The Second NASCAR Day of Christmas: Two Fighting Jeffs

Sometimes the cosmic force behind NASCAR gives fans a gift that is so unexpectedly wonderful, it lives in the annals of racing lore for years.

And the fight between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton at Texas Motor Speedway is one of those gifts.

An unlikely pair of enemies, these two were applauded by fans for having the guts to "have at it" face to face (and not face to camera as other drivers often do).

There went Gordon, stomping down the track after his smashup with Burton, like a man on a mission.  And he didn't waste time.  Upon reaching the object of his anger, there was a leap, a shove, and what looked like an attempted hair pulling.

The moment made for darn good TV, a colorful highlights reel, and precious fodder for bloggers and pundits alike.

Here's hoping that the "have at it boys" mandate gives fans even more such moments in 2011.

The Twelfth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 12 Chasers Chasing

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One of the best things about the 2010 season, was that the Sprint Cup Chase was the closest in Chase history. 

Twelve drivers didn't just make the Chase, they made the Chase exciting.

There were flying fists, fingers and fines.  There was high drama and low blows. And, to top it off, there was a reigning champ who came from behind to score his fifth championship in a row - a feat unparalleled in NASCAR history.

Clint Bowyer started the Chase with a win in New Hampshire  - only to be fined and penalized days later when his car failed post-race inspection.  The judgment punted the No. 33 from second to twelfth in the points.  And Bowyer's response to the penalty made "The Wrecker Defense" a motorsports byword.

Bowyer ended the year in 10th spot.

Then there was Kyle Busch.  Although Rowdy failed to produce a "W" during the Chase, he did make for some good TV with his flying one-finger salute on national television.  Busch finished the year in eighth place.

Kevin "Happy" Harvick brought the goods all year long. The regular season champ, he stayed in contention 'til the very end.  And though he finished in third, his message was heard throughout the NASCAR world - Richard Childress Racing is back.

Second-place finisher Denny Hamlin added a heap of racing drama to the Chase.  He started the Chase in the top seed after a win at Richmond.  He then lost the Chase lead, but stole it back from the No. 48 team with a win at Texas. 

And then the mind games and the verbal potshots began as Hamlin and crew chief Mike Ford called Johnson and Chad Knaus the weaker team, vowing to beat the Lowe's dynasty. 

But words can come back to haunt you, and at Homestead, Johnson and company showed their strength while Denny spun out, ending his quest to win his first championship. 

Moral of the story? You better check yourself, before you wreck yourself.

For Knaus - Heavy Lies the Head That Wears the Crown

Denny Hamlin smells blood in the water.  Your pit crew's performance is costing you positions. Your driver is panicked.  And there are only two races left.

What would you do?

Would you chuck your team on the chins and tell them "we'll get 'em next time"?  Would you tell your driver to shut up and wheel the car?  Or would you take a game-changing risk that could make you a hero if your instincts are right - or a zero if you're wrong.

Leaders opt for the latter.

Sure, Chad Knaus' mid-race move at Texas won't make him the new fan favorite, but that's nothing new.  Leaders aren't always popular, even among those they lead.  But leaders do make the tough call when it counts - which is what Knaus did at Texas.

When your guy is on the ropes and your opponent is using him for a punching bag, you've got to regroup, re-strategize and come out swinging. If not, you'll be down for the count and the victory will go to your opponent.

And what does popularity count for then?

So during the next few weeks, Knaus will take a lot of heat for the pit crew swap - especially if his plan fails.

But if his instincts are true (and they have been for the past four years) he'll have steered Hendrick Motorsports to their fifth consecutive championship.

And himself into the history books.  Again.

Hot Damn! Texas Turns Into NASCAR Fight Club

After today's race at Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR shouldn't have any trouble selling tickets.

The Lone Star State had it all - an upset in the points, an irate driver giving NASCAR the "one-finger salute" (on camera, mind you) and a pit crew swap mid-race.

But the moment that lit up Twitter like the big bright stars at night and caused many a race fan to yelp out a "Yee Haw", was "The Fight" between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton.

After getting taken out by Burton under caution, Gordon got out of his No. 24 Chevrolet and stomped down the track to meet Burton head on.  

Cue the Old West shootout music.

Channeling his inner cowboy, Gordon didn't bother to stand upon ceremony or march off 10 paces. Instead, he made a little leap in the air and shoved Burton with both hands. He then tried to grab Burton by the head and throw a few punches before NASCAR officials separated the two.

The moment was spontaneous, authentic and dramatic - just what fans have been craving and NASCAR has been needing.

All I can say is, the NFL has got nothin' on this.

Truex Jr. to Be Powered by Pink at Texas

The names of more than 2,400 breast cancer victims, survivors and supporters will ride along with Martin Truex, Jr. during the AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The driver's No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota will feature a special paint scheme which coincides with a big donation by NAPA - $250,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure.

Fans helped raise $51,000 of the $250,000 donation by making a minimum contribution of $5.60 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for their loved ones' names to appear on the car. The names are featured in pink on the paint scheme, while names submitted with a donation of $560 or more are in white.

NAPA also raised funds via the sale of NAPA All Out for the Cure™ limited edition hats during the month of October.

The AAA 500 takes place at 3 p.m. Sunday and will be televised by ESPN.

Truex to Run for a Cause at Texas

NAPA Auto Parts and Martin Truex, Jr. are teaming up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to honor breast cancer victims, survivors and supporters.  The driver's special paint scheme will be unveiled during the Nov. 7 Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Now through Oct. 11, fans can submit the names of loved ones affected by breast cancer to appear on the No. 56 Toyota by making a minimum donation of $5.60 via the NAPA KNOW HOW Facebook page. NAPA is hoping to recognize more than 56 thousand individuals via the special paint scheme. NAPA will make a minimum guaranteed donation of $250 thousand to Susan G. Komen for the Cure with this promotion and the NAPA All Out for the Cure™ program.

Names submitted with a donation of $560 or more will be in white on the car. All donation proceeds will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will be broadcast live on ESPN at 3:00 p.m. EST Nov. 7.

Rain Delays Make For Good Reading

To paraphrase "The Old Perfesser" Casey Stengel, "Now there's three things you can do in a NASCAR race: You can win or you can lose or it can rain."

You can say that again.

While fans watched and waited and watched some more, the radar over Texas played the NASCAR faithful false, promising clear skies and an end to the wet while delivering only more drops and and puddles at the track.

After napping through much of FOX's extended Texas broadcast, this fan awoke to the news that both the Cup and Nationwide races would be postponed 'til Monday - leaving me feeling cheated out of some green flag gratification.

However, life is all about how you handle Plan B.  So, with Plan A a wash, I turned to Twitter to read how the drivers were coping with the downpour.

I discovered that the guys at Red Bull Racing were participating in some sort of infield Olympics. Kevin Harvick left the track to hit The Cheesecake Factory and a movie.  Juan Pablo Montoya was just plain bored. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. was devising ways to get NASCAR PR girl Jen Powell to work the word "knockers" into an official e-mail bulletin (I kid you not).

For me, there's nothing better on a rainy day than curling up with a long book and some hot tea.  And, when I'm wearing my NASCAR hat, I swap my book for a laptop and catch up on my racing reading.

Below are a few of my favorite NASCAR blogs- ones I try to read on a regular basis, or a least when I have a spare minute (like rain delays for instance):

The boys at The Spotter Stand do one heckuva job on their self-made web site.  I especially enjoy reading their Catch Can feature - can't wait to meet them in person at Talladega.

The folks at Rubbings Racing cover the sport carefully and well - and their podcasts are fantastic. If you've never checked them out before, do so immediately. You won't be disappointed.

Another one of my fave racing blogs is Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie - they've always got some  interesting opinions to share. To wit, this post on Ryan Newman's recent surge.

For those of a more literary inclination, my buddy Ovalscream has some of the most comprehensive and well-written posts on the web. He's the New York Times of the NASCAR blogosphere. USA Today fans take heed!

Finally, there's no better site to find out the revised NASCAR TV schedule than The Daly Planet - John Daly's informative, up-to-the-minute blog about all things relating to NASCAR's TV coverage.  The site is slam-packed with info., plus he's a nice guy to boot.

Happy reading!

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.

The Real Reason For All the Johnson Hate

I've had an epiphany.

Since Jimmie Johnson took a turn for the worse at Texas Motor Speedway, I've been trying to figure out why so many core NASCAR fans literally did a happy dance when he crashed on lap three. There were raucous jeers from fans at the track. And even a good many Twitter peeps made it clear that Johnson's demise was their own dream come true.

I think I've finally found the answer. Folks don't like Johnson because he makes it look easy.

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus don't get ruffled. They rarely commit errors. They plan their work and work their plan. And then they do annoying things like hang in the back of the pack at Talladega for the entire race and end the day with nary a scratch and a sixth-place finish.

This is enough to make fans of certain other drivers who scream at their crew chiefs and cut tires on a regular basis, want to set Johnson's hair on fire.

To illustrate, please permit me a personal example. There's this guy at the office who drives me berserk. He sails through the day updating his e-harmony profile, playing Farmtown on Facebook, and chatting with his "lady friends" via instant messenger. And if that was all there was to it, I'd be merely amused. But the thing about him that really gets under my skin is, for all that, his work magically gets done. In short, he makes it look easy.

Of course, unlike the dude in my office, Johnson and Knaus put in the hours and have some serious work ethic and ambition and probably don't play Farmtown. But, unless you count Texas, winning sure doesn't look too difficult for them.

And this is why fans were elated to hear the usually controlled Knaus start to get a little huffy with his crew in the Texas garage post-wreck. That's why there was shameless delight when Johnson directed his frustration at Sam Hornish Jr on camera.

The Lowe's team had finally had a hard day - and they were letting it show.

Unfortunately for all you Johnson haters, the Lowe's Chevy will still win a history-making Cup championship at Homestead. And, yes, they might make it look easy.

Just try not to let it bother you too much.

Looky There - Things Just Got Interesting

Everyone said it was highly improbable that Jimmie Johnson would have a bad race between Talladega and Homestead. But that's the funny thing about the improbable - it sometimes happens.

In fact, Johnson got hit with a ton of improbable during lap three of the Dickies 500 on Sunday in the form of David Reutimann and Sam Hornish Jr. And although Johnson's crew (as well as several members of other Hendrick Motorsports teams) worked frantically to get the #48 back on the track, they lost an hour of time and more than 100 laps. And Johnson lost 100 points.

Just like that.

Of course there's no great loss without some gain. And Mark Martin stands to gain the most from Johnson's unlikely brush with fate. Although Martin started Texas with a nearly insurmountable points lag, he left the track only 73 points behind.

It looks like Pheonix just got interesting--and that Homestead tickets just got harder to come by.