," he said.

Rhadigan would not say if one series would be affected more than others, nor would he say the size of the cuts or how much GM spends on NASCAR. The automaker, through its Chevrolet brand, provides cash and other support to teams, including engines and parts.

Rhadigan, however, said GM has no plans to withdraw Chevrolet from the stock car sport.

"Racing is still in Chevrolet's DNA, and I don't think that's going to change," he said.

Both JRM and KHI issued statements, acknowledging they must adjust their business models to address the funding cuts.

"We are fully capable of adjusting our business model to accommodate this change, and with the backing of Hendrick Motorsports, we will continue to lend our full support to Chevrolet," Kelley Earnhardt, general manager of JR Motorsports and Earnhardt's sister, said in a statement.

"The manufacturer support GM provides at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level is more critical in nature than in the Nationwide Series, and I hope Chevy is able to continue supporting that level, as the promotion of NASCAR works well for its demographics."

The GM cutbacks are the latest in a series of economic blows to the sport.

The global economic crisis led to more than 1,000 team members being laid off at the end of last season, and Chrysler, which just came out of bankruptcy, has cutback its funding of Dodge teams this year. Earlier this week, Richard Petty Motorsports laid off nine employees and reduced salaries throughout the company, a byproduct of Chrysler's Chapter 11 filing.

Ford, also facing financial problems, cut back its support in the truck series heading into this season.

"Obviously, Chevrolet has millions of fans, and they want to see Chevrolets on the track," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said. "At this time, we don't have any reason to believe that that won't be the case, at least in the short term."

Kyle Burns Junior

((HT: ESPN/NASCAR Media Images))

Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. exchanged sharp volleys Friday about Earnhardt's crew chief change.

"It's never Junior; it's always the crew chief," said Busch, who fired the opening shots when asked about team owner Rick Hendrick's dismissal of Tony Eury Jr. as Earnhardt's crew chief a day earlier.

Busch's salvo was not taken lightly by Earnhardt.

"He's always had a chip on his shoulder for me," Earnhardt said of Busch, "so I expect any time he gets an opportunity to throw a jab in there he's going to do it. That's just his personality."

Earnhardt replaced Busch at Hendrick Motorsports last year, but since then Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, has won 11 Sprint Cup races to Earnhardt's one.

Asked about Eury's replacement, Lance McGrew, with whom Busch worked in the Nationwide Series at Hendrick in 2004, Busch expressed sympathy for McGrew.

"He's got his hands full, I guess, having to deal with what's going on," Busch said. "And if Junior doesn't run well, then he [McGrew] is going to be the 'problem' again."

Said Earnhardt: "That doesn't really surprise me. We're working toward how we can make our deal work, and that has nothing to do with Kyle."

Busch said he understood the move to bolster a driver with Earnhardt's star power but weak performance of late.

"You've got to make the most popular driver in the sport competitive, so you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess," Busch said.

Busch added, "He's the one who brought that crew chief on; he's the one who pulled so hard to bring Eury Jr. in [along with Earnhardt in his move from Dale Earnhardt Inc.].

"It looked like it was working there in the beginning," Busch continued, "and it just hasn't worked since the summer of last year, really. So, whatever makes them better, I guess."

Busch, since being squeezed out in favor of Earnhardt and over salary differences with Hendrick, has vastly out-performed Earnhardt since the beginning of 2008. And Busch has made no secret of his pride in that.

Not only has Busch won 11 races to Earnhardt's one, he is currently sixth in points, well within Chase criteria, while Earnhardt is 19th after 12 races. No driver has ever come from 19th at this point of the season to make the Chase. Greg Biffle made the biggest leap, from 19th to 14th, in 2007.

Here's the sound from Dover, thanks to ESPN.
As a special bonus, Sage Steele gets a quick sound bite from Angelique Chengelis...

New Crew Chief For Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Eury, Jr. Let Go

OSG has learned that Tony Eury, Jr. will no longer be the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports announced that Eury will be replaced as crew chief for the number 88 team. According to Hendrick Motorsports.com Eury will move from the crew chief position into a key role with Hendrick Motorsports' research and development group.

"I have mixed feelings, and that's just natural," Eury said. "But I enjoy working at Hendrick Motorsports, and this is where I want to be. I'll do whatever I can to help all of our teams and try to be a part of another championship. I think a new challenge will be good."

"Tony and I talked through this last night," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports . "I want him here, he wants to be here, and he's going to be a big contributor to our future success. I have an unbelievable amount of respect for the job he's done and for the caliber of person that he is."

The two are first cousins and Eury has been Dale, Jr's crew chief his entire career behind the wheel. They have one win in 48 races with Hendrick and are 19th in points. Monday was clearly the lowest point finishing 40th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a rain shortened race.

Team manager Brian Whitesell will lead the team this weekend at Dover, Del. Lance McGrew will become the interim crew chief starting with the June 7th race at Pocono.

Photo Courtesy: Hendrick Motor Sports.com

Talladega: The Day After/The Round-Up

((Picture, thanks Mark Almond/Birmingham News))

al.com's Kevin Scarbinsky was less-than-pleased...
The Highlights:

Thank God that catch fence caught the low-flying plane of Carl Edwards on the last lap and threw it back on the track where it belonged.

Otherwise it could've been the death of countless men, women and children. Not to mention the death of a sport.

Is that too dramatic?

Tell it to the seven spectators in the area who were treated for what a track medical official described as minor injuries because the catch-fence didn't catch every piece of the flying Ford. One woman suffered what may have been a broken jaw, which is minor only if the jaw isn't yours.

Tell it to Edwards. His signature move may be the back flip off the roof after a victory, but he'd never before piloted a car that went toes over nose.

This is NASCAR racing at Talladega: There's a fine line between wrecking someone and killing someone.

It was the experienced Earnhardt who put the day in perspective -- and put a lot of people to shame.

"You have to understand that, like, for years, we have had wrecks like this every time we come to Talladega ever since the (restrictor) plate got here, and for years, it was celebrated. The media celebrated it, the network celebrated it, calling it the Big One, just trying to attract attention.

"So there's a responsibility with the media and the networks and the sanctioning body itself to come to their senses a little bit."

Tell it to the twisted promoters at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

They're offering 1,000 seats for their next NASCAR race at $14 each -- because that's how many cars were involved Sunday in the Big One that didn't come close to killing anyone.

Earnhardt said the drivers "have been saying this for years: racing like this is not a whole lot of fun."

It's not a whole lot of fun to watch, either, when sheet metal and your life both pass before your eyes.

And your Keselowski victory press conference ((thanks, al.com))

Brad Keselowski at Talladega

Junior And Mears On Probation After Phoenix Run-In

((HT: NASCAR))

NASCAR announced today that it has placed Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears on probation for the next six races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as a result of their on-track incident last Saturday at the conclusion of the race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 team and Mears, driver of the No. 07 team, both violated Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing; hitting another competitor’s car after the race had concluded) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.

The probation takes effect beginning with this weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway.

Here's the tete-a-tete ((about the 2:30 mark))...
Thanks to our friends at NASCAR/FOX...