Tuesday, April 17th 'What If' Question

Nelson Piquet Jr. has come ever so close to winning his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race but something also crept up and took it away.

Last Sunday when NASCAR made their return to Rockingham for the first time in eight years, many predicted the veterans dominating the day. Instead it was Piquet, who had never seen the track until last weekend, that looked as though he'd been racing there for years.

To start the weekend Piquet won his first career pole in 33 attempts. Then on Sunday he flat out spanked the competition when he led the first 85 of 100 laps. Well in control and seemingly cruising to the finish it was about counting down the laps and keeping the truck off the wall.

A slow pit stop though put him back in traffic where he had to fight back to the front. He eventually did and led 107 of 250 laps. He did not win the race though, he crossed the finish line seventh as Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne, who had not practiced or qualified his truck, won.

So, how did Piquet go from domination to seventh? On lap 181 he was nabbed for speeding on pit road and had to restart in the rear. He would spend the rest of the race trying to pull off a comeback instead of fighting for the win when he could have restarted second. For as fast as his No. 30 Qualcomm / Autotrac Chevrolet was, traffic ended up getting the best of him.

"I didn't think that I was going to get penalized, just because the exit was so short and my wheels were spinning so much. I had no idea," said Piquet afterwards about the position of his pit stall to the exit of pit road.

"I didn't feel like I pushed it too hard, I guess I just went a fraction too fast and pushed it just over the limit."

Piquet did move up two spots in the point standing to sixth entering Kansas this weekend. Still looking for his first win and he knows that it's close.

But ...

What if Nelson Piquet hadn't gotten a speeding penalty, does he go on to win the race or does Kasey Kahne hold him off? 

@betseybydesign I think Kasey would have still won!!JMO!!:)

@Talon64 Kasey didn't even pull away from Buescher so Piquet had the speed. But Piquet poor restarts might've cost him anyways

@HarpAmyStabler I think that Piquet would have gone to victory at the Rock. He had the dominant truck all day.

@DonRohr piquet was class of the field. Especially on older tires. (Anything past lap ten in this case).

@JanisRothermel That speeding penalty infuriated me. NP had the truck to beat.Would have been great to have 2 1st time race winners-F1's NR. *Editor's note - In Formula 1 Nico Roseberg had won his first career race on Sunday, the Chinese Grand Prix

@scubazuke72 don't think anything was stopping Kasey on Sunday. His truck was flying from the start.

@HD388 gotta say that Kahne would of held off Piquet, Kahne's truck was just a little bit stronger than Piquet's

Saturday, April 7th 'What If' Question

It's the NASCAR story that just won't end.

In May of 2009 NASCAR announced that Jeremy Mayfield had been suspended indefinitely for a failed drug test. According to NASCAR officials he had tested positive for methamphetamine but instead of Mayfield admitting wrongdoing and getting help in order to be restated, the sordid tale began.

Conspiracy theorists haven't been happier as Mayfield accused NASCAR of setting him up. Claiming that over the counter medications were to blame for the positive test. He attempted to get an injunction on his suspension, which was granted until he failed another drug test weeks later.

Soon family members and other witnesses were coming forward to say that Mayfield was indeed a drug addict. He in turn went back on the attack of NASCAR and Brian France. Attempting to claim that France had his own drug issues while outing his financial issues and divorce.

He tried to drag NASCAR's drug testing policy through the mud, including David Black who then was the head of the lab testing company NASCAR used. Mayfield continued to insist on his innocence while saying that others were after him.

And then, for those who continued to stick by Mayfield's side, came the straw that broke the camel's back. Last November he was charged with possession of 1.5 grams of meth, 50 guns and potential $100,000 in stolen items.

Again, Mayfield claimed his innocence and "that it appears Catawba County authorities have been coordinating with NASCAR officials." Here in 2012 Mayfield continues his fight with NASCAR and the law.

Of course though, there's more to the story. Late last week ARCA Series team owner Roger Curtis said that if ARCA approved him, he'd put Mayfield in one his cars. It would be for the June event at Pocono, since Mayfield's NASCAR suspension doesn't involve ARCA.

He'd have to apply for a license to race and neither Mayfield or ARCA have commented on the Curtis offer.

But ...

What if Jeremy Mayfield was to apply for a license to compete in the ARCA Series, should ARCA approve it & would you watch him race?

@johnson1439 Acra should not approve him until all court cases are cleared up and he is able to pass a blood/hair test drug screen

@widsss yes and yes.

@48hollywood if he's tested and clean, yes they should and yes I would!

@jasonskow I don't see him getting approved anytime soon

@LeisaBeez2988 can he pass a drug test?

@KensCourageRun I would love to see JM race again!!!

@srs1159 definitely! He deserves a second chance.

Rich Bohr (via Facebook) I would watch ARCA no matter if he was in it or not

Matt Wenzel (via Facebook) I would watch ARCA anyhow. But, I guess until Jeremy is found guilty of some crime by a court of law - he is still innocent until proven otherwise in this country - so he has just as much right to race in ARCA as anybody else.....as long as he abides by their rules and passes their tests.

Monday, April 2nd 'What If' Question

Everything was in place on Sunday for Hendrick Motorsports to have an historic day at Martinsville Speedway.

Kasey Kahne won the pole, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all led laps. And when came time to decide the winner Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. were running first, second and third with less than 10 laps to go.

Whoever won the event for HMS would have delivered team owner Rick Hendrick his 200th Sprint Cup Series win. David Reutimann, Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman had other plans and quickly postponed the celebration.

As Gordon took the lead by inches on Johnson on lap 498 of 500, David Reutimann came to a stop near turn one in his No. 10 Chevrolet. He had been slow for a few laps and had been issued the black flag by NASCAR, get off the track in other words.

Reutimann though was determined to finish the race and try to remain locked into the top 35 in points. Had he done so he would be guaranteed a starting spot in the series next race at Texas. Instead he said he had motor problems and the car shut off, stopping him to get back to pit road.

The caution bunched the field back up and when Earnhardt Jr. pitted it put Clint Boywer in third place, Brad Keselowski fourth, Ryan Newman fifth and Earnhardt Jr. sixth. When the green flag flew Newman shoved Bowyer toward turn one and Bowyer decided to take it three wide for the lead.

Johnson spun, Gordon got sideways and then spun Bowyer. Newman came out with the lead, AJ Allmendinger second and Earnhardt Jr. third. That's how they would finish when the race had their second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

Afterwards it was hard to find a happy driver. Either upset with the move by Bowyer, the push from Newman but most certainly because of the caution caused by Reutimann. Days later harsh words still remain for both Reutimann and the top 35 rule with both being the main topics of conversations concerning Martinsville.

HMS will once again put away the boxes full of 200 win hats and wait until Texas in two weeks to see if one of their drivers can win capture the checkered flag.

But ...

What if David Reutimann hadn't caused a caution as Gordon & Johnson raced for the lead, who scores the 200th win for HMS?

@ronsracing88 Jeff Gordon would of won.

@HD388 Gordon would of easily have won the race, he had run Johnson down & was passing him & would of driven off from him

@cruetten Jeff Gordon

@michaelwsays Jimmy would have laid the chrome bumper to the 24

@StrokerAce90 JJ

@CSoloy Niether-M'ville upchucks chunk AGAIN, goes through 24 grill, in turn clips 48 who pits, falls 2 end of lead lap

@HarpAmyStabler Jeff Gordon. My thots on Reuty are the following: He's fighting for the top 35. If you don't want something like that to affect the outcome of the race, then NASCAR needs to get rid of the top 35. But, in this economy, we need sponsors so we need to keep the top 35 rule. It's really a no-win situation here. All drivers have agendas on the track. Respect them.