NASCAR’s Biggest Fan - Ron Ripple

Just when you think Kyle Busch is in a so called “Slump,” the kid comes out and dominates another road course.  Watkins Glen was an incredible race and one you did not want to miss. 

So we all know Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were saying they saw weakness in the no. 18 car over the past couple races, well let me just say… THEY WERE WRONG.  Just because Kyle Busch didn’t dominate the field in the last couple races doesn’t mean the driver is in a slump.   He came out this weekend and showed the field exactly what they didn’t want to see… “the back of Kyle Busch’s no. 18 car!”

Watkins Glen was a pretty tame race overall until lap 86 when there was a huge pile up sending Bobby Labonte to the hosipital and a 45 minute race delay.  Bobby Labonte was complaining of sore ribs and was later released. 

The wreck started when contact was made by Michael McDowell which sent David Gilliland’s Ford spinning out of control into the guardrail. Sam Hornish Jr. slid sideways into the barrier of sand barrels dividing the racetrack from pit road… from there it was a huge pile up including Michael Waltrip, Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Max Papis and Reed Sorenson.

All were released from the infield medical center but it delayed the race 45 minutes.  The race then re-started on lap 86 with Kyle Busch racing to the finish and getting the win on the 90th and final lap.  About 3 seconds behind Kyle Busch was his team mate Tony Stewart who has a solid finish but still continues his 36 race winless streak.

You all know Tony Stewart is one of my favorite drivers of all time… even though he hasn’t won a race in 36 races.  I do have to admit though… he seems to be losing his attitude and his “I’ll say what’s on my mind” reputation.  I think he’s setting himself up to be a leader for his new team Stewart Haas Racing.

It seems as though Stewart is not only losing his attitude but it’s almost as though he’s giving it to Kyle Busch.  Kyle Busch comes off the track and says “Tony was faster than me only at the “bus stop” chicane, but nowhere else on the track.”  and Tony Stewart comes off the track saying “I’m real happy with this second place finish, I didn’t have anything for my team mate Kyle Busch, he ran a great race.”

I dont’ know who’s telling my boy Tony Stewart to be nice and respectful, but whoever it is needs to let him be who he is.  Overall it was a good race to watch…. Kyle Busch obviously made the chase… Tony Stewart also bettered himself in the points… so overall I’m a happy fan.

By the way… Craig… i’m sure you’re happy with Montoya’s finish this weekend.  He finally finished better than 41st place. haha!!!

Who’s your team and who are you rooting for to make the chase?

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The unstoppable Kyle Busch sweeps in Chicagoland. He not only wins the Nationwide Cup race but also surprisingly wins the Sprint Cup race on Saturday night on the last lap. I don’t know about my readers, but I’m sick of hearing and talking about Kyle Busch. I love watching him on the track, don’t get me wrong… but with all the wins Kyle Busch has it seems as if this website is geared towards him. And it’s not. How can I stop talking about him? The kid continues to amaze the world with his relentless victories.

Saturday Night’s Sprint Cup race was one helluva race.  Leaders included Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Vickers, Johnson, Kenseth, Kurt Busch and well… I had my heart set on my boy Tony Stewart who ran hard and in the top 5 all race but unfortunately lead for a VERY short time. I was hoping and praying that he would have a chance to take this race home but it never came to fruition. I was on the edge of my seat the entire race and may have quite possibly drank 10 to many beers, but what happens during a NASCAR race happens. I reckon I can’t be accountable for something that I just can not control and when my boy is in the top 5 is when I really start to pound the beers.

The last 25 laps came down to three of the strongest cars all night: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. It looked like once again Kyle Busch was going to win this race unchallenged, and that’s when Jimmie Johnson charged to the front passing Kyle Busch on the inside. The man exploded past Kyle and never turned back it was lap 16 and there was no stopping him. Busch was heard radio’ing to his crew “race over”. It was evident Jimmie had the strongest car at that point and there wasn’t much that could be done until Gililand caused a yellow flag giving Busch another opportunity. Jimmie Johnson wasn’t concerned, “Before that last caution came out, we were gone. … And you know, we had such a great car I really felt like the restart would come and we would march off and be fine,”

Take a look at the last 16 laps and the incredible restart Kyle Busch had… with two laps left Busch was able to squeeze by Johnson on the outside where it was all over but the crime.

Side Notes: Carl Edwards has had a strong season thus far and lead a few laps here in Chicagoland, he unfortunately broke his splitter brace which would put him out of contention. Earnhardt struggled all race finishing in 16th along with Kasey Kahne in 15th. The Newman joining Stewart talk is still running rapid in the pits and it sounds to ME that Newman will in fact be racing for Stewart-Haas. The two are friends on and off the track, they’re both from Indiana and it just so happens Newman’s contract is up after this season with Penske.

For those of you who heard the rumors of Obama sponsoring a Sprint Cup team. “The Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup Series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Senator Obama’s message of change.” said Bill Burton, an Obama campaign spokesman. I also read a news article written by USNEWS.com where they interviewed Jimmie Johnson and Chandra Johnson and spoke about NASCAR fans being McCain supporters. I also wanted to thank USNEWS.com for referencing my website in their article!

Thanks for the traffic. Alright Ron Ripplers… What were your thoughts for the race?

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I was contacted by a NASCAR fan yesterday evening who is holding an online Auction for Multiple Sclerosis.  Whenever a fellow NASCAR fan needs help, you can always count on Ron Ripple to be there for you.  Janet Van Leer sent me an e-mail yesterday in regards to her MS Auction she’s currently holding.  Click Here to view the Auction.  It started on Tuesday and will be ending midnight April 1st.  So if you’re a NASCAR fan and see an item on her website that you’re interested in, please make sure you bid on it.  It’s not only going to be a cool item, but all the proceeds are going to a good cause. 

 If you’re not sure what MS is… MS stands for Multiple Sclerosis and is a very devestating Disease.  It’s a disease that attacks the Central Nervous System which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.  Basically this disease slowly works its way through the Central Nervous System and often causes one to become disable.  There isn’t a cure for this disease yet but there’s a lot of researchers working on it.  So make sure you visit Janet’s website and if you see something you like please bid on it.  Every dollar counts.

 Details for Janet’s NASCAR Auction:

Website : Click Here

Contact: Janet Van Leer

Time: March 25th - April 1st at Midnight

Cause: Raise Money for MS

I just put a bid on the #3 item for $25.  Happy bidding everyone!

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First and foremost I would like to thank everyone for entering. I had an incredible response from ya’ll… close to 500 entries whether it be entrecard droppers, people commenting, subscribing to the blog or writing about the contest on their own blog. Thank you thank you thank you! We entered all the names in a random list generator at random.org and we now have a winner!

The winner of Ron Ripple’s case of AMP Energy Drinks goes to (drum roll please)….. Vroom is the winner!

Be sure to check back soon as I’ll be holding contests regularly.

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