Following the accident that took him out of the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Saturday, Steve Wallace called Dale Earnhardt Jr. a "moron" and an "idiot" for wrecking him after the caution flag came out. After hearing that, all I could think of was how these two drivers are very much the same.
Steve Wallace is the son of 1988 NASCAR Cup champion Rusty Wallace. Rusty, besides his Cup championship and 55 wins, he has won an ASA championship, Rookie of the Year honors in the Cup level, an All-Star race, and an IROC championship. He was also named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Steve, on the other hand, won championships in the INEX Bandoleros and a handful of ARCA races, but has not found victory lane in any of NASCAR's major divisions. His career is still young, but the pressure is building.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's father is Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered by many to be the best driver in NASCAR History. His 7 NASCAR Cup championships ties him with the most all-time. He is also a Daytona 500 Champion, a 4 time IROC champion, he won the All-Star Race 3 times, was a Cup Series Rookie of the Year, and won 76 Cup races during his career. There is a good possibility that he could have added to many of these numbers if his life had not been cut short in Daytona. Dale Jr, NASCAR's Most Popular Driver has had a great career by most standards; a two-time Nationwide Series Champion, past winner of the Daytona 500, the All-Star Race, and 18 Cup Series wins.
Steve Wallace is in the beginning of his NASCAR career, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the middle of his, but the sons of two NASCAR legends find themselves stuck in the shadow of their famous fathers. Steven Wallace has been known more for his on-track incidents then his driving abilities during his time in the Nationwide Series. His 2 top 5's and his 8 top 10's dont equal his 14 career DNF's. In 2008, his second year on the circuit, his average finish was only a 20.1. Even considering his age and experience, this is not what everybody expected from Rusty's son.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made his mark in the Sprint Cup Series. Regardless of how the remainder of his career goes, he will be regarded as one of the best drivers in the sports history. He is currently tied with Kurt Busch and others for 26th on the all-time win list. But the son of the great Dale Earnhardt was supposed to be the as good as his father. In 2008, many expected to see that come to fruition, after signing with the best team in the garage, Hendrick Motorsports, home to 8 Sprint Cup Championships. His victory in Michigan was supposed to be the first of many last season, but it wasn't to be. This year, Dale Jr. finds himself 29th in points, not where he wanted to be.
Steve Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are talented drivers, there is no doubt about it. You don't get to this level without some ability to drive a race car. The question is, where would they be if they had a different last name. Some will argue that their name got them here, and they otherwise would not have made it this far. What I wonder is, if they were not stuck with the added pressure of being behind the shadows of their famous fathers, could they have gone even farther?
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
All-Time DNF Streak Safe.........For Now!
A hole in the oil filter. That's what caused Kevin Harvick's car to slam into the turn one wall at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday (video can be seen here). With that impact, his streak of 81 races without a Did Not Finish (DNF) was over. 81 is now the longest streak ever in NASCAR's modern era [1972-current]. Harvick was only three races away from the all-time streak of 84 races held by Herman Beam from April 30, 1961 thru March 10, 1963.
This streak is one of the most impressive records in all of motorsports. Think about this, Harvick's last DNF before Sunday was in the Dover 400 on September 24, 2006. The streak covered parts of 4 seasons. In those 81 races, he ran a total of 8 races at Daytona and Talladega, home of restrictor place racing and "The Big One". He took his number 29 to the wreckfest at Bristol Motor Speedway 4 times. He visited the bullring at Martinsville 5 times. And he even competed in the 600 miler at Lowes Motor Speedway, a race historically tough on engines, twice.
But this is Kevin's style. When he passed the previous streak holder, he passed his own streak of 58 races that lasted from 10/3/2002 to 8/1/2004. During his 9 year Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup career, a span of 288 races, he has only failed to complete a total of 14 races. He knows how to take care of his equipment, and this is also a testiment to his ability to drive a race car. Only a driver with good car control can keep himself in that many races. Even though the record is held by the driver, it unbelievable that Richard Childress Racing can build equipment that durable year after year. As impressive as Harvick's feat is, there is another driver who can eclipse his mark of 81 races and soon; his RCR teammate Clint Bowyer.
Clint Bowyer started his streak during his rookie season in November 2006, not long after Harvick started his. Bowyer's streak stands at 75 races without a DNF. During his Cup career, Bowyer has only recorded a DNF 4 times out of 110 races entered, which is only 3.6%. Impressive when you consider defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has a total of 6 DNF's during his 3 championship winning seasons, 1 each in 2006 and 2008, and a 4 DNF season in 2007. In his 257 starts, Johnson has failed to complete 25 of them, almost 10% of all races. It's clear to see that even though having a DNF streak as long as Harvick and Bowyer, it doesnt equal a championship.
Bowyer is on pace to catch Harvick's 81 at Phoenix in April. Where will he pass Harvick and reach 82 straight? Talladega. He will catch Herman Beam's all time streak of 84 at Darlington, probably the most historical track on the circuit. But if Bowyer is successful in passing Beam, where will he become the all time record holder? Lowes Motor Speedway, following the Coca-Cola 600. One thing is for sure, if Bowyer does it, nobody will be able to say he wasn't tested getting there.
This streak is one of the most impressive records in all of motorsports. Think about this, Harvick's last DNF before Sunday was in the Dover 400 on September 24, 2006. The streak covered parts of 4 seasons. In those 81 races, he ran a total of 8 races at Daytona and Talladega, home of restrictor place racing and "The Big One". He took his number 29 to the wreckfest at Bristol Motor Speedway 4 times. He visited the bullring at Martinsville 5 times. And he even competed in the 600 miler at Lowes Motor Speedway, a race historically tough on engines, twice.
But this is Kevin's style. When he passed the previous streak holder, he passed his own streak of 58 races that lasted from 10/3/2002 to 8/1/2004. During his 9 year Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup career, a span of 288 races, he has only failed to complete a total of 14 races. He knows how to take care of his equipment, and this is also a testiment to his ability to drive a race car. Only a driver with good car control can keep himself in that many races. Even though the record is held by the driver, it unbelievable that Richard Childress Racing can build equipment that durable year after year. As impressive as Harvick's feat is, there is another driver who can eclipse his mark of 81 races and soon; his RCR teammate Clint Bowyer.
Clint Bowyer started his streak during his rookie season in November 2006, not long after Harvick started his. Bowyer's streak stands at 75 races without a DNF. During his Cup career, Bowyer has only recorded a DNF 4 times out of 110 races entered, which is only 3.6%. Impressive when you consider defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has a total of 6 DNF's during his 3 championship winning seasons, 1 each in 2006 and 2008, and a 4 DNF season in 2007. In his 257 starts, Johnson has failed to complete 25 of them, almost 10% of all races. It's clear to see that even though having a DNF streak as long as Harvick and Bowyer, it doesnt equal a championship.
Bowyer is on pace to catch Harvick's 81 at Phoenix in April. Where will he pass Harvick and reach 82 straight? Talladega. He will catch Herman Beam's all time streak of 84 at Darlington, probably the most historical track on the circuit. But if Bowyer is successful in passing Beam, where will he become the all time record holder? Lowes Motor Speedway, following the Coca-Cola 600. One thing is for sure, if Bowyer does it, nobody will be able to say he wasn't tested getting there.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Daytona 380?
Ninety-One Days. Three Months. 13 Weeks. 2184 Hours. 131,040 Minutes, 7,862,400 Seconds. That's how long NASCAR fans waited to see a points-paying race since the 2008 Sprint Cup season ended at Homestead on November 16th. The first race is not just opening day for the 2009 season. This is the Super Bowl. This is Game 7. This is the National Championship Game. For NASCAR fans, and fans of motorsports across the nation, this is as big as it gets. The Daytona 500, or at least what is billed as the Daytona 500. Of all the major sporting championships in the world, auto racing is one of the very few that will allow their premier events to be terminated early because of weather coniditions. Why is this?
Keep in mind, NASCAR is not exclusive in this. This occures in almost all major forms of motorsport. The Indianapolis 500 has been shortened by rain seven times, and as recently as 2007. I personally believe these two events, The Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, should run at least the full 500 miles (green-white-checkered could make it a bit longer). We owe it to the fans, the advertisers, and the teams that are in the event. Both events are run on holiday weekends. The Daytona 500 runs on Presidents Day weekend, and the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. This provides a built in make-up day for a large part of the fans who spend their hard earned money to come to Daytona and watch the race. Many fans, in fact, plan to have Monday off in case the race gets pushed back a day. I heard the argument that the teams need to get back to the shops to prepare for the long trip out to California for next weeks race. Re-align the schedule so there is an off week between Daytona and the second race of the season. That way, there is no rush, and you have a built-in rain weekend if the race gets totally wiped out on Sunday. Once again, why do they allow these races to end early?
I have been listening to Sirius NASCAR Radio on satellite a lot this week, taking in what some of the "experts" and fans had to say about the topic. I have heard everything from, "that's the way it is and always was", and "it doesn't make sense to make the Daytona 500 different from every other race". These points hold no validity with me. Up until 2004, the NASCAR Cup championship was awarded to the driver with the most points over the entire season. Now, it's the 10 race Chase for the Cup format that was added to create excitement. NASCAR can make changes to improve the series. Every starting lineup for every race is set by time trials. One or two laps of qualifying, with the fastest lap earning the pole, going back to 35th, EXCEPT the Daytona 500, which has the Gatorade Duels qualifying races to help set the field. That's different then every other race. Once again, why do we allow the Daytona 500 to end early?
Don't get me wrong, Matt Kenseth is the Daytona 500 champion. He deserves the money, the trophy, and the points. The way the race ended does not take anything away from his victory, but in my opinion, it does take away from the race itself. I am sure I will never see this rule change in my lifetime, but it's something that should be addressed. The Daytona 500 should always be the Daytona 500, not the Daytona 250, 350, or 380.
Keep in mind, NASCAR is not exclusive in this. This occures in almost all major forms of motorsport. The Indianapolis 500 has been shortened by rain seven times, and as recently as 2007. I personally believe these two events, The Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500, should run at least the full 500 miles (green-white-checkered could make it a bit longer). We owe it to the fans, the advertisers, and the teams that are in the event. Both events are run on holiday weekends. The Daytona 500 runs on Presidents Day weekend, and the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. This provides a built in make-up day for a large part of the fans who spend their hard earned money to come to Daytona and watch the race. Many fans, in fact, plan to have Monday off in case the race gets pushed back a day. I heard the argument that the teams need to get back to the shops to prepare for the long trip out to California for next weeks race. Re-align the schedule so there is an off week between Daytona and the second race of the season. That way, there is no rush, and you have a built-in rain weekend if the race gets totally wiped out on Sunday. Once again, why do they allow these races to end early?
I have been listening to Sirius NASCAR Radio on satellite a lot this week, taking in what some of the "experts" and fans had to say about the topic. I have heard everything from, "that's the way it is and always was", and "it doesn't make sense to make the Daytona 500 different from every other race". These points hold no validity with me. Up until 2004, the NASCAR Cup championship was awarded to the driver with the most points over the entire season. Now, it's the 10 race Chase for the Cup format that was added to create excitement. NASCAR can make changes to improve the series. Every starting lineup for every race is set by time trials. One or two laps of qualifying, with the fastest lap earning the pole, going back to 35th, EXCEPT the Daytona 500, which has the Gatorade Duels qualifying races to help set the field. That's different then every other race. Once again, why do we allow the Daytona 500 to end early?
Don't get me wrong, Matt Kenseth is the Daytona 500 champion. He deserves the money, the trophy, and the points. The way the race ended does not take anything away from his victory, but in my opinion, it does take away from the race itself. I am sure I will never see this rule change in my lifetime, but it's something that should be addressed. The Daytona 500 should always be the Daytona 500, not the Daytona 250, 350, or 380.
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