Nascar: 2010

[Don]

Talladega: 1:00 PM ET, 4/25

* 500 miles/188 laps
* 2.66 miles
* 33 degree in corners
* Most caution flags: 11 in 2004
* " lead changes: 75 in 1984

" The green-yellow-green-yellow-green-white-checkered finish. The Aaron's 312 and Aaron's 499 will mark the first Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at NASCAR's most treacherous track since a rule mandating three tries at a green-white checkered was instituted this season. The maximum number of attempts hasn't been reached in either circuit, but the mammoth 2.66-mile oval might represent the best opportunity for testing its limits. "

" Keep these numbers handy: The record for fewest cars running at the end in a Talladega Cup race is 14 (26 cars were sidelined by crashes or mechanical failures in the 500-miler July 27, 1986). The fewest for Nationwide is 17 on April 25, 1998 (and there have been at least five more instances in which more than half the field was out by the checkered flag "

" The spoiler, in its fourth race since replacing the wing, will be issued by NASCAR at the track (teams bolt them on before arriving at other tracks) and was reduced by an inch. NASCAR also is using a smaller restrictor plate after the closing rates were too high during drafting practice at a test last month. "

[Ron61]

I watched the ARCA race there last night and it had a pretty good finish. And the normal big one took out several good cars. But with 13 laps to go, two of the fastest cars were way back and had lost the draft of the front 10. They not only finally caught up to them but one of them actually won the race when the car that had been leading for a long time kept trying to block and all of that weaving back and forth caused him to lose momentum and I think he finished about 5th.

Ron

[Ralphy]

That was a pretty dirty move on JJ's part with Gordon.
What say you?

[PatBuckley]

I agree - if he wasn't a team mate and car owner it would have been acceptable.

I wonder if they are doing this to generatre ink?

[Ralphy]

Well Gordon finishing 22nd and Johnson I think 31st. Does not give a very strong story other then an internal battle.

[Ron61]

I actually thought that the race was one of the best restrictor plate races I have seen in a long time. I was really amazed at how just two cars could hook up and fly past three or four in a line.

As for the Gordon Johnson feud, remember last weekend they had a big argument after the race because JJ basically did the same thing. I don't think it was staged as the points are to important to do anything like that. It will be interesting to see what they have to say around Wednesday after tempers have cooled down.

Ron

[Don]

Realistically, any further public comments by the parties directly involved on JJ vs JG will be tempered, to some degree, recognizing the astute leadership of Hendrick and the need to professionally represent their sponsors. The real feelings will probably only be known to the two drivers/crew chiefs and Hendrick, other's are speculation, and then move on.

The press, TV commentators, etc., etc., will more than likely keep the topic alive, something to talk about until another incident arises with any driver or Team.

Just enough verbiage for some attention, without causing a major disruption to the Teams, with JJ and JG cars assembled in the same building and the same non-track personnel working on both cars. Internally, the work shirts read Hendrick, not DuPont or Lowe's

[Ralphy]

I just noticed Jeff Gordon is #6 is on Yahoo's top 10 search list. Hmmm......

[Ron61]

Sorry to change the subject, but did anyone hear about what Kurt Bush is going to do next year? I heard them say that some other young guy was going to be driving the # 2 car for Pensky next year. I know that Harvick is kind of up in the air with his sponsor leaving and all.

Ron

[PatBuckley]

I heard that Kurt re-signed with Penske for a multi year deal and hopes to end his career there.

[tcrist]

Brad K. who is driving the #12 this year will be switching to the #2 and Kurt will be going to a #22 for Penske with Shell as the sponser. I do not know what they are going to do with the #12. I dont think that Harvick would go there since he has his own Chevy teams in the truck and Nationwide series.

[Don]

*** Prior to Sunday's race:

" Gordon said Friday that he and Johnson had spoken
via texts and e-mails after the Texas race and
"everything's fine." It's simply a case of two hungry
drivers racing each other hard. "

In a few days, back to normal, whatever that is. No doubt the TV commentators will attempt to keep the subject alive, until there is some other incident with any Team. How else would they fill up the hours ? Both JJ & JG , in addition to the Hendrick Teams' goals , have their own personal goals, JJ to win another Cup series and JG to prove he can win again. For both, not easy.

*** Subject to NASCAR's confirmation, USA Today mentioned Daytona will be repaved prior to the 2011 500, not needing a repeat of this years' water leakage and the unfavorable press and TV rating.

[Ralphy]

Looking back, first Johnson cuts down on Gordon. As he says trying to pick up on the ride with Jeff. Then a couple laps later he cuts up on Biffle, tagging him and taking himself out and Biffle.

Can you say brain fart? Johnson's biorhythms must have been down.

[Ron61]

Kind of like JG comment after the race about "I don't know what is going on with him the last two races, but I am pissed." And in the radio transmission they replayed when he hit Biffle his spotter told him high, meaning there was a car above him. Maybe the stress and all of the appearances are taking some of the edge off his mind at times.

Ron

[tcrist]

What I have almost always heard was "outside or inside" if there was a car there and "clear high or clear low" if there was no car there of course.

So if JJ's spotter just said "high or low" one would assume that JJ would have thought it was clear.

That or JJ is just tired of being the nice guy and is showing his true colors. What ever it is, he has been making a few people mad at him lately. Also he knows that everyone is after him because they are tired of him winning everything including the Cup titles.

Remember how everybody hated JG when he was winning everything. JJ is not going to roll over and play dead just because JG wants him to.

[Ron61]

Terry,

Due to the amount of spotters and radio talk, I have heard some drivers just want their spotter to say high or low if there is a car above or below them. They all want the Clear High or Clear Low from the interviews I have watched.

Ron

[Ralphy]

Here's JJ's chatter.

http://www.nascar.com/video/cup/2010...car/index.html

[Ron61]

That is the same one that I watched and several times the spotter said high when there were cars above him. With all of the chatter and trying to watch as well as you can, the driver needs as few terms used as possible. Clear High or Low is good and High or Low meaning there are cars there is good, at least in my opinion.

One other thing that we haven't discussed is that it is hard for the spotters on a track that large to really be able to determine if a car coming toward them is clear by a few inches or not. Spotting is not an easy job for sure. In this case it wasn't a factor, but remember the crew chief is also on the radio a lot. I remember one race where Earnheart Jr.told them to all shut up, he couldn't understand them as they were all saying different things and it just made it hard to concentrate.

Ron

[Wayne Maybury]

I would assume that each team has it's own way of communicating. This amount of constant chatter would drive most people nuts but maybe that is the way JJ and his spotter like it. While JJ nad the 48 team are definitely great, it is interesting to see them having some bad luck recently as they always seem to be the ones that get the breaks.

Wayne

[Don]

SITUATION: QUOTE:

" unprecedented 88 lead changes, 29 leaders and a 0.011-second victory by Kevin Harvick " But some drivers wonder if Talladega has become too much of a game of chance. Since a 2006 repaving, the track's glass-smooth surface has de-emphasized the need for fresh tires (teams often changed two instead of four, even on refueling stops Sunday). Sunday's return of the spoiler ".........

Note the comment on NASCAR Kit Cars by Earnhardt

*** Dale Earnhardt :

increased drag, which Dale Earnhardt Jr. says made it impossible for stronger cars to break away because slower cars could catch the draft to keep pace.

"It is a lottery, (and) racing for a championship shouldn't be a lottery," he said. "Harvick deserves a lot of credit for doing what (he) did to win

Earnhardt, a five-time winner at Talladega, led eight laps and ran in the top 10 for most of 500 miles Sunday but finished 13th because "when it counted, we just didn't make the right moves. It is not about someone's car handling or motor being better. The cars might as well all be kit cars for these two races.

There were four multicar pileups in the final 25 laps Sunday in the first Cup race to mark three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish Earnhardt suggested Daytona and Talladega be limited to one green-white-checkered attempt.

*** Kevin Harvick :

"From my standpoint, it's pretty hairball," Harvick said. "Anything more exciting, we'll have to go to the X Games."

*** Ryan Newman, :

who has crashed in consecutive races at Talladega, doesn't think the oval should count in the standings.

"If they want to have these races for the fans, just let us do this, but don't let it affect our championship because it's not racing," he said. "We should be here for the Talladega Event Marketing, or something like that."

*** Jeff Gordon :

drivers tried to balance putting on a show for fans "who pitch tents in the infield when tornados are coming" vs. the risks of racing hard early for no reward on a track where gaining or losing a dozen spots during a lap is commonplace.

*** Roger Penske : though, says "it's the game we're in" with restrictor-plate races."If we don't like it, I guess we don't have to come," Penske said. "I don't like to see it, obviously. The most important thing is we don't get anyone hurt."