A Sweet Taste Of Victory

Posted by Penni On April - 30 - 2008

The weekend that was Talladega, known for it’s “big one,” was not only enjoyable to watch but also full of victories, could-have-been wins and chances blown away.

Talladega was the first impound race of the season. That meant, after the final practice session Friday, they’d have to qualify Saturday. If they didn’t have it figured out yet, they’d have to wait until the race. Usually, when the race isn’t an impound race (i.e. Daytona, Talladega, or Richmond) the teams set their cars up for qualifying during the first practice session and with the next practice session(s) they set it up for the race.

With impound races, most of the teams, who were already in on owner points, set their cars up for the race and weren’t betting on the best starting position. And those teams that were on the “outside looking in” focused mainly on getting their cars in and not on race setup. The top five cars and drivers for the starting lineup gave evidence of that. Read the rest of this entry »

Early Predictions Of A Novice

Posted by Penni On April - 23 - 2008

I know it may be a little early for this, but I thought I’d share my predictions for the rest of the season. Maybe in doing so, I can give you a little more insight as to who my favorite driver is — or maybe not.

He may have it in him, but I don’t think Jimmie Johnson will actually win a third championship in a row. I don’t think he’ll drop out of the Top 12 in points, either. He’s high enough up and he’s got very “Jimmie Johnson friendly” tracks up ahead.

I’m sure he’s going to win a few more races. What would the season be if Johnson didn’t win a handful of races and wasn’t a threat to win? Read the rest of this entry »

The Desert, The Night And The Usual Suspects

Posted by Penni On April - 16 - 2008

The weekend started a day, or rather night, earlier than usual, with a Cup practice session, both Nationwide practice sessions and Cup qualifying.

During qualifying, Ryan “Rocketman” Newman was able to put his No. 12 Alltel Dodge on the pole and starting second, beside him, was Elliott Sadler in the No. 19 Best Buy Dodge. Sadler and his Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) teammate, Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, teams brought brand new cars to the track. A fact that was evident, with Kahne sitting fifth in the lineup.

Carl Edwards, No. 99 Aflac Ford, and Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, rounded out the top five. However, the three Dodges wouldn’t fair very well in Saturday’s race. Read the rest of this entry »

Win, Lose Or Drive

Posted by Penni On April - 2 - 2008

Wasn’t the first day of spring a good week before the race? Yes, I believe it was! It wasn’t very apparent if you were watching the race coverage throughout the weekend. Once again, this thing called indecisive weather, played games with the drivers (and us).

The weekend appeared to be better than before — no rain in sight — at least for the first half of the weekend.

During Friday’s qualifying, all the teams were on their a-game. The drivers seated below the top 35 in owner points were sitting on edge and stepping up. The starting lineup was evident of that. Read the rest of this entry »

Free Fries And A Lot Of Firsts

Posted by Penni On March - 12 - 2008

Atlanta proved to be every bit as exciting as the previous races.

The racing at our in-state speedway was good and clean as a limited number of caution flags flew. Once again, a dominant driver won and, of course, the weather was indecisive.
The weather, it seems to me, is very wishy, washy these days. One minute it’s hot, the next it’s freezing and then it’s hot again. I should have figured that the weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) would be no different. And it wasn’t.

It did rain, but not enough to totally cancel anything Friday. The Nationwide practice sessions were combined into one with Kyle Busch being the fastest.

The rain was gone Saturday, but snow appeared that morning canceling Nationwide qualifying, causing the drivers to start according to the owner points, and joining both Cup practice sessions into one final practice. Read the rest of this entry »

We Got Two Of A Kind

Posted by Penni On March - 5 - 2008

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Let’s hope not, because once again, Vegas was great racing.

Where weekend before where it was all rain, all day — Las Vegas was far from rainy. It was very much a typical race weekend.

Qualifying was Friday, as usual. The Cup drivers and fans got their first taste of the new way of qualifying (that is if you haven’t been watching Truck or Nationwide qualifying).

The top 35 in owner’s points qualified first and then all those who weren’t in the top 35 qualified at the end together. It makes it more fair for the teams who may or may not make it in, they say.

I agree with this. I think it gives all the “go or go-home” cars the same advantage (or disadvantage) — but that’s just my opinion. Read the rest of this entry »

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