Hamlin Wins In Martinsville

NASCAR

When Denny Hamlin came across the finish line in Martinsville I am sure he let out a big sigh of relief. Two weeks earlier he had a sure win taken away when his car failed to pick up the fuel he needed to complete the last three laps in Bristol. But he had better luck for the Goody's 500 as he fended off a late race charge by Jeff Gordon to post victory number one for 2008.

The biggest impression I took away from this race was how a car's performance can change during a long green flag run. For thirty laps you could be garbage and the next seventy your completely dialed in. Just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr., who seemed to go in and out with the performance of his AMP Chevrolet. One minute he has the car to beat, but in the end he had to fight and claw for his sixth place finish.

Wild and wacky as all Martinsville races are, it has always amazed me how they can fit 43 cars on the track, but even more amazing in the pits. The pit crews really have to be at their sharpest on this most dangerous of pit lanes on the Nascar circuit. There is absolutely no room for error or you could find yourself flat on your back from the bumper of an oncoming car. Be careful out there!!

But on a closing note, congratulations to Denny Hamlin as this home state boy came away with a well deserved victory. His teammate Tony Stewart battled all day and found himself a strong fourth place when the checkered flag fell, rubber stamping Toyota's mark on the Cup series.

But Team Hendrick put their own stamp on this race as all four cars ran strong all day. They may not have won the race but dominated the pace from the drop of the green flag, letting the competition know that the Bow Tie boys are alive and kicking. On to Texas for a high speed chase around a tricky race track, were the racing is a much different flavor then the paper clip of Martinsville.

NASCAR

Kanaan's Bad Luck Gives Dixon Win

IRL

New American open-wheel era or not, it was business as usual Saturday night in the IRL IndyCar Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chip Ganassi Racing entry, driven by former series champion Scott Dixon, won the season-opener for the third straight year. He took the lead late in the 200-lap race when Tony Kanaan ran out of luck.

While none of the newcomers making the transition from the Champ Car World Series to the newly unified IndyCar series were able to compete with the leaders, predetermination of a disaster proved wrong as the newcomers stayed out of the way of the faster cars and for the most part out of trouble.

On the final lap of last years final race, Dixon, the New Zealand driver lost the IRL IndyCar Series championship to Dario Franchitti when he ran out of fuel on the last lap, got off to a great start with the victory in the Gainsco Indy 300. But it didn't look much like a race he could win.

Kanaan came out of the last round of green flag pit stops in the lead and appeared well on the way to a victory until Ernesto Viso, a rookie driving for one of the former Champ Car teams that just joined the IRL, punctured a tire and spun on the 193rd of 200 laps. Viso slid sideways across the track, Kanaan tried to go under him and almost made it, but he hit Viso's car with the right front of his Seven-Eleven Dallara-Honda, knocking his right front out of alignment.

Kanaan stayed out front for a few laps behind the pace car, with his damaged tire barely touching the ground. But he slowly drove his damaged car into the pits as the green flag waved on lap 197, giving the lead to Dixon, who came away with his second win at Homestead.

Marco Andretti, who led a race-high 85 laps, finished second, about five car-lengths behind the winner. It seemed that it was his race to win about mid-race on but I think his inexperience and a longer final stop put him out of contention for the win.

Hopefully this will be the start of a unified open wheel series that can grow and flourish under the banner of the IRL. In the future I would like to see them go to International circuits, road corses and more street venues to give it the same flavor as the heyday of the early 1990's. Good luck IRL, this hopeful race fan wants to see you succeed.

IRL

Raikkonen Cruises to Victory in Malaysia

Formula 1

Kimi Raikkonen had the type of race that all F1 drivers dream of as he won the Malaysian Grand Prix in easy fashion over BMW's Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen of McClaren. Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa seemed to have another brain fade moment as he spun out of a sure second place finish, cementing his probalble demise from the team after 2008.

In just one weeks time the Ferrari team went from miserable to unbeatable and Kimi showed why he has to be once again the favorite to win the championship. If Ferrari can give him a reliable car than he will consistently score high positions for the balance of the season. Lewis Hamilton of McClaren had a bit of a reversal from his fortunes the week before in Australia, with a race filled with penalties, a long first pit stop and a slower Mark Webber. But after all this fifth place points for his efforts were well deserved.

The balance of the points paying positions were not so surprising other than that the Williams of Nico Rosberg had a miserable weekend. After scoring the first podium finish in his career a week earlier, he did not qualify well and had a first lap shunt with Timo Glock's Toyota which basically ended his horrible weekend.

No real racing in this GP as all the passing was accomplished in the pits. Alonso had a bit of a tussle with Mark Webber for seventh spot at the end but settled for 8th place points in his inferior Renault. Hamilton caught Trulli at the last lap but used discretion and did not push the issue settling for fifth.

Congratulations to Kimi Raikkonen for a much deserved win and for team Ferrari for bouncing back strong in the second round of the championship. I am still looking for that first breakthrough win for BMW but it will probably be at the hands of trouble for Ferrari and McClaren in the same race. Let's keep routing for the "Dark Horses" and not just the prancing ones.

Formula 1

Chevy Finally Wins In Bristol

Nascar

With an unprecedented one, two, three finish, The Richard Childress Racing stable had a clean sweep in Thunder Valley. Jeff Burton won the race on a green-white-checker created by his teammate Kevin Harvick when he lost control and put Tony Stewart in the wall. Another wild finish at the track famous for the dramatic endings most race fans want to see.

When all three of your cars run consistently upfront the entire race, good things will happen when the checkered flag falls. Of the three RCR cars, Harvick probably had the best and Burton the third best, but track position at the end of the race played the key role for Burton to come across the finish line first.

It seemed a cruel fate for the two Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota's of Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin as each had a shot to win at the end. But like in previous races in Bristol, fuel pickup problems befell each driver on the last two restarts. Stewart lost the lead to Hamlin then Hamlin lost his lead to Burton when their Camry's froze at the restart, as if they were standing still. I guess the each crew chief will have some explaining to do this week as they try and swallow hard after an apparent victory was snatched from them.

But it was good to see the Bow-Tie Brigade run one-two-three as Chevy got a much deserved first win in the Sprint Cup series. I think Dale Earnhardt was grinning from ear to ear as he his old team stole a victory at a track he loved so much. But I think now you will see all the Hendrick Chevy's run better as the momentum has shifted and they give Toyota and Ford a run for the championship. So let's enjoy the Easter break and look forward to another bump and grind race at the Paper Clip they call a racetrack, Martinsville, VA.

Nascar

Formula 1 Starts With A Bang In Australia

Formula 1

Well the Formula 1 season got off to a rocky but exciting start with only seven of the twenty-two cars finishing when the checkered flag fell. Lewis Hamilton showed why he has to be considered the front runner for the championship as his McClaren Mercedes was by far the class of the field as he won the race handily over Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg.

The Ferrari's had trouble from the start with Kimi Raikkonen starting 15th on the grid and finding trouble twice during the race only to stop with five laps to go with a mechanical failure. Felipe Massa found trouble also as his Prancing Horse did not finish, probably as a result with his accident with the Dinosaur of F1, David Coultard. Time to hang it up David or stop getting in the way of quicker cars.

On balance I enjoyed the fact that the safety car came out a few times to bunch the cars up and we actually had some good old fashion racing. With an inferior Renault, Fernando Alonso showed some fight with his duel with Heikki Kovalainen at the end to take fourth at the finish. It seemed to me that Kovalainen thought the race was over after he passed Alonso for fourth place, only to get re-passed on the front straight. Wake up Heikki, you just lost a point that could be important come season's end.

Surprises were a plenty at this Australian GP and I only hope that the excitement of this race carries over to the races that follow. I think the reduction in drivers aides such as traction control and engine braking will bring the field closer together and we will see what we saw today, RACING! Keep the faith, we all want to see a battle, even though I think it will be from second place back.

Formula 1

NASCAR Blues

Nascar

So what have we witnessed in the past two races on the senior NASCAR circuit? A faulty cover on the oil cooler tank that propelled Carl Edwards to victory in Las Vegas and a grumpy Tony Stewart complaining about Goodyear's lousy tires. How can this sport condone cheating? How can it accept the off color comments from a top driver concerning their only tire supplier?

If they really wanted to crack down on the illegal that Carl Edwards drove to victory lane they should take the win away from him and award him 43rd place points. Let them appeal the decision in the NASCAR court, but penalize them to the extent they understand cheating won't be tolerated.

Why does Tony Stewart get to make comments, and personal ones to boot, about any injustice he feels bestowed upon him? Is Goodyear that bad a partner that they deserve such a tongue lashing from this big mouth of the sport? Sometimes taking the high road is the better part of valour and more will come from a considered word than a disparaging one.

But what did we really find out about the last two weeks on NASCAR racing? Kyle Busch is the driver to beat, not only in Cup, but The Nationwide and Truck series as well. This kid has made a fan out of me and I think he will develop into the next great "Dale Earnhardt" type driver; great driver with a big attitude. Keep it up Kyle, NASCAR needs a driver like you, now and in the years to come.

NASCAR