Jimmie Johnson saw a chunk of his points lead taken away at Texas, with Mark Martin taking third in the Nascar event, Jimmie Johnson had to settle for 40th after this crash early on in the race.

Phoenix was a little different, Johnson didn’t crash but his motor blew up on the 13th lap, ending his day earlier then they had planned.  Martin went on to finish 5th.

The season finale at homestead proved no better for Jimmie Johnson and his Lowe’s team as a tire problem sent him into the wall ending his day with a 38th place finish.

Well their you have it, Jimmie Johnson’s large points lead has been all but erased as Mark Martin was able to win his first ever championship while Johnson ended up 3rd behind Jeff Gordon in the points chase.  This was history in the making for both Mark Martin and team owner Rick Hendrick as he is the first owner to ever finish 1-2-3 in the Nascar standings.

Alright this scenario will never happen, was just a way to try and bring hope to people who are not fans on Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team.  Will this happen, I highly doubt it.  Johnson’s last time with 4 DNF’s was in 2006 where he still won the title, but had 10 wins as well.  4 DNF’s this year would end his hope of becoming the first ever 4 time Nascar Champion.  If for some remote chance something like this would happen, it would be far worse then Kyle Busch’s horrible chase run he had last year.  Do any of you see Jimmie Johnson not winning the title this year?

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It is not set in stone yet, but a source close to the negotiations says a deal is almost complete.  Danica will drive for JR Motorsports, which is owned of course by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Nationwide Series.  Talks between Danica Patrick and JR Motorsports are moving forward, both parties seem to be on the same page with what each other wants.  Of course though, both Danica and representatives of JR Motorsports have declined to comment on anything.

The deal could be final in the nexst 7-10 day’s, however it probably would not be announced until the off season.  A story like this would draw almost as much, if not more attention then the current chase.  Danica Patrick’s first event would probably be the ARCA race at Daytona and sources close to her say she would race 12 or 13 events in the 2010 Nationwide Series.

Danica Patrick will be even busier in 2010 if and when this deal goes through.  She also signed a 3 year extension with AGR in the Indy Series, which many thought she would not do.  Racing a full season in Indy cars as well as a half a dozen in the Nationwide series as well as all of her public appearances makes for one crazy schedule.

With Brad Kaselowski heading to Penske racing full time in 2010, that leaves a car open in the JR Motorsports camp.  Who better to fit that seat then Danica Patrick?  Yes she has a lot to prove with her racing ability in a Nationwide series car, with only 1 win in her entire Indy Car career how much can she bring to the table for Nascar and JR Motorsports?  ALOT!  Nascar is all about marketing ability and not driving ability (yes I said it).  You can take an average driver with big sponsorship dollars backing them and they will get the seat over a great driver who does not bring any sponsorship with them.  Well we all know the marketing capabilities with Danica Patrick and the amount of money she can bring in to the sport.

The great thing is she shares a sponsor already with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and GoDaddy.  Imagine what other sponsor would pay to be on the roof of her cars.  No women driver has ever won a Nascar race (trucks, nationwide or sprint cup) maybe Danica Patrick will be the first.  Only time will tell though, a contract has to be signed before anyone can jump to conclusions on this situation.

If she does sign though, how big of an impact do you think she will make on the sport?  Will it blow up on her face as she races either in the back of the field or off behind the wall with a wrecked car? Let’s just sit back and watch the show…

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Former Nascar racer Jeremy Mayfield has yet to pay his former lawyer Bill Diehl for representing him in his case again Nascar and his suspension.  Mayfield has since switch lawyers to high profile attorney Mark Geragos, but has yet to pay Diehl a dime.  Diehl charges $1,000 per hour for his services, but failed to mention exactly how much Mayfield still owes him.  He just said we have worked extremely hard on this case and we will get paid.  If Mayfield does not pay Diehl, legal action will be brought upon him for failing to make good on this.

I cannot believe Mayfield would not pay his former lawyer, it would be financial and life suicide to not pay a lawyer.  I would think that a retainer would have been paid, once that was used up Mayfield would have to pay more money to the lawyer.  I guess with high profile cases and the people involved it did not have to work that way.

Mayfield is holding an auction Nov. 20 to sell a log cabin, ranch style home, 475 acres of divided property, construction equipment, cars, tractors, trucks, race equipment, engine shop all in North Carolina.

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This Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway will have Brad Kaselowski behing the wheel of the Penske Racing Dodge and not David Stremme.  It was announced Sept. 1, 2009 that Kaselowski would be joining Penske Racing for the 2010 season full time.  As it normally goes in Nascar, things have changed a bit and Brad will be racing the remaining races behind the wheel for Penske.

Brad already has one win this season, that coming at the Talladega spring race and finished 3rd in points with 2 wins in his first full NNS season in 2008.  That same year Kaselowski was named the most popular NNS driver.

Kaselowski has already stirred up some controversy in Nascar this year with his aggressive driving style.  Texas is a fast track and many fans are glad that Talladega disaster is over with.

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Yesterday’s race at Talladega made many fans lash out at Nascar and Twitter was full of comments regarding how this was not racing.  It started with Nascar warning drivers not to bump draft through the turns, they wanted to see daylight between the cars at all times or they would be penalized.  Their were some drivers still pushing through turns, but no penalties were handed out to anyone.  For most of the day it was a single file, let’s just ride around together type of race.  At times you would see 2 and 3 wide racing, however it would not last like it normally would in a restrictor plate race.  Speaking of the restrictor plate, Nascar changed those as well to help slow the cars down to avoid any “big one” and to make it safer on the drivers.

Safety is great, I agree what these guys do week in and week out is dangerous.  What about that wing though that is on the back of the cars?  When Ryan Newman went for a wild ride, his roof flaps did come up, but once he was around backwards the wind got under that wing and propelled the back of his car into the air sending it flying.  I am glad that Newman was OK after that wreck, but I wish the drivers would actually race and not be dictated by Nascar.

Maybe Nascar should just put the cars on rails and have them follow each other around the track for the restrictor plate races.  No bump drafting, no accidents and Nascar can really have control over the cars.  The only thing they would have to worry about is a flat tire or a car running out of gas.  Yea that would make for some great racing…NOT!

Kevin Harvick came over the raidio yesterday and asked for an iPod, drink holder and cruise control.  Tony Stewart was told over the radio that fans in the grand stands were selling No-Doz pills to help keep people awake during the race.  People on Twitter were changing the channel to watch NFL games or leaving the race all together to get things done.

Ryan Newman was interviewed after his crash and was not to happy with Nascar, here is a direct quote from the interview:

“Drivers used to be about to race each other and respect each other,” said Newman. “Guys like Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison — all those guys have always done that. I guess they [NASCAR] just don’t think much of us [drivers] anymore.”

On Twitter @msrachelmk said “Might as well go 2 the mall & watch da Carousel same thing circles stops 2 ad new stuff, no wrecks”

@nemorank “n the name of safety, Signal, shoulder check, start pass, shoulder check. Wave thank you. No passing on the right.”

Yesterday’s race was a disaster for Nascar, I cannot wait to see the TV ratings for the race in hourly intervals to see how many people tuned away from the race.  What are your thoughts on what Nascar should do with these plate races to make it more exciting for both the drivers and the fans?

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Here are the results from Talladega Sunday afternoon.  Yes the race was just as plain as this post here.

1. Jamie McMurray
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Joey Logano
4. Greg Biffle
5. Jeff Burton
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Michael Waltrip
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Elliott Sadler
10. Bobby Labonte
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. Clint Bowyer
13. Brian Vickers
14. Carl Edwards
15. Kyle Busch
16. Reed Sorenson
17. David Ragan
18. Robert Richardson Jr.
19. Juan Pablo Montoya
20. Jeff Gordon
21. Kevin Harvick
22. David Stremme
23. John Andretti
24. Matt Kenseth
25. Casey Mears
26. David Reutimann
27. Scott Speed
28. Mark Martin
29. Max Papis
30. Kurt Busch
31. Martin Truex Jr.
32. Robby Gordon
33. AJ Allmendinger
34. Marcos Ambrose
35. Tony Stewart
36. Ryan Newman
37. Erik Darnell
38. Denny Hamlin
39. Regan Smith
40. Sam Hornish Jr.
41. Dave Blaney
42. Paul Menard
43. Joe Nemechek

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It’s that time of the year again with the chase almost to a close and the Talladega race is here to make or break someone’s points run for the championship.  Their is a problem though, Nascar is going to crack down on aggressive driving.  In practice on Friday, Michael Waltrip was parked due to bump drafting Jimmie Johnson on a few occasion’s.  They wanted to send a message to the rest of the drivers and used Waltrip as the target.

What is Talladega all about then?  You put that many cars on the track with restrictor plates who have always ran close together in big packs.  The only way to get around was to push your way or be pulled through the pack you were in.  Three wide racing is not uncommon at Talladega, you will even see some go four wide down the front or back stretch.  After last year’s last lap crash with Carl Edwards, Nascar is warning the drivers yet again to not be aggressive.  So they cannot bump draft now?  I mean come on, why do people love this race so much?  It is about the tight pack racing, bump drafting and the unknown big wreck that is sure to happen at some point.  If Nascar is cracking the whip on bump drafting, what will the rules be for next years restirctor plate races…no passing?

Here is a short list we came up with to have a good laugh before the race today.  As a fan we do want to see a good race, however we do not want to see the drivers confined by the rules to ride around on a rail.

So here are the possible changes for next years races at Talladega that drivers will have to follow.

• No passing allowed in turns 1, 2, 3, 4
• No drafting allowed at all.
• Drivers must keep a 10 foot distance from each other at all times (except on pit road)
• Passing will be allowed on the back stretch (keep that 10 ft. distance on the sides while passing)
• Passing will be allowed coming out of pit road.

What other rules changes could they make for the 2010 Talladega races, let us know we need a good laugh.

@nemorank – In the name of safety, Signal, shoulder check, start pass, shoulder check. Wave thank you. No passing on the right.

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On Thursday AJ Allmendinger was charged with DUI in North Carolina.  On Friday before practice Nascar made him take a Breathalyzer test before allowing him on the track.  Prior to that, Nascar placed him on probation until December 31, RPM fined him $10,000 and placed him on probation as well.  I understand the safety for the other drivers on the track and that Nascar has the right to test anyone for drugs and or alcohol given any suspicion.  The media was all over the story of AJ Allmendinger with his DUI, probation, fines and being tested before practice.  My question is why was this not done to Michael Waltrip with his 2 previous auto accidents?

October 21, 2009 in Moorsville, North Carolina, Michael Waltrip was involved in an accident that involved alcohol by the police report.  He was making a U-turn around a median in a shopping center parking lot when he pulled out in front of a  motorcycle which then struck his door.  Waltrip was given a field sobriety test and passed a “walk and turn” test and a “one leg stand” test.  Now he blew a .06 which is under the legal limit of .08 in North Carolina.  He was given a citation for failing to yield the right of way.

I know he was not charged with a DUI since he was under the legal limit, however alcohol played a role in this accident and he was close to the legal limit.  Why would Nascar not look into this incident, was it because the motorcyclist was uninjured in this case?  What if he pulled out a second later and struck the bike head on and injured the rider?  Would Nascar look into the accident then since it involved alcohol?

Back in 2007 he drove his vehicle off the road about a mile from his house.  This was a single car accident, no other driver was involved, he simply drove the car off the road on his own.  911 was called, but when they arrived he was not at the scene and their was no answer on his front door.  It was not until the next day that Waltirp was questioned regarding the single car accident and a field sobriety test would have done no good then.  He was charged with reckless driver and failing to report an accident.

So how does a veteran Nascar driver of 20+ years run off the road on his own, avoid reporting it, not talking to police that night if alcohol had no role in it?  I am not saying he was drunk, but just maybe alcohol did play a factor in him losing control and going off the road in the first place?  We will never know what the real cause was and in both incident’s Nascar never placed Waltrip on probation.

I am in no way slamming Waltrip, I love the guy, he brings a lot to this sport and has for years.  Maybe that is why Nascar overlooked these incidents and brushed them under the rug.  What are your opinions on the matter?  I would love to hear them so fire away.

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Hendrick Motorsports on Friday announced they would keep Lance McGrew as the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt and the #88 team for 2010.  As most of you know, McGrew replaced Tony Eury Jr. sometime in May as the crew chief for Earnhardt.  That move was prompted from poor on track performance and in an effort to hopefully light a fire into the #88 team.  Since the move their has been no fire, hardly even a spark.

Hendrick stated on Friday that McGrew is confident in himself, his decisions and his ability to handle outside distraction’s that come along with being the crew chief for Nascar’s most popular driver.  Since taking over as crew chief, Earnhardt only has 2 top 10 finishes.  Yes I know, bad luck and equipment failures were to blame for some of the poor finishes.  I just hope that Lance will step up and be a dictator that Earnhardt needs so badly.

Earnhardt knows the tough task that is ahead for next season.  McGrew told Earnhardt he believes in his talent and ability as a driver, with the right moves next year we can have a lot of success.  First thing that needs to be done is restore Earnhardt’s confidence in his ability to drive a race car.  When McGrew took over the job in May, Earnhardt’s confidence was reported to be very low.  Since then it has risen somewhat, but no where near where it needs to be as a driver to be competitive week in and week out.  Pressure is on McGrew to make something happen for next year as not only are the fans expecting great things, but I am willing to bet Rick Hendrick is as well.

What are your thoughts on McGrew continuing on for 2010?  Would Steve Attington been a good fit for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the 88 team?  We will never know, but let’s wish them the best for the 2010 season.

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Yes I know this was announced on Tuesday by Joe Gibbs racing that Steve Addington would be replaced after the Talladega race this weekend by Dave Rogers for the remainder of the season.  Addington was fired as the crew chief for the #18 team, but will attend the remaining races to help Rogers with the transition.  Dave Rogers joined Job Gibbs racing back in 1998 and worked under crew chief Greg Zipadelli for six years, he was part of the 2002 championship winning team.  Rogers knows about winning, he also won the Nationwide Championship as crew chief for the #20 team.

What will Addington do after the season is over with?  That is still up in the air as is the real reason as to why he was let go by Joe Gibbs racing.  Could it be the season Kyle Bucsh had this season?  They had 3 wins in the first 10 races of the season, however after that they had 9 finishes of 20th or worse.  As a team, they won 12 races over the past two years.  The only other team in Nascar that has more is that of Jimmie Johnson who has a total of 13 going into this weekends Talladega race.

Addington was surprised by the decision made by team owner Joe Gibbs and has not spoken to Kyle Bucsh since being told he was no longer the crew chief of the #18.  It makes me wonder what role Kyle had in the firing of Steve Addington.  Yes he can be a cry baby at times, so maybe after missing the chase by only 8 points he felt he needed a big change.  Why not just cry to Joe Gibbs and get a new crew chief in here?  That is just a thought, not a fact as nothing as been made public by Kyle Bucsh.  I would hate to see that be one of the factors for Addington being fired, but in today’s world who knows.

What we do know is that Steve Addington will be a free agent for next season.  What race team will pick him up is yet to be known.  We do know that Kyle’s brother Kurt Bucsh will be losing his crew chief Pat Tryson to Michael Waltrip Racing at the end of this season.  Hendrick Motorsports could be another home for Addington with the #88 team, but according to Addington, nobody from Hendrick has called him yet.  It is to early to tell as the season is not even over with.  We will have to ride out the coming weeks and see what transpires from all of this.

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