On Sunday, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Newman became this season's thirteenth different winner. Newman stretched his fuel mileage just enough to take his U.S. Army Chevy to the winner's circle.
CHECKERED FLAG
Newman started from the pole, led the most laps, and earned max points in NHMS's first of two races this year. He moved to eighth in the season points race with this win. With passing on the track difficult, Newman's crew had their driver up front when it mattered most.
GREEN FLAGS
Newman's boss/teammate, Tony Stewart started, and finished, second. Denny Hamlin (3rd) and Joey Logano (4th) gave JGR top efforts at NHMS. Seventh place finisher Bobby Labonte had his best run since the season opening Daytona 500.
YELLOW FLAG
The fuel mileage races. Really... every week? A couple of times a year is okay, but this is getting out of hand.
RED FLAG
Is Jimmie Johnson showing signs of stress? He seemed to be driving on the edge, and using up other cars on Sunday. He hit plenty of cars, then, after he spun out, he put Juan Montoya on blast. His crew cost him plenty of spots during the last pit stop. He threw them under the bus, too, even though he cut through the field to finish fifth.
BLACK FLAG
At the end of Saturday's Nationwide race at NHMS, Kevin Harvick claimed that NASCAR told him if he so much as touched Kyle Busch's car he would be "parked". This may have meant more if Harvick could have even came close enough to him to wreck Busch.
Is Harvick admitting that he isn't driver enough to beat Busch fair and square? Sure sounded like it. If NASCAR did tell Harvick not to touch Busch's car wouldn't that be exactly what Richard Childress "communicated" to Busch regarding Harvick's car?
Of course I was happy to see Ryan win the race. But I was also glad to see Booby Labonte finish well, despite Jimmy Johnson using the chrome horn on him earlier in the race. Is it me, or is Jimmy getting more aggressive?
ReplyDeleteHarvick is just feeling frustrated. Maybe he'd rather be fined secretly, ala Ryan Newman?
CR... Booby? Have you been visiting the Spearmint Rhino too much lately?
ReplyDeleteIf Harvick was warned by NASCAR it was done secretly... he's the one who blabbered about it.
Congrats on Ryan and the Trifecta!
Dang! I hate it when that happens! Makes me look unedumacated! LOL
ReplyDeleteBooby might get more fans if that were really his name! =)
ReplyDeleteNASCAR should just let Harvick and Busch have at it, it would have made the racing this weekend at least somewhat entertaining. I am sure they are getting lectures from the big yellow truck often, secret fines, probably not yet.
I do not get why Chad is so confused as to why the crew is bumbling - they have no chemistry whatsoever with these "tryouts" happening each week. Stupid if you ask me. Pick a crew so they can work together to create a rhythm.
Getting my ear muffs out to protect my ears from bleeding once Rusty gets in the booth...
Too bad they couldn't put a loop the loop on the backstretch there at Loudon... That would make it interesting...
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the line used at the end of the race about Stewart getting too close to Newman... Since he might run out of fuel at anytime it was best that Tony stay away... I would have really enjoyed seeing the two teammates fight it out for the win! Then Smoke would pull an F1 "team orders" out of his hat as the owner and demand Ryan pull over and let the 14 win...
Since you brought up the NW race I guess nobody caught Crusty's comment right after that wreck coming out of turn four late in the race... It went like "There is no reason anyone should wreck on the straightaway..." Then the replay clearly showed it was all due to the number 66 car (Steven Wallace)! The other guys tried to smooth things over and Crusty kept his mouth shut. It seemed his little boy was involved in one wreck after another all afternoon... And the ESPN crew spent several minutes each time trying to make it look like it was always somebody else's fault... So now we get submitted to this type of racing commentary... It's just great!
The Harvick - Kyle debacle will continue until Harvick shuts his pie hole...
So Kristen... You're in favor of the rhythm method? LOL!
Thanks Gene!
KLV... You are so right about the 48 team not having chemistry because they Aren't the same guys week to week. Just like an offensive line on a football team. It is the sum of all the parts. You don't get quality results without stability. A 7 man "team" will always be better than 7 individuals. Chad is screwing this one up.... now watch him win number 6. LOL
ReplyDeleteDwindy... I didn't like Tony trashing Andy Lally after the race.... because Tony thought that Lally did not move over fast enough when Newman was approaching him late in the race. I don't care if Tony (HMS) is the listed owner of the 39! It's none of his business to interject himself into what happened between the 39 and the 71. Maybe, just maybe, Lally was racing Newman the same way that Newman races everyone else!
ReplyDeleteI heard what Rusty said, and it sounded to me like he meant there was no excuse for what Stevie (Wonder) Wallace did... or that Stevie could have picked a better place. I thought he sounded disappointed in his boy.
Interesting tidbit from the SHR press release;
ReplyDelete"...last time a team started 1-2 and finished 1-2 with the same drivers in the same order was back on April 7, 1957 at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway with DePaolo Engineering. There, Fireball Roberts won from the pole, while teammate Paul Goldsmith started second and finished second."