Kevin Swindell Dominates Day 3 of the Chili Bowl
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[/media-credit]Night 3 of the Chili Bowl was a rough and ragged night of racing. Caution Flag followed caution flag and there were 3 different races that it required multiple attempts to even get a single lap of competition in. But when the dust settled it was a familiar name in victory lane. That name was Swindell. Not Sammy but Kevin. Following in his father’s footsteps the younger Swindell dominated the evening when he was on the track. The major difference one runs the top one runs the bottom. It makes it very easy to imagine a Swindell road block in the Chili Bowl on Saturday.
The third night of the Chili Bowl was pushing hard to beat its 11:00 PM curfew. The competitors managed to pull it out with 8 minutes to spare. But not before a very scary crash involving J.J. Yeley.
Yeley who bobbled early in the A main and was shuffled back to 10th was charging back up thru the field and had made it back to 6th and was battling for 5th when the 4th and 5th place cars tangled leaving Yeley no where to go. Yeley ended up hard on his roof and then had contact with another car. Yeley who escaped without injury was unable to return to the race and finished a very disappointing 22nd.
There was some question in regards to the track maintenance that was done between the C-mains and the B-mains. The track became very wet and very slick making the surface a dirt covered skating rink. The drivers though concerned put on a terrific show in the B Mains with Tracy Hines showing a number of brilliant top to bottom slide moves to move up to the A main. He was never a factor however in the race starting on the next to last row.
Brad Sweet, driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, had a quietly dominant night leading the points all night and into the A main. Sweet would challenge Swindell the entire race and would run 2nd all night until a late race restart would allow Shane Cottle to slide around him out of 3 to take second. Cottle however was unable to cut into Swindell’s straight away lead in the 3 laps remaining and took home second place with Sweet coming home in 3rd.
The Chili Bowl line up is up to 9 going into the 4th night of qualifying tomorrow. But the closer it gets the more apparent it becomes that if you are going to win the Chili Bowl you are going to have to beat a Swindell. With the father and son team having won 4 of the last 5 it would appear that it will take more than speed and talent. It would appear that if you are to beat the Swindells for the Golden Driller it will take a great deal of luck.
Your 9 lock ins so far are: Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael Pickens, Sammy Swindell, Danny Stratton, Tony Stewart, Kevin Swindell, Shane Cottle, Brad Sweet. We will add three more lock ins tomorrow evening as the Chili Bowl approaches.
Shame Hmiel was in attendance tonight along with his driver for tomorrow’s qualifying action Levi Jones. Hmiel showed great humor and great spirit in an interview conducted in the pit area. It was certainly a wonderful thing to see Shane back at the track and still pushing to improve his ability and status. Hmiel who suffered a severe spinal cord injury last summer that left him a quadriplegic said he has a work out routine that is 6 to 8 hours a day. His goal he says is to be able to take his self out of the wheel chair and put his self in his bed so that his parents don’t have to do it.
Also in attendance tonight were Gary Bettenhausen and Bobby Unser.
The Chili Bowl will resume at 5:30 PM CSTtomorrow at the QT Expo in TulsaOklahoma. The event is a sell out. There is no video available until the tentative Jan 28 2012air date with Speed but you can listen to a live radio stream from .
Being a Cup start-and-park is more lucrative than being a Nationwide competitor
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[/media-credit]One might think I would be down right disappointed in Joe Nemechek. Front Row Joe once was a racer, but has since become a start-and-park owner, a man who was at the line for 36 races this past season. In those 36 races, he finished 39th or worse 33 times. Only thrice did he manage to not be among the final four, those heart stopping moments coming during the summer race at Daytona (30th), Indianapolis (38th), and the fall race at Loudon (36th). From Front Row to No Go Joe, but it is not his fault. Sure, as a driver/owner these past three seasons he has been among the Top 30 just three times in 97 starts with only a 14th place finish at Talladega in 2009 worth spit, but how can you blame the man?
Usually, a fellow would find himself sitting in the minors until he was ready for prime time. The organization would slowly grow, mature, and gather together the pieces necessary to make a go of it in the show. Then again, anyone remember the XFL? While the stats show Joe has averaged a 40th place finish over those 97 races, there is one important statistic we need to consider. Over that time, his Cup operation has earned him more than $7.8-million, almost $2.9-million in 2011 alone. Starting and parking has its rewards. He made just over $2-million in 85 events racing Nationwide in three seasons. Hell, Carl Edwards won the most last year in that circuit, and that barely topped $1.2-million. You might be starting to see that Mrs. Nemechek raised no dummies.
If you can take on-track prize money by starting and parking in Cup that amounts to more than twice what Nationwide’s leading money winner can claim, this becomes a no brainer. The sacrifices of driver Joe sure is helping the bottom line of team owner Joe. If he can save on tires, fuel, a crew, engine work, and expensive body repair, then all the better. I’m sure Joe Nemechek has dreams, maybe one day being able to run with the big boys. He might dream of actually going out to race, to run for points, maybe being the king of hill one day. For now, though, I think Joe is content in being able to continue making a living in the sport he loves, and doing so in the most intelligent manner he can.
I think the whole concept of start-and-go entries cheapens the sport in the same way that passing replacement players off as the real deal cheapens other sports. I think those not ready for prime time should run at a level they can compete at. I think that is how things should work from a fan’s point of view. However, Joe Nemechek would be an idiot to follow that line of logic when, as a businessman, he can make a hell of a lot more doing exactly what he is doing.
I’m not convinced those who start-and-park ever reach a level where they can actually compete. A few may have started underfunded, but I can’t think of one that started races only to park it a few laps in that ever became competitive. Yes, as a fan, the start-and-park cars out there are merely irrelevant window dressing at best, or clutter at worst. However, if Joe Nemechek can pick up a couple of million in sponsorship, more than match that in race earnings while keeping his expenses low, a fellow might just earn enough bucks by following his example. It might not exactly be racing, but you can’t fault Joe Nemechek, and those like him, for taking advantage of NASCAR’s rules, or a lack of them, in order to make a living.
Canadian Motorsports Expo Returns For Sixth Year
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[/media-credit]The Canadian Motorsports Expo (CME) is back for another year as it will hit the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from February 10th to February 12th.
“Over the years, the CME has been successful because it’s the country’s only pure, homegrown celebration of Canadian motorsports,” Inside Track Magazine Editor Greg MacPherson said. “It’s where the racing industry comes together to kick off ‘our’ racing season. We’re all extremely excited about the new February date and the move to the bigger Hall 6. And we’re looking forward to working with the entire Canadian racing community to make the 2012 CME the best ever.”
As in previous five years, the CME will showcase the best products offered to the motorsports lover, along with showcasing some of the cars that will be hitting the tracks in 2012. It also marks the official spot where the 2012 track schedules are announced so fans can begin planning their summer.
Along with the exhibits and cars, there will be seminars hosted by industry experts to therefore help drivers and teams with being ready for the 2012 season to make the best of it.
The CME also tries to bring in special guests for autographs. Last year guests included Steve Arpin, Ron Fellows, Brad Keselowski and Max Papis. This year’s line-up has yet to be announced, however will be announced in the next couple of short weeks.
As with years past, on Friday, Spencer Lewis will officially announce the final Ontario Short Track Rankings, naming the 10 best drivers in Ontario for 2011. Throughout the year, Spencer has done it in quarters, naming the top 10 drivers in certain sections of the year based on their performance.
On Saturday night, the CME will once again play host to the official announcement of the Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, which celebrate the best accomplishments by Canadians in 2011 at a national and international level.
On Sunday, CME staff announced that they will be hosting a CASCAR Reunion. The Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (CASCAR) was founded in 1981 and ran under that banner till 2007 when it became the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
“We are very excited to be hosting the CASCAR Reunion on Sunday, February 12 at the CME,” MacPherson said. “The series laid the groundwork for NASCAR coming to Canada, proving that the country and its racers would support a unified, professional stock car series. Tony Novotny and some of his early partners had a vision, and while it was never easy, he and the racers, their families, the sponsors and fans worked together to create something pretty special. We’re looking forward to having Tony joined on stage by some past CASCAR champions and other CASCAR personalities for a trip down memory lane.”
One of the people on-hand for the reunion will be Tony Novotny, who originally founded the CASCAR series.
“It’s going to be pretty neat to see a bunch of good friends and talk about the old days,” Novotny said. “There should be a lot of fun stories. It was a lot of work and we had our ups and downs. But looking back, we put on some good racing and ran into a lot of good people over the years. It’ll be nice to see everyone again.”
The event will be held at the International Centre which is located at 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, Ontario.
Fans can find out more information about the event, including prices and the full schedule, via the event website, http://www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com
Ron Beauchamp Jr. Gets New Crew Chief, But Keeps Mopart Parts Onbold
Beauchamp Motorsports announced that for the 2012 season, he will be bringing in new crew chief Deon Deneau to be in charge of the No. 60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge.
“I’ve know Deon for years,” Ron Beauchamp Jr. said. “He’s worked with Butch Miller in ASA, was ASA Crew Chief of the year in 2007, he’s got a lot of other experience and after we met to discuss the opportunity the decision was an easy one.”
Deneau added, “I’m very thankful for the opportunity Ron Sr. has given me, I think the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series has become extremely competitive and has some very talented race teams competing in it and it will be an exciting challenge for us.”
The decision was made to therefore improve the team’s program after a solid season in 2011. At the end of the 2011 season, Beauchamp Jr. finished seventh in points with one top five and five top 10s. The change has already started to take effect in the shop.
“Deon has been evaluating some things and making a few changes,” Beauchamp said. “We’ll also be going over the cars very closely so he can get a better understanding of the setup we’ve been running. The whole team in energized and we can’t wait to get the season going.”
Beauchamp Motorsports also added in the announcement that they will continue their association with Mopar Parts, Exide Batteries and Mobil 1.
“We’re so proud to be teamed with the absolute best group of companies you could associate with,” Beauchamp said. “Our relationship goes far beyond the racetrack and their support has been incredible over the years.”
Race fans will have an opportunity to meet Ron Beauchamp Jr. and see the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge at the upcoming Canadian Motorsports Expo in Toronto, February 10-12 at the International Centre in Toronto, ON.
Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge Team will compete in all twelve races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule. Once again this year all events will be broadcast on TSN. Fans should check their local listings for times. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca
