Monday, October 20th 'What If' Question

Brad Keselowski did what he needed to do on Sunday afternoon in Talladega, win to stay in.

Keselowski’s victory in the GEICO 500 advanced him into the next round of the Chase, which he would not have done without the checkered flag. While Keselowski drove a masterful race and had the will to win, he also had two other teammates doing all they could to help. Late on Sunday Joey Logano threw furious blocks while running second and youngster Ryan Blaney also stayed glued to the No. 2 bumper when coming through the field.

It didn’t surprise many that teamwork was in play. After all, Logano was already locked into the next round, and Blaney was there for experience. Roger Penske had no hesitation in admitting during the winner’s press conference that coming into the weekend there were team orders.

According to Penske, all the drivers were sat down and instructed that they were there to ensure that Keselowski won the race. Logano played his part with his big blocks at the end, though it relegated him to an 11th place finish.

“I think he obeyed orders pretty well,” Penske said.

Keselowski and Logano, who have both been considered the class of the field this season, move on in the Chase. Keselowski now leads the series with six wins on the season, Logano the second-best with five.

But …

What if you were Joey Logano behind Brad Keselowski on Sunday, do you push / block or try to win and kick a strong car / teammate out of the Chase?

@TheAngryBirdie Brad and Joey seem to have a good friendship, so no

@lilmom88 ha, he had his orders.

@jpuryear91 I’d try and keep all the strong cars out. Not sure why you’d want a strong competitor even if it is a teammate.

@handsanfeet That’s a tough one. I guess help if I don’t have a chance to win myself. Bottom line though, win!

@Joturn33 No question go for the win at Talladega, or anywhere for that matter. Who knows if you’ll ever have that opportunity again?

@CBWFAN silly question, of course not. Winning is one thing, pay check is another

@mschub0928 I think we got our answer already. Looked like gave Brad a push then tried blocking when one of the lines got a run on him

Tuesday, May 6th 'What If' Question

Brad Keselowski is a Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series champion who makes more good moves than bad.

His peers will admit that, like Jeff Gordon did, and some of them did Sunday in Talladega. But only because they were left trying wonder about the move that Keselowski made to race with the leaders while six laps down in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

It was fine for nearly the entire event. Keselowski believing he just needed a few cautions and he could take his car that was certainly fast enough, back in to contention. And then with 51 laps to go he spun in front of the field and took out 12 cars behind him. The subsequent reaction was anything but friendly, with Matt Kenseth (whom Keselowski had a problem with racing a week ago in Richmond) saying that if roles were reversed, Keselowski would be lecturing others.

The accident since sparked a debate about whether Keselowski should have been running where he was. The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford was indeed one of the fastest cars in the field, however he found himself multiple laps down after he spun from earlier contact with Danica Patrick. While restrictor plate racing is known for its large and numerous wrecks, Keselowski was playing the hoping game of having just enough that he could get back on the lead lap.

And it was certainly possible. Jamie McMurray, who was also numerous laps down, did get about five laps back and finished 29^th after running dead laps for much of the event. Unfortunately for Keselowski, he didn’t have as quiet a day with the first big wreck, which many admitted they knew was coming, occurring because of a driver who was multiple laps down and was racing with the leaders.

But …

What if Brad Keselowski had only been a lap or two down when he spun in front of the field, does furious reaction towards him still hold?

@MooreNASCAR Don’t agree with it, but I say it’s definitely still highlighted by lots when expressing their opinion.

@88isDaleJr One lap I can see. But Not 6! It was shear stupidy!!

@jrm1219 If your one lap down you still only need to race any other cars one lap down & wait for a yellow 

@jackrlewis if he was battling for the free pass fine, otherwise he didn’t belong there

Tuesday, October 9th 'What If' Quesiton

Sometimes all it takes to ruin the perfect moment or the perfect race, is one split second decision. Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart found himself in that position when he came down the track to block Michael Waltrip's big run and caused a 25 car wreck.

Stewart, who was leading at the time, was trying to win the race. When he quickly found himself in the sucker-hole, the middle of the track with cars flying past on the outside and inside, he made the only decision he could: try to protect his position.

Stewart ended up getting turned by Waltrip who was being pushed by Casey Mears. When the dust settled and the checkered flag was shown, Matt Kenseth was declared the winner with only Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon making it through the carnage behind him. Stewart did apologize for starting the wreck and took responsibility, but many others weren't happy with the type of racing they had seen.

Most vocal was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who we learned later had suffered a concussion. He'll be sitting out the next two Sprint Cup Series races.

The wreck also shook up the point standings. Brad Keselowski extended his lead to 14 over Johnson, who wrecked while Keselowski was able to save his car and drive to a seventh place finish. Anything could have happened had the pack made to the finish line as they were, instead one mistake on the final lap, in the final corner changed everything.

Such is the life in NASCAR.

But ..

What if Stewart and Waltrip didn't get together and start last lap crash, of that big pack coming off turn four, take your pick: who wins Talladega?

@TheOrangeCone Josh Wise

@Anthony_Stuart Kenseth: not enough time was left for them to get by him

@FurnitureRow_78 Waltrip definitely would have won!

@NaScArFaN995 michael waltrip or casey mears

@Gman1439 Waltrip vs Kenseth, I say Waltrip would of won

@31SpazCat15 I think Mikey wins!!

@philenespanol Mikey. He had a full head of steam (hence getting into smoke) and probably would have settled it between him and Clint

@mattwoodruff29 Harvick he was right on Kenseth's and could had went for the win!

@NancyatStudioN Michael Waltrip

@chuckallen2 @mw55 was going to win, no doubt in my mind. His momentum, getting pushed in the perfect spot on track were just enough

@Rasenna Tony! He's the man!

@HarpAmyStabler I think that Mikey or Casey Mears would have duked it out for the win.

Monday, May 21st 'What If' Question

With all the hype and advertising that comes with the Sprint All-Star race, no holds barred and full of wrecks, it was anything but on Saturday night. 

There were no fireworks, except for the ones released post race, nor were there wrecks and angry words exchanged. There was hard racing and smart strategy used and then a familiar face in victory lane. 

The 2012 format of the All-Star race consisted of five segments. The first four were 20 laps each and the final segment a 10 lap dash for the cash. That coming after a mandatory pit stop where as long as all four tires came to a stop in the box, it was considered OK and the driver could continue.

Another new wrinkle was that the drivers who won a segment would be lined up 1-4 coming to pit road for those final stops and that's where things got interesting.  

Jimmie Johnson won the first segment and then disappeared for the remainder of the All-Star. Literally. He restarted in the back of the pack and then let the field drive away as he stayed far behind what could have been potential carnage. 

Then segment two winner Matt Kenseth did the same thing. As did segment three winner Brad Keselowski, all playing possum until the final segment.

After Dale Earnhardt Jr. won segment four, he along with Johnson, Kenseth and Keselowski lined up for the mandatory stop and then exited pit road in the same order. When the green flag flew for the final segment Johnson drove away from the field for his third All-Star win.

Many were left shaking their heads in confusion, disappointment and anger at how the race played out. There seemed to be no racing involved or at least not what the All-Star race is accustomed to. Besides Johnson fans, what happend in the All-Star race wasn't what fans wanted, although Johnson and company simply took the rules and manipulated them to their advantage. 

Clint Bowyer seemed a bit shocked after the checkered flag flew saying, "He ran 30 laps, 30 damn laps and won $1 millon." 

But ... 


What if segment winners weren't allowed to 'sandbag,' how different would All-Star race have played out and does Johnson still win?


@kartracer3886 Lol If JJ didnt sandbag then he would have won every segment. I liked the format. Needs 1-2 slight tweaks


@Race_Girl24_7 idk but I would b good with a system that sends the last place driver to the garage after each segment even if they had won a segment earlier


@JoJo_6040 Each segmt would make 'em have to race. It's a short race, why sandbag? With that scenario, not sure who would've won. 

Wednesday, May 9th 'What If' Question

Leave it to Brad Keselowski to throw out all the logic that comes with racing and winning at the Talladega Superspeedway.

After much anticipation and tweaking by NASCAR, it was back to pack racing at the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega. Last weekend drivers went door-to-door and bumper-to-bumper around Talladega for over 180 laps before setting themselves up for a tandem pairing at the end.

On a green-white-checkered finish the driver who had dominated all day, Matt Kenseth, hooked with teammate Greg Biffle and started to pull away from the field. Behind them Kyle Busch started pushing Brad Keselowski and the two began to make headway.

Kenseth though took his eyes off the prize for just a split second and it caused him to become unhooked with Biffle. That lead to Keselowski and Busch blowing by and the win going with them. Keselowski took the white flag as the leader and logic said he wouldn't be the leader when they came back for the checkered flag.

Except just as there's logic which says you can't race and certainly can't win with a broken ankle, Keselowski proved everyone wrong. Coming out of turn four Keselowski took his No. 2 blue deuce and pulled himself off of Busch by moving from the middle lane down to the bottom.

Busch wasn't expecting it and the move gave Keselowski just enough steam to head back to the finish line untouched. Afterwards he said it was a move he had in mind for a while and was saving for the right occasion and that didn't help Busch or Kenseth feeling any better about what had happened.

But ...

What if the Kenseth/Biffle tandem hadn't come apart, would the Keselowski/Busch tandem still have caught them and who wins Talladega? 

@cruetten I'm sure they would've caught them, but I doubt they would've passed them--Kenseth and Biffle would've held tight as a team.

@JoJo_6040 Yes. And BK wouldn't be able to use his shake on KB. Four car run to the finish and Kenseth wins :)

@HD388 still think Keselowski/Busch tandem would of caught Kenseth/Biffle tandem & pulled away from them with Keselowski winning

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.

Monday, March 26th 'What If' Question

Racing at the Bristol Motor Speedway would normally bring forth thoughts of beating, banging, rivalries and other such exciting thoughts.

Recently however, thoughts about racing at Bristol have been anything but positive. Then again, it depends on who you ask. One side, including winner of the last two Bristol races Brad Keselowski, will say that racing at Bristol is the best that it has ever been. Good racing doesn't have to include 50 cautions and half of the 43 car field torn up.

It can be side-by-side and long green flag runs. The other half though, say that's nonsense and racing at a shortrack like Bristol means the action should be tight, bumpers should be bent. That hasn't happened lately and many are upset that they've lost a great track to too many changes.

Hearing things like "flying fighter jets in a gymnasium," or "racin' the way it ought to be," or calling it "The last great colosseum" just falls flat. Goosebumps are no longer evoked and many are now calling for changes to be made to the track.

Bruton Smith has granted their wish. Last week he announced that changes will in fact be made to the track, but he didn't say what exactly that would entail. Whatever work he has planned will begin soon in order to be complete by the time the track sees action again in August.

"The race fans have spoken," said Smith in a statement. "We had input that included a wide range of opinions. But the majority we heard from said they wanted to see changes made. As a result, I have ordered the equipment and work will begin within the next two weeks to allow time to have everything ready for August."

The news has of course been met with mixed emotions. Keep it the way it is and let things play out, some say. Others want it torn up and started over, progressive banking done away with.

There are many questions left to be answered but for right now Smith is content to give fans what they want. Will these changes be enough or 'work' is another question and one that won't be answered for another four months.

But ...

What if Bristol was to be torn up & repaved, would you (A) agreed with that decision and (B) think it would be the best thing to do? #NASCAR

@celticsracin18 A

@hookemhorns51 a) no. b) nope. Economy, weather and Kentucky are the reasons. I like the idea of a softer tire for faster wear.

Thursday, March 15th 'What If' Question

For all those "Did you see that?" moments look no further than the Daytona 500.

In its 54 year running there's been a little bit of everything: there was 'the fight', rain shortened events, rained out events, potholes, animals demolished by machines, tragedy, triumph, and now not only a Monday night race but a jet dryer explosion. Of course we all should have known we were in for some excitement when this year's race, for the first time in history, had to be postponed until Monday.

Then more rain pushed the race to Monday night, primetime and the excitement was notched up another level. The action started right away with a major crash that collected Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Danica Patrick and others on lap two. From there the Roush Fenway Racing drivers of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle dominated the field.

And then as the race started to wind down it happened. Fire!

One of the jet dryers used to clean the race track during cautions began burning in turn three. A massive fire broke out as the gasoline from the jet dryer burned down the track. Upon further review it was found that something on Juan Pablo Montoya's No. 42 Target machine broke as he was trying to get up to speed and catch the field.

The car snapped away from him and spun into the jet dryer and chaos ensued from there. The race was red flagged for two hours as the track was cleaned and repaired. During that time Brad Keselowski tweeted from his car, drivers hung out on the backstretch and some raced each other to the porta potty.

When the race finally restarted it was Kenseth scoring his second 500 win over Dale Earnhardt Jr. Once the post race interviews and press conferences were over it was nearly 2:00 Tuesday morning. As the rest of the world woke up that Tuesday the Daytona 500 was national news, first because it was a primetime event and because of the amazing video of the jet dryer fire.

Keselowski tweeting from inside his race car didn't hurt either. NASCAR was already off to a roaring start in 2012 and the Daytona 500 got to add another historic page to its history book.

But ...

What if the jet dryer explosion hadn't happened, what would have been the most memorable moment of the 2012 Daytona 500 & would the race still have made national news?

@WickedJ8 No, it wouldnt have made news. But the story wouldve been not fully sponsored 17 winning the biggest race of the year..again

@Tradertoms Fact is that we will never forget that incident but considering it WAS a Night race, it was sure to make National News

@rcracer20 prime time and @DanicaPatrick ,had to think about who won

@StrokerAce90 Most memorable moment woulda been Danica's first Cup start. She made the Daytona 500 bigger National news by just being in it

Wednesday, October 19th 'What If' Question

There's an age old debate that continues to rage on: Cup drives competing in the Nationwide Series.

This debate though isn't about should they run in the lower series but why would they. This past August when Brad Keselowski broke his ankle testing his NSCS car it forced him to sit out of his No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge on Saturday's. Incredibly though, Keselowski won two Cup races in August and skyrocketed from 21st to 11th in points and made the Chase.

His performance made yours truly and others again state that Cup drivers concentrating solely on Cup perform better than those who pull double duty. For instance: Jimmie Johnson has won the last five straight Sprint Cup Series championships, not just because he's a good driver and has a good team but because no one has tunnel vision like he does. Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon all won titles before Johnson and they too run very limited NNS races if none at all.

Focus, it's all about focus. Winning a Cup title should be a driver's main focus, not just winning races in any series. Sure, drivers like Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have competed and contended as threats for the Cup title while running the NNS, but they haven't won the title. And almost doesn't count in NASCAR. Ironically, Edwards, Harvick, Busch and Keselowski haven't won the Cup title but have all won a NNS title over the last few seasons.

Keselowski, even with a broken ankle, was on fire during the weeks that he was able to worry just about his Sprint Cup effort. Now that he's made the Chase and has gone back running on Saturday's, he's remained in the top 10 in points but hasn't won a race since and time will tell if he'll win the championship.

But ...

What if Brad K. hadn't broken his ankle & didn't sit out NNS, would he still have had month of August he did & made the Chase? #NASCAR

@RobBlount Wow. Tough question. I think he still could have had that August without the broken ankle though, but no way to tell.

Jennifer Lynn Tobin (via Facebook) For sure! :)

Jose L Acero (via Facebook) I still believe that BradK has the August he had regardless of the injury happening or not! It made it that special by having is ankle broken.

Dustin Parks (via Facebook) I'm not sure, that's a really tough question to answer. Could we have anticipated Denny Hamlin to have the season he had last year following ACL surgery? It's along the same lines. We didn't expect Hamlin to have that success, and certainly didn't expect Keselowski to have his success. My answer is simply no answer, because like Hamlin in 2010, it was the card he was dealt, and he dealt with it the best way possible...bring all the attention to him for good reasons, and not because of his injury.

Nancy Nuce (via Facebook) I think it's possible that the ankle injury woke BK up to the fact that if he didn't perform, he could be on the way out. I think it focused his attention and made him put forth a better effort. That combined with the fact that they started going back to tracks they had been to once already and had notes to go by, worked to improve his performance. It also didn't hurt that Kurt threw a fit over improving the equipment till Penske did something about it. I don't think sitting out NNS had much to do with it other than I think Brad realized that he needed to perform in Cup more than he needed to perform in NNS.

Thursday, September 1st 'What If' Question

It may be hard to believe but Jimmie Johnson only has one win thus far this season. That's one, single, uno, coming at Talladega in April when teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushed him past their other two Hendrick teammates and a Richard Childress duo on the last lap.

This time a year ago Johnson had five wins heading into the Chase and he would pick up his sixth victory at Dover on his way to a fifth straight championship. Such has not been the case this season as the anti-Johnson fans have been pleased with his shutout of victory lane. Although Johnson is currently tied for the point lead his overall performance hasn't been very Johnson-like.

It's almost like his golden horseshoe, which Kevin Harvick alluded to last year, is gone. Johnson hasn't been dominating races, he's experiencing more bad luck during races, some of which he wasn't able to overcome and at racetracks that he has become known for his performance, he wasn't even on the map. He's appeared more frustrated this year and has gotten into spats with the likes of Kurt Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya.

When the Chase starts however, Johnson will be the favorite to take home yet another title. Yet, right now it's Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch that are mentioned as the favorites. They're the ones with the most wins this season and who are climbing in the point standings. Winning has been great to them and they hope to continue to do so right into the Chase.

Should they or any other driver win races in the Chase, they could take home the title. Many drivers have already said that winning races will be what wins the championship. If that's the case, Johnson and company need to get going because once the Chase does start they'll be amongst the lowest seeds.

But ...

What if @JimmieJohnson doesn't win another race this year, only win being at Talladega in April, can he still win the championship? #NASCAR

@ARosser14 Absolutely. That team can win titles in just about any scenario. Even if he didn't have that inch on Bowyer in Talladega.

@canebrake_123 i hope not we need a new driver to win cup like Carl Edwards

@Talon64 he's won the championship every other way imaginable, just needs to do it with 1 win. So yes!

@VerloreneSohn32 Yes. Of course he can.

@cruetten just saw this. I have to say yes as well.

@14Patti14 He's superman! He can do anything. No really, if he wants it bad enough it will.come

Billy Fellin (via Facebook) I think he's proven that no matter how he does during the regular season, he's capable of winning a championship

Melissa Bauer-Herzog (via Facebook) I believe he can. Even with his "bad" season he's still tied for 1st and they really know how to turn up the heat when the Chase comes around.

Monday, August 8th 'What If' Question

In order for any team to be successful they need to have the right combination. People, parts and everything in between.

For Brad Keselowski and his Penske Racing team that seems to be the case this season as he's won two races and sits 18th in points, but most importantly he's in the first wildcard position for the Chase. Ask anyone this time last year if they ever thought Keselowski would be in this position they might have thought you were crazy.

In 2010 Keselowski's team struggled to put it mildly. They finished 25th in points and only had two top 10 finishes. Before the halfway point of the season team owner Roger Penske was already making an announcement about the company's future. Sam Hornish Jr. would be out of a ride, the No. 77 shut down for lack of sponsorship and performance. Kurt Busch would move from the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge to the No. 22 Shell / Pennzoil Dodge.

It moved Keselowski from the No. 12 team into the 2 car and Paul Wolfe was eventually promoted to be his crew chief. The two had just won the Nationwide Series title and Keselowski and Jay Guy weren't clicking. Heading into 2011 expectations were high for the newly reconfigured team.

It started with Busch winning two of the three races during Speedweeks in Daytona before Keselowski won a fuel mileage race at Kansas. Busch than answered back by winning at the road course in Sonoma before Keselowski won again this past weekend in Pocono.

Both drivers are looking toward the Chase and Keselowski has suddenly become a serious contender in the Sprint Cup Series. A driver that is not to be overlooked, even when he has a broken ankle.

But ...

What if Brad @Keselowski wasn't switched into the 2 car & Paul Wolfe wasn't promoted, does he still have the same success this year? #NASCAR

@ARosser14 No. Brad and Paul have "it."

@mikegieseler good what if... I'd say no, he probably wouldn't have same level of success

@smokinace88 Well... thats tough lets be honest here must first time cup drivers don't have the greatest seasons... Its not easy to tell If Brad would have had the same success had Jay Guy stayed or not.... I like to think it doesnt matter.. But.. Paul and Brad had great success with the nation wide program winning the 2010 Champion ship.. Hard to say... Sorry i wrote novel

@Talon64 Robert No way, the #12 team last year was total crap and big changes were needed. Guy/Keselowski didn't work at all.

@racecrazy what talon said haha

@MattEmbury The thing that's helped Penske? Downsizing the organization, keeping Hornish, dragged both Kurt and Brad last year. #NASCAR

@hillbillyDem I give @KurtBusch22 most of the credit for @Keselowski success this year, without his tirade this would've been a lost season

Thursday, August 4th 'What If' Question

It wasn't the first time that it's happened but being one of those rare occurrences it became a big story.

Saturday night at Lucas Oil Raceway Brad Keselowski went to victory lane in the Nationwide Series race, how he got there though was a little more complicated. On the second to last restart Justin Allgaier's No. 31 caught on fire, he was running second at the time and would had lined up to the outside of race leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

After finally deciding to pull off of the racetrack, NASCAR did not order him to, Keselowski was moved into the second position. Except, he was running fourth at the time, on the outside of the second row. Elliott Sadler who was running third believed that he was going to be moving up a position, however NASCAR ruled that because the cars had already doubled up for the restart, it's the line that moves up, not the position. In this case, the outside line that Allgaier had been in moved up when he dropped out.

That's where all the trouble started. Should NASCAR have allowed the cars to double up when Allgaier should have been pulled off the track long before he was. There was also what some called the problem of NASCAR re-issuing the caution for Allgaier when they had already been given the one-to-go sign from the flag stand.

Either way, Stenhouse Jr. and Keselowski were on the front row and Sadler stayed third. On the restart Keselowski and Stenhouse got into a shoving match that Keselowski prevailed on, putting the NNS regular and dominate car on the night back to second and battling with Sadler. That's when Sadler got loose and spun and was the hit by the No. 33 of Austin Dillon, ending both their nights.

Keselowski went on to win another race for the Cup regulars, Stenhouse Jr. finished third and Sadler finished 16th. As Keselowski celebrated, foul was called by Sadler and others who said that Keselowski shouldn't have been able to restart where he did and because of it, the NNS regulars suffered. Sadler lost more points in the championship fight and Stenhouse Jr. was the strongest car of the night and most likely should have been celebrating his second win and earning maximum points.

NASCAR didn't back down from their explanation that once the cars lined up drivers may not pull out of line. They also referred to last year when Kyle Busch won a Nationwide race the same way. He was lined up fourth when Keselowski ran out of fuel, he then moved to second and won the race. Going forward this is a rule that some have said they would like to be looked out.

But ...

What If Elliott Sadler restarted second instead of third, would he still have wrecked & does Brad Keselowski still win from fourth? #NASCAR

@Lady31RCR Can't really say who would have won..or wrecked..I will say I HATE the move up rule..Elliott earned 2nd..BK did not!!

@ronsracing88 Sadler would have won and not wrecked. I still do don't understand how the 31 was allowed to line up for the restart on fire.

@cruetten Sadler would not have wrecked, and he would've gone on to win that race.

@MattEmbury Stenhosue wins the race, Sadler had nothing for him before the yellow. #NASCAR

@smokinace88 I think Brad could have or to be honest it could have been a duel for the win Ricky and Brad had the best cars IMHO

Thursday, April 7th 'What If' Question

Every driver needs their big break, something that will propel them into the spotlight and catch the eye of team owners who are looking for a new, fresh face to put in one of their cars.

In late 2007 that's what happened to Brad Keselowski. He got a call from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to come and run the remainder of the season in his No. 88 Navy Chevrolet. Keselowski had impressed Earnhardt Jr. in what he was accomplishing in less than well funded equipment as well as the substitution job he had done for Ted Musgrave's Truck team.

Earnhardt Jr. then signed Keselowski to a full-time deal for 2008 and 2009 in the Nationwide Series. He went out won his first career race and then kept on winning. In both years he finished second in the championship points. In 2009 he was on top of everyone's radar including team owner Rick Hendrick and James Finch. Both let Keselowski drive one of their cars in select Cup Series events.

In Talladega, Keselowski went out and won after a finish with Carl Edwards that won't soon be forgotten. Since then he's been snagged away from the a potential HMS job by Roger Penske and won the 2010 NNS championship. He now runs full-time in the Cup Series and searching for his second career win. Keselowski has officially made it to the top. Just as Martin Truex Jr. had done before him with the help of Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports.

But ...

What If Dale Jr. didn't take a chance & sign @Keselowski to Nationwide deal in 07 would he have ever become big name/winning driver? #NASCAR

@KaitlynVincie: Hard question, without Jr.'s financial backing it may not have been possible. We know success is not solely based on talent.

@ladybug388: No as its all bout opportunity & there was his. Thou he may have with running more truck races for the team & then moving up

@cruetten: doubtful. i think he would've continued his mediocre performance in NNS (before signing w/JR),& stayed permanently in trucks.

@JoJo_6040: Yep! Some other team owner would've noticed his talent. Must admit, I paid more attn. to BK when he started driving for JR

@chuckallen2: his good run subbing in the truck race defined his career. Cinderella story for sure, and why racing is cool.

Sunday, December 26th 'What If' Question

One was racing for a Nationwide Series championship. The other was racing for history and like he races every week, flat out. But it didn't stop Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch from putting on yet another good show in the Nationwide Series.

The Food City 250 at Bristol was dominated by two drivers that always seem to find themselves at the front of a NNS race. As the laps wound down point lead Keselowski was racing a hard-charging Busch, who was going for his second win of the weekend. The two battled lap after lap, trading the lead on numerous occasions, each sizing up the other.

Then on lap 219 Busch decided to end the battle. Coming off turn four, Busch spun Keselowski who hit the wall, thus ending his chance at victory. Thirty laps later Busch had his win while Keselowski was left to wonder what the problem was with a little bumping and rubbing.

Before Keselowski was spun by Busch, he had tagged the back of the No. 18 a lap before, as Busch tried to pass him for the lead. The contact made Busch bounce off the wall and made him a little upset with 'Special K,' which led to the spin.

Busch later said, “That’s Brad Keselowski. So I went into the next corner and dumped him. He does it to everybody else. Why can’t I do it to him?” Busch had also spun out another competitor, Jennifer Jo Cobb, in the Truck Series race just a few nights before, making it clear that no one was going to stand in his way that weekend.

Keselowski said he was going to go to work next week and the week after that and work on beating Busch's ass. The next night he used the Bristol PA system to tell the crowd that Kyle Busch "is an ass."

It was two nights in Bristol that no NASCAR fan will forget.

But ...

What if Kyle Busch didn't put @Keselowski in the wall @ Bristol during Nationwide race. If they race to the finish who wins?

@WilliamCheerboy Danica Patrick.

@jerracing7 Brad wins

@cruetten Kyle Busch still wins. I am not a Busch fan, but he has more talent and drive to win than anyone since Dale Earnhardt.

@kbm18 RT I Agree w/You 100% :o} #kylebuschfan4LIFE #KyleBuschRocksNascar

Tuesday, December 21st 'What If' Question

It's because they love to race. It's because NASCAR hasn't made a rule saying they can't.

Those are some of the arguments NASCAR fans hear when tossing out complaints about Sprint Cup Series drivers dropping down into the minor leagues and dominating. The Nationwide Series is constantly infected with Cup drivers who have much better equipment and sponsor dollars helping them get all the attention and in essence, take over the series.

Some fans are sick of it. They haven't seen a NNS full-time driver win the championship since 2004-2005 when Martin Truex Jr. won it driving for JR Motorsports. Since then it's been Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Not only are championships being won, but nearly every race.

In 2010 of the 35 NNS races, only one of them was won by a regular NNS driver. The rest were won by Cup drivers - although Boris Said won the road course in Montreal, he is neither a full-time NNS or Cup driver.

Rides are being taken away from young drivers who are trying to make their way into the sport. Sponsors are going to the big names instead of helping a young team get on the track. There are plenty of negatives to why Cup guys shouldn't be allowed to race in the NNS, but some say there's a positive.

Without the big names, fans wouldn't show up or watch. Whether or not that's fact or fiction has yet to be seen. The first step though might come in 2011 as NASCAR is considering changing the rules to limit Cup drivers in the NNS. They may still be allowed to run, but not earn any points toward winning the driver's championship.

Some agree, others don't believe it's fair.

But ...

What if Sprint Cup drivers didn't run full-time in Nationwide Series. Would you still watch and who would you pick for the title?

@smokinace88 yes and I would pick Colin Braun Or Aric :)

@BigBankHank18 I watch all the NNS and NCWTS races, because @KyleBusch is such a big part of them if he wasn't? NO FREAKIN WAY! #KBshow

@Emily_8388 I would probably pay more attention. Simply because it wouldn't be all about Busch and Edwards.

@88Summerstars I would still watch and I'm thinking I'll be rooting for Aric A...

@ronsracing88 Yes, I would watch more of the NWS if Sprint Cup drivers didn't run full time and Aric Almirola or Justin Allgaier

@MattEmbury Good question...maybe whoever drives the Roush-Fenway/Gibbs cars. They can block the Cup guys all they want, the problem is they won't be able to block the Cup teams too, they will still win

@nascarjaj yes, and justin allgaier should be champ

@crutten I would still watch, but I think the viewership would drop due to big names such as Busch and Harvick not racing each week. As a fan, I like the idea and would like the NNS to go back to being a true "minor league" series. I can see, however, the drawbacks from the business side: It's a bad idea because those same big names such as Busch and Harvick attract viewers, ratings, and sponsors/money. For the title winner, and in light of recent news, I pick the Herminator, Kenny Wallace!

@StrokerAce90 I'd still watch the Nascar Nationwide series race's for the same reason I started watching them in the 1st place, "to see Danica race". I feel I'd get to know the regular Nationwide drivers a bit better if the Cup Stars weren't out there hogging up the show & then I'd be better able to pick one of them as to who would win the championship, but until Nascar stops their cream of the crop Chase contenders from racing in lower class's its a no brainer as to who to pick to win the championship.

Saturday, December 4th 'What If' Question

There's an old expression about flying cars and how life might be simpler if there were such a thing.

At the Atlanta Motor Speedway in March of 2010, drivers Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski showed, again, that cars can indeed fly. The end result though, won't be pretty. After contact early in the Kobalt Tools 500 that sent Edwards to the garage, the driver of the No. 99 watched the replay and told the world of TV viewers that Keselowski hadn't done anything wrong.

When the 99 returned to the race 100 laps later however, and saw Keselowski running in the top five he changed his mind. Going down the frontstretch he turned the No. 12 and sent him flipping into the grandstands. It was similar to Edwards flying into the Talladega fence last season off the bumper of Keselowski.

The remainder of the season show many more run-ins between the two. One of the more scary incidents game when they were battling for the win in Gateway during a Nationwide Series race. Keselowski bumped Edwards in turn one and took the lead. Then coming off turn four Edwards turned Keselowski into the fence and won the race. Keselowski came back down the racetrack and was hit by a few other drivers trying to finish the race.

Afterward Keselowski's father Bob said, "He ain't gonna kill my boy" and said NASCAR needed to do something before he tried to handle things. By season's end the two finished first and second in the NNS points with Keselowski winning his first championship.

But ...

What If Carl Edwards & Brad Keselowski didn't give new meaning to flying cars in Atlanta. Would they still had season long rivalry?

@cruetten Probably. I don't think Edwards every really got over being dumped by Keselowski in Talladega the year before.

@ARosser14 Probably. Carl made it clear in Memphis last year that he was to the end of his rope with Keselowski's antics

@tamgil My weigh in on "what if" I believe the intensity of the season long rivalry was a direct correlation to the severity of crash

@denver2u Probably not..Woulda been boring...Now you have the Harvick/Busch rematch hopefully starting in Daytona...

@nascarjaj im thinking if the cars didnt fly, the rivalry would have played out more all season long.

Thursday, October 21st "What If" Question

To take tires or not to take tires, that is often the question that crew chiefs in the NASCAR world face. Last Friday night in the Nationwide race at Charlotte that's what ended up determining the winner of the event.

Kyle Busch was doing what he does best, dominating, and looked to be on his way to his 13th win of the 2010 season. As the race drew to a close Busch brought his No. 18 Toyota down pit road for four fresh tires, which were expected to keep him as fast, if not make him faster than what he was already blistering the track with.

Point leader Brad Keselowski didn't take tires and ended up beating Busch to the checkered flag. It was one of the rare occasions where four old tires beat four fresh tires. Busch was locked out of victory lane, which would happen the next night as well in the Sprint Cup Series. Sometimes the best car just doesn't win and Busch was the driver experiencing that defeat in Charlotte.

But ...

What if Brad Keselowski & Kyle Busch pitted for tires on same lap (having equal tires instead of BK on older). Would Keselowski still won?

@cody_rose HAHAHA Kyle Busch and Brad K matched evenly, KB wins hands down, no contest. Only person who beats Kyle Busch is Kyle Busch

@Timedwar Yes brad is just that much better

@smokinace88 Yes I Think Brad Keselowski had the best car after all is said and done

@StrokerAce90 I would say yes, BK still would have won.