Wishes and Resolutions for 2012

Matt and I at the Baltimore Grand Prix this year. One of my resolutions is to attend as
many races as possible in 2012. 

As the year comes to a close, I realize that we are closer to the start of the 2012 season than we are to the end of the 2011 season. So, rather than looking back, here's my wishes and resolutions for 2012.

I wish that the Busch brothers find the peace and serenity (or whatever it is they need) to overcome their anger management issues. Kurt and Kyle are good drivers, and their antics this year overshadowed any success they had on the track. Don't lose your fire, boys. But don't lose your heads either.

I wish that construction in Austin and especially New Jersey stays on track. I'm looking forward to having  F1 right in my own back yard in 2013, and Austin will provide an awesome venue for F1 and V8 Supercars.

I wish that IndyCar finds its way back after the tragic end to the 2011 season. With a new car and questions about safety and the schedule, the series finds itself at a crossroads. Let's hope IndyCar moves in the right direction.

I wish that NASCAR finds a solution to the two-car draft and that the EFI is not a complete disaster.

I wish lots of luck to Joey Hand in the DTM series next year. I'll be sad not to see him competing in the Rolex and ALMS series on a regular basis, but I hope he kicks some butt in Europe next year. At least we'll get to see him complete at the 24 Hours of Daytona for Ganassi Racing at the start of the season.

I wish that Baltimore Racing Development resolves its issues and that the Baltimore Grand Prix returns next year. Matt and I attended the inaugural race this year. There are some kinks that need to be worked out, but the race has great potential.

I wish a happy retirement to Del Worsham ... and good luck in his new job as Alexa DeJoria's crew chief.  This could prove to be an interesting pairing next year.

I resolve to attend as many motorsports events as my time and wallet will allow. And I resolve to learn as much as I can about the history of my favorite racing series. And I resolve to write about these experiences and share them with you.

And finally, I wish that every competitor in every racing series stays safe throughout the 2012 season.

Happy New Year, everyone!

How Cell Phones Can Make or Break You in NASCAR

I don't think anyone will dispute how much cell phones have the changed the world. And as we've learned in the past couple weeks, cell phones can make or break you in NASCAR.

During the celebrations in Las Vegas last week, NASCAR announced that it is extending its partnership with Sprint until 2016. This is just further evidence that the relationship between the racing series and the cell provider since 2004 has been mutually beneficial. Cell phones keep NASCAR's top series running.

But now it seems a cell phone might have brought an end to Kurt Busch's tenure at Penske Racing. Kurt is a good driver, evidenced by his 2004 championship. But unfortunately for Kurt, there's more to NASCAR (and other racing series, for that matter) than just driving. The best thing Kurt could have done was decline an interview at Homestead. Instead, he had his now-famous tirade with Jerry Punch. And thanks to a fan standing there with a cell phone camera, that tirade became viral.

So next time you pick up that cell phone, just think about how powerful it is.

A Little Jagermeister for Thanksgiving

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Here's a little Jagermeister to go with your Thanksgiving meal. Matt took this picture at the IndyCar weekend at the Glen in 2006. This was one of the cars in the F1 vintage support race.

Here's wishing you and your family a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Monday Musings, 11/21/11

Yesterday at Homestead, there was a changing of the guard. Yeah, there was the obvious changing of the guard as Jimmie Johnson turned the Sprint Cup crown over to Tony Stewart. But we also got to see a new side of Tony Stewart.

This is not the same Tony Stewart who won the first two championships. He still was confident, but it was different. Tony was so calm and relaxed on the radio on Sunday. A hole in the grill? Won't they be ticked when we come through the field. A broken air socket? We'll get it back, boys. The old Stewart probably would not have been so nice. Where did the change come from? Is it because he's an owner now? Is he older and wiser? (I'd like to think it's that one because Smoke and I both turned 40 this year.)

I admit I like the "bad boy" Stewart. But yesterday and throughout the Chase, he showed a different confidence. And it worked for him too. Whenever a challenge was thrown his way, he didn't get angry or give up. I'm very interested to see whether this Stewart is going to stick around and what he can do next year.

Some other thoughts:

• Jimmie Johnson will have to be content with the nickname Five Time for at least another year. Congrats to Jimmie and Chad Knaus on their five-year run. Now it's time to share the wealth.
• Thank you to Carl Edwards for being so classy in defeat. I've been a Carl fan for a long time, and yesterday he confirmed why I like him so much.
• Smoke passed 116 cars during the race. That means he passed every car in the race almost three times (although I have a feeling he passed some more than others).
• Is NASCAR imitating baseball? Carl Edwards (the Red Sox) is strong all season, only to succomb to a last-minute surge from Tony Stewart (the Rays) at the end of the season. The only difference between the Red Sox and Carl is that Carl's average finish during the Chase was 4.9 and didn't fold like a cheap suit (and I say that as a Red Sox fan). I'd imagine that John Henry and Roush Fenway probably don't appreciate this comparison.
• I'm disappointed that one of the stories coming out of Homestead is that the crowd booed Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden.
• Congrats to Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse for winning the Truck Series and Nationwide Series championships. This was the first year that drivers could earn points in only one series, and this new format produced two champions who could play a big part in NASCAR's future. Hopefully they will be allowed to develop their talents until they are ready to make the jump to the big stage.
• Perpetuating my love for V8 Supercars, check out this video. Maybe we just need to lighten up a little bit here in the United States.

One more race to go for 2011. I seriously won't know what to do with myself once the F1 race is over next Sunday.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Jumpin' Jeff

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

When Matt and I first learned to drive at Watkins Glen, we were told to stay off the turtles (curbs) in the bus stop. Apparently that rule doesn't apply to Jeff Gordon. Matt snapped this photo in the bus stop during Sprint Cup practice in 2005. But if you think that's a lot of air underneath that tire, scroll down.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Now THAT'S some air. David Stremme, who was subbing for Sterling Marlin, really got that thing off the ground. Looking at this picture, I realize how much I miss the Coors Light car.

Monday Musings, 11/14/11

My denial is really starting to kick in. The NHRA season has ended. I can't believe that there's only one more week of NASCAR and one more F1 race. I suppose the one consolation is that the Sprint Cup Championship race is so tight. But then it's only a couple months until the 24 Hours of Daytona, right?

NHRA: First and foremost, BIG congrats to Eddie Krawiec on his second Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. I've know Eddie for a long time, and it's so great to see the success he's achieved. Is it too early to start talking repeat for next year?

I've only been an NHRA fan for a couple years, but even I understand the significance of the fact that neither Tony Schumacher nor Larry Dixon won the Top Fuel Championship this year. After Del Worsham's strong start to the season, I would have been surprised if he didn't win the championship. I always found it odd that Del was running Larry's car from last year and that that car was so much more successful than Larry's car this year.

I was SO glad to see Matt Hagan win the Funny Car Championship. After what happened at Pomona last year, he could have crumbled under the pressure this year. But he got the job done.

Nationwide Series: Elliot Sadler, I'm sorry I rooted for you to win the championship. Because you were doing pretty well until I did. But I think I feel even worse for Morgan Shepherd. The 70 year old had a good run going until he got caught up in a wreck. For a team on a limited budget, I'm always glad to see Morgan put the best effort forward in every race. And that was his engine for Homestead so he's not sure he can run next week. It's heartbreaking. I was glad to see Sam Hornish get his first NASCAR win. But I was not so glad to see the Tennessee/Arkansas game because I never got to see Hornish's victory lane interview. Good incentive for Sam to win again.

F1: I've never seen so many replays for a blown tire. Especially since Vettel had clinched the championship weeks ago (or so it seems, anyway). There were a lot of questions and talk about Lewis Hamilton, his personal life, and its effect on his on-track performance. With everything going on, I don't know what could help more than a win. I like Lewis, so I hope he's turning the corner.

Sprint Cup: So we're in the same place as when we started in Phoenix -- Carl has a three-point lead over Tony. Speaking purely as a fan, I've been a Tony fan ever since he was driving in IRL, and I followed him to NASCAR. That was until this young kid Carl Edwards started stirring things up in the Truck Series and made a big splash in the Sprint Cup Series. Tony has had such a great comeback the last couple months that I'd love to see him win. But Carl has been "my guy" as of late. What's a fan to do? I guess either way I'll be happy on Sunday night.

Leapin' Lizards!

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

One of the most popular teams in the ALMS paddock is the Flying Lizard team. And it's one of Matt's favorites as well (so much so that he bought a pair of special edition Flying Lizard Oakley sunglasses). Needless to say, the Flying Lizard Porsches were some of his favorite subjects when we went to the Baltimore Grand Prix this year. There's been some mention of financial troubles with the Baltimore race, but here's hoping they can resolve those problems so we can catch some ALMS (and IndyCar) action not too far from home.

Monday Musings, 11/7/11

A trip to Southern California can’t keep me from sharing my thoughts on the weekend in racing. It’s still Monday (barely), so here are my musings.

Before I get into what happened with NASCAR this weekend, I want to start this blog entry out on a positive note. Congrats to Alex Zandari on his win in the handbike division at the New York City Marathon this weekend. I’ve always been a big fan of Alex. Just last week, I was watching the old Target commercials with Alex and Jimmy Vassar. Alex and Jimmy appeared at a Firestone hospitality, where Alex said, “Jimmy going to tell you some lies now.” Years later, I still quote Alex. My mom also was lucky enough to go on a ride along with Alex at a trade show in Las Vegas. I’ve always loved Alex’s personality and his positive attitude, even after his accident. This win couldn’t have happened to a better person.

On to this week in NASCAR…

The Kyle Busch thing has been talked to death, so I’ll keep it short. I preface all my comments with this --  I don’t agree with what Kyle did this weekend. But being a lawyer, I rely on precedent and apply what happened in the past to the present. So if NASCAR is going to sit a driver for the weekend, it needs to clearly state why it’s imposing that penalty.

In Kyle’s case, was he parked because it was an act of retaliation? Was it because it happened under caution? Was there something in particular about his actions? Was it because of his reputation or history?

If I’m a driver, I want to understand what factors lead to Kyle being parked. Because I want to make sure that all penalties, including being parked for the weekend, are being imposed fairly.

As far as what’s happening on the track, congrats to Trevor Bayne on his first Nationwide win. And Tony Stewart just keeps on rolling. We’ll see if the new pavement at Phoenix is a factor in the Chase.

Where the Dirt Meets the Pavement

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

My new favorite motorsport is Rallycross. We attended our first event two years ago at New Jersey Motorsports Park, and I've been hooked ever since. The good news is Rallycross is tentatively scheduled to return to NJMP next year.

Matt's photo of Tanner Foust at the NJMP Rallycross event is just an appetizer. Later this week, I'll tell you why I love Rallycross.

Monday Musings, 10/31/11

Well, unfortunately I think I'll remember this weekend more for the freak October snowstorm in the Northeast than the racing. After the snow and downed tree limbs on Saturday, I could finally sit down on Sunday afternoon and enjoy some racing.

F1 - Vettel wins again. Yawn. We're watching Vettel make history, but there doesn't seem to any excitement to it. It's the same thing every week: Vettel wins the pole, Vettel takes the lead, Vettel checks out, Vettel wins. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa managed to keep the race  a little interesting. Lewis lucked out and the drive through penalty went to Massa. But the curbs were the bigger enemy for Massa. Two broken suspensions in one weekend. That's impressive.

Sprint Cup - Fans aren't happy when a race is boring. Fans aren't happy when there are too many cautions. What is the perfect race? What's the right number of cautions? What will make us happy? Did the close racing Sunday make up for the high number of cautions?

Carl Edwards' luck just keeps continuing. He managed to be be the lucky dog twice and came away with top-10 finish. But the biggest question is how bad does Tony Stewart want to win this championship? I think three wins in the Chase with three races to go is a pretty good indication of how bad. And Jimmie Johnson just won't go away. On a side note, I have to wonder if a three-strikes-and-you're-out rule should have applied to Brian Vickers Sunday.

NHRA - You have to respect the fact that Don Schumacher's drivers race hard, regardless of whether their teammate (and championship contender) is running in the other lane. John Force Racing went aggressive Sunday, and each car went up in smoke first round. And the non-contenders in Funny Car proved to be the spoilers this weekend.

A couple other thoughts -- can Spencer Massey win the championship without even qualifying for one of the races? And there were red lights aplenty this weekend, including the one that almost prevented Jason Line from winning the Pro Stock title. But the best news is that my boy Eddie K. won Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Truck Series - So I didn't get to catch the race on Saturday. Too busy keeping an eye on the Weather Channel. But you would have been a fool to bet against Denny Hamlin at Martinsville. Good call by Kyle  Busch Motorsports to have Hamlin run the truck. And out of curiosity, when are we going to see the Truck schedule for next year (and the Rolex Series schedule for that matter)?

As a final note, my thoughts and prayers are with the Wallace family after the passing of Russ Wallace.

It's All About the Flames

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

There are all types of cars to be photographed at a Rolex Series race. Daytona Prototypes, GT cars, Porsches, BMWs, Camaros. But the cars that really seem to fascinate the photographers I know are the Mazdas. And there's one reason for that -- the flames!

Matt took this week's photo at Lime Rock Park at the Rolex Series GT race in 2008. The #70 Mazda, driven by Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham, came in second that day. I think the flames definitely helped!

F1 Is Coming to My Back Yard!

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson 

You can save your comments about the smell and the jokes about the mafia and Snooki. I was born, raised, and still live in New Jersey, and I've heard them all. And it doesn't matter. New Jersey is going to have a Formula 1 race. For 10 years.

If you don't live in the New York metropolitan area, you don't understand how huge today's announcement is. I can't even say that racing takes a back seat to other sports around here.  It's not even in the same car. Racing doesn't make the news unless something terrible happens. You can't find a race on the radio.

There have been attempts to bring racing to the area. CART held the Meadowlands Grand Prix in the parking lots and access roads of the Meadowlands Sports Complex for eight years. The only view was the swamps surrounding it.

A few years ago, there was talk about building a NASCAR track on Staten Island, but that idea didn't get much support. The attitude was NIMBY (not in my back yard).

Some New Jerseyans are not happy about the race because the focus will be on New York, not New Jersey.  But I've lived in northern New Jersey my entire life, and that's the way it's always been. The New York Giants and New York Jets play in NEW JERSEY. I have no doubt that the 2014 Super Bowl at the Meadowlands will be touted as the Super Bowl in New York. Although I must admit that was pleased to see all New Jersey officials at the press conference today and no one from New York (but New York definitely will reap economic benefit too).

I have mixed emotions about this. I'm really excited that a Formula 1 race is going to be 25 MILES from my house (I can use Google Maps too). But I'm scared because I don't want it to fail. And people will be sitting by waiting for that possibility. People see it as an all or nothing proposition, and they want instant success. The race will require road closures and inconveniences. If it's not a complete success, then it's a complete failure.

Baltimore had its first street course race this past September. Even before the race, everyone was poised to call it a failure. They had amazing attendance numbers for the weekend. But what many people remember are some traffic problems early in the weekend and the numbers indicating that the economic impact wasn't quite what the organizers were expecting. I hope the people in Baltimore give the race a second chance. It was a great race weekend, and there is always room for improvement.

So for now, I sit back and watch the development for the race. And I'll mark my calendar for that Sunday in June 2013. Because if you think I'm going to miss that race, fugetaboutit!

Monday Musings, 10/24/11

Ah, the good old days at Daytona. No tandems. (Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson)

Everyone went into this racing weekend with heavy hearts. We learned this week that, although the types of racing may be different, racers are all part of one big family. NASCAR and the V8 Supercar series had fitting tributes to Dan. It literally broke my heart today listening to Nicole Briscoe talk about Dan Wheldon during the prerace Sunday. Then what a moving memorial service to remember Dan Wheldon. Thanks to the Wheldon family for sharing that experience with the fans.

But racing did continue this week. Here are my thoughts on what I saw this weekend:

V8 Supercars - So have I mentioned how much I love V8 Supercars? The series picked up where they left off after the Bathurst 1000. It was tight, competitive racing to the very end. Congrats to Sebastian Bourdais, who won the inaugural Dan Wheldon trophy for top international driver.

As I learn more about the rules in V8 Supercars, I wonder how they would play in NASCAR. First, with four races left in the championship, the regular drivers must put their trust (and their championship hopes) in the hands of international drivers. What if the Sprint Cup drivers had to share their car with a driver from a non-NASCAR series? That could be pretty cool.

Also, drivers earn points only if they complete 75% of the laps. This is a great incentive for drivers to enter the race and be competitive, thus eliminating start and parks. Another interesting wrinkle -- all cars two or more laps down must go through pit lane on the restart so they don't impede the lead lap cars.

Sprint Cup - Do you miss the packs? Because I do. Denny Hamlin goes a lap down early because he literally was the odd man out. What kind of racing is that? It's kind of fun watching these guys find new partners when they lose their old one. It's a little like musical chairs. And regardless of whether it's tandems or packs, it's one car getting pushed over the start/finish line by one other car. But I'm still not sure I like it. This much I do know -- as a fan, I wouldn't necessarily be spending my money going to see a race at Talladega or Daytona at this point in time.

As far as the race goes, I was glad to see Clint Bowyer win, but I would have been happier to see Jeff Burton win. Looks like being patient and staying in the back didn't quite work out for Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. this time. And there's this talk of Trevor Bayne and team orders. But isn't that inevitable with tandem racing? Deals are made between spotters and crew chiefs, and the drivers abide by those agreements.

Truck Series - It's about time someone from the Wallace clan won a NASCAR race, although I'm not sure I thought it would have been Mike. This was Mike's first Truck Series win since 2000 and his first NASCAR win since 2004 (a Nationwide win in Daytona that my husband actually witnessed). Austin Dillon learned the same hard lesson that Marcos Ambrose learned at Infineon last year -- it's tricky playing the fuel mileage game and sometimes it can backfire on you.

It's Time to Race Again

Image courtesy NASCAR Media

It's time for drivers to hit the track again. In Talladega, the Gold Coast of Australia, and other tracks across the country and the world. As a fan, I appreciate the risks you drivers take every time you take to the track. Never forget Dan Wheldon. May we learn from this tragedy. Pull those belts a little tighter. And stay safe.

That First Race (in the Eyes of Michelle Beadle)

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Do you remember the first race you attended? As a long-time race fan, I always like to hear about a person's first experience at the track. So that's why it was so much fun to listen to Michelle Beadle's podcast this week. Michelle, who is the co-host of ESPN's SportsNation, was part of a NASCAR "emersion" program that allows ESPN on-air personalities and producers to learn more about NASCAR. As part of the program, she participated in the Richard Petty Driving Experience, got a personal tour of Hendrick Motorsports (and Rick Hendrick's private car collection), and was assigned to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. That meant being in the pits, moving tires, and sitting on the pit box during Saturday night's Charlotte race. Oh, and she rode along with Junior and Kyle Busch during the pre-race activities.

Michelle admitted that she was "one of those people who made fun of NASCAR." But she said she was wrong and that she "had a blast." Beadle called it "one of the best experiences I've had in my sports career so far."

While watching the events transpire after Dan Wheldon's tragic accident on Sunday, Beadle said the experience "really just put everything into a perspective that I never would have had." She noted that "it's such a close-knit group," that "the fans are right on top of everything," and that "the access is unlike anything I've seen in my life." She said, "It really just brought home how scary, how exciting, how dangerous every race has the potential to be."

I've always believed that NASCAR is like hockey. You have to see it live to really appreciate it. So it looks like there might be another NASCAR fan in the world, and I hope Michelle goes to another race soon. And maybe one day we all can participate in the NASCAR "emersion" program.

Remembering Dan Wheldon

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Each Wednesday, Matt, my in-house photographer, provides me with a photo from his extensive archive to share some motorsports-related adventures and memories.

I was never lucky enough to meet Dan Wheldon.  But from all the stories I've heard and read the past couple of days, I wish I had. I did have an opportunity to see him race twice. The first time was at the Firestone 225, which was the last race ever at Nazareth. The second time was at inaugural race at Watkins Glen in September 2005, which is where this photo was taken. Here's Matt's thoughts on his photo:

"As newscasters talk about Dan Wheldon's tragic passing, they keep repeating the fact that he is a two-time Indy 500 champion, which is an amazing feat. But they keep overlooking the fact that Dan was the 2005 Indy Racing League Champion with an impressive SIX victories during the season! I shot this image on September 25, 2005, the day Dan Wheldon clinched the title of CHAMPION!"

There's not really much I can say that hasn't already been said this week. Rest in peace, Dan Wheldon.

When Racing Meets Mainstream Media

After watching a touching tribute about Dan Wheldon on Sportscenter yesterday morning, I made the mistake of changing the channel to watch a story about Dan on CNN. I should have known better. Because if the mainstream media is talking about racing, that most likely means that something bad has happened.

When something like this occurs, the media wants to know all about the numbers. How fast was he going? How many cars were involved? How many other crashes have there been? When was the last crash? They also ask why the drivers take the risk. They'll show the crash over and over again. They'll get some of facts rights but not all of them. They don't ask about one number in particular - the thousands of laps completed every year without incident.

For instance, this morning on the Today Show, the caption on the bottom of the screen read "Remembering Dan Wheldon." But all they did was speculate about why the crash happened, show pictures and footage of the crash over and over again, and ask Mario Andretti and Townsend Bell about whether the drivers thought it was unsafe to drive at Las Vegas. Never once did Matt Lauer ask them about their memories of Dan Wheldon. That's not remembering Dan Wheldon.

The mainstream media will stir the pot for a couple days, make generalizations, and place the blame before everything has been investigated. But then the story will get boring, and they'll move on. Unfortunately with tragedy comes safety improvements. Dale Earnhardt's death brought about SAFER barriers and the HANS device. John Force's near-fatal accident brought about significant changes to Funny Cars. Scott Kalitta's death resulted in the 1,000-foot distance in nitro racing.

Ultimately, Dan Wheldon's death will result in changes in IndyCar. But the mainstream media won't stick around to find out what they are.

Monday Musings, 10/17/11

A day ago, this column was going to be something much different. But my complaints about whether the NASCAR race was boring, my speculations about whether Jimmie Johnson is still in the Chase, and my questions about what's up with Lewis Hamilton really mean nothing now. They're just not important.

I sat down with excitement to watch the Dario v. Will championship battle. But as the afternoon went on, that excitement faded and I was filled with the same dread as when Greg Moore died. This day of celebration for IndyCar took such a wicked turn.

In the back of our heads, we all know that this is a dangerous sport. But we take safety for granted. Jimmie Johnson hit that wall hard Saturday night. And he walked away.  But obviously after Sunday, we reminded again of that danger and the risks that the drivers take every time they go out on the track.

Now is not the time to speculate about the hows and whys. There is plenty of time for that. Now is the time to keep Dan Wheldon's family in our thoughts and prayers. Rest in peace, Dan Wheldon.

When Did NASCAR Races Become Less Exciting?

When I first started writing this blog entry, I hesitated because I didn't want to say anything bad about NASCAR. I really do love NASCAR. It would be like badmouthing a really good friend.

But then I listened to Joe Castello's WFO Radio broadcast from Monday, in which he asked why NASCAR isn't covered like other sports. Why doesn't the media point out the negative (which in Joe's case was Tony Stewart missing his pit stall toward the end of the race)? I don't know that I have the answer to Joe's question, but he did give me courage to pose this question: when did NASCAR races become less exciting?

The points race has been very exciting this season.  But what about each individual race that makes up the season and the Chase itself? If a non-race fan was tuning in to see what NASCAR is all about, would these races make a good case for the sport? There was a time that you couldn't walk away from the television because you never knew what was going to happen. Now I can take a quick half hour nap and I won't have missed a thing.

Here are five things I've noticed:

Fuel mileage is not that exciting. Non-race fans always say, "But it's just a bunch of cars going around in a circle." And my response is always that there is more to it and that there is a lot of strategy going on too. But that strategy is only so exciting. At the end of a race, I would much rather see two cars in a close battle for the lead, rather than one car completely checked out on the field trying to save gas.

No one crashes. Have the drivers gotten better? Is it the new car? Whatever it is, the number of crashes have declined significantly. I'm not advocating for torn-up cars, but no crashes mean fewer cautions. Fewer cautions mean longer green-flag runs. Longer green-flag runs mean more z's. It's bad when fans are praying for a debris caution.

There are no real rivalries. Seems like there are no real rivalries in NASCAR. There was the Edwards-Keselowski feud for a while (and rightfully so), but that seems to have died down for the most part (except for a little issue about restarts at Kansas this week). We had Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch for a new weeks this summer, but they kissed and made up by Chicagoland. Multi-car teams deter rivalries because it wouldn't look so good to have a public dispute with your "teammate." Also, does no one want to be the bad guy anymore?

There are too many 1.5-mile tracks. When NASCAR really started to grow in the 1990s and 2000s, the trend was to build 1.5 mile tracks. Brad Daugherty pointed out on the Kansas broadcast that one-third of all NASCAR races are on 1.5 mile tracks. Im my mind, it's the superspeedways, short tracks, and road courses that bring the most excitement.

Technology really does change everything. Technology created safer cars, protecting the drivers from injury. Technology has also created more reliable cars, so there are fewer failures. Jeff Gordon's engine failure this past weekend was the first one I can remember in a long time. Better brakes means fewer worries at short tracks.

So what's the solution? It's yet to be seen what effect, if any, the new fuel injection will have. Maybe shorter races are the answer. Or 50-lap dashes and the Twin 275 format that Indy used at Texas. We could learn a lot from the All-Star Race, the Daytona Duels, and the Bud Shootout.

All I know is that sometimes you need to pull a good friend aside to clue them in when things aren't going quite right.

King of Quake

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Each Wednesday I'll be featuring one of the many photos that Matt has taken over the years.  It's a way for me to share some motorsports-related adventures.

So, to kick things off, here's a breathtaking photo that Matt took in August 2005 at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. Here is Matt's explanation of the pic:

"I am starting things off with an image of the driver who helped send me on my path -- Mr. Bob Motz and his "Original Jet Truck." I first shot photos of the Jet Truck when I was merely a tween. This is by far the coolest client I have ever had! How can you not be in awe of a man old enough to be your grandfather who drives a Kenworth...a Kenworth with an F4 Phantom Fighter jet engine that goes upwards of 200 mph in the quarter mile. Over the years, I have shot the various incarnations of the truck, and each time it still scares the everliving (fill in the blank) out of me. Enjoy!"

Meet My "In-House" Photographer

Photo by me

You'll notice that most of the photos I post on this site were taken by my husband, Matt. We try to take in as many racing and car events as we can, and Matt is always shooting pictures. Tomorrow I'll be starting a weekly feature in which I'll highlight one of Matt's photos.

Since you'll be hearing a lot about my partner in crime and "in-house" photographer, I figured you should get to know him. So I asked him to answer five questions about racing, cars, and photography.

Photo by me

Who are your favorite drivers?


Kyle Busch in NASCAR, Scott Pruett in Rolex, Paul Tracy in IndyCar (if he ever gets a ride again), Big Daddy Don Gartlits in NHRA, Boris Said as a road course "ringer" and my sentimental favorite is Rusty Wallace.

What is the best race you’ve ever been to?


Spring Bristol (March 2007). This was the last race on the old banking and the first race of the "car of tomorrow." We had some the the best seats in the house...second to last row at the start/finish line!

What’s on your bucket list of races you’d like to go to?


24 Hours of LeMans, 24 Hours of Lemons, F1 at Nurburgring, NASCAR at Infineon and the NHRA 4 Wide Nationals (before they take it off the schedule).

What’s the most favorite car you’ve ever owned?


That's an easy one! A 1987 Buick Grand National. In the 10 years I owned it, I was always scared to death of it!  Unbelievably fast in a straight line, but paired with horribly inadequate brakes and steering.

Why do you like motorsports photography?


The challenge of capturing the speed and beauty of the vehicles I am shooting. The fluid motion and the tiny details. Being on the wall capturing an image of a 8,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster at the hit of the throttle is so intense. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...I can only think of one - WHOA!

Monday Musings, 10/10/11

I've won the championship this many times!
(Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson)

This weekend had one championship clinched and two championships heating up. And I found a new racing series.

F1 - Was there really any doubt that Sebastian Vettel would win the driver's championship this weekend? There was absolutely no doubt in my mind after he won the pole 0.009 second over Jenson Button and then avoided a penalty for his aggressive move against Button at the start of the race. McLaren did manage to spoil the moment a bit with Button winning the race. And on a side note, I expect debris cautions in NASCAR, not in F1. And how awesome was it that Button used his $15,000 steering wheel to stop his car from rolling?

V8 Supercars - It was awesome. But I've already gushed about it.

Nationwide Series - There was a time when the Nationwide Series races were more exciting than the Sprint Cup races. But that's not the case anymore. Cup regular Brad K. (as the commentators insist on calling him) dominated the race, but the points battle between the Nationwide regulars is getting a little tighter. Of course, part of the reason for that is the off-track drama this week when Turner Motorsports released Reed Sorenson, who was third in points. Elliot Sadler is now within 20 points of Ricky Stenhouse. Let's hope for a close points race down to the finish.

Sprint Cup - The points race is still close, with Carl Edwards ahead of Kevin Harvick by one point, Jimmie Johnson lurking four points off the lead, and the top eight drivers within 20 points. But while the overall points race may be exciting, the race today wasn't. And why don't I ever remember any races from Kansas? More on that this week. Also, I know the media has officially changed Jimmie Johnson's name to Five Time, but I don't think Six Time rolls off the tongue quite as well.

Quick Review: Bathurst 1000

This was the first time I really sat and watched the Australian V8 Supercars, and all I have to say is -- what's not to like?!? The track was spectacular, the cars are amazing, the drivers are unbelievably talented, and the racing action was close. And the cars are fast! Where else can you see four-door sedans do more than 200 mph?

But wait! There's more! They have a driver named Frosty Winterbottom. There was fire on the track (thankfully driver David Besnard was safe).  And the best past was the drama right up to the last lap, with Garth Tander holding off Craig Lowndes.

Looking forward to the Gold Coast 600 in a couple of weeks, which adds international drivers as co-drivers (and a lot of names that we know in the United States). I'm intrigued by the addition of the V8 Supercars to the 2013 schedule in Austin.  Hmmm. May have to add that one to my travel itinerary.

What did you think of the V8 Supercars?

A Little Bit More About Me

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

Travis Pastrana and me at the Rallycross at NJMP

Sitting here watching my husband Matt play Gran Turismo 5, I figure now would be a good time to tell you a little bit more about myself and what "drives" me (yeah, I meant that). So let's give this a whirl.

Who is my favorite driver?


I'm going to answer a question with a question. Can you have more than one favorite driver? I say yes. So here's a sampling of who I follow.

In NASCAR, my favorite driver is Carl Edwards. Before Carl was Tony Stewart. Before Tony was Mark Martin. My favorite IndyCar driver is Dario Franchitti. In ALMS, I love the Rahal Letterman BMWs (Dirk Werner, Joey Hand, Bill Auberlen, and Dirk Muller).

In Rolex, I am a Patrick Dempsey fan, but not for the reason you might think. Yes, he lives up to the name McDreamy, but I admire him for pursuing his dream of being a driver and owner. If I had a lot of money, I would start my own race team too!

NHRA is new to me, so I keep changing my mind who I like. I think I know better who I don't like, but that's for another day. But as far as the two-wheel entries go, I root for Eddie Krawiec in Pro Stock Motorcycle, but I'm a little biased because he used to work at my dad's shop.

And my two new favorite drivers -- Travis Pastrana and Tanner Foust. Loved the Rallycross at New Jersey Motorsports Park last year.

What is the best race you've ever been to?


I've been fortunate enough to go to some good races in my day -- the Daytona 500, the last IndyCar race at Nazareth, the inaugural IndyCar races at Watkins Glen and Baltimore, and the first Nationwide race in Montreal. But the best race I ever went to was the spring Bristol race in 2007. It was historic because it was the first race with the Car of Tomorrow and the last race on the old surface. And Carl Edwards won the Nationwide race, I got to see a back flip in person. Oh, and did I mention our seats were two rows from the top at the start/finish line?

But it wasn't just the on-track activities that made this weekend so great. The most awesome part was that Matt, me, and our good friends rented a house that was a short walk from the track. The fun didn't stop once we had left the track for the day. Broken coffee pots, competitive UNO games, and all.

What's on your racing bucket list?


The two big endurance races -- LeMans and the 24 Hours of Daytona. An F1 race. Any F1 race. It doesn't really matter where. The Indy 500.  The NASCAR short tracks I haven't been too -- Richmond and Martinsville. I've only been to one NHRA National event, so anywhere I can get to see more drag racing is fine with me.  And definitely more Rallycross.

Favorite car ever owned?


It's sitting in the garage. A track-ready1995 Porsche 911.

The big question -- why this blog?


By day, I'm a book editor, working on practice books for legal practitioners. (OK, you can stop being jealous now.) So in my spare time, I wanted to write about something I love.

I live in the New York metro area, which is not exactly a hotbed of activity for racing fans (although much of my family is the exception to that rule). A lot of people give me a strange look when I say I like auto racing. As a result, I really don't talk much about racing.

But now is the time to start talking, both in this blog and on Twitter. I'm still working on exactly what my voice is going to be, but hopefully I'll make you laugh a little, inform you a little, and think a little. Having a photographer in the house who also loves motorsports doesn't hurt either.  And from time to time, I may have something non-motorsports related to say.

Monday Musings, 10/3/2011



Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

 It was a busy weekend with championship chases heating up, a national record being set, a first-time winner, and another series closing out its season. I'm only slightly in denial about the fact that the end of the racing season is coming. I'll just ignore that for now. On to this past weekend's racing.

Nationwide Series


It's kind of become sport in our house for my husband and I to review the grand marshal's command to start engines. We're always looking for passion and excitement. And Mary McDowell, President and CEO of OneMain Financial, was one of the best in a long time. Sometimes CEOs and representatives from the title sponsors can be wet blankets when starting the race. But Mary blew the doors off the joint (you could even hear one of the drivers comment on her command on the radio during the ESPN broadcast).

Concrete Carl dominated the day, although that back flip was a little dicey looking. I was happy because Carl Edwards is my driver, but my husband was disappointed because Kyle Busch was not in the race at all. Maybe I missed something, but is Kyle concentrating more on the Sprint Cup Chase? I'm guessing running in the Nationwide series is not nearly as important when you can earn points in only one series.

Truck Series


Congrats to Ty Dillon on his first start in the Truck Series and a national NASCAR event. Ty has been tearing it up in ARCA with seven victories so far this year.

One driver Ty can learn from is winningest Truck driver Ron Hornaday, who won his 50th Truck Series event Saturday night.

American LeMans Series


The Audis and Peugeots returned to the track in ALMS. I tried keeping up with race on Saturday on ESPN3 and Twitter. But are you like me and wish that this race was not on tape delay (or all the ALS races for that matter)? If nothing else, ESPN and its family of networks should figure out a way to broadcast the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Petit LeMans live on television. In my heart, I know college football will win out every time. (And don't even get me started on the fact that ABC ran the Baltimore ALMS race on tape delay up against the live broadcast of the Baltimore IndyCar race.)

Sprint Cup


First and foremost, who knew that Jan from The Office could sing?!? Nice job with the National Anthem, Melora Hardin!

But having attended the Dover races several times, I'm disappointed by the number of empty seats at the track. My husband always says that everyone is out buying souvenirs, but I think that's just wishful thinking. Dover is a great place for fans because you can see the whole track from almost every seat in the house. And the banking is crazy -- we found that out a few years ago when we did the fan walk there.

Smoke loses the point lead to Harvick and Edwards (although Harvick technically has the lead because of a tiebreaker), and there's movement up and down the leaderboard. The top 9 are separated by only 19 points. This is getting good. The new points values might just work.

IndyCar

Maybe there's always this much drama, but it seems there was a lot going on off the track in IndyCar. First, Sam Schmidt Motorsports announced that Dan Wheldon would replace Alex Tagliani in the 77 car in Kentucky in order to prepare for the $5 million run in Vegas. Then Helio Castroneves was fined $30,000 for his tweets criticizing the officiating in Japan. Then Al Unser, Jr. was suspended indefinitely following his DUI arrest this week.

But thankfully, there was a switch to the on-track drama this weekend, focusing on the points battle between Will Power and Dario Franchitti. Franchitti regained the point lead, making the race in Vegas very interesting. But my congrats go to Ed Carpenter, who pulled off his first first IndyCar win by a nose (literally). Maybe baby Zoe is a good luck charm for Sarah Fisher Racing!

NHRA


The good news? Antron Brown got a national record in Top Fuel, running a 3.766. The bad news? Rain postpones the finish of eliminations to Monday. (Guess it's a good thing I didn't talk my husband into going to Maple Grove this weekend.)

So long, Grand-Am!

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

The leaves haven't even begun to change and already one of my favorite racing series is done for the season. Good bye, Grand-Am! No more roar of the Daytona Prototypes or whine of the Mazdas. We won't get the excitement in Leigh Diffey's voice as Scott Pruett and Alex Gurney are battling for the lead. Sigh.

It was exciting season. I mean, I love the fact that neither championship was clinched until the race began. The Rolex Series ended their season with its banquet in Las Vegas this week. Congrats to Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas on the DP championship and Leh Keen and Andrew Davis on the GT championship.

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

This past July, my husband and I attended the Rolex Series and Continental Tire Series races at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Yeah, that would be the race where it was 105 degrees all weekend long.  Never mind how hot it was in the cars. 

One of the things I absolutely love about the Rolex Series is the accessibility. The garage area is open for the fans, and you can go out onto the grid prior to the race. There's an autograph session the day before the race where all the drivers sit at their haulers to meet the fans -- even in record heat!  And all the other drivers grin and bear it, knowing that the longest lines by far are at Patrick Dempsey's hauler.

The Thunderbolt race track at NJMP is a great place to watch a race.  We were lucky enough to have access to two balconies -- one on the front stretch and one in Turn 3 -- to view the race (and for my husband to take pictures).

Photo by Matthew Lowell Thompson

And the best access of all?!? Victory Lane! We were right there to share in the victory (and the champagne shower).

So, good bye to Grand-Am for now. I suppose my only consolation is that you'll be the first racing series back next year. And hopefully I'll be trackside at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this January. :)

Monday Musings, 9/26/2011

So here's the plan. Every Monday, I'm going to let you know my thoughts (or musings) on the weekend of racing. Again, no hard-hitting analysis.  Just my observations from my point of view.
Hopefully I'll be posting my blog Monday mornings. But this week's blog was little delayed because my husband and I went to the local casino to try and win a Subaru WRX STI.  Unfortunately, no luck on the car, but my husband did win a couple hundred bucks.
My musings for the week:

• F1: Congrats to Paul DiResta on his sixth place finish at Singapore. Nice finish, especially since he's never run there before. To be honest, I've never really given DiResta much thought. That is, until my husband and I met a father and son from Scotland while we were at the Baltimore Grand Prix. They were guests of Dario Franchitti. They spoke with such pride of the drivers who have come out of their country, including DiResta. And now that I've been paying attention? I would love to see what he could do in a better car. Oh, and if you're wondering whether winning gets old, just ask Sebastian Vettel.
• Sprint Cup: How about that Tony Stewart?!? Seems as though just a couple of weeks ago that would have been him running out of fuel again with a lap to go. The luck seems to be swinging in Smoke's direction. Is it too early in the Chase to get excited? Although Carl Edwards is my driver, I really like Tony too. Anyone who can stop the Jimmie Johnson Express is fine with me.
• Camping World Trucks: Yeah, Kyle Busch dominated the Truck race at New Hampshire, but my MVP for the day? Nine-year-old Christopher Duffley. Duffley, who is both blind and autistic, sang the National Anthem. I've watched a lot of anthems in my day, but this was one of the few times it actually brought tears to my eyes (and my big old husband too). It was inspirational to say the very least.
• NHRA: Kudos to Bob Vandergriff for his first Top Fuel win! And you'll get 'em next time, Alexis DeJoria. We need a little more Tequila Patron in Nitro Funny Car!

So what did you think of this weekend's racing?

Who's Gonna Pay for This Electric Bill?!?

Photo credit: Getty Images

I know they've been racing at night in Singapore for a few years now, but this never ceases to amaze me. I suppose if any racing series was going to pull it off,  it was going to be F1.

And ho hum. Another pole for Vettel. I'm still looking forward to my Open Wheel Breakfast tomorrow morning.

NASCAR v. Mother Nature

www.lifeiscrap.com

NASCAR may need to renegotiate its deal with Mother Nature because she certainly hasn't been playing along these days. Rain has delayed three of the last six Sprint Cup races. And things are looking iffy for New Hampshire this weekend.

Unfortunately, the last two NASCAR races I've been to have been rainouts at Watkins Glen (pure coincidence -- I'm sure it has nothing to do with me). We traveled a couple hundred miles to see the races and had planned to travel home on Monday. So we could stick around to see the race. But for many of the fans, sticking around or coming to the track the next day just wasn't an option.

Here's the frustrating thing. Walking through the pits, we could see stacks and stacks of Goodyear rain tires. Rolex and Nationwide were fully prepared to run in the rain, but it was nothing but blue skies for those races. On Sunday, the rain started just as the National Anthem was ending, but for whatever reason the Sprint Cup cars would not be running in the rain. It's almost like carrying an umbrella with you and it never rains, but it pours when you don't have one.

While at the Glen race, I went to Q&A sessions with Matt Kenseth and Brett Bodine, who now is the Director of Competition for Research and Development for NASCAR (and the pace car driver). I asked them both whether we ever would see a Sprint Cup car running in the rain at Watkins Glen. Neither gave a definitive yes, but neither really gave a definitive no either.

The question of whether Sprint Cup cars should run on rain tires really only applies to the road courses, and there are only two of those on the schedule every year. But maybe rain tires are something that Sprint Cup should really start thinking about for the road races. At the very least, it's two races where NASCAR wouldn't have to worry about a rainout (as much).

Until then, I'll see what I can do about working something out with Mother Nature.

Four Wheels and an Engine

That's me!

I've heard it all before. Indycar and sports car fans who turn their noses up to NASCAR. NASCAR fans who are all about stock cars and turning left. For some drag racing fans, it's all about the quarter mile (or 1,000 feet, as the case may be). And I may have been one or more of these people at one point in my life.

But in the last few years, I've turned a corner (no pun intended). I'm a equal opportunity race fan.  If it's got four wheels and an engine, I follow it.

I suppose I became a race fan like many others -- I grew up around cars. It started when I was brought home from the hospital in a Corvette,  and I've been surrounded by cars ever since. I started with watching the Indy 500 on TV, and as I got older, I found other types of racing.  Thanks to my husband, my new love is drag racing.

Oh, and I've been known to drive on the track myself.

What this blog is not going to be -- a place to find up-to-the-minute racing news or analysis. There are plenty of other websites that do a much better job than I could ever do.

What is blog is going to be -- a place for me to talk about racing. It's my observations and opinions about the racing world. I'm not afraid to tell you who I like and who I don't (But I'm not going to tell you now. I don't want to spoil it for you.)

If you don't see something you're interested in, come back later because you never know what you'll find.

Enjoy, and keep the shiny side up!