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I know this is several months off, but I'm planning on heading to Daytona in February for the Daytona 500. I've been to a lot of tracks, but never there. I may go as a fan, as well.
So I'm curious for those who have attended, did you like the experience? Is traffic terrible? Is it a good place to watch a race? Talladega, for instance, I've been told isn't a great place to watch because you can't see the whole track.
I was stunned, OK shocked, when I heard Ted Musgrave was suspended for tonight's Craftsman Truck Series race because he ran into Kelly Bires' truck following an incident between the two last week. (Sorry I'm a little late on this, it's been one of those weeks)
Musgrave said he steering was out of whack and didn't mean to do it. NASCAR didn't buy the explanation.
So here's what doesn't make sense. Kurt Busch, considered a bad boy, is not suspended for nearly taking out a defenseless pit crew member on pit road a few weeks back. Musgrave, a nice guy, is suspended for running his car into another car, where the driver is a quite safe.
Puzzling!
I was thinking about this the other day. Baseball is a lot like NASCAR.
Seasons are too long. Games/races are too long. Drivers/players paid too much. Teams/players cheat to get an edge. A few great teams, then a lot of decent and poor teams. A lot of commercials. And so on.
And baseball's popularity, in my opinion, is just like NASCAR's television ratings: dropping fast, even with ESPN on board for the Busch Series.
But is there anything we can learn from other sports (such as football) that could help the growth of NASCAR? College and pro football seems to do it right.
Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson had pretty boring afternoons Friday after their cars failed inspection at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Neither were allowed to practice Friday or qualify for Sunday's race.
So they'll start from the rear of the field, which is a big deal at a road course. If either win, it'd be a miracle.
The next question is how NASCAR will penalize the Hendrick teams. Four-race suspensions for the crew chiefs and 100-point deduction for the drivers is my best guess.
But since this was a Car of Tomorrow infraction, will NASCAR put the hammer down harder? Maybe 150 points? Maybe crew chiefs out for eight to 10 races?
It'll be interesting!
I loved watching races at Rockingham, so it pains me to say that Humpy Wheeler is selling the track.
Click here to read David Poole's story.
It'd be great is someone bought the track and did something with it to help racing.
The Hooters Pro Cup will make its first of two stops here at Myrtle Beach Speedway on Saturday in the Greased Lightning 200. The second race is on Oct. 6, a part of the five-race championship series.
It's fun racing to watch, very few pit stops, a lot of beating and banging. Last year there was a fight on pit road between Benny Gordon and a crew member from Jeff Fultz's team.
I wrote a story about Gordon for today's edition. Friday's story focuses on Clay Rogers, who swept the races here a year ago. Saturday is Frank Deiny Jr., who has won the last three season-ending Myrtle Beach 250 Late Model races here. Deiny is in his first Pro Cup season.
The Allison Legacy Series cars will race 50 laps at 5:30 p.m.
It should be a lot of fun. Tickets are $20.
It's that magical time of year when some of the best drivers in the world have to figure out how to turn right. And the debate rages on about 'road course ringers' and their place in the sport.
Personally, I love it. It was like watching the U.S. Open last weekend. The golfers whined when the course was too hard. NASCAR drivers are no different, they'll whine that they can't figure out how to drive on a different type of course. It's a challenge, better than an easy track like Michigan or Pocono where you put your foot to the floor and just go.
And less I forget, this could be the week Juan Pablo Montoya wins his first race. But I'm expecting a Tony Stewart-Jeff Gordon battle for the win. Maybe Robbby Gordon can steal one.
I was at a store the other day and had to get air filters for my AC. It got it down to two, then I picked the ones made by Dupont. I thought to myself, I just put $10 toward Jeff Gordon's team. Oh well, the rich get richer.
My point is, do you let NASCAR drivers influence what you buy? Do you go to Home Depot or Lowe's because you like/dislike Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.
Will you stop drinking Budweiser if it's not Dale Earnhardt's sponsor in 2008? Do you buy DeWalt of Craftsman tools (battle of Kenseth vs. Harvick)? How many guys started using Viagra when they saw it on Mark Martin's car? How about UPS vs. FedEx?
Personally, sponsors do nothing for me as far as how I buy things ... but I do think about it.
I've given this a lot of thought since learning of it yesterday: Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports. Junior just made the official announcement from his JR Motorsports home.
I wouldn't exactly call myself a Junior 'fan.' I always check to see where he's running especially when he's in contention to win at restrictor plate tracks, cause I know the finish will be exciting.
But I think the new merger will put a tremendous amount of pressure on Junior to win. Sure he's won races before, but never on a regular basis. Some, even on the this blog, question his driving ability. And, truth be told, there are days I have my doubts that he's one of the best.
But he better win at Hendrick. Kyle Busch and Casey Mears have. Junior will have the best of everything at his new home. If he doesn't win, then there will be more and more who wonder how good he is.
But if he does win on a consistent basis, look out.
Well, more and more media outlets are reporting this afternoon that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expected to announce he's latching on with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. A press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday.
That means - Earnhardt Jr. (the most popular driver) is paired with Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (two of the least popular on given days) and Casey Mears. Kyle Busch, it appears, will be shown the door after his contract expires.
Here's one reason it makes sense to me, outside of the obvious of Junior headed to the best team. Hendrick has shined on restrictor plate tracks, something the Earnhardt's have always taken pride in. Winning races at Daytona (specifically) and Talladega is not as important as winning the season title, but it's not far behind.
For the life of me, I just can't picture Junior, Johnson and Gordon being buddies.
But, its NASCAR. Stranger things have happened.
Kurt has covered auto racing at The Sun News since 2006. He has written about the sport for more than 10 years at several newspapers along the east coast.
Ask your questions
Have a question about the NASCAR, the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series or racing at Myrtle Beach Speedway? E-mail Kurt your questions at kknapek@thesunnews.com and he will answer them here on the blog. He can also be reached at 843-626-0258.
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