February 28, 2009
By Brenda Benedict
I have been traveling across the United States and back since the beginning of January. Everywhere I go, I meet NASCAR fans. It is the only sport I know where loyal fans can be found in the most out of the way locations wearing apparel of their favorite driver.
I was in Tucumcari, New Mexico last night and I found a flyer published by the hotel chain I was staying at. It was highlighting two NASCAR drivers -- Jeff Burton and Scott Wimmer. I excitedly picked it up (they were free, of course) and was very disappointed to see it was about 2008 season -- very out-of-date.
I am loving watching this new NASCAR season and part of the reason is that it isn’t a rerun of the 2008 season. We are not picking up where we left off last November. The top runners at the start of the 2009 season have been significantly different from the strong finishers of last year. But our new top contenders do not surprise me. With two races behind us, the top finishers are bringing new results who major changes in the line-up of winners.
Matt Kenseth’s ability to drive is very clear. Not that I ever doubted it. Kenseth was the target of so much criticism when winning the 2003 Winston Cup Championship after securing only one race win during the season. The change to the Chase format was dubbed “The Matt Kenseth Rule” because fans wanted the champion to be a driver who had won many races.
Kenseth is proving himself to be a great driver but his new crew chief relationship must have a lot to do with his success. Drew Blickensderfer is making his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut by winning his first two races.
“Drew has brought magic to the team,” Roush said. “He comes from a family – his dad was a coach. He played real competitive sports in high school and things. So he knows how to build a team. He knows how to capitalize on the energy within a team.
“We needed that. We had all the right team with the right skill sets on the team; we just needed somebody to create the magic. Drew has done that. We had the same cars last year. Matt was the same guy that he was last year. He sure didn't learn anything over the winter because he didn't have a chance to drive these cars as much as normal.”
Jeff Gordon’s strong finish is also a new turn of events after he went the entire 2008 season without a win. Gordon is eager to break his winless streak, now at 43 consecutive races – not counting his non-points victory at Daytona two weeks ago, in one of the Daytona’s 500’s two qualifying races.
I always am a person who cheers for the underdog-the underdog who is working hard to achieve. So my favorite driver changes from time to time. I am cheering for both Kenseth and Gordon. They both show they are paying attention to details and figuring out how to be successful. Rowdy.com suggested that Gordon spent the off-season learning to really drive the Car of Tomorrow/Today. His performance on Sunday seems to verify that.
As a loyal fan, I appreciate a driver who does not blame his troubles on his pit crew or crew chief, but works hard to improve his driving and does what he can to win. I see that attitude in both Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth.
I have been getting some very interesting responses to my question about who you would like to see inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame which opens in May 2010. NASCAR is including five people who have had significant contributions to the sport and I have asked fans to submit their choices in this unofficial poll. It isn’t too late to send your choices. Please include your reasons for your choices if possible. It makes for very interesting reading. I will be sharing all your ideas in my next column. Email me at Insider Racing News.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
