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

This season there has been a number of “stand out” racers who have “wowed” the world with their incredible runs as well as their domination over the field.  There has also been a number of racers who have started out slow but have made their way back to the top and showed the world they’re the real deal Hollyfield.

Who do I think is the stand out M.I.R?  And why does this driver deserve the M.I.R. award I’m about to give him?

Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson started this 2008 season as if he was a rookie learning how to drive a car.  He didn’t know the gas pedal from the brake pedal and I think he even skipped a few gears going from 2nd gear to 4th.  Overall the driver’s first 6 races were as if he didn’t know how to turn left.  If you were new to NASCAR you wouldn’t even know who Jimmie Johnson was, let alone know he is the defending two time Champion.

Midway through this season he started jumping up in the top ten and sometimes in the top 5, but he would still have a few races where he finished 20th or even 30th.  The driver has been a roller coaster of a racer and one you wouldn’t want to put your money on.

The reason why Jimmie Johnson deserves this prestigious award is because the man has come from mediocre to 3rd place.  He’s still not beating the main man Kyle Busch but as the saying goes… “he’s a close third.”

Another reason why I picked Jimmie Johnson as my M.I.R. is because of his hot wife.  It allows me to post yet another picture of Chandra Johnson. 

 Here she is! 

uhhh… what’s this article about?

Not to change the subject again… but who is your M.I.R. of the 2008 season and why do you think they deserve the award. 

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This weekend the boys will be hitting the Pocono track and boy am I excited.  I didn’t post much this week because frankly I was tired of everyone talking about the tire issues NASCAR dealt with last weekend.

Just my .02 cents… NASCAR needs to start testing tires there for next year otherwise we’re going to run into this issue year after year.  Ryan Newman seems to be the only one voicing his opinion which as you all know I love.  Maybe he’s starting to speak out because he’s going to be one of Stewart’s boys next year.

Anyway… Pocono is always a blast of a race to watch.  It’s a funky triangular shaped track that makes for great racing.  I think there’s going to be a lot of competitive racing here especially with us getting so close to the final 12 races.

Who are my picks for this weekend?  I think there’s going to be a lot of top contenders out there especially since we saw a few guys from the Hendrick team out in front last weekend.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a couple guys out there dominating… Kyle Busch of course… Jeff Gordon again this weekend (He always seems to do well here)… and I think we may see Carl Edwards back up there in the front.

Carl Edwards has been impressing me with his intense driving on the course even though he has that “nice guy” attitude off the course.  He’s been showing the world that not all “nice guys finish last.”  One thing is for sure… he’s gonna have to show Kyle Busch this is true because if he’s wrong… Kyle Busch (cocky guy) is going to finish first.

Great racing to come… I look forward to discussing this race with you all on Monday.  Make sure you guys drink a bunch of beer this weekend because POCONOOOO… HERE WE COMMEEEE!

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Dale Earnhardt Jr must be on cloud 88 right now after a HUGE win at Michigan International Speedway! It took 76 races for Jr to finally get back in the winner’s circle and who does he have to thank but gambling man Crew Chief, Tony Eury Jr (and himself of course). Like any other race this season, it came down to strategy.  I was on the edge of my seat when I heard the Amp #88 was going to be staying out on the track with not enough fuel to finish the race. I thought at that moment, gas prices are up… try to conserve as much as you can and save the Hendrick’s team a buck! It was going to come down to a yellow flag for Earnhardt to conserve as much fuel as possible to coast for a win. All and all it was a well deserved win and I couldn’t have been more proud. Just watching him turning the engine off and on while coasting through the caution laps I for a second there didn’t think it was going to happen. Did I mention they tacked on two more laps for the green white checkered?

The one thing I love about NASCAR is the fact that every team is out for the win! It’s decisions like Sunday that show the true champions and just a top 10 finish. It’s not often you’ll hear a post race interview with a HAPPY second place or third place driver. They seem to always be disappointed and why not? They had the chance to take home the victory and they fell short.

Not everyone had a good day, Greg Biffle decided on lap 186 to come into the pits to change two tires and to also clip his tire changer knocking him over. We know the tire changer had a bad day, he might be a little sore for a while! We can’t forget Sam Hornish Jr as he was leading towards the end of the race battling with Jimmie Johnson. Hornish finished in 22nd after spinning out on lap 198 but fortunately being able to fire it back up and stay on the lead lap. Whew, a guy with an even worse day was team owner Chip Ganassi. His three drivers finished with a DFL which stands for dead f… last (Dario Franchitti), 38th place (Juan Pablo Montoya), and 34th (Reed Sorenson)… Ouch.

A big congrats to Joey Logano and his first victory after only 3 races in the Nationwide Series. He is officially the youngest driver to ever win a Nationwide Series Race. Eighteen years and 21 days old! We’ll be seeing a lot of this kid. What are your thoughts and what are the major events that stuck in your mind this weekend? Is anyone surprised I didn’t mention Kyle Busch? Oh wait I had too!

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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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