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Kyle Busch Is 'Rowdy' Real Thing

Posted: May 6th 2009 10:15PM by Holly Cain (author feed)
Filed under: Kyle Busch, Darlington Raceway, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Joe Gibbs Racing

93 COMMENTS
Kyle BuschAs with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch is one of the season's most polarizing drivers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series.

As with Earnhardt, you're either with Busch or you are against him. The difference between the two drivers? Busch is out there winning races. A lot of them.

And whether it's the everybody-loves-a-winner mentality or what, a lot of "haters" are warming up to "Rowdy." As hard as it is to cheer for Busch, it's getting even harder not to.
Continue Reading Kyle Busch Is 'Rowdy' Real Thing

Daytona '79... NASCAR's Greatest Day?

Posted: Feb 15th 2009 5:00AM by Holly Cain (author feed)
Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway

2 COMMENTS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Today marks the 51st running of the Daytona 500.

But for most Americans, NASCAR's green flag really dropped 30 years ago in the 1979 Daytona 500 when television carried flag-to-flag coverage of the sport's biggest race for the first time.

It was a dramatic finish -- Richard Petty edging Darrell Waltrip with the great Indy car champion A.J. Foyt keeping them honest. But it was "The Fight" going on in the infield after the race that captured the country's attention.
Continue Reading Daytona '79... NASCAR's Greatest Day?

Darrell Waltrip Told Not to Talk

Posted: Mar 20th 2008 4:35PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

63 COMMENTS
It's a good thing that FOX Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip has the weekend off from NASCAR.

After a visit to a Nashville-area doctor who's treated many entertainers with vocal problems, Waltrip was told to minimize any talking for a while. From the Charlotte Observer:
Fox TV analyst Darrell Waltrip, who lost his voice during last week's race at Bristol, has been diagnosed with severely inflamed vocal cords and is under doctor's orders to severely limit his speaking for the time being.
Waltrip definitely had no business being in the booth on Sunday. He didn't add a whole lot the broadcast, and I know I cringed several times just listening to his voice. Fellow analyst Jeff Hammond could have easily filled in.

The whole situation does make me wonder if FOX was being mindful of how NBC treated the situation with Benny Parson's when he was battling cancer during his final season. NBC wasn't always completely up-front about Benny's situation and not having him in the booth caused some worry.

Dick Vitale, another quite-vocal commentator, had similar vocal problems for much of the NCAA basketball season before returning after a month or two off. I do hope Waltrip can be back for Martinsville in two weeks.

Fanhouse Predicts Top-5 2008 Stories: No. 4 NASCAR Television Package Has to Work

Posted: Feb 5th 2008 12:00PM by Geoffrey Miller (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Media Watch, Sprint Cup

8 COMMENTS
Friday afternoon, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets down to business at Daytona with the first round of practice for the Budweiser Shootout, scheduled for 8:30pm/ET Saturday night on FOX. NASCAR Fanhouse will countdown the days with a look at the five stories that will rule the sport in 2008.

It was a daily cry near the end of the 2007 season to hear NASCAR fans heartily complain about the lack of quality television coverage they were getting of their favorite sport.

FOX had some gaffes, TNT was an interesting dot on the map and ESPN's triumphant return blew up quicker than a Dale Earnhardt Jr. DEI motor. There were horrible camera angles, bad commentators, pointless graphics & illustrations and completely lost knack at telling a compelling story for every fan watching the race.

Sure, if you were a Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon fan, you had plenty of driver coverage down the stretch. The problem, though, was that 41 other cars started the race and a good majority of those never even saw the beam of a camera during the 3 to 4 hour events.

ESPN has already announced plenty of changes -- including the removal of Rusty Wallace as a permanent fixture in the broadcast booth. TNT has said they are coming back at the July race in Daytona with the "Wide Open" coverage that featured fewer commercial breaks. FOX is staying with their tried and true team in the broadcast booth that has stayed the same since 2001.

Will that be enough? I'd like to think so.
Continue Reading Fanhouse Predicts Top-5 2008 Stories: No. 4 NASCAR Television Package Has to Work

Who Wields the Most Power in NASCAR?

Posted: May 24th 2007 1:57PM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, Nextel Cup, NASCAR Sponsors

12 COMMENTS
According to David Poole of The Charlotte Observer, Brian France is the most powerful man in NASCAR.

Well, duh. But can you guess the rest of the 43 entry field of NASCAR's Power Elite?

#2 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Elledge. Decisions made in the near future will determine if this family duo will hold their position this high in the ranks into the future.

#33 - Teresa Earnhardt. For how long? Will her next move take her up or down?

Other items of note:

Jeff Gordon is the next powerful driver at #18.

Rick Hendrick is the most powerful owner--#10 on the list. Would adding Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the HMS stable make him too powerful for NASCAR's liking?

FOX is higher on the list (4th) than ESPN/ABC (8th). This is as it should be.

FOX Commentators Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds more powerful than team owner Ray Evernham. Heh. I couldn't help but chuckle.

What say you?

Bristol By the Numbers

Posted: Mar 23rd 2007 12:26AM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Bristol Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup

0 COMMENTS
$5,551,106 - Size of the Food City 500 purse
160,000 - Bristol Motor Speedway capacity - Sunday's race will be its 50th consecutive sell-out
2,429 - # of laps led by Jeff Gordon, the most of any active driver
2004 - Last time a driver won three consecutive races. That was Jimmie Johnson. Can he do it again?
1992 - Year Food City joined Bristol Motor Speedway as the sponsor of the spring race
621 - # of consecutive starts Mark Martin leading up to Bristol, the longest current streak
477- # of consecutive starts by Jeff Gordon, who will become the active leader in that category after the green flag falls
401 - # of Nextel Cup drivers who have competed at Bristol
266.5 - # of miles in the Food City 500
78 - Percentage of races won from inside the top 10
60 - Most # of starts by any driver (Richard Petty)
56 - Most # of starts by an active driver (Ricky Rudd)
50 - # of cars on the entry list for the 2007 Food City 500
38 - Lowest starting position of winner (Elliott Sadler, 2001)
36 - Degrees of banking in the corners, the steepest on the Cup circuit
26 - # of car owners currently ranked higher in the standings than at the end of last season
21 - # of wins from the pole
20 - Most # of cautions (three times)
18 - # of owners in the current standings locked in to the top 35 through Bristol
12 - # of owners currently outside the top 35 that could move into the top 35
12 - Most # of wins in Thunder Valley by any driver (Darrell Waltrip)
9 - Difference in owner points between 35th and 36th place (Gene Haas #66 (274); Teresa Earnhardt #15 (265))
4 - # of drivers that have completed every lap so far in 2007 (Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin)
1 - # of drivers that have led laps in all races so far this season (Kenseth)
.533 - miles Length of track
Immeassurable - Comfort level of leaving Bristol in the top 35

NASCAR Fanhouse Power Rankings: Bristol

Posted: Mar 21st 2007 7:11AM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: NASCAR Power Rankings, Nextel Cup

3 COMMENTS
a.k.a. The Bristol Sweet 16 COT Crapshoot

80561. Kurt Busch. Bristol's snow angel has plans for a sixth drive to victory lane--the first on his ears of CORN.
80562. Jeff Gordon. Along with Busch, has the most wins in Thunder Valley. This season he's just trying to keep up with the Johnson.
80563. Matt Kenseth. He's got three straight top 5s and nine top 10 finishes in 10 starts at Bristol. But nevermind that, he's got his crew chief back.

80564. Denny Hamlin. He's got a win under his FedEx timing belt and was among the fastest in COT testing. Plus, his stock is up.

Continue Reading NASCAR Fanhouse Power Rankings: Bristol

Bristol Motor Speedway 1982: Where Were They Then?

Posted: Mar 19th 2007 3:45PM by tallglassofmilk (author feed)
Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bristol Motor Speedway, Nextel Cup, Ricky Rudd

1 COMMENT
When Darrell Waltrip took the checkered flag in the Busch 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1982, a sold-out crowd of 30,000 watched him do it.

That August race began a consecutive streak sellout of Nextel Cup events that now stands at 50 strong with the upcoming Food City 500 and its 160,000 capacity crowd.

Only three drivers that competed in that 1982 race still race today.

Mark Martin, who is not expected to race in this year's Food City 500, was 23 years old and competing in his first full year as a driver/owner.

Kyle Petty, who was 22, and Ricky Rudd, who was 25, will be the only drivers in the field this Sunday who also ran in 1982.

Most of today's Nextel Cup drivers weren't even around back then to see it.

Reed Sorenson, Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers had not yet been conceived.
Continue Reading Bristol Motor Speedway 1982: Where Were They Then?

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