With the 2010 season in the review mirror the first few weeks are always spent looking in the rearview mirror. Reflecting on what happened over the year that saw three champions crowned and many winners celebrating in victory lane. It also means that the 'What If' questions will continue, as they too will come from past races of the 2010 season.
And what a season it was.
There was the continuation of double-file restarts which resulted in exciting side-by-side racing ... and wrecks. It produced 88 lead changes, the most in NASCAR history, at Talladega in the sprint and 87 at Talladeaga in the fall. The car changed midway through the season as NASCAR listened to all the fans who said they hated the wing. At Martinsville in April the spoiler returned and in 2011 the splitter will be shortened and the braces taken off - reverting back to the old style of racecar.
Of course there was also "Boys, have at it," which resulted in a season where the drivers didn't hold back. Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick. Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski and Todd Bodine and Carl Edwards and even NASCAR. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton.
Don't forget the trash talking between the championship contenders as they entered the final race of the season.
The 2010 season was nothing short of exciting and the racing the best it has been in years. On and off the track there were moments to fill a highlight year for the entire offseason. When many said that the sport was dying and losing fans, the 2010 season did its best to save the sport and have many ready and already anxiously waiting for next year.
But ...
What If #NASCAR's Robin Pemberton did not state in January "Boys, have at it." Would the 2010 season have been as exciting as it was?
@Patilynnw Nope it was the return of control to the drivers that made last year better..NASCAR had gone too far with rules & that fix it
@robwright11 Brad Keselowski would not have discovered flight...
@mbauerherzog Not at all, the drivers would have been afraid to touch either other.
@felipegana Good Q! I'm maybe in the minority, but I say Yes, racing was competitive and exciting out front, without use of "have at it"
@crutten not at all. the entire season would've been as boring as that race in Talladega (11/09, I believe) where the drivers were told not to bump draft. The entire race was single file, and it was hugely disappointing.
@88myjr Do you think Jef wld have gone after Jeff if they wouldnt have said Have at it..Yes he would have. Made No dif.
@TominBristol We'd have missed out on a great rap video!
@nascaranonymous if he hadn't said "boy's have at it" we would't have that really creepily weird rap video to watch... that would be better.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18th 'What If' Question
This is it.
One race. One trophy. Three drivers. The Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship that began 10 weeks ago in New Hampshire has reached south Florida where 267 laps around the Homestead-Miami Speedway will determine NASCAR's next champion. Denny Hamlin has a 15-point lead over Jimmie Johnson and a 46-point lead over Kevin Harvick.
Will Hamlin complete a magical year that saw him go through knee surgery but win eight races and deliver his first championship? Will Johnson make a comeback and do what has never been done before and win five straight championships? Or will Harvick pull off an unbelievable charge and win his first championship for Richard Childress Racing?
The fans have been anxiously waiting for a week. They've heard all the press conferences filled with smack-talking. They've watched qualifying and practices and started their predictions of who they believe is going to be celebrating at the end of the day. Now they have to sit, watch and wait.
But ...
What If #NASCAR put the championship in your hands, crowning the champ from results on Sunday and a fan vote. Who would you vote for & why?
@mwoodruff8829 I would vote for Harvick all the way He was a great successor to Dale Sr. He has that Intimidating style he had!
@cruetten my vote is for Harvick. I don't care how long he has been in that car, it will forever be Earnhardt Sr's car. #NASCAR
@Talon64 Tough between Hamlin and Harvick, but I'd go with Hamlin. I'm a JGR guy and I'd like to see Toyota get first Cup. #NASCAR
@TJIngerson Harvick..Rooted for him since Day 1 in Cup..Earnhardt fans will burn the stands down if he wins, storybook ending
@StrokerAce90I vote JJ. He endured so much unnecessary grief & crap from the 11 team & their fans over a #Nascar allowed pit crew swap.
@victoria_29 easy I'd vote for the person that actually won the championship @KevinHarvick
@NancyatStudioN I'd vote for Harvick He was pts leader b4 chase & would be leading if no chase. Plus, I like him the best.
@racecrazy denny-because im tired of vanilla ice cream and I hate Harvick
@ladybug8848 Johnson as he has shown he can drive up front and hasn't backed down from his previous years
@MisanAkuya Kevin Harvick be big for Richard Childress racing 1st title outside of Earnhardt yet in the car he used to drive
One race. One trophy. Three drivers. The Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship that began 10 weeks ago in New Hampshire has reached south Florida where 267 laps around the Homestead-Miami Speedway will determine NASCAR's next champion. Denny Hamlin has a 15-point lead over Jimmie Johnson and a 46-point lead over Kevin Harvick.
Will Hamlin complete a magical year that saw him go through knee surgery but win eight races and deliver his first championship? Will Johnson make a comeback and do what has never been done before and win five straight championships? Or will Harvick pull off an unbelievable charge and win his first championship for Richard Childress Racing?
The fans have been anxiously waiting for a week. They've heard all the press conferences filled with smack-talking. They've watched qualifying and practices and started their predictions of who they believe is going to be celebrating at the end of the day. Now they have to sit, watch and wait.
But ...
What If #NASCAR put the championship in your hands, crowning the champ from results on Sunday and a fan vote. Who would you vote for & why?
@mwoodruff8829 I would vote for Harvick all the way He was a great successor to Dale Sr. He has that Intimidating style he had!
@cruetten my vote is for Harvick. I don't care how long he has been in that car, it will forever be Earnhardt Sr's car. #NASCAR
@Talon64 Tough between Hamlin and Harvick, but I'd go with Hamlin. I'm a JGR guy and I'd like to see Toyota get first Cup. #NASCAR
@TJIngerson Harvick..Rooted for him since Day 1 in Cup..Earnhardt fans will burn the stands down if he wins, storybook ending
@StrokerAce90I vote JJ. He endured so much unnecessary grief & crap from the 11 team & their fans over a #Nascar allowed pit crew swap.
@victoria_29 easy I'd vote for the person that actually won the championship @KevinHarvick
@NancyatStudioN I'd vote for Harvick He was pts leader b4 chase & would be leading if no chase. Plus, I like him the best.
@racecrazy denny-because im tired of vanilla ice cream and I hate Harvick
@ladybug8848 Johnson as he has shown he can drive up front and hasn't backed down from his previous years
@MisanAkuya Kevin Harvick be big for Richard Childress racing 1st title outside of Earnhardt yet in the car he used to drive
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday, November 12th 'What If' Question
An argument could be made that Kyle Busch has made a living not only by driving race cars but also through speaking his mind. If it hasn't helped him earn a paycheck it's definitely helped him gain fans as the driver of the No. 18 M&M's Toytoa Camry has just struck a cord with some for being true to himself and different than most drivers.
Last weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway Busch did what he does best: make everyone talk. After spinning on lap 159 and losing a lap after deemed speeding on pit road, Busch went on a profanity laced tirade over the radio towards NASCAR. Using the 'F' bomb a few times and a one finger salute, Busch would be penalized two more laps for unsportsmanlike conduct and his chance at finishing in the top 10 was gone.
Two days later Busch was further penalized by NASCAR: probation until December 31st and $25,000 fine. He apologized to everyone involved and when speaking on Friday at the Phoenix International Raceway, expressed that his actions were childish and inappropriate.
But ...
What if Kyle Busch did not explode last weekend in Texas during the Sprint Cup Series race, where would he have finished?
@lydiascats 6th or 7th
@cruetten not a fan of his, but he was charging to the front! I think he would've finished top five or so...
@StrokerAce90 Lugs Harvey & I both agree that Kyle would never have made it past Denny without wrecking him. Denny was saved by the bird.
@racetime2010 he would have had a top ten finish, but not the win
@RedChevy14 Between 6th and 15th. He'da been the lap down but could've made it up.
@Nascarnoll Doesn't matter he isn't going to win the championship
@kbm18 He would of finished in the top 3 if not of WON it• Ul c then what I thought of it then• #TeamKyle Busch
Last weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway Busch did what he does best: make everyone talk. After spinning on lap 159 and losing a lap after deemed speeding on pit road, Busch went on a profanity laced tirade over the radio towards NASCAR. Using the 'F' bomb a few times and a one finger salute, Busch would be penalized two more laps for unsportsmanlike conduct and his chance at finishing in the top 10 was gone.
Two days later Busch was further penalized by NASCAR: probation until December 31st and $25,000 fine. He apologized to everyone involved and when speaking on Friday at the Phoenix International Raceway, expressed that his actions were childish and inappropriate.
But ...
What if Kyle Busch did not explode last weekend in Texas during the Sprint Cup Series race, where would he have finished?
@lydiascats 6th or 7th
@cruetten not a fan of his, but he was charging to the front! I think he would've finished top five or so...
@StrokerAce90 Lugs Harvey & I both agree that Kyle would never have made it past Denny without wrecking him. Denny was saved by the bird.
@racetime2010 he would have had a top ten finish, but not the win
@RedChevy14 Between 6th and 15th. He'da been the lap down but could've made it up.
@Nascarnoll Doesn't matter he isn't going to win the championship
@kbm18 He would of finished in the top 3 if not of WON it• Ul c then what I thought of it then• #TeamKyle Busch
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10th 'What If' Question
According to some NASCAR fans and media, there will be no topping what happened at the Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday night. There were fights, fingers and words flown toward NASCAR, a pit crew swap in the middle of the event, a new points leader and an exciting race to the finish.
Denny Hamlin made it clear that when there were three races left in the Chase for the Championship he was going to put his No. 11 FedEx Toyota in high gear. The first stop was Texas where he won earlier this year just a week removed from knee surgery. Sunday he would need to again come from the back of the field and do his best to keep Jimmie Johnson in his rear view mirror if he wanted to close the point gap.
Mission accomplished and much more.
Hamlin started 30th and spent the night tuning on his machine and making sure he didn't panic. Call it experience from past Chase years. Soon, he was the one to beat and was running away from the field with 10 laps remaining as Johnson tried to hang onto a top 10 finish.
With seven laps remaining the dreaded caution came out and Hamlin would have to fight one more time. During the green-white-checkered finish Matt Kenseth got a great restart and drove past Hamlin coming off turn two. Kenseth got back in the throttle too quick and slide up the track which allowed Hamlin to get back around and get to the checkered flag first. For Hamlin it was his eighth win of the 2010 season and second in the Chase. More importantly, he's also the new point leader with two races to go.
But ...
What if Matt Kenseth didn't get loose off turn two on last lap ... who gets to the checkered flag: him or does Hamlin run him down?
@lydiascats Denny'd still win.
@Matt_Kacar kenseth because he was on the outside and the car on outside always gets the run on the backstretch
@cruetten I think @dennyhamlin would've still passed him for the win
@RoushGirl17 Kenseth! I was watching the times and he was catching him before the caution. I think he could have out run him.
@StrokerAce90 I would say Matt Kenseth would have won, he had the speed in the end. It's too bad he got loose.
@nascarjaj i think denny would have won, because he had more than enough momentum to at least get inside of matt
@dhammis @dennyhamlin runs him down for sure. He had a strong car, esp after that last pit stop.
Denny Hamlin made it clear that when there were three races left in the Chase for the Championship he was going to put his No. 11 FedEx Toyota in high gear. The first stop was Texas where he won earlier this year just a week removed from knee surgery. Sunday he would need to again come from the back of the field and do his best to keep Jimmie Johnson in his rear view mirror if he wanted to close the point gap.
Mission accomplished and much more.
Hamlin started 30th and spent the night tuning on his machine and making sure he didn't panic. Call it experience from past Chase years. Soon, he was the one to beat and was running away from the field with 10 laps remaining as Johnson tried to hang onto a top 10 finish.
With seven laps remaining the dreaded caution came out and Hamlin would have to fight one more time. During the green-white-checkered finish Matt Kenseth got a great restart and drove past Hamlin coming off turn two. Kenseth got back in the throttle too quick and slide up the track which allowed Hamlin to get back around and get to the checkered flag first. For Hamlin it was his eighth win of the 2010 season and second in the Chase. More importantly, he's also the new point leader with two races to go.
But ...
What if Matt Kenseth didn't get loose off turn two on last lap ... who gets to the checkered flag: him or does Hamlin run him down?
@lydiascats Denny'd still win.
@Matt_Kacar kenseth because he was on the outside and the car on outside always gets the run on the backstretch
@cruetten I think @dennyhamlin would've still passed him for the win
@RoushGirl17 Kenseth! I was watching the times and he was catching him before the caution. I think he could have out run him.
@StrokerAce90 I would say Matt Kenseth would have won, he had the speed in the end. It's too bad he got loose.
@nascarjaj i think denny would have won, because he had more than enough momentum to at least get inside of matt
@dhammis @dennyhamlin runs him down for sure. He had a strong car, esp after that last pit stop.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, November 1st 'What If' Question
The last few restrictor plate races have come down to a last lap pass: Matt Kenseth taking the lead of the 2009 Daytona 500 before the rain came 45 seconds later. Kevin Harvick on Jamie McMurray at Talladega in the spring of 2010. Harvick on teammate Clint Bowyer at Daytona in July.
This past Sunday at Talladega it looked like that could be the case again as teammates Bowyer and Harvick were side by side heading to the white flag. Juan Pablo Montoya was pushing Bowyer and David Reutimann was pushing Harvick. When they hit turn one however, 'The Big One' hit the track when Tony Stewart and a few others started spinning and AJ Allmendinger went flipping.
Since the white flag had been displayed, the race was official and the only question remained was who would be declared the winner. Boywer started celebrating as Harvick looked on and waited for the official word. About 5-10 minutes after the race was over, NASCAR finally announced that it was Clint Boywer and his No. 33 that was ahead of Harvick when the caution came out.
Boywer won his second race of the 2010 season and second in the Chase. He did so with interim crew chief Scott Miller who was atop the box for the suspended Shane Wilson. After their winning car failed inspection in New Hampshire, Wilson was given a mandatory four week vacation by NASCAR. The win was the fourth of Bowyer's career.
But ...
What if 'The Big One' didn't happen & leaders finished the race under green. Who wins: Bowyer, Montoya or Harvick, Reutimann?
@shanbedd Montoya!!
@mbauerherzog I think it would have been Harvick.
@nwnscrfan Bowyer probably. Harvick's car wasn't quite as fast after the damage as it was before & Bowyer had the inside (faster).
@RedChevy14 The 42. 00 woulda left the 29 too early, 33 woulda been a sitting duck.
@Talon64 JPM and Reutimann make their move to try and win on front stretch, all 4 wreck and Joey Logano wins!
@cruetten harvick for sure
@chuckallen2 Michael Waltrip.
@StrokerAce90 This one fired up Lugs Harvey. He says Harvick because he's a Plate Racer & a Wheelman. Haps 2.75 avg finish in 2010 says so.
This past Sunday at Talladega it looked like that could be the case again as teammates Bowyer and Harvick were side by side heading to the white flag. Juan Pablo Montoya was pushing Bowyer and David Reutimann was pushing Harvick. When they hit turn one however, 'The Big One' hit the track when Tony Stewart and a few others started spinning and AJ Allmendinger went flipping.
Since the white flag had been displayed, the race was official and the only question remained was who would be declared the winner. Boywer started celebrating as Harvick looked on and waited for the official word. About 5-10 minutes after the race was over, NASCAR finally announced that it was Clint Boywer and his No. 33 that was ahead of Harvick when the caution came out.
Boywer won his second race of the 2010 season and second in the Chase. He did so with interim crew chief Scott Miller who was atop the box for the suspended Shane Wilson. After their winning car failed inspection in New Hampshire, Wilson was given a mandatory four week vacation by NASCAR. The win was the fourth of Bowyer's career.
But ...
What if 'The Big One' didn't happen & leaders finished the race under green. Who wins: Bowyer, Montoya or Harvick, Reutimann?
@shanbedd Montoya!!
@mbauerherzog I think it would have been Harvick.
@nwnscrfan Bowyer probably. Harvick's car wasn't quite as fast after the damage as it was before & Bowyer had the inside (faster).
@RedChevy14 The 42. 00 woulda left the 29 too early, 33 woulda been a sitting duck.
@Talon64 JPM and Reutimann make their move to try and win on front stretch, all 4 wreck and Joey Logano wins!
@cruetten harvick for sure
@chuckallen2 Michael Waltrip.
@StrokerAce90 This one fired up Lugs Harvey. He says Harvick because he's a Plate Racer & a Wheelman. Haps 2.75 avg finish in 2010 says so.
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