Car Of Tomorrow?

Can anybody explain to me why NASCAR developed the COT? What was the reason for producing this ugly creation. Did they want to slow the cars down? Did they want them to look and perform like the Craftsman Trucks? If that was the case I think you will see race cars that will be much looser, harder to drive and you will have more accidents. That being said, the racing will probably be closer and more competitive right to the end f the race, like in the truck series.

In terms of looks they took a step backwards because of the front diffuser and rear spoiler. Do all the spoilers have to be black? Does NASCAR issue them to all the race teams or do they develop them individually? Sorry for pleading ignorance here but I hope this change to the COT will be a step in the right direction. If it gets NASCAR closer to ridding the series of restricter plates than I am all for it. But for now the jury is still out. Why are they only racing them in 16 races this year and I think 26 next year? How are the lesser funded teams going to be competitive if they have to develop and race two different cars? They should have waited until they could have started a full season with it, because now it's costly and just plain confusing.

Gordon Sits In Good Company

Well it took longer than he wanted it to but Jeff Gordon finally got that elusive 76th victory which tied him with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. In a race that saw some very large swings in on the leader board Jeff Gordon was very consistent through out the race and had the best car in the end to take the victory at Phoenix. It was fitting that Dale Jr came to victory lane to congratulate Jeff after matching his father for career wins. It seems impossible that Gordon has been on the NASCAR Cup circuit for 15 years, but he has shown through out that he is the best driver of his generation. Hard for me to say that because I was never a fan of his and was a big fan of Dale senior, but give credit were credit is due.

So where does Gordon stand in the history books when compared to the great drivers of the past? Certainly you have to say he is probably the best driver in the past 25 years, as he has proven to be capable of wining on any type of circuit and wining four championships. Even when he hasn't won the championship he has always been in the hunt in most years. Four championships in a 15 year span comes close to the seven Earnhardt won in about the same time, so you have to tip your hat to that kind of record. Where will Gordon wind up in the record books? At 35 he is still young enough to be competitive for 8 to 10 years. Will he get three more Cup titles and tie Earnhardt? Will he get more? What do you think? Let me know.

Will Montoya Make It?

OK race fans, let's weigh in on one of the biggest stories this year in NASCAR. Will Juan Pablo Montoya make the transition from F1 to NASCAR a successful one? He had a reputation in F1 for being very aggressive and was not shy to go wheel to wheel with his competitors. So one would think this would work well for him driving a 3500 lb car with fenders. But it seems that he is also gaining a reputation for banging a little too hard with the stock car boys, just ask Scott Pruet or Tony Stewart, each of whom have had a run in with Montoya. Then again don't bother because those two are always crying wolf when they have an altercation.

will be Montoya has the obvious talent behind the wheel. When Chip Ganassi brought him into CART several years ago every one said "Juan Pablo" who? But he showed everyone very quickly how good he was, winning races and the championship in his first year. Many NASCAR fans have embraced him because is is different and he does bring a different flavor to the sport. But I also believe that there is a certain amount of jealousy among some drivers because of the attention he receives. Bottom line is that he obviously has the talent, but does he have the team behind him to win races and a championship? A drivers talent can only take you so far, just ask a driver like Jeff Burton, a proven winner in the past who went on a dry spell for five years and now is resurrected with RCR. Drivers win races, teams win championships. Montoya will win some races, but he is not with a team that has shown the ability to be consistent. I think his tenure in NASCAR will be brief, with some short term success but not long term. What do you think?

Will He Stay or Will He Go?

So why did Dale Jr. get into Kyle Busch's car at the end of the race in Texas? Was he sending a message to his team owner Teresa Earnhardt? My take is that is was exactly what he was doing because of the prolonged negotiations over his new contract with DEI. If Dale Jr were to leave DEI what would become of the team? Were would the Budweiser sponsorship go? The answer to those questions is very simple. DEI is and always has been Dale Jr's team ever since his fathers death in 2001. If he doesn't get what he wants from Teresa and goes elsewhere the team will suffer big time and Budweiser will follow Jr anywhere he goes, probably to Hendrick Motor Sports.

It is very easy to see why Dale Jr has become NASCAR's biggest attraction. So why can't Teresa see that and just give him what he wants, majority ownership. Maybe leaving the team wouldn't be such a bad thing. Personally I think he has a better chance of winning the championship with either Hendrick or RCR. Where ever he winds up two things are a given; Budweiser will be his sponsor and he will make a ton of money, so why not leave if he doesn't get what he wants. Many people feel he has gotten sidetracked by his off the track commitments but I firmly believe he wants to follow in his father's footsteps and win more than one championship. My words of advice for DEI; make up your mind Teresa!

Champ Car In Long Beach

Didn't see the entire race but I have always liked the Lon Beach venue. The new Panoz chassis is pretty cool and since the series is now run only on road and street courses the paddle shifting is a big plus. Sebastian Bourday is again the man to beat and I am surprised he didn't get a chance to run F1 for Renault, being french and all. Anyway, not a bad race and there was the typical large crowd at LB. Oral Servia had a strong second place replacing Paul Tracy. Bummer about him getting hurt, but at 38 he is getting a little long in the tooth for this type of racing. I hope that one day Champ Car and the IRL can merge and have one strong open wheel series based here in the US. TZ

NASCAR in Texas

Did anybody see that finish? I thought that Matt Kenseth was going to hold off Jeff Burton for one more lap but he couldn't hold the bottom on the last lap and Burton won the race. It was nice to see an RCR car do well and win as I am an old Dale Earnhardt fan and have always rooted for them. My brother and son are big Jeff Gordon fans and they were both very upset when he hit the wall late in the race while leading, only to finish fourth. Also sorry to see that Dale Jr. ran strong but ran into trouble late and wound up finishing the race in Kyle Busch's car. How strange is that.
Looks like Chevy is kicking but so far this season and Toyota, Dodge and Ford have a long way to catch up. Anybody know more about this new engine Chevy is developing? Anyone out there let me know what you think. TZ

Formula 1 In Bahrain

Well this is my first entry into the blog and I will start with the race this morning from Bahrain. Predictably the Ferrari's and McClaren's were at the front and it was not surprising that Massa won the race or that Hamilton finished second. What was a surprise is that Nick Heidfeld in the BMW finished in front of Alonso and did so by actually passing him on the track? Did you ever think you would see that happen?

As in most F1 races it is won or lost at the first turn on the first lap. When Massa got to the corner clean and did not have any problems with the car or with his pit stops than he was a shoe in to win. What also impressed me was the performance of Lewis Hamilton in only his third race. I know he is in a good car but last year McClaren was lost and to be so young and perform so well is quite an accomplishment. I would have liked to see more of a fight from Kimi Rikkonen as I am a big fan of his and would like to see him win the championship this year. He would have won it in 2005 if the McClaren had been more reliable because he was the fastest on the grid.

Well done for Heidfeld in the BMW as I think they could be last year's Honda and show tremendous gains. It showed me alot when he pasted Alonso and fought him off at the end to gain a great 4th place. Also some good racing from 5th place to 12th as the usual suspects where fighting for position. Maybe a little more tomorrow as I have to get ready for the NASCAR race from Texas and Champ Car in Long Beach. Oh yeah, I did see the ALMS race last night and couldn't believe the Acura of Andretti/Green didn't pit under yellow and lost the race. Let me know what you think.