A Record Set At Talladega

When you are a race car driver as good as Jeff Gordon and with the best team in your sport you should expect nothing less than winning races consistently. No surprise that Gordon won his 77th Cup race to surpass the late Dale Earnhardt. The question still remains, how many races and championships will he win before he hangs up his racing gloves? In my opinion he has a great shot at wining six or seven championships and exceed 100 wins and maybe surpass David Pearson in wins to be second only to Richard Petty.

It still astounds me that race fans at Talladega can be so stupid as to throwing full cans of soda and beer at a driver who just risked his life for their entertainment. OK, be a fan for your favorite driver but don't be so small minded as to display that type of behavior for someone you don't root for. Safety comes in many forms in motor racing and fans have to know that it works both ways. I heard they banished more than 14 fans from ever buying tickets at that venue and I applaud NASCAR for doing so. I was never a fan of JG's but when I see behavior that that I am beginning to like him just a little more. Congrats Jeff, many more wins hopefully, but more important, keep those rowdy fans under control NASCAR!

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!