Winter Racing Blues

Winter Racing

OK, now that all the major racing series have ended for 2007, what is a race fan to do until late January of 2008? Do we have to subject ourselves to endless rerun shows of "Pinks" and "Unique Whips" on Speed TV? I remember a few years back when ESPN would rerun some classic F1 and Daytona 500 races. It was just what the Doctor ordered for those mid-winter slumps that all of us race fans go through.

I equate it to being starved for your favorite food for eight weeks. And also being an avid baseball fan makes it a double whammy effect because each season ends at the same time and it becomes a real hangover effect. But what I miss the most is the discussion of the races and all the elements that comprise a single race and ultimately a racing season. Rooting for your favorite drivers and teams, gloating when they win and complaining when they don't.

So please, if the racing Gods are listening and the good people at Speed TV and ESPN are, please fill my winter with some races from the past. Make this winter the one that I remember and gets my juices going for another full racing season in 2008. Thankfully next year we won't have to listen to Rust Wallace announce anymore! Did they get rid of Andy Petrie too? All in all, I can't wait for the 24 hours of Daytona and the sweet sound of a gasoline driven engine at 200 MPH!

Winter Racing

Johnson Repeats Nextel Cup Crown

Jimmie Johnson

In what was a smart strategy, Jimmie Johnson took his second consecutive Nextel Cup championship to finish off an impressive run in the last ten races. His team proved once again that they are the class of the field and performed the best when the pressure was on. Although he finished seventh in the race, this race fan is convinced that he could have easily pressed for the victory but was smart and took the conservative approach to the championship.

Matt Kenseth did a stellar job and lead the majority of the race in taking his second victory of the year and first since February. Jeff Gordon just did not have enough to challenge Johnson in the last five races to "The Cup" but finished a strong second in the points. The Hendrick race organization once again has shown it's dominance at the highest level of the sport as they continue to be a cut above the competition.

I am not a Johnson or a Gordon fan but you have to tip your hat to them for what they have accomplished. They are always humble in victory and give thanks to all the people that work hard to put them into a position to win. In what was an eventful season let us say congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motor Sports and look forward to a more competitive season in 2008.

Jimmie Johnson

Race To The Cup All But Over

Jimmie Johnson

With his main rival Jeff Gordon conceding defeat, it seems evident that Jimmie Johnson will repeat as the Nextel Cup Champion for 2007. With another dominant performance at Phoenix International and cruising to his fourth consecutive victory, Johnson has shown why he is currently the best driver on the best team in NASCAR.

As I have stated before it amazes me to witness how one team out of forty-three can consistently outpace the field, in what is suppose to be a competitive series. My version of competitive is a different winner every race, or at least the threat of someone new winning every race. To be truthful, I don't see much of a change in this for the next three or four years because the Lowes Chevy team will only get stronger. In a sport where the rich get richer and the poor fall by the side of the road, Hendrick Motor Sports should shine for the foreseeable future.

But then again, look what happened in Formula 1 this year. With two chances to close out the championship, Lewis Hamilton couldn't do it, and Kimi Raikkonen found his way into first place. Maybe Johnson is in line for a bit of bad luck at Homestead this Sunday and Jeff Gordon may luck his way into championship #5. So let's watch and see what unfolds, but it would not be a surprise to me that we see JJ running at the front all day and winning his fifth in a row for a much deserved championship.

Jimmie Johnson

The Death of Open Wheel Racing In The US

With the latest migration of open wheel drivers to NASCAR it seems more and more evident that open wheel racing in the US will no longer be considered an "A" level formula. With no reconciliation in sight involving the twelve year rift between Tony George's IRL and Champ Car, and losing the F1 race at Indy, what's left for open wheel fans in the US?

In what seems like a millennium ago, when the likes of the Andretti's and Unser's where household names on the American racing scene in the 1990's, one bad decision after the next has buried open wheel racing. With the recent defection of former Formula 1 and IRL stars to NASCAR'S Cup series, the life of this American form of racing is all but extinct. Sure, the lower formulas will survive, but the likes of any major American racing star to come out of open wheel racing is bleak at best.

Look at the list of names; Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Robbie Gordon, Dario Franchetti, Juan Montoya, Jacques Villenue, Carl Edwards, Clint Bohyer; all stars in various formulas of open wheel, jumping ship to stock car racing. The remainder of the better open wheel drivers are all looking for a seat in a NASCAR series rather than stay in a form of the sport they know and love.

How is it that car makers such as Mercedes, BMW, Honda and Toyota, all with Formula 1 teams, do not insist on having a race in their biggest consumer market? Because the people who run open wheel racing have no clue as to what they need, or the resources to build a proper race track in a major market in the US. The track at Indy was one of the worst designs I have ever seen, lacking any character or challenge to the F1 driver. Why can't we modify a track like Road America to world class status to host the US Grand Prix?

This race fan has become so disillusioned with the state of open wheel racing to the point of giving up the notion it will ever improve. I guess the forces of NASCAR are to imposing and their marketing reach to far for any competitor to make a dent in. Not to exaggerate the obvious, but a truth must be told, the death of open wheel racing is upon us and likely not to recover.