Fast Laps Through the Twisty Bits
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.
June 17, 2008 12:06 am CDT 5 CommentsIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The last time the Sprint Cup circus visited the left coast the talk was mostly about what all was wrong with - take your pick - springtime weather in California, weeping race tracks, multiple races at Auto Club Speedway of Fontana via Anaheim and the sale of naming rights that create venue names too long and complicated to remember.
This time we can talk about road course specialists - welcome back Boris Said- and those drivers who just can’t seem to get a handle on turning right as well as left - Matt Kenseth comes to mind.
Matt had a nice third place finish at MIS. He wasn’t happy with Dale Earnhardt Jr getting away with passing the pace car as Junior coaxed more from a tank of gas than anyone this side of Smokey Yunick. Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers continued their strong early summer runs. Tony Stewart had a nice finish and gave away more cash to others in need - this time the flood victims in his Indiana hometown.
But enough of this drivel. It’s time to argue, Fast Lap style.
1. Should Junior have been penalized for repeatedly passing the pace car?
2. Did NASCAR’s closed door meeting with drivers - chastising them for excessive negative comments - contradict its earlier “say what’s on your mind” directive.
3. Is Joey Logano the real deal or just another over-hyped wannabe?
4. Would you give up one road course race to see the Cup Series race on a one mile dirt track?
There ought to be something in those four corners that sticks in your craw. Let us know what you think and then come back later in the week and tell everyone else how wrong they are. I know I will. The best and brightest may become part of a future feature ON PIT ROW.
Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc
Happy hour Fast Laps at the Thunder Lounge
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 31, 2008 9:09 pm CDT 7 Comments
Man, I love races at Martinsville. I admit that it is often hard for me to maintain my focus for the three and a half hours of most Sprint Cup races. But it never seems a problem at the little paper clip in Virginia. Sunday was fun to watch.
I am a bit shocked that Jeff Gordon failed to win the thing. Both he and Jimmy Johnson had to work back, through the pack, to the front. The relentless way that they did so showed they ain’t as dead as the haters had hoped.
Nice comeback by Jamie McMurray and ditto for Casey Mears. There were plenty of short track tempers shown and the carnage within the fleet was a joy to behold. Too bad it’ll be so long before they go back again.
Next up is something completely different, as they use to say on Monte Python’s Flying Circus. Heading down to the home of the Thunder Lounge at Texas Motor Speedway. One of NASCAR’s fastest tracks will be a real change of pace for the cupsters. Try out TMS with four highly banked Fast Lap questions and you might just be featured ON PIT ROW.
1. Even without a win at Martinsville, is Hendrick Motorsports back?
2. In retrospect, should Michael Waltrip Racing have handled the Dale Jarrett/David Reutimann owner’s points swap situation differently?
3. With the awful weather conditions so far this year - is it time for NASCAR to look at wholesale schedule changes?
4. Was NASCAR’s in-race penalty sufficient for Matt Kenseth’s retaliation towards David Gilliland or should they levy additional punishment?
Go to the comments section and give us your best answers to our four Fast Lap questions but remember you are limited to 100 words or less for each. Then remember to stop back throughout the week to defend yourself from the fender banging of your friends. While here, feel free to bump draft fellow Fast Lappers too. We use the best - and sometimes the worst - comments on the radio version of ON PIT ROW. You can listen live on Tuesdays from 5-7 PM EDT at OnPitRow.com.
Photo credit - Icon Sports Media, Inc.
Wringing out soggy late night Fast Laps from California
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.
February 26, 2008 10:46 pm CST 5 Comments
Well, that sure was fun. Didn’t NASCAR dump Rockingham because of the bad February weather? Once the track at the Auto Club 500 got sufficiently wrung out the racing was decent and Jack Roush’s charges showed that 2007 is in the rear view mirror. The Fords will be there to challenge for the Chase and the Sprint Cup.
Matt Kenseth finished a solid 4th, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray hung around up front for most of the race. Even Travis Kvapil showed some strength before falling to mechanical problems in the Yates Racing #28.
But the Fusion that relentlessly ran down the front running Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon was the #99 of Carl Edwards. According to Mr. Excitement, Jimmy Spencer ON PIT ROW tonight, Carl had been the favorite of nearly everyone in the garages all weekend.
The NASCAR caravan is headed to the mile and a half Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the first race for the new car on one of NASCAR’s best tracks. While you wait for a hopefully on-time start to Sunday’s big race, give these four variably banked Fast Lap questions your best shot.
1. In the interest of safety, should NASCAR stop drivers from climbing fences and doing back flips off of cars?
2. Would you have picked Kyle Busch to be leading the points after two races?
3. Did NASCAR handle the rain delays at California properly?
4. Will/should Bobby Labonte move to Richard Childress Racing in 2009?
Go high or go low, but remember to limit your answers to 100 words. This is The Fast Lap and we have big plans for some of the best comments here. Stop back often during the week to defend your position and trade some paint with commenters who don’t necessarily agree with your line through turn two.
Photo credit: Jeff Gross - Getty Images
About the Fast Lap blog
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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