Goodbye Dan Wheldon

Like many of you, I was shocked and sadden to hear of Dan Wheldon’s passing yesterday.  I had just made it home from a wonderful weekend camping out at Charlotte when I went to check the NFL scores on espn.com.  One of the side headlines said something about Wheldon being injured in a crash.  With how safe racing has become, I didn’t think much of it, assuming it he might have broken a hand or something.  I put off reading it until I checked all the scores.  Minutes later, the websites homepage had updated their main picture to show the horrific wreck with the headline, “Dan Wheldon Dies.” I kept saying to myself, “No, no, no,” and immediately clicked on the link to read about it.  The story had not been updated to say he died, rather it was still saying how he had been hurt in the wreck.  For a brief second, I remained optimistic that it was an error and the website, and that he was still alive.  I went to Twitter to confirm the news I was hoping was not true – Dan Wheldon, age 33, had died. 

I don’t follow IndyCar the way I do NASCAR.  There are few drivers in that series that I actually hold an opinion and Wheldon was one of them.  From his early days at Andretti, where he came off as a brash, young driver from England, to this year, a veteran of the sport who had matured and learned not to take anything for granted.  It was especially evident when he won his second Indy 500 this May, as it was easy to tell how much more humbling this one was for him than his first back in 2005.  He had gained my respect through the years to become one of my favorite drivers. 

My favorite memory of Dan is last April at Barber Motorsports Park shortly after the IndyCar race.  Keep in mind that there is much more access to get close to the drivers here as opposed to a Cup race.  It was not even an hour after the race had ended and I was on the tram headed back to my car.  As we made our way to the backside of the track near the driver motor homes, I saw Wheldon walking down the paddock, with his wife by his side, holding her hand.  That’s all there was to it.  What made it so cool was at that moment, I didn’t see him as a driver, but as a person.  The world lost a fantastic racer in Dan Wheldon yesterday, but his two sons have lost their father, and his wife Suzie, has lost her husband. 

Rest in peace Dan, you will be greatly missed. 

Renewed rivalry shouldn’t affect Chase

By  Brad Morgan

One of Sprint Cup’s most notable rivalries caught fire again at Richmond International Raceway.  Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch tangled twice during the final race before the Chase.

The five-time champ found the wall on lap 186 after Busch locked up his brakes and slid up into Johnson going into turn one.  Later on lap 246, Johnson retaliated by sending his damaged Lowe’s Chevy careening into Busch, spinning both cars.

After the race, Johnson and Busch continued the rekindled feud by taking verbal shots at one another during post-race interviews and the press conference. 

While Busch claims to have gotten into Johnson’s head following their on track mishaps, he also remains optimistic heading into the championship stretch.

“[Jimmie Johnson] has got to learn to race,” said Busch. “I’m going to beat him fair and square with my Penske Dodge.”

Johnson realizes that on-track issues must remain in the rearview mirror entering the Chase in order to accomplish his goal of an unprecedented sixth consecutive Sprint Cup title.

“We can do it.  It can be done.  We had eight, nine years before that where everything was fine.  It’s possible, and I think it’s in both of our best interests to get it behind us and go forward,” said Johnson while discussing his past history with Busch.

It seems that Busch might also be ready to move on.  According to ESPN’s David Newton, the Pennzoil Charger driver has apologized to two reporters that he aggressively confronted after the race when they asked him questions about the rivalry.

By continuing their race day antics, Johnson and Busch would endanger their own championship hopes, not to mention those of the other title contenders.  Considering Johnson’s prior success and average finish of 8th in all Chase events, every race is now important.  One mix-up could be the difference between a top 10 finish and the end of a driver’s championship dreams.

Both drivers have experience in the Chase and know what it takes to win a championship.  While there is no doubt the racers will keep eyes on one another over the last 10 races, it would be foolish to seek revenge during such a crucial stretch because of the risk involved.

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Follow me on Twitter @BradThinking

Last time Dale Earnhardt Jr. won a race

I did a piece similar to this with Bobby Labonte last year.  Now that Dale Earnhardt’s winless streak has hit 100 races, it appeared to be the right time to see what has changed since he last won at Michigan in the summer of 2008.

-Denny Hamlin had only four career Sprint Cup wins.

-Jimmie Johnson was a two time defending champion.

-Tony Stewart was driving a Toyota.  This was the only year in Stewart's 13 year Cup career he didn't drive for GM.

-George W. Bush was President.  In other words, Junior hasn’t won since Obama has been in the Oval Office.

-Joey Logano became the youngest winner in NASCAR history the night before, winning the Nationwide race at Kentucky.  Logano turned 18 just three weeks earlier.

-Surprisingly, the price of gas was more than it is now.  In June 2008, the average national gas price was over four dollars a gallon.
-Kyle Busch had 15 wins in the Nationwide Series - he has scored 31 more since as he closes in on Mark Martin's record of 49.

Some of these facts make it seem like a long time ago whereas others make it not seem so bad.  Either way, these next two races at Talladega and Richmond are Earnhardt's best chance to end the drought.