It’s been raining off and on for the past couple of days in Charlotte so the schedule has been a bit muddled with qualifying getting cancelled for the truck and for the All-Star Race and the Showdown getting moved to Saturday morning.<\/p>\n
Congrats to Matt Crafton on winning the truck series race today. It was a boring race, but Crafton did a nice job.<\/p>\n
Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney made a fine showing during the Showdown earlier. Neither was successful in their attempts to race their way into the All-Star Race. Trevor Bayne put a move on both Chase and Ryan in the first 20 lap round of the Showdown and captured the checkered flag. Chase won the fan vote – along with Danica Patrick so he’s in. He was pretty much wheel to wheel coming to the finish line with Kutey Kyle Larson, but Larson edged him out in the final 20 lap run. Mr. Awesome Greg Biffle won the second 20 lap race.<\/p>\n
Tony Stewart is making his 18th and final appearance in the All-Star Race. He’s tonight’s Grand Marshall.<\/p>\n
Wow, they’re making a big deal about millionaires racing for a million bucks. Somehow that loses its appeal for me – rich men bgetting more money. Maybe its just me. But then again what can I expect from Hot-to-Trotta and Adam Alexander. Danielle is living up to her nickname this evening, by the way in a frightening frock.<\/p>\n
Michael Waltrip is walking around with Bryson Byrnes. It’s nice to see NASCAR taking care of Byrnesy’s boy.<\/p>\n
I’m not sure what I did wrong in this or another life to be subjected to Andy Grammer opening the show with a performance of a truly awful little ditty. Guess I’m just not living right. It was pathetic as were his and his band’s attempt to sell it, while we’re being shown a thoroughly underwhelmed, mostly still, audience. It really got the show off to a lame start.<\/p>\n
Now that introductions are completed and Michael Waltrip has tortured the field and the audience with the track walk, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern due to dampness on the track according to Chris Myers. Charlotte got a pretty good rain during the afternoon after the truck race.<\/p>\n
Matt DiBenedetto came in third in the fan vote for the All-Star Race. Congrats to Matti Di.<\/p>\n
Smoke – seriously???? That was a totally lame command. I’m sure you can do better than that.<\/p>\n
So the field lines up by owners points for the first 50 lap segment.<\/p>\n
Jeff Gordon said the way to get drivers excited about the All-Star Race is to have them help with the format. Since they’re getting paid to be there, and the fans are paying to be there, seems like they’re asking the wrong people – especially if Brad ‘It’ Keselowski – who seems to be responsible for almost every decision made in NASCAR these days – is the source.<\/p>\n
Could someone explain to Jamie Little that while it is loud where she’s standing, she has a microphone, therefore we can hear her perfectly well, so there’s no need for the constant shouting.<\/p>\n
I was advocating earlier today for two 35 lap segments, 2 fifteen lap segments, and a final 5-10 lap shoot-out. 50 laps feels too long. Of course, there also should be a gimmick or two to make each segment count to provide incentive.<\/p>\n
Jamie McMurray spins with four to go bringing out the caution flag.<\/p>\n
Apparently you had to make a green flag two tire stop by lap 47 in this 50 lap segment. Kenseth didn’t make his pit stop, so now he’s going to be held a lap for failure to pit during the allotted laps.<\/p>\n
Laps count under caution, so we’re ending the segment under caution.<\/p>\n
The guys in the booth are trying to figure out the rules for pitting under this caution. I didn’t bother to find out the rules of the race beforehand. They spend so much time gimmicking them up each year, then put on a boring race, I’ve stopped learning them, or trying to understand them before the race. It wouldn’t bother me at this point if they simply pulled them out of a hat between segments. The crew chiefs would complain since that would require them to think of their feet instead of coming up with a plan to work the system beforehand. For me, the element of surprise might allow for some fun racing – then again, it would probably end up like racing with weather approaching – the drivers all logging laps instead of racing hard.<\/p>\n
They brought the field down to check the lugnuts – verifying at least 40 pounds of pressure. Matt Kenseth said it was the equivalent of lining up football players to check their shoelaces.<\/p>\n
They’re showing a shot of the sky – showing the full moon – and blaming the lovely moon on the madness of NASCAR.<\/p>\n
Segment two is underway. Another 50 lap segment.<\/p>\n
KyBu has the 75 on his car instead of the 18 in honor of M & M’s 75th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Caution is out on lap 15 of 50 (or 65 of 100) for a weeper in turn 2.<\/p>\n
They have to change two tires under green before lap 85 now. Various cars are in the pits under this caution, but it doesn’t count for the green flag tire stop required before lap 85.<\/p>\n
I heard a disturbing story during the day today. It seems that a rumour was rampant that KHarv was going to replace Kasey Kahne in the 5 car next year. Happy signed a contract extension earlier this week officially putting the rumor to rest, but he mentioned that he’d gone to Kasey a couple months ago to talk to him about the rumour and to assure Kasey that no one from Hendrick Motorsports had talked to Kevin Harvick about the 5 car.<\/p>\n
Green flag on lap 22 of 50. Wreck on lap 22 and quite a few peole are collected. Kenseth, Smoke, Kasey Kahne, Harvick all got a piece of that one. Kenseth said he slowed up cause he saw them getting stacked up in front of him and someone drove over him. The guys in the booth are saying Trevor Bayne hit Kenseth from behind. Biffle (16) drove into the 24 of Chase Elliott.<\/p>\n
There’s a Carolina Panther (Greg Olsen) that’s going to draw a number to determine something about the final segment.<\/p>\n
Chase Elliott was trying to pit. At that time Kurt Busch was having a bit of trouble with his car, so the cars behind him began stacking up to avoid him.<\/p>\n
Smoke said its the most screwed up All-Star Race he’s ever been a part of and he’s glad it ‘s the last one. He said he’s just madder than hell because he doesn’t know how they’re officiated this one from start to finish. He’s confused about how some cars ended up a lap down after they help Kenseth for not pitting. They apparently said that since Kenseth took the caution without having pitted, all those cars that pitted were a lap down, then they held Kenseth for a lap when he pitted leaving most of the field a lap down and confused about it.<\/p>\n
Chase Elliott with a new side on his car almost hit one of the jet dryers as he was trying to catch up to the field.<\/p>\n
Kurt Busch got on the radio and suggested to his team that they take a lap and pit. His crew chief said they weren’t going to talk about that on the radio; spoiler alert – but that’s what they’d planned to do.<\/p>\n
The pace car is in and the field will restart on lap 32 of 50. They still have to get that green flag stop in before lap 85. So now seven cars have hit pit road to get in before lap 35 of 50 in the second segment.<\/p>\n
KyBu got busted for speeding into pit road, as did Jamie McMurray.<\/p>\n
They’re going to draw either 9, 10, or 11 and that number of cars will have to pit. As a result since KyBu came out from his penalty in 13th position, so he will likely end up in the top five on the restart, possibly on the front row.<\/p>\n
The 48 is falling backwards now and is in 12th. KyBu is hanging in 13th.<\/p>\n
Larson comes across the the start-finish line first at the end of lap 50.<\/p>\n
Greg Olsen pulled 11. Olsen is said Jimmie owes him dinner since that was the best draw for him.<\/p>\n
So 11 cars have to pit and get four tires. The other cars can’t pit, but move up to the front of the field.<\/p>\n
The 19 car has to come back in because one of his lug nuts wasn’t tight to the wheel. The whole field has to get their lugnuts checks. Carl Edwards was the third car off pit road, but now he has to go to the back after getting his lugnut tightened.<\/p>\n
The rules for the final segment are we’re going to race 13 green flag laps to see who wins the million dollars. The drivers decided that ten laps were too few and fifteen cars were too many and thirteen splits the difference between old and new tires.<\/p>\n
The rows behind the two with old tires ate up Jimmie and KyBu as they came into the first turn and left them in the dust. After a couple of close calls things have calmed down a little. And it ratcheted back up with a battle between Trevor Bayne and Kurt Busch for sixth.<\/p>\n
Looks like Squinty Douchey and It will end up one and two. <\/p>\n
Kyle Larson tried to hold him off and ended up side-swiping the wall a while to take himself out.<\/p>\n
DW seemed really excited about the burn out. Unforgutnately we were stuck looking at him turn the steering wheel inside the car instead of seeing the burnout. We spent too much time inside the car or looking out of the car during the crucial points at the end of the race. That’s becoming a trend in the coverage this season. It’s really aggravating to watch someone drive instead of watching what happens to the car or the rest of the field in crucial moments.<\/p>\n
Kyle Larson is gutted over losing this race. He was really close this time. He’s trying to hold the emotion in check, but you can hear it in his voice and see if on his face.<\/p>\n
Logano’s paint scheme is a pictoral history of Penske racing. Joey turned 26 this week.<\/p>\n
They’re talking to Trevor Bayne after the victory lane interview.<\/p>\n
Dale Jr finished third. He said during the race that it was like the first time he flew a remote controlled helicopter, he didn’t know what was going on. He said he’d love to win the Charlotte race before he retires. Is he saying that’s on the near horizon? Say it ain’t so Booboo.<\/p>\n
In NASCAR news this week:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n It’s been raining off and on for the past couple of days in Charlotte so the schedule has been a bit muddled with qualifying getting cancelled for the truck and for the All-Star Race and the Showdown getting moved to Saturday morning. Congrats to Matt Crafton on winning the truck series race today. It was … <\/p>\n\n
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Next Race: Charlotte<\/h3>\n
GO 48!!!!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"