2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 25

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.


Rest In Peace Justin Wilson


Not many times does NASCAR Behind the Wall stray from the NASCAR world, but at times like this it only seems right. I do not catch much IndyCar from year to year, but anytime you hear of a fatal crash in motor sports it hit's you deep.

Any driver from any kind of racing puts his life on the line every time he steps in or on his vehicle. They do it for the fans, they do it for the sport, they do it for the money, and they do it for the love. Some do it for all of them, some do it for just one reason, it doesn't matter why but these guys do it because in the end they grew up loving the thought of going faster than the next guy

Because I do not watch much IndyCar nor cover it, after hearing of this accident I immediately did some research on Justin Wilson. Everything I got from social media was that he was a great human being that happened to be a great racer. He was a great driver, but an even better friend, father, and husband.

Justin was taken from us way to early at the age of 37. The thing that always hits me the deepest is that he was taken way to early from his family and friends. We may deeply miss him as fans and will long to see him in a car again or even just on the sidelines, but others will deeply miss his actual presence and accidents like this will never leave there memories.

Many people got to know him over the years and shared there thoughts over social media. AJ Allmendinger for one tweeted a bunch of heartfelt tweets that really hit fans hard. Sometimes it is hard to get all the emotions from a tweet, but AJ made us all feel the deep sorrow and love he had for Justin.

It's times like these that you wish these thoughts and stories weren't coming out because we lost a great man. I never knew him, never got to meet him, but I have taken the time to think and pray for he and his family. Keep all of them in your thoughts and each an every week the sport and drivers that you watch there as well. Racing is a dangerous sport and an accident can happen anytime, so sometimes we need to look past those driver we hate and remember these are friends, husbands, fathers, brother, humans first, and drivers second.

I love that in moments of tragedy we all come together, no matter which sport we watch. If I had one last comment, it would be to check out some articles on Justin Wilson. Check out some of his fellow drivers tweets and thoughts. Remember him as a great man and keep his family and friends in your thoughts.

RIP Justin Wilson 1978-20015

Throwback Darlington


The next race up on the 2015 season is Darlington Raceway. This year Too Tough to Tame was moved back from the beginning of the year to Labor Day Weekend. If that wasn't enough to get the old school feeling going then all the recent news on retro paint schemes should.

It seems like everyday since NASCAR left Michigan International Speedway a new driver has released an official look at there Darlington ride. This week we got a shot of Dale Earnhardt Jr's retro Valvoline ride (Neil Bonnett). We also got a look at Clint Bowyers ride (Buddy Baker), which is said to be hand painted. Those are only two rides of the many who will take the retro look and try not to give it a Darlington Stripe.

So, if you weren't already excited for "The Lady in Black" these schemes should get you ready. Even Goodyear got in on the fun and are running retro tires that have Goodyear in white. If you missed some of the paint schemes or still need to check them out, check this photo galleria on NASCAR Behind the Wall.


NASCAR Chase Final Stretch


2015 is year two of the new Chase Era in NASCAR. The Sprint Cup Chase has been around for awhile, but this new era where 16 drivers get in and winning pretty much locks you into one of those spots is still fresh and new. With that being said, only two regular season races remain before the second running of this Chase starts at Chicagoland.

Labor Day Weekend NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway and then we cap off the regular season at Richmond International Raceway. With only two races left the heat is being turned up on win less drivers and guys on the outside looking in. McMurray, Gordon, Menard, Newman, and Bowyer are all on the inside (top 16), but can not have multiple slip ups. It's easy to say they have a large points lead, but back to back terrible finishes could be disastrous.

Drivers like Almirola, Dillon, Biffle, and Larson are all on the outside and need either a miracle or a win in the next two races to make it (current Chase Standings here).

This is an aspect I like in this Chase era, a team can not just pack it in for the playoffs unless they have earned it (winning a race or even multiple races). Even though McMurry is safe, two 43rd place finishes would at least make him start to sweat. Maybe you thing the Chase field is too big (I for one am on the fence about that), but the rules do make things interesting and we are two races from seeing that all play out again. Buckle up.

2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: All Star Race

Rowdy Return, Soph. Slump, and 1.5 Mile Domination

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

Previous Hot Lap: Week 11

Check out ifantasyracing and their exciting new fantasy deal with DraftKings. A whole knew way to play fantasy NASCAR day by day and win money. ifantasy also had tons of fantasy information every week. Check it out and all the details at ifantasyracing.com

The Rowdy Return


This week Kyle Busch announced his come back to a Cup car. This coming after he had spent the whole NASCAR Cup season on the sidelines due to his XFINITY wreck at Daytona to start 2015.

Kyle Busch has a ton of followers but at the same time a ton of fans that do not care for him, but most can agree they are happy to see him back. Guys like Kyle are great for the sport and as with any sport, we must have guys or teams that are Love/Hate. It fuels a sport and fuels discussion and when a guy like Kyle with talent like Kyle is out everyone gets eager to get him back.

So this week Kyle will be back in the #18 at Charlotte for the All Star Race. It seems like it is a great spot for him to come back as many of his fans will be there to support him. Also, it is a non points race so it gives him and the team a chance to "test" out how ready he may or not be.

So, Kyle may or may not be a huge factor this weekend but it will give him and his team a good measuring stick as to where he may or may not be on his road back in the seat. It will be nice to see him back in the #18 and hopefully things go well. Good luck Kyle.


The Rowdy Chase


After talking about his comeback lets move on to bigger concerns in NASCAR about Kyle Busch. NASCAR announced that if Kyle wins this season and he gets into the top 30 that they will grant a waiver into the Chase.

This coming after earlier this season NASCAR also granted a waiver for Kurt Busch when he was suspended for a few races for off the track issues. At some point, when does NASCAR stop handing out waivers?

My biggest issue here is that it was 11 races to start the season. My view is, most fans of NASCAR want outsiders to view racing as a sport (it is), but in sport injuries always effect a team or individuals chances at a Championship. Injuries are rough luck, they suck, and they are unexpected, but they happen in sports and it can make or break a season.

So, if you want the world or sports to take NASCAR seriously then this injury must effect Kyle whether it is "fair" or not. He was out 11 races, or 30.5% of the season. He had to sit out 42.3% if the regular season and yet NASCAR will give him a shot at the Chase.

When a NFL team has to play without Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers for 7 games of the season will the NFL just say, its ok if you win 50% of your games you get a playoff spot? No. The NFL has a bunch of issues, but issues with granting waivers to teams for playoff spots for a star player getting injured is baffling. That is what NASCAR has on its hands.

I truly feel bad for Kyle Busch. The injury wasn't his fault and there is nothing he could do about it. But, that is sports. What his focus should be is to get better and ramp up for next season to make a title run.

NASCAR has stumbled over rules and gray area and it is constantly turning fans off. If NASCAR wants to not only keep fans but also bring them in then they need to start thinking about how outsiders see the sport. I for one, can not see this being a good image for outside fans on the "sport" of NASCAR.


1.5 Mile domination


NASCAR has made stops at four 1.5 mile tracks in 2015 (Atlanta, Vegas, Texas, and Kansas). So far NASCAR has only seen two different drivers win at these four 1.5 mile tracks. Those drivers would be Jimmie Johnson (3) and Kevin Harvick (1).

The "cookie cutter" 1.5 mile tracks have been all about the #48 and #4. Even in the three races Johnson won, Harvick finished 2nd in all three. This domination begs the question, can anyone stop these two on NASCAR's most abundant tracks?

During the last 10 race Chase, half of the tracks are 1.5 mile stops. This seems to set up Harvick and Johnson as clear cut favorites if no one closes the gaps on this style track. One of those 5 1.5 mile tracks is the series finale at Miami Homestead to decide who is the 2015 Sprint Cup Champion.

So, who might be close? Brad Keselowski has finishes of 9th, 7th, 5th, and 7th. Joey Logano has finishes of 4th, 10th, 4th, and 5th. Martin Truex Jr has finishes of 6th, 2nd, 9th, and 9th. Dale Earnhardt Jr has finishes of 3rd, 4th, 3rd, and 3rd. So, if JJ and Harvick are the favorites what two out of the bunch can make it to the end with them?

Last year Penske was strong all season so they might be favorites for the Ford lovers, but Dale Earnhardt Jr has a huge following and you can't ignore three 3rd place finishes in four 1.5's. Truex might be the odd guy out, but only because he hasn't won in 2015 yet, but we all watched Ryan Newman do the impossible and make it to Miami without one.

Right now, I would play my title favorites by the favorites on 1.5 mile tracks, which means Harvick, Johnson, Earnhardt, Logano, Keselowski, and Truex are all front runners. It may not be the only thing you need to do to win a Championship, but 1.5 mile dominance will play a large role in it.


Sophomore Slump?


Is the Sophomore Slump a real thing in NASCAR? If you ask Kyle Larson he will most likely attribute it to something else, but maybe superstition and sayings are a real thing. Through 11 races Larson has 3 top 10's and 0 top 5's. He is currently 22nd in points and things just seem to not be going his way like they did in his 2014 season.

This after an impressive rookies season that many thought (including myself) he would build upon. So, am I writing Kyle off so early in the season? Not at all. I will stand strong next to my statement he will win a race or two this season, but we can not just shut the door on how rough his 2015 season has been so far.

Last year through 11 races he climbed up to 12th in the standings with 5 top 10's and 2 top 5's which included a runner up finish at Fontana. His 2014 average finish of 15.09 (through 11 races) is down to 18.64.

On the bright side, Larson finished 2014 with top 10 finishes at Charlotte and Dover in the Fall and those two tracks are next up. So, it will be interesting to watch how he handles the next handful of races (including Pocono) where he also ran well in 2014. If he is going to snap out of it, it might be in the next stretch so stay the course Larson fans.

2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 11

The World of Racing

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

Previous Hot Lap Articles

• Week 6
• Week 5
• Week 4

GoDaddy Leaves Danica


A few days before Talladega news broke that GoDaddy would be ending it's sponsorship with SHR and Danica Patrick following the 2015 season. It was known that GoDaddy's contact was up after 2015 but no one knew what would come of it.

It is also known that Patrick's contract with SHR is up at the end of the season as well. Both sides (Danica and SHR) have stated that they would like to be back together for 2016. However, nothing real has come of it yet.

GoDaddy did say they were just done sponsoring her in NASCAR and she may still be a spokesman for the company going forward.

To me it just seems like GoDaddy believes they have hit there plateau as far as hitting a new market in NASCAR goes. At some point it is no longer beneficial to put so much money forth especially in NASCAR when you can not physically see the gains.

The move puts even more spotlight on Danica's 2016 situation. I have no doubt that Patrick can find other sponsor's moving forward. She is still a huge spotlight in the sport and a very marketable individual. The first question is, who will step up?

My bigger question is, if they don't find a sponsor by the end of 2015 will SHR bring her back? Will Danica be in a different ride come 2016? I do believe if Danica want's to stay in NASCAR that someone will have a ride for her. Worst case scenario is a smaller team will profit from gaining her sponsors, but I feel someone else would open up.

At this point, I still lean towards SHR bringing Danica back, but it will be something to keep an eye on. The whole SHR contract may revolve around what kind to interest she gets from potential sponsors.


The Talladega Train


This past week NASCAR headed to Talladega for it's second stop at a superspeedway in 2015. Last year NASCAR had four stops between Daytona and Talladega and at each stop they ran the same car package. This year NASCAR changed the aero package for the cars, but they did not touch the superspeedway package.

I bring that up because it is a key point in the discussion of why it was't NASCAR's fault that the race ended in single file.

Let's start back at the statement that it doesn't look like tandem drafting will ever be brought back, so lets take that out the window. Last year NASCAR had some pretty good racing at Daytona and Dega and most fans wouldn't complain about the action they got. In fact, some fans even praised the new package (new in 2014).

Pack racing isn't the same thing we get week to week and it sure isn't tandem racing, but it is a racing style that takes time and strategy of knowing when to go. Some bad luck is involved and every race teams get involved in wrecks that they have no part in, but that is part of racing. It is four races in a year that don't play by the same rules.

It gives little teams a shot at being noticed and even from time to time a chance to win. A win from one of these teams could change a season or a whole career. These four stops are a unique stop on the season kind of like road courses are.

Yet, NASCAR can never win with fans.

This week it was because the end of the race was mostly just single file. So, fans made uneducated statements blaming it on the same car package that they once enjoyed last season with dramatic finishes (such as the Chase race Keselowski won).

I thing fans are starting to forget not every finish is a dramatic one with last lap passes and Green-White-Checkered finishes. Let's say NASCAR would have thrown a fantum caution with 5 laps to go for debris that would have created a G-W-C. The cars would have been bunched up and the single file finish would have changed. But, under that thought fans would have then been outraged that it was like the WWE and everything was fixed. See, a lose lose.

Back to blaming NASCAR. Obviously it can't be NASCAR's fault if they didn't throw a fantum caution and because they didn't change the aero package from something fans enjoyed in 2014, can it?

Of course not, but why would fans ever take it out on the drivers? The teams? The spotters? Or just the fact that no one had a shot at making a move?

NASCAR changed the rules to make winning a bigger draw for teams, I mean it locks you into the Chase, yet is can never guarantee an exciting finish. In the end, Sunday had to do with drivers not sticking themselves out there for the win. Guys like JJ, Hamlin, Harvick, and Busch all have a win and could have stepped out. Why not? I mean they are locked in so why not gamble? Add to that a part time driver like Blaney had nothing to lose.

But, no one went. Guys like BK and Smoke were hung out to dry earlier because they tried starting a line. So, NASCAR dropped the ball? No, NASCAR had everything in place for drivers to go for the win.

Teams and spotters could have been working together like you hear many times with 20 laps, 10 laps, 5 laps to go. Will you go with my guy is he drops down? Nothing.

So, don't put this on NASCAR. NASCAR can only hold the race event, give them a competitive package, and even go to the lengths of trying to make a win mean more to get these teams to go for it in the closing laps.

This time it's not on NASCAR, but might be on your favorite driver and there team.....

2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 10

Driver Merry-Go-Round and a Driver's Comeback

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

It has been a few weeks since we have dove into the "Hot Laps" article. It's been a busy time and some topics I just didn't want to touch on on NBTW. This week we will dive back in. For the most part we will just get a catch up on what has been going on in the NASCAR world.


Driver Carousel


This season many crazy things have happened. A lot of these things have revolved around drivers having to switch seats in Cup cars. First Kyle Busch got injured in an XFINITY race at Daytona. Then Brian Vickers again had heath scares that took him out of a seat. Those incidents moved David Ragan into the #18, Moffitt into the #34, and then Moffitt back to the #55 and Chris Buescher into the #34.

That's not even mentioning Kurt Busch being suspended to start the season and Regan Smith filling in for him or even when Kyle Larson fainted at a autograph session and Smith filling in for him. Oh, and lets not get started on when Denny Hamlin started the race at Bristol, had a rain delay, and he couldn't get back in leaving Erik Jones in the #11.

Let's just say its been a crazy season thus far...

Well, next up Michael Waltrip will make his normal Talladega start this week in the #55, but starting next week at Kansas David Ragan will step into the #55 for MWR for the remainder of the 2015 season. That leaves the #18 open again. Erik Jones will fill in for Ragan who is filling in for Kyle Busch until Kyle comes back (if he does in 2015).

That leaves the #34 a week to week ride for the rest of 2015 until they announce a plan for a full time driver IF they keep running the car week to week. It has been a crazy start to the year and all indications show it may not end soon.


Kurt Busch's Comeback


Kurt Busch's past is well documented and it came up again this season after he sat out three races to start the year. But, I am not going to get into that right here and right now. I will not focus on what he did, didn't do, or has done in his past. What is important is that this man was pretty far down even going back to last season.

2014 was his first with SHR, but he actually had a worse season than he did in 2013 with lower funded Furniture Row. Going into the 2014 season it looked like another one of his many second chances was finally going to turn his career back around. But his rough season and then off the track issues stopped him from getting back onto of everything personally and career wise.

He got back into the car at Phoenix and seemed like the only one who had much for Harvick (other than Keselowski). He was running the same set up at Harvick and looked just as fast at times. He finished PHX with a 5th place finish and rolled that momentum into a Pole at Auto Club. The next four races (including Auto Club) he led laps in each which leads us to this past week at Richmond.

At Richmond Kurt started 3rd on the day and got out front often. He ended the day leading 291 of 400 laps (which was the most in one race in his career) and took the #41 SHR Chevy to Victory Lane. No matter how you look at Kurt Busch as a person or driver, it was a come back story after a terrible 2014 season where he averaged an 18th place finish all year long. So far in 2015, Kurt has shown that he and the #41 team have a fast cars week to week so he could be a factor down the road when the Chase rolls around.


Talladega Qualifying


This week NASCAR heads to Talladega for the season's second Superspeedway race of the season. Earlier this year (obviously) NASCAR was at Daytona for the 500, which Joey Logano won. The bigger story that week/weekend might have been the qualifying debacle. With it being the biggest race of the season and the first one of the year, when things went wrong people pointed right at the qualifying format.

At Daytona, the group qualifying format was applied which NASCAR had not done to many times at the plate tracks. Things got heated early when McDowell and Bowyer got into it early in qualifying which left a bunch of carnage behind.

So, after all was said an done, NASCAR announced a few weeks later that they would switch the format on plate tracks back to a closer format to one car on the track at a time. Teams will now make two lap passes but the next car will get on the track quicker than they did before when NASCAR also did single car runs. NASCAR is hoping this reduces the risk of wrecks when drivers are in groups at these plate tracks and still speeds it up a bit.

Talladega will be the test to see how this works after a mess at Daytona. Some liked Daytona, but others hated it. So, NASCAR listened and now I will wait and listen to see if fans opinions will have changed?

2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 6

Cautions and the Evil of Social Media

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.


Social Media's Monster in the Corner of the Room


I touched base a bit on this topic in my Pit Road Week 5 Article, but thought it was bigger then just a race review article. We are now in the day of technology, for better or worse. Lately I have seen the worst side come out and it happens all too much.

Sports stars and Celebrities have come to grips with the fact that social media and social media attention is now a part of there lives if they so sign up for it. They know what comes with the territory and normally they take it in stride.

However, there are two sides to social media and interaction. Many "fans" forget that even though they now have free rain to try and contact a driver at any moment over a social media platform that the they're still human. Within the technology and the screen sitting in front of these "fans" they lose sense of being a good person and individual.

Name calling starts coming which leads to even more vulgar statements. Pictures and memes start to circle around like a note in Kindergarten making fun of the kid with glasses. Sometimes it even goes as far as other family members or significant others getting pulled into the classless name calling.

All because people can sit behind a screen and never be seen? They can act like the tough guy because nothing will come of it? They can steal some attention because not only might that driver see it but they can maybe stir up the fan base as well. It really comes down to a sad reality that some people can stoop so low as to immature name calling and vulgarize statements. The worst thing might be is many of these "fans" teach there own children not to do this stuff to fellow friends or classmates, yet sit on there personal device to attach a driver they don't even know other then what they openly share with us.

You can have your opinion on a driver or NASCAR personality, you can dislike them, hate them, bring up reason's you think they're not good at there job, all of those are opinions. But what is with the second grade level name calling? Memes? You are degrading yourself even if these people on social media never meet you. Have a little pride in how you hold yourself accountable in day to day interactions with people you have physical and personal relationships with or those in the cyber world, because in the end we are all people.


To Debris or not Debris?


After the Auto Club 400 the Debris issue came to NASCAR's forefront. It has always been there, but now its a hot topic again. That's because on Sunday NASCAR threw a handful of debris cautions and fans got upset because of NASCAR's lack of clarity.

It also heated up because they came late in the race and may have altered the finish.

So, when does NASCAR throw a debris caution and when will they not? Everyone blames NASCAR when they do not see a shot of the debris on the track. Most of the time the anger comes more from the fans of drivers effected. So, it varies every time how upset a fan gets.

Just like NASCAR and throwing the yellow. Every debris caution is different as well as every late race spin or wreck. I think if fans were in NASCAR's shoes they would have just as hard of a time pulling or not pulling the trigger on ANY late race caution.

In the end, its a judgement call by officials that is made in a matter of seconds when they actually pull the trigger. It is not just a NASCAR thing either. Every Sport comes down to judgement at some point by an officiating crew even when that sport uses instant replay. At some point some finish will come down to judgement and going by the book. Sometimes even the book is hard to read which lead to fans saying there is no clarity or consistency. Just see the SMU game in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, fan judgement v officials judgement v rules.

So, in my opinion sometimes you have to roll with it. Now, I am one that still will argue when i think a call is wrong, but after awhile I have to move on because it isn't worth fighting something that came down to human judgement. So, have at it when discussing the ruling on Sunday, but don't blame NASCAR for every problem every time something happens, sometimes you can do nothing about human judgement except roll with it.

Side Note on the Last Caution (due to Biffle): This was completely different than the Daytona incident. At Daytona Larson was in the wall and the medical crew wasn't sure if he needed attention. It was a hard hit and they had to act right away. With Biffle it wasn't a hard hit and he eventually drove off the track before the cars got back or near him.

In fact, the whole field made it past where he spun and had no incident. Maybe you can try and fight the fact that there could have been some debris left over from Biffle, but they had no incident and with one pass by there wasn't a big concern. The other debris caution in question was with around 15 laps to go (I believe) and would have time to cut a tire AND have time for that tire to wear down. But, I do see some peoples argument that Biffles' car could have sprayed debris. The only thing we know there is nothing came of it and all the drivers made it back safe.


Martin Turex Jr. The Long Road Back


This one will be short and sweet, but I thought it was only right to continue to spotlight Martin Truex Jr and his return back to success. Ever since 2013 at Richmond life has been rough for he and his family, personally and professionally.

Well, he has started 2015 completely opposite as 2014. This year he has started with 5 straight top 10's. In 2014 he only had five total top 10's. He has also lead more laps in 2015 then he did the entire 2014 season and is currently 3rd in the points. The top 10 streak is bound to end at some point but it is great to watch while it continues.

Even when it ends, Truex and Furniture Row have shown they have bounced back and are ready to contend to make the Chase. Even more then that though, they have shown the fight that they could pull off a win or two and maybe even make a big run during the Chase.

It will be a fun run to watch all season! Good luck to Martin and the #78 team.

2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 5

Qualifying Backwards and a Star Returns to the Track

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

You know the deal by now, its week 5 and we have some NASCAR topics hanging around to be discussed! So lets get right into them and take a peak at what I think on each issue. As always, your opinions are welcome because, well, it is an opinion piece and everyone has one!


The Return of Kurt Busch


The biggest news of last week was that Kurt Busch was reinstated by NASCAR to drive in the Sprint Cup. After a legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Kurt was finally free to get back to racing. Last week I touch a bit on his return in Hot Laps: Week 4. Well, that seemed like where the story was going to cool down and end for awhile, but Kurt had different ideas.

On Sunday Kurt Busch not only returned but had a huge impact in the race. He ran the race in the same set up as Harvick and was a front runner most of the day. Kurt didn't have enough to pucsh Kevin for the win, but it was an encouraging sign for he and the #41 team. No one really expected him to be back in mid season form so fast but after his showing in practice and during the race it sure seems like Kurt is ready to go.

It will be interesting to watch him the rest of the way in 2015 after he had such a tough 2014 season on and off the track.


NASCAR Qualifying Backwards


This week NASCAR finally announced a change in qualifying. No, we are still doing group qualifying (I know some of you are hoping for that change, which by the way I don't get why?) No, the change is that we will finally start to pull out of spots on pit road instead of backing out.

To me, backing out of the pit stalls was always puzzling. It just causes more confusion and more opportunity for something to go wrong. I mean, in racing there is almost zero times in a race you will back up, so why is it part of qualifying anyways?

It will be nice to see this change this week at Auto Club and at least start to help NASCAR resemble racing instead of trying to park on Black Friday at Walmart. My only concern is why has it taken NASCAR so long?


What has NASCAR done with Tony Stewart?


So far in 2015 there is no question that Tony Stewart is the series biggest disappointment. That's hard to say when one of NASCAR's biggest stars in the last 15 years is struggling so mightily. Not only that, but he had a rough 2014 season as well. So what gives?

My biggest fear is that he never recovers and makes it back to the top where he made a mainstay. I am a fan of NASCAR first, my drivers second, so I hate seeing the biggest stars so far down. I believe the sport is better when these guys are thriving.

On that note, I am just not sure when or how Smoke will recover? Much of this all started when he first got hurt and he never got to get into the full swing of the car changes. On top of that NASCAR changes its car packages year after year and Tony has been missing a huge amount of seat time at those very moments.

So, while other drivers are learning the new cars, Tony has sat on the sidelines watching. It just seems to me he is so far behind that catching up is as tough as it comes. Add to all of that the way the new package runs is something that gets under Smokes skin. Early in the season we have heard him over and over swear about the new package and how he hates how close it is to the XFINITY cars.

I tend try to never doubt Tony because we have seen over the years he is one of the best drivers in Cup, but the longer the struggles go on and the more frustrated he gets that harder it is to see him back on top.

Note: The positive is, he ran well on Sunday before wrecking the first time. He was looking at a top 15 finish, for him lately would be a good start in the right direction.

2015 NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 4

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

You know the deal, its NASCAR Hot Laps. Better known as NASCAR Hot Issues. Also known as NASCAR Hot News. Sometimes referred to as NASCAR Hot Topics. No matter how you see it, its all of the above. So lets get into this weeks addition of "Hot Laps."


NASCAR on FOX. Commercials on FOX


NASCAR is a sport, but also a business. FOX is also a business and in the end what matters most to them is the almighty dollar. Now, NASCAR and Fox both need the fans to get that dollar, so in a sense they still do care about the fans.

I normally try and refrain from to much anger over commercials during sporting event because they go hand in hand. My typical philosophy is if you don't want to see them go to the sporting event itself. I know that is not always a choice for many viewers (trust me in the world of NASCAR and living in Minnesota I understand the struggle), but it still holds true if you are watching it on TV you have to expect commercials.

**Narwhal's, Narwhals, Swimming in the ocean....**

Ok, sorry for that commercial, back to the article

But, lets get past the part I understand about sports and commercials, because Sunday was enough to push me over the edge and complain about the coverage.

The past two weeks Fox has started the race out by going to commercial early (lap 9-11) and going side by side. Both weeks we have had a lap 25 competition caution as well. So, first up, why can Fox not wait for the built in commercial break at lap 25? Even if they have one, why is the first commercial break of the day side by side? I would rather save that side by side for the end of the race.

Which brings me to my biggest annoyance of Sunday. With 15 laps left in the race and it still under green Fox went to commercial break and not even a side by side. We all know at the end of the race we get more and more cautions which leads to more and more commercials, "commercials bread commercials" I guess. So, with all of that being said how does Fox go to commercial and not at the very least side by side at the most crucial point in a race? It really was un-explainable and unacceptable on Fox's part.

I get it, we have to live with commercials, including the annoying Narwhal commercial (which we didn't see much on Sunday), but the coverage to start 2015 has been horrendous and Fox doesn't have a lot of excuses. Move the side by side early in the race to the end so we don't miss the end action, please.


Hot AND Cold Start for Jeff Gordon


After an exciting 2014 season for Jeff Gordon and crew that was mostly on a high note, 2015 has been an up and down roller coaster that hasn't ended. This weekend in Las Vegas continued on that note when Gordon won the Pole for the Kobalt Tools 400. Then on Saturday Danica Patrick got loose in practice and Gordon ran intro her.

So, Gordon took his back up car and started in the rear of the field. Throughout the day Gordon worked his way slowly and methodically to the front finally reaching the top 10 at one point. Just when he thought the worst was over his teammate Jimmie Johnson got into the wall and Jeb Burton checked up. At that moment Gordon was looking to pass Jeb, but got caught in the back of his car because of JJ's date with he wall.

The damage was enough to wreck Gordon's day, but he stayed out and finished 18th. So, not only was the weekend up and down, but just the race in general was. Gordon has two poles on the year, but nothing to show in finishes.

The ironic thing about the season and where it could still go is that last year Gordon was in a spot where most of his fans were upset with the new Chase and wanted a points only Chase, in which Gordon would have won.

Well, its year two of the new Chase and points format and the system is finally on Gordon's side. That's because if it was a points only system he would be starting in a huge hole. But, Gordon's hole is not too far to climb out since now all he has to do is break his unlucky streak and find a win before the Chase. It seems very likely he will do just that at some point. His #24 Hendrick Chevy has been fast all year and so have the rest of his teammates.

So, Gordon fans, don't worry the season is not over.


Kurt Busch is Back


Just today (Wednesday the 11th) NASCAR lifted its suspension on Stewart-Haas Driver Kurt Busch. I have still not heard news on Chevy's relationship with Kurt and if they will allow him back in there cars.

Leaving that part behind it was good to see him get reinstated so fast after no charges would be filed against him from Delaware. I still hold to my opinion that NASCAR got it right as a sport and business stand point to originally suspend him.

With so many domestic abuse story's hitting the headlines in the sports world the "Big Media" would have had a field day if NASCAR let him race. Charges or none, Guilty or not, NASCAR had to sit him down until more came out with how bad it would have looked if this story came out another way (with Kurt being guilty).

Unfortunately public image plays a role in every sport, every business, and every real life matter. NASCAR had no choice in my opinion.

That being said, I am happy Kurt has been allowed to come back to NASCAR on short notice. I think that without being found guilty that NASCAR shouldn't hold him out. I do think that in some aspects Kurt should still have to go through the recovery program, but while being reinstated. I think he has had enough past issues that it would do nothing but help him out as an individual.

That last part of this case is the fact that NASCAR also said he is now Chase Eligible after missing three races. This is the opinion I am in the middle on and am not sure how I feel. NASCAR suspended him yet will let him be eligible for the Chase. At the same time he was found to be not guilty because they didn't have enough of a case, so he still missed a bunch of races and was in that predicament to start with. If they let him into the Chase, what constitutes not being eligible?

Even though I think NASCAR made the right move suspending him in the first place because they were in a tough spot, this move of making him Chase eligible almost looks like they think they made a mistake (even though they stood by there suspension last week). It will be interesting to see when NASCAR issues a statement on the matter what they say about his Chase eligibility.

NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 3

Qualifying and "Where is My Car?"

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.

Just two races into the 2015 season and we have another Hot Laps article. This week NASCAR was at Atlanta and a few remaining issues have been hanging around I would like to touch on. So, without further introduction, lets get into them.


Travis Kvapil, "Where's my car" addition


What a strange week leading up to the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Social Media went from watching llama's run loose, to "What color is the dress," right into where the heck is Team XTREME Racings #44 car?

This weekend the #44 team was to be taken down to Atlanta Motor Speedway and to be driven by Travis Kvapil, only one problem, the car never made it there.

With early weather reports for many teams drive from there shops to Atlanta coming in with a lot of inclement weather, teams decided to packed up early to get down there and beat it. One of the teams included Team XTREME Racing. They packed up but left the car at the shop as they were still finishing some things up.

So, the plan was to finish it up and put it in a car trailer to get it down to ATL. Well, on the morning of Friday 2/27/15 they found out that there truck and trailer was missing from the hotel parking lot it was parked in. Yes, someone stole a NASCAR Sprint Cup car! I know its old news by now, but how shocked were the guys who stole it? The thieves probably though they were stealing a bunch of construction tools or even some kind of maintenance tools, but much to there shock they had a Sprint Cup car.

Early Saturday morning the #44 car was found on the road side by itself. The trailer, truck, and everything else in it was still missing, but the car was found near Snellville, GA near a wooded area off the road.

The team soon announced that they would have to withdraw from the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. It was sad news from a team that really needs to make it to the track and not waste any funds week to week.

It was a strange story to start the weekend in the NASCAR world. In the same weekend a parked SUV ran into Denny Hamlin's Motorhome when it rolled back down a hill in neutral. So, this past week did not lack strange stories and conspiracies. The #44 team did announce that hey would make it to Las Vegas this week and attempt to make the race.


NASCAR Qualifying Woes


After the mess of qualifying at Daytona for the 500, NASCAR again ran into "issues" week two at Atlanta. If you remember last weeks Hot Laps, I think that NASCAR should go back to the old way for the Daytona 500 qualifying, but everyone has there opinion.

But, this is Hot Laps and as stated above it will be the one place on NASCAR Behind the Wall where I will let me full opinion come out on NASCAR issues. This week at Atlanta many fans were upset with the way things turned out.

That's because on Friday during qualifying 13 drivers did not get out onto the track during the first round, including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth. That is where the biggest issue came up and why social media blew up, top drivers not qualifying.

NASCAR originally moved qualifying back 15 minutes when they saw the number of cars still in line to get inspected (which was the reason guys didn't qualify; inspection). This week was the first week that NASCAR would be running its new 2015 car package and the first time teams would be going through inspection with this package for qualifying.

At the start of qualifying every team had gone through the line once and many who were back in line had failed the first time (if not more than once). This left many teams and drivers not on the track to qualify.

So, fans started attacking NASCAR, because who is an easier and more convenient target than NASCAR?

Fans looked right past that everyone had gone through once and had a shot at coming out clean. Now, reports were that some officials were not as organized as they could have been, but again everyone had a chance to get through on time for qualifying.

That may have been a small part of the problem but the bigger part were the teams, but fans never want to point the finger at there own teams they cheer for, right? Each team had a car at testing on Thursday where they got to test the new package, tires, and the inspection process. At this time they could smooth those issues out and work with officials to help them with the process.

When Friday rolled around teams should have known what to expect. However, like teams will always try to do, they pushed the limits of the new car and its limitations. Should teams stop doing that? No, they will always be looking for the slightest little advantage, but they should also realize it runs the risk of failing inspection.

Inspection is a cut and dry stage were lasers will say yes or no, green or red. Now, it was a ton of cars that had to go through more than once, but again this is on the teams as much, if not more, than on NASCAR. The teams are the ones working in the gray area of trying to get as much out of the car as possible.

This was just a storm created by the first race with a new 2015 package and teams were trying to see what they could get away with. Maybe inspection officials were a bit slow (because it was also there first time doing inspection for an actual qualifying event), but this in my opinion was more on the teams pushing limits and not giving themselves enough time to get through more than once than anyone else. But again, no fan wants to blame there favorite driver or team and no driver will call out there team and throw them under the bus.

So, next time don't just go the easy road and call out NASCAR when this has more to do with what teams are trying to get away with and being ill prepared than NASCAR.

Note: One last thing on this issue. To all the fans blaming this on group qualifying, wake up. First, qualifying isn't changing anytime soon. You can try and start a petition or stop watching, but its not changing. Group qualifying has, in my mind, been a great improvement and brings back strategy and excitement. Second, the format (group qualifying) had nothing to do with your favorite driver not getting through inspection.

We used this same style for a full season on every track but some of the superspeedway's and we had no issues. Just because we had issues at Daytona, does not mean you can just roll them over into Atlanta. The format does not correlate into the inspection process and really brings down any argument on an opinion you have.


NASCAR Safety Part Two in 2015


"After the Denny Hamlin wreck with Joey Logano I thought we understood there was no longer any more excuses for things like this to happen that could have been prevented by proactive thinking, yet it did.

So NASCAR, its your last warning. No more excuses."

Yes, that is a quote from NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 2. Yes, somehow at Atlanta it happened again.

If you missed the race and still do not know what happened, here is an update. In the second half of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 a wreck broke out that ended up catching Jeff Gordon. Gordon spun down to the inside of the track and hit the wall almost head on. Again, like last weeks wreck in the XFINITY series with Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon found a spot on the track that was just concrete.

This time, Gordon hit ruffly 100 feet from where the track did have SAFER barriers, but this spot did not. At a time when NASCAR is getting hit left and right with safety questions, we still have wrecks that involve bare concrete walls.

I called out last week that its 2015 and NASCAR no longer has the excuse when it comes to bare walls. Its true, NASCAR will never, ever be 100% safe because racing as a sport just can not be. Cars go around a track at 190+ MPH and anything can happen. But, we have seen how much SAFER barriers can help, just like the HANS device did after the passing of Dale Earnhardt.

Unlike the HANS which now has to be warn by every driver, we still lack that accountability by tracks and NASCAR to have SAFER barriers on ever spot on a track where cars can hit a bare concrete wall. Why? I have no idea and I think NASCAR needs to take some accountability.

Tracks should have to put up SAFER on every inch, not just the ones with a high probability to get hit, and NASCAR should be helping to fund these tracks. Its is the product NASCAR puts out there and they should be taking care of there drivers safety. Atlanta brought in some extra tires and mesh barriers to help in the time being because it was too quick to get up SAFER barriers. I give them a pass on the SAFER, but they should have had more of the track covered by some kind of protection.

If we have learned one thing by now, it is that these cars will find that one open area without protection and NASCAR along with tracks need to continue to be proactive about making the sport a safer product, and not just wait for something to happen and react to it.


NASCAR's Little Guy's

With how crazy the Daytona 500 turned out to be when it came to some big names having troubles, many small teams and lesser known drivers ended up heading to Atlanta with some good standings. But, the story line doesn't end there. That kind of thing tends to happen every year because its only one race and plate tracks can bring all kinds of crazy results.

After Atlanta we still have some great small team small driver headlines that I think are too good to pass up. Its still very early, but when you look at the standings its refreshing to see guys like Martin Truex Jr 5th (Furniture Row), Casey Mears 6th (Germain Racing), AJ Allmendinger 8th (JTG-Daugherty), and David Gilliland 11th (Front Row Motorsports). Also, both RPM drivers are also in the top 12 at the moment.

The new package might be playing a part in some of these drivers being in the top 12 at the moment, but will they be able to stay there? Even if it is just a case of pure luck and a small sample size and not because of the new car package or smaller teams gaining anything it it still nice to see for the time being.

You know what they say, the cream will rise to the top, but lets take a moment to put these guys in the spotlight. These small teams help NASCAR round out a field and its great to see some of them become more competitive. They put it out there week after week even though they do not get the results or profit that big teams do. So, give them the time of the day and maybe sponsors will start to see that they can make a splash with a big of spotlight and funding.

NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps: Week 2

Driver Carousel and NASCAR Safety

By Richard Tix

Hot Laps will be a weekly article on news in the world of NASCAR. I will write these articles any weeks where I have a thought or opinion on NASCAR news that is worth sharing. So, this could be an every week thing, or just every few weeks. Its an opinion piece, so it is open to discussion and debate and would love to here your thoughts.


It's just week two of the NASCAR season which means news in the racing world is still at a high. We have yet to hit those hot summer months where sometimes the only story lines are how each driver does on the track (or if you're Clint Bowyer what late night bonfires you have attended).

What that means? Tons of things to talk about and tons of things for every fan out there to have an opinion about.

NASCAR Safety


It's no question after the XFINITY race at Daytona International Speedway that safety concerns and talk were at the forefront of NASCAR. All of this after Kyle Busch late in the race jutted towards a inside wall at DIS that did not have a SAFER Barrier. He hit that wall head on (which also was angled backwards so it was easier for him to hit head on) and ended up being carted off with a broken right leg and broken left foot.

Right when that happened NASCAR knew they had another issue on there hands and took action to get something in place for Sundays Daytona 500. I commend Daytona for taking action right away. However, it is 2015 and NASCAR as a sport has to start being proactive and not just reactive. It is true, racing as a sport will never be 100% safe because somehow someway something will happen that is unexplainable and almost unpreventable unless we stop racing.

But, we now know how much SAFER Barriers help out the impact of rough collisions and there should be no excuse not to have them on every inch of a track like Daytona (that is going through a HUGE seating reconstruction). The money should not be an issue when it comes to driver safety and preventing a horrible accident.

Every single track should be looking at putting up SAFER barriers on any locations that can (and will) be hit by cars, and NASCAR should help fund this. After all, the drivers are what NASCAR needs to make money, and putting them in danger is in NASCAR's hands.

After the Denny Hamlin wreck with Joey Logano I thought we understood there was no longer any more excuses for things like this to happen that could have been prevented by proactive thinking, yet it did.

So NASCAR, its your last warning. No more excuses.

Note: Some tracks have already taken note. Atlanta Motor Speedway is having tires and mesh jersey barriers sent to them from Charlotte to help for this weekends races.


Driver Marry-Go-Round

One day after Kurt Busch helped push Danica Patrick back into the Daytona 500 during the Budweiser Duel he was suspended by NASCAR (for this article I will not touch that situation). That left Stewart Haas Racing with a big hole to fill, or not? Then on Saturday during the XFINITY race Kyle Bush was injured and Joe Gibbs Racing announced he would be out indefinitely until his leg (and foot) healed.

So, for the first time in a long time NASCAR went into a race weekend without a Busch Brother. For the Daytona 500 Camping World Truck driver Matt Crafton stepped into the #18 for JGR and Jr Motorsports XFINITY driver Regan Smith jumped in for the #41 at SHR.

Both had quality runs at Daytona but up until that point no one knew who would be in either car going forward. This week SHR announced that Regan Smith would be back in the #41 for Atlanta, but still no news on if they will continue to run the #41 week to week. In a rather shocking announcement JGR said that David Ragan would be stepping in for Kyle Busch for the time being in the #18. JGR also announced that after Erik Jones ran some more races in NASCAR's lower levels that he could get a shot to fill in after NASCAR approved him to run at the Cup level.

That move left the #34 car open that David Ragan was running. I really like the move by SHR for Atlanta. I also hope that SHR keeps running Regan Smith as much as they can going forward. It really is a call by Gene Haas though, as he hand picked Kurt Busch to drive the #41 and expand the team to four cars in 2014. So, will Haas continue to fund races for Smith? After his impressive runs in Nationwide in 2014 I don't see why SHR wouldn't give him a shot early on in the season to see how it goes.

The JGR move was a bit more shocking after letting Crafton drive at Daytona. I think Crafton (if he wanted to) would have been a on par pick to sit in the #18, but I don't think he has as much upside as Ragan. Ragan, once a RFR driver, may impress in his time at JGR. He has done a pretty good job in the #34 getting what he can out of the car the last few years. I think its a big opportunity and second chance for Ragan to prove if he has the car, that he can compete.

I would also like to state, that while Jones is young and may need some grooming, that I would love to see him get some seat time in the #18. Jones is talented and also has the approval of Kyle Busch, but many fans think it might be too early for the young driver to be in a Cup car. I lean in the middle, because look what Larson did when fans thought it was too early for him. On the other side it took Joey Logano a few extra years to develop into the contender many thought he would be, but I'm not sure keeping a guy in the lower levels is the way to do it. Drivers just don't get the exposure in XFINITY and therefore the sponsors are harder to come by meaning at some point these young kids may run out of opportunities. This maybe a big one missed by Jones, but in return it is a big one found by Ragan. Lets see who takes advantage the best (note: Jones is still getting a big opportunity on XFINITY with Kyle out, so all is not lost).

Note: Will be interesting to see if/who steps into the 34 for Front Row Motorsports. As I was writing this, Front Row Joe was announced to driver for Font Row at ATL (Joe Nemechek). Still no word long term.


NASCAR Points Dilemma 


With the news of both Busch Brothers and the replacements decided for the time being, what happens with the points issue? My biggest issue I have right now is concerning Regan Smith and where his points are allocated.

Before the season he announced he was going to run points for the XFINITY Serious, obviously. He had a full time ride with JR Motorsports and no news on the horizon that he would be in a Cup car. After Kurt Busch was suspended a door opened and Regan was going to take it.

I understand why NASCAR has the rule and I hate when NASCAR has so many gray areas in there rule books, but I really think they need to have some "special circumstances" where early in the season a driver like Regan could switch to Cup points. Now, it could be an advantage at times because a driver could see, "hey I have two top 10's, lets switch over to Cup points," but we will not see these occasions come up like they did this year very often (if ever). I would assume that Regan would stick with XFINITY points over Cup points if you asked him right now, anyways. He has no clue if he will be running full time the rest of the season, but what if he does? It could have been the opportunity of a life time to make a comeback to Cup and he didn't get that shot to switch to Cup points after race one.

This would only be an exception when issues like suspensions, injuries, or fired drivers come up week 1 or 2 in the NASCAR season, but I can't see where it would hurt. I would not want the rule changed to where every driver doesn't declare points until week two, but rather keep the rules the same but add this wrinkle in, so if Regan wanted to take a chance that he gets a full ride for the season he can. It would be 100% his risk anyways as he has a "know" (full time XFINITY ride) and "unknown" (no idea if he will get the ride past ATL).

Past the Regan issue it will be interesting to watch these guys going forward. If Regan Smith somehow wins at ATL it would be weird to know that win doesn't go to a Chase driver, even if he ran every race and finished top 30. At the same time, David Ragan could use the #18 as a way to get a win, or help get him to the top 16 in points and make the Chase. Yet, if Kyle Busch comes back, he could enter the Chase in the #34.

Another tough questions could come up under other avenues. One would be if Ragan wins in the #18 a few times and Rowdy wants back (or even once), would JGR ship Ragan back off to Front Row even though JGR would lose a Chase driver? Would Front Row demand he comes back so their team gains exposure and a Chase driver? Its a weird situation that could arise and will be interesting to watch if he can find a win in the next 25 races. I would think that JGR, Front Row, manufacturers, and sponsors would want to work a deal out to get the best exposure for all parties involved. Maybe they could approve Kyle to run the #34 while Ragan stays in the #18? Maybe if it happened they would just talk Kyle into resting a bit longer, but we all know Rowdy doesn't seem like that kind of guy. An alliance wouldn't work, because we are working with Ford's and Toyota's, so it would be very interesting to watch how it would play out.



That's all for this first addition of NASCAR Behind the Wall Hot Laps. What are your thoughts?