|
The Playoffs are taking shape, and we just might have some genuine interest in the last few races. Just as long as no one runs away with a huge points lead, we might end up biting out nails at Homestead.
Oh, goody…….. |
Danica: Keeping the press at bay, she keeps stirring the pot by not discussing her future plans. Which begs the question: Why on earth would she keep mum on the subject? It appears the pending contract hasn’t been approved by both sides quite yet. Maybe there are a number of issues in the pending contract that aren’t going down too well. . I guess we’ll all know in due time, but the suspense is getting ridiculous.
Jerry: Maybefield is back in the news. He’s thinking of hiring a shark lawyer (Mark Geragos). Jerry’s probably flat broke at this point, so perhaps Geragos will be doing the ambulance chasing bit of only getting paid if they win $$’s from NA$CAR. At this point, Jerry has lost everything, cuz there ain’t an owner in either Cup or Busch League that would hire him. There are just too many other drivers available that aren’t tarnished goods.
Das Knaus: The report that the 48 and 5 cars are too close to tolerances smells like Chad has been doing some ‘fine tuning” again. He got his hands slapped a few years ago, so you’d think he would shy away from any such shenanigans. Maybe the thought of a four-peat is too tempting to him……
Start times: More rumors that NA$CAR is seriously considering 1:00 PM Eastern start times for Cup races. It’ll be interesting to see how this affects those races being run in the West. I can’t imagine that they’d start a race in California at 10:00 AM their time in order to satisfy the proposed 1:00 PM Eastern rule. (By the way, is this truly a 1:00 PM start time, or is it a ‘1:00 PM start-the-broadcast’ time??). Nonetheless, it would certainly be an improvement to know in advance when the race will start, and even allow some wiggle room if there is a rain delay.
Da Race: The “Tar-gate” issue raised its ugly head several times, causing a number of wall jobs, spin outs, and perhaps even ‘the big one’. If ISC doesn’t take this as a warning, they should have their heads examined, cuz this issue should be resolved ASAP.
Jr.: For the first time this year, Jr. looked like he might make a big splash. Then (as if the script were written well in advance), they shot themselves in the foot with a missing lug nut. You’d think by now that Jr. should have prosthetic toes, cuz it keeps happening with regularity. But at least they gave Jr. Nation another glimmer of hope and another (stupid) reason why his pit crew is number 1 in the fastest pit crew contest.
Das Knaus (Part 2): The Chadster didn’t bring his lucky charm to Kansas, cuz midway through the race he called for a 4 tire change instead of 2, and mired JJ back amongst the unwashed. Although they had a strong car and led a number of laps, they just couldn’t get the job done and had to settle for a 9th place finish. All is not over, but the knight’s armor is getting a bit of rust on it.
Flipster:Although going one lap down due to a speeding penalty, Edwards made a steady-Eddy comeback, and finished 10th. His car was nothing to write home about, but it was enough for him to save face (unlike Vickers and FlyinRyan, who were definitely out to lunch).
Da Biff: Visions of sugarplums danced in his head, and for a long while there, while leading a bunch of laps, he must’ve had a fleetingly thought about a W. No question it was one of their best efforts in a while, but there was no cigar in Kansas (but they do have a bunch of corn, some wheat, a few chickens and some moo-cows).
Pablo: The more we see Pablo race in the Playoffs, the more we are quietly hoping he will ruffle some feathers, ding some fenders, and end up winning the Championship. I know, you want SirMark to finally get his just rewards before he hangs up his helmet, but that just may not be in the cards. A true champion needs to have a killer instinct, and Pablo fits the bill.
Congrats to Smoke for an excellent ride, and to Gordo for hanging in there. And did you notice that 10 of the Playoff contenders came in within the Top 11 spots? The cream is rising toward the top……..
Heaps of 3’s all over yer Office Depot,
Racing Maniac #3
Dodge Chargers for sale
