NASCAR’s 10 “Baddest” Dudes

by Jim on March 15, 2010 · 6 comments

My, how a race changes things. It may very well be that there’s a New World Order in the realm of NASCAR 2010, where the boys are allowed to “Have At It”- whether it be to get ahead or administer their own brand of vigilante justice.

Who, in today’s NASCAR, is the most likely to use his bumper and stir things up? In an earlier day, names like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, or Robby Gordon may have come to mind. But what about now? The three just mentioned have aged, and arguably mellowed a bit over the years. Each now experience the responsibilities of ownership, which certainly has a way of making one see things differently.

Here’s my list.  This is in no way suggesting the following drivers are dirty by nature, or that this is anything more than one fan’s opinion. You may have your own, and I’d be interested to know them. An old INXS tune surmised that every single one of us has “The Devil Inside,” so it may just be that every adrenaline junkie piloting one of these high speed missiles qualifies. Who knows?

When something hot is brewing on the track, I generally figure one or more of the following to be in the middle of it….

10. Matt Kenseth- Are you serious? Yes. Someone who knows from Wisconsin “back in the day” set me straight on the origins of the moniker “Matt The Brat.” According to this sage, Kenseth’s version of the “bump ‘n’ run” is more like the “touch and excuse me.” Ask Jeff Gordon if you need more information.

Kenseth’s tactics are more about gaining track position than retaliation. I mean, there’s not going to be this long list of guys he’s put in the wall intentionally. On the other hand, Kenseth was none too bashful about exacting a little revenge on David Gilliland a couple of seasons ago at Bristol. In true Kensethian form, He just delivered one swift blow, and moved on.

9. Kurt Busch- The years have taken some of the edge off, but his body of work earns him a spot. He’s mixed it up with Jimmy Spencer, Tony Stewart, his crew chief and even his boss.

He acts like a guy who genuinely tries to behave himself, but his competitive nature still gets the best of him at times.

8. Tony Stewart- The fire inside Smoke has gone from five to three alarm. Not wishing to commit sacrilege here, but to me, Stewart may be the one most like Ol’ Man Earnhardt in the garage. If something’s not right, you can count on Stewart to speak up. You may not always like how he presents what he says, but even his competitors offer him a place of respect.

He may not be engaging in the anger management class-inducing antics from days of yore. All “Billy Bad Butt” got from Stewart at Charlotte was a talking to. I’ll never forget how one NASCAR historian said “Tony Stewart has 12 personalities. Nine of them are intelligent and funny and the other three want to hit you in the mouth.”

7. Kevin Harvick- Oh yeah, he’s toned it down some, most of the warfare he conducts now is with his mouth. I’m not saying that’s all bad either. Harvick has had his little war of words with Carl Edwards that “Mr. Ed’” attempted to escalate, and Happy has even taken on his own boss over the radio.

Harvick is not unlike Tony Stewart in that it’s not what is said, but how it’s said. Harvick has offered up his own biting commentary about drug testing in NASCAR, and he wasn’t shy in opining about Edwards’ fine in comparison to some of the penance he’s paid.

6. Robby Gordon- Fans won’t forget soon Gordon’s little deal with Marcos Ambrose in the Nationwide Series race up in Montreal. It was also “Flash” who initiated the contact with Joey Logano at Watkins Glen to trigger the “stupid is forever” comment.

He doesn’t run up front enough in Cup racing to mix it up like he used to, speaking something to the fact he picks his battles now. These days, given his precarious place in the points standings, I don’t think we’ll see much aggression until he rectifies that situation.

5. Brad Keselowski- Is he a hard charger, or indiscriminate? A dirty racer? No, but it sure seems like any car he’s in is in the middle of something. More than anything, he has EARNED his place on this list, because he is the kind of guy you have to be aware of it’s the last lap, and he’s on your bumper. Is it a case of “bad” being good? 

4. Kyle Busch- Shrub is a little more calculated about his use of the chrome horn than those ranked ahead of him. His reputation has as much to do with his squabbles with his crew chief over the radio as they do with any racer-related conflict.

This is just an opinion, but it’s mine: Busch cares more about what fans think than he’d have us believe. Think about his comments on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s popularity. I detect jealousy there. By the same token, I give him credit for having a sense of humor between the mock cheers and bows.

3. Denny Hamlin- If there’s contact somewhere, there’s a good chance the #11 of Denny Hamlin’s in it. To be fair, sometimes the “incidents” he’s been in have been due to misjudged clearance, but don’t tell David Reutimann that. Whether or not “Beak” is still “mad as heck” remains to be seen.

Not only is he not shy about using his front bumper to advance a position, Hamlin has also demonstrated viz a viz his run-in with Brad Keselowski, that he’s not shy about spinning someone. You get lots of raw emotion with Denny Hamlin, it’s alternately good and bad.

2. Carl Edwards- Perception is everything where Cousin Carl’s image is concerned. If you really think about it, nothing about Edwards has really changed that much.

Edwards has beaten doors with Dale Jr., he’s traded paint with Kyle Busch, and then there was that feigned punch at HIS OWN TEAMMATE. In a way, Carl Edwards is the Tony Stewart of the Blue Oval set. You can just imagine the little angel sitting one of Mr. Pepsodent’s broad shoulders, and a little stinker of a devil on the other. To his defense, he says he’s just standing up for what’s right. The problem for Edwards is if you throw a rock at him, he’ll retaliate with a bazooka. You race him hard, he’ll race you harder.

1. Juan Pablo Montoya- Here’s what sets the man apart. JPM is the one guy who doesn’t give two hoots about what any other driver or fan thinks of him. He’s taken on everyone from Kevin Harvick to Kyle Busch, and heck, even his own brand new teammate, Mr. Sensitivity himself- Jamie Mc Murray. Other drivers say they don’t care, though other comments they make betray that. Juan Pablo Montoya suffers not the burden of sainthood.

The dude has habanero sauce flowing in his veins, and being more competitive has made him, well…more competitive. What Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are to other fans, Montoya is to me. My guilty pleasure. I think his fire and passion is good for the sport.

Let’s just hope he doesn’t have to slip into “points racing” mode to get in the Chase. JP was too quiet last year.

HONORABLE MENTION- On any given day, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are worthy of consideration. There was a time Gordon would put his own grandmother in the wall if she were in the way of a win. Johnson? Just ask Kurt Busch, circa Sonoma, 2009. Clint Bowyer has a certain subtlety about moving objects out of his way, and he’s also not bashful about sharing a negative opinion of a fellow competitor from time to time. Just ask Michael Waltrip.

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Hungry For Bristol Action

by Jim on March 14, 2010 · 2 comments

So, how was your weekend off from NASCAR racing? I see Bump Drafts contributor Patrick Reynolds took in some Indy Car action, and was even talking Big East basketball tournament. If you saw yesterday’s post, John “Dawg” Chapman opined on what has become of SPEED. Me? I’m tuning up for our big, local 10 mile road run coming up in four weeks. I also spent some time with my guitar I hadn’t spent in some time, and enjoyed the company of family and friends, without having to worry about scampering home to watch a race.

The break was nice. Now it’s time for Bristol! The timing couldn’t be better.

On several levels, we’re due for this track. After three weeks of cookie cutter tracks, I’m ready for racing in tight quarters. I’m ready for a race where a lap can be clicked off faster than the time it takes me to get from the sofa to the fridge. What is it some sage said? That racing at Bristol was like flying an airplane in a gymnasium? Paints quite a picture, doesn’t it?

In light of the recent donnybrook between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, the timing for the track that produces its share of conflict comes at an interesting time. Like Martinsville, Bristol Motor Speedway has a way of taking ordinarily even-keeled guys like Matt Kenseth, and turning them fiesty. Speaking of crazy Cousin Carl, let’s not forget the fun he and Kyle Busch had with each other during the night race two seasons ago. Do you think Shrub or J.P. Montoya need an engraved invitation to mix it up? I think not. The half-mile track provides ample opportunity to administer “chrome justice” without flipping cars at 190 mph or endangering the fans.

And you can’t forget the history that comes with this track. Champions like Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Rusty Wallace owe a lot of their legend to the place they call Thunder Valley. What race fan will ever forget the “cage rattling” incident between Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte? That’s just a little slice of Bristol’s rich history. It’s track like this that reminds us of NASCAR’s roots and why the old schoolers got into racing in the first place.

This also provides opportunity for racers not named Jimmie Johnson to get a “W” under their belt. Oh, you can’t count him out, but Bristol is where Kurt Busch has had more than his share of success. Bristol is also where the stable of Richard Childress racers have run well, and they come in with some early season momentum. How fitting would it be for Jeff Gordon fans if he picked up historic career win number 83 at one of NASCAR’s signature tracks?

For this fan. Bristol Motor Speedway is a “Bucket List” track, perhaps even more so than Daytona. With it’s configuration, the venue has the feel of an old Roman coliseum, where gladiators fought to the death.

It’s been a nice break, now it’s time to get racin’ again. Bring it on! I’m ready!

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Soap Box: SPEED Has Let Me Down

by John Chapman on March 13, 2010 · 20 comments

When the SPEED Channel first came about, I was so excited. The very idea of an entire channel devoted to cars, racing, and car related programming was heady stuff. I had been reading about it for some time in AutoWeek. I was waiting with baited breath. Then I found out that it wasn’t going to be available on my cable even as an upgrade. That was a part, but not the only part, in my decision to change to satellite.

It quickly became my “go to” channel. Not the only thing I watched, by any means, but it got first crack at my attention. I’m not the norm in my demographic. I follow no team sports of any kind. Couldn’t even venture a guess at the last time I watched more than 2 minutes of a football game. If you wanted to torture some secret out of me, just force me to sit through
a baseball game. All you’d have to do would be to tell me that it was a double header. I’d spill my guts before the 3rd inning.

Racing is my thing. I like some forms of it better than others, but as they say, “Variety is the spice of life.” If it burns gas and makes noise, I’m in.

When I first started watching SPEED, they had wonderful array of racing. The Super Modifieds, the USAC, non-wing
Sprints, and Midgets were probably my favorite. I love dirt, and the Winged Sprinters race more like pavement cars.
They are way more sensitive to set up. The non-wing cars are more driver oriented. Get the set up in the ball park, and a good driver can carry the car. They carried some good local shows from places I never would get to see.

I was a confirmed “Thunder Head.” If I couldn’t see it live, I’d have the VCR set. The Winter Heat series was a no brainer. It sort of took the place of the time when all the best Sprints and Midgets were in Florida for the winter racing.
I’m not saying that Winter Heat was why Jeff Gordon, and all the other dirt trackers who followed him are in NASCAR today. Jeff was carefully groomed to get where he is, but I think the exposure certainly helped ease the
transition. Plus they could have been a factor in getting him hooked up with Hendrick, Sleepy Tripp, & Kevin Olsen in their prime were every bit as good as Jeff. They never made the move. Could have been lots of reasons, but the timing
of Jeff’s Winter Heat exposure was perfect.

Another special favorite was the occasional AMA Flat track races they carried. Hill climbs are fun. I just never seemed to connect with the Super Bike racing.

Then SPEED was bought by FOX. It seemed like it became All NASCAR, all the time. If they weren’t showing NASCAR, they were talking about it. The only non-racing, but racing related show that I watch now is Wind Tunnel. One thing I think could be hurting NASCAR, is over exposure. It’s gotten so bad for me that I check to see when the scheduled start time
is, give it a couple of minutes before I tune in. When I switch to the broadcast, I want to see cars rolling on the track. Not people talking about the same things that other people have been talking about for the last 3-4 hours. Granted my reaction may a little extreme, but I doubt if I’m the only one who feels this way to some degree.

I understand that they still carry some World of Outlaws, both Sprint, and Late Model, (the late models remind me of Slot Cars) and I do watch, but most of the stuff I used to enjoy is gone. No Bellville Nationals, the Chili Bowl, long delayed.

I do enjoy the F1 parade, but I watch it more for Bob Varsha and David Hobbs than for the racing. I will have to admit that I found Pinks mildly entertaining…..for the first couple of times I watched. Then I got tired of seeing people
sandbagged out of their cars. Wrecked, Pimp My Ride, Pinks, Pass Time, come on guys you can do better.

I know, because you have!

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