Full Throttle

… you’re just not paying attention.

See that new sofa over in the corner? And don’t miss the lava lamp on the cheap formica table next to the dog figurine.

Put another way. In the process of adding a small javascript file and very slight CSS modification the “home” forgot where “home” was. As a result the place was displayed as an unstyled piece of gobbly-goop!

So, until I sort out the problem we’re all stuck looking at the new decor. If you like it drop me a line I may keep it. If you don’t like it drop me the same line. Only do it gently, I bruise easily, kinda like Jeff Gordon with Brian Vickers in his way.

Premiere NASCAR showman and Lowe’s Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler has decided after 21 years, 20 of which at LMS, the annual All Star event is in need of changes.

That’s a mighty fine idea Humpy, with 20 of 21 events having been held at LMS that should be at the head of the list. But I’m dreaming and don’t expect Humpy to cut off his nose to spite his face. He wouldn’t throw money in the street and he won’t sacrifice his cash cow for the benefit of others.

He does have other ideas so lets be fair and list them:

• Consideration is being given to tying in the All Star race with the Pit Crew Challenge (PCC) with the possibility of giving that crew the pole position.
• Expand the All Star field by including the top drivers from the Busch Series and Truck Series.
• The format is also being examined and will likely change from its current three-segment form. “We might end up shortening the segments some,” Wheeler said.

Point one, sure why not. The crew that wins the PCC deserves something other than cash and a trophy. Putting their car on the pole would shine a brighter spotlight on them.

Point 2, I’m not sure adding the top Busch and Truck Series teams is feasible. What happens if the top 2-3 teams in each series have no direct connection to NEXTEL Cup. If they have no Cup cars what would Humpy do then, provide them with competitive Cup cars? Let them borrow cars from Cup teams? That may lead to having drivers in the All Star event that have never competed at that level in a more powerful and faster vehicle.

Good idea, but bad execution. This is a better scenerio: Add the Busch and Craftsman Truck series to the program with separate and stand alone events.

Point 3, I’m ambivalent. The only constant should be the final 20 lap segment. Go ahead, tweak away Humpy. (but do us all a favor and drop the word “levigating” from your memory bank.)

While my misguided notion of sharing the wealth in holding the All Star race at other venues would never happen it should at least be considered. The drivers and teams have valid reasons for strongly supporting its present location - close to team shops and many drivers homes and families - moving it every 2-3 years could serve to offer the sports stars and what many feel is the third most important event on the schedule to other areas of the country.

One last out of the box thought. If not already part of the Anointed Ten™ give the winner of the All Star and Open events a free pass into the Chase.

NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NCTS, Lowes Motor Speedway, Humpy Wheeler, Sports, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

For anyone with the attention span above that of a two year old, Danica Patrick’s aversion to the looooong NASCAR season is well known, and one of her reasons for staying planted in the IndyCar Series. That and money. And the Indy 500. And a CCWS switch just wasn’t in the cards with Katherine over there. (Whose doing just fine BTW after her tumble this past weekend.)

You have to wonder with IndyCar adding events such as Twin Ring Motegi, located in the far reaches of the Western Pacific, if she’s had the slightest second thought.

Crossing America is like running to the 7/11 compared to the long flight between LaLa-land and Tokyo. I’ve made it too many times to count, it ain’t fun!

I guess Ms. Danica can look on the bright side. The airline lap belts won’t place her in “a constant state of excruciating pain and discomfort,” as her 6-point racing belts do.

Then there are the peanuts. They are always a plus!

Danica Patrick, IRL, IndyCar, Sports, Twin Ring Motegi, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

Image caption contests are common within the political/social blogosphere. Not so much within the much smaller auto racing community.

Not having a legitimate reason not to have one I say why not? Additionally, being provided with such an image resulting from an “ARCA Meltdown” by drivers Michael Simko and Don St. Denis Sunday who could resist? (Simko is visible, St. Denis is inside and not visible )

So have at it, throw your best in the comment section. I’ll start with my two centavos:

“Damn, I didn’t know my chrome horn was so loud!”

“Let me get the tear-off for you.”

As background, the event pictured occured at Toledo Speedway’s season ending Glass City 200, an event that has a long and storied history.

Add this to that history.

On the ensuing re-start, the fireworks began when St. Denis and Simko tangled coming to the green, sending Simko into the wall. Simko jumped from his car, waited for St. Denis and flung his helmet at the car, jumped into the windshield of St. Denis and the fight was on, as St. Denis exited his car and the two exchanged blows. The pair were separated and were done for the afternoon.

The entire race recap is available here. Veteran Jack Landis won the event and scooped up a cool $7,320 for his self described

Here are a few lingering thoughts after the Dover event:

Why is it that Matt Kenseth is crying the blues after the Roush team gambled and lost on fuel strategy? “I just don’t understand what we did there at the end,” Kenseth said. He sure understood it at the time. I distinctly remember (and Dustin Long confirms it) he agreed with Robbie Reiser’s call when it was discussed over the radio.

So now, after the fact it’s a problem?

Let’s visit the Anoited Ten™ versus the “other 33″ issue a second. After the opening event at NHIS Tony Stewart made much of the fact that he didn’t like the fact he, and others out of the Chase, had to be all touchy-feely around those in contention for the championship. This week that came back to haunt both Stewart and Kasey Kahne when an innocent spin by Smoke took away any last vestiges of Kasey’s Chase chances.

After Dover Smoke had this to say:

“I don’t think this Chase thing was thought out well enough,” he said. “Brian [France] is a smart guy. We’ll see if he can make adjustments to make it right for these guys. But you look at what’s going on right now. The guys that have an opportunity to win the Chase are guys that just don’t have bad luck. That’s all there is to it. It’s not about anything else.

My question is just when have other drivers treated those chasing the championship with kid gloves? And “luck” shouldn’t be an issue. Chase or not, good or bad luck, sh*t happens. No matter what some may think NASCAR can’t legislate luck.

Does Stewart believe those that raced in the last few events of his first championship year of 2002 (by a scant 38 points over Mark Martin) all had a guardian angels riding with them to avoid any interference or more to the point treated the two combatants with “Kid Driving Gloves?” Somehow I doubt it! (Here’s a far better example from the 1992 season.)

Other Rantings

NASCAR has released the “official” NEXTEL Cup testing schedule for the 2007 season. As you can see it’s limited to seven tracks offering a variety of track types, albeit, heavy on superspeedways and, ahem… short, on short tracks.

• Daytona — Jan. 8 running through Wednesday, Jan. 10 for approximately half the teams. Thursday, Jan. 11 is the rain date, if necessary. Test sessions will resume Monday, Jan. 15 through Wednesday, Jan. 17
• Las Vegas Motor Speedway — Jan. 29-30 (rain date is Jan. 31)</li
• Bristol Motor Speedway — (CoT) Feb. 28-March 1 (rain date is March 2)
• Richmond International Raceway — April 3-4 (rain date is April 5)
• Lowe’s Motor Speedway — May 7-8 (rain date is May 9)
• Dover International Speedway — (CoT) May 14-15 (rain date is May 16)
• Talladega Superspeedway — (CoT?) Sept. 10-11 (rain date is Sept. 12)

“The seven tracks that were selected provide the teams with a wide variety of layouts, surfaces, and track characteristics that should provide them with an opportunity to have success in 2007,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president for competition.

Ok guys, gals, those that call themselves NASCAR aficionados that is, do you see a problem there? No… well look at this list then; Bristol, Martinsville, Phoenix, Richmond, Dover, New Hampshire, Darlington, Infineon Raceway, Watkins Glen, Talladega [fall 2007].

With the exception of Talladega where it is an issue in the fall, all in the above list will be running the CoT in both their scheduled 2007 NEXTEL Cup events. But there’s something missing, a testing date for the Car of Tomorrow at road courses.

Obviously Virginia International Raceway will be seeing more than a little testing by the Cup teams trying to sort out a brand new vehicle that to my knowledge has never been tested on the “twisty bits.” At least so far, and I haven’t seen any tests scheduled at this point.

Not that that is unusual, VIR had plenty of Cup “customers” this year along with the Caraway short track, Kentucky Motor Speedway and various and sundry other racing venues not on the NEXTEL Cup schedule.

NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, Sports, Talladega, Virginia International Raceway, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

Katherine Legge was conscious after being involved in a violent crash with six laps to go in the Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America on Sunday.

Champ Car series president Steve Johnson said in a television interview that Legge “gave me a smile and gave me a thumbs up” in the ambulance after her car lost its wing and hit a fence, causing it to disintegrate and tumble down the track.

Legge, a 26 year-old rookie from England, crashed in a high-speed corner on the back part of the track known as “the kink.”

Television video replays showed that the rear wing came off Legge’s car going into the turn at high speed, causing the car to spin out and back into a fence. The force of the crash flipped the car into the air and the car began to disintegrate, spraying parts across the track.

A.J. Allmendinger was leading the race and declared the winner when it was red-flagged with four laps to go.

“I’m not letting a French guy clinch on American soil,” Allmendinger declared in Victory Lane, after becoming the first American to win a Champ Car race at Road America since Michael Andretti in 1996.

Champ Car World Series, CCWS, Katherine Legge, Sports, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

Headline courtesy of your local pseudo-journalist who may also be referred to as a Barking Moonbat.

Meanwhile; Back on earth, Jeff Burton put an exclaimation point on a weekend showcasing the re-emergence of RCR as a force to been reckoned with. The #31 and its driver followed a first and third RCR finish in Saturday’s Busch event with Burton’s first Cup victory breaking a 175 race winless streak. (Oct 2001 was his last win)

And Oh, BTW, he also sits atop the Chase point standings taking the spot from RCR teammate Kevin Harvick. Kevin Harvick was knocked out of the race with a blown engine and plummeted to fifth in the standings.

And Harvick wasn’t alone in witnessing a sour turn of luck. The list of former contenders for the Championship has grown considerably after Dover.

Kasey Kahne: History due to a wreck with defending champion Tony Stewart only 11 laps into the race. “No more championship,’” added Kahne

Kyle Busch: History due his engine mimicking Harvick’s in barfing it’s guts all over the concrete. “We’re done,” Busch said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior sits 102 points out after Dover, again being saddled with an ill handling car. There’s a season long pattern there even if his partisans refuse to see it. He’s one race and one failure to finish in the top ten away from being history also.

Essentially the Chase has boiled down to 6 contenders separated by 75 points with eight events to go, with the top of the standings reading like the Mutt Jeff & Jeff Show. Jeff Burton followed by Jeff Gordon a slight 6 points in arrears.

Congrats to those in the top fifteen that aren’t part of the Chase. Count’em. There are 9 “non-chasers” that had excellent days Sunday.

Next week it’s on to the place where Toto once lived, Kansas. It’s also a place where Mark Martin is the defending champion and Jeff Gordon has two wins. (2001-2002)

NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, Jeff Burton, Dover International Speedway, Sports, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

A terminal velocity of 13 MPH can result in many things. If it’s the speed at which you’re clocked over the posted limit it buys you a hefty fine and increased insurance bills. (And probably a red-hot backseat driver) If you snatched the cops radar gun and pointed it at a running Squirrel the reading would be approximately 13 MPH.

In similar fashion, using NASCAR’s timing lights, Mike Skinner clocked in at 13 MPH over the previous qualifying record for the NCTS at Las Vegas. Think about that for a second… after the repaving and addition of “progressive banking” Skinner didn’t break the record, he drove, and the track allowed him to drive as if Sheriff Buford T. Justice were hot on his tail!

Amazing! Do you think the Cup guys are glad Las Vegas isn’t part of the Chase?

Those that took part in the Talledega tire test are already predicting consistent three-wide racing and increased speeds on that new surface. Add 13 MPH to Greg Biffle’s pole speed in the spring Vegas NEXTEL Cup race and you get a possible 185 plus MPH next year.

There might be more than desert flowers blooming next spring during NASCAR weekend at Vegas.

And don’t let it be said Skinner wasted the opportunity he worked for. He led 114 of the 146 laps in winning his first NCTS event since Richmond last fall. He passed Ted Musgrave with 20 laps remaining, Musgrave was followed across the line by Mike Bliss, Johnny Benson Jr., with Ron Hornaday filling out the top five.

Australian Rookie Marcos Ambrose turned in another fine performance finishing seventh overall.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Mike Skinner, NASCAR, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NCTS, Sports, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

Heard shortly after Clint Bowyer scored his first Busch win of 2006 and RCR teammate Kevin Harvick finished third at Dover: