The Great American Race is Back

Hey All,

With all the hype about the Olympics, as there should be, everyone seems to forget about everything else that is going on in the world of sports. Well, not this guy. I'm here to let all my racing fans know that the season is about to get under way with the biggest race of the season, The Daytona 500. This race has more hype about it for one reason, and one reason only. The No. 3 car is back on the track in Sprint Cup. Yes, that's right, the famous number drove by legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Sr will be back on the track this coming Sunday.

Now, to most this may not seem like a big deal, but to any real racing fan, this is a monumental day in the Sport. Driver Austin Dillon, last years Nationwide Champion, will take the No. 3 out onto the Sprint Cup Circuit for the first time since that fatal crash, on this track, in 2001. The crash that took one of the most famed drivers life and a legend in the sport.

Car owner Richard Childress sees no problem putting his grandson, Austin Dillon, behind the wheel of this car, and neither does Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr has gone on record saying that if Dillon ever made it to the Sprint cup, that he would have no problem with the No. 3 out on the track again. Dillon, like most would believe, is more than excited to race not only in the No. 3, but in the Sprint Cup full time this season. It's not about the legacy behind the number, it's about building his own legacy with that number. No, he doesn't want anyone to forget what Dale Sr. did in the car, but he wants people to see what he can do in that car.

Dillon has won Championships with that number in the Truck Series, the Nationwide Series last year, and is looking to build and try and win a Championship in the Sprint Cup with that number. He is off to a very good start this year, winning the pole for the 500 with Martin Truex Jr. to his outside. But starting out front doesn't always mean you are guaranteed a good finish at this race, but it doesn't hurt your chances either. We saw this very thing last year when Danica Patrick won the pole, and didn't have a strong run.

All in all this is going to be a very exciting race like it is every year. I just am going to get tired of hearing the media blow up about the number 3 being on the track again. I think all Austin Dillon has to do is finish strong and show that it's not about who had the number before him, but rather it's about who has it now.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

NASCAR Drivers Aren't Athletes?

Hey All,

Today I'm going to be discussing a topic that not a lot of people have a lot of opinions about. That would be if the NASCAR drivers are real athlete's? I would have to say that everyone who watches sports would have to say that they are not, but they aren't looking deeper into the sport. You people are in luck, because I am here to give you the facts and let you decide (while giving you my opinion).

This all came about when, former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb, said that drivers are not athletes. He was mainly talking about six time cup winner Jimmy Johnson. "He's not an athlete," said McNabb. "He sits in a car... What athletically is he doing?" This would have to be one of the most ignorant quotes I've ever heard. What is he doing? Try racing a hard-to-handle a 3,400 pound stock car at nearly 200 MPH in steaming hot conditions. Sprint Cup drivers also experience  incredible G-forces while inside the car, during the race. Not to mention the risk of injury if they should crash the car, while driving 400- or 500 miles over the span of three hours, give or take. Now tell me, do you think any regular Joe could do that off the street?

Johnson did respond to McNabb's quote. "Yes, I am an athlete, and so is every driver in one of these racecars. Even Tony Stewart, even though he's carrying a little (weight), he's an athlete." Johnson went on to say, "That's just fuel for his engine." To tell you the truth, I love Johnson's response to McNabb. He got to the point and he stuck up for every driver in the sport. To make matters better, for the side of racecar drivers being athletes, car owner Rick Hendrick also had something to say to McNabb. "I'd like to see McNabb come run the Boston marathon with him or swim the lake out here," Hendrick said, referring to Johnson's fitness level. "Guys like that don't know what they are talking about." I also like what Hendrick had to say about his driver. He also added in that Johnson wouldn't have been named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press if he wasn't an athlete.

With the facts there, the comments by McNabb, Johnson, and car owner Rick Hendrick, and the award for Athlete of the Year it's clear to say is an athlete. The facts are there people, it's hard to say that they are not athlete's. My deffinition of what isn't an athlete is if you can take a normal average Joe off the street and do the "sport". Let's take Golf, for sake of argument, anyone can do that. They might not be that good at it, but you can take anyone off the street and they can make it through 18 holes of golf. Yes, I know, everyone is going to say " but they have to walk the course". Okay, that is true, and to that I say but their not carrying their bags, someone does all the "hard" work for them, and they don't even have to pick their own clubs. Given, they might not make any final cuts, but they would finish 18 holes of golf. If you cannot take anyone off the streets and put them into the sport, and have said person finish the event, then the person who actually does the sport is an athlete. Nothing else needs to be said.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Fight To The Finish

Hey All,

I know I've take a few weeks off, but I'm back now to give you some sports news. Today was the Auto Club 400 at Fontana California, and tempers were high. Two drivers, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, former teammates last year were the main two going at it today.

This fight started a lot longer than just last week at Bristol, it started when they were teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. These two just don't like each other, and it showed today during the race. Both Logano and Hamlin were bumping and racing hard all race long. To be honest, it was good clean racing up until the last few laps.

That's the part of the race that I will be talking about, the final 10 laps. There was a caution with 15 to go because Clint Bowyer blew an engine. So when it came time for the green flag again there were only 10 laps left to go, and Logano was in first and Kyle Bush was in second. Right behind Logano was Tony Stewart, who had a fast car all day long. As soon as the green flag dropped that's when things got real interesting. Logano put a block on Stewart and almost sent him into the infield. This gave Bush the chance to take the lead. He quickly lost the lead to Hamlin and it because the rivals up in the front with Logano and Hamlin battling for the lead.

Now lets skip up to the final two laps to go. It's still Logano and Hamlin in one-two and Bush lingering in third place. Dale Jr had worked his way up into the 5th spot, coming all the way from 21st place. As they came down the back stretch Hamlin and Logano were drag racing for the lead, bumping one another all the way down the back stretch. This left room for Bush to make his move and slide into the lead coming off of turn 4 heading for the start finish line. As Hamlin and Logano were fighting for what is now 2nd or 3rd place, they wreck each other. Logano slides up into the way and slides his way to a 6th place finish, Hamlin was not as lucky. He got sideways went off the track and into the infield wall where there was no safer barrier. He climbed out of the car under his own power but quickly collapse. He was taken away in a ambulance to the care center. NASCAR said Hamlin was taken to a nearby hospital "for further evaluation" but otherwise his condition was not immediately known.

The way Logano and Hamlin were racing the last few laps, I had no problem with. It was what happened off of turn four that I have a problem with. Both drivers could have been seriously hurt, and we're still not sure that Denny is ok. Another thing is that it gave Kyle Bush the win witch I hate to see. The only good thing that came from all the wreckage, is Dale Jr slid his way into second place. By Jr taking second it moves him into first overall in the points standings, which a lot of people love seeing.

Now after the race, Tony Stewart ran up to Logano and started a fight on pit lane. It was quickly broken up, and later voiced his opinion on what Logano did on the last restart. I hope that everyone is okay, and that Hamlin is able to return in two weeks when they go to Martinsville Virginia.

The Great American Race

Hey All,

NASCAR is back and better than ever, and today was the biggest race of the NASCAR season the Daytona 500, and boy was it a race for the ages. This race had one of the biggest followings I've ever seen, all because of the history that was made before the race even started.

The 500 made history while in qualifying. Danica Patrick was the first women to ever win the pole in a Sprint Cup race. She ran the fastest lap around the track at 196.46 mph, and unheard of speed in today's restricter plate racing.

That's not the only reason this race had so much hype, the Nationwide race the night before helped out a little. There was the biggest wreck I've ever seen in racing on the final lap coming into the tri-oval. A grand total of 13 cars were involved in the wreck, and one left the track surface, and if it wasn't for the catch fence, would have landed 30 rows into the grand stands. All the driver were okay, but there was a total of 28 fans that were injured from debris flying into the stands. Everyone who had to be taken to the hospital would be ok and everyone was in stable condition this morning.

Let's get to today race. It was exciting from the drop of the green flag, though all the drivers were being a bit more careful because of the events in the Nationwide series. Danica didn't last long out front as she was quickly shuffled to the middle of the pack. Jimmy Johnson on the other hand got out and lead a few laps before giving it up to teammate Jeff Gordon. The race picked up 33 laps into it, there was a wreck taking out 5 cars. One of witch was the driver who, in my opinion, had the car to beat in Tony Stewart.

There were many more wrecks in this race, but that wasn't the most exciting part of the race. Once again, like in Nationwide race, it would come down to a green, white, checkered for the race win. Matt Kenseth who lead the most laps, as did teammate Kyle Bush, went out with engine issues. Danica Patrick was in the lead coming to the green, white, checkered, but that would be short lived. Danica would get rushed by Johnson and most of the field, she would finish 8th.

Johnson would get a run to take the lead, but would have the rest of the field coming for him, including hat of teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr would be bushed from 13th all the way p into the second position by Mark Martin, and I think had a chance to take the lead and the win. From what I saw, Jr and Martin had a run on Johnson, and could have taken the race from him. It looked like Jr eased up and gave Johnson his second Daytona 500 victory.

After the carnage in the Nationwide Series, this race had good action, tight racing, a few wrecks, and was just good old fashion racing for the lead in the end. This race is one of the reasons I love NASCAR. It's nothing but throttle, high speeds, and bumper to bumper racing. Thankfully there was no wrecks as bad as there was in the Nationwide Series, and that everyone involved in that wreck (fans in all) were okay. This may change the sport a little bit with safety of the fans at the track, but there's one thing that can't be taken away for this sport, and that's the excitement of racing at close to 200 mph. I'm glad that NASCAR is back from their short offseason, and can't wait to see what happens this season with the new Gen 6 cars.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

First Lady

Hey All,

Coming up this Sunday is the Great American Race in the Daytona 500, and history is already been made before the drop of the green flag. Danica Patrick has won the pole, and is the first women to ever win the pole in a Sprint Cup Race.

Danica ran the fastest lap around the track with a max speed of 196 mph, and held off 32 other drivers who had to qualify after she ran her lap. This was a big accomplishment for her, and the sport itself.

Now I'm a huge NASCAR fan, and follow the sport the best that I can, but I feel that the sport was dying. No one was really paying attention to it, and getting a little tired of the sport. It was said on yahoo sports radio last night, Monday Feb 18, that they are starting to confuse the sport with cycling, and formula 1 racing, and this was coming from a sports radio host. Danica winning the pole was huge for the sport of racing. She's sparked interest back into the sport, and people who never watched a race in their lives, are probably going to watch this coming Sunday.

I really want to see how she acts when the green flag drops, and there are 42 other drivers on the track racing for one thing, a win at Daytona. Danica may be the fastest person on the track when she's by herself, but no driver who's won the pole has won the race since 2001. This is not good odds for Danica.

The one problem I see with her in this race, and no it's not that she's a women, but its she's going to need someone to work with in this race. You just simply cannot win at Daytona without someone pushing you around the track. Now there's an obvious driver in Tony Stewart, who is her teammate and car owner. Other person would be boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but he is going to have to work his way from 19th to the front, to get with Danica to push her around the track.

I can't wait till Sunday too see the Great American Race, and how it plays out. I want to see if any of the other drivers who want to test Danica early to shack her up and get her off her game. This race is already making history, and will make more once the green flag drops.

Winless Streak Ends

Hey All,

 I know yesterday was fathers day, but that didn't stop the NASCAR Sprint Cup from running at Michigan. This race had a bit of talk well before the race even got started. This was the race were 4 years ago Dale JR. won his last race. It also wasn't just about the drivers, but the track had some issues with the tires that were being run there, and let's not forget about the record breaking speeds.

Michigan International Speedway (MIS) had been re-paved over the off-season, and the drivers would know first hand how it changed that cars. Since the track was redone the speeds the drivers were hitting was out of this world. Tony Stewart, the raining cup champion, hit a top speed of 215 MPH. No that is not a typo, that's an actual stat that was given from yesterdays race. But since the drivers were able to hit such high speeds, that caused a little bit of tire issues along the way.

The speeds were so high and the track so hot, that it blistered the tires on the cars on long runs.Some teams even tried using scuffed tires to try and counter act the blistering problem. There was one team that didn't have that type of problem in yesterdays race, and that was Hendrix Motorsports. Hendrix's had 3 of it's 4 drivers finish in the top, with one of those drivers taking home the win. That driver was non other than Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Jr was able to pull ahead in the race, and never look back, leading the most laps in the race as well as the most important one, the last lap. Dale Jr. has been winless for over 120 races, which equals out to 4 years worth of losses. We all know that Jr has been looking for that all important win, get to the monkey off of his back and back into the winning side of things.

With the win yesterday, Jr was able to move into the top of the points race, and he couldn't be happier. This means nothing but good things to come for him, and the rest of his team, who have been running well this season, with Jr having one of his best season since joining Hendrix. I think he has one of the best chances of contending for the championship this season, if he can keep up what he has been doing from the start of the season, run up near the front.

 With everything that happened yesterday, the rain, the new surface causing record breaking speeds, the tires being blistered on long run, and all the wrecks that happened, this was a great win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. I look for him to continue this winning trend and make a strong run for the Sprint Cup Championship.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Stewart holds off Johnson

Hey all,

Last Sunday in Los Vagus NASCAR Sprint Cup was in town and had all the makings of a great race.

Pole sitter Casey Kahane had a fast car when he was out by himself, but when he got back into traffic, that was a different story. Kyle Bush had the second spot locked in until a wreck in practice caused him to go to a back up car, and move to the back of the pack. This was good news for Dale Jr who was fourth, but due to this got moved to the front row.

Jr took off from the start and lead a lot of laps to begin with. Jr had a fast car all day, but like Kahane was only fast when he was in clean air. Jr with some troubles in the pits ended up with a top 20 finish and is still on track to contend for another Sprint Cup Championship.

The real star in Sundays race was that of Tony Stewart. Stewart had the fastest car on the track all day, and made sure he flexed his mussels to show everyone that last year was not a fluke.

The last 20 laps of the race was the most exciting. In that span of time there was 4 wrecks, 4 cautions, and 1 lead change. Stewart was not going to go away without a fight. He had 5 time in a row Sprint Cup Champion Jimmy Johnson coming, and coming fast. The last 3 laps Johnson gave Stewart a run for his money, but Stewart's spotters and all around amazing driving gave Stewart the edge to hold off the surging Johnson and pick up his first win of the season.

All around this was an exciting race from start to finish. In the end cooler heads prevailed and smoke walked away with a win. There wasn't the fireworks of a jet drier blowing up, but the excitement of great fast racing. The only thing that will probably trump this race, is short track racing at Bristol this Sunday. I can't wait to see the outcome of this race, and will keep you up to date as it happens.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Daytona 500 Crisis

 Hey All,

 Last night was the rescheduled Daytona 500, and man did sparks fly. Between a rain delay, which caused the race to be moved to Monday night, all the wrecks, and believe it or not the track catching on fire, the race didn't even get over until 1:30am. Let's get right into the think of things and find out how the biggest race of the year, made history last night.

The NASCAR Super Bowl if you will went off with a bang from the get go. All the drivers amped up to get the season under way, caused a lot of high expectations for this years race at Daytona. After the first lap was completed, we had our first wreck of the NASCAR season. Five time series champ Jimmy Johnson was taken completely out of the race when being pushed from behind caused him to get loose and sent him into the wall. He took out five other drivers with him, including rookie Danica Patrick. This caused a lot of drivers to get upset over the fact that they've waited 36 hours to run this race, and couldn't even complete one lap with out there being a caution. This wouldn't be last of the cautions, or the delays.

The 500 always brings out the best and the worst with everyone wanting to win this race. This years 500 would be known for rain and fire. The race had one of its most frightening and dangerous situations when Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his car under caution and slammed into the back of a jet dryer, causing it to explode in flames. Montoya's Chevrolet was destroyed, forcing him out of the race, while the driver of the jet dryer escaped a serious situation. He was transported to a hospital across the street from Daytona International Speedway for further evaluation. He ended up being alright and would spend the night in the hospital just to do safe.


And that was just the prelude to the real drama and fireworks as Matt Kenseth scored his second Daytona 500 victory in the last four years, taking the checkered flag at 1 a.m. ET to end the longest Speedweeks in Daytona history. "I have to give a lot of credit to Doug Yates and the guys at the engine shop -- we had great horsepower," said the driver, whose car was in front of the field two times for a total of 50 laps, including the final 38. "I have to thank Greg [Biffle too]. We worked together really good all day long. He had a really fast car all day as well. It feels good. We had a really fast car and have had fast cars in the past and I figured out a way to mess it up. I am thankful everything worked out on the restarts and I am glad it all worked out."


Kenseth's Ford defeated Earnhardt's Chevrolet by 0.210 seconds in a race that featured 25 lead changes among 13 drivers. It was also slowed for 10 caution periods spanning 42 laps, including the two-hour, five-minute and 29-second red flag period after the fire. Earnhardt finished second for his sixth second-place finish since his last Cup win at Michigan in 2008. Earnhardt Jr. has been on a 130 race win-less streak and is still hunting for victory lane. To read more about this historic race please check out the link at the bottom of the post.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/racing/02/28/daytona-500/index.html#ixzz1nj9mu0Dn

What A Finish!!!

Hey All,

If you are a fan of anything, then you loved the finish yesterday (November 20th, 2011) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead. There were two drivers in the running to win the championship, two time winner Tony Stewart and never before winner Carol Edwards. Edwards, who started on the pole thought his chances were good with the car he had at the track yesterday. Steward on the other hand was starting in the 15th position, and would have to fight to make it to the front. The race started with Edwards taking the lead and not looking back. Tony fought to get to the front when trouble stuck it's evil head out. Kurt Bush blows a transmission bringing out the caution. When the pack come down to the pits Tony had a hole in his grill. The crew had to work very hard in order to get this problem fixed and keep him on the lead lap. Stewart had to go all the way to 40th and once again, would have to fight to make his way to the front of the pack. He would work his way all the way up into the 15th spot when the caution came out again. This time for the rain that hit the track, this would not be the only time the race was delayed for rain. Stewart once again has to make long pit stops to fix his grill and once again would have to go back to 40th and work yet again to the front. He would do just that, and just knife through the field and work his way back to the front of the pack. Carol mean while has been leading the race throughout all of this. But lap 110 of 267 the red flag would come out for rain and the race would be stopped until it stops. After an extensive break the race would get back under way with Carol in the lead. After a long green flag run, it was time for scheduled green flag stops. Carol would make his scheduled stop, and Tony would stay out and take the lead and lead some laps to get the bonus points needed to take the lead in the points standing. This would play out to be the best decision Tony has made all season long. Stewart would come go into the pits for his scheduled green flag stop, but the caution would ream it's ugly head once again. Now Stewart has a full tank of gas, four fresh tires, and is good to go till the finish. Edwards on the other hand, does not have the gas to make it 'till the end. He would have to come down pit row under caution and fill up to make it to the end. This puts Kyle Bush in first, Martin Truex Jr. in second, Tony Stewart in third, and would leave poor Carol Edwards in fifth, starting right behind Tony Stewart on the restart, with 40 laps to go. Once the green flag dropped Stewart took off like a bat outta hell moving around Bush to take the lead and Carol was right behind him. Stewart's four fresh tired were better than Edwards two and Stewart would hold the lead to the end to win the race. This meant that there was a tie in points between Edwards and Stewart for the Championship. Stewart had one 5 races in the chase for the cup to give him the tie breaker over Edwards to win, and be the first man in 5 years to beat Jimmy Johnson for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. Tony is the first Owner Driver to win the chase since 1962. This was a huge win for Stewart and his entire team since he thought he was just going to "take up space in the case" with the way he ran in the regular season not winning one race. It was a great way for the season to end and made for a great race for the last race of the NASCAR season. I'm already excited for next season to see what unfolds and how Carol Edwards handles losing in the way that he did. As always keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. Until next time readers

NASCAR Final Race

Hey All,

It all comes down to this, the last race the the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Two drivers, who aren't named Jimmy Johnson, are in the running to be the man who d-crowns Johnson for the Championship. Carol Edwards and Tony Stewart are within 3 points of one another sitting in positions 1 and 2. As they come down to the final race at Homestead Miami. Both drivers are hungry for a win and especially since it's for the Championship. Stewart, when asked if he would wreck a driver to win, he responded with "I would wreck my mother to win, hell I'd wreck your mother to win." Both men got a laugh out of this comment, but I think that's the attitude that you need to have when going into such a huge race. If you go in saying that you wont be an aggressive driver then you're just going to get run right off the road. Everyone knows that both "smoke" and Edwards are aggressive drivers, but I think we are going to see a different style of racing between the two on Sunday, November 20th. Smoke and Edwards are two very big name drivers, who are doing everything they can to get a win and take home the trophy as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion. I can't wait to see which driver will give it everything they've got, drive hard, and be the first man in 5 years to win the the Championship who's name isn't Jimmy Johnson.

In other news around NASCAR, Dale Earhart Sr's memorable #3 car will be returning to NASCAR. Richard Childress will be bringing back the black #3 to the Sprint Cup. This will be the first time since 2000 that the his car will be on the track. It's been run in the Truck Series, and next season will be in the Nationwide Series, and within a few years it will be returned to the Sprint Cup. When Jr. was asked if he cared if the car was ran again, he responded with "I wouldn't care if the car was ran again. I don't think that a number should be subject to one person. It wouldn't bother me one bit." Which is the proper response, I would love to see Jr. leave Hendrix Motor Sports and go to Childress Racing and run the #3. If he would make the move to would be the driver to watch for next season for the cup in  my mind. He would be getting the best cars for every track and the best set up, plus the best crew to produce wins. I can't wait to see how this all pans out in the next couple of years and can't wait to see the #3 back in action.

So keep doing what your doing readers, and I'll keep you up to date with everything Sports.

NASCAR Chase For the Cup

Hey All, The NASCAR Chase For the Cup is underway and has been shaking things up as of late, and what everyone expected it to be. The raining 5 time in a row champion Jimmy Johnson has not fared well in the past couple of races thus far. Finishing 18th in Sunday's race at New Hampshire, and he rounded out the top ten in last weeks race at Chicagoland Speedway. Jimmy falls to 10th in the points and things are not looking good for a sixpete for the raining champion. One driver who is catching everyone's eyes, is that of Tony Stewart. Stewart has won the first two races of the case, which puts him in first in the points race. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Carl Edwards are close behind him though. If he keeps racing like he is, Tony will be the one to end the run of Johnson as champion. Another driver who has had a bit of an inconsistent start is that of Dale Earnhardt Jr. He finished in 17th at New Hampshire, but last week he finished in the top 5 picking up a third place finish at Chicagoland. Jr. has gone from 3rd in the points race down to 8th in the points. Jr. needs to have solid finishes at Dover, Kansas, Charlotte, and Talladega to even have a shot at catching Tony. I can't wait to see how these drivers will fair in the rest of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

Brad Keselowski Wins With Broken Ankle

Hey All,

I just witness one of the most amazing things I have ever seen inside a race car. Brad Keselowski wins at Pocono on a broken ankle, a tore up foot, and a bad back. He did all of this practicing, he was running some practice laps and wrecked his car, completely totaling it. When that happened it pushed the pedals back into his feet, breaking his left ankle, and really bruising his right foot. This is unbelievable to me that he was able to A. get in the car, and B. win the race. I wouldn't even think about climbing into a race car with a broken anything, let alone a broken ankle. He is tough as nails in my eyes, and an outstanding athlete for going through all the pain im sure he went through today. Brad has only 3 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins under his belt, counting this one. This win also put him in the running for the wild card spot in the case. Brad has 1 win this season and he is running in 18th in the standings. The way the points are this year is; the top 10 make the case for the sprint cup, to decide 11th and 12th is considered "wild card spots" the drivers in the top 20 who have the most wins get into the case in the last two spots. I hate this new rule change. I just don't think it's fair that drivers could have won a race or two at the beginning of the season, be in 20th in the points, and make the case over a driver who worked all season to be in the top 12. It's not fair to the drivers who come in week in and week out and work hard, make changes to their cars, have their teams build them the best cars for the track that they will be racing at, and just flat out going to the tack and racing their ass off to get a good finish. The only people who like this are the people who have not been able to make the top 12 and make the case. I also think this is NASCAR's way to try and keep Jimmy Johnson from winning his 6th consecutive championship. I also think that they were trying to make it so that if Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't finish in the top 12 and happened to get a win this season, that he would be able to make the case, and contend for a championship. Now I am a huge Dale Jr. fan and would love to see him make the chase, but I would also like it better if he made the chase on his own, and not him it given to him because he won if he won a race this season. I like good ol' fashion racing, bumper to bumper, high speeds, and drivers joking for position. I also think that NASCAR, on super speed ways, should loss the restricter plates and let them fly out there. It would make for more exciting racing, and probably bring more fans to the sport. I was glad to see a exciting race today and think it's amazing what Brad Keselowski was able to do today. I want to give him a big congratulations,a big thumbs up for "maning up", getting in his car, and winning the race.