Sofa Sideline – Tony’s Still “The Tiger”
Tony Stewart is still the
"tiger" where it counts the most; victory lane! The turmoil and
sadness surrounding the driver of the number 20 car this past week, was abated
for at least a little while as Stewart picked up the win in Sunday’s
"Sirius Satellite at The Glen" held at Watkins Glen in Upstate New
York.
Ryan Newman, his first time at this track,
ran one heck of a race, finishing in second place. What was even more impressive
was the fact that it was reported that he had lost his power steering. That
elusive first point race win is bound to happen soon.
Robby Gordon managed to hang onto third
place after trading paint with Stewart earlier and almost going off course a
couple of times. P.J. Jones in the Conseco #14 Pontiac finished fourth, giving
that team their best finish ever!
Rounding out the top ten; Ricky Rudd 5th,
Scott Pruett 6th, Jeff Burton 7th, Todd Bodine 8th,
Michael Waltrip 9th, Mark Martin 10th.
Many complain they don’t like the road
course races; but for some of us it’s an opportunity to see a different type
of racing; where other skills are needed. Some fare well, others not so good.
Dale Jr. seems to struggle with this type of race, and this weekend’s event
was no exception. He landed on the "beach" on lap 73, ending his day,
and winding up with a 35th finish as a result.
Matt Kenseth, who was strong in practice
sessions, went off into the sand trap on lap ten, and basically had no chance to
rebound, finishing 33rd.
The points race has definitely heated up.
The leader, Sterling Marlin, lost some ground this week when early in the race,
the #40 lost a cylinder and the order of the day became to finish as best as
possible, without losing too much ground. Marlin finished in 30th
position. Mark Martin is now just 53 points behind with Jimmie Johnson just
three points behind him.
Just about any one of the drivers
currently in the top ten could pull it off; guess I’m going to do another
turnabout and go back to sticking with my original prediction; Tony Stewart. He
is now just 104 points out of the lead, although, Jeff Gordon is only two points
behind Stewart. And then there’s Rusty, Ricky, Bill Elliott, Ryan; all closing
in.
Finally, a race to the finish!
Food for Thought:
Code of conduct or as a relatively new
friend phrased it; "the ethics" of racing. I’ve always somewhat
reserved comment on the behavior of certain drivers in the pits, but I guess
there is no reasonable excuse for taking a swing at or kicking someone just for
trying to do their job.
Tony has a problem with anger; no doubt.
But, he also has a responsibility to conduct himself in a manner that is
respectful to the sport and everyone involved. Don’t get me wrong; I like the
"fiery" Tony; the one who speaks what’s on his mind as long as he
feels it’s the truth. But, throwing a temper tantrum because things didn’t
go your way is not the type of behavior we want fans, and especially our
children to see. Let’s face it, you are out there in front of a lot of people;
you need to remember that and act accordingly.
It was tough to admit that you have a
problem, no doubt. The saving grace may be that we sometimes have to hit bottom
before we can pick ourselves back up. Recognizing that is a start, and a
beginning toward climbing the ladder toward personal peace and happiness in your
life. You live long enough; some of these "life lessons" actually
begin to sink in. You become a better person.
Other Notes:
I spent the weekend working with the folks
at Nashville Superspeedway this past weekend – we work hard, but it’s always
a great time as well.
The ARCA RE/MAX Series race ended with
sparks flying between the crews of Chad Blount and Frank Kimmel following a late
race incident where the two collided which sent Blount hard into the first turn
wall completely demolishing the number 77 in the process. Tension was running
high between the two teams; and it took a combination of ARCA RE/MAX officials
and track security to ensure a "cooling-off" period following the
race.
At the end of the day, Frank Kimmel was
the winner; Blount lost not only the race, but a good car and took huge hit in
points in the race for the championship.
In the truck series; Mike Bliss came home
a winner for the 4th time this season. Even though I heard he doesn’t
play guitar, he was so excited to win. A one-of-a-kind, Sam Bass hand-painted
Gibson guitar was the trophy; everyone wants one! Second place finisher, Rick
Crawford, says he’s not going to retire until he wins one.
This past weekend was the last major event
for the season at the Superspeedway. As usual, I had a great time; it’s more
fun than work, and hopefully will be back in some capacity next season!
It’s official now; they are going to the
12.5 gall fuel cell at Talladega in an effort to stagger pit stops, break up the
"pack" of cars; trying to prevent the big one. Okay, does anyone
besides me think this won’t work; that they will all wind up pitting at the
same time, for the very reason that they don’t want to get split up? If you
get too far behind at that track, there is no way to catch up, so I’m thinking
if the leader goes down pit road, everyone will follow. I do think some cars
will get spread out; no doubt, but I think the majority will hang together
anyway – there will just be more pit stops. Someone; please enlighten me as to
how this is going to work…
Busch Series and Winston Cup are off to
Michigan International Speedway this week; the ARCA RE/MAX Series if off to the
Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Sunday.
That’s it for now.