Well the NASCAR season has ended, and the outcome was the same as it has been for the past few years. Jimmie Johnson won his 5th straight championship.
Could the outcome have been different? Possibly.
Hamlin battled many issues throughout the day, including spinning out and a poor handling car.
Harvick looked to be in contention, until a questionable speeding penalty put him behind for awhile.
I still can't believe the result, and I think that NASCAR needs to try and tweak the Chase format somehow, because Johnson has obviously mastered it, and is basically controlling the sport.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Pens vs Hurricanes: A Night of Incredible Luck
As I said last time, I went to the Pens vs Hurricanes game on November 19th with my friend Jamie and another friend of ours, Pablo. Jamie & I had tickets up in section 225, Pablo did Student Rush and ended up in section 116. We were all pumped to be going to the game because we all love the Pens, and Jamie & I were excited to get to see one of our favorite non-Penguins, Eric Staal, play in person.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Final Stretch
Well, the 2010 NASCAR season is about to draw to a close, and for the first time in years, we are going into the final race not knowing who the champion will be.
With the points lead is Denny Hamlin, a driver everyone counted out early in the season when he had to undergo knee surgery.
15 points behind Hamlin, is 4-time defending champ, Jimmie Johnson. At this point, everyone simply expects him to win everything.
And in 3rd place, 46 points behind, is dark-horse Kevin Harvick. Someone most people have not expected a whole lot out of, but is a skilled and determined racer.
Any of these 3 drivers could come out of the race on Sunday lifting the Sprint Cup trophy. One mistake could cost any of them the championship.
I can't wait to watch the race Sunday (& I actually will get to, as long as it doesn't run past 6 when I have to go to work) and find out what will happen. This the most I have looked forward to a race other than ones I've actually gone to.
Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, I am going to the Penguins game tonight, so my next post will likely be about that.
With the points lead is Denny Hamlin, a driver everyone counted out early in the season when he had to undergo knee surgery.
15 points behind Hamlin, is 4-time defending champ, Jimmie Johnson. At this point, everyone simply expects him to win everything.
And in 3rd place, 46 points behind, is dark-horse Kevin Harvick. Someone most people have not expected a whole lot out of, but is a skilled and determined racer.
Any of these 3 drivers could come out of the race on Sunday lifting the Sprint Cup trophy. One mistake could cost any of them the championship.
I can't wait to watch the race Sunday (& I actually will get to, as long as it doesn't run past 6 when I have to go to work) and find out what will happen. This the most I have looked forward to a race other than ones I've actually gone to.
Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, I am going to the Penguins game tonight, so my next post will likely be about that.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
More drama in NASCAR
The 7th race in the Chase for the Championship was this past Sunday, and if there could be more races like this, NASCAR's ratings would be through the roof.
The race started with 4-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson holding a slim points lead, and ended with Denny Hamlin not only winning, but taking a 33 point lead in the standings, with only 2 races remaining.
But it was in between the green flag & the checkered flag that was the real entertainment.
Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding off of pit road after coming down to repair some damage. He felt this was the wrong call and made and flipped off the official standing by his car, and proceeded to string together some very colorful language about NASCAR over the team radio. He was held for 2 additional laps. (He has since been put on probation until the end of the year and fined $25,000).
Next up, the main attraction. An on-track incident between veterans Jeff Gordon & Jeff Burton caused both cars to wreck. Gordon was understandably upset at the incident. He climbs out of his car, walks to Burton & attempts to fight him. Now I may have only been watching NASCAR since 2005, but I know that A) Fights do not happen in NASCAR and B) Jeff Gordon is generally a calm individual. So when I was was watching the race on Sunday, I literally almost fell out of my chair when that happened. The best part? No penalty on either driver.
Now, I may be a bit biased here as I am a Kyle Busch fan, but is an obscene gesture & some heat of the moment cursing really worse than attempting to beat up on a fellow competitor??
Then, another moment that has people talking. Jimmie Johnson had been having horrible pit stops all day, costing him valuable track position. Since his teammate Jeff Gordon was out of the race, Johnson's crew chief made the call to "bench" his crew and put in Gordon's. Now, while the two are technically the same "team", that is only due to the fact they are owned by the same person and come out of the same shop. If you are going to switch teams with someone, do it during the week, not in the middle of the race. You have to deal with what you have.
With only 2 races left, things are definitely starting to heat up, and this is the most excited I've been about the last few races of a NASCAR season since Tony Stewart was battling for the title in the 2005 season. If Johnson have 2 incredibly solid races, he could pull of a ridiculous 5th straight championship. But if the 48 team continues to have issues, and Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick can have strong finishes, someone may finally be able to upset the current top dog of the sport.
All I have to say is, I really don't want to see this picture again:
The race started with 4-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson holding a slim points lead, and ended with Denny Hamlin not only winning, but taking a 33 point lead in the standings, with only 2 races remaining.
But it was in between the green flag & the checkered flag that was the real entertainment.
Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding off of pit road after coming down to repair some damage. He felt this was the wrong call and made and flipped off the official standing by his car, and proceeded to string together some very colorful language about NASCAR over the team radio. He was held for 2 additional laps. (He has since been put on probation until the end of the year and fined $25,000).
Next up, the main attraction. An on-track incident between veterans Jeff Gordon & Jeff Burton caused both cars to wreck. Gordon was understandably upset at the incident. He climbs out of his car, walks to Burton & attempts to fight him. Now I may have only been watching NASCAR since 2005, but I know that A) Fights do not happen in NASCAR and B) Jeff Gordon is generally a calm individual. So when I was was watching the race on Sunday, I literally almost fell out of my chair when that happened. The best part? No penalty on either driver.
Now, I may be a bit biased here as I am a Kyle Busch fan, but is an obscene gesture & some heat of the moment cursing really worse than attempting to beat up on a fellow competitor??
Then, another moment that has people talking. Jimmie Johnson had been having horrible pit stops all day, costing him valuable track position. Since his teammate Jeff Gordon was out of the race, Johnson's crew chief made the call to "bench" his crew and put in Gordon's. Now, while the two are technically the same "team", that is only due to the fact they are owned by the same person and come out of the same shop. If you are going to switch teams with someone, do it during the week, not in the middle of the race. You have to deal with what you have.
With only 2 races left, things are definitely starting to heat up, and this is the most excited I've been about the last few races of a NASCAR season since Tony Stewart was battling for the title in the 2005 season. If Johnson have 2 incredibly solid races, he could pull of a ridiculous 5th straight championship. But if the 48 team continues to have issues, and Denny Hamlin or Kevin Harvick can have strong finishes, someone may finally be able to upset the current top dog of the sport.
All I have to say is, I really don't want to see this picture again:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)