Who Will Rise Up?

2011 Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart and a blur of the competition looking to dethrown him.

At this point in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, it’s hard to decide the favorite to win this year’s championship.

Drivers like points leader, Greg Biffle, and second place Denny Hamlin are having great comeback seasons. Are they capable of taking the crown at season’s end? Time will tell.

Others like, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. have consistently been near the front of the points since Daytona, but will that pay off in the Chase without wins? History says no, ask Carl Edwards.

So far this season we have seen races with a lot of green flag laps. This year’s  Coke 600 was the biggest proprietor of all, setting the record for the fastest ever 600 mile race in history, putting the 234 consecutive at Texas on the backburner.

Some of the races have lacked the excitement they’ve been hyped up to be, this frustrates me as a fan like many of you. That said, no matter how many green flag laps or how “boring” (according to most) the races may seem, the end product is that the competition is perhaps better than ever.

If you take away the deficiency of drama, aka “wrecks”, the competition this season has been outstanding.

After 12 of 36 races this season, 9 different drivers have scored at least one win.

Drivers that  struggled the past few seasons have new found success. Dale Jr. can possible end his winless drought this year and team Hendrick Motorsports is back to form. What else could we ask for…more Danica?

With 14 races remaining until the Chase cutoff, teams are entering the summer stretch which can make or break their season.

Prepare yourselves because some races this summer will have long green flag stretches. However if the competition is anything like what we’ve seen so far, the drama will build as the cutoff point nears.

It’s too early to declare a champion but after completing a third of the season, some drivers stand out over others.

Will they continue the success, will they be the champion? Like the lottery, NASCAR is hard to predict, but like many of us we try to do it anyways. Now is my turn.

Here are my rankings on where drivers stack up at this point of the season and who I believe makes the top 10 in points as we enter the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Where They Stack Up

1)      Jimmie Johnson – If we take away the two restrictor plate tracks, Johnson’s worst finish is a 12^th at Martinsville. After wins at Darlington and the Sprint Allstar race, this team is showing the caliber that led them to 5 straight titles. With a little luck in the pits, the 48 team is the team to beat for the title. #6pack is trending.

2)      Denny Hamlin - When Joe Gibb’s Racing signed Darian Grubb, I knew it could  bring instant success. Hamlin is showing why he finished 2^nd in points a few years ago and is a rejuvenated man. Early wins at Phoenix and Kansas and an average finish of 8.8 has elevated Hamlin’s team into the conversation about title threats. The summer has been good in the past for Hamlin, winning at Pocono, Michigan, Richmond

3)      Greg Biffle – The current points leader is having a comeback year. Biffle and crew chief Matt Puccia have built a chemistry that Biffle had in earlier years when he was a championship threat. If you take away the short tracks and Darlington(12^th) Biffle’s worst finish is 6^th. Snapping his drought with the win at Texas was great for the Biff. I see another win coming before the Chase: Pocono, Michigan, Kentucky, or Indy

4)      Kyle Busch -  “Rowdy” has must have had a noise violation, because we haven’t heard a peep from him since last year. Kyle Busch however, is lurking around the corner. In what seems like a tame season for Kyle, the JGR cars are capable of winning any week. It is only a matter of time before Kyle lights it up and wins a few more races. He enters this weekend’s race at Pocono with four straight top 5 finishes. The 18 car is due for another race soon. Fortunately for Kyle Busch he can do that on any track.

5)      Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Junior Nation has had plenty to celebrate this season. Earnhardt leads all drivers with 9 top 10 finishes and in their second year together he and crew chief Steve Letarte are in racing harmony. Consistent finishes have kept Jr. in the top 5 in points. This won’t win the championship. A win is possible if Jr. keeps running the way he is, but unfortunately other than Daytona, I don’t have a track where he may be favored.

6)      Brad Keselowski – Brad seems to be hot one week, cold the next. Blame it on bad luck, blame it on misfortunes, the end result is that he can win races. Wins at Bristol and Talladega have put Brad in the catbird seat for making the Chase as a wildcard, but I think the blue deuce gets in via the top ten in points and will win more races. I’d watch out for this guy in the Chase.

7)      Tony Stewart – Last year’s champion has an uphill battle to defend the thrown of NASCAR. Though he has 2 wins this season, Stewart and new crew chief Steve Addington have struggled to find what they need on raceday. The first thing to fix is qualifying. With green flag racing being the norm, track position is everything, 5 top 10 starts for Smoke so far, not good. The summer, which is usually good for Smoke, will be a struggle I think. He will be close to the cut off bubble or may have to rely on the wild card.

8)      Carl Edwards – The 99 team has been consistent, but like last year, winning is more important. If Edwards wants to be in the title conversation, he has to join his other Roush teammates and get in victory lane. Consistency can only get you so far, why settle when you can get one more point.

9)      Kevin Harvick – For a guy nicknamed “Happy” it’s hard to see why Harvick would be happy about racing these days. With only two top 5 finishes, Harvick and crew chief Shane Wilson are still working out some kinks. If Harvick had a teammate at RCR that he could better relate to, things may be different. It will be tough, but Harvick is tough to count out of making the Chase. I think he barely stays in the top ten and creates some drama that fans and especially media members will enjoy.

10)  Kasey Kahne - Despite a rough start to the season Kahne has 6 straight top 10 finishes since Texas and has moved up to 15^th in the points. Getting his first win for Hendrick Motorsports in the Coke 600 last week gives him an extra boost of momentum heading into this crucial stretch of the season. It also helps when you qualify well. Other than Daytona, Kasey hasn’t started worse than 10^th.  Kahne wins a couple more races and sets himself up for his career best finish in points.

Outside Hoping for Wildcard Spot

·         Martin Truex Jr – Although he is currently 6^th in points, the 56 team has lost a little of their previous thunder. Truex has 7 top ten finishes and is capable of winning races, but they still have work to do. I think he falls out of the top 10 in points due to others’ success. He struggles for a stretch of the summer. He needs to win and win soon.

·         Ryan Newman – Though he won a wild race at Martinsville, Newman continues to be overshadowed by teammate and owner Tony Stewart. Only 3 top 10’s at this point in the season doesn’t get you far, so luckily Newman has a win. Another may be needed to make the Chase.

·         Jeff Gordon – Like Newman, Gordon only has 3 top 10’s. Despite a string of bad luck, Gordon and team were able to put a whole race together at Charlotte, finishing 8^th. Gordon isn’t close to the top 10 in points so the only way he makes the Chase is if he wins races. His team is more than capable and should have many chances in the next 14 races to make a wildcard spot. Pocono, the road courses, Bristol, and Atlanta are tracks where Gordon should be tough to beat.

·         Juan Pable Montoya – This may come as a surprise, but I think Montoya has a chance to make the Chase. Saying Chip Ganassi Racing is struggling is an understatement. However, Montoya is really good on the road course and larger tracks like Michigan and Pocono. If he can stay in the top 20 in points, Montoya is my dark horse to make the Chase.

Can these predictions come true? Time will tell.

The view expressed are those of the writer, send comments and follow me on

                   Twitter, @Dontae_Allen

Voters Get it Right by Not Electing Wendell Scott

On Wednesday, the five inductees to the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame were announced.

After the votes were tallied, including a tie for the final spot, those elected included some big names from NASCAR’s past and present.

For the new inductees: Rusty Wallace, Leonard Wood, Herb Thomas, Cotton Owens, and Buck Baker, there cannot be a greater appreciation of their success than being elected to the hall of fame.

There were 20 others who didn’t make the list. Amongst those was former driver, Wendell Scott.

As an African American I love the fact that Wendell Scott was the first (and still only) black driver to win a race in NASCAR’s biggest series. That’s history that can never be taken away.

Does that make him a hall of famer? Not for one second.

In sports, being elected to the hall of fame is the ultimate reward for one’s career. People that are elected have distinguished themselves from others who participated in their sport.

The 2013 inductees are all accomplished figures that have attributed to NASCAR’s history.

Electing Wendell Scott for the third class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame would have discredited the achievement, because the end result (statistics) should overshadow everything else.

We all know the history of racial tension in the United States during the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Scott knew these challenges before he chose to enter into NASCAR, a southern breed sport.

It was an immeasurable hurdle for Scott during his tenure in NASCAR.

He was able to fend off many of the obstacles and he obtained 1 series win. The win was in Jacksonville, FL in 1961. Due to the racial apprehension plaguing the south, Scott wasn’t awarded the win that night.

Ironically it was newly elected, Buck Baker who was declared the winner, though the entire field was 2 laps down to Scott at the finish. NASCAR later credited Scott with the win.

What happened in 1961 was unfortunate, but it’s 2012 people. We can’t change the past.

Electing someone to the hall of fame should be based on the results they produced throughout their career. There is no place in a hall of fame where voting should be determined by remorse or regret.

Without the racial difficulties, Scott’s statistics alone are not worthy of being in the hall of fame.

All drivers struggled during the 50’s and 60’s because sponsors were hard to find, for Scott and white drivers.  

Scott wasn’t the only driver to struggle during this time so he shouldn’t stand out on a ballot because he was black and won a race. He should stand out for his results which were no more than average, if even that.

For those that voted for Scott or would vote for Scott, I am sure he will get in within the next few years. After all, he did make history.

History is important. But for me, a good hall of fame is about inducting people whose history helped shape the sport in a major way. Scott’s journey in NASCAR was big for the sport, but it didn’t shape it in any form or fashion.

I don’t say these things out of spite, but for a rare change, voters in North Carolina got something right.

The views expressed are those of the writer. Send your comments and follow me on Twitter, @Dontae_Allen

Allstar Race Going in the Wrong Direction

Jimmie Johnson celebrating his 3rd Sprint Allstar race win

The 48 team from Hendrick Motorsports has dealt with many challenges that NASCAR has given them over the years. Last night Jimmie Johnson and team threw one right back at NASCAR.

When NASCAR changed the format for this year’s Sprint Cup Allstar race they hoped to bring excitement back to a race that had lost some of the excitement and drama we are accustomed to seeing.

The new format was made up of 5 segments: four 20 lap segments and a final 10 lap shootout. The winners from the first four segments were placed 1^st-4^th on the track. All d rivers had to make a mandatory 4 tire pit stop before the final 10 lap sprint.

Jimmie Johnson won the first segment. He was guaranteed to enter the pits first on the mandatory pit stop after segment 4.

After the first segment, Johnson drove Charlotte Motor Speedway like he was back at Talladega, just cruising along in the back, staying out of trouble.

There was no reason for the 48 to charge back up front because his segment 1 win was all of the racing he truly needed to do until the final shootout.

During the final 10 laps, Jimmie led the field to the green after his team got him out of the pits as the leader. A few minutes later, Johnson won his 3^rd allstar race as he drove away then held off a charging Brad Keselowski.

Prerace festivities

Johnson’s win was a slap in the face to the changes that NASCAR made to this year’s format. There was excitement and there were even fireworks, but unfortunately… it all happened during the prerace festivities.

Chad Knaus is somewhere smiling ear to ear I bet, because again this year he was able to beat the NASCAR rules. This time stinking up the show for fans watching.

Not to discredit the win, this team played within the rules and did what they had to do to win the race. No harm, no foul.

The only foul should be to the powers that be who decided this format would actually work. Did they not play out all of the possibilities?

 Here’s my take on it and what I think they should do to make the Allstar race once again a race to remember.  

MY FORMAT:

 120 laps-elimination style, top 30 in NSCS points, no fan vote,

If there would have been one more lap in last night’s race, things could have been different, according to Brad Keselowski.

As a spectator of this event, it seemed that every time I turned around or tried to check my Twitter account we were under caution, getting ready for another segment. Are four 20 lap segments really needed? Are the tires even warm? I don’t think so.

First I would make 4 segments:

1)      50 laps with a required green flag pit stop, teams have the option on tires. This gives drivers a long run to really see how the car is handling. Cars in position 26-30 are eliminated from the race. The winner receives compensation and starts segment 2 as the leader.

2)      30 laps, no stops required, drivers in positions 21-25 are eliminated from the race. The winner receives compensation and starts segment 3 as the leader.

3)      20 laps, no stops required, drivers in position 16-20 are eliminated from the race, the winner receives compensation and is the leader for the final shootout.

** 5 minute break, the race will be red flagged, teams will come down pit road and be allowed to make any change to the car within the NASCAR rulebook on pit road. This will gear the top 15 up for the final shootout.

4)      20 lap Sprint to the finish.

This format seems a bit like older formats that have been used, but I believe that adding more drivers to the show and eliminating them based on actual track position will make drivers go that much further and not give an inch on the track.

The fan vote will forever go to Dale Earnhardt, it is unfair to drivers like Bobby Labonte who got the fan vote because Jr. won the opening race. All of the drivers in the cup series are allstars, the best of the best. Having the top 30 in points would only create more excitement for the actual allstar race.

It seems like we’re changing things in NASCAR on a regular basis these days. Add something else to the list.

The views expressed are those of the writer. Send comments and follow me on                                 Twitter @Dontae_Allen

Darlington is Gordon's Daytona 500

Jeff Gordon and team celebrating win #85 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 9/6/11, his last win.

The start of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season has been far away from stellar for the team of four time champion driver, Jeff Gordon.

40, 8 , 12, 35, 26, 14, 4, 21, 23, and 33

No, those are not the winning numbers to this week’s Mega Millions jackpot. They’re the finishes that the 24 team has produced so far this season.

For a driver that is use to success, saying this season has been a struggle at this point is perhaps the biggest understatement in NASCAR right now.

The dust and smoke has cleared from the season opening Daytona 500, but for Gordon, his season truly starts tonight at Darlington Raceway.

 After 10 races into the 2012 season, Gordon is mirrored 23^rd in the points standings, the lowest of his career 10 races into the season. He’s 146 points behind the points leader, Greg Biffle and 70 points back of 10^th place Clint Bowyer.

People are saying that the 24 team is in trouble of making the Chase with only 16 races left until the cut off point, but I believe there is plenty of time to make up these points. It starts tonight.

When NASCAR changed the Chase format prior to the start of the 2011 season, they created 2 wildcard spots for drivers with the most wins that were not in the top 10. Unfortunate for Gordon, his team is not in contention for a wildcard spot yet, but the 24 team knows they are capable of winning at any track.

The finishing position doesn’t make up for how well the team has run this year. 

With strong performances at Bristol, Fontana, Martinsville, Texas (his only top 5 finish), and Talladega, crew chief Alan Gustafson has given Gordon everything he needs to succeed on raceday. Putting it all together for 500 miles is what Gordon hopes to accomplish in tonight’s race.

It is fair to say that Darlington Raceway is the place that Gordon built, figuratively. In 31 starts, he has claimed 7 victories, including 4 straight Southern 500’s, and an average finish of 11.1.

A track known as being “too tough to tame,” Darlington has been a place where Gordon has been able to come to and put his team in contention to not only win, but to have a good finish, something they must have tonight if they truly believe they can make the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

As stated earlier, there are 16 races left before the Chase begins. If Gordon and his team are going to be a threat at this year’s championship, they should wipe the slate clean and believe that their season starts tonight with the running of the prestigious  Southern 500.

The prestige isn’t as high as the Daytona 500, but if this team can put together a solid finish, it could give them the momentum they desperately need to get their season going back in a positive direction.

In NASCAR, you can never predict what will happen, but I can guarantee you that if the 24 team doesn’t step it up tonight, their Chase chances are looking as good as a same sex couple’s chance of saying “I do” in  North Carolina… unfortunately pretty bleak .

For Gordon, being able to say “I did” after tonight’s race will suffice for all his fans, regardless of how they vote.

The views expressed were those of the writer. Follow me and send your comments to Twitter: @Dontae_Allen   . I welcome all feedback.

NASCAR is More Than Wrecks

This guy hasn't seen much action lately

For the past month there has been a lot of talk about NASCAR races being boring and lacking excitement. People are saying that this boredom stems from long green flag runs and a lack of wrecks during the race.

I know that some people attend races or watch on TV just for the wrecks. That is a fact. But NASCAR is more than just wrecks.

For people that are keeping track of this, the last wreck happened at Martinsville Speedway a month ago after a late race caution caused some drivers (mainly Clint Bowyer) to become antsy during the restart. Bowyer dive-bombed the corner and took out the top two cars of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

That was a thrilling finish due to the drama at the end, but would it have not been just as exciting to watch Jimmie and Jeff fight it out for Hendrick Motorsports 200^th win?

After Martinsville came Texas.

People considered Texas to be a bore after we witnessed a lot of green flag pit stops and 234 consecutive laps to end the race. Did the same people not see the great drive by Greg Biffle as he reeled in Jimmie Johnson during the closing laps to win the race?

After Texas came Kansas.

People say that this race lacked excitement. What was not exciting about seeing Denny Hamlin barely edge the fastest car all day, Martin Truex Jr. as the laps wined down?

From Kansas, the circuit went to Richmond International Speedway.

What’s more exciting than short track racing in NASCAR? Obviously anything, because after the race at Richmond, fans and even NASCAR media members were still disappointed at the lack of excitement.

The issue I have is what does it take to please these people: Wrecks? Cautions? Rivalries? All of the above?

Being a motorsports fan, one would think that you watch because you like to see people “race”. Is that not the purpose of the sport?

A few years ago, people would complain about races having too many cautions and they wanted to see the drivers actually race. Today, we want more cautions and we prefer wrecks over racing.

I don’t understand that. Neither does 5 time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

“It seems like crashing to most is more important then racing,” tweeted Johnson days after the race at Kansas.

Don’t get me wrong, wrecks can indeed spice things up a bit and make for good drama, but I’ll take good racing any day of the week.

 After all, I am a motorsports fan. People are here to race and safety should always come first.

If fans and media are turned off by the lack of wrecks and can’t come up with a juicy story to talk about, there is always the demolition derby. You will never be disappointed.

So, I question people that say races are boring and lacking excitement, because if you’ve been watching since after Martinsville, there’s been plenty of great racing action.

If you still have not been thrilled, then pull out NASCAR the game and dust off your Sega.

Better yet, just watch this weekend’s race, it shouldn’t disappoint because it’s Talladega.