Wednesday, July 4th 'What If' Question

Prior to the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season domination used to belong to two drivers: Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.

If they weren't battling each other they were fending off Busch's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano. Now Logano has picked up where Edwards and Busch have left off. Halfway through the NNS season Logano has five wins, the most of anyone in the series.

Even more impressive, he's only competed in 12 of the 16 races. When he's not winning races he's leading a ton of laps (468) or capturing poles (3). Anytime he's behind the wheel of the No. 18 he's become the driver to beat. Deja vu for competitors when Busch used to be that driver.

At first glance many would be shocked to see that Busch has not yet won a NNS this season. Look closer though and you see that this season different for Busch. His team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, moved to the NNS after coming off a Camping World Truck Series owners title in their first year.

Moving up the ladder however, is hard. Something that Busch fully recognizes. Older brother Kurt delivered the team's first, and so far only, NNS win back at Richmond in April. Not to say that Kyle hasn't come close to winning a few races himself but luck and circumstance just got in the way.

So, as he fights to make his own company contenders, Logano enjoys the role of dominator. The good news for NNS drivers is that Logano will not be in this Saturday's event at New Hampshire as Ryan Truex gets another start in the No. 18.

Kyle Busch will be entered in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota. He's won the last three New Hampshire races.

But ...

What if Kyle Busch still ran NNS races for Joe Gibbs Racing, would Joey Logano still be as dominant as he's been this season? 


@mattwoodruff29 No he wouldn't.......

@HD388 Logano wouldn't be dominating NNS if Busch were there. Busch is the far more superior driver & would have 3 wins by now. Logano probably would only have 1

@31SpazCat15 not really answering the what if? But I think it proves that given the same equipment and resources.... Joey is a winner too

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

Wednesday, February 8th 'What If' Question

The upcoming 2012 Camping World Truck Series season was supposed to be the return campaign for one of its former champions: Johnny Benson.

Benson was looking to be behind the wheel of a truck for Turn One Racing and team owner Stacey Compton. The deal fell through a few weeks ago and it unfortunately doesn't appear that Benson will be back in the CWTS anytime soon. It's been a loss for the series being that Benson is thought of as one of the good guys around the garage and he's been sorely missed.

He's one driver, however, that has experienced the ups and downs of racing. In November of 2002 Benson finally broke though for his first career Sprint Cup win at Rockingham before he was then replaced in 2003. It wouldn't take him long to find new work in a series where he excelled. Benson returned to the CWTS in the later part of the 2004 season for Bill Davis Racing and quickly impressed, finishing top 10 in points in 2005.

The 2006 brought his first career CWTS win at his hometrack, Michigan, as he went on to win five races that year before finishing second in points to Todd Bodine. Benson was also voted the most popular driver that year. By the end of 2007 there was no doubt that Benson had found a new home in the CWTS as he won four more races and finished third in points.

Nothing though will compare to the 2008 season for Benson and his fans. Following three poles, five wins, 14 top fives and 18 top 10 finishes Benson claimed his first Truck championship, second in NASCAR - he was the 1995 Nationwide champion. Nice guys can in fact finish first and another championship was well deserved and long awaited for Benson.

The excitement, however, didn't last long. The plan for 2009 was to run for Red Horse Racing in the No. 1 but not having a sponsor ended both Benson's CWTS career (to this point) and Red Horse Racing's season. Things got worse for Benson when he was then seriously injured in a SuperModified race in June, suffering injuries that would keep him sidelined.

He did make a few starts in 2010 for Kyle Busch Motorsports and Billy Ballew but neither were able to put together a full season for Benson. Since then he's been working as a driver coach with JR Motorsports star Danica Patrick as she made her way into NASCAR and stock cars for the first time. Only time will tell when Benson gets to be the driver again.

But ...

What if Johnny Benson hadn't been seriously injured in a supermodified race in 2009, would he still be without a ride in the CWTS? #NASCAR

@WilliamCheerboy Kelly, you're amazing. Anyways, what if. JB would still have a ride today, well known star in the Truck series. BTW if the "you're amazing" part doesn't make your blog, I'll be horribly disappointed.

@cruetten doubt it-Benson was a nice fixture in the truck series. It's a shame.

Friday, December 23rd 'What If' Question

In what continues to be the most exciting and busiest NASCAR offseason yet, new rumors swirled on Friday that there's a possibility that Kyle Busch won't be running in the Camping World Truck Series and in very limited Nationwide Series races. That coming at the request of his Sprint Cup team owners Joe Gibbs Racing and sponsor M&M's.

The last time Busch raced in the lower divisions he was involved in an altercation with Ron Hornaday under caution in Texas. After the two made contact racing for the second position, Busch wrecked Hornaday purposely when the caution came out and then commented about having no remorse afterwards. NASCAR parked Busch for the remainder of the weekend and he didn't participate in the CWTS or NNS the final two weeks of the season and M&M's pulled their sponsorship from his Cup car the last two races of the season as well.

While there is no known reason for the request by JGR and M&M's it most likely has to do with Busch's past actions. In 2011 he won six races in the CWTS, moving his career total to 30, he won eight NNS races, career total now at 51, but in the Cup Series he won four times and has 23 careers wins. Busch continues to shine more in the lower divisions than in Cup, where he's still searching for his first championship.

There's also the long running debate that Busch has been apart of in whether Cup drivers should race in the lower divisions. In this case, M&M's might be thinking that it's time to focus solely on Cup, not just to minimize any potential controversy but to move closer to winning the championship. Drivers who run in CWTS and NNS race haven't transfered that success to the Cup Series, although Carl Edwards who does not run trucks but does run Nationwide, nearly won the Cup title this past season.

Whatever the reason may be to have Busch not run anymore races than necessary, it could be a blessing. More focus on Cup could turn into more success for the Las Vegas driver. Of course it will hurt those in the CWTS and NNS who rely on Busch for a job, the hope being that with Busch sidelined there will be other drivers to fill the seats and obligations. Older brother Kurt is rumored to be driving for KBM in the NNS in 2012.

At this point however, these are all just rumors. It's quite possible that Busch will be running in all three series, continuing to add up his win total and re-write the history books, he's currently the winningest driver in NNS history. And along the way he'll probably ruffle some more feathers and create some new rivals. Whatever the case may be, Busch will be one of the main storylines, again, come 2012.

But ...

What if rumors of @KyleBusch not running in Trucks & very limited Nationwide are true, will that pave way to his best year in Cup? #NASCAR

@scienceesl I really think it would. Personally I think he spends to much time in the other series to make a good run at cup

@NancyatStudioN What it will do is severely hurt KBM as a business and put even more #Nascar workers out of a job

@denver2u I doubt that, but it will def save lots of money in auto repair..for him and others...

@krisjohnson_sd Sponsors will dictate he runs in both – in some capacity. #NASCAR

Tuesday, November 29th 'What If' Question

Before the start of the 2011 NASCAR season a major rule change was implemented for all three of sports top series. Drivers had to check a box and pick which series they wanted to receive points in.

No more could they run for the championship in Truck and Nationwide if they wanted to earn points and run for the Sprint Cup title. Meaning drivers like Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski who traditionally double dip and who have won the last few NNS titles, wouldn't be eligible to in 2011. They could still compete in the series and win races but it wouldn't mean anything except they had fun.

On the other hand it meant that CWTS and NNS regulars were given their chance to shine. While they may not have racked up as many wins as they wanted because of the dippers they would be competing for something bigger. In CWTS drivers like James Buescher, Johnny Sauter and Austin Dillon shone as they battled for their first championship. In the end it was Dillon who became the youngest CWTS champion in history.

He won two races in 2011 while drivers not competing for CWTS points won 15 of the seasons 25 races. In the NNS it was more of the same as non-point drivers won 28 of the seasons 34 races. Yet it was drivers like Elliott Sadler and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who earned much of the spotlight for the spectacular season each had in their own right. Stenhouse also won two races on his way to the title but could have had many more as he gave the Cup drivers a run for their money nearly every weekend.

Rating were up, racing was exciting and history was made in 2011. Fans couldn't have asked for much more as they seemed much more interested in the NNS and CWTS season to see new champions crowned. Of course they'll tell you that it got old watching the same drivers, Cup, winning many of the races but most seemed pleased with the preseason rule change.

But ...

What if #NASCAR had not instituted the 'pick a series rule', would fans still have been as drawn to the CWTS & NNS title battles this year?

@Talon64 Trucks would've been the same, but Carl would've run away with the NNS title so the new rule was a big help there.

@rustywings I don't think so...I give them kudos on that one. Who would have known who Ricky Stenhouse was this year, ya know?

@HD388 I think fans would of been less interested in the NNS & CWTS points battle if Cup guys were the ones battling out for the title over the regulars, hopefully next season Cup guys are limited to number of races they can race in the other series

@JoJo_6040 No. As a fan of both, it was great to see deserving drivers win their series. The pick a series rule helped those teams.

Tuesday, November 8th 'What If' Question

Trevor Bayne finally won his first career Nationwide Series race on Saturday afternoon in Texas as he beat out the dominant car in teammate and Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards.

Bayne however, wasn't the big story. That came a few hours earlier when NASCAR President Mike Helton announced that Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch was being parked for the weekend following his actions in Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race. Busch would not participate in Saturday or Sunday's events. The news became the only topic of the weekend.

Denny Hamlin drove Busch's car to a second place finish on Saturday and Michael McDowell drove the No. 18 to a 33rd place finish on Sunday night. Bayne's win though, was popular enough and a long time in the coming. Driving for Jack Roush in the NNS series, Bayne quickly caught notice as a rising star and after he won the Daytona 500 for the Wood Brothers, that star got much brighter.

Yet, on Saturday's he started to struggle while his Roush teammates outshone him. Midyear Bayne was sidelined with an illness but after he returned he was better than ever and he inched ever closer to that first win. By beating the best in the business on Saturday Bayne again impressed many and his victory was welcomed with open arms.

But ...

What if Kyle Busch wasn't parked in Texas, would he & Carl Edwards have battled for Nationwide win or does Trevor Bayne still win? #NASCAR

@HotDog388 I say Kyle probably wins the Nationwide race, Carl finishes in top 5, Bayne top 10

@rcracer20 dont think kyle would have finished the race,hornaday would be in the race,he could have bought a ride ,easy you think

Stroker Ace (via Facebook) I'd say Kyle Busch would not be a factor at all because someone would have either put him into the wall or punted him into the infield and Trevor Bayne would still go on to beat Carl Edwards for the win.

Beth Robinson Bunch (via Facebook) Ditto.

Monday, September 12th 'What If' Question

(This question was a fan submission)
Last week in Richmond Kevin Harvick made what some view as a shocking announcement.

Starting in 2012 his Nationwide Series team, Kevin Harvick Inc, will be merged with Richard Childress Racing, his Sprint Cup Series car owner. Further, there would be no more Camping World Truck Series teams out of KHI, they're shutting down. Harvick and wife DeLana would be stepping back and focusing on other opportunities and areas.

KHI has been a fixture in the CWTS for years with wins and championships collected like state coins or memorabilia. Ron Hornaday has become the driver with the most championships in CWTS history while at KHI and drivers like Elliott Sadler, Clint Bowyer and others have all won races behind the wheel of a KHI truck. No matter who or where they are, KHI has been a company to contend with.

Lately though they've had stiff competition from another Sprint Cup Series driver who has a CWTS team of his own, Kyle Busch. Last season it was the Kyle Busch Motorsports team that took home the owner's championship in just their first year of competition while a non KHI or KBM driver took home the driver's championship.

In the win column, that was KBM with eight and KHI with seven and most notably Hornaday struggled a year after winning his fourth championship. When KBM was formed, Busch hired Rick Ren who before then had worked for years with KHI and became the winningest crew chief in CWTS history as well as a champion. Ren left his crew chief duties for a management position with KBM.

The two teams have put on a show the last two seasons, going head-to-head nearly every weekend. They've made no bones about wanting to beat each other and drivers want to be behind the wheel of either team's trucks. Now, that won't be the case next year, as KBM will be front and center without their rival and current KHI drivers like Hornaday and Nelson Piquet Jr. are searching for rides.

But ...

What if Kyle Busch hadn't started a truck team, stole Rick Ren & regularly beat KHI trucks - would KHI still be disbanding? #NASCAR

@ARosser14 I doubt KBM has anything at all to do with the Harvicks' decision. If anything he'd be reason to keep going.

@zebmonkey idk what caused KHI to disband. Or if it was abt Kevin putting more into Cup and maybe he & Delana having more private time

@wijrsmokefan I think Kevin's focus is on championship; costs going up; and...I think they may feel it is time to start a family!

@ladybug388 probably not as they'd still probably be a total front running package team & not have the sponsorship issues. Also, there'd be sponsors available in the pot as Kevin could've picked up the people who r choosing to sponsor Kyle #NASCAR

@TJIngerson Yes - Hornaday is a champ and had trouble drawing sponsors. Sponsors want Harvick, but Harvick's time is valuable to him as he wants to win Sprint cup and wants all focus to be there. Ren was just a piece of the overall puzzle, but his departure didn't have any impact in this decision, in my opinon.

@cruetten K&D aren't people to accept failure&trying to beat KB would be a reason to stay-not quit. KB can't be the reason for selling.

@Racetake Ahh, Kyle's team is struggling for sponsors too. The future will tell just how hard that will be on the team.

@jlaracefan14 I doubted that KHI would be disbanding if KBM wasn't around! Let's face it KBM is on a level of their own that has KHI doing what is best, leaving the series to prevent more humilliation from KBM!

Dustin Parks (via Facebook) Whew. Tough call honestly. My mind is saying yes, but it still would be a hard decision no matter what. Maybe it could be the fact the KYLE is beating KHI and not Kyle Busch Motorsports. We know Harvick hates losing to him, so that's my thinking.

Jeff N Amy Stabler (via Facebook) I think that that is a tough one to answer. Who knows really.?. I tend to agree with what Dustin said too. But, I also think that maybe Kevin wanted out cause he wanted the focus to be on a championship too. That question is a very tough one to answer.

Nancy Nuce (via Facebook) Thanks for using my question! My short answer is "No". I think KH is all smiles and fun as long as everything is going well, but can't handle it when the going gets tough. He's in it for the fun and Delana gets stuck with the hard work. I think she got tired of doing it all while he & "Mother Function" acted like irresponsible schoolboys.

Thursday, August 11th 'What If' Question

Thursday afternoon Joe Gibbs Racing announced that starting in 2012 they would be partnering with Toyota Racing Development, TRD, to produce engines.

Gibbs engines have taken a beating this season with many failures and drivers upset about the performance. Up until this point JGR had built their engines in house and while that won't be the case next season, they say they'll keep their engine shop for other projects. Along with their Sprint Cup Series program the team also runs a Nationwide program with their three Cup stars and other development drivers.

In Nationwide JGR has won many races and owner championships and recently a driver's championship with Kyle Busch in 2009. They've had drivers behind the wheel like Kelly Bires, Michael McDowell, Drew Herring, Brad Coleman and many others. The company has been successful with all their drivers in Nationwide and Cup as well as in the developmental series they run with drivers like Darrell Wallace Jr. and Max Gresham.

During their engine announcement though, president J.D. Gibbs said they could expand their Nationwide program and add a Camping World Truck Series program. Currently JGR driver Kyle Busch has his own CWTS team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, which has been very successful in the series by winning races and the owners championship last year.

If JGR creates their own truck team it would be doubtful that Busch would drive for them but can the same be said about Denny Hamlin or Joey Logano? Time will tell if JGR is serious about this adventure and who they have in mind for their driver lineup. Right now their focus is on making the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup and taking care of their engine issues and future deals.

But ...

What if Joe Gibbs Racing does start a CWTS team, who would you like to see them put in the driver's seat? #NASCAR

@tcmcdave Doug Williams.

@cruetten Cole Whitt

@rcracer20 i think @DWallaceJr6 would be a good choice he already drives for gibbs

@cmleedy Awesome choice! RT @cruetten: Cole Whitt

@smokinace88 McDowell

@The_Bumpdrafter who will they? Logano and Hamlin. Who should they? Try to pick up the Kenseth boy or the younger Dillon.

@jsmith123nv: @JustinJohnson51 would be a great choice and has proven he can drive

Dustin Parks (via Facebook) I'd love to see Johnny Benson drive for Gibbs. Proven winner, proven champion...perfect fit.

Tuesday, June 21st 'What If' Question

Every January before the start of a new NASCAR season the officials gather and put together their new rules and regulations. Then, during a "State of the Sport" address just weeks before Speedweeks in Daytona, they announce the changes for fans and media alike.

Last year the biggest change was when Robin Pemberton uttered, "boys, have at it." It opened the door for drivers to have more freedom in how they handle themselves and how they treat their competitors on the track. This past year one of the biggest announcements was NASCAR stating that Sprint Cup Series drivers would no longer be able to earn points should they compete in the lower series of Nationwide and Truck.

After seeing Cup drivers dominate year after year, winning races and championships, many felt it was time to even the playing field and let the NNS regulars have a chance to shine in their own series. The Cup drivers would still be allowed to compete in NNS and CWTS events but they wound't be granted points and therefore would be ineligible for the championship.

While it sounded great on paper many were curious to see how it was going to play out. Once the season started it didn't take long to realize that NASCAR had great intentions but it might not work out how they imagine. Cup drivers won the first 11 NNS events. Of the seasons now 15 races, Cup drivers have won 13 of them with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Allgaier the only two regulars to have won a race.

In the CWTS it's no different. The season started with Cup drivers winning the first three events before Johnny Sauter broke through in race four at Martinsville. Now with nine races in the books, Cup drivers have won seven of them as Ron Hornaday became the second series regular to win by capturing the checkered flag at Texas.

Should this streak continue NASCAR runs the risk of having one of their worst nightmares come true: a winless champion. Many knew it was possible before the season started after the rules were announced, some even predicted it. Others hoped that rule would have the opposite effect and led the regulars to work that much harder to win races and protect their turf. Fortunately the current point leaders in both series, Stenhouse Jr. and Sauter, have already won this season.

But ...

What if Truck & Nationwide champions don't win a race this year, would you be OK w/ it or rather go back to Cup guys getting points? #NASCAR

@cruetten i'd be ok with it, but i wouldn't necessarily like it. if the points champion doesn't win a race, it will make the championship seem less meaningful. regardless of what happens though, i do not want the cup guys earning driver points again.

@BuDwEiSeRaCeR I'd rather see limits on the number of races a year cup guys can run in trucks/nns. 36 races a year - givem 10 each

@nathanmedic I'm fine with NNS/CWTS winner not winning a race, though it's not preferable. I definitely don't want to go back.

@ronsracing88 Yes, I would be fine with them as champs if they did not win a race. #NASCAR needs to keep those 2 series unique from Cup.

@NancyatStudioN I don't know the solution but I think Nascar would need 2 take a serious look at it. There doesn't seem 2 B a right answer.

@lflowers ABSOLUTELY NOT! Just like Major League Baseball players don't play AA or AAA ball, neither should Cup guys be there

@Lady31RCR Its about being consistent..No points for cup drivers, in fact would like them limited to 10 races in NW and Truck!!

@MattEmbury Won't have to worry about it in Nationwide Kellly, Stenhouse will title, maybe a couple more races #NASCAR

@MsNascar47 I'd rather they'd quit letting the cup guys drive in the lower series. What other sport would do something so stupid.

Stroker Ace (via Facebook) Would be ok in my book - Truck and Nationwide teams made a commitment to run those series full time, they deserve to be able to earn a Championship Title - Cup guys got enough problems with their hurting series right now, they need to commit more seriously to their own cup teams before they lose any more sponsors or team owners.

Wednesday, March 23rd 'What If' Question

Next to Jimmie Johnson, no driver has made more headlines since 2008 than Kyle Busch.

Once he joined Joe Gibbs Racing and the Toyota camp, Busch has been unstoppable in everything he's sat in. He won eight races in 2008 and led the point standings for the first 26 races. In 2009 he won the Nationwide Series championship and in 2010 he started his own Truck Series team and won the owner's championship there.

He's now won 90 races across all of NASCAR's three series. Yet, besides the NNS title in 2009 he has failed to capture a Cup championship and has yet to be a real factor in the Chase fight. Last weekend he again swept the races at the Bristol Motor Speedway and put himself back in the spotlight as some are making him their picks for Busch to dethrone Johnson for the title.

Except the question has again been raised, is Busch outracing himself? Even at 25-years-old, running in all three series has it's downfall and Busch loves to race anything he can. Of course, being damn good at what he does makes that decision come easy, however Busch continually has more success in NASCAR's lower two levels than he does in the Sprint Cup Series.

During the off season the question was raised by yours truly on whether or not Busch would be a better Cup driver if he cut back on the racing that he does in the Truck and Nationwide Series. In doing so, his focus would be only on the Cup Series and who knows what his potential would be. You don't see Johnson running in anything other than the Cup Series and his success has yet to be matched.

Others though say that Busch should race while he can and that his success on Sunday has nothing to do with what he does on Friday and Saturday. That he could have, before NASCAR's new rules, become the first driver to win the championship in Nationwide and Cup in the same year. Then there are some Busch fans that just want to see him race and keep winning because that's where all the fun is at.

But ...

What If Kyle Busch was like Jimmie Johnson - raced/focused solely on Sprint Cup, would he already be a champion? #NASCAR

@Talon64: Probably not, Carl Edwards came close in 2005 and 2008 despite running full time in #NNS.

@smokinace88: Yes I dont want to sound mean here but the more he focuses on Tracks and Nation Wide he'll never win a Championship

@RoushGirl17: Not yet, he still has some maturing to do. He needs to find patience. He needs to find that cool under pressure Jimmie has. Once he finds that, he could be though. Once he gets all of that, he can settle into one series and do it.

@denver2u: No, I don't think he had the maturity to pull off all the wins that JJ has.Moving forward,I think he's a real good contender

@StrokerAce90: No. He's a driver other drivers refer to as an ass, say he races like a clown & claim to owe him payback. It'll never happen.

@cruetten: yes. the same goes for harvick too. they have a lot going on, whereas JJ drives mainly cup and doesn't own truck/NNS teams...

@csigmon12: KY is definately a great driver, but JJ makes what KY does look EASY...Wish BOTH their clutches slipped a little more often

@NancyatStudioN: Nah, While extremely talented, Kyle has not been mature enough to focus on the big picture. All he could see was THIS race, right NOW. This may be changing. If it does, look out. If you think ppl have hated having JJ win all the championships, imagine how it would be if Kyle started winning them.

Tuesday, February 22nd 'What If' Question

On February 18, 2001 when Michael Waltrip won his first Sprint Cup Series race, which happened to be the biggest race of them all the Daytona 500, there was no celebrating. As the NASCAR world vividly remembers, Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced toward the finish line but their car owner, friend, boss and father had hit the turn four wall behind them and died on impact.

Waltrip's win was overshadowed by a giant loss.

So, 10 years later Waltrip decided to enter the Camping World Truck Series race in Daytona, which was being held on the anniversary of Sr.'s death. In a black truck with the No. 15 painted on the side Waltrip again went out and won, this time in remembrance of Earnhardt.

And again his win was overshadowed.

After Waltrip crossed the finish line following a slingshot move of Elliott Sadler coming to the checkers, it became obvious that part of Waltrip's back spoiler was broken. It sent nearly everyone in the NASCAR world into a tizzy, hissy fits were thrown by many about the legality of it and how the win should be taken away.

Even Waltrip's brother, who was calling the race for SPEED channel, couldn't help but chuckle when saying, "I think we're going to have a problem there." When asked about it afterwards when speaking to the media, Waltrip said that if his spoiler had bent back before the checkered flag then NASCAR would most likely have black flagged him.

When exactly it occurred no one knows. The only thing that is known is that it happened out on the racetrack and was not done by the No. 15 team intentionally to gain an advantage. Either way it has caused quite the uproar and NASCAR official stated they would investigate further into the matter, however it appeared it was a part failure.

Either way, Waltrip's win will stand but it could have been a much more emotional and bigger story had it not been for controversy.

But ...

What if Michael Waltrip's spoiler didn't break/fall/bend backwards, does he still outrun Elliott Sadler to checkers in Truck race? #NASCAR

@KYTAB: No

@88myjr: Has anything else been said about the spoiler? I don't think her would have won.

@Nascar47Fan: I dont think his spoiler breaking had anything to do with his passing sadler & winning.

@Nascartwodozen: Not one bit.

@cruetten: I'd like to think Mikey still would've won, but that half-broken spoiler sure did help his lap times...

@NCL55: YES!

@StrokerAce90: No, Eliot would have been able to hold Mikey off. That missing rear spoiler gave Mikey more of an unfair advantage than Clint Bowyer's 60 thousant's of an inch issue did at New Hampshire Motor Speedway back in 2010.

Monday, February 7th 'What If' Question

Before Brendan Gaughan became the driver of the No. 77 Kodak Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series or driver of the No. 62 South Point Toyota for Rusty Wallace, Gaughan was making a name for himself in the Camping World Truck Series.

Debuting in 1997, Gaughan got his feet wet. He only ran two races in 1998 before racing full-time in 2002 where he won Rookie of the Year. Then the wins started to come in a truck that many will never forget him in: the No. 63 Orleans Dodge which was owned by his family. In 2003 he came one race and one wreck short of winning the championship.

At Homestead he was wrecked by a teammate to Ted Musgrave, whom he was racing for the title. After that season Gaughan moved to the Cup Series then down to the Nationwide Series, while dabbling in the Truck Series. And it's his time in trucks that won't soon be forgotten and where he's had the most success.

He has eight career wins, three poles and 55 top 10s. He also has four consecutive wins at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Gaugan will return full-time to the Camping World Truck Series in 2011 for Germain Racing. He'll drive the No. 62 South Point Toytoa and be teammates with the 2010 CWTS champion Todd Bodine.

But ....

What if Brendan Gaughan had never left the Truck Series, how many races and championships could/would he have won? #NASCAR

@ARosser14: The way he failed to produce wins or titles after going back after his Cup run in '04, I doubt it would've made a difference. Toyota changed the game in '04, of course maybe his team woulda changed over, in that case, he mighta been strong and won a title or two.

@Talon64: Not many if he stuck with his family-owned team, struggled even when he came back in 2006 and 2007. #NASCAR

@chuckallen2: Probably a few races, but no championships. He's a great second tier driver.