Kentucky. Lord, please not Kentucky. It is a track I have no affinity for, but I will be watching on Saturday night. It is all due to NBC. If you watch the broadcast, and still can not stand NASCAR, it is just not for you. If you do watch it and have any love of the sport, you will stick around. The boys and girls make it damn hard to skip forward, no matter how much you try. You just do not want to miss what they will be saying, and that is everything in sports coverage.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. did not miss anything or anyone, it seemed, last week at Daytona. Now, I am no race car driver. When I drove the computer version, it was in indestructible mode. I missed nothing. If I was a lap or two down, it was because I was driving the wrong way looking to clear the track. I made Dale Earnhardt look like a powder puff competitor in comparison. Stenhouse was not that bad, but do not ask Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, or Kurt Busch, to name just a few. They might think, compared to him, I was the powder puff queen.
Let us see how hot his pals get with him when they re-enter the fray in Kentucky.
1. KYLE BUSCH – 5 WINS (749 Pts)
Was running in the Top Two at Daytona, but failed to get by Stenhouse.
2. KEVIN HARVICK – 5 WINS (692 Pts)
Got taken out at Daytona, but it was not the fault of Stenhouse.
3. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 3 WINS (629 Pts)
Managed to stay the hell out of the way of Stenhouse.
4. CLINT BOWYER – 2 WINS (594 Pts)
Hooked by Bubba, and then ran into Harvick. Hey, Stenhouse could not do it all himself.
5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (618 Pts)
If you can’t beat Joey at Daytona, beat him and beat him again until the car is toast. That works.
6. ERIK JONES – 1 WIN (448 Pts)
Won his first race, won it at Daytona, in a duel with the defending Cup champ. That works, too.
7. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (347 Pts)
Dillon returned to Daytona. No one noticed this time.
8. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 596 POINTS
Also known as Stenhouse victim #1.
9. KURT BUSCH – 566 POINTS
Also known as Stenhouse victim #2.
10. KYLE LARSON – 544 POINTS
Lost a tire, and almost got Stenhouse out. Almost. Imagine the cheers from the garage if he had.
11. DENNY HAMLIN – 538 POINTS
Last week, he actually took natural disaster training before racing against Stenhouse.
12. ARIC ALMIROLA – 503 POINTS
A late crash left him 27th last week. His bouncing tire finished well ahead of him.
13. RYAN BLANEY – 496 POINTS
Tired of young drivers taking the blame for NASCAR’s diminishing popularity. They shouldn’t.
14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 461 POINTS
Will be wearing the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope. It has nothing to do with Stenhouse.
15. CHASE ELLIOTT – 444 POINTS
Maybe he could use Stenhouse to clear the way, just like the Bandit did for the Snowman.
16. ALEX BOWMAN – 426 POINTS
Lost points to Daytona’s 17th place finisher who was #1 on the hits parade, and in points earned.
17. RICKY STENHOUSE JR. – 407 POINTS
As Frank might have sung, “Friends, he’s had a few, but then again, too few to mention.”
18. PAUL MENARD – 371 POINTS
Has joined the “have to win to be in” club.
19. RYAN NEWMAN – 332 POINTS
Will be racing on the dirt at Eldora later this month and the PVR is set and ready to record.
20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 318 POINTS
The only Mexican in favor of building a wall, just as long as Stenhouse is on the other side.
21. WILLIAM BYRON – 318 POINTS
When Kyle Busch failed to get by Stenhouse, that meant it was time for Byron to go, too.
