Sunday, January 29th 'What If' Question

Think of it this way, since the season finale in Homestead the last few months could have been spent talking about Carl Edwards being the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion.

There would have been talk about him entering 2012 defending a title he captured after winning one race. How he brought team owner Jack Roush his third title in nine years after Roush had to wait 15 years for the first one courtesy of Matt Kenseth in 2003. Or maybe there would have been the columns about Edwards and Nationwide Series teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. giving RFR two titles in one year.

That could have happened but it didn't. Instead the talk as been primarily about Tony Stewart, who did win the championship and did so in history making fashion. Stewart was just one piece of a bigger puzzle that seemed to do Edwards in. It started by Stewart making the Chase, after running poorly through the summer months but not as poor as those trying to knock him out of the Chase.

Here are a few other pieces: Edwards would have been the champion if Stewart's gasman hadn't gotten enough fuel in the car at Chicagoland and New Hampshire, leaving him to run out and win the first two races of the Chase, earning those points. He would have been champion had Stewart not been able to pass Chevrolet teammate Jeff Burton at Phoenix, the second to last race of the year, to earn a few more points. He would have been champion had the rain in Homestead been nice enough to stick around for a while and made NASCAR call the race early.

And of course, he would have been champion had he been able to run down Stewart in the final laps at Homestead and beat him. But alas Edwards didn't and he entered the offseason looking to put a great season with a disappointing ending behind him. In 2012 he'll be again be a favorite for the title and has already started preparing to ensure he doesn't come up on the wrong end of a points tie again.

Earlier this month Edwards announced that he does not plan on running in the Nationwide Series unlike he's done ever since his NASCAR career started. Even when he moved to Cup he still kept a full NNS schedule on his docket, even winning the driver's championship in 2007 and bringing home the owner's title for RFR last season.

The decision perhaps has to do with both the fact that starting in 2011 Edwards and any Cup driver are ineligible for the NNS title and the fact that he badly wants a Cup title on his resume. With the announcement Edwards says that he hopes that not running in the NNS will help him focus more on his Cup efforts either through not having to lose practice time or spending more time with the team discussing the car, although he has learned things while racing on Saturday that helped him on Sunday.

And Edwards has also said that while right not he's not committed to running any races that doesn't mean he won't. Should he start getting an itch or have a hard time sitting still on Saturday's he says there's a possibility they would discuss letting him race.

But ...

What if Carl Edwards had won the Sprint Cup championship last season, would he still be opting to not race Nationwide this year?

@Matt_Kacar wouldnt of mattered either way. If they had nationwide sponsorship for him he would be running that series in 2012

@mbauerherzog Yes, because he'd have a taste of the championship and would want another one.

@Fishnwhistle He has nothing to prove in NNS, and everything in Cup.

@rcracer20 the way things went at the end,every driver should concentrate on primary ride,could be gone tomorrow #sponsorship$

@cruetten no. After achieving his main goal of winning a championship, he would be able to cut loose a little and have some fun in NNS!

@tvsmike Yes--he even said last season he wouldn't have run the entire 2011 NW season had he not already committed to it…after the "pick only one series" change.

@StrokerAce90 Carl had the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in the bag and lost it to Smoke worse than Denny Hamlin did to Jimmie Johnson in 2010, so i'd say yes, Carl's opting outta NNS because he feels he needs to be more focused on Cup.

Saturday, January 28th 'What If' Question

Before Tony Stewart went on his historic run through the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup he had to first make the Chase, which he almost didn't.

The No. 14 Office Depot / Mobile 1 team ran so poorly during the summer months that Stewart went on national television after the race in Michigan and said his team didn't deserve to be in the Chase. That they were just taking a spot away from another team who would probably compete for the championship while they just logged laps.

It was hard to find Stewart on the top of any list of those who were predicted to win the 2011 championship, including his own when he marked off Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman as those in the Chase who would be the ones fighting for the title. It certainly looked that way when at Bristol in August Stewart ran so bad that he finished 28th and multiple laps down, never in contention.

It wasn't that they had any problems, the 14 was slow all night and couldn't figure out what the problem was. It left him 10th in points where he would end up when the Chase started three weeks later. Little did anyone know, except for maybe Stewart at the point, the decision was about to be made that Darian Grubb was not going to be the crew chief on the No. 14 come 2012.

Meanwhile the Chase started and Stewart and company won the first two races and suddenly were looking like a different team than those who were counting themselves out a few weeks prior. Following the Kansas race Stewart sat seventh in points, only 19 markers behind leader Carl Edwards as the series headed to Charlotte for the Chase's fifth race, the halfway mark.

Again, little did anyone know Stewart and officials at SHR got together and informed Grubb that he indeed would not be the crew chief next season. The public unaware and the decision made, the 14 team went out to win three more times and grab the championship in the final race of the season, after tying Carl Edwards in points but earning the tie breaker with more wins.

Then not even an hour after the race Grubb told the world that he would not be back in 2012. An awkward celebration and offseason commenced soon after before Grubb left SHR for Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 11 team of Denny Hamlin. However, what he did with Stewart in 2011 will go down in history as one of the best and most exciting championship battles. He'll be remembered as the man who helped Stewart win his third title and first as a car owner.

But ...

What if TStewart & 14 team hadn't performed so bad during the summer, would he still have made the decision to replace Darian Grubb? #NASCAR

@Matt_Kacar tough one. I would say no but im glad he did since Grubb is now Hamlin's crew chief

@14Patti14 I think so. There had been a bit of grumbling going on for a while.

@ARosser14 Depends on how well he performed. There have been many lean periods during the three years of SHR, change needed to happen

@rustywings no way. I think his leaving was more his decision than Smoke's anyway. #noteasytoworkfor.

Thursday, January 26th 'What If' Question

A big part of any NASCAR season is not just what takes place on the track in terms of winners, great finishes, boring races, rivalries or any other such events.

Before long the rumblings and rumors start about which drivers could be where the following year. It's called silly season and sometimes appropriately so with all the moves that teams make. It starts with drivers who become free agents, those with contracts about to end with their current team, and snowballs from there and 2012 will be no different.

There have already been plenty of changes heading into the season but it won't stop the talking. One drivers who will hear the whispers, again, will be Joe Gibbs Racing's Joey Logano whose contract ends after this season. Logano enters his fourth fill NSCS season behind the wheel of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota that he inherited, perhaps prematurely, when Tony Stewart left JGR to form his own team.

Logano has one win, rain shortened at New Hampshire in 2009, on his resume but not much else. He's never finished higher than 16th in points (2010), hasn't contended for the Chase and fails to impress in the statistical categories of top 10s and top fives. That was with champion crew chief Greg Zipadelli, a veteran in the garage and on top of the pit box who won two championships and 33 races with Stewart.

Zipadelli has moved to Stewart-Haas Racing to reunite with Stewart as the company's director of competition. He'll also serve as part-time crew chief for rookie Danica Patrick in select events. It left a void on Logano's team that has been filled by Jason Ratcliff, a crew chief in the NNS for JGR.

Ratcliff used to work with teammate Kyle Busch, the two winning the driver's title in 2009 and owner's title in 2010. He has 11 NNS seasons under his belt and 36 wins on his resume, 33 coming from Busch. Now he'll lead the Home Depot as he ventures into the Cup Series as a crew chief, looking to turn Logano into a winner and Chase contender like his teammates.

Says Logano of the upcoming season, “I definitely feel like it’s my team now. With Jason there, I can voice my opinion and I think we’re all working together very well. We value each other’s opinion a lot and with the accomplishments we have, we respect each other a lot.

“I think it is going to be a very positive change for us. And I think it is a positive change for Zip. It is a good change for him. Every once in a while, you’ve got to hit the reset button and go at it again.”

But ...

What if Joey Logano does not show improvement in 2012 with his contract up at the end of the season, will he be come a free agent? #NASCAR

@ARosser14 Probably. Might end up in a Roush Ford, either with RFR, RPM, or the Woods.

@HarpAmyStabler Possibly. He also might get another shot with his own team now that Zippy is gone. Give that time to work now.

@StrokerAce90 I would think so, It's got to be oh so tempting for JGR to want to put Kurt Busch in that 20 car if Joey don't improve soon.

Monday, January 23rd 'What If' Question

Not since the announcement that Danica Patrick was coming to NASCAR has there been a debut with as much anticipation and excitement.

Until action sports star Travis Pastrana declared that he was going to be trying his hand in stock cars, pairing with Michael Waltrip to form Pastrana-Waltrip Racing in the Nationwide Series. He was scheduled to make his debut last July in Indianapolis but before he would do so Pastrana decided that he was still going to participate in the X Games, knowing there was a risk that he could get hurt.

He did. Attempting a "corked 720" Pastrana broke his right foot and ankle, putting an end to his X Games and his NASCAR plans. Soon his debut was being pushed to later and later in the year, before being cancelled altogether. Pastrana ended up not competing in any of the seven NNS events he had on the schedule.

“We scared a lot of people with the injury,” said Pastrana. “A lot of people had invested a lot. When I didn’t show up [at Indy], it was like, ‘Is he going to be base jumping the night before an event and get hurt or is he going to do this?’

“I basically have to prove I can get in a car.”

Now entering 2012, where it was planned he would race in 20 events, he will instead do the seven he was supposed to do a year ago. The plan is for Pastrana to be in the car for a Richmond debut in April.

But ...

What if Travis Pastrana keeps pushing off his #NASCAR Nationwide Series debut, will any excitement/anticipation be left when he does race?

@ARosser14 Is there any left right now? As big a deal as it's supposed to be, I just don't see him being relevant in stock cars.

@StrokerAce90 I don't think so, my non nascar friends don't look for Travis in K&N races but they do when he races in NNW.

Saturday, January 21st 'What If' Question

Every season a star is born in NASCAR.

From Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards to Denny Hamlin, or even Jamie McMurray to Brad Keselowski. One driver grabs the eye of the garage every season and in 2011 it was 20-year-old Trevor Bayne. He wasn't looking for much coming into the season, just more seat time in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing, who was sticking with the youngster and hoping to turn him into their new winner.

When it was announced that Bayne would then attempt to make the Daytona 500 with the Wood Brothers in the famous No. 21 it didn't raise that many eyebrows. It wasn't all that newsworthy but it soon became so when Bayne won the 500 in his first attempt, second career Sprint Cup Series start and a day after his birthday.

He was no longer just another young gun looking for any little headline he would get in the NNS. Now he was a celebrity, a winner, a champion in NASCAR's biggest race. Everyone knew his name and face, it was plastered all over the country and he was on many different TV shows. Even more importantly Bayne didn't have to worry about not having a girlfriend anymore, they were lining up at the track.

After his 500 win though the glass slipper quickly broke. Bayne struggled in the Cup races that he was entered in, seemingly hitting the wall week after week, looking every bit the rookie that he was. His 500 win was his only top 10 of the season, he finished no better than 15th in his 16 other races.

In the NNS for RFR it was only slightly better as Bayne grabbed a few top 10s before being sidelined with an illness for a few weeks. It kept him out of both cars and his learning process was halted. When he finally returned he went on to win his first NNS race at Texas in the second to last race of the year. Yet Bayne was overshadowed last season by another youngster, his own teammate in Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The two were supposed to rise through the ranks together and put RFR in the winners circle every week. Good friends and fierce competitors it was often Stenhouse getting the best of Bayne in many head-to-head matchups, on and off the track. Whereas Stenhouse went on to win two races and the championship with 26 top 10s and 16 top fives, Bayne with his one win managed 14 top 10s and five top fives in the 29 of 34 races that he competed in.

Through the many up and downs the Wood Brothers and Roush stayed loyal to Bayne. Others filled in for him in the NNS but the Wood Brothers would not run the 21 in the Cup Series without Bayne behind the wheel. Wanting to show that it was his car, they were thankful to the kid who had brought them back to victory lane in the NSCS for the first time since 2001. And the first time in the Daytona 500 since 1976.

In 2012 Bayne will again run for the Wood Brothers in select Cup races. His NNS plans remain up in the air with Roush saying he could run races only if sponsorship is found. It's the same thing that hurts his teammate and champion Stenhouse. He plans on running a full schedule but he too, doesn't have sponsorship set in stone.

But ...

What if Trevor Bayne hadn't won Daytona, getting much attention, would he have kept the 21 or could Ricky Stenhouse be its driver? #NASCAR

@MattEmbury They'd of kept Bayne I'm sure, Stenhouse wasn't ready at that point.

@pablao21 if Bayne hadn't won I don't think either would be in the 21 now.

@StrokerAce90 if Trevor didn't win the Daytona I don't think he'd be back in the 21.

Saturday, January 14th 'What If' Question

For sports fans who have been living under a rock lately, or maybe don't pay much attention to any ESPN programming, they may not have heard about Tim Tebow.

Hard to imagine since Tebow has been the main storyline since the NFL season started. For just as many of those who love him they're matched with those who don't. Something that can't be taken away from Tebow though is that he is exactly who he seems to be on TV.

He praises the lord openly and outwardly at any given chance. He sings hymns on the sidelines or during practice. He goes on mission trips and meets with those less fortunate than he is. Tebow truly believes that he is doing the work of a higher up and serving a greater purpose. When he plays he has others thinking his success is linked to divine intervention or find that his stats correspond with bible versus or biblical figures (i.e. John 316 when he passed for 316 yards and so forth).

Tebow has taken the NFL by storm and many have looked to other sports for an athlete like him. Hard to find one as forward about things as Tebow. In NASCAR you'll see drivers thank the good lord for a great race or another victory and there's the pre-race prayer before every event. Yet you won't find any 'Tebowing.' Of course Kyle Busch has his bow and Carl Edwards his backflip but no driver gets out of his car and points higher up and then gets down on a knee to give praise.

No, there's only one Tim Tebow. One that dominates the headlines, chatrooms, blogs and social media sites. Tebow has others trying to emulate him (driver Trevor Bayne said last week that he wants to be more like Tebow with his faith) and has those of all ages and professions copy his taking a knee and giving praise. Photos poor in from all over of the best impersonations. On the playing field in the sporting world though, there will only be one Tebow.

But ...

What if #NASCAR had a driver like Tim Tebow: strong in belief & all the media hype/coverage, how would he/she be treated by fans & drivers?

@rcracer20 #nascar does @Tbayne21

@Harvichick29 Don't we have that in Trevor Bayne?

@MimiFlowerchild I think he or she would be loved.We are the only sport that prays before we play.

@Harvichick29 Other sports don't generally have a prayer beforehand, so I guess thats why TBayne doesnt get as much attention for it.

@baileyja69 They already have one Trevor Bane

@nuccionino They do, his name is Trevor Bayne. and he was very hyped up this past season. And fans/drivers would welcome it for sure.

@4wheels_engine Maybe not as forward, but definitely not shy about it either!

@thebigshmoog who, @tbayne21? @Mc_Driver? I'm as impressed with them as I am with Tebow.

@cruetten Trevor Bayne is NASCAR's version of Tim Tebow. What separates them is that while football media are very critical of tebow...(c) NASCAR media almost "guard" Bayne--most of our media seem almost protective of him...

@Trevorplummer think his name is @Tbayne21. Granted hes not huge, but he did win the biggest race last year. #timtebow # daytona500

@NancyatStudioN Trevor may not be as "forward" about it - but IMHO he is more sincere

Thursday, January 12th 'What If' Question

Testing for the 54th annual Daytona 500 started on Thursday afternoon and there was one question on everyone's mind: did NASCAR find a way to stop the two-car tango.

Over the last few years it has become the only way to race at Daytona and Talladega. Two cars hooked together nose to tail, only separating when they need to swap positions. Instead of one giant pack of 43 cars there has been a pack of two car tandems scattered around the speedway. It was at Talladega in 2009 that the two car tango got its first big exposure.

Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards came from behind to over take the tandem of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman before Keselowski and Edwards shared a dramatic and scary finish. Since then pack racing has diminished. Plate racing has never been the same and in order to win at Daytona or Talladega you need to have a partner that is going to stick with you all day. That's how Jimmie Johnson won at Talladega last spring because teammate Earnhardt Jr. pushed him past the duo of Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick and fellow teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin.

And while the racing hasn't exactly been the fans and even drivers liking, the finishes have been nothing but fantastic. When Johnson edged Bowyer last April it was the closest finish in NASCAR history, 0.002 seconds. Before that Tony Stewart edged Boywer at Daytona in the Nationwide Series season opening event. Photo finishes have become the norm and expected at the plate tracks.

Except heading into the 2012 season NASCAR has decided they want to end the two-car drafting, much to the fans, at least the ones who hate it, delight. They have made changes to the cars like reducing the size of the restrictor plate, closing part of the radiator vent and a four pound reduction in the radiator pressure-relief valve. Those are the recent changes, coming after what the teams had already unloaded with and NASCAR says more could be on the way.

There's also been the ban on drivers talking on other drivers radio channels. Unlike last year there won't be any drivers with radio dials in their cars with about 27 other drivers on the line. It's all in an effort to end the two-car drafting and get back to the big pack racing and NASCAR is trying to use the importance of testing to get the racing back to where most want it to be.

But ...

What if tomorrow's test finds #NASCAR's changes didn't end two car drafting, will you be less enthused about the plate races this year?

@dalejrfanforevr Nah not a problem

@WickedJ8 only things that will end this tandem draft is #1 time - the track needs 2 lose grip & #2 Goodyear - tires that wear out

@rcracer20 take off the plates,power steering,lower spoiler one more inch,let them boyz have at it

@cruetten maybe by the mid-season races I will be; but right now, I just want to see some cars on the track--I don't care how!

@ML_B_lo very less enthused. Two car tango is more boring than watching the Steelers this season #yawn #bringbackthepack

@JoJo_6040 Yes. But not for Daytona 500, I can't wait for the new season to begin!

@MattEmbury I'll be thrilled if the two car draft survives, only way old style works...if the slingshot is possible. #NASCAR

Tuesday, January 10th 'What If' Question

Following the 2001 season Jeff Gordon was the man on top of the sport and on the top of the list to tie if not pass Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven Cup championships.

Gordon had just won his fourth title and it didn't look like he was going to stop winning anytime soon. But a lot has changed since 2001 like the cars, tracks, rules, teams and drivers. Gordon has continued to win races, he now sits third on the all-time wins list with 85 behind Petty (200) and Pearson (105), except the number in the championship column hasn't changed.

Gordon is still at four with Tony Stewart since claiming three titles since Gordon's last. Jimmie Johnson has claimed five and Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch each won their first. It hasn't been for a lack of trying on Gordon's part though, he finished second in 2007 after he dominated the season by putting together a modern day record of top tens with 30. But in the Chase he lost to Johnson who put together a better average during the 10 Chase races.

It wasn't the first time that the Chase seemed to do Gordon in. In 2004 Gordon scored the most points during the entire 36 week schedule, but not as many as Kurt Busch did during the 10 weeks during the Chase. Then in 2009 Gordon finished third in points as Hendrick Motorsports swept the top three spots.

So, he and his fans still wait for the next time they'll be on the big stage. Never knowing that it would take this long before they felt the taste of a championship again. If there's one thing that can be counted on though it's that every preseason Gordon will be on the top of a few lists to win his fifth championship. Just as he's been for the last 10 years. This will be the year they say, only to say it again the following preseason.

But ...

What if Jeff Gordon never wins another championship, will many attempt to turn the discussion or blame toward the Chase?

@Talon64 What if? Jeff Gordon fans already do; would've won championship under old system in 2004 and 2007.

@rcracer20 points are points,you need the most to win,then, when you also get rewarded points for wins #getuponthewheelanddrive