| | | | | | | | |  | | | |  "The stars were aligned and NASCAR’s biggest one proved why he still is." - Lori Munro
Sit down, strap in, and get ready to sound off as Doin’ Donuts radio show joins the blogosphere! Let Lori Munro and Dennis Michelson know your opinion on the topics below then tune in Monday night at 8pm ET on RaceTalkRadio.com for more “Doin’ Donuts.”
GAS MILEAGE RACES
Dennis says...
A win is a win no matter how you win the race! Sometimes fuel mileage races add enough drama to make it exciting. Lost in this win for Dale Earnhardt Jr is the fact that once again the No. 88 was fading at the end of the race. Tony Eury Jr deserves all the praise for taking the gamble to get the win on fuel mileage but they need to figure out why they are not keeping up with the changes on the track as well as the competition. This race at Michigan gave us an entertaining gas mileage race.
Lori says...
I have to agree completely with Dennis and add that in order to win any race, you have to put yourself into position to do so. You have to have a certain level of luck included as well to be able to avoid spinning ex-open wheel drivers and the odd bolt of lightning that can strike without warning. The combination of crew chief and driver is imperative and the fact that the car did run out of fuel within feet of crossing the start-finish line is nothing short of impressive. Face it non-believers… the stars were aligned and NASCAR’s biggest one proved why he still is. I wonder if Danica feels vindicated now as well with her fuel mileage win in Japan when the shroud of black-cloaked finger pointers tried to kill her victory too?
INCONSISTENT CALLS
Dennis says...
NASCAR threw a caution quickly after a spin in the Cup race but held off throwing the caution in the Craftsman Truck race. This kind of inconsistency opens NASCAR up to criticism by the fans. NASCAR will bust a guy’s chops if he is one mph over the limit (plus the allowable 5mph) but will let a guy pass the pace car. When the calls are inconsistent it leads to fans and media members questioning the integrity of the sport! The only thing separating any sport from professional wrestling is consistent calls that are not scripted! If you are going to have a rule such as not passing the pace car then you better enforce the rule.
Lori says...
Sure Junior passed the pace car… more than once…. I think this is a situation where NASCAR is once again damned if they do/don’t. Earnhardt Jr WAS warned by NASCAR so for all intents and purposes they were doing their job policing the 88 car and its actions on the track. So many different things factor in to any given call in any race that its easy to sit back and blame NASCAR for giving preferential treatment to certain drivers, and chastising others. I believe this is too much of an “eye of the beholder” deal where fans and critics are concerned. Come on folks… its entertainment and 9 times out of 10 NASCAR makes the right call.
JUNIOR WIN STEALS HEADLINES
Dennis says...Conspiracy theorists will love the fact that Junior’s win along with Logano’s first win took the NASCAR discrimination lawsuit out of the headlines today! The fact that Junior’s win came with a no-call on passing the pace car adds more juice to the conspiracy theorists. Today Brian France is wearing his Dale Earnhardt Jr gear to celebrate! No I am not suggesting that NASCAR rigged the race but they couldn’t be happier right now either!
Lori says...Then what are you suggesting?
PETTY ENTERPRISES AND BOSTON VENTURES
Dennis says...
While we have seen some of the bigger teams such as Roush Racing and Evernham Motorsports find an investor, this is one of the first back markers finding big money. It is a bit strange that an organization that refused to run a beer decal all these years has partnered with a group whose holdings include the National Enquirer. The new leader at Petty Enterprises used to run the Playboy Company. Times change but this is a bizarre marriage of necessity. But other teams such as the Woods Brothers would be smart to follow the lead of the Petty family.
Lori says...
The writing is on the wall; you need a partner in this business that has a bunch of those trees with dollar bills hanging off of them, and kudos to Petty Enterprises for swallowing hard and doing the only thing they really could do. I too was surprised at the background of Boston Ventures especially with the strong “clean” ethic the Petty family is known for. Times, they are a-changin’ and its about time that Petty Enterprises swapped out their abacus for a modern-day calculator!
KYLE BUSCH SLOWING DOWN
Dennis says...After crashing out of the race at Kentucky Speedway in the Nationwide Series Kyle Busch indicated that he would not be racing at the Milwaukee Mile this weekend. While I enjoy watching Kyle Busch trying to make history by finishing in the top five in all three major NASCAR touring series, it is a good idea to slow things down a bit. Kyle leads in the series that is most important and should concentrate on the Sprint Cup Championship. If he was in contention for the Nationwide title it might be worth the gamble. But Kyle is making the right decision for himself and shutting up the critics at the same time!
Lori says...
Once again, agreed and I will add that even with Kyle simply reacting with a logical decision, there will be people saying that he’s “caved in to the pressure” or that Joe Gibbs finally “reined in their stallion”…. You know… all those ridiculous thoughts that the world’s know-it-alls and buffoons will now strut around and say they came up with first.
LOGANO TO CUP
Dennis says...
You knew it was coming as soon as Joey Logano won his first race in the Nationwide Series this weekend at Kentucky Speedway. When will he move up to Cup? Hopefully Joe Gibbs Racing is smart enough NOT to hurry this exciting youngster to the Cup level too fast. One win does not mean you are ready to battle the best in the business full time! Let Joey Logano learn these tracks and get used to the longer races and live pit stops. A full season in 2009 in the Nationwide Series is important for his development. The young man is only 18 years old and there is no need to rush him to Cup even if Tony Stewart leaves JGR.
Lori says...
Finally a topic that doesn’t include Dale Jr and some Impala-be-decaled pace car. Joe Gibbs racing will put this kid in a Cup car before the year is out and I say more power to them, and Logano. This isn’t 1975 anymore where a driver’s career starts at 30 years of age and runs until he’s 50. Logano on his worst day can outdrive some of the guys in the Cup series who are only in it because they have an open wheel background. Those guys in my opinion are the ones who were “rushed” into the Cup series for no good reason. Logano’s talent far exceeds the standards that we have become accustomed to and fast-forwarding his career a bit at a time will only show the world what he’s made of, and allow his team to better assess how they approach the acceleration of his NASCAR career.
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