Thursday, July 1, 2010

Driver emotions, Daytona

Kyle Busch is arguably one of the most talented drivers in the garage today. When his car is running good, he is virtually untouchable.

Notice I said, "when his car is running good", because when it's not, he can turn a bad day into a worst day.

Good drivers are guys that can turn a 15th-place car into an 8th-place finish. Jimmie Johnson is a perfect example of that. There are times (very few) when the 48 Chevy is running like junk, but somehow, either through pit strategy or tweaking of the car, they come out with a good finish.

Kyle, on the other hand, is certainly capable of winning a championship or two; he just needs to learn to keep after it during their struggles and "make lemonade out of lemons". Too many times I've seen him wreck a car that could've finished in the top-20 or top-15, if he hadn't lost his cool and, ultimately, stormed off without an interview, I might add.

Anyway, this weekend is DAYTONA!!! I've already seen a few wrecks in practice. Kyle Busch, David Ragan, Kasey Kahne, Reed Sorenson, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and Joey Logano have all been involved in incidents in practice. Kasey, in my opinion, has the ability to run very well the rest of the year, if he stays out of trouble. The new Ford engine seems to be very competitive, but he isn't finishing races, which isn't necessarily his fault. Last week, at Loudon, he blew his new Ford engine, after a strong run (he led 110 laps, the most). He needs to rally to make the Chase, but I have faith.

This Saturday's race will be the last one with the old asphalt. After that, the track will be repaved, the first time since, like, 1979. I guess it's for the better, especially after the pothole incident in the 500 this year, but the way it is now is awesome! The old pavement gives the racing it's own unique style, cuz it's so worn and bumpy, that handling plays a much bigger role than, say, Talladega. Just to see those drivers bouncing around and off each other out there makes the racing at Daytona so good...

I still think Bobby Labonte needs to be in the #83 Red Bull Toyota. He said he wants to be competitive, well those owners need to think twice before putting in guys like Casey Mears or Reed Sorenson (not saying they aren't good).

By the way, good to see Steve Park try to make his first Cup race since 2003. The last time he was at Daytona (July 2003), he won the pole.

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