The Sixth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Six Weeks Suspension

Bowyer went from one to done after his car failed
inspection post-Loudon.

In NASCAR,  fortune can turn on a dime.

And no team knows that better than the No. 33 team of Clint Bowyer.

The Richard Childress Racing team went from the highest of highs (winning the first race of the Chase at Loudon) to the lowest of lows (failing inspection and getting docked 150 points).

Per the official NASCAR press release:

"The No. 33 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book."

In addition to the points deficit, crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for six weeks for the infraction and put on probabation until Dec. 31.

The stiff penalty effectively turned Bowyer and team from a possible championship contender into just another also-ran.

And although Richard Childress fought the judgment with his infamous wrecker defense, NASCAR capitulated not.  The ruling stood.

But you gotta give credit to Bowyer. After his initial impassioned response, the driver didn't waste time crying over lost points. 

Instead, he pulled off a second-place result at Fontana, and went on to win Talladega in a virtual photo finish.

And while dwelling on "could have beens" is often an exercise in futility, I can't help but wonder how Bowyer and Wilson's season would have ended had the penalty never been incurred.

Something tells me they would have finished a heckuva lot better than tenth.

Points Racing Is for the Birds

Thank goodness for Kevin Harvick - one of the few Chasers
who didn't points race at Talladega.

I don't claim to have all the answers.  Heck, I don't even understand all the rules.

But as I sat in the grandstand at Talladega Sunday, I had an epiphany.

Points racing is for the birds.

Don't get me wrong.  Talladega was truly fantastic.  On the whole, it was exciting, dramatic and, in the end, somewhat confusing. 

However, if you're a fan of Jimmie Johnson or say Jeff Gordon, the last thing you want to do is spend money on a race ticket simply to watch your driver hang in the back. 

I know, I know, Talladega is a monster. A driver can go from worst to first in just a few laps.  Or first to wrecked in a split second.  So it makes rational sense that championship contenders would try avoid the fray.

And even with a non-aggressive points racing strategy, drivers run the risk of getting caught up in someone else's mistake or perhaps losing the draft completely (ahem ... Denny Hamlin).

But just think how much more exciting the last 12 races would be if every Chase driver had to run for the win to move up in the points?

Imagine what would happen if (as Hamlin suggested a couple weeks ago) drivers were awarded a point per each lap led.  Such a change would kick points racing to the curb and add a heap more drama.

And that would sure make the fans happier.

Non-Chaser of Note: Juan Pablo Montoya

Juan Pablo Montoya high fives fans after being introduced
at Talladega Superspeedway

In the days leading up to race weekend, if you asked folks which non-Chaser had the best shot to win Talladega, they'd likely say Jamie McMurray.

McMurray was the obvious choice.  The Earnhardt-Ganassi driver is having the season of his life, winning the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the Bank of America 500 and also the fall Dega race last year.

His teammate Juan Pablo Montoya wasn't even on the radar.

But Montoya surprised the crowd Saturday by clocking the fastest qualifying time, putting him on the Talladega pole. And, during the race, he avoided the on-track drama to end the day in third spot.

McMurray, on the other hand, finished thirty-sixth.

Although Montoya hasn't won as many races as his EGR teammate, he is having a pretty good year.

So far, JPM can boast a win at Watkins Glen, three poles, six top fives and 14 top 10 finishes.

And if team owner Chip Ganassi stays with Chevy and those Childress-built engines, Montoya will be a huge threat in 2011.

You can bank on it.

A Cure for the After-Dega Blues

The day after Talladega is kinda like the day after Christmas. There's so much buildup to the big event - it's a slow letdown when the party is finally over.

On the day after Dega, you wake up still on an adrenaline high from the sights, the sounds and the excitement. You  keep turning on your camera just to scroll through your race photos again and again.  You relive and retell the weekend's highlights with your buddies or any poor soul who will listen.

Then you gradually come back to reality as you pack for the journey home, return to work, or stand in an interminable airport security line.

Alas, it's too bad every day can't be Dega.

Personally, I can't quite come to terms with the real world just yet.  So I'm sharing some of my favorite photos from this weekend in the hopes they'll help alleviate those after-Dega blues ...

Jeff Burton and the No. 31 crew
await their turn to qualify.



Kevin Harvick laughing it up on pit road.



Jimmie Johnson chats with the boys from ESPN.

I'm still not used to seeing Kasey Kahne in
a Red Bull Racing uniform.

The "Lucky Dog" gets a place of honor
on David Reutimann's No. 00

Best off-track activity at Dega?
Playing "Costume or Not a Costume" -
sometimes it's hard to tell ...

American Idol alumnus Josh Gracin sang a
fantastic National Anthem.

There's always a camera crew following
Kyle Busch and fiancee Samantha Sarcinella

The fans are loving Tony Stewart - this was taken right after
he gave his Coca-Cola to a little girl who was decked out in No. 14 gear.

If fan adoration equaled good luck at Dega, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would
have led every lap and won by a mile.

Scott Speed and company head down pit
road before qualifying.

The answer is "subtle".  The question is
"What is one thing Talladega fans are not?"

SB Nation reporter Jeff Gluck interviews
Clint Bowyer before qualifying.

A Personal Thank You to Dale Jr.

My cousin Michael may be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s biggest fan.

His bedroom is decked out with No. 88 posters, calendars, diecast and even bath towels.

He drinks AMP before every Sprint Cup broadcast.

And every time Talladega rolls around, Michael hopes with all his heart that he'll be able to see Dale Jr. and get his autograph.

The past three Dega races that hasn't happened. We've waited and waited by the No. 88 transporter in the hot sun. We've interrogated Lance McGrew in the garage area. We even tried to sneak back stage during driver introductions.

But today was different.

Today, Michael finally got his wish.

Thanks to a NASCAR official with a little compassion, Mike Davis (Junior's PR rep) who let us take up Junior's time before qualifying, and Dale
himself, Michael got a few seconds of time with "his driver".

And Michael couldn't be happier. He has been looking at the car Junior autographed for him all day. And those of us who love Michael have been smiling all day.

So thank you Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

I'm sure signing autographs isn't a big deal to you - but to a fan like Michael, it's simply the world.

Non-Chaser of Note: Brad Keselowski

Mark Martin had the best finish of all the non-chasers. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. put on a good show.

But Brad Keselowski wins this week's "Non-Chaser of Note" for leaving Martinsville with his best Cup finish in a Penske car - tenth.

Keselowski has the 2010 Nationwide Series all but sewn up and will likely end his upcoming run at Texas Motor Speedway as the de facto champ.

But on the Cup side, Special K has had his struggles.

In the March Atlanta race, he went flying into the fence courtesy of the No. 99.  Keselowski also crashed out at Talladega, Sonoma and Daytona.

But the good news for the No. 12 team?  As long as Keselowski isn't on the receiving end of "the big one," he can win big at Dega.

Just ask Carl Edwards.

Hamlin Names It and Claims It at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin celebrates his
victory at Martinsville.

Earlier in the week, Denny Hamlin said he'd be the guy to beat at Martinsville and that points leader Jimmie Johnson had better be worried.

He was right on both counts.

With Hamlin's prophetic win today at Martinsville (his third straight at the track) he chopped Johnson's points lead to six - a virtual tie.

The No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota didn't dominate the paper clip.  In fact, at the beginning, it looked like Hamlin had been shot backwards out of a cannon.

But the driver's surprising patience throughout the 500 laps coupled with a crack pit stop by the No. 11 crew, put him in good stead to bring home the "W".

"We did not have a race-winning car until the very end," Hamlin said. "My pit crew got me from sixth to third before the last restart and that was the key."

Hamlin's victory means the upcoming contest at Talladega could be a more strategic barn burner than usual.

With just a smattering of points separating Johnson and Hamlin - and third place Kevin Harvick trailing by a mere 62 - the boys will be forced  to race each other for position.

And that, my friend, will a wild race make.

Wonder if Hamlin cares to make another prediction?

Talladega Highlights - As Ranked by Grandstand Reaction

For fans assembled at Talladega Superspeedway to witness one of the most exciting races in recent memory, there was only one thing wrong with how the race went down.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't win.

But with a record-breaking number of lead changes, three green and white checkers and a simmering feud between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon that's come to a rolling boil - even the most stalwart Junior fan couldn't complain too much.  And if you looked across the mostly No. 88 clad multitude at the race's end, they weren't.

Compared to last November's Dega race, in which there were long patches of single file racing and an atmosphere of boredom through much of the green flag runs, Sunday's contest was a bona fide barn-burner.

I've judged the highlights by the amount of hooting and hollering going on in the stands at any given point. Here are the top five Dega moments as ranked by the folks in the grandstands -

5. Jeff Gordon wrecks. When the No. 24 Dupont Chevy rolled by the grandstand in a less exalted state than it had begun the race, the Dega fans (who typically don't think of Gordon too highly) cheered their pants off. Literally. One guy in front of me nearly lost his shorts, he was jumping around so much over Gordon's demise.

4. Jimmie Johnson wrecks. Johnson's spin into the wall caused quite a bit of exultation among the NASCAR congregation. I think I even heard a "Hallelujah" and an "Amen Brother". That's what you get for beating the competition handily nearly every week. Sometimes folks love to see a practically perfect person get their comeuppance.

3. Kevin Harvick dumps Jamie McMurray for the win. Normally, a last-minute bolt to the front and a few heart-stopping seconds to the checkers would outrank anything else on the cheer-o-meter. But this is Dega. Even Harvick's fantastic finish couldn't outdo Dale Jr's decent day for what was probably the largest assemblage of Junior Nation in history.

2. Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. - together again. Maybe it was a brief glimpse of the good ol' days when Mikey and Junior were DEI teammates, or maybe it was simply the fact that Junior was going to the front at Talladega. Whatever the reason, when these two re-united for a little push in the draft, the place went electric.

1. Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. hook up. When Smoke and Junior went nose to tail, fans went nutso. Not only was it sheer pandemonium in the stands, but my buddies at home watching the broadcast said you could hear the roar on TV. Talk about Talladega thunder. If Junior had actually managed to win it at the end, things could have gotten as loud as an F5 tornado.

No Break in the Weather for NASCAR

They say April showers bring May flowers.  But it sure would be nice if those April showers would stay away on race weekends.

For the third weekend this season, the odds are good that yet another race is going to fall victim to the whims of Mother Nature.

The Saturday forecast for Talladega is pretty dire - severe thunderstorms, hail and possible tornadoes.  Not necessarily racing, camping and partying weather.

However, NASCAR officials decided today that the Saturday show will go on - hopefully.  Here's the details from FOXNews.com -

NASCAR official Jim Hunter said if the Nationwide race is postponed by weather Saturday it would be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Sunday or on Monday.

Lynch said weather officials told him there is the possibility of one to five inches of rain falling in the track vicinity Saturday. But there also is the possibility of sunshine, he said, and the severe weather could bypass the track.

Hundreds of Alabama state troopers and many emergency services personnel and vehicles will be on speedway property during the weekend.

“The decision was made somewhat easier for us because a huge percentage of our crowd is already here,” Lynch said. “They’re going to be here whether we run this race or not. We will tell them to take precautions and secure everything at their campsites that could blow around. They have to take the necessary precautions that they deem reasonable.”

There are no shelters of significant size in the speedway area.

Hopefully Talladega will be spared any major weather, however, if storms do hit - there are some safety precautions racegoers can take. The below information is courtesy of FEMA:

"If you're in a vehicle, trailer, or mobile home - Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

If you're outside with no shelter - Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding.

Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.

Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.

Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries"

Hopefully, the Darrell Waltrip School of Meteorology is correct in their assertion that speeding cars create a climate vortex which keeps inclimate weather away. 'Cause it sure would be nice to get a break in the weather.

Playing Nice Won't Last Long

When it comes to the Edwards/Keselowski feud, officials are saying the pair have made peace.  They've worked through their issues.  They will now race each other with respect.  The pair's heart-to-heart in the hauler worked its magic.

Don't believe it for a Bristol minute.

For all the articles proclaiming the two have reached a treaty of sorts, I remind you of the admonition  from the Biblical prophet Jeremiah - "peace, peace but there is no peace".

Though their on-track encounter Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway was more polite than a curtsy for the Queen, these two are going to ditch their put-on manners sooner or later.

Keselowski hinted as much during a pre-race interview in which he encouraged fans to "stay tuned".  He also hasn't been shy about assuring fight-hungry fans that his Atlanta run-in with Cousin Carl isn't going to change the way he drives.

And Carl? Well something about his 10-carat grin while answering questions about Brad leads me to believe a vengeful plan lies beneath that polished veneer.

He's probably just waiting 'til he's off probation. Which puts the date for the combatants' next dust up as April 18 at Texas. Or, if the two are really patient, April 25 at Talladega - which also happens to be the one-year anniversary of the crash that started it all.

As they say, timing is everything.

Photo info: Edwards and Keselowski leave each other plenty of room at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Hit the Track Like an Insider

NASCAR nation is readying for the 2010 season and there's an undeniable certain something in the atmosphere.

Perhaps it's the scent of exhaust in the air or the feel of Daytona sun on the skin. Maybe it's the fact that NASCAR TV has re-emerged from its winter hibernation.

All I know is, I've lately been visited by visions of transporter convoys trucking south on I-95 , carrying their precious cargo into the DIS infield.

It's the time of year when the buildling excitement leads fans to start planning their NASCAR road trips - while hoping they can save enough money to fit a new track into their travel schedule.

If you're one of the fortunate souls who will be heading to a track you've not yet been to (or even one you have), I encourage you to pick up Liz Allison's new "NASCAR Insider's Track Guide." The popular radio/TV personality and best-selling author gives attendeees the low down on everything from which tracks are the most kid friendly to nearby campgrounds and places of worship.

The guide is full of helpful phone numbers, address and insider tips. And while I can't vouch for every restaurant Allison recommends, I do know that her must-eat suggestion for Talladega is right on the money. Just thinking about the venerable Dreamland BBQ makes me long for a dripping rack of ribs and a piece of white bread.

I'll be putting this guide to the test this year, as I plan to hit as many races as possible in 2010 - and I'll let you know how that works out. But until then, get ready all you NASCAR road trippers - it's almost travellin' time!

Are You Ready For Some NASCAR? Bocephus Should Play Dega

Hank Williams Jr. rarely plays Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. But last night, as part of NASCAR Sound and Speed, Bocephus took that venerable stage and wowed fans and drivers with what I've heard was one heckuva show.

And the crowd went even wilder when Williams tore open his shirt at the end of his encore to reveal he was wearing an Alabama Football tee underneath.

Roll Tide!

So here's my plan - get the folks at Talladega Superspeedway to book a Bocephus concert for April's race. What better star to entertain the whiskey-bent partiers on Talladega Boulevard than the original country boy who's always got Dixie on his mind?

Just put him in a Crimson Tide shirt, give him a stage and let 'er rip. Cause Dega is one place where nobody rowdies on down.

Photo info: Hank Williams Jr. performs at the Ryman during Sound and Speed - photos courtesy of @NASCARsays via Twitter.