(photo by Leon Hammack)

The Lennox Industrial Tools 301 is now in the record books.  Like last year’s June race, the weather played a very significant roll in the outcome of the race!  Like last year when the “Blue Duece” driven by Kurt Busch, aka ELB (Ears Laid Back) waited for the race to be called because of the rain, the #20 Home Depot Toyota driven by Joey “Sliced Bread” Logano, too, waited for the race to be called.

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COMMENTARY:

As I was watching the replay of the big accident at Louden on the restart at lap 174, several thoughts occurred to me.  While it is a given that TLVW can drive the wheels off of anything that he straps himself into, it appears that his “patience tank” is completely empty!  As long as he is out front of the pack, it never comes into play with this driver.

However on Sunday, with ol Kylie stuck back in mid pack for the restart, the driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota was the instigator of the “The Big One” at Louden!  As the green flag flew for the restart on lap 174, Dale Jr. in the #88 National Guard Chevy, spun his tires as he hammered the “loud pedal”.  That backed up a couple of rows of cars, but TLVW gassed it up big, stuck his nose into a spot that maybe only a fly or gnat could fit into, and tried to make it three wide prior to the start/finish line!  As that small hole closed back up, ol Kylie got into the #1 TomTom Chevy of Martin Truex, Jr.’s left quarter panel turning him hard right, and sending him head-on into the outside retaining wall.  Ol Kylie’s impatience resulted in collecting several drivers, thoroughly blocking the racetrack!

I think that I have just figured out why TLVW continuously sticks his nose into places that you know that won’t work on the race track.  I think his near vision is grossly impaired!!  Probably if he were to go to an opthamologist to get a thorough eye examination and glasses, he will see that his nose just won’t fit into some of  those tight spots he insists on getting into.

What is your take?

I’ve been conferring with my buddy”Spence” and there is speculation that the former DEI #1 now EGR#1 Bass Pro Chevy may be gone at season’s end!  Now that DEI or Earnhardt-Ganassi has parked the #8 Chevy for lack of sponsorship, it is quite possible that at season’s end Bass Pro  moves it’s sponsorhsip to another team!!  That seemed to be what Jimmy Spencer was alluding to Saturday afternoon on Speed!  He seemed to think that Pro Bass had another home at the end of the season with another team.  Hmmmmm!

Let’s see just where that might be!  Tony Stewart’s USAC midgets and sprint cars are sponsored byBass Pro .  Could that be a possibility for the #39 Stewart-Haas Chevy driven by Ryan Newman???  It seems that this could be the future home Bass Pro .

Still another possibility would be for Martin Truex, Jr. to take the Bass Pro sponsorship and move to another team for the 2010 season.  It is this reporter’s opinion that Truex is destined to leave EGR, mainly for his own career survivability!!!  Truex needs to UNHITCH his wagon from a crumbling organization ASAP???

It appears that Theresa has been successful at destroying  the empire that her husband, Dale Earnhardt,Sr., worked so very hard to build!!!  Thersea has handed over the day-to-day operations of this organization to Chip Ganassi.  It is this reporter’s opinion that she will fold the DEI operations and pull competely out of NASCAR racing all together, more than likely at the end of the 2009 season!!

THE STORY LINES:

1.  KURT BUSCH LEADS 235 OF 330 LAPS:

2.  TRUEX PASSES KIDNEY STONES SAT. NIGHT:

      (foxsports) (AMS pit notes)

3.  NASCAR CREATES FORMULA FOR SETTING RESTART 

      ZONES:

4.  NASCAR SCRUTINIZING “START & PARK”:

5.  FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY @ NASHVILLE OFFERS TESTING:

      (middle tenn. racing news)

 6.  OL KYLIE (TLVW) WINS THE TRUCK RACE:

This is the second time in as many years, that the Busch Brothers, ol Kylie aka TLVW and Kurt aka EARS LAID BACK (ELB), have won successive races at the Cup level.  To say that the “Blue Duece” was thoroughly dominating at Atlanta Sunday, was a huge understatement!  Kurt Busch led 235 of the 330 laps of the race!! 

In the off season, NASCAR granted Dodge a new engine and some modifications on their nose cone.  It appears that the new nose and the new Dodge engine are paying dividends for Penske Racing.  FYI, Penske is the only Dodge team currently using the new Dodge engine, Richard Petty Motorsports is still using the old engine. 

The #24 National Guard Chevy of Jeff Gordon ran up front all afternoon, as well.  But in the end neither he, nor Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, and Brian Vickers had anything for “The Blue Duece”!

Kurt (ELB) was even more dominating in the Cup race, than ol Kylie (TLVW) was in Saturday’s Truck race.  TLVW  showed those boys the fastest way around AMS on Saturday.  On the last restart, TLVW  was leading them to the green, but only had two gears 1st and 4th left in the trannie.  So he dropped back as far as 9th with 8 laps to go.  But he roared back to the lead with 3 laps remaining and won the race!!

COMMENTARY:

This just in from the definition of tough!  Saturday evening Martin Truex, Jr. was taken to the hospital with lower back and abdominal pains.  Around 10pm Saturday evening, he passed a kidney stone, and by 1pm Sunday he was sitting in his race car ready to go 500 miles!!  He was not allowed to take any pain medication and race.  Now that is TOUGH!!!!

NASCAR has finally come up with a policy for the restart zone at all the race tracks.  They have been toying with the idea for the first four races of the season.  Now they are going to double the speed on pit road,convert that to feet, and that is the restart zone.  For instance, if the pit road speed is 55 MPH, then the restart zone would be 110 feet prior to the start/finish line. 

What is wrong with what has worked for 60 years??  The leader sets the pace and GASSES WHEN HE IS READY!!

Lastly, NASCAR is looking closely at “start and park”.  This reporter is holding out on judgement on this subject pending further evidence and discussions.  However, your opinion is invited!

 AGAIN, I LOOKED IT UP SO THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO!!

Here is another poll that I encourage you all to weigh in on.