Life on the Road - Trucking News Blog

You might want to get used to seeing these two cars in victory lane. At least as a Junior fan I hope so. I wonder if Teresa Earhardt is thinking about the thoroughbred that she just let out of her barn? First he wins the Bud Shootout, then goes on to win the Daytona 500 qualifying race that he is entered in. He didn’t just win those two races, he won them in grand fashion by staying up front the whole time, either in the lead, or vying for the lead. Is the old Junior back?

Then And Now

The old Junior was dominant on the super speedways and somewhat lackluster on the intermediate tracks. I know that he has wins on intermediate tracks but they, for a time seemed to really get under his skin. Anybody that watched his career either before or after his father died saw that there was a gulf between what he could do on the restrictor plate tracks and the smaller, intermediate tracks. Mile and a half so called cookie cutters were not where he dominated. I am in full belief that the problem was where he was racing and the loss of his father, the racing brains behind D.E.I. It is understandable that there would be a downward slide in performance after the owner and mentor of an organization like that dies. But to see D.E.I. improve its facilities and improve on performance after Junior left just looks like plain dirty dealing on Teresa’s part. To me, it just seemed like she was holding out on him while he was there.

As for the now part? Well we can only speculate on it for now as we are just at the beginning of this new road. I still remember vividly the trial and tribulations that Dale Senior had at Daytona. Years and years of winning the qualifier, sitting on the pole, or winning the Bud shootout, only to have it all go up in smoke with wrecks, tire failures, engine failures, or just plain running out of gas. So with all of that in mind, I am not going to get my hopes up for a big sweep at speed weeks. Heck it can’t even be a real sweep because he didn’t get the pole. If it happens then I will be completely overjoyed. The true test will be when we get to Las Vegas and The California Speedway. One a 1.5 mile intermediate track and the other a two mile super speedway. I think that it is safe to say though that Dale Earnhardt Junior is on the right path to championships now and the future can only get brighter for him.

In other news

Denny Hamlin scores Toyota’s first win in the Cup Series. The scene was the twin Gatorade Duels, The Second of two 150-mile qualifying events, and one that would leave a mark in the history of Nascar racing and in the halls of Toyota racing teams everywhere. With the failures that Toyota had to endure last year, starting with the fuel additive scandal at Micheal Waltrip Racing, and on to the engine problems that had them being left in the dust off the corners last year, it is an amazing comeback for the entire Toyota camp. It took a big push from fellow teammate Tony Stewart to get Denny Hamlin across the start finish line first but it was that teamwork that paid off. I have a feeling that at a certain point in that race to the checkered flag, Tony Stewart saw that it was more important to get Toyota to victory lane than to fight a teammate over it and possible have neither of them go there first for their manufacturer. Congrats to Denny Hamlin and the entire Toyota racing family.

Michael Waltrip Is In Row One

If you can not remember the trials and tribulations of one Michael Waltrip last year you must have been living under a rock or are just not a fan of the sport. Just to recap for you Michael Waltrip was to be the leading Toyota team last year starting with the Daytona 500. After an inspection of his intake manifolds found an unknown, “Gooey”, and possible performance enhancing substance, he was drug through the mud in all available forums and Toyota’s debut in Nascar was forever smudged. Michael Waltip started last season in the hole by 25 points. Then failing to qualify for race after race really set in the pain. For the better part of last year Michael Waltrip was seen in public very little and even less on the television. Add to that a suspicious vehicular accident where alcohol was rumored to be involved and you have the makings for one miserable season. Most of the Toyota teams last year had engine problems. It was a horse power curve problem that left them underpowered coming off the corners, where big time speed is a grand necessity. If you can’t get off the corner with some power and speed, you get left in the dust.

What a difference a year can make! Toyota has apparently fixed its engine woe’s and has started this year out with a bang! How about Michael Waltrip on the outside of row one in the Daytona 500? He had the pole for a time, then a fast Jimmy Johnson takes him off of it. Never the less, Michael Waltrip is on the front row. You can now see a refreshed Michael Waltrip all over the television and hear him in interviews on the radio again. It is a nice change this year to see him all happy and back to his old humorous self again. So this year I have two favorites in the Daytona 500, Of course I want Junior to win it but in the event that he can’t, I want Michael Waltrip to take the checkered flag.

Here is how they will line up for the 50^thrunning of the Daytona 500

* Note that there are only two of the open wheel drivers from my “open wheel” post in the starting grid. Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr. The other two were eliminated due to crashes during their qualifying races.

Sunday is the 50^thrunning of The Great American Race. Television coverage begins at noon Sunday with “Nascar Pre-Season Thunder” on FOX followed by the 50^thrunning of the Daytona 500 on the same network. Don’t miss this one! You will be sorry you did.

Stay safe out there and thank you for what you do for the rest of us!