I think most of you would agree that these first 10 races we have enjoyed this season are the best we have ever seen. There is just this air about this sport right now. Folks in the garage area, folks at home watching and folks in the grandstands are pumped up about how positive things are in NASCAR.
The competition is just so good – look at Talladega a couple weeks ago, that was a record-breaking performance. The change NASCAR made to the car by losing that ugly wing and replacing it with the spoiler has been a winner. Taking a step back and letting the drivers show their personalities has been a great change, too. The consistent start times are catching on. You know when something has gotten beaten up some, it takes a while to build it back up and that’s where we are.
All this is a result of the product on the track. Every week the racing is so unpredictable. People ask me, “Hey, DW, who is going to win this weekend.” Folks, I don’t have a clue. There’s no longer a clear-cut favorite each week. There are just so many factors that go into these races now that the predictability is gone and that is a great thing.
Think about this. Of the 10 races in 2010 so far, half of them ended with the green-white-checker scenario. That and the double-file restarts have changed everything. You see it week in and week out. The cat who has led the most laps in the last three races hasn’t won the race. That’s crazy. The guy leading at the halfway point hasn’t won seven of the last eight races.
You all know I have always been an advocate that it takes a fast car to win these races. Well now, in addition to that, you need a fast pit crew and a crew chief to make fast strategy calls – but even then it becomes a crapshoot. You might do everything right, but then get in a line for a restart that doesn’t go and you are toast. You might not have the best car, but if you get in the right line that goes when the green flag waves, well by golly you might have a shot.
All these things keep you on the edge of your seat regardless if you are at home or at the track. When I am up in the TV booth, I will look down at the crowd and it’s so great to see that hardly anyone uses their seat anymore. They never sit down. They simply stand up the whole race because they don’t want to miss the action.
Here’s what I want you to consider: Of the 10 races, Jimmie Johnson has won three times so far. In the early part of the season, folks were complaining that he was stinking up the show and he was ruining NASCAR. They try to lay all the blame at his feet. You all have heard it before. But if Jeff Gordon would have had any luck other than bad luck, he easily could have won five of the 10 races so far. Jeff had the best car at Las Vegas, but Jimmie beat him at the end. He had a real strong car all day at Martinsville but Denny Hamlin beat him on a green-white-checker finish. Jeff had the best car at Phoenix and Ryan Newman beat him on a restart. He had the best car at Texas and got in a wreck. He had a great car at Richmond last Saturday night until the very end.
Realistically, Gordon could have easily had five wins in his pocket right now. Would folks start blaming him? Would they say he was stinking up the show? No, they wouldn’t. There was a time picking on Jeff Gordon was the favorite thing for the fans. There was a time beating Jeff Gordon on the race track would get a driver a lot of cheers.
Not anymore. Jeff has evolved back into a real fan favorite. Fans would be thrilled to see him win today. I am in that boat, too, because he has just run so well. I still believe if he keeps knocking on that door, he will get his share this year. Trust me, it is hard on a driver’s confidence when they keep slipping away like that. As a driver you know you don’t and won’t get an opportunity every week to win.
I think it’s great we are seeing different winners every week. Kyle Busch got his the other night at Richmond. His brother has won this year. Ryan Newman has one after a long drought. The same can be said for Kevin Harvick. Naturally you had Jamie McMurray at Daytona, so the wins have been spread around this year so far.
The key, as we always remind you is to try and have the most wins after the checkered flag in Richmond in September. The drivers starting the Chase for the Sprint Cup get bonus points from the wins they accumulate in the first 26 races, so those bonus points become really valuable.
But wait, there's more
So now we head to the Lady in Black for the Southern 500 in Darlington on Saturday night. It should be another great race under the lights down there. The track is fast. If you remember last year’s race, it was some crazy number like 30 cars that got into the wall at one point or another during practice or the race.
I kind of look for Mark Martin to come out of the little slump he is in and run well at Darlington. He always runs well there and in fact won the race last year. I see Kyle Busch getting up a good head of steam. That team has gotten progressively stronger each week and he capped it off with a win Saturday night at Richmond.
You are seeing a classic example where a driver and new crew chief, Dave Rodgers, are starting to understand each other and get closer together. Sure, that win was great for Kyle, but trust me, it was huge for Dave. He has been beaten up pretty well by folks so far this season and some folks were even questioning whether he was the right man for the job. This win Saturday night was just what the team needed and sure silenced the critics. Mark my words, I really think they are going to be tough to beat as we go forward into the rest of the schedule.
