How would you feel if you were Jeff Gordon?

                Remember at the beginning of the 2010 season, the fued that  Jeff Gordon had with Jimmie Johnson, for a few weeks? I got to thinking about that tonight.

                For those of you who don’t know this, but Jeff Gordon is the owner of the 48, or part owner. I’m more likely to believe that he’s the own because on all the entry lists, his name is listed as the owner, but either way, he has ownership in that 48 car. So imagine how he feels, when he sees Jimmie winning a 5^th straight championship, while he’s struggling to stay in the top 10, in the chase. With only 1 win in the past 3 seasons. He must be feeling envious. I know that I would be. That however, is just me. He probably realized that there was a slight possibility that this could happen. In racing you have to expect the unexpected.

                Gordon, I believe will win a few more championships before retiring. He’s talented, and he has a desire to win, a determination to win. Characteristics, which I believe are necessary, to win. He maybe going through a slump right now, and with this crew chief switch that was announced these past few days, believe that his chances are going to increase. I personally am not a Jeff Gordon fan, however my little brother Aaron, is. Probably one of the biggest ones that you’ll find. I wish him the best of luck.

                If you look at Jeff Gordon’s stats from his 19 years in the Cup series he has 82 wins; 617 starts;  274 top five’s; 378 top ten’s; 69 poles; led 21,657 laps; and average start of 9.9 and an average finish of 12.3.  Pretty impressive resume’ if you ask me. Maybe, that’s why he has a a lifetime contract with Rick Hendrick.

                Gordon is respected by all drivers out there. A good thing to have. You want to give respect and be respected.  You’ll see Gordon in Victory Lane by the end of next season.

Major Changes with In The Hendrick Organization

Rick Hendrick, proved to everyone that in the offseason, he doesn’t just sit back and relax. He makes major changes, that will effect the whole team. Just two days after the final race of the 2010 season, Hendrick Motorsports made some big changes. Changes that involved, crew chief being moved from one driver to another; and whole race teams being moved from one shop to another.

  The way Hendrick Motorsports was set up before was:

1.)   Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon shared a shop. (Crew Chiefs : Knaus and LeTarte)

2.)   Dale Jr, and Mark Martin shared a shop. (Crew Chiefs: McGrew, and Gustafson)

The “new” set-up at Hendrick Motorsports:

1.)   Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jr. (Crew Chiefs: Knaus and LeTarte)

2.)   Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon ( Crew Chiefs: McGrew and Gustafson)

   Rick Hendrick states “"This will improve us as an organization, across the board," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup." Kudos to Hendrick for making a change, however was it the best one? I guess only time will tell.

  My opinion on it is this: Everyone knows that Jr and McGrew didn’t work out.Their results from the past two years show that much that.  Steve LeTart has proven that he has the knowledge to win races. Something that I, personally don’t think that McGrew had. So maybe this is McGrew’s last chance, to get it right. Was there ever any chemistry between Jr and McGrew, most of his fans say no. I have to agree with them on this one.

  So where’s that going to leave McGrew and the rest of the 5 team in 2012? Well, its very possible that he could be on the outside looking in, and I say that because Kenny’s going over to Redbull with Kasey, along with Engineer Keith Rodden, and Car Chief Todd DeVinch, a team that has proven time and time again they can win together, and they can lose together. I’m not really sure, the terms of the contracts at RedBull Racing. We know that Kasey’s is only for a year. I believe that you will see, Kasey, Kenny, Keith, and Todd, together for a long time, hopefully. But only time will tell.

http://www.hendrickmotorsports.com/news_detail.asp?id=2965

The 2010 Nascar season has ended.

November 21, 2010

The checkered flag has fallen, the burnout smoke is cleared, and Jimmie Johnson, has yet another sprint cup trophy for his collection. Some drivers step out of their car for what will be the last time. Another ending to a NASCAR car series, has came and gone. There will be some big changes when the season starts again in 90 days. I’m sure of that. Drivers will play musical chairs, as will sponsors.

The points leader going into the race was Denny Hamlin, the points leader at the end of the race, was Jimmie Johnson. Talk about heartbreak, everyone on that whole 11 team, came to the track ready to race and give it their all, only to have it end in disappointment. However, I don’t believe that Denny and that 11 team have anything to be disappointed about, they did their best, and they finished 2nd . I know its not first but, 2nd is pretty dang good if you ask me. Something tells me, they are going to take the next few month off, regroup, and come back stronger.

I believe that this season, was one of the best seasons Nascar’s had in a while, with the whole “Have at it boys” thing, the tightest points race, the fueds between teammates, and non-teammates. I believe that there were times this year when the gloves really did come off. Example : Brad vs. Carl , Kasey vs. Aj, Logano vs. Harvick. Kyle Vs. Denny. Jeff vs. Jeff. Jimmie vs. Jeff. I’m sure you get the point. The racing this year, is the best that its ever been, at least from my point of view.

There were a lot of happening and team switching throughout the year. Brian Vickers, being sidelined for medical reasons, yet he was still there to show his support for his teammates. We also learned that Kasey was leaving RPM,to go Hendrick, but he was going to stop at Red Bull Racing for a year, however that was short lived when on October 20th ,he was released from Richard Petty Motorsports, so he began his season with Red Bull Racing a few races earlier then expected. After only being at Red Bull Racing for 4 races, Kasey landed the 83 on the pole for the final race. Pretty good accomplishment if you ask me. Along with Kasey coming over to Redbull, he’s bring his crew chief from RPM, Kenny Francis, Engineer Keith Rodden, Car Chief Todd DeVinch. Which leaves Jimmy Ellege and a few others out of jobs. So where does that leave Scott Speed? Well I’m not exactly sure, but to be honest its not looking good for him.

Which brings us to the next topic: sponsorships . As we know, Budweiser left RPM, to go to Richard Childress Racing’s number 29. Mobile is going over to the 14 of Stewart Haas Racing. Pennzoil is going over to the 22 or 12 of Kurt Busch. Brad K, is going to the “Blue Duece”. Stanley is going from the 19 to the 9 of Marcos Ambrose. So where does that put Sam Hornish, that’s simple: Looking for another Ride. Old Spice has left the 14 car. Quaker State is going to be on the 5 of Mark Martin for a few races. There’s probably going to be more as the off season progresses. We shall see.

What do I think of Jimmie Johnson winning another championship? Well, I have respect for Jimmie. I believe that he’s already a NASCAR legend. In the past he’s won the championships, by a landslide. However, this year was different. He had to fight for that, and when it came down to go time, he went. Would I like to see someone else win the championship? The answer is simple: Yes, I would. I think a different winner would be better for the sport, because people don’t want to watch a sport where the same team wins every time they play, but I do have to give him kudos. He’s Hall of Fame bound.

The 2010 season, has been great! The 2011 season will be better. I have faith in that.

Kahne addresses Media at Martinsville Speedway

Have you ever been labeled as something, that you weren’t, and when you tried to escape that title, it followed you where ever you went? Well, after last weekends Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motorspeedway, when Kasey Kahne didn’t finish the race because he wasn’t feeling well, was given the label “quitter”.



When adressing the media from Martinsville Speedway, Kasey made the statement "I'm definitely not a quitter. I've done a lot for that company for a long time.” He also went on the record saying "Anyone that questions my commitment doesn't know me.


This is my question though, how is he a quitter? He’s given one organization 6 ½ years, and he’s given them all they wanted, most of the time more then what they’ve wanted, and he’s given his all, so to lable him has a quitter infuriates me. You gave him sub-par equpiment and expected him to win the chase, that’s impossible to happen. He may have refused to get back in the car, Saturday, but it was with good reason. You may doubt that he was actually sick all you want, but there is no doubt in my mind that he was. A person can only take so much, and it was his breaking point on Saturday night, so even if he wasn’t sick can you really blame him? For the second time in 3 weeks, they’ve had break failure. Last time I checked brakes are pretty important, in a race.


People say that Kasey “Ran” out on his team and teammates, but don’t you think the management at RPM, ran out on him, as soon as they found out that he wasn’t coming back next year? I think they did. It wasn’t long after his announcement that he was leaving RPM at the conclusion of the 2010 season, that he started receiving sup-par equipment. Take the Dover race for example, he had a broken shifter, I’m pretty sure that’s necessary to have that in proper working order, simply because it’s how you change gears, throughout the race. He led the first 23 laps that day, and he had a fast racecar, but he ended the day 2 laps down. That’s just one example.


Take the Pocono race for example, Kasey ran in the top 5 all day, and he should have finished there, but “teammate” AJ, had other plans. When on the last restart Kasey dropped to the bottom of the track, to pass some cars, out of no where, here comes AJ, to block him. Kasey clearly had the better car all day. Why AJ felt the need to take Kasey out like that, is still unknown. My theory is that AJ couldn’t have Kasey stealing the spotlight. Here’s a little newsflash for you King Ding-A-Ling, Kasey will always be better then you. However, AJ went on to finish 10th that day, and Kasey was a very disappointing, 28th. AJ, has never even apologized for the accident that he caused, taking out 10 other cars with it. RPM would go on to do NOTHING at all about it because after all it was just another “racing accident.” No it wasn’t. He could have really hurt someone, or killed them with his little stunt, then again what do you expect?


I don’t think that RPM, knows how much of an asset Kasey really was to them. How much money he actually brought into that company. He was most of the companies income, because had it not been for him, Budweiser would have never in a million years sponsored one of their cars. It’s not just speculation, it’s a proven fact. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but its true. How AJ even has a cup ride is far beyond me. I remember the year where, he wrecked every race that he was in, most of the time he never even finished a race, and yet they leave Reed Sorenson go? What sense does that make? None at all if you ask me, Reed was a way better driver then AJ Allmendinger, look at how strong he ran in the 83, of Brian Vickers.


As a Kasey Kahne fan, I felt that RPM never stood behind Kasey. I can recall several times where you could go on facebook and see all the Kasey Kahne bashing that they did, and NOTHING was ever done about it, but yet whenever someone said something about AJ, it was deleted and they were blocked. Seriously? What the hell? If you’re going to back up one of your drivers you should do it for all of them.


So now I have a question, can you really blame Kasey for wanting out? I know that I can’t. I’m glad that he’s out, and on to Red Bull Racing, where we know that he’s going to be treated right. His fans are relieved that he’s out of that mess, that’s for sure.


I’m sure the bashing is about to begin, or it already has, because he left RPM, and Budweiser, before the end of his contract. However, he has agreed to fulfill all of his sponsorship obligations throughout the term of his contract. RPM wanted him gone, and he wanted to be gone so it was the best for both, that the parted ways. He wants the best for them. A true gentleman in my opinion.


Kahne was released a day prior to all the speculation about the future of RPM, did that play a part in the decision for the two parties to part ways? Perhaps, not that we’ll ever know, but honestly, I don’t really care what happens with RPM. Ask your selves this, when was the last time, the financial stability of a NASCAR race team questioned, without it being true? It’s not every day that it happens, but none the less, I honestly do not care about RPM, as a whole anymore, perhaps I never did. I’ve said this in several other posts and I’ll say it again : I don’t care who he drives for, who his sponsors are, what kind of car he drives, the only thing that matters to me, is that he is racing. I’m a Kasey Kahne fan, and a proud one at that.


Quitter? I think not.

Kahne Released from RPM.

Imagine going 180 miles an hour, and having your shifter break, or going 190 miles an hour and having your brakes fail, or having a motor blow up on you, or even having your own team-mate purposely wreck you, so that he could get a better finish. Well that’s what Kasey Kahne’s year has been like. He was given junk equipment and was expected to win races, and make the chase. I’m not exactly sure how they expected that to happen, but they did. They expected more from a driver to whom they have given less than acceptable to.



Late Wednesday, Richard Petty Motorsports released Kasey Kahne from his driving duties for the rest of the 2010 season. Did this all stem from Saturday nights race? I think part of it did, but the majority of it, was collective through out the whole season. Ever since Kasey announced that he wouldn’t be back after the 2010 season in April, things seem to be strained between the two. If you ask me, RPM knew what was at stake, they knew either they had to make the performance better or Kasey wasn’t going to return. They were given a chance, they didn’t make it happen. As a result Kasey signed with a team that has proven time and time again that they can go out there weekly and contend for not only wins but championships.


Everyone is criticizing Kasey for not getting back in the car on Saturday night, stating that he wasn’t ill, and that he was just throwing a temper tantrum because things didn’t go his way, but let me ask you this: When is enough, enough? How many times this year, has Kasey led a race only have something break on his car, and give him a 30th place finish or worse? Plenty. Kasey Kahne is not a quitter, reguardless of he refused to get back in the car just out of pure anger. They quit on him long before he quit on them.


Kenny Francis is going to Redbull Racing with Kasey next year, so how many of the other crew members will end up going there also. Although, I called Kenny going to Redbull with Kasey long before, it was announced that he would be. I think Kasey and Kenny make a good team, and with good equipment they will probably be able to pull off a win or two next year, and make the chase. Which will be a good boost for RedBull’s Morale.

Just a few notes.

Hey Guys and Gals,

I'm sorry for the lack of posts recently, its been roughly 4 months since my last one. I feel so bad, but with my work schedule, it makes it hard.

There are just a few things I would like to say:

-There are new posts on the way, I just have to get them typed up and published. I write all my post out, especially if I'm at work, and something just comes to me, and that way I'm sure that it makes sense.

-I'm currently looking for a new blog site, I'm not fond of this one. I tried word press, but I wasn't fond of that one either. However, whenever that occurs I'll let you know, but I probably won't give out the link until everything is transferred over and is perfect.

-I'm also working on a messaging board, dedicated to NASCAR, so that has me pretty pre-occupied. I'm hoping to have that up and running within the next couple of days, so whenever that's fully operational, I'll let you guy's know and you can have the link.

- Please keep checking back for more updates!

-Also if you have a blog and would like it to have a link on here, please feel free to let me know, and I would be more then happy to do it.

Thanks Peeps :)