• On Pit Row
• The Show
• The Crew
• Bench Racing
• Fast Lap
• Contact Us
• Advertise With Us

Subscribe

• Fast Lap Questions
• NASCAR
• Sprint Cup
• Drivers
• Nationwide Series
• ARCA Remax Series

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Up to now I have been able to ignore the fact that the weather around here has turned cold. A much longer, and warmer fall season and the fact that NASCAR was racing somewhere relatively semi-tropical helped. Now both are over for another year.

Unlike many of the regular NASCAR TV and radio shows that close it down for the winter months, ON PIT ROW and the blogs at OnPitRow.com are active all year long. Though this Fast Lap blog got a bit bogged down the last two weeks. My bad. If you missed the radio show last week, here are the Fast Lap questions that Steve and I chewed on during the week immediately following Jimmy Johnson’s historic three-peat. 

1: With all the pending layoffs forecast in NASCAR, should the drivers take a pay cut to help curb expenses?

2: With the close points races in the Truck and Nationwide Series’ should the Chase go the way of the spinner wrench?

3: Are you saddened by the end of Jeff Gordon’s 14 season win streak?

4: Should NASCAR be worried that only three drivers won 27 of the 36 races in 2008?

I think we may have laughed about these topics more than argue this time. That is not normal. Let us know what you think about ‘em.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Is it coincidence that the Sprint Cup Chase heads to the hottest place in NASCAR just when the suits in Daytona  would like you to think that the playoff pressure is heating up for Jimmy Johnson and Carl Edwards?  I think not.

You gotta give Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne credit. They aren’t holding anything back in their attempt to make a game out of this Chase thing. Between banzai passes and high-stakes fuel strategies, the Office Depot Racing team is hangin’ it out.

The 2008 Chase has become - perhaps always was - a classic Chevy  vs Ford battle. Dodge never showed and Toyota, strangely, never contended.

Last night’s live radio version of the Fast Lap  was a classic battle too. Steve put up a good fight, only to be over-matched by his more experienced, and intelligent, opposition - me. At least that’s what I think. We’ll put our opinions up here later but in the meantime, we’d like to see yours. Here you go. Batter up! 

1: NASCAR is backing off its 24 practice dates in 2009 strategy. What is the right number?

2: What was Greg Biffle REALLY asking after the race by wondering how the #99 team got 8 more laps to a tank of fuel than his #16 team?

3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the season is too long. If it is, what is the right number?

4: Should there be any concern in the Joe Gibbs Racing organization over Joey Logano’s lack of performance in their cars?

Four Fast Laps but you only get a hundred words or less to respond to the questions. After that, the gloves are off and you can defend your position just like David Gilliland or Scott Speed. And nobody will sanction you even a little bit. Come on, we want to argue with you.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Nineteen heat races and a ten lap feature. That Allstate 400 at the Brickyard was more like what we’re used to at the Friday and Saturday night short track races around here than one of NASCAR’s biggest extravaganzas.

I’ll bet Jimmy Johnson doesn’t care about that though. Johnson had the best car all day, even if he only got to show it off in ten lap sprints. But with his win, you have to look at Jimmy as one of the guys who may be able to challenge Kyle Busch, once we get to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Throw Carl Edwards into that mix too.

Goodyear’s tire woes made for a less than satisfying Brickyard race. But this stuff has happened before, and with the continuing development of the New Car, it’s likely to happen again.

There was plenty to talk about after the race. Toss your opinions in on these four Fast Lap questions and place your bets on whether the Pocono tire will be better.

1: Will Tony Stewart be able to successfully juggle his responsibilities as driver of the #20 and as owner of the #14 through the rest of 2008?

2: Would an open test at Indy have been able to head off the tire problems before the race weekend?

3: NASCAR’s attempt to cut Toyota horsepower in the Nationwide Series didn’t slow down Kyle Bush on Saturday. Is engine restriction the best way to regain parity?

4: Did Rusty Wallace lose some of his credibility by saying Ryan Newman was fired by Penske; then have Roger turn around and say he wasn’t?

Limit your answers to 100 words or less, but come back throughout the week to defend your ground and throw some tire debris those not as smart as you. This is the Fast Lap comment blog and we will be taking selected questions and responses to use in an upcoming video feature for OnPitRow.com and Bench Racing TV.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

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

Scott Pruett wasn’t able to hold off a hard charging Kyle ” the Shrub ” Busch in the closing stages of the Corona Mexico 200, but at least this year he didn’t whine about it. 

Pruett finished third, passed by the “Australian Turtle” (man, I loved those old Busch Series commercials) , Marcos Ambrose.  Ambrose claimed he just needed a few more laps to run down Rowdy.   Yeah, and I only need a few hairs to be a bear.

It was Busch the Younger’s first road course win and third consecutive Nationwide Series win and he did it on the track - not ON PIT ROW.  Whew, I was tryin’ to figure out how to get that link in there.

Next weekend the Cupsters take to the high banks ofTalladega Super Speedway and a return there of the New Car.  Well, kind of a return.  The last time there it was called theCoT, among other less complimentary things.  Jimmy Johnsonsays ‘Dega is the perfect CoT/NC track. I guess we’ll see Sunday.  While awaiting that verdict, try on these fast, highly banked Fast Lap questions.

1.  Chevy has pulled the new Camaro (and, incidentally, the Corvette) from contention as bodies for NASCAR competition.  Does that kill the “Pony Car” Nationwide Series?

2.  Do you like the “foreign” trips the the Nationwide Series is making?

3.  Danica Patrick won an Indy Car race, finally.  Will NASCAR see a competitve female driver in the next 5 years?

4.  Jimmy Johnson says that Talladega is the “perfect” track for the New Car.  Is that a good thing?

This is the Fast Lap so remember you get 100 words or less to answer each of these debate topics.  But make sure you come back often to defend your positions and slam the hell out of every other idiot (yes Steve will be answering too) who gets it wrong.  We just might use your best stuff on the next ON PIT ROW radio type program.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Fast Laps - whether it’s NASCAR testing in windy Las Vegas or sporty car racing in the darkness of Daytona, the ON PIT ROW crew will take ‘em wherever they are. If you read this blog, you probably feel the same way, more or less.

After a bit of a break in posting, The Fast Lap Blog is back for another season of bickering and back-biting over four weekly topics that we think will stir the pot. We have big plans for The Fast Lap and everything else connected to OnPitRow.com in 2008.

The Toyotas were fast again in the first day of testing on the mile-and-a-halfer in the dessert. But watch those Roush Fords. They were quick too and if they can get there old superspeedway form back with the NewCar, The Cat in the Hat’s Fusions will be factors in 2008.

The Fast Lap is a comment blog and this is no test. Try these four high banked turns while you wait for the Dodges to show their stuff. They will.

1) Chip Ganassi Racing’s three-peat at the 24 hours is unprecedented. Why isn’t he as successful in Cup as he is in sports cars or open wheel?

2) What is more impressive — sharing a forth of the driving duties of the Rolex 24 or doing 4 hours of restrictor plate racing solo?

3) There is quite a seasoned group of rookies along with some young hot shoes running in Cup in 2008. Who will win the ROTY?

4) DJ or Rusty in the booth?

The first Fast Lap of 2008 and there ain’t nothin’ cookie-cutter about it. Express yourself and you may end up on the next episode of The Fastest Two Hours on Radio - ON PIT ROW!

NASCAR Fantasy Racing

On Pit Row is glad to be a part of such a great NASCAR fantasy racing game like Champs, Chumps & Sleepers. Grand prize is a Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. How cool is that?

Copyright © 2009 Bench Racing Productions, LLC. · All rights reserved.
Content may not be duplicated, or redistributed without express written permission.

OnPitRow.com | Bench Racing | Fast Lap | About Us | Contact Us
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertise with us!