Stewart defends blocking stance, stating Talladega is different than California

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April 8, 2013

tonystwart_bradkeppel_martinsville — Photo Credit: Brad Keppel

Blocking. It has become the topic of discussion after Tony Stewart voiced his displeasure with Joey Logano a couple weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway. Stewart wasn’t pleased with Logano’s block on a late race restart. The result was Stewart fuming after the race, ensuing in some comments towards Logano.

In return, Roger Penske, Logano’s boss, had some words to say about Stewart…

“I’ve watched him from the spotter’s stand quite a bit, and I think Stewart is one of the best in the business at blocking,” Penske said. “Anyone is going to protect the bottom (lane). I think his comments are unwarranted, quite honestly. I think we should move on.”

One of the popular blocks that Penske also referred to was the move that Stewart made at Talladega late in the race. Stewart threw a block on Michael Waltrip for the lead, which resulted in a multi-car wreck involving most of the field.

“I fessed up and I owned up to what I did at Talladega,” he said. “It’s the last lap of the race. I could have just sat there and just stayed in my line and watched 20 cars go blowing by me or I could sit there and try to pick up the faster line and make that line push me. I made a mistake in doing that, but I think it’s ridiculous to compare Talladega last fall to what happened 15 laps to go at the end of the race on a restart.”

Stewart also said that blocking at Auto Club Speedway is different than blocking at Daytona and Talladega, due to the position the drivers are put in.

“It’s disappointing that they don’t understand the sport any better than that, but there is a huge difference between the two,” he added. “I don’t like blocking. I never have, I never will. It’s our jobs as drivers to go out there and try to pass people. That is what racing is about.”

He added that blocking wasn’t there 10 years ago and now it’s common for drivers to block one another.

“It started at Sonoma, people were blocking into turn 11,” Stewart continued. “Then it was turn 11 and turn 7, now it’s Martinsville. People will sit there and block down the straightaway to get to the bottom so they don’t get hung out. It’s just something that is getting worse.”

In speaking of the difference between restrictor plate tracks and intermediate tracks, Stewart added that on the restrictor plate tracks, drivers have to do it because they can’t get away from each other.

“It’s not so much that you are trying to block as much as you are trying to make that guy that you are trying to get in front of push you,” Stewart explained. “We don’t have the luxury of running on our own there. You have to have somebody pushing you. So if there is a line coming you want that faster line to pick you up and push you.”

Stewart’s explaination goes back to what Earnhardt Jr. said early last week about blocking. He echoed the thoughts that you just need to give him race to run.

“You’ve got to give me somewhere to run,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “You can’t just run me up into the fence. You’ve got to give me a lane. You’ve got to give me — if you give me a reasonable amount of racetrack to race on, then I really can’t complain in regards to what you’re trying to do to maintain the position.”

With Stewart saying that you can’t get away from each other on the restrictor plates, you have to block because there is no other room around the race track to work with as you’re stuck together. However, at other tracks, like Auto Club Speedway, you can get away from each other, resulting in everybody having room to race and blocking not being something that, according to Stewart, should be common practice.

For discussion purpose, let’s look back earlier this year with Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In a sense, Kenseth was blocking Kahne by stealing Kahne’s line, running it lap after lap so that way Kahne would have to find another way by. Now was that blocking? Yes. But was it okay? Well, nobody complained about it and that was because Kahne had race track to run in. Kahne could run higher than Matt, or lower, but couldn’t run that particular line.

If you look at Logano’s block on Stewart, Stewart could have gone lower, but would have been in the grass. That against the blocking code, so to speak, and as a result, caused some anger.

So is there a proper etiquette? Stewart says that there doesn’t seem to be one as nobody can agree on one thing.

“The drivers have always set the etiquette, but when we are all divided on it, it’s kind of confusing to know what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing,” he said.

Stewart was asked if NASCAR should set the etiquette, in which he replied that NASCAR shouldn’t be put in that position.

“We should be able to handle it on our own,” he said. “As drivers get younger and younger and come in they come in with their own set of ideas. I just know how it would have been 12 or 14 years ago if I would have tried to do that on a restart I know what would have happened.”

In looking at everything, I turn this over to you guys – what do you guys think? Is blocking okay to do? When does it cross the line? Do you think Stewart has a good reason?

Why Do They Continue to Come to Martinsville?

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SM Staff

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April 8, 2013

no48_burnout_Mville1_hinson — Photo by Harold Hinson for Chevrolet

It’s funny how you can enjoy something even if you know the final outcome. Kind of like the New York Yankees playing a Little League team. That’s what we saw at Martinsville. Whenever you go to Martinsville Speedway, you always know that Team Hendrick will win, but you watch anyway, maybe hoping they won’t or maybe hoping they will. It’s a matter of personal opinion.

After Jimmie Johnson won the pole of Friday, it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. After 500 laps, over 300 led by Johnson, the multitudes, almost all of them stayed until the bitter end. The only answer is you never know what’s going to happen at Martinsville, especially in the final laps.

I’ve seen Richard Petty and others run away and win a race, but you always knew there would be a late caution to even things up. If fans remember last April when it appeared that Johnson and Jeff Gordon would win only to see Clint Bowyer take them three wide at the end, only to see Ryan Newman come out the winner. This April, even though there was a late caution, caused by Kurt Busch’s spectacular brake failure, Team Hendrick still prevailed. Johnson won, but there was doubt, and that’s what it’s all about. And yet, there was most of the usual suspects nestled in the top five. It happens over and over and yet they still come.

As I looked out of the press box window on this day, I saw pretty much a full house. Many of them were rooting for NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., but even they knew who would win and yet they came. The drama was not so much there. The result was preordained. Johnson and Gordon have this place figured out. Even if Dale Jr. and Kasey Kahne do not, they live on the technology of those two teams because they do well. While the Gibbs, Roush, Childress, and Penske teams fight until the end, they are out of their league.

Sure Denny Hamlin is good here and on occasion a surprise like Ryan Newman last year happens, it’s usually a Hendrick team in Victory Lane, whether it be the quartet of official teams or one of the satellites (see Stewart, Tony or Newman, Ryan). So why do they come?

It’s the action of the short track. Sometime way in the future, someone will realize that this is the racing that was meant to be. The roots of the sport were established at places like Martinsville, and that’s where real racing lives. In 36 races, only three short tracks remain. Martinsville, Richmond and Bristol still exist, hosting only six of the 36. That’s a shame, but they come year after year, not to see high speeds, but to see real racing.

The final verdict is clear. Just like the Country Music Awards, now held in Las Vegas, and the Sprint Cup Awards Banquet, also held in Vegas, something is wrong here. NASCAR needs more short tracks, two races at Darlington, a return to Rockingham, and a renewal of its roots. Yes, they came out to Martinsville to see what they already knew what would happen, but would they at Chicago ? Doubtful. That’s a lesson that should be learned somewhere. Everybody love country music and NASCAR, but you have to know where your rabid fans are. So far that hasn’t happened. It’s the future of the sport. God Bless Martinsville and the short tracks. May they flourish forever.

Is Jimmie Johnson The Greatest NASCAR Driver Of All-Time?

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SM Staff

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April 8, 2013

107055475_crop_650x440 — Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

This article was inspired by Kenny Wallace and his tweet from Monday morning; “No doubt at 38 yrs old that @JimmieJohnson is the 2nd Greatest driver in the History of #NASCAR, ALL stats back it up. #3 is 1st.” That is a very bold statement by Kenny and it unsurprisingly caught the attention of many NASCAR fans that began to argue the topic amongst themselves. Attempting to compare Jimmie to the likes of Petty and Earnhardt is a very difficult task considering that they all raced in such different eras of the sport. This is not the first time that this controversial topic has been brought up but Jimmie’s domination at Martinsville which marked his 8th victory at the short track and the 62nd of his career brought it to the forefront of our minds again.

So, is 5-time better than Richard Petty and even the late, great Dale Earnhardt? Let’s crunch some numbers first and see how the three compare. It took Richard 15 years to win five championships while Earnhardt did it in 13…a feat that took Johnson just 9 years to accomplish in arguably the most competitive era in NASCAR history. Jimmie Johnson has competed in 405 NSCS events coming out victorious in 62 of them giving him a 15.3% winning percentage. In their first 405 races, Petty won 82 events while Dale Sr. won 53. If you are going to base it off of that, then I’d say Richard Petty is #1 but it isn’t so black and white. There are A LOT of factors you have to look at before making an accurate determination on the issue and it would be ignorant to simply base it your stance off of that.

First of all, not to take anything away from The King but back then, Petty Enterprises was heads and shoulders above the rest of the field car wise which is a major factor to why he won so much. The only other teams that could really compete with them on a regular basis were the Wood Brothers and Junior Johnson. Petty was winning races laps ahead of his closest competitor and just dominated the sport for well over a decade. He had easily the best team, one of the best crew chiefs (Dale Inman) and of course, some natural talent when it comes to driving a race car. Once 3x NSCS champion Lee thought Richard was ready; he threw his son into the fastest car in the field which contributed to all the success and the big numbers he put up. It’s a similar story for Johnson who was thrown into Hendrick equipment from the start and teamed up with Chad Knaus who he remains with to this day.

Dale Earnhardt on the other hand is a completely different situation and what I’m about to say explains why I rank Dale #1. The cars he drove at the start of his career were mid-packers at best that rarely, if ever found victory lane. Rod Osterlund ran over 200 races as an owner but only one driver ever gave him victories and his name is Dale Earnhardt. In fact, they stunned the NASCAR world when they defeated the titans of the sport to win the 1980 championship. Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett, Dan Gurney and even David Pearson couldn’t win a single race for Osterlund while Earnhardt won 7. That was definitely not the last time Sr. would get in a mid-pack car and take it to the front.

After a 2 year stint with Bud Moore, the 7x champion joined Richard Childress Racing. In the 10 years before he showed up, RCR won just 2 races courtesy of Ricky Rudd and had a best championship result of 9th. RCR’s numbers went through the roof when Earnhardt arrived winning 6 championships and 67 races! Let’s not overlook the fact that even though he was 49 years old when he was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500, he was by no means done winning. In 2000, Dale won two races finishing runner-up in the championship to Bobby Labonte. Since the legend lost his life in that tragic crash, the team has amassed zero NSCS titles and just 31 victories combining ALL of their drivers and remember, they are now a three car (once four car) team. Also, unlike Petty and Johnson who won all their championships with a single crew chief, Dale won his with several different ones proving it didn’t really matter who this man had calling the shots; he would still win.

With that being said, I can without a doubt in my mind say that Dale Earnhardt is the greatest NASCAR driver of all-time. Once a driver comes up through the ranks and starts winning NSCS titles left and right in a Front-Row Motorsports or Phoenix Racing car….then we’ll talk. As for who is #2 and #3, I think I agree with Kenny Wallace. Winning 62 races and 5 titles in the span of 12 years with how competitive this sport has become is simply remarkable. What we are witnessing right now is history in the making and it may never be repeated. Those numbers will continue to grow as his career progresses and I can easily see Jimmie as a 100x winner and 7x champion down the road. On a different note, it’s a shame that there is a contingent of fans out there who not only disrespect this true legend of our sport but go as far as to say that his team cheated and that’s why he won 5-straight. I can only imagine how many times Petty, Junior Johnson and even the Wood Brothers illegally modified their cars but got away with it. It’s not cheating, it’s innovating while trying not to step on NASCAR’s toes at the same time.

There is no doubt that all three of these men are legends in their own right and have incredible talent but obviously, there is no definitive way of saying who the best really is. It is all opinions based on some facts and individual observations which will of course vary from person to person. Fans and media members alike will debate until the end of time who should be called #1 but in my mind, only one man has proven that he deserves that title and his name is Ralph Dale Earnhardt…..the greatest NASCAR driver that ever lived.

Matt Poole Tops the Hot List in the Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge

By

Angie Campbell

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April 8, 2013

Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) has teamed up with Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil to offer the opportunity of a lifetime to aspiring race car drivers.

Michael Waltrip, the founder and co-owner of MWR, says “the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge is a really big deal for all the men and women across the country who feel they could be professional race car drivers if they were just given a chance. Our sport is always trying to usher in a new generation of driving talent as well as spread our passion for racing with everyone, and PEAK is giving us a really unique opportunity to do so.”

Matt Poole originally saw the tweet about the ‘Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge’ on Twitter.

“I clicked on the link,” Matt said, “and my heart skipped a beat. I knew this could be the chance I have been working towards for the last 10 years since I began chasing my racing dream. The first thought that popped into my head was ‘oh, this is me’. It’s a very fair contest. They are not picking just one person from all of the contestants but are picking 10 drivers to have a three day competition in July at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”

For those who are not familiar with his story, Matt explains, “Everyone who knows me knows how I have been ‘chasing the racing dream the hard way’ for the last ten years. My dream is all about honoring the memory of my mother, Peggy Poole, who passed away from a heart attack in 2003 and my best friend Tonya Schultz, who was murdered by her husband in 2005. When I ran my very first race in the Street Stock Series at Hickory Motor Speedway, I had their pictures taped to the dash of the car and I donated my winnings to the American Heart Association and the Victory Junction Gang Camp in their memory.

My dream is not about being rich and famous; my dream is about racing and winning. I plan to donate race winnings from any race the same way, to honor their memory. They meant the world to me and this is my way of making sure they are not forgotten.”

The contest runs through May 31. Each participant must submit a video audition and fans can vote for their favorite up to five times each day. Points are awarded based on a variety of factors including votes, video audition views and the number of times the driver profile is shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Matt read through the rules and submission guidelines, made a video and submitted his entry.

“When I submitted it,” he told me, “I had no clue that it would explode the way it has. I knew that the people who know me best would be behind me but they took the ball and ran with it. The votes started rolling in. Then out of nowhere, both Kelley and Rene Earnhardt shared my contest page on their Facebook pages. Next, the ‘Fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr’ Facebook page shared my link. I started getting requests for interviews, was a guest on several different radio shows and the votes continued to pour in.”

At the conclusion of the contest period, ten drivers will be chosen to participate in a three day Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) race program. The Grand Prize Winner/PEAK Dream Driver will be chosen from these ten participants using the following criteria: (1) performance and ability during the 3-day RPDE program including input from RPDE personnel and other personnel chosen by Sponsor; (2) attention to the PEAK brand; and (3) attention to racing subject matter and demonstrated enthusiasm for racing.

The winner will become the next Michael Waltrip Racing Development ‘PEAK Dream Driver’ and will, subject to verification and subject to qualification as provided in the rules, have the opportunity to compete as a competitively licensed driver in a PEAK-sponsored stock car in a sanctioned race of Sponsor’s choosing in the Summer or Fall of 2013.

Being on the Peak Stock Car Dream Challenge top ten ‘Hot List’ is no guarantee that a driver will be selected. But Matt Poole believes that first place takes him one step closer to his dream.

He is amazed at how quickly he achieved his goal, thankful to everyone who continues to support him and appreciative of the opportunity.

“It took only 2 weeks for me to reach the top five on the “Hot List,” he said, “and less than a week later, I was in first place. Now I am sitting on a 15,000 plus point lead over second place.

Everyone is still sharing the link every single day, encouraging all their friends to vote 5 times a day. The response has been literally mind blowing. But we would not even have this opportunity if it weren’t for Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil who is sponsoring the contest. I cannot thank them enough for giving me this opportunity. There will never be enough thanks for everyone who has voted for me five times a day and shared the page every day. All of my friends, fans and my family are the ones who have gotten me to where I am today.

This is my childhood dream of being a race car driver coming true. This is what I have worked towards for ten years. I’m in it to win it.”

If you would like to vote for Matt Poole, please visit his profile page at . You can also visit his website at .

Casey Mears & Germain Racing Continue To Impress in 2013

By

SM Staff

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April 8, 2013

no13_mville1 — Photo Credit: Barry Albert

While everyone focused on the battle for the win at Martinsville, there was a team that quietly finished 16th and continued their steady climb up the standings. They are Germain Racing with driver, Casey Mears who scored his 4th top 16 finish of the year at the historic short track. Casey moved up four positions in the standings to 17th and is now ahead of superstars such as Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jeff Burton. Mears and the #13 team had just two top 15 finishes in all of 2010, 2011 and 2012 combined; they already have three so far this year.

In the Daytona 500, Mears was taken out in an early crash that also destroyed the chances of race favorites Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. The unfortunate accident relegated him to a 29th place finish, 19 laps down. They followed their disappointing start to the year up with an impressive 14th place run at Phoenix after starting dead last. Since Las Vegas, Mears has rattled off results of 15th, 15th and 16th steadily working his way through the standings.

Some say that the Gen-6 car is the main reason why this single car operation is running so well but I think it’s more than that. I believe that after three years of fighting to stay alive, even humbling themselves to the point of start and parking that this team has finally made a breakthrough. We saw the same thing happen with Furnitow Row Racing who was running around 20th most weeks and are now battling inside the top 10 on a regular basis. Of course, another obvious example would be Michael Waltrip Racing that was DNQing all three cars not so many years ago. Germain Racing hasn’t quite gotten to that point yet but if they continue to work as hard as they have been, they will one day be a top 10 team.

Going into this year, GEICO announced that they would sponsor the #13 for every race on the schedule through 2014 which is a huge accomplishment for any team let alone a small outfit like Germain. There are some big name drivers that don’t even have all 36 races sold yet. Mears was quoted saying earlier in 2013, “I can’t thank GEICO and Bob Germain enough for the support and commitment they have given our program. Our program shows that you don’t have to be the biggest team; you just have to work harder than everyone else. Our team has strength of character and remains focused on the process, which are two of the biggest reasons for our success.”

Casey and crew chief Bootie Barker have a great relationship and are communicating better than ever before which is big key to running well in NASCAR. Germain added employees during the off season while most teams downsized. They were actually one of the first organizations to produce a fully built, fully painted ready to race Gen-6 last winter. Their hard work and perseverance is paying major dividends now as they head to Texas hoping to ride this wave of momentum to another great finish further solidifying their position in the points. Creating a competitive NASCAR team is a puzzle and the #13 guys are slowly but surely putting all the right pieces in the right places. With a talented driver paired with a veteran crew chief, 30 dedicated employees who pour their heart and soul into what they do and a fully sponsored Ford Fusion powered by Roush-Yates engines, the sky is the limit for this little team that could as they look to turn some heads in 2013!