Daytona race weekend!!

Hello again everyone!

I'll apologize on here as I did on the Facebook Page, I've been quite busy since I got a job outside of my home so I've been tired by the time I get home but I think I've done fairly well keeping the FB page updated and here I am now working on this, if anyone reads it that is lol.

I ended up going to bed last night since I can't stand red flags, they can take forever and I had worked a 10am-7pm shift so I was quite tired lol. I would like to say congrats to Harvick on his win, even though I am not a fan of his at all!! If you know me than you definitely know this fact. It was quite a top 10 wasn't it, 8-10 was quite a surprised and wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for that wreck at the end, nice to see the two Red Bull cars finished great. Sorenson was running well all night though, I didn't even think he would be able to finish but he did which is awesome, the #83 car and the #84 both deserved the finishes they got last night. No matter what many say I think Scott Speed is a good driver, but hey that's just me! He usually always finishes, even if it is in the 20's or 30's, so hey I'd like to see some of you get in there and do what they all do week in and week out and than maybe you won't complain and diss so many of these drivers.

Big up's to my man Dale Earnhardt Jr! Great finishes both nights for him including his win Saturday night, which I missed as well and am quite sad about it! Awesome to see Jr finish in the #3 car, it's something that will always be remembered by his fans as well as his dads so way to go Jr! You needed that win too and than to finish well last night, your really proving yourself lately and showing you can run well,  you were just in a major slump!! My driver didn't finish well last night which is Jimmie Johnson, he ended up getting involved in that huge wreck at the end with about half of the field which stinks!! He had a decent run going and of course I had JMac on my fantasy racing as well since he is always good at plate tracks and was also involved in the a wreck, just not a good night for a lot of my guys.

I was glad to see Mark Martin was okay after his car had caught on fire, big props and team work to Jimmie's crew for helping Mark out of that car!! That was scary but thank god we have all that safety equipment now to keep these guys safe from incidents like that one. Daytona always makes for some great racing but wrecks and some scary ones at that, glad all the guys are okay that we're involved. I would like to say to see Kyle Busch's car all wrecked and crushed was a beautiful sight since I can't stand the guy haha, and hey it was one idiot wrecking another since it looks like it was Juan Pablo's fault and than karma bit him in the ass since he was involved in that huge wreck toward the end of the race! Ahh it was wonderful haha, I just wish some of the other drivers involved weren't since the only driver's I really can't stand are the race winner, Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Overall, I thought it was a decent race, minus most of my guys getting wrecked lol, but hey it happens at a place like Daytona, it's only a time of when through out the race a huge wreck or two will happen. I don't have a whole lot to say but I really wanted to update this. I wish I'd hear some of the fans thoughts on the races when I post my opinions, who was your pick? Did they finish well? What did you think about the race overall? I ask these questions and hope I will get some answers but I'm not sure of how many people read this, more people interact on the Facebook Page more and I wish I could say I'd get paid for how many people "like" a post or two or comment but I don't. The only thing I make money on on here is if someone clicks an ad or two which are the google ads on the blog itself. Check them out if your interested, most of them if not all have to do with racing and/or NASCAR!! I will be adding a new poll this week too and I will make it known on the FB page so please vote! I never seem to get enough answers to really know opinions and thoughts!! I'm trying to make the page and the blog better so if you have any ideas please contact me!!

I know Harvick won the Cup race but I'd rather post a photo of Dale Jr since I like him and am a fan and I think his win in the Nationwide Series meant more this weekend, I'm sure many would agree but than again I could be wrong.

Happy 4th of July everyone!! Enjoy your day and be safe! God Bless!

Hamlin Wins at Michigan for 2nd Straight Win

Hello again everyone!

Well, Michigan was sure exciting wasn't it? lol (just a hit of sarcasm!) that race track definitely bores me to death and than some. I checked out some of it to see where some of my favorite drivers we're on the track through out the race but I just don't find Michigan to be exciting racing by any means. So therefore since I didn't watch much of it I don't have much to say about it this week except it was really nice to see the finishers we had in the top 10 including Kasey Kahne who finished second, it would've been nice to see Triple K win since he hasn't in so long. Tony Stewart finished well, as did Jimmie Johnson and DALE EARNHARDT JR!! Can you all believe it, Jr finished 7th!! It's about time Jr had two great back to back finishes or well I consider them great because he really needed that.

What did you all think about Jr's finish and Michigan, do you find it a boring track as much as I do lol and I'm definitely not looking forward to this weekend's race in Sonoma, I hate road courses so I doubt I'll watch much of it. Who's your pick to win? I'm going to go with Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart. If it was a number of years ago I might factor Robby Gordon...yes Robby Gordon into a possible winner but not now a days. Although I do give him mad props for being one of the only owner/drivers still out there and he does always have decent sponsorship and ok runs, mainly in the 20's but occasionally a tad better. I'm sure he will still finish fairly decent at Sonoma since it is a road course race! Let's see if Jeff or Tony can win though, that would be awesome!!!

Until next time! Take care guys, sorry there wasn't much to say. Be sure to keep track of the Facebook Page, if your not liking it than please search Race Insider and like it...I try to update it daily with news, stats, when the race line up's come about, questions and much more. I've also been featuring a daily page to like each day that has to do with racing.

Wild finish at Pocono, Hamlin win's.

I usually tend to find Pocono one of those races where I mainly listen, except for when I attended a race there myself in June of 2006, it tends to be a little bit more fun and exciting in person. However, I'm glad I decided to watch most of yesterday's instead of listening too it. The end was thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat to say the least which doesn't usually happen at a track like the tricky triangle. I personally wasn't surprised to see Denny Hamlin win, he won his first Sprint Cup race at Pocono when I attended in 2006 and has pretty much dominated the track ever since his Rookie Year...it can basically be re-named Hamlin Speedway haha but he said in his post race interview that he prefers Pocono as the name. He is now tied with Jeff Gordon for 4 wins at Pocono which is amazing considering it's not the easiest track to race on since every corner is different. I thought for a while there yesterday Clint Bowyer was going to win his first race in 2010 as he had such a dominant car at the beginning of the race and than I missed what happened to Clint but I heard he got some sort of quarter panel damage. We had some great finishers yesterday though with Tony Stewart finishing 3rd and Jimmie Johnson finishing 5th, both of those guys deserved and needed a great finish with how both their seasons have been going so far.

The biggest drama of Pocono was the incident between Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick on lap 198. I believe Harvick is to blame for what happened, yes they we're two guys racing for position but Harvick got right into Joey's left rear panel and turned him. This is one reason I'm not a Kevin Harvick fan and never will be, in my eyes he races very dirty!! Kevin Harvick is quoted as saying the following “a 20-year-old move”, “he just races without giving people any respect and not much room. So, we just wound up getting together. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it goes."

I was so happy to see Joey stand up for himself and confront Harvick but of course Harvick's crew had to protect him because he's nothing but a wuss outside of his race car. After the race Joey said the following and this is all direct quotes. “It‘s disappointing to be honest with you,” “We had a top-five run going. I was pretty pumped up about it. Racing (Harvick), and he let me go in the middle of the straightaway and decided to dump me on the next lap.“I don’t know what his problem is with me, but it's probably not his fault. His wife wears the firesuit in the family, tells him what to do, so it's probably not his fault ... I don't know what I ever did to piss him off, but he's obviously stupid." I think these quotes made my night and of course have still made me smile today, it's so nice to see someone finally tell the truth when it comes to Harvick's wife haha, I mean she looks like a moron, she is the only wife to wear a fire suit every single race. I mean c'mon, is it necessary to wear one?? Kevin is so whipped  by Delana it's not even funny.

That huge wreck at the end wasn't very nice to see either considering it took out half the field and a number of drivers I like, not that their are many I don't like lol, if you know me than you know I can't stand Harvick, Montoya and Kyle Busch, besides that I have my favorites and others I am fine with. There has been a lot of run in's as far as teammates go this season so I shouldn't have been too surprised to hear how Kasey Kahne and AJ Allmendinger most likely won't be discussing what happened on the track. It was AJ who ran Kasey basically into the grass and Kasey couldn't turn the way he wanted so he ended up wrecking and than everyone else had nowhere to go including drivers such as Martin Truex Jr, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin and many more. Apparently, Kahne and Allmendinger aren't "friends" to begin with, it was clearly stated by Kahne that he doesn't talk to AJ so he probably won't be talking to him about that incident! YIKES! I guess it's good that Triple K is going to another team next year lol, they aren't what I would call best friends, it sure doesn't sound like they even like being associated as "team mates" lol

What do you all think about yesterday's race at Pocono? How did your favorite driver finish? and who's side are you on when it comes to the incident between Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts so please feel free to comment below, it would be great to start a nice debate among fans. I will be posting a new poll on the side as well so please vote!!

As always, it's great to be back and I plan on trying to write one or two blogs a week, I know their more of my opinions and quotes but I'm not a professional reporter so I can't actually view the races in person and interview the drivers, crew chiefs and so fourth but I enjoy working on this and the fan page as well. I hope everyone has a great week and on to Michigan we go!!!

Just a quick update!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about this blog or the fan page on Facebook, I just haven't had wireless in over a month to update it. I am at the library right now but I am able to get some wireless in my apartment, it's not the best but I will do my best to keep both the blog and fan page updated with new photos, news, etc. Also a quick congrats to Kurt Busch on winning the All Star Race and than the Coke 600 at Charlotte, McMurray did awesome as well...if he had had longer and gotten out ahead of Kurt in the final pit stop of the 600 I believe he could've won it. and last but not least well wishes and get well wishes to Mr. Brian Vickers, I'm a huge fan and  hope to see him back on the track next season but his health is what is most important right now.

Hamlin win's at Texas, for his second win of the year

Hello everyone!

I have to say the race was actually a very entertaining one. Denny Hamlin won at Texas Motor Speedway for his second win of the year and held off a charging Jimmie Johnson in the final laps. Hamlin didn't lead a lap all day until the final run of the race. It looked all day as if Jeff Gordon would be the one to win but Gordon was involved in a huge wreck which involved Tony Stewart and others, to me it looked like it all started when everyone got jumbled up and Jeff went a little high towards Tony but than Carl Edwards got into the back of Tony and than it was all over, a ton of very good cars were involved. It changed the outcome of the race as it gave Jimmie Johnson a huge break since he had had a tire go down earlier in the race and it had put him 1 lap down in 19th position.

I honestly thought Jeff Gordon had this win in the bag as he seemed to have the best car out of any but yet again he lost it due to something stupid and out of his control. I'm personally not a huge fan of Denny Hamlin's but I'd rather he win than Kyle Busch who I can't stand at all. I'm very impressed with the day Dale Earnhardt Jr had, he finished 8th and actually led up front for a while and it was on more than one occasion. There still needs work to be done, I agree with Jr after seeing his post race interview but he always seems so miserable, he could of at least smiled some!! I understand though because they haven't run great all season so to finally have a great fun must feel great but they need to keep the work up so they can pull off a win soon, the #88 team definitely needs a win as does Jr, he is long over due. Jeff Burton was another one who had had a great day up until the end, he really came back from that penalty and recovered well and than I don't know if he hit the wall or what happened.

Did you all enjoy the race? I'm going to try to tune into the Nationwide race which should be on now or just about now. I'm very impressed with Denny Hamlin though after having knee surgery and than he toughed it out last week at Phoenix and finished, he might have finished 30th but he finished and that's all that matters. I know a lot of people thought he should switch drivers when they changed the battery since Casey Mears was on stand by. I feel bad Casey didn't get to race but it has to be a tough position to be in as it's not actually your car either.

I will try to write a quick one up for the Nationwide race if I get it on my laptop, I can't watch it at home since no one else is into NASCAR and it will just cause problems lol but I should be able to whip something up! You all have a great night and let's look forward to Talladega, that always makes for great racing and I can't wait, it's one of my favorite tracks.

Race Insider's Facebook Fan Page

Hello Everyone!

If your not aware we do have an official Facebook Fan Page for this blog, it's called Race Insider and here is the direct link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Race-Insider/190992907125?ref=ts#!/pages/Race-Insider/190992907125?ref=nf

Remember to suggest the page to all of your friends and family who enjoy NASCAR, the page will keep you up to date on new blogs posted on here, news, stats, race line up's, new polls and much more. It's also a great way to meet other fans of the sport. I'm always gaining new fans each week on the fan page, which makes me very happy and there is always at least one new blog up each week, sometimes more depending on the week. I also try and add a new poll each week to this page, I would like input from other fans though as far as the poll goes, shoot me a question with 2-4 answers, depending on what the question is and I will use the question and answers for the weekly poll. As always you will be given full credit in the blog for submitting the question.

As always check out the Google Ads on the blog, it can be a great way to find great links that have to do with racing, drivers, tracks and more.

Have a great week everyone!!

Ryan Newman Wins Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix!

Hi everyone!

Who else watched last night's Subway Fresh Fit 600 from Phoenix? It wasn't the most exciting race I've seen but I'm so happy that Ryan Newman won! Here is a quote via NASCAR.com made by Newman after the win. "I've got to throw Gibson under the bus -- he wanted to go four, and I said, 'Just give me two,' Newman said. "I liked the track position. I'd rather block than have to boot. I was in a good position there, obviously.
"I had restarted on the bottom side earlier tonight and could not get going. On two tires, I was kind of impressed -- but there were a lot of cars behind us with two tires. It was a good situation to be in. It was just the right time, right place." He hadn't won since the 2008 Daytona 500 so this win was a long time coming.

I thought Jeff Gordon had the win, just like I thought he'd win at Martinsville but Jeff stated in his interview after the race that he spun the tires and Ryan just got out ahead of him and that was it. I feel bad that Jeff hasn't won yet this year but I'm sure he will, he just hasn't come out on top in the final laps in the past couple of races like he should have. If it wasn't for that final caution, I'm sure that Kyle Busch who I can't stand would have had the win in the bag and Jimmie would have finished second but JJ did finish 3rd and I'm happy with that and he was as well so all in all a good night for the 48 Team. I was very disappointed to see that Kasey Kahne didn't have a good night as it was his birthday and the poor guy hasn't had any luck so far this year, what is up with that? What's everyone's thoughts on how the 9 team has been running so far in 2010? Paul Menard was another driver that I thought would have yet another great run but he did say that Phoenix isn't one of his best tracks and that certainly showed last night. However, he did finish well in the Nationwide Series race and is still in the top 10 in that points so congrats so far to Paul this year, he's made a lot of progress in his racing career.

On another note...Dale Earnhardt Jr finished 12th and that's a decent run for Jr, but where and when is this win going to happen? It's been a long time coming, I saw the poll on FoxSports about who do you think will end their win less steak first and most people voted Gordon and than Jr and I agree with this. I sure hope Jr can pull off a win in 2010, if not than who knows if he'll be with HMS in 2011 but Rick seems to be standing by him. Other drivers who finished well and I was surprised by was Marcos Ambrose who finished 11th, Robby Gordon 14th, and AJ Allmendinger 15th.

Was everyone happy that Newman won or are you not a fan? It was nice to see someone else win, I might be a huge Jimmie fan and of course everyone wants their driver to win each week but it wouldn't be a sport without others winning sometimes and Newman deserved the win. I have mixed feelings about them racing at Texas next week since it's not a real favorite track of mine, I'm looking forward to Talladega since I love plate racing and that is one of my favorite tracks to watch them race at...I hope to be able to attend a race at Dega one day but it can get expensive. Is anyone going to a race anytime soon? If so which race and have you been before??

I have a question for all those racing fans out there, if there was one track you could remove from the schedule which one would it be and why? Which track would you add in place of the one removed and why? I hope everyone had a great weekend, I did for the most part and I truly enjoyed seeing Newman win last night, it made my night to see him in Victory Lane again, I'm sure Tony Stewart was ecstatic as well.

Hi Everyone! Some quick thoughts

I apologize for not posting a blog earlier in the week about the Nationwide race which took place at Nashville. I didn't have much to say about it at the time, I did watch the race but I'm not a huge Kevin Harvick fan and I was honestly hoping that Reed Sorenson would win that race since it's been a long time since he's won a race in the series. I thought he would catch Harvick but he didn't, I heard he is running tonight's race at Phoenix but than again so is Harvick.

Carl Edwards won the pole earlier for tonight's race in Phoenix for the Nationwide Series, why can't a Nationwide regular win the pole and a race for once? I was happy when Justin Allgaier won at Bristol but now no one else will win right away besides Cup guys since they all feel the need to run just about every race or well certain drivers feel that way.

I am looking forward to racing under the lights, it's always cool to watch night races, the only thing I dislike is that they end so late at night and it's hard to stay awake sometimes, does anyone else have this problem? Who is everyone's pick to win the Nationwide race tonight and the Cup race tomorrow night? I'm going to go with a Cup guy wins tonight...unfortunately and Jimmie Johnson wins tomorrow : ) Jimmie is so good at Phoenix so he definitely has a great chance of winning tomorrow.

I'm wondering if Denny Hamlin will even finish tomorrow's race, I think Mears will most likely be finishing that race for him because you can tell from the clips they showed on TV that he is in so much pain from his ACL surgery on his knee. As much as I can't stand him sometimes and I'm not a fan of his, I feel bad he is in so much pain if he feels he can't finish the race than he shouldn't push the issue.

Well, that is all for now everyone, if you have anything you'd like me to start a discussion with in the blog, please let me know and I'll get right on working one. Does anyone have an idea for a new poll? Sometimes I feel like it's a waste to post a new poll since no one votes lol, I had one up for about two weeks and now it's closed on it's own since it didn't get 1 vote : (

Stayed tuned after this weekend for a new entry! Until then let's go racing boys!!!!

Martinsville

Well, as I stated on the Facebook Fan Page I wasn't really sure what I would write about this week, considering I'm not fond of Monday's winner or Martinsville Speedway for that matter. I usually will write out a blog after each race and state my opinions, this week I don't have that much to say. I do have a few things though.

I was honestly surprised when Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch pitted towards the end of the race, their wasn't much time left, I thought they blew their good runs they had going. Boy, was I wrong! Denny Hamlin came like a bat out of hell and ended up winning and he re started quite a ways back for being at Martinsville. I thought Jeff Gordon had that race in the bag, I figured if anyone was to beat Jeff at the end it would have been Matt Kenseth or possibly Ryan Newman...not Hamlin. I knew Hamlin would do whatever it took towards the final laps to win, since he had dominated a majority of the race on Monday.

I don't like Martinsville, it's not as exciting of a short track to me as say Bristol is, Martinsville is like speed up, slow down, don't crash around that turn and repeat what I just said about 499 other times lol. I'm very disappointed that Jeff Burton didn't win, he had a great car all day until that tire issue towards the end, and he is from Virgina so it would have been awesome to see him win, considering it's been a while. I was surprised at how much Marcos Ambrose was getting into people through out the race, that seems very unlike him, you don't hear of him wrecking people or causing problems on the track every week. Who knows what his problem was or maybe he just wasn't having luck with his car handling well, I'm not sure.

I'm sorry this isn't the most exciting blog I've written but there just isn't much to say, since this weekend is an off weekend there most likely won't be a blog the following week unless a few major things happen news wise in the sport or I have some opinions to state about things going on. I hate that this is the second off weekend already this season, let's just race!! I hope everyone who celebrates Easter has a great weekend and a great Easter.

Update!

Hello everyone!

How was your weekend? Mine was alright, nothing too exciting happened. Well, if you haven't heard the Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville was postponed today due to some major rain in Virgina. They are suppose to be racing tomorrow at 12pm Eastern Time, that's if the rain can stop for long enough, it looked like they'd be getting quite a bit of the nasty stuff.

I didn't get a chance to watch the Truck Series race yesterday at Martinsville but I heard they got quite racey towards the end of it, which always is great for the fans. Martinsville isn't my favorite track so I hadn't really planned on tuning in but of course I wish I had now. I heard that Ron Hornaday and Johnny Sauter had quite a feud going on yesterday and I would have loved too see it as I'm a Johnny fan lol, I heard Sauter bit his tongue though and didn't say anything bad on camera which is always good. 

I'd like to congratulate Kevin Harvick on his win, Kevin always does well in the Truck and Nationwide Series races, he just needs to win some Cup races this year but he seems as if he's on his way with the way he's been running this year (Knock On Wood! lol).

Well, I guess that's it for now, just a quick update and a few thoughts. I'd love to hear who everyone has picked to win at Martinsville whenever the race does happen, so either leave a comment on here or one on the Facebook page! Also, do you like Martinsville, and tell me why or why you do or don't like it, I always am up to hearing people's opinions. As always after the race concludes I will work on a new blog entry, so you can all look forward to that and I'm posting a new poll right after this entry is published.

Have a great night and a great week everyone!

Jimmie Johnson Wins 50th Cup Race, 1st Win at Bristol

Hi Everyone!!

Well, Sunday's race started out with Joey Logano, driver of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet on the pole and it ended with Jimmie Johnson driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway! We've all heard that for the 3rd time this year...Johnson wins! It was actually quite an exciting race in my opinion, great side by side racing, lead changes, a fairly "big one" at one point and a driver winning at Bristol who had never won at that track previously. I thought for sure Kurt Busch had Sunday's race in the bag, considering how much he lead through out the day and the car he had but once again by boy didn't fail to disappoint, you can never count out the 48 car until it's over and done with.

I was quite impressed on Sunday with how a few drivers ran including  Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr and Scott Speed to name a few. If you didn't notice Menard sites 8th in the Cup standings heading into Martinsville next Sunday, that's awesome! He has proven he can drive a race car and run a clean race, when someone was faster than him on a number of occasions on Sunday he didn't push the issue, he let them pass...the way it should be if you know you can't hold your line and maintain that position any further. I'm surprised Truex had such a great run, finishing 12th at Bristol...but than I'm not considering Michael Waltrip Racing has shown they can build and bring quality race cars to each race, David Reutimann was up front and having a decent day and than before you knew it he was out...I missed what happened to him but it must have been something mechanical because I never saw him out on the track for the rest of the day. And finally on to Scott Speed, he sits in the top 15 in points heading into next weekend's race and has only not run 1 lap I believe they said of competition all year so far...that's impressive!! His team mate Brian Vickers in the 83 car finished 15th so a great run for both Red Bull guys! It's nice to see some guys up front and running well that normall you would think wouldn't, it makes for a better race!

I know many people are sick of Johnson winning but they need to get use too it, he has proven week and in week out he has a car capable of winning! I've heard rumors of how Knaus should be put with Dale Jr and how any driver could win a race as long as they had Chad Knaus as their crew chief...I highly disagree with these opinions that I hear. Having a winning crew chief isn't all about how many wins that crew chief had with another driver or a team, it's about communication and chemistry! Certain drivers get along with certain crew chiefs better than someone else might, it's just the way the sport works.

Your top 10 at Bristol was as follows race winner Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth round out your top five. Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Burton rounds out your top 10. Next week their on to Martinsville, so that's two short tracks in a week, I prefer Bristol over Martinsville for some reason but of course I'll be tuning in! Watch out once again for Mr. Jimmie Johnson as he's won the last 5 out of 7 races at the short track.

What's everyone's thoughts on Bristol, we had a first time Nationwide winner in Justin Allgaier on Saturday and than Jimmie Johnson win's at Bristol for the first time in his career, making it 50 Sprint Cup wins now. If you haven't, please check out the blog I posted about Saturday's Nationwide race, it came out quite well if I do say so myself. Any input or comments on the races this past weekend, please share in the comments below or on the Facebook Fan Page!!

Take Care everyone and have a great week!

Justin Allgaier Wins 1st Career Nationwide Race At Bristol

Wow! What a race that was, but than again isn't Bristol always entertaining? I'm so happy I tuned in earlier to watch the Nationwide Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, not only did Allgaier win his 1st Nationwide race, it finally wasn't a Cup guy winning in Nationwide. I've been saying for a long time that these Nationwide regulars need a chance to shine, win races and compete for the Championship, it's hard to do when their are so many cup drivers entering the race week in and week out. The long debate has it that the cup guys help boost ticket sales, so maybe they do but let's take a look at the truck series, they seem to be doing perfectly fine without cup drivers entering each of their races, a few is fine but 10 or more, please...let's not.

If you missed the race Allgaier  passed Keselowski on a restart with 27 laps remaining in the race. The finish gave  Penske Racing it's first 1-2 finish in the Nationwide Series...it amazes me this is the first one for Penske but than there is a first time for everything, right? Not a whole lot happened through out today's Nationwide race except at the end when Joey Logano was battling with Kevin Harvick for position when Harvick spun Logano on the final lap to finish 5th, Logano finished 14th. This bothered me, Harvick is battling Logano as if it's for the win, it was for one position higher than he was running...on the final lap...he clearly races very dirty from time to time. I could understand if it was a bump and run for the win but for 5th place? C'mon now, that's not common sense too me.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Sprint Cup race at Bristol, hopefully it doesn't rain as their saying it's suppose to be cloudy and it could rain. I want to see how Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski race against each other, they did have that meeting with NASCAR today and Edwards has a 3 race probation to abide by but sometimes that doesn't mean anything in the sport of racing. Joey Logano has the pole for tomorrow's race,  his first career pole so it's been a great weekend in racing so far when two young guns are showing their stuff...first Logano winning his first Cup pole and than a young Justin Allgaier winning his first Nationwide race.

Who's everyone's pick for tomorrow's race? Jimmie Johnson looked strong in practice but if you look at the past two races at Bristol the winner was none other than Kyle Busch...so we'll just have to wait and see what happens but I wouldn't mind seeing a first time winner this year or a driver win their first cup series race, that's always exciting! I will be adding a new poll in the side bar, I'm thinking of having it to do with Edwards and Keselowski, how's that sound? If anyone has an idea for a poll, please by all means let me know, I'd love to use one that a fan of this blog/facebook fan page comes up with!

Jimmie Johnson wins at Vegas for his second win in a row

Well, Jimmie Johnson did it again Sunday when he won his second race in a row this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon who dominated the race and seemed as if he was on the verge of winning his first race of the season ended up finishing 3rd. Kevin Harvick finished 2nd behind Jimmie Johnson for yet another great finish so far this year. I have to say that Harvick and Richard Childress Racing for that matter has surprised me a lot this year with how they've been running, I know it's only going to be the 4th race of the season this weekend at Atlanta but all of their cars are in the top 10 in points!

I wouldn't say a whole lot happened through out the weekend as far as racing is concerned, Kevin Harvick won the Nationwide Race and of course I had to hear all the people who bash Jimmie Johnson for winning yet again and insist he is cheating...not true. JJ has proven he can win on any track and can win Championships, he has won four in a row which has never been done before and he's going to go for a fifth this season. I hear from many people that NASCAR has gotten boring, if that's the case than don't watch it but I love it and will continue to watch it each and every week! Jimmie is my favorite so of course I don't mind seeing him win, I was a little sad Gordon didn't pull off the win at Vegas since he was my pick to win even before the race started and dominated the race. That two tire call on his last pit stop is what I believe made Jeff lose the race, if he had taken four tires like JJ than he might have won it, he might not have...but we will never know.

Who's everyone's pick to win at Atlanta this weekend? Bobby Labonte has always done well at Atlanta but I'm not sure he could pull off the win with the equipment he has, Carl Edwards is strong at the track but than again so is Jimmie Johnson. I apologize for posing this so late but I've been a little busy and than I wasn't feeling the best, I'm sure it's not my best blog as I feel my previous two we're two of my best but I'll try and make Atlanta's blog much more interesting and better writing and thought put into it.

Have a great weekend everyone!! I will be changing the poll to a new one for this weekend, I just have to think of a great question to put up and I hope everyone will vote on it as I only had 3 or 4 people vote on last weeks with Dale Jr being the winner of the poll, although we all know that Jr didn't end up winning, at least he finished on the lead lap lol.

The Auto Club 500 At California Speedway

Jimmie Johnson won his 48th career Sprint Cup race on Sunday at Fontana. Johnson got a lucky break on pit road when the caution came out Sunday.He crossed the scoring line before Jeff Burton or Kevin Harvick were able to cross the start finish line. Jimmie was able to stay in the lead when a caution came out when Brad Keselowski spun and everyone else including the two Richard Childress cars of Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton pitted under the yellow. He was able to hold off a charging Kevin Harvick who I'm sure would of caught Jimmie if he hadn't of scraped the wall in the final laps. Johnson is quoted as saying "Yes, we were lucky today," "But you don't get lucky and win four championships and 48 races."

Juan Pablo Montoya driver of the #42 Target Chevy and Ryan Newman driver of the #39 Army Chevy both had engine troubles in the race.

Your top ten in the finishing order for the Auto Club 500 at Fontana were Jimmie Johnson the race winner, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle rounds out the top ten.

I didn't get to see the whole race as when it reached 100 laps to go I was finally able to pick up some wireless and watch it on the Internet. I know rain was a factor at one point and I was so excited to see my second favorite driver Brian Vickers driver of the #83 Red Bull Camry in the lead but he ended up having to pit because of needing fuel. After this, Denny Hamlin took the lead followed by Scott Speed, I thought how cool would it be for Scott Speed to win his first Sprint Cup race if the rain comes out and they end up having to call the race? However, I knew that would turn some heads and people would just say he only won because of the rain and he'd never win under any other circumstances...which is just wrong!! Anyone can win, you never know, it's all strategy and some luck of course.

I am already hearing so many people bashing Dale Earnhardt Jr, he had a great run at Daytona where he always seems to do well and than he doesn't have such a great week at California. That doesn't mean his year is over by any means, Jr needs to have a good year and hopefully win a race or two and make the Chase! Don't give up on him just yet, he could definitely turn things around, just take a look back at his run at Daytona as I stated, he could of won it!!! He's not my favorite, I think he's over rated at times but don't give up on him, he is in this sport for a reason and can win, he has proved that before.

I'm very happy to see my #1 driver win the race and it just so happens the 48 car won his 48th career race, that is awesome! I know many people who don't like Jimmie and believe him and his team get lucky breaks way too often and NASCAR picks who wins the races...I disagree with this and I would disagree with this even if it wasn't Jimmie but some other driver. The point of the sport is to go out and win, who really wants to finish second? and if their was cheating in NASCAR they would catch you! They've caught people before whether it be a driver, team, crew member, etc. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and is entitled to like a driver or multiple drivers, that is what makes the sport what it is. Sure, there are some drivers I really can't stand but if someone else likes them, they so be it, all drivers have their fans that stick by them week in and week out.

So what did everyone think about yesterdays race? I  heard many people saying on Facebook how boring California is and one race a year at Fontana is enough, no need to have two, what do you think? Did you enjoy the racing there, did you attend the race? I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts and opinions on the matter. Next week is Vegas and that's always a fun track in my mind, when I flew back to Rhode Island about a week go to move back home from California, we flew right over the track but I didn't have my camera since it broke : ( I was so sad!! I got so close to being at Las Vegas Motorspeedway lol.

Who's your pick for Vegas? and why? I'd love to see JJ win again but Kyle Busch might be a factor at Vegas or even Kurt Busch since it's their home track. Many of their friends and family will be there and everyone always wants to win at home, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see until Sunday but until then congrats again to Jimmie Johnson, Team 48 and Hendrick Motorsports on the win!!

Stater Bros 300 at California Speedway 2/20/2010

Hi everyone! Even though I missed the Nationwide Race this weekend or more specifically the Stater Bros 300 at California Speedway. I did look up what happened through out the race on the Internet and wanted to write up some sort of blog about it. Joey Logano who won the pole for the race, led 130 laps and finished fifth. Logano was trying to win the race from the pole which would have been for the second time in a row. However, Kyle Busch ended up winning the race which was a green-white checkered by 0.51 seconds with Greg Biffle behind him, followed by Brad Keselowski in third.

The big news in NASCAR lately has been Danica Patrick who finished the race in 31st, 3 laps off the pace. Unlike Daytona where she was caught up in a 12 car crash, she did finish this race. Patrick started 36th and quickly dropped to the back of the field. Only 17 laps into the race she was passed by then race leader Joey Logano. Danica also had trouble on pit road twice in which she was caught for speeding. I personally believe that Danica is great for the sport but a lot of people seem to have different opinions about a woman in
NASCAR. What is your opinion? I'd love to hear it. It seems as if the past two weeks, I've heard good things about Danica and bad. I've tended to hear how their giving her too much coverage and it's only because she's a girl and she's "hot" so to speak. I think it's great to see a woman in NASCAR and actually racing, I know their have been other woman that  have raced before but I feel as if Danica is here to stay and in my opinion it's awesome and it's been a long time coming!!

It was said this week that Danica stated it was difficult for her not knowing how things are suppose to feel in a stock car. Her crew chief Tony Eury Jr is quoted as saying "You've progressed a lot in this race, girl. I'm proud of you, what you've learned." This was said 2/3 through the race at Fontana. Your top 10 finishers in the Stater Bros 300 are race winner Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, and Joey Logano rounds out the top five. Followed by, Steve Wallace, Kelly Bires, Brian Vickers, Justin Allgaier and Brian Scott which finished in tenth place. I really wish I hadn't missed the race as I've missed the first two of the season so far. Kyle Busch isn't my favorite but congrats to him, it seems a bummer that Joey Logano didn't win after he had led so many laps in the race. Congrats to Kyle though on his win which gives Joe Gibbs Racing it's fifth consecutive Nationwide Victory at Fontana. I had wanted to see how Danica did in NASCAR so far as well but so far no luck with that, I know she hasn't done the best but it would be nice to see her progress in the races that she does run this season. I'm hoping to be able to catch the races next weekend, I'd rather write a blog after I had watched the race or races myself instead of having to look up information on the Internet after their finished. It would be nice to watch it myself and than be able to fully give my opinion or opinions.

Was there anything any of you saw in the Nationwide race that surprised you? Did anyone finish better than you thought they would? I'd love to hear everyones thoughts and opinions on the race and any upcoming race. I do plan on writing a blog up on the NASCAR Cup Series race that is on tomorrow, I know I'll miss it so I will have to read up about it but I'll do my best to write a decent blog. Remember if any of you can think of anything that would start a great debate than please, let me know about it so I can post a blog about it as soon as possible.

Congrats to Jamie McMurray!

I'd like to say congrats to Jamie McMurray on winning the 2010 Daytona 500! That is such an awesome win in general but very awesome for Jamie and his career. To think he just switched to a new team and crew and than to pull of that win is so awesome!

I apologize for the lack of new blog updates and the lack of updates on the Facebook Fan Page. I just got back to RI less than a week ago and I have crappy Internet right now, I finally was able to get on a linksys connection tonight but it's horrible and only two little bars. I should have cable and Internet soon so than I can watch the races again and update the blog along with the fan page. I was able to update the fan page some and add a photo of Jamie with his 500 trophy.

No need to worry, the blog isn't going anywhere!! I just wanted to let everyone know what was happening and why I hadn't been on lol.

Nextra Energy Resources 250 Truck Race At Daytona

If your looking to watch the Craftsman Truck Series Race on Speed tonight, be prepared to have a little bit of a wait as the rain/weather hasn't been nice in Florida. The green flag was suppose to drop around 8pm on the East Coast but now has been delayed until 10pm EST. I still plan on checking it out here in California, which will be around 7pm here, I'm going to attempt to write a blog about it. I was only going to keep up with the news, debates and more with the Sprint Cup Series but I've decided to try and keep up with the Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It will be a lot of work considering I'm the only one who works on this blog and the fan page on Facebook but it's worth a shot and might bring me more readers and fans.

If your not a fan on Facebook, than please become one, I have 231 right now and it goes up each and every day which makes me very happy!! Here is the link to the Facebook Fan Page for Race Insider.  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Race-Insider/190992907125?ref=ts

Don't forget to suggest the fan page to your friends and family who enjoy racing.

Ok I don't want to erase all this...but I just tuned into Speed and the Truck Race just started, it's on lap 1 of 100...enjoy!!!

Recap Of The Gatorade Duels At Daytona!

Hi Everyone!

Who watched the Gatorade Duels at Daytona on Speed today? Believe it or not, I missed it. My sleep has been so messed up with trying to get things situated with the move back to Rhode Island. I did check out what happened and the news on it on NASCAR.com and FoxSports.com, thank god for those two web pages ha ha.

Congrats to Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne on both winning a duel race, that is awesome. I was so nervous about Jimmie having to start in the back because of yesterdays practice but he sure turned things around and came out on top yet again. I was also happy to see that Michael Waltrip raced his way in, I was worried about Mikey getting into the 500 but he did it! Waltrip said on his Facebook page that he will have a good car come Sunday if he can get the car handling better. With finishes of 14th and 15th Michael McDowell and Max Papis earned the two transfer spots for drivers forced to race their way into the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Mike Bliss who was in a back up car also raced his way into the 500 with a 13th place finish in the second duel.

Mark Martin who won the pole for the Daytona 500 on Sunday finished 21st in Duel 1 and Dale Earnhardt Jr who will start second on Sunday finished 21st in Duel 2 after damaging his car. Boy, Dale Jr just can't catch a break can he?? It'll be interesting to see how he does this season but I'm hoping he does well at Daytona since it's one of his better tracks.

I did notice that the finishes in both duels were "photo finishes" has it came down to the wire, I wish I hadn't missed it but I did. That's the great thing about Daytona is the great racing and can be anyone's win at the finish line. I personally wish that every driver trying to get into the 500 could just race in it and whatever happens through out the race would happen but it's just not how the rules work. It's such a great race every year and my personal favorite so to see teams and their driver/drivers work so hard and than not make it, it's heart breaking.

Did anything that happen in the duels get any of you fellow fans aggravated? Is there anything major that I missed that I should have seen? and last but not least was there a driver who didn't make it into the 500 that you were hoping would make it? If there is anything else you'd like to share in the comments section as far as the duels, Daytona or NASCAR in general go right ahead, I'd love to get some sort of discussion going! and be sure to check out the Facebook fan page for news and a way to interact with other NASCAR fans. I made it to over 200 fans today and that makes me very happy, I wish I was making more money off the blog itself but Google Ad Sense isn't always reliable.

Happy Racing Everyone!!

Gatorade Duels At Daytona

Just a reminder for all you NASCAR fanatics out there that the Gatorade Duels at Daytona are on tomorrow Thursday February 11, 2010 on Speed. The first duel is on at 2pm EST and the second duel is on at 4pm EST.

If you missed the practices on Speed today 4 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson will have to start the 150's in a back up car. The reason being Mike Bliss lost control of his car on the low side of the track in front of a pack of cars that were coming out of turn 4. Bliss ended up slamming into Joey Logano's car and than Jimmie Johnson rear-ended Denny Hamlin. I'm a huge Jimmie fan so to hear this I was none too happy but better than the 500 and let's hope that Jimmie will be able to make his way through the field tomorrow in the 150's.

Matt Kenseth led the second practice, followed by Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.

Of course the duels are to prepare us all for Daytona and than we'll see where all the drivers will start, who will make it in and who won't. I wish every driver trying to get into the 500 would get in but there are only so many starting spots. I'm already thinking ahead and hoping Mark Martin will pull off the win on Sunday, he is long overdue and deserves to win the Daytona 500, if not Mark than another first time winner would be cool...as long as it's not Kyle Busch haha, I can't stand him, I've never been a fan of his and never plan on being one.

Will you be watching the duels tomorrow? If so who do you hope will win in each of them and who do you hope will race their way into the 500? and finally who is your pick to win the Daytona 500? If you've already wrote on the Facebook's fan page and told me than you don't need to answer me again, I just love to see everyone's opinion. If your not a fan on FB and wish to be than just search Race Insider and it will show up, right now the default photo is a photo of Kevin Harvick from his win in the Bud Shootout last Saturday.

I plan on writing again tomorrow since the duels will be on and I look forward to hearing from everyone and seeing you active on the fan page.

Bud Shootout!

Racing is back for another season and what a way to start off the season, if you didn't see the shootout earlier tonight on Fox you missed a pretty good race. Kevin Harvick won his 2nd Bud Shootout in a row and only the 4th driver to 2-peat in a row!! Harvick usually isn't one of my favorites but I didn't mind him winning tonight, the guy did great considering he had flu symptoms just the other day.

I didn't hear much about Jimmie Johnson through out the night, he is my favorite but he usually peaks around July and when the Chase comes around so maybe we have a while to hear from JJ lol. What happened to Dale Jr? That's all I keep seeing on Facebook all night, give the guy a break, it's only the shootout, if this was the Chase, I might worry but the season just started! If you didn't notice he qualified second for next Sunday's Daytona 500!! I was shocked but it's a great way to start out the 1st race of the season that counts wins/points wise, let's hope Jr has a great run! and congrats to Mark Martin on getting his first 500 pole of his career, he'd be a great winner next Sunday, it would be about time if Mark win's, he deserves it!

What did you all think of the shootout, boring or exciting? Who is your Daytona 500 pick? As much as I'd love to see my top driver Jimmie J win, I'd like to see a first time winner such as Brian Vickers or Mark Martin...could Joey Logano pull off the win?? I guess we'll just have to wait until next Sunday to find out how everyone does.

I don't think comments are working, per usual so if you'd like to respond...please e-mail me at Sarah.Handy85@gmail.com and put Race Insider in the subject line, thanks.

Oh before I forget, did anyone else see Danica Patrick in that ARCA race? Wow! She did a great job, she's going to be great to watch this season, she looks like she's been in a car like that for a while with how she ran if you ask me lol, I'm looking forward to seeing more of her on the circuit!

Daytona is just around the corner

Hi everyone!

Well it's finally about that time again, time for the race season to start up again and those engines to start, I'm so excited! I hope I'll be able to see the Bud Shootout next weekend and be able to blog about it but right now with the current economy and how tight money is for me I might not have cable to do so. I hope I can find a job soon so I will be able to blog through out the 2010 season about the practices, races, race winners and much more.

Has anyone else watched "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" this week? I've watched a couple episodes since it's NASCAR week, I got to see David Ragan and Michael Waltrip, they we're both great episodes, especially the one Mikey was on, he always makes me laugh!! I would have liked to see Vickers or Johnson on the show but I didn't see them in any of the previews : (

I'm not sure if my comments are still not working on here so if you have something you'd like to see as a discussion or any comments to me at all please e-mail me at Sarah.Handy85@gmail.com and I look forward to discussing the shoot out and the upcoming season!!

Let's Go Racing Boys!!