NASCAR’s Biggest Fan - Ron Ripple

Kyle Busch made headlines this weekend for being the first to race all three NASCAR sanctioned races. He started in Pocono Friday afternoon where he qualfied top ten and then flew to the Sam’s Town 400 Craftsman Truck race in Texas… he ended up with a strong second place finish. After that he flew back to Pocono the same night so he would be able to test Saturday morning for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race. He ended up crashing his cars during Saturday’s practice so he flew to Nashville for his Nationwide Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway. He had a disappointing 20th Place finish there but still had to fly back to Pocono to get ready for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.

Kyle Busch knew before the Pocono Race started it was going to be a long race. Since he didn’t qualify for the race on Saturday, he was required to start in the back of the field. It looked like he picked a few cars off early in the race and then on lap 46 coming out of turn 3, he drifted up towards the wall and got into Jamie McMurray. This was basically the end of Mr. Busch’s day considering it took 2 hours for his crew to put the car back together. He came back out on lap 131 and finished the race but he still ended up in last place for the day.

It’s kinda funny, Kyle Busch tried to race three different races in three different states and thinks he can be competitive at all three tracks. I think Kyle needs to concentrate on one Series and do his best to dominate the series. I know he’s dominating everything he touches, but it’s kind of unrealistic to think he can go out there and win all three races. If you ask me, I think Kyle Busch was exhausted and not up for racing on Sunday. The kid flew back and fourth all three days and probably didn’t get much sleep. Flying from Texas to Pocono alone would make me exhausted… especially if I’m sitting first class and drinking up all the beer. Kyle places most of the blame on his spotter saying he didn’t say a word about where Jamie McMurray was. Kyle claims coming off turn 3 Jamie got a little squirly so he assumed Jamie slowed up a bit allowing him to move up against the wall. Little did he know Jamie didn’t even skip a beat and was right where he was supposed to be. I don’t know if Kyle was falling a sleep or if he was just ASSUMING. And we all know what happens when you ASSUME… you make and AS* out of U and Me. Overall I give Kyle Busch credit for trying to be a superstar but I wouldn’t reccomend he does it again. He needs to concentrate on earning his first Sprint Cup Championship and winning every race. I think Kyle Busch is an incredible racer and can win the championship this year… but if he continues to make bonehead decisions like this, he’s going to blow his chances.What are your thoughts? Should Kyle Busch concentrate on one series?

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I’m Ron Ripple and Nascar’s biggest fan.

For some reason I couldn’t delete this post, so I’m using it as a reminder….  

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It’s tough to find a news source that isn’t talking about Kyle Busch and his bad boy attitude.  Well I hate to say it but he’s going to be in a little bit of the discussion today here at Ron Ripple.com.  Kyle Busch has once again, earned his spot as the pole sitter for the longest race of the season, the Coca Cola 600.  NASCAR’s cockiest driver Kyle Busch is starting to earn his respect as he continues to dominate the NASCAR circuit with already three wins, two poles, and eight top 10 finishes.  If I were a betting man…. I wouldn’t count him out.

 Last night was qualifying for the Coca Cola 600 and ya ya ya…  Kyle Busch is sitting on the pole.  Who would have thought?  NASCAR’s most discussed driver is actually winning races and “sitting on poles.”  HAHA!  You have to admit… the kid is taking the NACAR world by storm with his negative press.  And as Michael Jackson would say “There’s no such thing as bad press.”  I hate to admit it, but I actually enjoy watching Kyle Busch on and off the track.  He’s like a combination of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s aggressive driving, and Tony Stewarts cocky “doesn’t give a ****” about what anyone says.  I know I flip flop each week about whether I like the kid or not, but for this week I’m actually enjoying him.

 Kasey Kahne (Spelling is correct this article) on the other hand is a driver this year who is just starting to make the headlines.  It’s more of a “the kid didn’t deserve to win the All-Star race and got lucky” kind of headlines, but at least he’s starting to come on to the scene.  So after his All-Star drama/win last weekend, the kid is starting to get his confidence back and it looks like it’s already starting to kick in.  He’s officially sitting 2nd in qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 which is a huge step considering he has had “0″ top 5 finishes this year.  I have a feeling Kasey is going to earn his wings this race and shut up all those reporters that are saying he’s not an elite racer.  Once this kid gets his confidence back, he’s going to realize he cannot only hang with the big boys, but he’s actually a BIG BOY himself. 

Hopefully the Coca-Cola 600 will be a bit more exciting than the All-Star race.  It doesn’t look like any manufacturer is dominating when it comes to qualifying.  There’s only 2 Toyotas, 3 Dodges, 2 Fords, and 3 Chevrolets… so the feild is pretty spread out when it comes to that.  Below is a list of the top 10 qualifiers for the Coca-Cola 600.

I think my pick for this race is going to be based on history.  Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson looked like they owned this track back in the years of 2004 - 2006 so those might be some good picks.  But I remember Ryan Newman loves this track and always seems to get the pole when qualifying so I’m shocked he qualified 39th this year.  If I go off this season and who did well on the intermediate tracks, I have to go with Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch.  Alright here’s my picks… I’m going to throw everyone for a loop this go round:

Winner - Kasey Kahne!

Sleeper - Matt Kenseth!

DNF - Kyle Busch (Motor Problems - Hopefully he doesn’t read this!)

Alright… I want everyone to make their picks for this race.  Tell me who you think is going to win… and then who you think will come out of no where and make a show.  And just for fun… tell me who you think has no chance or will have motor problems.  Let’s hear your thoughts about some of these racers!

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 This past Saturday’s race was an interesting race to say the least.  In my previous post I stated it was going to be one hell-uv-a showdown with some aggressive driving and some crazy personalities.  Unfortunately it was none of this… It was a fun race to watch because it was unknown as to who was going to be the victor, but it definitely wasn’t a showdown like I was expecting. From the very beginning, Kyle Busch shot out and dominated the race by almost a quarter of a lap, until the second segment when his motor blew up.  (Obviously the Gibbs team tested the Toyota package they had from the beginning of the year because almost everyone on the team blew a motor.)  But Kyle Busch did some serious domination with Carl Edwards not far behind him.  The first two segments weren’t all that exciting with most of the battling taking place in the 12th and 13th positions.  Once Kyle Busch’s motor blew up at the end of the second segment, it looked like it was going to be a Carl Edwards race since he had the fastest car on the track.

 I was comletely taken back when the third segment started and Carl Edwards lost four positions in the first couple laps.  It looked as if making no changes to his car in between segments was not such a good idea.  The third segment was dominated by Biffle, with a number of different drivers working their way up to the front.  Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnahrdt Jr. were a number of racers that were working their asses off to get to the front.  All were running strong but it seemed as though none of them had enough because in each segment there was only ONE car that led most of the laps.

 The Fourth Segment was where all the hard work and strategy paid off.  In between the third and fourth segment, the teams had a decision to make.  “Take two tires, take four tires, or don’t take any tires at all.”  There were a few drivers that took “No tires’ and these driver’s ended up on top.  Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne were two of those drivers that decided to take no tires and these guys came out of the pits the fastest.  Greg Biffle, who was the fastest car for a majority of the race decided to take two tires and I can guarantee he’s regretting it now.  Kasey Kahne who was the “Fan Vote” jumped up to the front position and was tough to get around.  Greg Biffle who took the two tires was on his tail the whole segment and admitted he only had once chance to pass and couldn’t take advantage of it.

I think it’s huge a driver who wasn’t even supposed to be in the race took home $1,000,000.  The fans wanted to see him race and boy did he give them a show.  He passed a ton of cars to make it to the top 10 and when it came down to making a decision about tires, he made the right one and that’s all that counts.  He didn’t crawl his way up to the front and techinically “EARN” the #1 position, but his team made the right decision and they took advantage of it.  Kasey Kahne won the race and took home the money.  Congratulations to him!

Even though I’m a huge Tony Stewart fan, I was really hoping for a Dale Earnhardt Jr win.  He was in the top 5 throughout the whole race and looked like he was going to be a player at the end.   I guess the Hendrick Motorsports team just had nothing for them at this race.  I was extremely disappointed with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson… two racers that were supposed to OWN this track.  The only reason why Jimmie Johnson was in the top 5 was because he took no tires. 

 Overall I have to admit it wasn’t the most aggressive driving or exciting race I’ve ever seen.  There were no wrecks, no bumping, no fighting, and no drama.  This was supposed to be a race where the driver’s would let their hair down and do things out of character.  It was almost as if they were all being gentlemen!  I was shocked!

 What do you think about the race?  Obviously nobody won the contest from my previous post because Kasey Kahne was voted in last minute.  But look for a new contest maybe for the 600.  I like to see who people vote for.

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This Saturday is the 24th running of the All Star race at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and all I can say is… “Damn I’m excited.” To me, this is a race where champions get together and show each other what they’ve got. I think we’re going to see the typical domination by Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and of course we’ll probably see Dale Earnhardt up there in the hunt… but it’s a chance for everyone to battle it out and earn a HUGE income for the year.

The All Star race is an interesting race to say the least… anyone has a chance to win it because every 25 laps they allow the drivers to pit and make changes to the car such as fuel, tires, and standard chassis adjustments. Once they’ve made the adjustments they restart the cars in the order in which they finished the previous segment. They do this a total of three times and then the last 25 laps is “Do or Die.” Only one car can win, and that winner will receive a purse of over $1,000,000. Now you tell me, this isn’t going to be a crazy race.

In my opinion… I believe we’re going to see some different sides to a lot of these drivers. We can all agree that Tony Stewart is going to be doing his standard “bumping his way up through the pack” as well as Kyle Busch’s “driving like Dale Earnhardt Sr.” But if I were to be a betting man, I would have to once again pick Carl Edwards to be up there in the front… and then my second pick would have to go to Denny Hamlin.  Carl Edwards has been the guy to beat this year along with Kyle Busch, he’s got the drive to win and of course the kid has been practicing his back flips, so I’ve got to give him that.  Denny Hamlin on the other hand has kind of been like Burton… the silent but deadly driver who stays out of the controversy and doesn’t make a big scene.  Those are the guys you need to be afraid of… ALWAYS in the hunt.

Let’s make this Post a “Who’s your pick?”

The winner will get a “Ron Ripple” T-shirt…

You only get one pick, so make sure you do your homework.

Below is a list of the Driver’s eligible for this race:

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Anyone sick of hearing me talk about 23 year old NASCAR super star Kyle Busch? I’m guessing yes… so I’ll keep it short. Kyle Busch is dominating NASCAR! Every fan in those stands are on their feet when Kyle Busch crossed the finish line. Whether they’re booing or cheering, Kyle is being HEARD! Through all the boos from the crowd in the stands, Kyle was able to hear a jeer from one of Earnhardt Jr’s crew and in return Kyle flipped him the bird. Now that is funny!

I feel bad for one guy, Greg Biffle in the number 16 car. Wow! The man would have a couple more wins under his belt if it weren’t for the bad luck he’s been experiencing this season. Biffle lead 95 laps Saturday Night at Darlington until he had to pit a few times for loose tires and then coming into the pits for the last time with his first DNF this season. A blown engine would ripple through his mind as he went through the last few race frustrations. He wouldn’t take the ice cold beer I offered him after Saturday’s race… at this point I knew he was hurtin on the inside. Trust when I say that Biffle never refuses a beer after a great night of racing.

On a side note… My pick for Saturday night’s fastest race in history at Darlington didn’t do too bad. Carl Edwards didn’t get the win, but a second place allowed him to move 3 spots up in overall Sprint Cup Points sitting in 7th. Now let’s get ready for the BIG race, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowes Motor Speedway. I’ll have my picks later in the week… Tony Stewart has been quiet lately, I’m expecting something from him very soon. Should be one helluva race!

(kick ass photo from nascar.com, I can’t believe they caught me in the back.)

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If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Carl Edwards for the big win in Darlington this weekend. With 6 top 10’s, 5 top 5’s and 3 wins… he’s ready for his next. Carl recently resigned with car owner Rousch Fenway and you can bet he and his crew are pumped for the track in Darlington. As I’m writing this post, he’s currently sitting 24th fastest in practice. My guess is that he’s laying low for the big race come Sunday or atleast hoping this is what he’s doing. I’m not trying to put myself out there for him to make me look bad and coming in 20th place. I also noted in the header Denny Hamlin, you just can’t count this kid out. (he’s my back up)

Darlington is back on the schedule and most drivers are excited. I was in the pits the last few days and spoke with some of the big names like Gordon (wine drinker), Earnhardt Jr, Stewart, and Hamlin. They all tell me the same thing… each are telling me how they’re going to snag the win on this 1.366 mile track. Junior seemed a bit distracted with all the controversy in the air about Kyle Busch being compared to his father senior. He and anyone that knew Earnhardt Sr knows that Busch is absolutely nothing like him. I guess it’s just this big rivalry the press is putting together. I’ll be interested to see how this pans out.

I’m not asking who would win on a heads up race between Earnhardt Jr and Busch, the question I’m asking is who you think would win in a fist fight!!!! My thoughts? Dale Jr would own Kyle off the track securing the Belt (like wrestling). Kyle just looks like a twerp to me. Your thoughts?

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Kyle Busch had a great finish this weekend in both the Sprint and Nationwide Cup! He was able to secure a 2nd place in the Crown Royal 400 and a 3rd place in the Lipton 250 on Friday night. It’s too bad the young gun with all his great finishes is making more enemies than friends. I’ve come up with a simple theory of why this is the case after doing hours of research… Kyle Busch and his fetish of kissing bumpers!

Just remember you heard this first from Ron Ripple! I didn’t just pull this out of the air and after doing hours of research I was able to secure a few pieces of evidence and it just so happens two of the articles of evidence was from THIS weekend’s races. Without further adeui… here is Kyle Busch and Jr interviews after the act of Kissing Bumpers. When I say kissing, I hope at this point you understand that I mean wrecking.

The kiss Kyle Busch gave during the Lipton 250 race was even better! He and Steven Wallace battle it out on and off the race track. Here’s yet another reason why the fans and fellow racers dislike Kyle Busch.

Are you a fan of Kyle Busch? There’s no doubt he’s a great racer but what do you think of Kyle off the track?

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What a race! It was the story of bad luck for many that lead Clint Boyer to a HUGE win in Richmond Virginia on Saturday night under the lights. It was the Crown Royal 400 and all about Denny Hamlin who not only won Friday night’s Nationwide Cup Race also lead 381 of the first 382 laps on Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race. He was simply dominating, the battle for second place kept Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Busch occupied so that Denny would not be challenged. This is where the story of bad luck snuck into the right front tire of Hamlin causing it to go down costing him the lead and the Win. It was unfortunate, he drove flawless and the team made incredible decisions on and off the track.

Last week I put my money on Earnhardt Jr as he hasn’t had a win in 71 races and the man had been driving strong all season. After Hamlin slowly drifted back the race for first became a battle between Kyle Busch and the current leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. For the first time in the race I was jacked up to see Jr in the lead and won’t lie when I say I had the “I told the reader’s this would happen!” mentality. The attitude I had was quickly taken away when not even a lap and a half after leading the race Kyle Busch and Jr got together forcing Earnhardt into the wall and all his hopes and dreams stolen. Bad luck and Kyle Busch hit Jr soo hard he finished 15th. Oh and that’s where Clint Boyer was able to slide into first and hold position to take the win. (not much to say about the win)

This brings us to the questionable wreck on who is at fault… before I give my two cents I would like to hear from ya’ll. It was quite obvious how the #88 fans felt… serious boo’ing and one of Jr’s crew ended up running over to Kyle Busch after the race giving them some sh!t.

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Alright… I made a little mistake on my last post and named off all these great names that “I said” were going to be racing down in Mexico City.  The truth is… hardly anybody will be racing down there in Mexico City and I’m curious as to why.  The big name road racers such as Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon both snubbed the Mexico City race this weekend.  The only big names that will be down there racing are Kyle Busch, David Reutimann, Carl Edwards, Clint Boyer and then Scott Pruett who is one of the best road racers that have ever existed. 

 There are g0ing to be a lot of local favorites from Mexico that will be racing, one of them being Adrian Fernandez who has had three top 10 finishes in the last three Nationwide races he’s raced in down there in Mexico City.  Adrian Fernandez is a local racer and very popular with the local Mexicans who will be hoping for a home town favorite to win the big race.  He not only has a competitive advantage by knowing the race course but he also has an advantage because it’s his birthday on Sunday and I know there are a lot of generous racers out there.  Haha… I highly doubt anyone’s going to help him out though!

 Another great racer who is making a guest appearance is Sam Hornish Jr. who was the winner of the 2006 Indy 500.  Sam doesn’t have much experience if any at all in a stock car but he defintiely knows road courses and is hands down a great driver.  I don’t think he has a chance at winning this race but I have a feeling he’ll end up somewhere in the top 15. 

 I personally think it’s going to be an exciting race to watch.  Road races are a lot of fun especially when you have someone to route for.   I’m going to be pulling for Kyle Busch or Carl Edwards because they’re regulars and I highly doubt any of these randoms are going to do anything extraordinary.  I wish everyone luck and will be drinking a beer on turn 3 of the race course. 

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