HOT OR NOT - SMOKE 'N THE GLEN
Monday, August 10, 2009, 08:12 PM EST [NASCAR]

GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA:

WELL FOLKS, WE HAVE TO ALL SAY A LITTLE PRAYER TO THE RACING GODS FOR NO MORE MONDAY RACES, IS JUST SEEMS THAT THE MOOD NEVER GETS QUITE RIGHT.

WE SAW QUITE A CROSS - SECTION OF DRIVING THIS WEEK, OF COURSE WE HAD OUR REGULAR WRECK OF THE WEEK BY MR. STREMME AND THE SUPER DUPER FEATURE, WITH KASEY KAHNE, SAM HORNISH JR., JEFF GORDON AND JEFF BURTON. WE ALSO SAW EXCELLENT DRIVING AND PIT WORK FROM BOTH MARCUS AMBROSE, TONY STEWART AND THEIR TEAMS.

THIS MY FRIENDS IS HOW I SAW THE RACE, I HOPE WE WERE WATCING MORE OR LESS THE SAME ONE.



NOT:

1. DAVID STREMME: ANOTHER WEEK AND ANOTHER WRECK AND 2 MORE GOOD CARS READY FOR THE JUNK PILE, STREMME MORE OR LESS TOOK OUT KEVIN HARVICK AND PUT QUITE A DAMPER ON JEFF GORDON'S DAY EARLY. I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND CHECK CLOSE BUT HAS THERE BEEN A WEEK WHEN DAVID DIDN'T WRECK EITHER HIMSELF OR ANOTHER DRIVER.

2. RYAN NEWMAN: RYAN SHOULD HAVE HAD A PRETTY GOOD DAY BUT A EARLY TRIP TO THE PITS FOR A BATTERY CHANGE SORT OF BROUGHT HIS GOOD DAY TO A STOP REALLY QUICK. HE ENDED UP 21st , BUT HE DID MANAGE TO HANG ON TO HIS 9th PLACE SLOT IN THE STANDINGS.

3. KEVIN HARVICK: I KNOW THAT KEVIN HAS HAD A TOUGH YEAR AND WHAT HAPPENED TODAY WITH STREMME JUST ADDED FUEL TO THE FIRE, BUT KEVIN'S DISPLAY OF ATTITUDE JUST DID NOT GO OVER REAL WELL WITH ME. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT HE SAID THAT HE HOPED HIS CAR WOULD NOT BEABLE TO RETURN TO THE RACE. IF THAT IS HIS ATTITUDE THEN MAYBE MR. CHILDRESS MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT SITTING HIM ON THE PIT BOX NEXT WEEK.

4. DALE EARNHARDT JR.: JR. HAS TO BE WISHING THAT HE COULD TURN THE 88 CAR INTO A TIME MACHINE AND PROPEL FORWARD TO THE DAYTONA 500 2010. DALE HAS HAD SO MUCH BAD LUCK THIS YEAR, MUCH OF IT HIS OWN MAKING, BUT ALSO A LOT OF IT DUE TO CAR PROBLEMS AND MISHAPS IN THE PITS, HERE'S HOPING FOR BETTER LUCK AND BETTER RUNS IN THE FUTURE AND IN 2010.

5. KASEY KAHNE: KASEY HAD A SHORT LAPSE IN DRIVER ABILITY TODAY, AND CAUSED THE SUPER DUPER FEATURE FOR WATKINS GLEN, HE DROVE SAM HORNISH JR. INTO THE TIRE WALL WHICH WAS BAD ENOUGH, THEN SAM SLINGSHOTTED BACK ACROSS THE TRACK COLLECTING JEFF GORDON AND JEFF BURTON IN THE TRIP. IT IS TRULY A MIRACLE THAT THOSE 3 DRIVERS WALKED AWAY IN ONE PIECE. KASEY A LITTLE LESS SPEED OR A LITTLE MORE PRACTICE ON THE ROAD COURSES.



HOT:

1. TONY STEWART: TONY PROVED TODAY THAT WATKINS GLEN IS HIS HOUSE MUCH THE SAME WAY LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS JIMMY JOHNSON'S. TONY WORE BOTH THE DRIVER HAT AND THE CREW CHIEF HAT TODAY AND IT PAID OFF IN SPADES. HE STARTED 13th AND WON WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE ANOTHER FUEL RACE. HE CONTINUES TO LEAD THE CHASE AND IS REALLY BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE HE WILL GO INTO THE CHASE AS THE MAN IN THE NUMBER ONE SPOT.

2. MARCUS AMBROSE: LOOKING AT THE STARTING POSITION (4th) AND THE FINISH POSITION (2nd), IT APPEARS THAT MARCUS DROVE AROUND FOR 90 LAPS AND SOMEWHERE IN THERE PICKED UP 2 PLACES, BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL, MARCUS DROVE AN EXCELLENT RACE, DISPLAYING AN ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND WITHIN THE PACK AND TO KEEP HIS CAR ALL IN ONE PIECE, USING WHAT APPEARED TO BE A VERY STRANGE PIT STRATEGY MARCUS COMPLETED HIS BEST FINISH IN CUP RACING AND WAS ABLE TO MOVE UP TO 17th IN THE POINTS STANDINGS.

3. CARL EDWARDS: THE "LUCK OF THE DUCK" STRIKES AGAIN. CARL STARTED THE RACE AT ABOUT THE CORNINGWARE FACTORY AND RAN AN EXCELLENT RACE, HE WAS ABLE TO MAKE UP SLOTS ALL DURING THE RACE ON RESTARTS AND THE FACT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MISS THE BIG ONES AND THE LITTLE FENDER BENDERS ALLOWED HIM TO FINISH 3rd FOR ONE OF HIS BETTER FINISHES ON A ROAD COURSE.

4. GREG BIFFLE: MUCH LIKE AMBROSE, IF YOU ONLY LOOK AT GREG'S START POSITION AND FINISH POITION IT LOOKS LIKE HE CRUISED AROUND FOR A WHILE AND THE RACE WAS OVER, BUT THAT IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH, GREG WAS RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAY ALL DAY LONG, HE KEPT ALL OF THE CAR PARTS IN THEIR CORRECT PLACE AND DODGED THE PILE-UPS THUS ALLOWING GREG TO GET A GOOD TOP 10 FINISH AND MOVE UP 2 PLACES TO 10th IN THE STANDINGS.

5. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: JUAN STARTED 10th AND FINISHED 6th, THUS MOVING HIM UP 1 SPOT IN THE STANDINGS FOR THE CHASE. HE IS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AND MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE CAR EVERY WEEK. ONE THING THAT I THINK IS HELPING HIM ALOT IS THAT HE APPEARS TO HAVE DECIDED TO LET HIS FINISHES PROVE THAT HE HAS EARNED A PLACE IN NASCAR.

FOLKS THIS WAS A GOOD RACE, AND COMING FROM ME, THAT SAYS ALOT, I DON'T LIKE ROAD RACING AND MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND LESS ABOUT IT THEN I DO REGULAR TRACK RACING, AND I STILL HAVE SO SO MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT THAT. I HOPE A FEW OF YOU AGREE WITH WHAT I SAW, AND WILL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK IF THE LORD IS WILLING AND THE CREEK DON'T RISE.



THAT'S MY OPINION - WHAT'S YOURS

GUNAQUAT