24 Hours Later....

Each year before the NASCAR season starts some Nascar drivers take part in the first offical race of the new year with the running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The 24 hour endurance race officially kicks off Speedweeks in Daytona and is the season opener for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Between Fox and SPEED there was 16 hours of live coverage. After 22 hours of racing, there was four cars running about two seconds apart all on the same lap! The two Brumos Porsches, a Chip Ganassi Lexus, and the Ford of SunTrust Racing were all battling for the lead. The last two or so hours of the race saw some of the most intense racing of all time. There was CGR going for their fourth straight overall win, Brumos trying to win their first Daytona Prototype and Rolex 24 in many years, and David Donohue trying to win the Rolex almost 40 years to the day that his father, Mark Donohue, won the same race. Unbelievable.
Watching Juan Pablo Montoya use every ounce of his driving ability to keep the Brumos cars at bay was amazing. The Porsches had a little bit more horsepower, but JPM drove a great race. In the end, Montoya got caught in behind some GT traffic and Donohue was able to get past him with about 40 minutes left and take the win for Brumos.
After the race, Montoya had the following to say:
“Every corner it was 110 percent everywhere. And it was fun, because we drove like that the last two hours. And we didn’t make any mistakes. I gave it 110 percent, and I know I couldn’t go any faster if I had done anything different.” (Grand-Am.com) That is exactly what you want to hear from a driver after a race. The last two hours of the race were so unbelievable for the fans and teams. It's the finish that Race fans will be talking about for years to come.

Here's your Winner?

Matt Kobyluck emerged 2nd from a wild three-way battle on Saturday night to become the first driver to win his second NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown? Even through Kobyluck crossed the line second he ended up with the win. Joey Logano slid up into Peyton Sellers while going for the lead in Turn 4 coming to the checkered flag. Kobyluck, who was running third, came across the finish line a nose behind Logano. Logano was penalized for his move, though, giving Kobyluck a second All-Star Showdown title to go with the one he won in 2006. Matt Kobyluck is the first two-time winner of the All-Star Showdown.

Trevor Bayne wound up second, followed by Jason Bowles. Johnny Borneman and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five.
Sellers' battered car was unable to complete the race, and he finished 13th, the first car a lap down. After climbing from his car, he headed toward Logano, who was still inside his car, and exchanged words with him for about half a minute.
"I saw it coming," Kobyluck said. "So I laid up a little, got on the brakes and cut to the bottom so that I could miss it all. Logano's penalty dropped him to last (40th).
"It didn't stick the way I thought it [would]," Logano said. "It's just a tough deal. It's the all-star race. No points, no nothing, going for the gusto. And between the three of us, we were racing hard there at the end. You got to do what you got to do. You got to try it. I didn't mean to put him in the fence. Just trying to get a big run."

NASCAR made the wrong call Saturday night and everyone knows it, even Matt Kobyluck. Joey Logano won that race and the fans and everyone else knows it. Ya, you can say he was driving a little too hard but it's the All Star race, in it win! If you can't win it then what's the point? Logano drove it in deep and it didn't work out out for him, even through it did. Did NASCAR take away Dale Sr. 1999 Bristol win after he wrecked Terry Labonte on the last lap? NASCAR just feels the need to give the NASCAR fan something to talk about. So lets talk...Who do you thing won the 2009 Toyota All Star Showdown?

2009 Nascar Toyota All Star Showdown

For drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Series, it’s a chance to showcase their talent in the biggest event of the year. Where the best short track racers in North American race against some of the best drivers in the world, it’s been called the Daytona 500 of short track racing, but it’s much more than that; this is the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. Where there are no points at stake and the only thing on the line is bragging rights.

The entry list is star studded to say the least, three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., a ten-time AMA Motocross champion Ricky Carmichael, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Marc Davis and Joey Logano, 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series West champion Eric Holmes, former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champions Peyton Sellers and Greg Pursley, and Eddie MacDonald, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran Matt Crafton, 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series East champion and 2006 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown winner Matt Kobyluck, rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Camping World Series in the last three seasons (Jason Bowles, Sellers, Jeff Barkshire and Austin Dillon), Brian Ickler, winner of the NASCAR Camping World Series combination race in Iowa this past May, and five of NASCAR’s 2008 developmental series champions Kobyluck, Holmes, Scott Steckly (NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), Philip Morris (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series) and Antonio Perez (NASCAR Mexico Series).
The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown will feature two days of exciting action Jan. 23-24 among some of the top drivers in NASCAR Camping World Series and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. The competition will air live on SPEED beginning at 7 p.m. PT both nights.
The count down is coming to an end.

Marc Davis to attempt NNS and cup races

Driver Marc, 18, and his father, Harry, are doing it the old-fashioned way. They're fielding a family-owned, barely sponsored, one-car team, fighting the odds and the big money. Marc and Harry Davis hope to open some sponsorship wallets with a part-time, family-owned venture in 2009. Marc Davis will try to qualify for six Nationwide races in a row, beginning just after Daytona, this winter. He'll run two Toyotas his father has acquired. Then later this year they plan to enter a handful of Cup races. They're still friends with Joe Gibbs Racing, where Marc has been a developmental driver and maintains a relationship, and with Randy Moss Motorsports and Roush Racing -- all of whom tried to find major sponsorships to run Marc regularly in Nationwide or Trucks this season, but failed. But no more waiting. The Davises will do it themselves. Davis plans to debut at Infineon Raceway in the #15 Toyota and may run some short tracks and possibly Watkins Glen. Farm Bureau Insurance signed on in jan to sponser the 11, 20 and 02 in some races. the #02 will be entered in three races in the fall. It plays into Davis plan to race in cup during the second half of the year and it looks like it's going to happen. Gibbs isn't going to let Davis go without a fight. Gibbs is going to let Davis drive for his family race team and more than likely offer him the ride for the three races.

For information on Davis and the team go to http://marcdavismotorsports.com/

National Guard to sponsor Jeff Gordon

This season, Gordon and the #24 team will help bring awareness to the National Guard's community initiatives, such as the National Guard Youth Challenge, Active First, College First, Path to Honor and Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The programs will be showcased on the #24 DuPont/National Guard Chevy in eight races this season: March 8 at Atlanta; April 5 at Texas; May 9 at Darlington; June 14 at Michigan; July 11 at Chicagoland; Sept. 12 at Richmond; Sept. 20 at New Hampshire and Oct. 25 at Martinsville. the sponsership will NOT effect the National Guard sponsorship of #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.

What doesn't Kill Us, only makes us Stronger

Not too ong ago people were talking about the economy and its affects on NASCAR. Everything from layoffs at the end of the season to poor at track attendance. While the current economic climate is not good, the difficult times could ultimately prove to be beneficial for the sport. With the new President taking office just hours ago, the American people feel that theirs hope for the economic. But it's not something that can be fixed over night. For the last 10 to 15 years NASCAR has experienced massive growth on almost every level. Attendance skyrocketed (actually filling some of these massive facilities to capacity), TV ratings hit record levels and sponsorship dollars poured in at almost obscene rates. Just this season Aflac signed a deal with Roush Fenway to sponsor Carl Edwards' 99 for $26 million per year.

As money becomes tighter and corporations rethink the value of these deals, money is bound to dry up or go elsewhere and sponsorships like the one Roush made with Aflac are going to become very scarce. We are already seeing this with the major manufacturers who have hit hard times and are pulling back and companies like Texaco/Havoline, Kodak, AAA and the Navy who have decided to leave the sport altogether. It is not that they aren't spending the same amount of advertising money, it is often times that they just feel it can be used better elsewhere. Ultimately teams need to realize that the amounts they are asking for are no longer going to be feasible (and/or easy to find). The answer may come in the form of several partial sponsorships or affiliate programs like the one Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates runs quite successfully. Along with the massive growth of the sport came increasing numbers of well paid team members. It is not unheard of to have guys in their early 20s making very good money. Some pit crew members on good teams that are making six-figures. That being said many of these teams need to evaluate the worth of some team members. Owners are going to need to start running their teams more efficiently; eliminating redundancy and putting increased importance on multiple job skills. This is a business after all.


Likewise, NASCAR is arguably not doing anything to help control costs. The COT was NASCAR's great cost saving measure, that well, has saved no one anything, yet. Ultimately it added a greater burden on the teams for not just building the car, but also for testing and for research and development. A brand new product can not be perfected immediately. Recently though NASCAR has expressed concerns over the current testing policy saying that it could become a burden for teams of every size. Things like this provide hope for the non-mega teams who can not keep up with the runaway costs. But Nascar has said there are no new changes for next year and thats good for everyone. All year teams and drivers have been workin' on the cars and some have hit rock bottom and some have found something and some had hit bottom and are starting to find something (24, 42, 00, ect.).

Some teams that have closed down have left over 2,500 people out of a job going into the 2009 season. Tommy Baldwin is excited about his new program which will f, "With tough economic times upon us, the timing for starting this team is right. Our overhead is low and we have a great group of talented mechanics and specialists to choose from. We can offer sponsors the chance to get into Sprint Cup racing at a fraction of the costs, without compromising on-track performance, due to our low overhead," Baldwin said. Tommy Baidwin Racing (TBR) plans to compete full-time in the Sprint Cup series with driver Scott Riggs in the#36 Toyota with sponsership to named at a later date.

Likely the next season or two will not be as prospurous as the last several and teams will probably fold, leaving familiar faces without rides. Everyone is going to have to cut back and waste is going to have to be eliminated. Every time NASCAR has faced economic adversity in the past they have overcome it and have become better as a result. Race tracks all over the country have all ready started lowering the price to see the races. Perhaps we can get back to the basics and what ultimately is most important: the racing and the fans.

NASCAR = SPORT

NASCAR is a real sport and that's all you need to know, now Enough of that. When a driver gets got a little bit sideways at 180 miles per hour and gathered it up in a split second, they have some stills. The people I don't understand are you proactive haters and bashers and trashers of auto racing, especially NASCAR as America's most visible form.
Why must you mouth off that NASCAR isn't a sport, that there's no skill involved, and that it's followed only by dumb people?
If you don't like it, why not just ignore it? Why such vitriol? Why are you so angry? Have you considered seeking counseling for this?
What has NASCAR ever done to you?
Have you ever been attacked by a NASCAR fan? Even bothered by a NASCAR fan?
Do they harass you on the streets, preaching to you? Do they ask you for spare change to support their cause? Do they knock on your door and push propaganda tracts on you? Do they want to enter your house and convert you?Has somebody driven a car into your living room and revved the engine? Do you have neighbors who keep your walls throbbing 'til the wee hours with NASCAR engine noise on their sound systems?
Does NASCAR place unstoppable pop-up ads on your favorite Web sites? Does Brian France pre-empt your favorite prime-time programming on all channels to deliver addresses on the state of NASCAR to the nation?
To borrow a little from a Lewis Black comedy bit, do hooded commandos invade your home in the evenings and place Dale Earnhardt Jr. stand-up cutouts in your children's bedrooms, chanting "Jun-ior! Jun-ior!" as they go about their evil work?
Fact is, the only invasions of your life ever attempted by NASCAR could be easily repulsed with one touch of the channel changer or click of the mouse.
How many times do I have to say this? Webster -- not I, Webster -- defines "sport" as: "1. A source of diversion: pastime."
I still don't know how the American definition of sport narrowed to "games played with sticks and balls," but it has, and it is incorrect.
Whenever you say NASCAR -- or the World Series of Poker, for that matter -- isn't a sport, you are simply wrong, by the most definitive arbiter of the American language.
And when you stereotype NASCAR fans as "toothless" and "dumb" -- many of you still use language that strong -- you exhibit cultural bigotry, and I for one think you should be edited in the Conversation. I know many NASCAR fans who are engineers, lawyers, physicians, bankers, university professors …
It's not like your coverage of basketball, baseball or football has been displaced by NASCAR. You have a gazillion games and analysis shows, and huge portions of this Web site.
And what NASCAR fan has jumped into your conversations and trashed your sport?
Once, as purely a defensive tactic to get a Kentucky basketball fan out of my face, I made a rational counterattack.
"Cars going around in circles? I don't get it!" she said, unsolicited, after she asked if I followed sports. "It's absurd!"
"Well, when you think about it, what would extraterrestrials find more absurd than a bunch of guys in cute little shorts bouncing a ball and then throwing it at a basket?" I asked.
Some student of anthropology once told me there are prehistoric evolutionary connotations when a bunch of men hunker down and raise their rumps at the leader as a signal of obedience to him. You hear that explanation, and you'll never view an offensive line getting set in the same way again.
The point is, you can find something absurd about any "sport," depending on your perception.
From other sports fans, I've heard lines such as, "Even I can drive a car."
Yeah, well, I can throw a football. Just not like Brett Favre.
I can dribble a basketball. Just not like Kobe Bryant.
I can sing. Just not like Andrea Bocelli.
I, too, can drive a car, but I'm not ignorant enough to think I've got the lightning reflexes, the unsurpassed eye-hand coordination and the physical endurance (in 140-degree heat for four relentless hours) of a Jimmie Johnson.
I read where the NASCAR bashers think drivers cannot train and practice as children and youths, so there's no parallel with Little League, high school ball or college. That's absurd. Virtually all of today's top names started in youth racing programs no later than age 8. Jeff Gordon started racing quarter-midgets at age 4.
All the elements you bashers claim are absent from NASCAR are there. It's just that you haven't bothered to investigate. That's your privilege.
Just don't air out your ignorance, intolerance and cultural bigotry in public. That's all we enthusiasts ask: Live, let live, and shut up.