ne year ago at this time, Sheryl Crow was dominating the music industry with the hit single �Soak Up the Sun� � which contained the following lyrics�
�Every time I turn around, I'm looking up, you're looking down, Maybe something's wrong with you, That makes you act the way you do, Maybe I am crazy too��
Not long after, Crow was hired by NASCAR as somewhat an ambassador � appearing in promotional spots and holding concerts at several races and being hired as entertainment at the annual awards banquet � NASCAR�s version of your company�s annual Christmas party, where the season champion is officially crowned. Fittingly , it was Tony Stewart being coronated, whose on and off-track actions often fitted the lyrics of Crow�s music to a tee.
Last Sunday night, a lovely young, fresh-faced rookie musician by the name of Norah Jones ran roughshod at the 45th annual Grammy�s , sweeping honors with five awards � while leaving music icons such as favorite Bruce Springsteen laying in the dust.
Meanwhile, in the NASCAR world � Dale Jarrett did manage to make a couple of wily veteran maneuvers to get Kurt Busch loose in a classic duel in the waning laps to come away victorious at the Rockingham 400. But while DJ may had won the battle, it is clearly KB who is winning the war as of late � with his sixth top-three finish in his last seven races, including three wins. And in that seventh race last year Busch placed sixth.
With that string of momentum the baby-faced Busch has vaulted to the top of virtually all NASCAR ranking polls, and is the early leader in the Cup point standings. And Busch�s stranglehold could actually strengthen in the next two weeks with races in hometown Las Vegas, along with Atlanta where KB won the 2002 fall race.
Last year Sheryl and Tony - this year Norah and Kurt. Some things just go together.
I was not expecting much out of Dale Jr. at Rockingham, a track where he has often struggled � but last Sunday was ridiculous, as he had a ride rougher than the skydivers attempting to descend on the track. Here is a brief recap on Junior�s day�
- Lap 18: contact with Elliott Sadler left Junior with a tire rub, which led to a tire going down on Lap 46, which would had caused the day�s first caution if NASCAR wasn�t waving the flag at that time anyways since all track activities were rained out the day before. Junior would pit five times during the caution in an attempt to remain on the lead lap.
- Lap 123: The car clearly not handling well, Junior hits Nadeau in the left rear. Jeremy Mayfield and John Andretti would check up and be caught in the carnage.
- Lap 174: Junior spins off Turn 2.
- Lap 275: Junior spins off Turn 2 again.
- Lap 297: Much of the crowd gets exactly what they paid for as Junior makes contact with Jeff Gordon, sending the #24 skidding along the grass of the tri-oval. There�s a few more votes for the Most Popular Driver voting, if he needs them.
That meant Junior had a hand in five of the day�s seven cautions, Jimmy Spencer would even have a tough time being involved in that much action!!! Last year the excuse was a concussion from a crash that affected him for months, I wonder what the story will be this time??? It is little wonder on why I proclaim Earnhardt to be the Most Over-rated driver in NASCAR today.
Now on to other ramblings�
Foyt Enterprises actually had something on their hands when they got veteran Mike Wallace for the latter stages of the 2002 season, with Wallace giving the team several fines runs and even a pair of top-tens. Wallace also had some great runs as a fill-in driver for Penske (#12 car) late in 2001. I could see Penske replacing Mike with Ryan Newman, who many saw as a star in the making even then. However, the same can not be said for Larry Foyt, who Dad hired to drive the #14 for 2003. Larry was not even one of the upper-tier drivers in the Busch series. Remember he was racing out of the pits to join the other lapped cars when he got into that freak accident with Steve Park in Darlington back in �01.
This year Foyt started with a DNQ in Daytona, followed by a provisional and 36th place finish at the Rock. Oh Yeah??? Oh No. You�d be better off going to the slot machines than ever putting coin down on this driver�
So much for Chevy dominance, as that make would account for only one of the top ten positions last week. Look for more out of Rosch, RYR, and Penske teams the next two weekends while RCR and DUI will continue to struggle.
It is very possible last Sunday could be the last Spring race ever to be held in Rockingham, which in some respects will be unfortunate. Yes, it is among the smallest tracks and fell far short from even being a sell out this year. However, the track offers different lines of racing and a lot of action, and in many respects is a throwback. However the circuit as far outgrown the facilities, while the expansion that has occurred in venues such as Dover and Bristol has been so drastic that you wouldn�t be able to recognize those places watching a tape of an event. Yes, some of the newer tracks should get an additional date but hopefully Rockingham should still at least be good for one race a year.
LAS VEGAS PREVIEW
I will avoid any references to the degenerate gambling industry in previewing this race. I will also not speculate on which driver may �hit the jackpot�. In recent years this was one of the bonus races where if any of five drivers from a previous �bonus race� won, they would collect a one million dollar bonus. That gimmick has been discontinued with that money now being moved into the end of season points pool. Now for my top thirty predictions�
- Kurt Busch � No surprise here, and it should be another huge Rosch day. The #97 spend most of last years race in the top five before the car went away, with Busch settling with a 20th place finish.
- Ryan Newman � Time to start looking at those pit assignments again. Jeremy Mayfield allegedly held up Newman, not once but twice � as Newman somewhat limped towards a 14th place finish. Newman was also hampered in qualifying as the fuel was not getting to the carburetor (pick-up problem). So perhaps the team is having some issues adjusting to Dodge. Still look for great things for the #12 this week as Newman qualified second last year and was a factor all day before placing fourth.
- Mark Martin � Did I say this was going to be a Rosch show??? Has gone third, sixth, and third the past three years.
- Sterling Marlin � Last year�s winner, so he must rank high here as well. Would like to see his luck turn, as his misfortune is picking up right where it left off last year. Had a nice run going at Rockingham before the motor went awry late, leading to a disappointing 40th place finish.
- Matt Kenseth � I forgot to mention last week that Kenseth actually won six races out of the 30 non-plate/non-road events, as the #17 let Mark Martin win the Charlotte race in the name of a million-dollar bonus. So that�s a .200 batting average, and a definite threat here.
- Dale Jarrett � A seventh, second, and seventh the past three years. The #88 traditionally does well here as well as in Atlanta.
- Jimmie Johnson � JJ broke out last year with a sixth place finish here.
- Jeff Gordon � 2001 race winner, so must rate high as well. Has been far from dominating thus far however.
- Tony Stewart � Fifth last year, 12th in 2001, and second in 2000. Had a good early run in Rockingham but fell badly. Don�t get too shook up over that, the #20 simply does not fare well there.
- Jeff Burton � Only two-time winner at this track, and finished ninth last year. Many feel the #99 will break out with a run soon, but I am not as convinced.
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CIELO AND A GOOD RACE CAR IS ALL JAMIE NEEDS... |
- Jamie McMurray � What a huge weekend for JamieMac, finishing fifth in the Cup race, then leading all except for six laps in claiming victory in the rain-delayed Busch race. In another matter, Jamie Mac reveals in an interview that he does not have many friends, but does have his car and of course Cielo. Actually, that�s about all one needs.
- Rusty Wallace � Clearly had the best car for much of last week, but got loose at the end. Was an 11th place finisher last year.
- Elliott Sadler � Showed the strength of his Yates ride by rallying to a ninth place finish after being placed at the end of the longest line after a tire got away on pit road. Look for Sadler�s stock to rise in coming weeks.
- Bobby LaBonte � 12th place finish last year. I don�t see his re-emergence coming soon but he does fare well here and in Atlanta.
- Greg Biffle � Traditionally rookies struggle under the glare of Daytona and with the rough surface at Rockingham, but then shine at Vegas and Atlanta.
Look for Biffle to follow that trend and do well here. Also don�t be surprise if Biffle even steals the pole.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. � Is due, but far from a guarantee with finishes of 16th, 23rd and tenth over the past three years.
- Ricky Rudd � A pair of top-15 finishes to open up for his new employer. The Wood brothers have obtained consecutive top-15 finishes only seven times in the previous four seasons.
- Bill Elliott � Solid finishes since joining the Evernham stable, placing 14th in 2001 and eighth last year.
- Jeremy Mayfield � See how many bar bets you can win on this one, Mayfield was SECOND in this race last year. Was an absolute nuisance on pit road last week.
- Michael Waltrip - Finished 22nd last year and 13th two years ago. Many will be suckered into him after a top-five qualifying run.
- Johnny Benson � Some felt the pace car would be the only Pontiac to lead the field this year, but Benson had another nice run going at Rockingham but faded to 13th. Finished fourth in this race in 2001.
- Dave Blaney � Impressive run to grab the pole last week, and also hung on to a top ten spot. This week Blaney returns to his customary middle of the pack finish.
- Kevin Harvick � All one needs to know about the state of RCR, Harvick had the teams best finish with a 25th place showing.
- Todd Bodine � You can win some more bets with this, Todd won the pole for this race last year with a crew (#66 car) that was barely in business at that point. Was working on a decent outing in Rockingham before being collected.
- Joe Nemecheck � Jerry Nadeau took the #25 to a 15th place finish last year, look for a similar finish out of Joe this year, and an even better run in Atlanta next week.
- Ricky Craven � Another driver who shined in Rockingham (fourth) but does not fare well here, placing 31st and 41st the past two years.
- Ward Burton � Achieved a major victory keeping his car out of the wall this year in Rockingham. Has finished 21st here in each of the past two seasons.
- Jeff Green � It was not a good day for RCR here last year, as Green finished 33rd.
- Robby Gordon � Not a good run for the #31 last year neither, placing 37th.
- Jimmy Spencer � THE DOG WAS DIALED IN LAST WEEK!!!!! In fact, Spencer was in the top 20 for much of the day before fading to 28th. Spencer placed 10th here last year in the #41 car.
