Denny vs. Jimmie: Who has the edge?
For all the talk of Roush Fenway's struggles, the organization's top-ranked driver still sits higher in the standings than Hendrick Motorsports'. Just sayin'.
Now, let's get to the mailbag:
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Heluva Hamlin
Jimmie Johnson? Ha, I can beat that guy with one leg tied behind my back!
Denny H.
Virginia
Let's be honest, while I didn't completely write off Denny Hamlin following his knee surgery, I thought for sure that his season was in jeopardy of being lost. Obviously it's been the exact opposite.
But keep this in mind: As good as Hamlin's been in the last 10 races – five wins, seven top-five finishes – his average finish (7.2) still isn't as good as Jimmie Johnson's average finish in the last three Chases (6.8, 5.7, 5.0).
I did not even bother to watch Michigan. The F1 and Le Mans racing was so much better, no phantom debris cautions late in those races.
Michael McBride
Iowa City, Iowa
Races like Sunday's are the reason why NASCAR can never, ever leave Martinsville, why the sport needs more short tracks and why I'm 100 percent against Kansas getting a second Cup date and Kentucky getting a first.
Let me start by running down my list of consistently good races by track: Bristol, Darlington, Daytona, Infineon, Martinsville, Richmond, Talladega and Watkins Glen. I'll also throw Atlanta in there, too, because lately it's produced some solid racing.
Now let me run down the list of consistently boring races by track: Auto Club, Charlotte, Chicagoland, Homestead-Miami, Indianapolis, Kansas, Michigan and Pocono.
What does the first group have in common? They're all unique.
The second group? Six are intermediate, cookie-cutter tracks, while the other two are flat, 2.5-mile ovals that are better suited for open-wheel racing.
I'm no businessman, but it seems to me that while the cookie-cutter tracks are able to host a wider variety of events, and the newer ones certainly allow for amenities like sky boxes and fan-friendly garages, what does it matter if one-by-one fans stop showing up because the show at those tracks is straight-up dull?
As I've said before, the genie is already out of the bottle as far as scheduling goes. We're stuck with these tracks for the foreseeable future. In that sense, phantom debris cautions may not be such a bad thing, which brings us back to your letter, Michael: If you didn't bother to watch, then how'd you know about the final debris caution?
Who are the good guys?
Hey Jay,
I have a hypothetical question for you. If you were to poll all the drivers in the garage and ask them to list the top five drivers who are clean or respectful to race around, and the same for the five drivers who are dirty or don't give anything when racing around, what do you think the results would be?
I'm assuming Mark Martin is at the top of the first list and maybe Brad K. or Harvick near the top of the second list?? Thanks
Drew
Gainesville, Fla.
On the respectful side, you'd definitely get Martin and Jeff Burton, almost unanimously. I think you'd also get a lot of responses for Matt Kenseth (though Jeff Gordon might disagree), Ryan Newman and, wait for it … Jimmie Johnson.
On the flip side, Keselowski would clearly get Denny Hamlin's vote. Juan Pablo Montoya would probably be on that list, too, though he races more hard than dirty. Same with Kyle Busch.
This and that …
Why do they have to share with all the different networks? Why like other sports can't we just watch one network for our racing viewing???
Susan
Parts unknown
There isn't a major professional sport in America that doesn't spread it's coverage across multiple networks. Not counting local broadcasts, the NFL is on five (CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and NFL); Major League Baseball is on four (ESPN, Fox, MLB, TBS); the NBA is on four (ABC, ESPN, NBA, TNT); and the NHL is on two (NBC, Versus).
NASCAR's television coverage is actually less confusing than the rest, because while it does spread its Cup races across four networks (Fox, TNT, ESPN, ABC), for the most part it doesn't jump from one network to the other like the other sports do.
NASCAR was exclusively on Fox for the first 13 races, is on TNT for six, then switches to ESPN for 14 of the final 17. The other three are night races on ABC.
There have been complaints about nine of the 10 Chase races being moved to ESPN, which is somewhat understandable considering not everyone has cable. But NASCAR isn't much different in this respect, either. MLB, NBA and NHL all broadcast playoff games on cable networks.
Hello Jay: One of your readers openly wondered how drivers like Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch had any fans at all. You suggested that drivers should be more like Richard Petty, signing legible autographs and making themselves available to fans (though you said you weren't lumping them into the category of drivers who avoid fans).
As a Kurt Busch fan I can tell you that is EXACTLY why I follow him. He is one of the few drivers who signs at the souvenir hauler outside the track virtually every race weekend. I've actually met Kurt Busch. I stopped him outside his souvenir hauler and he very graciously talked and took a photo with me.
Many of his fans on Facebook have shared similar stories and pictures. I would have loved to talk to Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr. outside the track on race day, but I couldn't find those guys anywhere.
Dan Peterson
Saugerties, N.Y.
Thanks for your story, Dan.
Hey Jay, I always enjoy reading your article. About the whole firesuit thing, Marko from the last article (the obvious hater who only wishes he could have a woman as hot as Delana Harvick) thinks that Delana should stop wearing the firesuit. You stated in response to a question that there is no practical reason for her to wear it. Doesn't everybody else affiliated with the teams and NASCAR in the pits wear one?
Delana says she wears it for safety, which sounds understandable to me. But even without this, if my dad or son or brother were a driver and I was down at the pits I would want to wear one.
Jon Campbell
Carolina Beach, N.C.
Nope, not everyone wears a firesuit. Case in point, Mike Ford, Denny Hamlin's crew chief, sported a short-sleeved shirt while leading his driver to victory lane at Michigan.
If DeLana Harvick were actually part of her husband's pit crew, then it would be necessary for her to wear a firesuit. But she's not. She sits atop the pit box, far enough away from the action as not to warrant a firesuit, save for making a fashion statement.
As for you sporting one, Jon, it's the nerd in you, but at least you admit it.
Fantasy land
Here are my fantasy picks for Sonoma:
A Group: Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart
B Group: Marcos Ambrose, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman
C Group: Robby Gordon, Boris Said
Last call …
Ok, Jay, there is something that is bothering me about some of the commercials for Martin Truex Jr. and the NAPA team. As you have probably seen it by now, the commercial in question is the one with the mind-numbing jingle about "Napa know- how."
What bothers me is that the second "singer" says that, "You're only turning 9,000, need another gear." Now I am not a car expert by any means, but wouldn't adding another gear further decrease the engine RPM?
If this is the degree of NAPA Know-How, does this explain why M. Waltrip hasn't won in years and does it spell trouble for Truex now?
Chris B.
Morristown, Tenn.
