More short track Fast Laps on the old Virginia Paper Clip
by Charlie Turner
I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot.
March 24, 2008 10:39 am CDT 3 CommentsIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
With Richard Childress Racing taking the top three spots at 2008’s first short tracker at Bristol, do you expect Chevy domination at legendary Martinsville Speedway this week?
Maybe a better question is, can Jeff Burton actually string together multiple wins - something missing from his career so far - and put some kind of RCR stamp on the early Race to the Chase for the first Sprint Cup Championship?
Last year, the first Martinsville finish was a scene that turned ominous for non-Chevy, non-Hendrick competitors as Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon went one-two in a Car of Tomorrow tour du’force. Can they do it again - at Martinsville or anywhere - in 2008?
While we wait for the answer, bang fenders with your fellow internetters through the following flat, drag-strip connected Fast Laps and we might just put your opinions on a future edition of ON PIT ROW.
1. Which Hendrick Motorsport driver will kick their “slump” quicker - Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon or Casey Mears?
2. Should Aric Almirola get more DEI seat time after his eighth place finish in the Food City 500?
3. Kyle Busch was the biggest positive surprise of the first five races. Who will shine over the next six, leading to Charlotte?
4. Whose fortunes will turn downward before Memorial Day?
Go fast - you only have a hundred words to use - turn left and slap fenders with your playmates. The Fast Lap blog is blogging’s version of short track racing. Play rough.
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Fast Laps! Welcome to the On Pit Row Fast Lap blog. Every week On Pit Row we pose four Fast Lap questions. Four corners - four questions. On the radio show, Steve and I have 30 seconds each, to give our response to each of the four. If you are a listener, you already know that we rarely agree on any answer. The Fast Lap is NASCAR debate. Hannity and Colmes. Lincoln and Douglas. Wronkowicz and Turner. OK, maybe not Lincoln and Douglas. We have more fun than Lincoln and Douglas. Here's the challenge. We will post our Fast Lap questions some time each Monday. Four questions on topical NASCAR related subjects. Your mission is to comment with your answers and each answer is limited to 100 words. The questions, answers and comments will form the basis of this blog for that week. Comment on the Fast Lap questions. Comment on the comments. Insult the commenters. Witty ridicule is rated at least as highly as cogent commentary. Just remember that you have limited words and penalties are severe. Or not. Steve and I will select worthy blog entries to be featured on an edition of On Pit Row. That's the plan. I'm sure we will have some other things to post about each week but the intention is to pose most posts as questions. I want to argue with you! Bring it on.
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1. I’ve gotta go with Gordon on this one. To me, JG hasn’t really been in much of a slump. His suspension broke at Daytona, and he got caught up in an accident at Vegas with 5 laps to go, but there hasn’t been a race yet that he was just awful. I hope it’s Mears, though! =)
2. Yes … and … No. He should get more seat time, but it really has nothing to do with his Bristol performance. If Mark Martin wants to run full-time, then fine, but he shouldn’t be using up 2/3 of the schedule with Almirola waiting in the background. On the other thand, if their original intent is to bring Almirola up the ranks slowly and steadily, then that’s what they need to do and not let the results of a single race sway their decision on that.
3. I think Joe Gibbs will continue to play as much a factor as they have to this point, but other than that, I think you’re going to continue seeing a lot of 2 to 3 week streaks like we have been so far. If I had to take a guess, though, I’d have to go with Kevin Harvick. He may not win a single race by the time we get to Charlotte, but I bet he’ll be top-three in points.
4. Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr will both lose their spots within the top-12 by Memorial Day.
1– As much as I hate to side with Jeffy on anything, I believe that JJ and the 48 team will continue a season long slump. Jeffy and Steve Leatarte will find a way to snap out of their, for them, early season funk. JJ will endure the worst season of his so far illustrious career due to nothing more than than he’ll run out of the good luck that he has enjoyed in recent seasons.
2– This could be a one-off success story, but I don’t think so. Aric has done nothing to warrant or not more seat time. He has some limited successes in the Cup and Nationwide Series. Will he become a respectable if not competent driver–only time will tell. But, if he continues to out perform Mark Martin with his limited opportunities, then its time to move forward with the younger driver.
3– Charlie gave me flak on the show for this one; but I’ll take Brian Vickers. He has had solid runs all year and his 2007 performances were as good as any Toyota driver. Look for him to take the Bull by the horns leading up to Memorial Day.
4– I think Kurt Busch is struggling and will continue to throughout the first half of the season. For whatever reason this team never has seemed to be able to put it together
I really have to get my responses up sooner over here. I can rarely remember what I said on the show. And I don’t trust Steve to remind me. He tends to steal my superior arguements.
1. First of all, Tim is correct, Jeff Gordon is not in a slump. Casey Mears would have to improve to be considered to be slumping - he has plain sucked. Jimmy Johnson will end his mini-slump Sunday at Martinsville.
2. Aric had a nice result at Bristol. That’s what he is paid for. He needs to do well in his allotted races and put pressure on DEI to do something next year. Do you really think that AA is better than Mark Martin? Come on.
3. I remember this answer from Tuesday - Jimmy Johnson. The run starts this week and by the All Star race, everyone will be bitching about Hendrick again. Did I give Stev-O a hard time about Vickers? If you have the choice between Brian Vickers in Red Bull and Jimmy Johnson in the #48…….. There is a reason I call Steve an idiot.
4. Nobody that we talked to before the season thought that Kasey Kahne was a top ten contender this early in the GEM era. I still don’t. A late season resurgence might be in the cards, but I look for a short term downward trend in the Budweiser #9 camp. I hope I’m wrong.