NASCAR's Biggest Fan – Girl of the Week | Ron Ripple

Last weekend in the final laps of the Sharpie 500, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch decided they wanted to start showing each other how they really feel.  Carl Edwards worked all night trying to pass Kyle Busch but just couldn’t seem to get him on the high side.  During the last few laps Carl Edwards dipped into the corner and taped Kyle’s left rear bumper causing him to lose control and allowing Carl to slide by gaining the lead. 

Carl Edwards went on to win the race but not without getting into a little pushing match with Kyle Busch.  After Carl Edwards got the checkered flag, Kyle Busch drove up beside him and rubbed the side of his car.  “The Nice Guy” Carl Edwards immediately drove into Busch and spun him out.  The crowd went absolutely CRAZY.  It was awesome to see some drama go down on the track.  It’s not too often these days you see emotion on the track.

 In a post race interview Carl Edwards says “It’s one of those deals where I couldn’t get by him, I couldn’t get by him, and I just had to ask myself, ‘Would he do that to me?’ 

Of course Kyle Busch would do that to him… he’s been doing it all season.

The funniest part about this little drama is that after the race, Kyle Busch was seen whining like a little girl saying “wittle Cawl Edwads pwushed me.”  If you ask me… I think Kyle Busch gets what he deserves… karma’s a bitch and if you can dish it out, then you need to learn how to take it. 

NASCAR just announced that both drivers were slapped on the hand and were given probation for the next 6 races.  If anything… I think the two should be patted on the back for creating an exciting ending to an awesome race.  NASCAR needs to commend these two racers for showing their feelings and creating an exciting rivalry.  NASCAR needs more moments like this…. this is what gets fans on their feet. 

Kyle Busch is an incredible racer but if you haven’t noticed, when he’s the bad guy he’s loving life.  He’ll go out there tap bumpers, spin people out, race rough, and walk around the pits like he’s God’s gift to NASCAR.  But the minute someone else bumps him or passes him aggressively the kid starts whining.  “Cawl Edwads, Cawl Edwads… he bumped me, he bumped me!”  Save the drama for the track and show “Cawl Edwads” that you’re supposed to be the “bad guys” and that he needs to go back to being the “Nice Guy”

I’m jacked up to watch the rest of the season… it’s going to be an awesome race for the chase.  I think Carl Edwards is going to be a force to be reckened with.  It seems as though he’s the only one that has Kyle Busch’s number. 

I can’t wait to watch the rest of the season unfold.  So what do you guys think?  Is Kyle Busch a whiner or is he in the “right” here?

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NASCAR handed down some stiff penalties to the Haas CNC team for altering the location of the upper mounting points on the rear wing of the No. 66 and No. 70 car this past Saturday.  Supposedly the NASCAR officials got a tip from a garage “rat” claiming the team had done some modifications to their car that would better the aerodynamics.  NASCAR immediately impounded both cars this past Saturday and took them to their secret research and development center located in Concord, NC.  Once the infractions were confirmed by “the secret” research and development center, the Haas CNC team was then hit HARD with the penalties.

1. No. 66 driver Scott Riggs penalized 150 Championship points
2. No. 66 Crew Chief Bootie Barker fined $100,000 and suspended for 6 races
3. No. 66 Car Chief Derrick Jennings also suspended for 6 races
4. No. 70 Driver Johnny Sauter penalized 150 Championship points
5. No. 70 Crew Chief Dave Skog fined $100,000 and suspended for 6 races
6. No. 70 Car Chief Thomas Harris also suspended for 6 races
7. No. 66 and No. 77 team owners Joe Custer and Margaret Haas each lost 150 owner point

Let’s just say the teams took a beating for doing a very stupid thing.  Neither one of the cars were in the top 20 for the year and after watching the Coca-Cola 600 this past weekend, they still finished 26th and 35th in their back up cars.  Both teams were sitting mid to back of the pack with the modifications, so you have to wonder who made the decision in the garage to make the change?  Whomever that person was… they need to put a blind fold on and let everyone take a swing at him.  The team owners (if they weren’t involved) need to think about their program and make some changes.  Last time Haas CNC made the headlines was when rumors were going around about Tony Stewart and the possibility of him joining the team as an owner/driver after his contract comes up. 

I always say that it’s better to have “bad press” than no press at all.  But I don’t think this kind of bad press is doing anything for these guys.  It’s only costing them money and making them look like a bunch of cheaters.  I know teams always try and push the limit on modifying the cars and making changes that will benefit them, but when you cross the line, it officially becomes illegal.   If I were Margaret Haas, I’d make these crew chiefs come over to my house and weed my front lawn… and I can guaranttee Margaret Haas has a large front yard. 

 What do you guys think about the penalties?  You think maybe the crew chiefs had no clue they were breaking the rules or do you think they knew what they were doing and trying to get a competitive advantage over the rest of the feild?

 On a side note: There were some small penalties handed out to three members of the #88 Nationwide Series team for getting into a brawl on Saturday after the #20 car intentionally gave the #88 car a love tap during one of the cautions on Saturday night’s race. 

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Robby Gordon is appealing his 100 point penalty as well as his crew cheif’s $100,000 fine and suspension. Gordon goes on to explain that the illegal bumper was a complete accident and clerical error that had nothing to do with his team. He explains the nose they put on the car was shipped to them from Dodge’s distributor and was a nose that had notyet been approved by NASCAR officials. Gordon states that he’s not appealing the whole penalty, but he is appealing the harshness of the penalty. He’s complaining that it was a clerical error and it wasn’t meant to have a competitive edge over his competition. He’s saying it’s too harsh of a penalty and it’s perposterous that he’s getting the same penalty that someone recieved last year for adding a substance to their fuel.

I have to agree with Robby Gordon on his frustration and the harshness of the penalty. If you’re going to penalize him for a human error and an honest mistake then make it a minor penalty. Penalize him 25 points, fine his crew cheif $10,000, give his team a slap on the wrist and maybe take away their beer supply for a week. I just find it hard to believe NASCAR is penalizing them for something so minor but they won’t penalize Kurt Busch or Tony Stewart for damaging each other’s car or punching each other in the face.

The NASCAR officials are an interesting breed, I guess they’re just lucky I’m not handing out the penalties because I would hit them where it hurts. Yeah you know what I’m talking about… the Beer consumption and Racer’s Parties.

What’s your opinion on this whole issue?

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