May 12, 2011
By Doug Demmons
1. RCR Wipeout: Among other things lost in all the hoopla over the Fight of the Century -- such as a first-ever win for Regan Smith -- was the really, really bad day for Richard Childress Racing.
To review, Jeff Burton blew up. Clint Bowyer smacked the wall hard. Paul Menard blew up. And Kevin Harvick ... well, that was just the cherry on RCR’s sundae.
2. Cone? What Cone?: Have you ever been driving down the interstate for mile after mile with the road under construction but there isn’t anyone doing any work and you wonder why on Earth do they have those hundreds of orange barrels out there if nobody is doing anything? And have you ever wondered what it would be like to just turn the wheel hard to the right and take one of them out? Me neither.
But Dale Earnhardt Jr. apparently has. He took out the commitment cone at the entrance to pit road to draw a penalty and ruin a perfectly good finish.
3. Draconian Measures: I’m sure that Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have learned their lessons now that NASCAR has done the unthinkable and ... gasp! ... placed each on probation for four races. What’s next? Sent to their rooms without supper?
4. Best Seat in the House: Carl Edwards has the distinction of finishing second in both feel-good races this year -- when Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 and when Regan Smith won at Darlington. How crappy must it feel to know that everyone at the track and watching on TV (except maybe for your mother) was hoping you’d get loose or blow an engine or run out of gas and not spoil everything?
5. Jimmie’s Misfortune as Sinful Pleasure: Go ahead and admit it. When Juan Montoya turned Jimmie Johnson you stood up and cheered. Not because you love JPM, but because you figured Johnson wasn’t going to win this one.
6. Mile High Club: Who says a team has to be based in Mooresville, N.C., to go fast?
7. Free Agents in Paradise: As hard as it is to get good rides these days, there is one team that might have two prime openings this year -- Red Bull. The team will have at least one when Kasey Kahne leaves to take Mark Martin’s ride at Hendrick in 2012. Will Martin just move over and make it a swap? He isn’t exactly the demographic Red Bull is looking for.
And with Brian Vickers languishing in the basement of the Cup standings and his contract up after this year, Red Bull might decide to fill both slots. Would they make a play for Edwards? If worse comes to worse they can always bring Sebastian Vettel over from Formula One? Why not? Everyone else from F1 is coming to NASCAR?
8. Rule? What rule?: Just a couple short years ago the unfairness of the top 35 rule was a hot topic. Today there are two cars in the top 35 that haven’t run all 10 races. And the Wood Brothers’ No. 21, which has skipped two races, is only four points out of 35th.
9. Truck Tango: A late entry as the driver for the No. 2 Chevy Silverado in Friday’s truck race at Dover is Kevin Harvick. You don’t suppose Harvick entered that race just to make sure Kyle Busch doesn’t win it, do you? Nah.
10. Stale Bread: This was supposed to be Joey Logano’s breakout year. But after 10 races he is dwelling in the same basement as Vickers. Sliced Bread is starting to get a little moldy as he is pummeled week after week. At Darlington it was a wreck on Lap 240 and a 35th-place finish.
Doug Demmons is a writer and editor for the Birmingham News ~ he writes daily and weekly auto racing columns ranging from NASCAR to open wheel to Formula One, local tracks and more... you can read Doug's columns online at Blog of Tommorow
Follow Doug on Twitter: @dougdemmons
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.