The Barney Fife of NASCAR

This dude looks ultra cool behind his shades.  Or so some say.

He looks like a total doofus when he takes them off.

Our super hero of the day is Kyle Busch.

Weak chin, a skull doomed to eventual baldness, this is the Barney Fife of NASCAR.

Kyle Busch looks like this strange frat kid you met in college.  Often stupid, and engages his mouth about 2 months before his brain kicks into gear.

I bet if you look in all the pockets of his driver's suit, you will find a bullet, all shined up.

Way to go, Barney.

It's Official: Kyle Busch is the Best Driver EVER, and Dale Jr. sucks.

I know that because his fans say so.  What other proof do any of you or I need?

Recent comments I've read on various boards and in reply to articles written include:

"Kile is the bestest.  he cn run rings arund sweet boy [Dale Earnhardt Jr] all f****** day i luv him."

"Kyle Bush is better than dale ernhard SR because hes drivin better then dale ever did!!!!!"

"I like KB he is so much of a pasionat driver he can not be stoped i know i saw him at newhampshirea nd he was the best driver out ther and he got wreked and colndnt finish the race because bich boy JUUUUUNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIRRRRRR sucks and cant drive and only had his job becus hes daddys rich boy and he cant drive and he sucks donky ***** !!!!!!!"

"I would have Kyle b's babies, and im a MAN!"

"Junior sucks and wines and crys and isa BABie!  KYLE is a MAN!!!!?"

And my personal favorite:

"i seen junor sucking jefys **** and he is a GAY!"

Obviously, Kyle Busch's fan's are passionate, and they are a very diverse group.  It's good for a NASCAR driver to have passionate fans.  It's also good for NASCAR to have a diverse group of fans.  (Right?)

One common thread that I've found among Kyle's legion of fans is that they are apparently all illiterate.  Or possibly under the age of thirteen. 

Or both.

Latka Gravas

For no particular reason, I choose this evening to remember the passing of Andy Kaufman, who played the character of Latka on the TV series TAXI.

Andy was by no means a one hit wonder.  He was a great entertainer in his own right.  His sense of humor sometimes puzzled even his closest friends, but it was real.  It made people wonder whether he was actually sane or not, but I think he was.  He knew what he was doing.  It might take the rest of the world 200 years to figure it out though.

Andy supposedly died in 1984 or thereabouts from renal failure due to cancer.  There have been many who have said that Andy staged his own death, and that he's still alive and well somewhere, but I doubt that it's true.  I wish it were, but it's probably not true at all.  Andy Kaufman died, and is gone forever.

From the song that inspired the movie that bears his legacy:

Andy did you hear about this one?

Tell me, are you locked in the punch?

Andy, are you goofing on Elvis?

Hey, baby, are you having fun?

If you believed they put a man on the moon, man on the moon

If you believe there's nothing up my sleeve, then nothing is cool.

By the Athens, Georgia band REM.

Like I said before, it's probably going to take all of our combined lifetimes to figure out exactly what Andy Kaufman was trying to say to us.  

God rest people like Andy and John Belushi and George Carlin.  The world needs more funny men like them.

Go in peace, or I will wreck you!

Spenser

Want to know what I think?

I don't do this very often, but tonight, I'm going to pour my heart out about a favorite driver of mine.

His name is Dale Earnhardt Jr., and unless you don't know anything about Nascar, you know who he is.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., obviously is the son of 7 time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.  Dale, besides winning 7 championships, also won 76 races in his career, before his death at Daytona International Speedway in 2001.

Dale Jr.'s career has had a lot of ups and downs.  Junior won 2 consecutive Busch series championships in 1998 and 1999.  He began racing full time for his father's team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2000.  As of now, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won 18 races and no championships in the Cup series.  

Dale Jr. is the most popular driver in the sport, and has been since the year after his father's death.  Thus, Dale Jr. gets a lot of hatred from fans of other drivers.  A recent post on a message board devoted mostly to Kevin Harvick fans stated: "I hope Junior hits the wall and dies."

I think that's a bit harsh, considering that Kevin basically only has his job because Dale Jr.'s father did die.  I certainly don't think that Kevin endorses or condones that position in the least.  But it's disturbing to me that a Harvick fan has that amount of hatred for the son of the man who made Kevin Harvick's career possible.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is often called "over rated,"  Meaning that even though he has 18 Cup wins in his career, that he somehow came by them by either cheating or because Nascar officials gave him the win, just because of his last name.

Most of his detractors eventually turn out to be fans of drivers with far less victories than Dale Jr. has accumulated.  Many of the detractors are fans of drivers whom have exhibited less than gentlemanly driving skills, such as Kyle Busch.  On a personal note, the only "true" fans of Kyle Busch are fans who have exhibited a total hatred for Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Most of them are also under the age of 18.  All are encouraged to debate me, but make sure your Mommy is standing by to change your diapers.

For those of you who are Harvick fans, shame on you.  You disrespect the very man who made your guy famous by dumping on his son.  If not for Earnhardt, Harvick would probably still be running late models in California somewhere.  To be honest with you, he's had some lucky wins, and he's shown he's good in the Nationwide Series, but he has yet to prove his true worth in the Cup series, in my most humble opinion.  He lucked up and won the Daytona 500.  He was really lucky there.  He did Dale proud and won at Atlanta in 2001.  But is he really that good a race driver?

Want to fight about it? Comment here and we will.  Otherwise, shut up!

Sincerely,

Spenser

Coca Cola 600 Notes

It's the longest race of the year at what most Nascar teams consider to be their home track.  The race starts during the late afternoon and ends under the stars.  The Coca Cola 600 is a test of endurance for the cars, the drivers, and the pit crews.  Maybe even the fans.

Coming off his win in the All Star race, no driver is probably as pumped up for the 600 event as team owner and driver Tony Stewart.  Getting the very first win ever for the new organisation known as Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart validated what a lot of people have been saying since the beginning of the season:  It's not 'if' SHR will win, it's just a matter of when.

Lowes Motor Speedway, which is the official name of the track which hosts both the All Star race and the Coca Cola 600, has been 'owned' in recent years by two factions.  One of those is the Hendrick Motorsports car driven by Jimmie Johnson, and the other group is the Fords driven by the Roush Motorsports guys.  It's easy to make predictions based on those two factors, but the truth is, we don't know what we're going to see on Saturday night in Concord, North Carolina.

I see strong runs by drivers such as David Reutimann, Brian Vickers, and even Kasey Kahne being possible at Charlotte.  And of course, you can never count out strong runs by the Gibb Racing boys either, especially Kyle Busch.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has never won a points race at Charlotte in the Cup series, though he did win what was then called the Winston in 2000.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. desperately needs a good run, if not a win this week, and what place better to do so than at the home town track?

Saturday's race could be a ho-hum affair, with the 48, or the 99, or the 18 leading most of the laps and winning, or it produce a brand new winner in victory lane.  If the racing is anything like we saw during the All Star race, I predict it's going to be a good race, no matter who wins.

Revisionist history from the 2000's

I don't even know what the name of the film was, and don't want to know, that Tom Cruise appeared in lately, which apparently is on regular TV now.

"We've got to kill Hitler" Tom Cruise announces in his teeny, tiny metrosexual voice of the 2000's.  Nice job, Tommy.

What I'm trying to say is that nobody from this current generation understands at all what our fathers and grandfathers went through, both during the Depression and World War II.  Nobody from any recent generation has a clue.

Has anyone in recent years who might read this blog faced a real life or death situation?  I doubt that most of you have.  Did you ever know where your next meal was coming from?  Or where you would sleep tomorrow?  I doubt that any of you know that kind of pressure.

I do know that pressure.  I've lived it.  I know it.  I actually taste it to this day.

It's time for men to be what they are supposed to be, which is men.  If you were born with a set, act like it for a change!  Do what's right, and do it with honor.

If you're a woman, act like it!  Do what's right, and do it with honor as well.

If you can't figure out what I'm saying, then shame on you or at least on the educational institution in which you were subjected to.

Human beings know what's right, regardless of their sex.  Do what's right.

Stewart wins at Charlotte in the All Star Race

Way to go, number 14.  It's not a points win, but it's a very important win none the less.  Stewart-Haas Racing is a real factor in racing.  Congratulations to Bobby Hutchens, Gene Haas, Darian Grubb, and the entire crew.  

This team is going places.  The 14, as well as the 39, will be winning races in the next few years.  Get used to it!

This is the highlight of the year for me.  Okay, I guess you can say I'm a Stewart fan.  He's a great driver, and I'm happy to see him with this win tonight.

Whale Wars on Animal Planet

What a crock of crap.  How much pot is being smoked on this ship, I mean really?  Dreadlocks, guys with big shiny eyes, obviously strung out on probably stronger drugs than pot.

When you get right down to it, these guys are terrorists.  They're pirates.  They keep the non violence thing, but it's BS.  They commit a lot of violence just getting on board ships who are whaling in legal waters.  I know this blog is supposed to be about Nascar, but screw it.  This just irritates the heck out of me.

These guys are burning up a lot of fossil fuels just getting to their destination.  They're breaking a lot of international laws of the sea, and they get their own TV show?  Give me a break.  They should all be locked up in the clink as pirates.

These guys should be arrested by the Coast Guard for breaking international laws, not lauded by a TV show.  Board a ship illegally, and dope heads deserve to get thrown overboard, or bound and tied.

How does the defenders of the planet respond?  Throw stink bombs.  Nice.    Oh my God, the victims got water on them?  How cruel!  What a bunch of BS.

Paul Watson, you are a punk, and dopehead.

Paul, you are a punk yourself.  It would be interesting to find out how many illegal drugs you've ingested into your body over the years.  Groovy, isn't it, Paul?

It's All Star Race Time.

I still can't stop thinking of it as the Winston, I guess.  For the most part, I have a hard time not thinking about the sport as the Winston Cup, even after all these years.  Or the Busch Series.  Or the Craftsman Truck series.

But I guess since it's now called the Sprint All Star Race, that's what I'll call it.

It will be a real spectacle on Saturday night at Concord, NC.  There are no points involved.  It's all about the money, and more importanly, bragging rights.

The cars, but certainly not the drivers, are expendable.  All a driver has to do is win, no matter how badly he tears the car up.  It's going to be a lot of fun to watch drivers put everything on the line, not for points, but for fun, and glory.  The money helps a little too.

Nascar has done a masterful job of hyping up the All Star race over the years.  We basically only have two non points races per year, the first being the Budweiser Shootout in Daytona in February, and the other being the All Star race in Concord in May.  Sometimes, I wish Nascar put on more non points shows like this.  Nothing to lose, everything to gain stuff.  I like it.

Sometimes I think Nascar's points system puts way too much pressure on drivers saving their cars in order to finish races they have not chance of winning.  I miss the days when 43 drivers just let it all hang out to see who could get to the front and win.  That hasn't happened in a very long time.

Here's hoping for a spirited, if safe All Star race on Saturday.  Let's see who the best man is this year.

Spenser

So Where does Brad Keselowski Go in 2010?

Mark Martin has announced that he will be back in the Hendrick Motorsports number 5 Chevrolet in 2010. That's a sound move on Rick Hendrick's part, since Martin, even at age 50, has already won 2 races in that car in 2009. This announcement does, however, leave another winning Sprint Cup driver seemingly out in the cold for next year.

Brad Keselowski, who has been running a full time schedule in the Nationwide series for the last couple of years for Dale Earnhardt Jr., and who is running a part time schedule split between driving a fifth Hendrick car and a car owned by James Finch, won at historic Talladega speedway. I doubt that anyone saw that coming, except maybe Brad himself.

About a week ago, Brad Keselowski told a reporter that he was in 'exclusive negotiations' with Rick Hendrick. Those negotiations appear to have fallen by the wayside, since Mark Martin made his announcement.

Driving a fifth car is perfectly legal in 2009, but it wont be in 2010. Neither Hendrick nor any other team run more than 4 cars in a race in 2010. Jack Roush will have to lose a team in the off season. That team will probably go to Doug Yates, which is closely aligned with Roush, but those are the rules.

It is obvious that team owners are going to be trying to sign up Keselowski to drive for them next year. Is Rick Hendrick letting an up and coming driver get away from him by signing up Mark Martin instead?

The answer is "Maybe, but not really."

There are two viable options that I see that could keep Brad Keselowski more or less under the Hendrick banner. One would be for his Nationwide series owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to field a Cup car for 2010. Earnhardt has already hinted about just such a move in the past. As a Hendrick driver himself, Earnhardt will obviously be using chassis and engines from Hendrick Motorsports. He already does that in the Nationwide series.

The other option is for the other closely aligned team of Stewart-Haas Racing to add a third car to the mix. Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are rapidly approaching the day when one of the two drivers will be in victory lane, which will be a first for the new team. Since SHR also uses Hendrick packages in their cars, it would be a logical fit for Keselowski.

It is, of course, possible that Brad Keselowski will run for a totally different team in 2010. Joe Gibbs still only has 3 cars. There is room at Michael Waltrip Racing, or Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as well, but I really hope that neither of these scenarios happen.

I really hope that no matter where Brad goes, he'll be driving for a top team.

Nascar, Drug Testing, and Jeremy Mayfield

What a mess this whole deal is turning out to be! Nascar suspends Jeremy Mayfield indefinitely for failing a drug test. Jeremy says he was taking prescribed medicine and over the counter medicines to combat an allergy. Nascar says BS. What to think?

I personally have a history with allergies and sinus problems. I've taken a lot of prescription medicines over the years, as well as OTC drugs as well, and I seriously doubt that I could pass a Nascar drug test either because of it. But then again, I don't have a Nascar hard card to lose anymore, either.

It's spring in the south. The maple trees, the oak trees, and now the pine trees are blooming, which means that there is a lot of pollen in the air. This year has been rough for me, because we've had a large amount of rain which has prompted the pollen producing trees to produce more pollen than they have in recent years. Trees grow when they have the right conditions, and I suppose they procreate the same way. Make hay while the sun shines, I think the old saying goes. If the conditions are right, the trees will produce a lot of pollen.

I've had allergy and sinus problems since I was a kid, so I know immediately when we've got pollen in the air. My head simply doesn't swell up because I have a big brain. As someone who is prone to allergies, I can sympathize with anyone else who does as well.

I can't get my mind around the thought that Jeremy Mayfield is an illegal drug abuser. I've never met the man, but I have a hard time convincing myself to believe that he buys and uses drugs illegaly. Personally, I believe that there may have been a mistake made here. I don't know that for sure, and I have surely been wrong before, but I'd like to see Nascar give Mayfield a chance to argue his case before they just ban him from the sport.

News like what came out Saturday can damage a driver's career forever. If Jeremy Mayfield is truly innocent, I'd like to see him have the chance to prove it. Drug tests have sometimes given inaccurate results, and I sincerely hope that Mayfield's example will prove to be one of those.

Until next time,

Spense

Congratulations, Mark Martin

Mark Martin won his second race of the season at Darlington on Saturday night. Not bad for a guy who's already retired, what twice? 3 times? Not bad at all.

Mark is now over age 50, and shows that Nascar is not just a sport for young guys anymore. It was good to see Mark back in victory lane once again, and I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see him there, since not only will he be competing for a spot in the Chase for the Cup this year, and possibly a championship, but also once again in the 5 Hendrick Chevrolet once again in 2010. Way to go Mark Martin! Long may you retire if it means winning races!

Another very impressive driver for Rick Hendrick has been the spring Talladega winner, Brad Keselowski. Not only has Brad already won a Cup race, he's been in negotiations with Rick Hendrick for a future role at Hendrick Motorsports. Ooops? I wonder what happened. Now that Mark Martin has confirmed his plans to run a full 2010 season in the 5 car, where does that leave Brad? Either out in the cold, as far as Hendrick is concerned, I suppose, or could there be other plans in the works? I have a theory, but I'm not going to share it just yet. Let's just see how this plays out for a while, why don't we?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued his free fall from major league driver to the ranks of obscurity on Saturday night. He drove through his pit at one point, which put them behind, and finally hit the wall hard and finally then spun out late in the race at Darlington. While the '88' stock seems to be going down, the argument among his fans as to what needs to be changed rages full force. Some Jr. fans believe the fault lies entirely upon crew chief Tony Eury Jr.'s shoulders. I read one supposed fan not only advocating that Tony Jr. be fired, but that he have an axe applied to his head. I think that's a little harsh.

Whatever Dale Jr.'s problems are on the track, he keeps being the top news story in Nascar circles. I don't think that Dale Jr. ever really wanted that notoriety, but he's got it. He's had it almost since the very beginning, and he certainly sells the merchandise. To me, it's easy to like a guy like Dale Jr. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, the real deal, as they say around here. I know people say he's overrated as a driver, or that he complains too much, but I don't see that, really. He gets a little coarse on the radio at times, but very few drivers don't, when you get right down to it. A driver doesn't win 18 races in Cup and do it because he's overrated, so for me, that argument is idiotic, at best.

I have to say that Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman are doing a very good job in their new endeavor at Stewart-Haas Racing. Once again, the Indiana Gang posts some good finishes, this time at Darlington. I agree with what someone said on Fox TV: "It's not a matter of if they'll win this year, but when."

Until next time,

God be with you and your family!

Spense.

Poor Baby.

Kyle Busch lost the Nationwide race at Darlington tonight.  Yeah, he lost a tire, and he lost the race.

In an attempt to interview him after the race, an MRN reporter was passed by, apparently Kyle wanted to have some time alone to cry about it a little.

I'm sorry, but a 24 year old man is supposed to be a man, isn't he?  For Christ's sake, there have been men in combat, leading other men, younger than Kyle Busch.  He has to go cry about losing a race?  He can't get his thoughts collected to the point that he can give a short interview to the MRN reporter?  Kyle won the freaking CUP race last week, but he's going to cry about losing the Nationwide race this week?  Oh, poor, poor baby.

What a chump.  What a baby.  Grow up Kyle.  Be a man for a change.    Which leads me to yet another queston.

What kind of fan really loves Kyle Busch?  The kind of guy that steals lunches from weaker and smaller kids?  Seriously.  If you're a Kyle Busch fan, I want to know why.  To me there's absolutely nothing likable about the guy, except his ability to wheel race cars around the track.  I can appreciate that quality, but as far as qualities go, that's about as far as I can go.  Maybe it's putting the finger in the Junior Nation's face.  I don't know.  All I do know is that the boy is a punk, and one of these days, someone is going to get tired of his crap and put him in his place.

I've talked to a couple of people who know Kyle.  They say that you don't want to be around him at the track, because he can be a real jerk.  Away from the track, he's a nice guy.  Ok.  Whatever.

I'm certainly not saying that Kyle is a jerk, but I am saying that his professionalism is viewed every week on national TV.  He impresses me not the least.  He comes across as a jerk, and a pansy who needs his diapers changed every few minutes when he's in the race car.

It's Darlington Time!

Ok, Here's what I think will happen.  Carl Edwards or Jimmie Johnson will get an early lead.  Jeff Gordon might be in that mix as well.  Kyle Busch will lead later in the race.

My prediction?  Kyle Busch will win.  I predict that Kurt Busch will do well also.  Jeff Gordon will finish in the top 10, and Jimmie Johnson will finish in the top 5.

Dale Earnhardt Jr?  He's got a chance as well.  Watch the 88 car.  The 88 team, lead by Tony Eury Jr. has been keeping meticulous notes on this track for quite a few years.  Will Junior finally break the Darlington curse?  We'll all see soon.

My dark horse this weekend is Carl Edwards.  After a horrific looking accident at Talladega, I'd bet on Carl to somehow have a strong car at the end of this race.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but if I'm right, I'm right.

Until next time,

Spense

An Introduction.

My name is Spense.  It's short for Spenser.  Not Spencer.  It's Spenser, with and 's' instead of a 'c'.  It's like the poet.  My mom liked poets, I guess.

I live in Huntersville, North Carolina.  Huntersville is home to Joe Gibbs Racing, which currently fields the teams of Joey Logano in the 20 car, Denny Hamlin in the 11 car, and Kyle Busch in the 18 car.  I don't like any of them at all.  Especially Kyle Busch.

I live somewhat between Mooresville and Concord, and thus find myself living almost exactly in the heart of Nascar country.  I've been a racing fan since the mid 1960's, and I mostly have worked in some way with automobiles all my life.  I had the pleasure of meeting and even working with some of the teams back in the '70's and '80's.  I certainly don't know all the drivers, by any means, but I've met a few of them over the years.  I don't know most of the current drivers, because I've not been in the business for a while.  I'm still a fan, though.

I go to as many races as possible.  I have been to Daytona, Bristol, Talladega, Atlanta, Richmond, North Wilkesboro, Rockingham, Martinsville, Pocono, Darlington, Homestead, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, Texas, Watkins Glen, Kansas, Chicago, Dover, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.  I've never been to a current track in California, except the old Riverside, which used to be run before the Daytona 500.

It's a lot of fun watching the teams get ready to kick it off once again at Darlington.  I love Darlington.  I've got some very happy memories from that track, some of which I can't talk about here, because it would upset my wife.  But that was all before I met her, so I really don't feel too bad about it.

I know the track has been repaved, and it's probably for the good, because teams literally carried tires around in the old days instead of rolling them.  The teams thought that rolling the carcasses around would take rubber off of them, and they were probably right.  One night, a friend of mine dared me to walk barefoot across the track on the backstretch.  I did it, and it hurt.  The surface used to be really rough and sharp to bare feet.  Darlington is not far from Myrtle Beach, and therefore, not far from the east coast of the United States.  A lot of shells were used in the old pavement, and they will slice your bare feet up like little razor blades.  They did much the same things to tires.

I'm not going to tell you who my favorite drivers are right now.  I'll let you figure it out.  you already know 3 that I dislike.    Kyle is a punk, Joey is not experienced enough to be on the big tracks, and Denny basically has a lot of arrogance that he doesn't deserve.

Now you know what I think.

Comment if you'd like, because I appreciate them!

Until next time,

Happy tracks, happy trails.

Spense