What an honor it would have been to be one of the fans injured by flying debris from Carl Edwards’ car in the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway. If you missed the wreck that led to Brad Keselowski’s first Sprint Cup win, here is your chance to catch up.
Reaching the finish line on foot, Edwards’ displayed a heroic ending to an exciting race. Yes, there is controversy about the block and bump drafting, whether more penalties should be issued to prevent similar accidents, but as a fan I enjoy watching drivers fight to the finish. In this case, Edwards made the mistake, and I’m thankful it wasn’t fatal.
Unfortunately, the opportunity for a top finish was taken away from Kasey Kahne and 12 others in a wreck that occurred seven laps into the race. Take a look at the footage below:
And finally one more reason why the Aaron’s 499 was a thrilling race:
I don’t know about you, but I’m marking my calendar Nov. 1, when NASCAR will rally for the second time in Talladega in the Amp Energy 500.
For the Samsung 500 two weekends ago at Texas Motor Speedway, my dad, who had to attend the race without me, decided to caravan with other Oklahomans through a packaged deal put together by wimgo.com.
After seeing an advertisement in the Daily Oklahoman, my dad visited wimgo.com where they had a great deal for those looking for a way to get to the race. The package was $159 and included a bus ride to the speedway and back, a ticket to the race, pit pass and a boxed lunch. According to him, “it worked like clockwork”. There were six buses with approximately 50 passengers each, mainly couples ranging in age from 30 to 70 years old, and as the event timeline said, they were on the road at 7:00 a.m. Going along with the NASCAR theme the film Days of Thunder, featuring Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall and Nicole Kidman, was shown on the bus ride.
The seats in the grand stand were in turn one, section 147, which made sense because it was close to the bus parking lot and allowed for a quick return after the checkered flag fell. He couldn’t see pit road but still good seats.
Overall, I’m glad that wimgo offered this deal because my dad does not need to be driving 3 hours down and back by himself after an early morning and long day. He got home around 9:00 p.m., making great time being in race traffic. He praised the organization of the trip and how everyone was timely in getting back to the buses after the race.
If you’re looking for events in your area or want to add an event, visit wimgo.com
Kasey Kahne finished seventh in last week’s Atlanta race, placing him ninth in Cup point standings. A caution, thrown because Marcos Ambrose’s crew member ran into the field to chase a runaway tire, caused Kahne and many others to be a lap behind. Kahne recieved the lucky dog pass later, but Ambrose’s crew member has been suspended by NASCAR for the next four races. Maybe the upcoming week off will be beneficial to Kahne’s team in checking what might be causing his inability to obtain the first place position. Kahne says he feels comfortable in his car but when reaching top speeds can’t pinpoint the problem that keeps him from holding the top spot. Hopefully, he can maintain his lead this season.
Despite a disappointing turnout from the fans, it was a great day for Kurt Busch who pulled off the win Sunday. Jeff Gordan, who is having a fantastic start to the ’09 season, finished second and Carl Edwards third.
Due to college demands, I have yet to be available on a Sunday afternoon to watch a race. Gathering second-hand research has been upsetting but NASCAR.com videos, articles, and race results has helped me stay on top of what I’ve been missing.
Most NASCAR fans should be familiar with NASCAR.com but for those race fans who aren’t let me give you a rundown of why you should look into navigating through this Web site.
Not only can you obtain the news you need about the sport; tracks and drivers, but you can be a part of the community.
Within the community one can create a themed profile with a forum for personal blogs, photos and videos as well as a tab for crews and buddies to follow. NASCAR is proving they are all about the fans and allowing us to have a voice on their Web site.
I’m impressed that fans can find everything they need on one site.
Ask.com
Sponsor, Ask.com, has grabbed hold of the opportunity to become the official search engine of NASCAR this season. Formally askjeeves.com, ask.com has been reinvented. Fans are encouraged to use ask.com to find answers to NASCAR questions during races and while on the NASCAR.com Web site. I could write a whole blog just about Ask.com and the extent they are going to compete with Google…. but for now I’ll have you check it out for yourself.
FANS- take the time to join the community at NASCAR.com.
Visit the site to obtain your NASCAR news. You’ll be glad you did!
It was a long week leading up to today’s season opener, Daytona 500. Nothing short of exciting. Check out the play-by-play
The cause of controversy today was the wreck involving contact between Dale Jr. and Brian Vickers. I’m not 100 percent convinced that Jr. is the one to blame, but I’m taking Vickers’ side on this one. Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, among others were knocked out of the race after Jr. took a stab at trying to pass Vickers in the front of the pack. Vickers maneuvered a competitive block and Jr. over compensated after being cut-off. I’ve heard numerous opinions about who is to blame for the wreck. To me Jr. is favored in the NASCAR world and can get away with pretty much anything. I think he means well, but he shouldn’t walk around like he owns the place.
What are your thoughts?
At the start of the race I was enjoying my amp energy drink, which always keeps me awake on Sunday afternoons for four plus hours in front of the TV, but thanks to Jr. on lap 124 I was regretting my decision to support his sponsor.
With eight cautions, newbie Logano’s hard hitting end to his first Daytona500, Kahne’s unfortunate bump caused by Almirola and 48 laps to go, the race was called due to rain and Matt Kenseth is declared the winner. Having not won a race last season, this is an emotional start for Kenseth’s 2009 season.
Kahne finished 29th and only because he wasn’t given a chance to race back into a decent position due to the caution after getting bumped and an immediate red flag because of rain.
From one coast to the other, I’m ready to watch next week’s race in California. And this time I want to see it last till the end!
What an exciting finish to the preseason Budweiser Shootout. Take a look
Congrats to Kevin Harvick for a fantastic comeback.
Sadly I had to miss the preseason excitement due to a wedding I attended Saturday evening, so I had to gather information about the race secondhand.
Thanks to this blog I was able to get a rundown about the Dodge drivers and how they felt after qualifying. Kasey Kahne sounds ready for Sunday. He finished sixth in the shootout. I’m praying he has a better season than last year, but seeing the qualifying results…I’m worried for the Dodge team.
Daytona International Speedway is an exciting track because drivers are able to drive 3- to even 4-wide. This makes for an entertaining race and a lot of drafting. Because the shootout ended the way it did, I can only imagine how Sunday’s race will finish. Expect wrecks. It’s 500 grueling laps so let’s hope most of the field can make it to the end.
A lot has changed for the 2009 season: New and/or less sponsors, new drivers, new numbers, etc. It may take me awhile to get everyone straight/re-branded in my mind.
I think it goes without saying that I am psyched for next week’s race! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my schedule will allow me to watch the exciting race.
I’m sure it’s hard to believe that a 22-year-old female from a suburb of Oklahoma City loves NASCAR but it’s true. My interest began in 2004 when driver Kasey Kahne started racing the #9 Dodge in the Cup series and I attended my first NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway.
What you can look forward to reading:
The 2009 season is about to start. I will keep readers updated on the latest news and my personal breakdown and opinion of the Cup races.
What you should know:
I’m a huge Kasey Kahne fan but enjoy rooting for Carl Edwards and many other top drivers, which after reading my blog, I hope you will come to know.
The rest of this post is a blog I wrote in November 2007. This will help you better understand why I love the sport…
Nov. 9, 2007 -I attended the NASCAR Cup race this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway and I can’t help but point out the many pros of the sport to the non-fans out there. Interesting to me is the massive amount of flak I get for being a fan. It’s as if I am automatically placed in a “white trash of America” category. Unlike what many people may think, the sport can be entertaining to a variety of classes.
So here are the reasons why I have fallen in love with NASCAR:
* Pre-race activities: It’s like one big fair before EVERY race. Everyone has an opportunity to meet a driver if they get up early and head over to the trailers outside the speedway. Drivers are always signing autographs or taking interviews at their sponsor’s venue or at the live pre-race Speed Channel set. Also there are tons of free giveaways at sponsor tents and each driver has a trailer with all of their merchandise available to purchase.
* Fans are decked out in their favorite driver’s apparel. Without the tacky apparel you feel out of place. Getting dressed for a race and choosing which drivers to support that day is part of the fun.
* You are allowed to bring in a cooler of a certain size with your choice of beverage and snack.
* You don’t have to worry about what you look like, because chances are you look 20 times better than the man or woman next to you.
* Once inside the speedway, an hour before race time, the entertainment begins. Celebrities and musical guests are in attendance. Red Bull sky divers parachute their way down into the infield, proving that Red Bull “gives you wings.”
* The drivers are introduced one-by-one, walk across a portable stage hooked up to a semi, hop into the bed of a truck and are driven around the track. This is the best time to hear the crowd go wild. Whether it is cheering or booing, you hear it both. Drivers know it is better to be booed than to hear nothing at all.
* Everyone loves Dale Earnhardt Jr. I mean how could you not have a soft spot for him after all that his dad did for the sport?
* A pastor gives a prayer for the safety of the drivers.
* For whatever reason, I think next to meeting the president or visiting D.C. it’s one of the most patriotic events.As the Star Spangle Banner is played F-16s fly overhead right on cue “…the land of the Free.” I can’t help but look at the 200,000 standing fans in the front stretch grandstand and be reminded that is the number of men and women we currently have in uniform overseas defending our freedom.
* Look around at all of the colors! Driving advertisements! What great marketing and PR!
* After the pre-race festivities, the celebrity guest says the most famous words in NASCAR, “Gentlemen start your engines.” The sound gets my heart racing.
* Next is the warm-up laps and then the green flag waves and “boogity, boogity, boogity, it’s time to go racin’.” The smell of burning rubber and the sound of ear splitting speed gets everyone on their feet.
* It’s the only sport I can think of where you get the opportunity to listen to your favorite driver, during the race, talk to his pit crew on a scanner. Wearing goofy ear plugs or headphones is a must. Nextel even has a scanner where you can listen and watch your favorite drivers.
* Neck and neck driving, cars passing, pit stop plotting and cars colliding make the next four hours worthwhile. Because the cars are safe, I find it OK to wish for a good crash every once in awhile. It’s pure entertainment!
Take a look for yourself: here
* Within the four hours of the race, it’s understandable to take a quick nap. (I always do)
* You never know what kind of points your favorite driver might wrack up or how many they might lose in a brawl after another driver tips them over the edge. There is always a hint of drama.
* It’s a manly sport, so for men you might feel more masculine and for women there are plenty of good looking drivers to swoon over.
* Lastly, the green, then white and finally checkered flags are waved, a driver wins and does an awesome burn-out before heading to victory lane. Wow, what a race!
Before you make a judgment call, try it out for yourself. I don’t mean tune in on a Sunday afternoon while you’re flipping through channels. Buy tickets, camp out, make a weekend party of it, and enjoy the smell and speed LIVE! I wasn’t a fan before I went, but after that first live race I was hooked. It is much more than watching cars make left turns all day.
On the Up and Up 