View From The Flagstand

This week's View saw some great racing at NASCAR's greatest track. Bristol is back, baby! After two or three years of somewhat boring, follow the leader, pace for the Chase, type racing, the boys brought the noise to the venerable half-mile track.

CHECKERED FLAGS

For the third time in the first five races this year, Jimmie Johnson wheeled home a winner. There is really nothing left to say about this team. They are, that, damn, good! The only way to beat them may involve Kryptonite.

I have to include, first time NNS winner, Justin Algaier in this category. In fact, Penske Racing was en fuego at Bristol. Algaier and Brad Keselowski were first and second in the NNS race, while Kurt Busch led the most laps in the Cup race and finished third. The Situation also led 26 laps and was 13th on Sunday.

GREEN FLAGS

Tony Stewart waved JJ by for the win, then held Busch up long enough to finish second. Dale Earnhardt Jr got his fans overexcited by racing into the top-10, speeding on pit road (I thought he had a speedometer now?), and earning his 7th place finish. Jamie McMurray was 8th, and Martin Truex Jr dodged enough wrecks to end up 12th.

YELLOW FLAGS

Greg Biffle caused the Big One as he tried to connect his radio. Buckle up, eyes straight ahead, hands at ten and two, check your mirrors, and pull over to tune your radio! Back to Driver's Ed for you, Biff.

Kevin Harvick dumped Joey Logano on the last lap of the NNS race, and gained a position. NASCAR used to frown on that, not anymore, I guess. Logano gave Harvick the outside lane for over 20 laps. Harvick couldn't pass him cleanly, so he wrecked the kid. Then Harvick gave some lame ass excuse on TV. We know, that he knew, that NASCAR wouldn't punish him after the Carl Edwards' stunt at Atlanta.

RED FLAG

The oldtimers race on Saturday, in which two drivers went to the hospital. I grew up watching and worshiping these guys on Sunday afternoons. It's bad enough that Rick Wilson and Phil Parsons were even in a "Legends" race, let alone that they finished one, two!

The real crime was turning these 70-something year olds loose in cars that are not up to NASCAR's safety standards. These drivers were allowed to race at 120 MPH without full face helmets, without proper fire resistant protection, and without HANS devices! Un-friggin-believable! This should be the end of this nonsense.

BLACK FLAG

For the second race in a row, Goodyear tires were not up to big league standards. Last time out, at Atlanta, one team, in particular, seemed to have brought on the majority of the tire problems by disregarding Goodyear's recommendations.

Bristol appeared to be more Goodyear's fault. There were several blowouts during the race, but problems began on Friday. The tires beaded up during practice, instead of adhering to the racing groove. They have brought tires in the past that did this same thing at various tracks. Shouldn't you throw that batch design away after the first time? When I heard that these were the same tires that they used in Indy, I asked myself, "Are these the rest of those 10 lap tires from two years ago?"

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