Kurt Bush - Congratulations on a great week. You speak well when in front of the cameras and I really liked your sincerity when thanking the US troops and their families for their commitments to our country. You had a heck of a week and are a deserving winner. I only hope you share some of that bonus with your crew and a lot of it with Steve Addington; He is making you look good!
Kyle Bush - You too had a heck of a week with two wins and a third in Cup at Charlotte where you did not have a third place car at all. You too sincerely thanked the US troops and I salute you for that. I also salute you for being patient when Jeff Burton stuck his finger in your face about 20 different times after the race. Because of who you are and how you race, people are going to come after you. Sometimes you are right, sometimes you are wrong. In this case, you certainly were not in the wrong for racing hard at the end of a long race. It was an unfortunate incident and I felt bad for Burton's finish because of what happened, but that was erased as soon as he had a temper tantrum in front of the cameras after the race. Look out, my guess is he will come after you in retaliation and probably make it look like an accident. Just keep in mind, Burton looked like an idiot and you handled yourself well.....like a champion. You also handled yourself well this week with your comments about your teammate and how he raced you a week ago. He came across arrogant and unforgiving, you came across as someone who learned a lesson about your teammate.
Jamie McMurray - Man, I wish you got the win for your boss and could have made a great an incredible day. You improved your car all day and that is what it takes to be an end of the race contender for wins and...championships. I sincerely hope you make the Chase. You are a good example of how important it is for a driver to have the right fit with owner and crew. You are a much better racer this year than you have been in the past with Roush.
David Reutimann - You started 6th and ran in the top 5 all day. You continuously fought hard on restarts but it was obvious you did not have the horsepower to get through the gears as fast as everyone else. Yet, after every restart, you fought back into the top 5 where you finished. I am excited for you and MWR as I truly believe that your teammate and quite possibly you, will make the Chase this year and combined, I am looking for MWR to have 2 wins this year and quite possibly 3 or 4.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Bush, Championships, JGR, MWR, tides have turned
Love him or hate him, Kyle Bush as an excellent racer. I say racer, because his skills are not just limited to stock car driving. Kyle Bush takes on many different forms of motor sports including ownership, which any true race fan knows, in order to be a successful owner, you must think like a racer; ie: you are a racer.
I wish Bush was running the entire Nationwide schedule this year but unfortunately, his Cup boss, JGR, decided that he needs the time on the Cup side to get his cars extra ready for the final push toward a championship.
In a sport where the barriers to entry are very difficult to overcome, and even more demanding to stay, winning races is special, and winning championships even more special. However, winning a championship is the key component to reaching the status of elite. Kyle Bush has a Nationwide Championship. Kyle Bush has Cup Chase births and Cup wins. But Kyle Bush doesn't have a Cup Championship and that is what he needs to truly become considered elite. Think of Charles Barkley.
Martin Truex has two Nationwide Championships. Would you consider Truex a more successful driver than Kyle Bush?
Brian Vickers has a Nationwide title. Who do you consider to be a better Cup driver?
With that said (written), I am looking forward to watching Kyle Bush win a Cup Championship because I think he is a special talent and I want to see him achieve the elite driver status. However, until recently, I do not think he could achieve this goal without cutting back on his Nationwide and Truck commitments. Now Kyle has put himself in the best possible situation to achieve the goal of a Cup Championship. And, by being a good teammate to Denny Hamlin and Joe Logano, he should reap the rewards of a team whose owners want that championship even more than any one of their drivers. If you have not figured it out yet, the tides have turned, and JGR with Toyota is the new Hendrick. As Hendrick's drivers and their reflexes age into the sunset, JGR's stable is just entering their middle years....and the team still has room to add a 4th driver to their stable.
Penske's program is getting better each weekend too as is MWR. I am looking for Brad Keselowski to win the Nationwide Championship this year and that will jump him into a new category, and then for Keselowski to slow down his Nationwide commitments next year in order to focus on Cup...ala Kyle Bush this year.
Penske and MWR are improving....Henrick has been on the top......something will change and I think it has already started. What cements all of these changes, just like what solidifies a driver to actual elite status is the same; Championships.
I wish Bush was running the entire Nationwide schedule this year but unfortunately, his Cup boss, JGR, decided that he needs the time on the Cup side to get his cars extra ready for the final push toward a championship.
In a sport where the barriers to entry are very difficult to overcome, and even more demanding to stay, winning races is special, and winning championships even more special. However, winning a championship is the key component to reaching the status of elite. Kyle Bush has a Nationwide Championship. Kyle Bush has Cup Chase births and Cup wins. But Kyle Bush doesn't have a Cup Championship and that is what he needs to truly become considered elite. Think of Charles Barkley.
Martin Truex has two Nationwide Championships. Would you consider Truex a more successful driver than Kyle Bush?
Brian Vickers has a Nationwide title. Who do you consider to be a better Cup driver?
With that said (written), I am looking forward to watching Kyle Bush win a Cup Championship because I think he is a special talent and I want to see him achieve the elite driver status. However, until recently, I do not think he could achieve this goal without cutting back on his Nationwide and Truck commitments. Now Kyle has put himself in the best possible situation to achieve the goal of a Cup Championship. And, by being a good teammate to Denny Hamlin and Joe Logano, he should reap the rewards of a team whose owners want that championship even more than any one of their drivers. If you have not figured it out yet, the tides have turned, and JGR with Toyota is the new Hendrick. As Hendrick's drivers and their reflexes age into the sunset, JGR's stable is just entering their middle years....and the team still has room to add a 4th driver to their stable.
Penske's program is getting better each weekend too as is MWR. I am looking for Brad Keselowski to win the Nationwide Championship this year and that will jump him into a new category, and then for Keselowski to slow down his Nationwide commitments next year in order to focus on Cup...ala Kyle Bush this year.
Penske and MWR are improving....Henrick has been on the top......something will change and I think it has already started. What cements all of these changes, just like what solidifies a driver to actual elite status is the same; Championships.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
All-Star Race comments
Did you like the format?
I did.
Joey Logano finishes 3rd and Brad Kesolowski 7th. Not too shabby representing the newest young drivers.
And of course, Dale Jr. finishing 12th....that's kinda where he is these days....on average.
Watch MWR. All the talk lately has been about JGR and their recent success, but keep an eye on the other Toyota team with talent, MWR. I am expecting Reutimann and Truex each to win one this year with one or both of them making the Chase.
Paul Gozzo
I did.
Joey Logano finishes 3rd and Brad Kesolowski 7th. Not too shabby representing the newest young drivers.
And of course, Dale Jr. finishing 12th....that's kinda where he is these days....on average.
Watch MWR. All the talk lately has been about JGR and their recent success, but keep an eye on the other Toyota team with talent, MWR. I am expecting Reutimann and Truex each to win one this year with one or both of them making the Chase.
Paul Gozzo
Saturday, May 22, 2010
"Backyard Brawl"
100 laps and nicknamed, "The Backyard Brawl", how could you not get excited to see this race?
"I like the format. I like the short race, and I love Charlotte Motor Speedway," said Newman, whose first big victory came in the 2002 All-Star event. "You get to haul the mail around there and that's what we like to do as drivers, to be able to push a car and use that banking. It's three-wide racing. And the track is probably the raciest it has ever been."
"I like the format. I like the short race, and I love Charlotte Motor Speedway," said Newman, whose first big victory came in the 2002 All-Star event. "You get to haul the mail around there and that's what we like to do as drivers, to be able to push a car and use that banking. It's three-wide racing. And the track is probably the raciest it has ever been."
NASCAR All-Star race is better than The Indy 500
No points. Just a race. Winner take all! (Paul Gozzo)
Tonight's race is one of my favorite of the season because you have no larger agenda to race for other than a win. To begin, you have to have won in the past year in order to make the field. So, only proven recent winners are in the field. Because of this format, competing for the win are the teams who consistently get their driver to the front at the end of the race where/when he can win it. So, the racers and teams competing, all know how to race with give and take in order to preserve and improve their cars with the changing track conditions in order to have them near the front at the end with a chance to win. It absolutely does not get any better than this.
How many times have you watched your favorite driver race well only to see him preserve a top 5 or 10 finish by being conservative late in the race? If you like Tony Stewart, just watch in the next few weeks. After some bad luck and some terrible finishes, he is on the outside looking in for a Chase birth which is crucial for his young team and their ability to draw sponsorship in order to have the budget to compete. So, Tony Stewart will race conservatively to get the points necessary for his team to make the Chase. Juan Pablo did this all year last year while he ran up front. Instead of taking risk to run for wins, he protected top 10 and top 5 finishes late in the race.
So, that said, watch tonight's race and enjoy the best of the best in terms of organizations, teams, and drivers, compete for the top prize of $1,000,000.
(Paul Gozzo)
Tonight's race is one of my favorite of the season because you have no larger agenda to race for other than a win. To begin, you have to have won in the past year in order to make the field. So, only proven recent winners are in the field. Because of this format, competing for the win are the teams who consistently get their driver to the front at the end of the race where/when he can win it. So, the racers and teams competing, all know how to race with give and take in order to preserve and improve their cars with the changing track conditions in order to have them near the front at the end with a chance to win. It absolutely does not get any better than this.
How many times have you watched your favorite driver race well only to see him preserve a top 5 or 10 finish by being conservative late in the race? If you like Tony Stewart, just watch in the next few weeks. After some bad luck and some terrible finishes, he is on the outside looking in for a Chase birth which is crucial for his young team and their ability to draw sponsorship in order to have the budget to compete. So, Tony Stewart will race conservatively to get the points necessary for his team to make the Chase. Juan Pablo did this all year last year while he ran up front. Instead of taking risk to run for wins, he protected top 10 and top 5 finishes late in the race.
So, that said, watch tonight's race and enjoy the best of the best in terms of organizations, teams, and drivers, compete for the top prize of $1,000,000.
(Paul Gozzo)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Humble Reutimann
....this guy give me hope for my Cup career. He raced his entire life, is a third generation racer, and caught his break in his 30's. I am in my 30's with no racing lineage, so maybe I will get to Cup in my 60's! So, I'm saying there's a chance!!!!
David Reutimann
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jh-questions052010
Paul Gozzo
David Reutimann
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jh-questions052010
Paul Gozzo
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Reutimann in The Showdown!
REUTIMANN ON THE ALL-STAR RACE: “The All-Star race is a big deal. I’ve been on the outside looking in on that deal for a lot of years, so it’s going to be good to go there and be a part of that it’s such a huge deal. We had a really good test at Charlotte a couple weeks back and felt like our car was really good. Rodney Childers and the Aaron’s crew are bringing their A-game every week and we’ll just have to see what happens. This is a race that’s all or nothing, so that is the exciting part of it. I think that Sprint has done a great job each year coming up with something to keep the event fresh and it’s exciting as it gets for the fans and the drivers. Everybody is all in on almost every lap."
ON THE VICTORY BURNOUT CHALLENGE: “For me personally, I’m looking forward to the Victory Burnout Challenge. Last year when we won the Coca-Cola 600, that was my first Sprint Cup Series win. The officials wouldn’t even let me start the car to get it to our makeshift victory lane. So this is going to be great! I get to go out in someone else’s car and burn the wheels off it on the front stretch and not have to worry about the talking to that I’d get if I was doing that in a team car. That’s a pretty great deal if you ask me.”
• Reutimann is making his first career start in the Sprint All-Star race. Reutimann punched his ticket into the race by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day last year. • This weekend Reutimann becomes the first 40-year-old driver to make his All-Star debut since Johnny Benson in 2003. And, he is only the fifth 40-year-old to start his first All-Star race since 1990.
• The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine pit crew is participating in the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte on Wednesday. SPEED-TV will broadcast the event at 9 p.m.
• The pit crew will use the Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide No. 00 Toyota Camry during the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge. The car served as a backup at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide diecast cars are available for purchase at any Aaron's store nationwide.
• In the last four races, Reutimann has scored 539 points—the seventh most of any driver and moved from 30th to 20th in points. Has collected 15 bonus points for leading laps in three of the four races (five laps at Talladega, three at Darlington and one at Dover), recorded two top-five qualifying efforts (second at Richmond and fourth at Darlington) and has one top five and four top-15 finishes.
• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in eight of the nine races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in seven of the nine. In his three DNFs (Did Not Finish), Reutimann was racing in the top-five of all three races at the time he radioed of the issue leading him to retire from the race. (5th at Atlanta, 2nd at Bristol, 5th at Atlanta).
ON THE VICTORY BURNOUT CHALLENGE: “For me personally, I’m looking forward to the Victory Burnout Challenge. Last year when we won the Coca-Cola 600, that was my first Sprint Cup Series win. The officials wouldn’t even let me start the car to get it to our makeshift victory lane. So this is going to be great! I get to go out in someone else’s car and burn the wheels off it on the front stretch and not have to worry about the talking to that I’d get if I was doing that in a team car. That’s a pretty great deal if you ask me.”
• Reutimann is making his first career start in the Sprint All-Star race. Reutimann punched his ticket into the race by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day last year. • This weekend Reutimann becomes the first 40-year-old driver to make his All-Star debut since Johnny Benson in 2003. And, he is only the fifth 40-year-old to start his first All-Star race since 1990.
• The No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine pit crew is participating in the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge at Time Warner Cable Arena in uptown Charlotte on Wednesday. SPEED-TV will broadcast the event at 9 p.m.
• The pit crew will use the Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide No. 00 Toyota Camry during the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge. The car served as a backup at Talladega Superspeedway in April. The Aaron’s/Alabama Crimson Tide diecast cars are available for purchase at any Aaron's store nationwide.
• In the last four races, Reutimann has scored 539 points—the seventh most of any driver and moved from 30th to 20th in points. Has collected 15 bonus points for leading laps in three of the four races (five laps at Talladega, three at Darlington and one at Dover), recorded two top-five qualifying efforts (second at Richmond and fourth at Darlington) and has one top five and four top-15 finishes.
• Reutimann has finished 20th or better in eight of the nine races that he has been running at the finish in 2010—and 15th or better in seven of the nine. In his three DNFs (Did Not Finish), Reutimann was racing in the top-five of all three races at the time he radioed of the issue leading him to retire from the race. (5th at Atlanta, 2nd at Bristol, 5th at Atlanta).
Bowyer placed on probation after Dover incident (Paul Gozzo)
I, Paul Gozzo, am a Clint Bowyer fan.
www.paulgozzo.com
Bowyer does not run a full time Nationwide schedule, so when he does race at that level, you can bet he is running to win. Most part timers are like this, especially the Cup guys who come down to The Nationwide for a race. Other "double duty" drivers who run full time in Cup and Nationwide generally run for championships with the exception of Kyle Bush who tends to do both. So, does putting Bowyer on probation for a few weeks in the Nationwide series really punish him for taking out Hamlin under caution last week in Dover? I think not. It is less than a slap on the wrist.
Both guys were running for the win and clearly not as strong as the leader and eventual race winner, Kyle Bush. The incident triggering event occurred on a restart near the end of the race when Bowyer, on older tires, spun them a little bit on the restart and Hamlin who was behind Bowyer, clipped is left rear in the process sending Bowyer up the track wrecking him and others in a chain reaction.
After watching replays, this does not appear to be a vicious attack but more the product of hard nosed racing. Bowyer spun his tires not because he is a rookie but because he had older tires, so not really his fault. Hamlin clipped Bowyer, not becasue he is a dirty driver, but because he mashed the pedal in order to give it his all for the win and to go after his teammate, Kyle Bush, who clearly had the best car all day. No one is at fault here.
However, Bowyer's reaction under caution was a bit much and implies to me that their is more to this story. Bowyer could have spoken with Hamlin later in the garage, but he chose to wipe Hamlin out instead....under caution....certainly knowing he would be punished by NASCAR.
What ticks me off about Bowyer is that I previously had liked him a lot as a driver who charges it in the Nationwide series and races for points in the Cup series. He is an old dirt tracker and those guys are my favorite. however, I have noticed an arrogance in Bowyer lately that was either not there in previous years or he kept it well hidden, but he acted like a champ would and he is not a champion....yet.
Bowyer also isn't intimidating anyone. There was only one guy in the past 20 years who could do that and everyone else who tries fails miserably.
www.paulgozzo.com
Bowyer does not run a full time Nationwide schedule, so when he does race at that level, you can bet he is running to win. Most part timers are like this, especially the Cup guys who come down to The Nationwide for a race. Other "double duty" drivers who run full time in Cup and Nationwide generally run for championships with the exception of Kyle Bush who tends to do both. So, does putting Bowyer on probation for a few weeks in the Nationwide series really punish him for taking out Hamlin under caution last week in Dover? I think not. It is less than a slap on the wrist.
Both guys were running for the win and clearly not as strong as the leader and eventual race winner, Kyle Bush. The incident triggering event occurred on a restart near the end of the race when Bowyer, on older tires, spun them a little bit on the restart and Hamlin who was behind Bowyer, clipped is left rear in the process sending Bowyer up the track wrecking him and others in a chain reaction.
After watching replays, this does not appear to be a vicious attack but more the product of hard nosed racing. Bowyer spun his tires not because he is a rookie but because he had older tires, so not really his fault. Hamlin clipped Bowyer, not becasue he is a dirty driver, but because he mashed the pedal in order to give it his all for the win and to go after his teammate, Kyle Bush, who clearly had the best car all day. No one is at fault here.
However, Bowyer's reaction under caution was a bit much and implies to me that their is more to this story. Bowyer could have spoken with Hamlin later in the garage, but he chose to wipe Hamlin out instead....under caution....certainly knowing he would be punished by NASCAR.
What ticks me off about Bowyer is that I previously had liked him a lot as a driver who charges it in the Nationwide series and races for points in the Cup series. He is an old dirt tracker and those guys are my favorite. however, I have noticed an arrogance in Bowyer lately that was either not there in previous years or he kept it well hidden, but he acted like a champ would and he is not a champion....yet.
Bowyer also isn't intimidating anyone. There was only one guy in the past 20 years who could do that and everyone else who tries fails miserably.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Switching from Paul Gozzo to Paul Gozzo Racing
This is where Paul Gozzo will publish posts on racing from now on, not at Paul Gozzo the other Blog where Paul Gozzo will focus on something else.
Paul Gozzo has been a racer since childhood and plans to help others through racing. Paul Gozzo is a part time mechanic who likes to work on cars for fun. Whenever Paul Gozzo can, he likes to race himself, but like most racers, Paul Gozzo isn't always behind the wheel. Sometimes Paul Gozzo is in the pit, other times Paul Gozzo is in the stands.
What you will find from Paul Gozzo Racing in this blog is genuine novice knowledge and insight in stock car racing.
Paul Gozzo has been a racer since childhood and plans to help others through racing. Paul Gozzo is a part time mechanic who likes to work on cars for fun. Whenever Paul Gozzo can, he likes to race himself, but like most racers, Paul Gozzo isn't always behind the wheel. Sometimes Paul Gozzo is in the pit, other times Paul Gozzo is in the stands.
What you will find from Paul Gozzo Racing in this blog is genuine novice knowledge and insight in stock car racing.
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