I had planned on a Bristol incident report, to coincide with my Conspiracy blog. Well, as you fellow parents know, plans usually go right out the window when you have the kids around. I found it hard to take notes with the baby trying to crawl into the kitchen every 5 seconds.
Anyway, there wasn't much conspiring going on anyway. Except for some HMS lead swapping for points. The only real "incident" appeared to be "unHappy" Harvick getting into his teammate. I don't think that was anything more than a racing deal. Even unHappy wouldn't turn a teammate. Would he?
On with the ranting....
*Could we get any more Hypocrisy in the media. Kyle gets taken out by a rookie. Goes into the hauler, calms down and comes out sounding contrite and saying the rookie will learn, spotter this, etc. that. No venom, no name calling or anything. Yet noone mentioned anything about it other than the wreck during the Sat. broadcast. Had Kyle, cursed, called Austin stupid, or the spotter a jackass, the whole pre-race would have been filled with Kyle bashing. Yet when he does the right thing we don't hear about it till Mon. or Tues.
* Plus, how about some Bowyer bashing. He walked rather fast and angry by the media after crashing. Why is it that nobody is calling him a crybaby, whiner , spoiled brat?
* The same fans who are all barking that Mark Martin should have wrecked the 18, are the same fans that would have crucified the 18 had the the two been reversed and Kyle spun Mark.
Kyle has never had ontrack issues with Martin, and Mark is the Patron driver of the "Golden Rule"
^~~~~~ Michigan NNS flashback~~~~~
ATTN Brian Vickers- Did you noticed how Kyle ran his same line to hold off Martin, didn't crowd him down and let the 3rd place car win the race?? Thats what Kyle meant by racing stupid. Had he tried to take Mark's lane and drove defensivly (sp) He likely would have wrecked them both allowing the 3rd place car to advance. Sound Familiar??
*My prediction for the Chase- Busch and Vickers get in, Kenseth and Newman don't.
* I know I am on a Busch rant this week, but ... Whats up with all the people booing him, then grabbing for the Checkers as he tries to give the flag to the one girl in the whole place (fanwise) that was happy he won. They all hate him, but sure wanted the flag. I really hope that the little girl got the flag.
Thats all this week, hopefully the kids are calmer in two weeks for the Atlanta race.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Chase Conspiracy Theories!
When the Chase was first introduced, one thing caught my eye. Notice the 2 short tracks, in the last three races. I actually called in to a local radio show, to voice my concerns.
The Question went something like this. What if the guy in 13 (then 11th) happened to "move" the guy in 12 (then 9th) causing him to crash, thus enabling the guy on the outside to move into the Chase? The radio pundits, after much deliberation, decided they really didn't know what would happen.
This has never really become an issue. Especially last year. The big 4, HMS, Roush, Gibbs, and Childress. Had the Chase field covered last year. Each team with most, if not all their drivers making the Show.
This year is a entirely different story. With seven different owners taking up the 12 spots. I will for this blog denote Stewart/Haas and a seperate entity from HMS.
Where am I going with this, you may ask?
Picture this on Sat. night. The 33 is close to making the Chase. His teammate, the 29 who is way outside the Chase, runs up behind the 17. Harvick , not known for patience, boots the 17, who backs it into the fence and has finishes back in the pack. Up moves the 33, one step closer to keeping Childress from being shut out of the Chase.
Voila, instant Chase conspiracy.
Example 2. The 20, with a rookie driver, gets loose and takes out the 5. Helping the 18 inch his way back into contention.
Rookie mistake or team orders? You be the judge.
I'm not saying that teams are sitting in the haulers and Richard is telling Harvick and Burton to dump the guys in front of Clint in the standings, but who knows. In fact, how could you tell at all? Isn't Bristol known for beating and banging.
I guess I must just have a warped mind, but if I was Childress, looking to be shut out of the Chase, I promise its something that would run through my thoughts.
Just something to think about. Of course, we will probably be sitting in front of the TV waiting for the rain to stop. I hope not.
Anyway, just a little food for thought. I am thinking of bringing back the Incident Report, for atleast the next 3 races. That way I can analyze the cautions, and see if I can throw a little gas on the fire for us Nascar conspiracy theorists.
Let me know what you think of my little Conspiracy theory.
The Question went something like this. What if the guy in 13 (then 11th) happened to "move" the guy in 12 (then 9th) causing him to crash, thus enabling the guy on the outside to move into the Chase? The radio pundits, after much deliberation, decided they really didn't know what would happen.
This has never really become an issue. Especially last year. The big 4, HMS, Roush, Gibbs, and Childress. Had the Chase field covered last year. Each team with most, if not all their drivers making the Show.
This year is a entirely different story. With seven different owners taking up the 12 spots. I will for this blog denote Stewart/Haas and a seperate entity from HMS.
Where am I going with this, you may ask?
Picture this on Sat. night. The 33 is close to making the Chase. His teammate, the 29 who is way outside the Chase, runs up behind the 17. Harvick , not known for patience, boots the 17, who backs it into the fence and has finishes back in the pack. Up moves the 33, one step closer to keeping Childress from being shut out of the Chase.
Voila, instant Chase conspiracy.
Example 2. The 20, with a rookie driver, gets loose and takes out the 5. Helping the 18 inch his way back into contention.
Rookie mistake or team orders? You be the judge.
I'm not saying that teams are sitting in the haulers and Richard is telling Harvick and Burton to dump the guys in front of Clint in the standings, but who knows. In fact, how could you tell at all? Isn't Bristol known for beating and banging.
I guess I must just have a warped mind, but if I was Childress, looking to be shut out of the Chase, I promise its something that would run through my thoughts.
Just something to think about. Of course, we will probably be sitting in front of the TV waiting for the rain to stop. I hope not.
Anyway, just a little food for thought. I am thinking of bringing back the Incident Report, for atleast the next 3 races. That way I can analyze the cautions, and see if I can throw a little gas on the fire for us Nascar conspiracy theorists.
Let me know what you think of my little Conspiracy theory.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Random Thoughts from Michigan!!
Another weekend in Michigan has come and gone. Before we all get to pumped up and excited for Bristol, I thought I would take a few moments to look back at what happened the last two days.
* Jimmie Johnson and I finally have something in common. We both want to be weatherman. What other job can you get, where you can be wrong 50% of the time and still not be fired. o% percent chance of rain, yet still two delays. Atleast they ran it on Sunday eventually.
* Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers- Man I hate when two of my guys have a problem. You would think they would get along, both being HMS leftovers, but I digress. Although I freely admit Kyle acted rashly by running the 32 down on pit lane. But,I do see his point. Had Vickers run the line that he had been using all day, it would have come down to those 2 cars. By pulling down and running Kyle along the bottom, he did slow both cars down. Don't ask me how, its one of those aero deals. If Vickers spotter had kept him aware that the 88 was coming on the high side, he would have ran high, and he and Busch would have dueled for the win. The fastest two cars were Vickers and Busch, those two battling for a win would have been classic. Instead we got Bucky in the 88 playing the opportunist for a second time this season. I won't say Brad was lucky, he had his car in the right position to take advantage and when the time came he pounced.
* The pre-race both days included stories about Keselowski, being from Michigan, and donating tickets to 40-50 area workers, that have been laid off. It was a nice story.
What doesn't get reported, Kyle Busch donated 60 tickets to MIS for them to distribute. Maybe the public wouldn't think he was such an a-hole, if the media would report some things like this about the guy.
* Jimmy Johnson's driving ability called into question once again. Two HMS cars pitted on the same lap. Both had pressure from other cars. One managed to finish and the other didn't. Saving fuel is directly related to a drivers ability to maximize performance while not mashing the gas. Floating the car in, and pedaling off allow a driver to maintain some speed, while saving fuel. Some masters of this include Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers.
*While we are on the subject of JJ. He should have never been out front to begin with. He clearly jumped that last restart and should have recieved a penalty from Nascar. I think jumping the start is a pass through. I only heard Jarrett mention it once on the broadcast and have yet to see anyone talk about it anywhere else. I guess rules don't apply when JJ is gunning for a win.
* Kudos to the Red Bull team and Brian Vickers. I hope this allows them to finalize Brian's contract and get him a teammate that can provide some feedback and help. I like Speed, but he is not helping provide any info that would enable Red Bull to contend seriously for the title.
*Once again we are foiled by too much pre-race and not enough post-race. I raised the same issue during Fox's coverage. Please TV people, less pre, more post.
Well enough whining and crying. (HMMM maybe thats why I like Kyle, we both like to complain)
Hope everyone has a good week, I can't wait till Fri and Sat. I love me some Bristol night racing.
Thats just my opinion, I could be wrong. But probably not!
* Jimmie Johnson and I finally have something in common. We both want to be weatherman. What other job can you get, where you can be wrong 50% of the time and still not be fired. o% percent chance of rain, yet still two delays. Atleast they ran it on Sunday eventually.
* Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers- Man I hate when two of my guys have a problem. You would think they would get along, both being HMS leftovers, but I digress. Although I freely admit Kyle acted rashly by running the 32 down on pit lane. But,I do see his point. Had Vickers run the line that he had been using all day, it would have come down to those 2 cars. By pulling down and running Kyle along the bottom, he did slow both cars down. Don't ask me how, its one of those aero deals. If Vickers spotter had kept him aware that the 88 was coming on the high side, he would have ran high, and he and Busch would have dueled for the win. The fastest two cars were Vickers and Busch, those two battling for a win would have been classic. Instead we got Bucky in the 88 playing the opportunist for a second time this season. I won't say Brad was lucky, he had his car in the right position to take advantage and when the time came he pounced.
* The pre-race both days included stories about Keselowski, being from Michigan, and donating tickets to 40-50 area workers, that have been laid off. It was a nice story.
What doesn't get reported, Kyle Busch donated 60 tickets to MIS for them to distribute. Maybe the public wouldn't think he was such an a-hole, if the media would report some things like this about the guy.
* Jimmy Johnson's driving ability called into question once again. Two HMS cars pitted on the same lap. Both had pressure from other cars. One managed to finish and the other didn't. Saving fuel is directly related to a drivers ability to maximize performance while not mashing the gas. Floating the car in, and pedaling off allow a driver to maintain some speed, while saving fuel. Some masters of this include Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Brian Vickers.
*While we are on the subject of JJ. He should have never been out front to begin with. He clearly jumped that last restart and should have recieved a penalty from Nascar. I think jumping the start is a pass through. I only heard Jarrett mention it once on the broadcast and have yet to see anyone talk about it anywhere else. I guess rules don't apply when JJ is gunning for a win.
* Kudos to the Red Bull team and Brian Vickers. I hope this allows them to finalize Brian's contract and get him a teammate that can provide some feedback and help. I like Speed, but he is not helping provide any info that would enable Red Bull to contend seriously for the title.
*Once again we are foiled by too much pre-race and not enough post-race. I raised the same issue during Fox's coverage. Please TV people, less pre, more post.
Well enough whining and crying. (HMMM maybe thats why I like Kyle, we both like to complain)
Hope everyone has a good week, I can't wait till Fri and Sat. I love me some Bristol night racing.
Thats just my opinion, I could be wrong. But probably not!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Is Pit Road Safety a Nascar Concern?
In discussing the JPM speeding incident at Indy, I came to the realization that justifying the pit road speed for safety is a load of horse "puckey"
Nascar does some stupid stuff when it comes to "safety" Example A. That whole rule involving only putting on tires or getting gas in the Truck series. How is doubling the amount of stops needed making pit road safer. It just doubles the amount of stops, thus doubling the chance for and accident to occur.
I think that the speed at which the cars enter and exit, has little to do with improving safety. The incidents I have seen, usually didn't occur with the car traveling pit road speed.
Usually they involve a car turning in and clipping a crew member, or catching one on the way out. I am suprised that we don't have more of these incidents every week.
The Pit Crews used to be just mechanics from the shop, that worked double duty by pitting the car during the race weekend. As the sport progressed and 10ths of a second began translating to spots on the track, most teams now have dedicated Pit Crews, that instead of building cars, spend their weeks training and practicing for Sundays.
In my opinion if Nascar was serious about pit road safety, then they would freeze the fields and it wouldn't matter if you had a 12.5 second stop or a 15.0 second one. Thats the only way I see to alleviate the types of incidents that occur on pit road these days.
Now we all know thats not going to happen. So my best scenario would be for Nascar to get up off its fat Wallet and make the cars better on the track. If its easier to pass on the track, it would take the necessity for passing on pit road out of the equation.
Now I appreciate the work that these guys do. To change 4 tires, add fuel, pull a tearoff, make adjustments, etc etc, in 12-14 seconds is freakin amazing. However, to me, its anticlimatic to have the race won or lost on pit road. Especially at the cookie cutter tracks, usually the guy who gets of pit road first, just takes off in clean air. That takes the race out of the drivers hand and puts it into the crews. I don't watch the races to see which crew is best. I want to know who the best driver is that day. Not which crew chief made the best adjustments.
I could get on a JJ rant but I will refrain.
Also, I think that any track that wants a Nascar race( Truck, NNS, or Cup) should have 43 identical stalls, and where possible, they be lengthened to give drivers a way around crew members. I know you can't do much at tracks like Bristol. I love Bristol, it gets a pass from my rant.
Do I really know the answer, NO. I am just a lowly Nascar fan, I love the sport, and I just want to see the best racing possible. I don't think we are getting that right now.
Feel Free to lambast my ideas, or add your own. Who knows!! One day somebody important may read these blogs and do something. I doubt it, but there is always hope.
Nascar does some stupid stuff when it comes to "safety" Example A. That whole rule involving only putting on tires or getting gas in the Truck series. How is doubling the amount of stops needed making pit road safer. It just doubles the amount of stops, thus doubling the chance for and accident to occur.
I think that the speed at which the cars enter and exit, has little to do with improving safety. The incidents I have seen, usually didn't occur with the car traveling pit road speed.
Usually they involve a car turning in and clipping a crew member, or catching one on the way out. I am suprised that we don't have more of these incidents every week.
The Pit Crews used to be just mechanics from the shop, that worked double duty by pitting the car during the race weekend. As the sport progressed and 10ths of a second began translating to spots on the track, most teams now have dedicated Pit Crews, that instead of building cars, spend their weeks training and practicing for Sundays.
In my opinion if Nascar was serious about pit road safety, then they would freeze the fields and it wouldn't matter if you had a 12.5 second stop or a 15.0 second one. Thats the only way I see to alleviate the types of incidents that occur on pit road these days.
Now we all know thats not going to happen. So my best scenario would be for Nascar to get up off its fat Wallet and make the cars better on the track. If its easier to pass on the track, it would take the necessity for passing on pit road out of the equation.
Now I appreciate the work that these guys do. To change 4 tires, add fuel, pull a tearoff, make adjustments, etc etc, in 12-14 seconds is freakin amazing. However, to me, its anticlimatic to have the race won or lost on pit road. Especially at the cookie cutter tracks, usually the guy who gets of pit road first, just takes off in clean air. That takes the race out of the drivers hand and puts it into the crews. I don't watch the races to see which crew is best. I want to know who the best driver is that day. Not which crew chief made the best adjustments.
I could get on a JJ rant but I will refrain.
Also, I think that any track that wants a Nascar race( Truck, NNS, or Cup) should have 43 identical stalls, and where possible, they be lengthened to give drivers a way around crew members. I know you can't do much at tracks like Bristol. I love Bristol, it gets a pass from my rant.
Do I really know the answer, NO. I am just a lowly Nascar fan, I love the sport, and I just want to see the best racing possible. I don't think we are getting that right now.
Feel Free to lambast my ideas, or add your own. Who knows!! One day somebody important may read these blogs and do something. I doubt it, but there is always hope.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Random Thoughts on Nascar!
The last few weeks in Nascar has been quite entertaining, yet difficult for me to watch. With the last races being on Monday. I missed both of them. I forgot to DVR the Pocono race and the relative I relied on to set the DVR this past Monday, got ESPN and ESPN2 confused. I look forward to finally watching The Glen race when I get home tonight. I hope I am taping the Speed channel replay. Keep your fingers crossed.
Anyway, enough catch up. Most of these thoughts have already been blogged and discussed, but I will still put my 2 cents in.
* I don't think JPM was speeding at Indy. A guy with a 6 second lead isn't pushing it on the last stop. Add the fact that he wasn't busted earlier in the race, and was "supposedly" hitting the same light on the tach each stop. Sounds fishy to me. All Nascar has to do is show teams the speeds in real time, so they can adjust after the first stop. If it was really a Safety issue, not a way to Nascar to "shuffle the cards" then they would provide them teams the info.
* The one Pocono race I miss and its exciting. Whats up with that?
* Thumbs up for Denny winning the race! Thumbs down for Denny for driving over top of the 00 and spinning him into the 47! Thumbs up for Denny apologizing and taking blame for being a little hasty in getting back to the front.
@$#%%^ What the &^% is up with Robby Gordon?? As most of you guys and gals know, I really don't like RG. I think he makes Paul Menard look like a top 10 caliber driver.
Maybe the last two weeks will open the eyes of the rest of the racing community. Not only did he retaliate against Stremme for no reason at Pocono, but the crap he pulled with Logano at the Glen really irritated me. First trying to spin him and flattening his own tire, then coming back out and finishing the job under caution. Wiping out a rookie and turning his car into a flaming ball. What a way to show your lack of driving skill and intelligence.
I think RG would be better off pulling a Waltrip and retiring and putting somebody else in that car. When so many other teams are struggling to find sponsors, Robby seems to be going out of his way to run his off.
* Nascar should have parked him for the Cup race at The Glen.
* Smoke continues having a great year. You think if he wins the Championship, that Rick Hendrick will get to sit up at the owners table with him???
* Great weekend at the Glen for the Aussie!! I read somewhere that Marcos is pronounced Marcus in the Outback. (Is this true Tez??) if so somebody should tell everyone!
* I loved the dive bomb move during the Nationwide race! I think what po'ed Kyle the most, was that somebody used one of his moves to pass him. Although not the safest pass I ever saw, I didn't think it was dirty.
* Speaking of Kyle. It looks like all the media lambasting has finally worked. He seemed rather subdued in his interviews, almost like a puppy that has been hit with a shoe to many times. Too Bad!! I didn't always agree with the things he said, or how he said them. But it made the interviews more interesting to watch. Now he may as well just be another Drivertron 3000 spouting sponsors.
I am sure I am forgetting some other stuff. I may have to make additions after finally seeing the Watkins Glen race.
Anyway, enough catch up. Most of these thoughts have already been blogged and discussed, but I will still put my 2 cents in.
* I don't think JPM was speeding at Indy. A guy with a 6 second lead isn't pushing it on the last stop. Add the fact that he wasn't busted earlier in the race, and was "supposedly" hitting the same light on the tach each stop. Sounds fishy to me. All Nascar has to do is show teams the speeds in real time, so they can adjust after the first stop. If it was really a Safety issue, not a way to Nascar to "shuffle the cards" then they would provide them teams the info.
* The one Pocono race I miss and its exciting. Whats up with that?
* Thumbs up for Denny winning the race! Thumbs down for Denny for driving over top of the 00 and spinning him into the 47! Thumbs up for Denny apologizing and taking blame for being a little hasty in getting back to the front.
@$#%%^ What the &^% is up with Robby Gordon?? As most of you guys and gals know, I really don't like RG. I think he makes Paul Menard look like a top 10 caliber driver.
Maybe the last two weeks will open the eyes of the rest of the racing community. Not only did he retaliate against Stremme for no reason at Pocono, but the crap he pulled with Logano at the Glen really irritated me. First trying to spin him and flattening his own tire, then coming back out and finishing the job under caution. Wiping out a rookie and turning his car into a flaming ball. What a way to show your lack of driving skill and intelligence.
I think RG would be better off pulling a Waltrip and retiring and putting somebody else in that car. When so many other teams are struggling to find sponsors, Robby seems to be going out of his way to run his off.
* Nascar should have parked him for the Cup race at The Glen.
* Smoke continues having a great year. You think if he wins the Championship, that Rick Hendrick will get to sit up at the owners table with him???
* Great weekend at the Glen for the Aussie!! I read somewhere that Marcos is pronounced Marcus in the Outback. (Is this true Tez??) if so somebody should tell everyone!
* I loved the dive bomb move during the Nationwide race! I think what po'ed Kyle the most, was that somebody used one of his moves to pass him. Although not the safest pass I ever saw, I didn't think it was dirty.
* Speaking of Kyle. It looks like all the media lambasting has finally worked. He seemed rather subdued in his interviews, almost like a puppy that has been hit with a shoe to many times. Too Bad!! I didn't always agree with the things he said, or how he said them. But it made the interviews more interesting to watch. Now he may as well just be another Drivertron 3000 spouting sponsors.
I am sure I am forgetting some other stuff. I may have to make additions after finally seeing the Watkins Glen race.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Thanks Tony, for clearing that up.
I am beginning to like Tony Stewart more every day. With all the media coverage of his "new" team, we got to see a little behind the scenes of him. He seems to be a decent guy. I know he has had his moments, but as a Kyle Busch fan, I can forgive those. Now I will not cheer for Tony or Ryan, until Stewart/Haas starts building its own cars and motors. I despise pretty much anything HMS related. Hopefully in the next few years he can break the cord attached to Hendrick, and then I might reconsider.
So why the change of heart you ask?? Well because Smoke verified what I have been saying all along! Heres the quote from the Indianapolis Star.
Tony Stewart on his fellow owner-drivers: "If we had to start from scratch, we never would have done this. So the guys like Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip that are true owner-drivers, those guys are a lot more impressive than what I am because I couldn't have done that." -- Indy Star
Thanks Tony, for proving my point! Even though I can't stand Robby Gordon, I can appreciate the effort that he and Mikey Waltrip have made in starting their own teams.
Tony is a great driver, and business man. I applaud his efforts in hiring the best people available to work in his program. He will be a success for years to come.
If he ever cuts ties with Hendrick, he may even have a few more fans.
So why the change of heart you ask?? Well because Smoke verified what I have been saying all along! Heres the quote from the Indianapolis Star.
Tony Stewart on his fellow owner-drivers: "If we had to start from scratch, we never would have done this. So the guys like Robby Gordon and Michael Waltrip that are true owner-drivers, those guys are a lot more impressive than what I am because I couldn't have done that." -- Indy Star
Thanks Tony, for proving my point! Even though I can't stand Robby Gordon, I can appreciate the effort that he and Mikey Waltrip have made in starting their own teams.
Tony is a great driver, and business man. I applaud his efforts in hiring the best people available to work in his program. He will be a success for years to come.
If he ever cuts ties with Hendrick, he may even have a few more fans.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Wallaces, a Nascar family!
In 1987 at 15, I started watching Nascar. After a few races, I decided I needed a driver to cheer for. Rusty Wallace was a natural choice for me. He drove a Pontiac at the time, different from the Fords and Chevys, I like different. The car was green /white, which were my high school colors. Plus, he was from St. Louis, hometown of my dad and home to my grandparents. With that a Rusty Wallace fan emerged.
Now we all know that there are many storied families in Nascar. The Petty's, Allison's, Labonte's and Earnhardt's just to name a few. The Wallaces should be considered one as well.
The patriarch, Russ Wallace raced all over the midwest in the 50's and 60's, in latemodel and sportsmen type cars. Amassing over 400 wins and injecting a love of racing into his 3 sons.
Russell William Wallace Jr, knew he wanted to race from the age of ten. Track rules kept him from that until Aug. 14, 1972, when Russ and Judy (RW's parents) went to the courthouse to get a release from the judge. At that time you had to be 18 to race at Lake Hill Speedway, or get the court to sign a release. 6 days after the judge signed off on Rusty racing, he ran his first race. A heat race which Rusty won. Although he ran out of gas in the Feature (Russ won) that race signaled the start of what would be a bright future in racing.
Now retired and working in broadcasting (for Espn and co-hosting Nascar Angels), Rusty had a great Nascar career. Amassing 55 wins in 706 starts. In those 700 plus starts he had an incredible 349 top 10 finishs. 1989 saw Rusty win his only Nascar Championship, with a 12 point victory over friend and rival Dale Earnhardt Sr. Wallace also claimed 2 IROC titles and was named to Nascar's 50 Greatest drivers.
Mike Wallace is the middle brother, and probably the least known of the Wallace clan.He made his debut in the Busch (Nationwide) series in 1990. Known more as a journeymen driver, Mike has raced for many teams, in all 3 Nascar series. He has made 187 Cup starts and his best finish was a 2nd at Phoenix in 2001, driving as a Penske teamate of Rusty's. Mike has enjoyed more success in the NNS and Trucks. With 4 wins in each series. Most recently in 2004 with a NNS win at Daytona. His plate prowess makes him a likely pick for a small team looking to qualify at the Superspeedways.
The baby of the family is Kenny Wallace. Kenny is probably best known for his insightful and funny commentary on the Speed Channel, and for those awful Stacker2 commercials. Kenny is a racer's racer. Willing to race any kind of car on almost any track. He has enjoyed 9 NNS wins and numerous Cup and Truck starts. His best finish in Cup being the Infamous 2000 race at Talledega in which he pushed Dale Sr. to what would be his last win. That day is a highlight of his career. Kenny was the 1986 ASA Rookie of the Year, and claimed that same title in the Busch Series (NNS) in 1989. I am sure he also relishes the Most Popular Driver awards which he earned in 1991, 94, and 2006. If you don't see him on Speed, or at a Nascar race, you can be sure he is on a dirt track somewhere.
The Next generation of Wallaces are already on the track as well.
Stephen, son of Rusty, is a driver in the NNS starting there fulltime in 2007. Stephen started racing in 1998 at 11 yrs old, in the Bandeleros and Legends cars. In 2004 at 17 he won the Snowball Derby ( a big short track race in Florida), a race in which both his dad and Uncle Kenny have entered but never won. Now into his 3rd year, Stephen has yet to win a NNS race, but has won numerous ARCA series events. I look for him to keep improving and one day be in the Cup Series.
Chrissy Wallace is the daughter of Mike Wallace. She is an up and comer in the race world. Also starting in the Bandeleros and Legends, she quickly moved up to late-models. In 07 she had 5 late model wins, including at the historic Hickory Speedway. She has been running some ARCA and Trucks races. With luck and sponsors hopefully she can continue, and reach her goal of running in the Sprint Cup Series.
Don't forget young Matt Wallace, son of Mike. He is currently running Bandeleros, and one day dreams of Nascar glory.
So, even though I started as just a Rusty Wallace fan, I have grown to admire the whole racing family. Plus, since Rusty has retired, atleast I still have Wallaces to root for, and that looks to continue, well into the future.
SOME FUN WALLACE FAMILY FACTS
*Kenny Wallace- better known as "Herman" got the nickname from Lake Hill promoter Bob Miller. Mostly because of his rowdy demeanor in the stands. He called him Herman after Herman the German, a mischievous cartoon character.
*Ken Schrader, is a fellow racer from Missouri, who just happened to grow up and hang out with the Wallaces in the early days.
*Rusty had a race chassis business in the 70's named Poor Boy Chassis Co.
*On occasion Tony Stewart has sponsored Chrissy's late model car. Always a friend to Mike, Tony even flew him to Concord NC so he could attend her graduation.
*the 1991 Pyroil 500 at Phoenix was the first time since the 50's that 3 brother ran in the same Cup race.
*In 1988 Kenny ran a Busch (NNS) race in a Dale Earnhardt owner car, and in 89 ran a full season in a car half-owned by brother Rusty.
* Steven Wallace has Tourettes Syndrome- Other athletes with Tourettes include, soccer players Tim Howard and David Beckam, and b-ball player Mahmoud Abdul Rouf.
*In 2005 Kenny won Smokes "Prelude to the Dream" at Eldora Speedway
*Like Rusty, Kenny also won the first time he raced, on a dirt track in 1982
Thanks for reading, Good luck to everyone in the SYMT race at Daytona.
LETS GO RACING!!!!!
Now we all know that there are many storied families in Nascar. The Petty's, Allison's, Labonte's and Earnhardt's just to name a few. The Wallaces should be considered one as well.
The patriarch, Russ Wallace raced all over the midwest in the 50's and 60's, in latemodel and sportsmen type cars. Amassing over 400 wins and injecting a love of racing into his 3 sons.
Russell William Wallace Jr, knew he wanted to race from the age of ten. Track rules kept him from that until Aug. 14, 1972, when Russ and Judy (RW's parents) went to the courthouse to get a release from the judge. At that time you had to be 18 to race at Lake Hill Speedway, or get the court to sign a release. 6 days after the judge signed off on Rusty racing, he ran his first race. A heat race which Rusty won. Although he ran out of gas in the Feature (Russ won) that race signaled the start of what would be a bright future in racing.
Now retired and working in broadcasting (for Espn and co-hosting Nascar Angels), Rusty had a great Nascar career. Amassing 55 wins in 706 starts. In those 700 plus starts he had an incredible 349 top 10 finishs. 1989 saw Rusty win his only Nascar Championship, with a 12 point victory over friend and rival Dale Earnhardt Sr. Wallace also claimed 2 IROC titles and was named to Nascar's 50 Greatest drivers.
Mike Wallace is the middle brother, and probably the least known of the Wallace clan.He made his debut in the Busch (Nationwide) series in 1990. Known more as a journeymen driver, Mike has raced for many teams, in all 3 Nascar series. He has made 187 Cup starts and his best finish was a 2nd at Phoenix in 2001, driving as a Penske teamate of Rusty's. Mike has enjoyed more success in the NNS and Trucks. With 4 wins in each series. Most recently in 2004 with a NNS win at Daytona. His plate prowess makes him a likely pick for a small team looking to qualify at the Superspeedways.
The baby of the family is Kenny Wallace. Kenny is probably best known for his insightful and funny commentary on the Speed Channel, and for those awful Stacker2 commercials. Kenny is a racer's racer. Willing to race any kind of car on almost any track. He has enjoyed 9 NNS wins and numerous Cup and Truck starts. His best finish in Cup being the Infamous 2000 race at Talledega in which he pushed Dale Sr. to what would be his last win. That day is a highlight of his career. Kenny was the 1986 ASA Rookie of the Year, and claimed that same title in the Busch Series (NNS) in 1989. I am sure he also relishes the Most Popular Driver awards which he earned in 1991, 94, and 2006. If you don't see him on Speed, or at a Nascar race, you can be sure he is on a dirt track somewhere.
The Next generation of Wallaces are already on the track as well.
Stephen, son of Rusty, is a driver in the NNS starting there fulltime in 2007. Stephen started racing in 1998 at 11 yrs old, in the Bandeleros and Legends cars. In 2004 at 17 he won the Snowball Derby ( a big short track race in Florida), a race in which both his dad and Uncle Kenny have entered but never won. Now into his 3rd year, Stephen has yet to win a NNS race, but has won numerous ARCA series events. I look for him to keep improving and one day be in the Cup Series.
Chrissy Wallace is the daughter of Mike Wallace. She is an up and comer in the race world. Also starting in the Bandeleros and Legends, she quickly moved up to late-models. In 07 she had 5 late model wins, including at the historic Hickory Speedway. She has been running some ARCA and Trucks races. With luck and sponsors hopefully she can continue, and reach her goal of running in the Sprint Cup Series.
Don't forget young Matt Wallace, son of Mike. He is currently running Bandeleros, and one day dreams of Nascar glory.
So, even though I started as just a Rusty Wallace fan, I have grown to admire the whole racing family. Plus, since Rusty has retired, atleast I still have Wallaces to root for, and that looks to continue, well into the future.
SOME FUN WALLACE FAMILY FACTS
*Kenny Wallace- better known as "Herman" got the nickname from Lake Hill promoter Bob Miller. Mostly because of his rowdy demeanor in the stands. He called him Herman after Herman the German, a mischievous cartoon character.
*Ken Schrader, is a fellow racer from Missouri, who just happened to grow up and hang out with the Wallaces in the early days.
*Rusty had a race chassis business in the 70's named Poor Boy Chassis Co.
*On occasion Tony Stewart has sponsored Chrissy's late model car. Always a friend to Mike, Tony even flew him to Concord NC so he could attend her graduation.
*the 1991 Pyroil 500 at Phoenix was the first time since the 50's that 3 brother ran in the same Cup race.
*In 1988 Kenny ran a Busch (NNS) race in a Dale Earnhardt owner car, and in 89 ran a full season in a car half-owned by brother Rusty.
* Steven Wallace has Tourettes Syndrome- Other athletes with Tourettes include, soccer players Tim Howard and David Beckam, and b-ball player Mahmoud Abdul Rouf.
*In 2005 Kenny won Smokes "Prelude to the Dream" at Eldora Speedway
*Like Rusty, Kenny also won the first time he raced, on a dirt track in 1982
Thanks for reading, Good luck to everyone in the SYMT race at Daytona.
LETS GO RACING!!!!!
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