Nationwide Series

To gain an advantage, you need to do whatever you can. JR Motorsports is doing that by taking two Canadian drivers to the only NASCAR Nationwide Series Canadian stop.

Missausaga, Ontario, native Ron Fellows will be behind the wheel of a JR Motorsports car for the fifth time in his career.

In those five starts, he has one win, three top-fives and, four top-10 finishes with seven laps led.

Fellows knows his way around Montreal, as proven in 2008, when he qualified sixth and led seven laps en route to becoming the first Canadian to win on Canadian soil.

"Montreal is a great event, not only for the Quebec-based fans, but for the teams too," Fellows said in the team preview. "It's such a change of pace from what we typically deal with. Most of the tracks we visit in the states aren't in the middle of a city like Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. So it's definitely a unique weekend. My family always enjoys going to Montreal, especially all the great restaurants."

In three starts on the 2.71-mile road course, Fellows has one win and two top-fives, with an average finish of fourth.

"As far as the track goes, you need the best of both worlds," Fellows said. "You need good brakes and a lot of power. The track has some very long straightaways followed by high braking corners. Our Canadian Tire Chevrolet will need a lot of horsepower to get off the corners and onto the straightaways with speed, but we'll have to have a good brake package in order to get slowed down enough to make those sharp corners. It's a fast, fun track and you get to do a lot of shifting."

Canadian Tire, one of Canada's most shopped general retailers, will be sponsoring Fellows. They have over 480 stores in Canada and are currently the title sponsor of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS).

NCTS Points Leader J.R. Fitzpatrick will be aboard the second JR Motorsports car, driving the No. 7 Shick Hydro Chevrolet.

This will be Fitzpatrick's third start with JRM this year. Earlier this year, he finished seventh at Road America and 13th at Watkin's Glen International.

"It's been a good experience for me to work with Tony Eury Jr. and all the guys on the Shick Hydro team at JRM," Fitzpatrick said. "We've had one top-10 effort in my two races with the team, but now I want to go out there and get a top-five run at Montreal. I know we're a good enough team to do it. We just need to stay focused and stay out of trouble, which at Montreal cna be a tough thing to do. Sometimes tough just seems to find you there."

Fitzpatrick will compete in the NCTS race Sunday morning before the Nationwide race.

Currently with an average finish of 3.7, Fitzpatrick leads D.J. Kennington by 16 points. He has led 99 laps this year with two road-course wins (Mosport, Edmonton), six top-fives, and nine top-10s in nine starts.

"I think running the Canadian Tire Series race on Sunday morning before the Nationwide race is a good thing," he said. "Not only have we been running great in that series, but as a driver any time you can get more laps at a track you're going to take advantage of it. Plus, we're running full-time in that series and have the championship points lead right now. It's a thrill to have the potential to win that race and the Nationwide Series race. I'm really looking forward to that chance."

Both Fellows and Fitzpatrick look to do well as the No. 88 sits seventh and the No. 7 sits 18th in owner's points.

EVENT: NAPA Auto Parts 200

LENGTH: 74 laps

TRACK: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (2.709-mile road course)

DATE: Sunday August 29, 2010

TV: ESPN2 (coverage begins at 2:00p.m. EST)

RADIO: MRN (broadcast begins at 2:00p.m. EST) 

As the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule garners the majority of the discussion, the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule is also getting flipped upside down.

The majority of the changes center on the changes of the Cup schedule, though some are unique to the Nationwide Series.

Daytona International Speedway will still open the schedule, starting the season on February 19th.

Phoenix International Raceway becomes race No. 2 as it replaces Auto Club Speedway (Fontana).

Fontana will become race No. 5 as it goes back to its traditional slot, replacing Nashville Superspeedway.

Texas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway each will move up a lot on the schedule as a result of the changes, with Nashville taking Talladega’s old date in slot No. 8.

While these changes take place, Las Vegas Motor Speedway keeps date No. 3 and Bristol Motor Speedway keeps No. 4.

Races No. 9 through 11 will stay the same as it will be Richmond International Raceway, Darlington Raceway, and Dover International Speedway.

Race No. 12 will now become Iowa Speedway, replacing Charlotte Motor Speedway. Iowa will now have two dates on the schedule for the first time.

Charlotte will bump down to race No. 13, replacing Nashville.

Nashville moves down to race No. 20, replacing O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.

Races No. 20 to 22 on the old schedule will each get bumped down as a result of the changes, becoming races No. 21 to 23. These three races are Indianapolis, Iowa, and Watkin’s Glen International.

The last fall in the schedule causes Watkin’s Glen to bump Michigan International Speedway. Michigan will move to No. 15, bumping Road America down to 16, replacing New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

New Hampshire will then move to slot 19, replacing Gateway, who will no longer have neither date on the schedule.

Getting back to the middle of the schedule, Chicagoland Speedway will gain a second date, replacing Kentucky’s race in slot 14.

Kentucky will then move to No. 18, replacing Chicago’s old date.

Chicago will then move that date to No. 28, bumping Dover and Kansas down to slots 29 and 30. Fontana, who held slot 30 before, will no longer have a second date.

Meanwhile, race No. 17 will stay as Daytona, races 24 and 25 last year at Bristol and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, will be flipped for next year, and Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond will remain as races 26 and 27.

Getting to the last four races of the schedule, they’ll be Charlotte, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Gateway, which held a race between Charlotte and Texas, will become an off-week due to the previous statement of Gateway disappearing off the schedule.

As seen by the article, the changes are a mess of confusion for everybody.

As far as format changes, there is talk of a way to focus only on Nationwide regulars and maybe also an addition of a Chase format.

With the new car, the schedule, purse cuts, and possible rule changes, next year could be quite interesting.

 

2011 NASCAR Nationwide Schedule

1. Daytona International Speedway
2. Phoenix International Raceway
3. Las Vegas Motor Speedway
4. Bristol Motor Speedway
5. Auto Club Speedway
6. Texas Motor Speedway
7. Talladega Superspeedway
8. Nashville Superspeedway
9. Richmond International Raceway
10. Darlington Raceway
11. Dover International Speedway
12. Iowa Speedway
13. Charlotte Motor Speedway
14. Chicagoland Speedway
15. Michigan International Speedway
16. Road America
17. Daytona International Speedway
18. Kentucky Speedway
19. New Hampshire Motor Speedway
20. Nashville Superspeedway
21. O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis
22. Iowa Speedway
23. Watkin’s Glen International
24. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
25. Bristol Motor Speedway
26. Atlanta Motor Speedway
27. Richmond International Raceway
28. Chicagoland Speedway
29. Dover International Speedway
30. Kansas Speedway
31. Charlotte Motor Speedway
32. Texas Motor Speedway
33. Phoenix International Raceway
34. Homestead-Miami Speedway

Cambridge, Ontario native J.R. Fitzpatrick will make his second start with JR Motorsports at Walkin’s Glen this Saturday.

Driving the No. 7 Schick Hydro Chevrolet, Fitzpatrick looks to repeat the success he had at Road America.

"This is another great opportunity for me to drive the No. 7 Schick Hydro Chevrolet for JR Motorsports at Watkins Glen this weekend,” Fitzpatrick said in the team preview. “We had a solid run in our last race together and we're hopeful for at least another top-10 heading into Watkins Glen. It's a fun track that offers a lot of high-speed corners, but only a couple corners offer solid passing chances.”

In the last road course race at Road America, Fitzpatrick finished seventh after starting 23rd.

Fitzpatrick also has his eyes set on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship.
 
"It's been an awesome season for me so far in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCAT), and it's good to challenge myself in the Nationwide Series, too,” Fitzpatrick said. “There's a lot of talent in both series. It would be a thrill to drive the Schick Hydro Chevrolet into victory lane, and that's what I'm focused on this week."

Fitzpatrick is currently right on path to his NCAT Series goal as he sits first in points, seven points over D.J. Kennington. So far this year, he has an average start of 2.8, an average finish of 4.5, three top-fives, six top-10s, and two wins, with the most recent being on the Edmonton Road Course.

Fitzpatrick has also proven to be quite a road course racer in the NCAT Series. In 13 road course starts, he has five wins, 10 top-fives, 11 top-10s, four poles, and an average finish of 5.5.

Down the road, though, Fitzpatrick looks to be a driver to fit with a team as the total package, as he has also had success on the ovals. In 22 short track starts in the NCAT Series, he has one win, six top-fives, 11 top-10s, two poles, and an average finish of 10.4.

He has also run some Camping World Truck Series races in 2008 (Mario Gosselin/Kevin Buckler) and 2009 (Delana Harvick) and had some strong runs, including a fourth place finish at Daytona in 2009.

For now, Fitzpatrick has his eyes set on his current Nationwide Series schedule, which includes the Montreal road course race later this month, and the NCAT schedule.

It was announced earlier this week as the Associated Press (AP) learned that at least two star drivers this season have been fined, as much as $50,000, for making critical comments against the sport. NASCAR will not allow the drivers to be publicly identified, but sources told AP that the comments were considered disparaging to the sport.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston confirmed this, but would not discuss details. His explanation why appeared in an article on NASCAR.com.

"It is the sanctioning body's obligation on behalf of the industry and our fans to protect the sport's brand," Poston said. "Any action taken by NASCAR has nothing to do with the drivers expressing an opinion—it's focused on actions or comments that materially damage the sport."

"We have specifically discussed this in meetings with teams, drivers and stakeholders."
These actions by NASCAR have been likened to practices of other professional sports leagues, such as the NFL and NBA.

Though is this the right thing to do?

Criticism is something that should be welcomed. It’s always said that people should be able to take negativity in order to be able to improve in the future. With NASCAR putting this in force, are they going against this rule?

Also, it was criticism that was brought against the sport that brought forth some of the rule changes.

Racing back to the caution was taken away as a result of criticism after a race at New Hampshire with regard to how Dale Jarrett’s car was sitting on the track.

Double-file restarts were brought forth this year as a result of criticism towards the lack of good, hard racing on restarts.

The Car of Tomorrow was brought forth as a result of criticism towards the safety of the cars.

These are three big things that wouldn’t had happened if it wasn’t for criticism against the sport.

Also on NASCAR.com in their community section, Poston wrote a blog post with regards to what was going on titled: “Working Together For The Good of the Sport”.

One of the comments he makes in his blog post is, “No business owner would permit employees, vendors or partners to damage their business—nor can we.  It is the sanctioning body’s obligation on behalf of the entire industry to protect the brand, just like every other major sport.”

That is true in most cases; however, wouldn’t a company want to know why they were doing badly and how they could improve? If I was the manager of a company, I’d be welcome to comments so I could improve my business.

Therefore, with respect to NASCAR, they need the comments from the drivers so that they can better stay at the top of their game.

Though what I find even bigger than just the “criticism needed” aspect that I’ve touched, is, by limiting what people can say, aren’t you taking away their right to freedom of speech?

Freedom of speech is something that we’ve worked on building and in this simple step, it’s slowly being taken away.

So if you bring out the scale and weigh the options, what’s better to have breached? Have a couple of bad comments or be known for breaking freedom of speech? I’d think theat by violating freedom of speech, you’re apt to make more people mad.

I do understand that the argument is that comments can be hurtful, but they may only last in the media for a week or two. Also, as stated earlier, they can also be helpful.

Though breaking a right to every human being and letting that be shown, in my opinion... I think that’d do more damage.

JR Motorsports (JRM) this year has been trying a group of various drivers to see who’ll be driving the No. 88 full-time next year in the Nationwide Series.

The recent addition to the seat, Aric Almirola, has looked promising as he finished third with the team at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Saturday.

“I’m just really proud of [this] finish,” Almirola told Scene Daily . “It was a very big morale booster after the way we ran [in trucks]. I’m thankful for the opportunity and hopefully that will bring many more.”

Despite that, JRM’s competition director Tony Eury Sr. says it’s very unlikely as he sees Almirola finding a Cup ride next year.

Almirola has run Cup in the past as he ran some races with Bobby Ginn and Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), which resulted in a top 10 at Bristol. Though Almirola was let go due to lack of sponsorship in the DEI program.

Almirola says, despite Eury’s words, that he should be considered for the ride next year.

“Obviously it was a tryout,” Almirola said. “I feel like they’re going through a lot of young guys just to see how everybody does and how everybody runs.

“I’d love any opportunity that was presented...After the last couple of years I’ve had, to be knocked down and almost kicked out and to be able to come back and rebound myself in this sport, any opportunity I get, I’m just very thankful for and don’t take anything for granted.”

Almirola has run 32 Nationwide races to date and his third place finish at ORP was the third of his career. He does have one win listed to his name, however, he doesn’t consider it an official win as recall that was the race that he was replaced by Denny Hamlin partway through.

For now, Almirola is currently going to focus on the Camping World Truck Series as he has no more races planned on the Nationwide schedule this year for now. Currently he sits second in the standings, 177 points behind leader Todd Bodine, driving the No. 51 truck for Billy Ballew.

Also from Pocono until Walkin’s Glen, he will stand by as backup driver to Jeff Gordon incase Gordon’s wife Ingrid goes into labor. Almirola played the same role for Gordon’s teammate Jimmie Johnson earlier this year.

“Our primary focus is to go there and run good with our truck program,” Almirola said. “We’re still in the hunt for the championship, so we want to go and do that. I’ll be there if they need be. I’m just thankful to continue my relationship with Hendrick Motorsports. I’m having a lot of fun over there and learning a lot.

“I can’t thank those people enough for keeping me in the loop and just go there and be there if they need me.”

With regards to who else could be in the No. 88 full-time next year, the other two drivers that it looks to be narrowed down to are Steve Arpin and Josh Wise.

Arpin had his first Top 10 back at Daytona in July and finished 13th at Gateway, despite ending up in the last lap crash with Keselowski and others.

Arpin was considered for the spot after winning two ARCA races earlier this year at Salem and Texas for Venturini Motorsports.

“To be racing for one of the premiere teams in the garage in JR Motorsports is a dream come true for me," he told me. "I want to focus on finishing every race. There has been a couple times this season where we've been caught up in some accidents. So if we can avoid some of those situations, I think you'll see this us somewhere in the Top 10."

Arpin has done well so far, impressing JRM co-owner and crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

“Steve has impressed us with what he's been able to do in the No. 7 Chevrolet with his limited experience," Tony Eury Jr. told me back in June. "There's no doubt the kid has a lot of talent, especially with what he's been able to do dirt racing.  He had a couple great qualifying efforts at Talladega and Charlotte over the past few weeks."

"He did have his work cut out for him at Richmond and Darlington, which are two of the toughest tracks we race at. Being a rookie in the series it's not easy to run at those facilities. We've had some growing pains, and caught some bad luck with a couple wrecks, but overall, he's shown promise.”

Wise has also ran good as he finished 16th at ORP and eighth a week earlier at Gateway.

Wise was considered for the spot after being dropped from a development contract with Michael Waltrip Racing that had him showing promise in the Nationwide Series.

In other news surrounding the No. 88 team, after their third place run at ORP with Almirola, the left front shock was confiscated in post-race inspection as it failed to rebound. Any penalties towards the team will be announced either later today or Wednesday.  

I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home, tonight tonight
I'm on my way, I'm on my way
Home sweet home.

This verse from Motley Crue's timeless classic song Home Sweet Home , could very easily apply to Ron Hornaday Jr since he driving his RV this week to O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Horn will be doing a rare double dip for Kevin Harvick Inc., running the No. 33 in both the Camping World and Nation races at ORP this weekend.

Since in the Camping World Truck Series, ORP is known as Horn's House by his fans, and he's the only three-time winner at the track.

Horn's known in the series as the king of the short tracks due to his 20 career wins on short tracks.

It's also a track were Horn could end his 22-race winless streak at, and he'll have Ernie Cope on the pit wagon this weekend.

In 10 previous starts at ORP in trucks, Horn has three wins, seven top-fives, seven top-10 finishes, and led 376 laps.

In nine previous starts in the Nationwide, Horn has one win, two top-fives, five top-10 finishes, and led 81 laps.

In 2009, Horn came to ORP having won three consecutive races and the opportunity to make Truck Series history should he win.

Horn did just that, winning his fourth consecutive race in a row, becoming the first to do it in the series. He made bigger history the following week, winning his fifth consecutive race.

He'll have Georgia Boots on his No. 33 Silverado at ORP for Friday night's AAA Insurance 200 and it's the first of three races for Georgia Boots.

Then Saturday night, he'll be piloting the No. 33 Jimmy Johns Chevrolet in the Kroger 200.

"I'm looking forward to running both races, it will be a busy, but fun weekend," Hornaday said.

"ORP is a traditional short track. I love racing there because it reminds me a lot of the tracks I grew up racing on. It eats up tires, it gets hot during the day, and gains grip at night. It's just a fun place to race at."

The two keys to having a successful race at ORP? First, qualify well, then it's all about being able to run through the middle of the corners and being able to come off the turns in the gas.

Horn should qualify strongly in the top-10 and even collect his third pole of the season in trucks.

He'll be racing chassis No. 043 at ORP in Trucks. It's visited victory lane at Martinsville, then finished third at Nashville in its two prior starts.

Then in the Nationwide, Horn will be racing chassis No. 051 and it's finished no worse than sixt, in its previous four starts.

For the AAA Insurance 200, Horn is the favorite to win, he very easily could dominate this race again this season, and no doubt pick up his first win in 2010.

Now in the Kroger 200, he should qualify top-10, run top-10 for the majority of the race, and finish seventh or better.

It's always exciting when Horn makes his rare Nationwide starts for KHI, but even cooler that it happens to be ORP. Let's hope he changes his luck around with a visit to victory lane.

Source for quotes and Photo Credit: kevinharvickinc.com

For the first time in 2010, Ron Hornaday will pull double duty at O'Reilly Raceway Park, driving both the Nationwide Series No. 33 Jimmy John's Chevrolet and the Camping World Truck Series No. 33 Georgia Boot Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Incorperated.

“Double duty is usually fun, unless you were with me at Milwaukee last year,” said Hornaday in the team preview. “The Truck race was cancelled due to rain so I ended up running the Truck and Nationwide race on the same day. I was pretty tired after that experience, but we won the Truck race and finished ninth in the Nationwide Series race.  I also ran the Nationwide car here at ORP last year and we ran sixth. I’m looking forward to running both races; it will be a busy but fun weekend.”

Hornaday has only ran one Nationwide race this year, which came at Road America where he finished 12th.

In nine previous Nationwide Series starts at ORP, Hornaday has one win, two top-fives and five top-10 finishes.

In the Camping World Truck Series, Hornaday currently sits sixth in the standings, 261 points out of the lead, with no wins and six top 10s in 11 races.

In 10 previous Camping World Truck Series races at ORP, Hornaday has three wins (1997, 2007, 2009), seven top fives and seven top 10s.

“ORP is a traditional short track," said Hornaday. "I love racing there because it reminds me a lot of the tracks I grew up racing on. It eats up tires, it gets hot during the day and gains grip at night.  It’s just a fun place to race at.”

Could this be the track that he turns his championship hopes around?

It could be. A lot of people are counting him out and a win could do wonders at this point.

Last year, he was successful as he won his fourth consecutive race on the schedule. He backed it up with another win at Nashville Superspeedway a week later to become only the third driver in NASCAR history to win five consecutive races.

“It was really strange," said Hornaday in the team preview when asked what it was like. "I knew when we won that race that we had done something incredible but the impact of it did not sink in really with any of the No. 33 team members until later. I think we were all riding the victory high. Then it ended after Nashville, but we went on to win the championship so we were content with that. Looking back on it this season I can’t believe we were ever in that position to begin with. The competition is so tough and it is any driver’s race week-in and week-out. Skinner probably should have won that race last year but we pulled it out somehow. I just continue to be reminded how lucky I am to be with such a competitive team.”

Another win could happen as the chassis that they are taking to ORP is chassis No. 43, which is the same chassis that owner Kevin Harvick won with at Martinsville and Hornaday finished third with at Nashville.

"He ain't gonna kill my boy!"

Six words that present an endless array of emotions. Brad Keselowski could see the checkered flag. The next thing he saw was a concrete wall. He then felt the t-bone of several cars, never getting to the start/finish line.

The evidence on Carl Edwards' car stuck out like a sore thumb. The crushed fender and flat left-front tire told the story.

The destroyed car of Keselowski told the rest.

Since NASCAR decided to go back to basics and bring back the "have at it boys" mentality, it's had some good and some bad moments.

We as fans love having the drivers be themselves when it comes to incidents on the track. When they were kept in a box, they had to be careful what they said or how they acted. It was as though if they said one word wrong, points would be lost and fines would be posted.

But, it's becoming apparent that the looser rules also have their drawbacks. It's not so much the drivers, but others surrounding them.

Keselowski's father, Bob, was doing exactly what a father would do for his son, looking out for him.

Edwards's actions beg the question, will this philosophy cost a driver more than a race?

I said before the season began that the new green-white-checkered rule could create chaos at times. It certainly has done that. But, this goes beyond the final two lap showdown.

This season, we have seen more controversy, more questionable acts, and more angry drivers than we have seen in years.

It can all be drawn back to this "have at it boys" idea.

Before NASCAR tightened the reins on the drivers, we saw this kind of emotion, especially from two particular drivers. Between 2002 and 2003, Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer had a lot of on-track run ins. They beat fenders, rubbed tires, and even threw the bird at one another.

It all culminated when at Michigan in 2003 when the two rubbed too much and a confrontation happened in the garage. A shouting match ensued, and Busch got a stiff right hand to the face.

Now, that would be considered over the line because a verbal spar is one thing, but assault is different.

Since then, it was as though NASCAR wanted to tighten down on the drivers, and it forced them to keep their emotions in check. Otherwise, it would cost them money and points.

Case in point, Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Talladega in 2004.

He gets his fifth win at the track and when asked the importance of it, the real Earnhardt Jr. came out.

"It don't mean shit right now. Daddy's won here 10 times."

Two days later, he loses points, drops positions in the standings, and had to pay a hefty fine.

But, what you saw was not a toned-down version of the popular driver. It was Junior, exactly how he is.

With NASCAR going back to the idea of letting the drivers have the control, it didn't take long to see raw emotion.

Edwards and Keselowski had their first run-in at Atlanta, when Keselowski slid up and accidentally got into Edwards.  The No. 99 was hurt, and it meant a trip to the garage. That was merely a racing incident, no controversy there.

Edwards came back out on the track only to spin him out again, and causing the No. 12 to fly into the catch fence—not a good idea. Edwards admitted it was payback, and even I would admit it was a bit over the line.

We all forgot that Busch won that race because we were focused on those two drivers. Sad, but true.

Also, look at the in-team rivalry between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. That has been a story in itself for a majority of the first half of the season.

At Texas, Johnson rode Gordon for the lead even though the No. 24 was the better car. It was as if he wanted the former champ, not to mention car owner, to lay over just because he won four straight titles.

In the end, Gordon wrecked out, Johnson finished second.

One week later, at Talladega, it happened again. Gordon goes for the pass, Johnson shoves him to the apron heading into turn three.

Two corners later, Gordon is in a wreck.

The garage area was buzzing with anticipation, but the quote of the race made every fan, media member, and crew go silent.

"That 48 [car] is testing my patience. It takes a lot to get me angry, and I'm...I'm pissed right now," Gordon said outside his hauler.

However, Saturday night showed what payback and emotion were all about.

Keselowski again runs hard on Edwards, and the two touch. No spin out, nothing major, just a slide up the track and a pass around. The true definition of a "bump and run."

What happened a lap later was not a bump and run.

If Edwards had hit the left-rear corner, just as Keselowski did to him, probably would have been just another racing incident. But, hitting the right-rear corner means wrecking someone. Keselowski's car looked like it went through a wood chipper cause he got hit by two or three cars following the initial contact.

Hard racing...far from it.

Even Keselowski knew what happened was no accident.

"He turned left into me and wrecked me on purpose," Keselowski said. "I gave him the lane, and he still wrecked me.

"I figured out a way to beat him. He wasn't happy with me, so he wrecked me."

It was his father, a former racer himself that made the most of his camera time, as he wanted to protect his son.

"Carl flipped out like he did at Atlanta and tried to kill the kid...He just overreacted so bad," the elder Keselowski said.

"If he wanted to bump Brad, it's one thing. But don't drive him through the inside guardrail. Don't put him in the grandstands at Atlanta. That's asinine."

We are all for the intense racing, and letting the drivers go for it all. But, there's a huge difference between hard racing and taking a driver out.

NASCAR knows that, and they have to be careful. What happens at the local short-tracks on a Saturday night is different than what happens in front of a NASCAR camera. The local racers know each other, and they deal with it differently. Most of the time it's outside the track and they don't want to tear up their equipment.

But, in NASCAR, someone else is handling the bills and the repairs. It doesn't mean you go out each weekend and tear the car up the same way Dennis Anderson tears up his Grave Digger monster truck.

Hopefully the drivers realize they can't just go out and use their cars like a battering ram.

Bob Keselowski said, "He ain't gonna kill my boy." But, one must wonder if down the line, if a driver goes that hard for payback, will those six words be reduced to four?

At some point, will a father, crew chief, or owner look into a camera and say, "He killed my boy?"

Let's hope not.

Half way through her rookie campaign, Danica Patrick is still drawing a huge fan base.

Next year will not only be her second year in the Nationwide series, it will also be, according to her contractual obligation, her final year in the IRL.

Patrick’s camp has made it clear her ultimate goal is to drive full time in the Sprint Cup series by 2012.

Beyond this season, except for her IRL schedule, there has been nothing listed for next year in the Nationwide series, or beyond to the Sprint Cup series for Patrick.

If next year's Nationwide schedule parallels this years schedule, there will be several opportunities for Patrick to run more than one race in a two or three day span.

Recently Brian France stated there would be some changes in how the Nationwide series was run next year.

Speculation is there will be limitations on how many races, if any, a full time Sprint Cup driver can enter. While this speculation, on the surface, has nothing to do with Danica Patrick, it does bring up a very important question.

If full time Sprint Cup drivers are not allowed to race in the Nationwide series, will Nationwide regulars be allowed to race in the Sprint Cup series?

Patrick has spent this year getting her feet wet at a host of tracks. Next year could be more of the same.

It’s rare for a driver not to be entered in at least one, two, or several Sprint Cup races before their first full time year.

Patrick’s continuing full time IRL schedule makes it even more difficult for her to be entered into a Sprint Cup event.

There are however, if she follows the same schedule, multiple opportunities for her to race in multiple events in one weekend.

It is actually possible for her to race in a Nationwide event on Friday or Saturday and an IRL event on Sunday, as well as multiple opportunities for her to race in a Nationwide even on Saturday and a Sprint Cup event on Sunday.

There have been several drivers who have raced in an IRL event and a NASCAR event on the same weekend. It has however never proven to be successful.

Patrick’s handlers have no doubt considered these possibilities.

The obvious choices for double duty would be Daytona, where she did a double this year, Charlotte, home of just about every race team, Michigan, where she also runs in the IRL, or one of the two road courses on the NASCAR circuit.

Hot bed tracks like Bristol, Darlington, Richmond, and Martinsville shouldn’t be a consideration for double duty.

There will be a time, however, when Patrick will have to race on these mini miles of mayhem. Maybe her schedule next year is when she takes her first dip into the raging waters of short track stress. 

All of this would be much easier if Patrick were not a full time IRL driver. It will also be easier to figure out once NASCAR makes their intentions for the Nationwide series public.
There will be a time when Patrick will have to climb into a Sprint Cup car. It is very doubtful that first time will be mid February, 2012.

Photo Credit: David Yeazell

At the end of the Subway Jalapeno 250, the spotlight was on Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he took the checkered flag.

Teammate Steve Arpin also took his place in the spotlight as he got his first NASCAR Nationwide Series top 10 finish coming in 10th.

"To come out of Daytona with a top-10 was an amazing feeling for me,” Arpin said.

“The guys back at the JRM shop have put a ton of work into our restrictor-plate program and I think it showed with the finish we had there."

The race came down to handling as a lot of people were talking about the track being slick and rough.

"That's just the way the track has always been,” Arpin said. “It's a slippery, bumpy racetrack. My teammate Greg Sacks told me that back when he won here in 1985, the track had all the same bumps in it. They've just gotten bigger over the years."

Though along with Sacks, boss Earnhardt Jr. was there to help by teaching Arpin some lessons in practice about drafting.

"It's no secret Dale Jr. is one of the best drafters in the business,” Arpin said. “So it was fun to get up front and mix it up with him a little bit. Anytime I'm around him on the track, I watch his every move. I can learn a lot about working the draft just by being around him. It was pretty cool."

It was also the first race for the new Nationwide car, which a lot of people were talking about afterwards.

"It was a lot different than the cars we're used to running,” Arpin said. “But they were fun. At times they were a handful, and you really had to be up on the wheel and focused at the job at hand."

Going into the Daytona weekend, things hadn’t been going as well as he hoped as Arpin had suffered some wrecks in his previous starts. Though he says overall that things have been going well.

"Things are going great at JRM,” he said. “They're a fun bunch of guys and I've been spending a lot of time with them. On the week's I've been driving, I've gone into the shop and helped out working on the cars the best I can."

One of the key people helping Arpin learn the NASCAR ranks has been veteran crew chief and part-owner Tony Eury Jr.

"Tony Jr. is a great crew chief and mentor,” Arpin said. “Even for his age, he's got a ton of experience and has seen pretty much everything this sport can throw at  you. He's an awesome guy to have in your corner."

As far as looking forward to his time in the car, Arpin says that he’s just happy about the opportunity.

“To be racing for one of the premiere teams in the garage in JR Motorsports is a dream come true for me," he said. "I want to focus on finishing every race. There has been a couple times this season where we've been caught up in some accidents. So if we can avoid some of those situations, I think you'll see this us somewhere in the top 10."

Look for Arpin this coming weekend at Gateway as he takes the wheel behind the No. 88 Blue Harbor Bank Chevrolet for JR Motorsports Saturday night.

As a result of Arpin running Gateway, Josh Richards will fill Arpin’s seat in the No. 55 ARCA car for Venturini Motorsports in Ohio. Arpin will also miss the July 31st ARCA race at Pocono Raceway as a result of the Nationwide race he’s running at Iowa, yet no replacement has been announced yet.