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Young driver likes old track
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When you saw someone driving aggressively and hustling a race car, you just knew they probably wouldn't last. They would usually end up beating themselves. Saturday night you heard Greg Biffle's crew chief tell his driver not worry about letting Kyle Busch by because he wouldn't be there at the end of the race with the way he was driving. That's a perfect example of what I am talking about.
That's the old Darlington and that's how I kind of thought Saturday night would go. Remember this, when we looked at that track, with these new cars and that smooth, fast surface, well, you can see where we were coming from. There were an incredible amount of unknowns. There were so many things leading into Saturday night's race that you might think it was going to be a disaster.
So they throw the green flag and in the first couple laps you had Elliot Sadler wrecking and taking Tony Stewart with him. I have passed a million cars going down on the apron, but that's where the cross-over move came into play. Let the guy on the inside go and enter that corner real hard. He then would slide up the hill and you cut under him, pass him and go on. That's what we anticipated happening there because that's always what has happened in the past.
Well, guess what? With this new surface, this new car plus the tires they had, they were able to do things at Darlington Saturday night that I had never seen before. I have never seen so many cars running so fast and bouncing off the wall — but they just kept going!
I have to tell you something. There is not another wall in racing that has been used like the ones in Darlington. If you just look at all the cars that got into the wall over the three days the Nationwide and Cup teams were in Darlington, there simply isn't another wall in racing that gets used and abused like the Lady In Black does. It doesn't matter if it's concrete, guardrail or the SAFER Barrier, the Darlington Stripe lives and lives large at that place.
The beautiful thing about this new car is that you can literally lie against the wall and rub the side of that car on the SAFER Barrier and get away with it. I think it is all that foam protectant in the right side of the car. I think the way the car is built and the SAFER Barrier just complement each other. I have never seen a car hit the wall and continue racing the way I saw Kyle Busch's hit the wall Saturday night. Sparks flew, dust flew and the car jumped up in the air and he should have been out of the race, but he never lost the lead.
That's a tribute to him and his driving ability. It's also a tribute to the car and how tough that thing is. This car will definitely take a licking and keep on ticking. From the start of the race we got the early caution, but then it basically settled down and it became casual contact. You can actually get away with casual contact at Darlington now.
Around the field
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Final thought
Overall I thought it was great. The car complemented the track. The new surface is extraordinary. I got to drive the track Friday in my FOX Drive and Ride car and I loved the track. They have a great new tunnel and the expansion plans for the track are exciting. Track president Chris Browning and his crew down there have done a phenomenal job. I just hope ISC, which owns the track, will let them continue to improve what I think is our shrine. Darlington is a part of our history and heritage and the old girl deserves to be well taken care of.
Oh, by the way
So you would think that an old track and a young driver wouldn't go well together. But the new Darlington is so much faster and with Kyle's driving style, well folks, I respect his driving. I have seen him do things with race cars that I haven't seen anyone do in years. We met with Coach Gibbs and his son, J.D. and I know for a fact they are working on his interview skills. They are trying to help him with that but he is a 23-year-old kid and he is having the time of his life. He is loving life large right now.
The only thing that made me feel bad was Saturday night during Driver Introductions. Yes I know folks were still upset about Richmond, but golly, cut him some slack, he was introduced with his brother and his mother. I hated that for his mom. She didn't need to hear all that, especially on Mother's Day weekend. The young man will mature and who knows he might one day be voted NASCAR's Most Popular Driver. Take it from me, you just never know!
Member Comments
Dale Jr. backs obama????? this has to be one of the most disappointing things i have ever heard.(a muslim)...............no more go dj for me
tp87565/16/2008 20:53:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
It is just time for a change though I do not agree with what Obama wants to do If he is elected President. Most of us are tired of how things have gone since we went into IRAQ. I think that is what Junior is saying when he backed Obama as well. Though Dale Jr. is not white trash rich or not he may be changing his polical beliefs now that he is not influnced by certain members of his family.
sdstrasser5/15/2008 15:02:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
The only thing I can think of is that Junior is tired of BUSH and his cronies being in office though Junior is a friend of both Bush Presidents.
sdstrasser5/15/2008 8:48:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
This is a free country after all and if Junior wants to back Obama that is his right though you may not agree with it.
sdstrasser5/15/2008 8:46:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
572 lets get something straight righT now, Kyle Bush could not make a pimple on Juniors A.Z.Z.!!
FTG5/15/2008 6:43:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Junior is not a WHINER like Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin or even KYLE Busch have been in the last couple of years. Those three WHINE just about anything that NASCAR or GOODYEAR throws out to the DRIVERS.
sdstrasser5/14/2008 21:36:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Junior does not get what he wants most of the time and HE DOES NOT CRY ABOUT IT. He did complain about how BAD Darlington was with the new pavement and not being able to pass, but I remember it was the same at Charlotte (Lowe's) after they paved it a couple of years ago. Besides if you look at the COT it is a lot harder to pass in this car then the old car anyways and that made matters even worse at Darlington. If racing was easy EVERYONE could do it, and most of the time the best 43 drivers are on the track every week. Even with what Junior had to say about how Darlington was he had one of the best finishes he has ever had there and I heard a lot of other drivers complain about how the track was as well, including his teammates.
sdstrasser5/14/2008 21:33:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
NASCAR DOES NOT NEED to take away any more races from the old-school tracks like Darlington. I remember a couple of years ago when they repaved Richmond they had the same problem with not being able to pass and the speeds way up. If I remember correctly once Lowe's (Charlotte) was finally repaved it was faster and hard to pass until the asphalt cured over time. That is the way it is going to be at Darlington it will be a lot better next MAY when they return to the LADY IN BLACK. Call me OLD SCHOOL but I Grew up watching and listening to the races from Darlington, Rockingham, North Wilkesbrough, Martinsville, and Richmond. I even have been to a few old school tracks out here in the west the old Portland (OR) track, the old paved San Jose (CA) track that opened in 1900 but was closed in 1973 to make room for the Computer AGE, and Evergreen Speedway (WA)
sdstrasser5/14/2008 18:45:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
while i enjoyed the night race at darlington...too bad i aint got a billion bucks..why ? I'd sue nascars booty off for killing darlington...by taking the race dates as they have done...bruton smith...Bah !! Humbug !!
esteban19495/14/2008 16:10:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Yeah DW was at the race but heard and read you were tryin to blame Smoke for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when Sadler lost it and slid up into Smoke? Lets just finish this and close it and say if it were Gordon and Smoke runnin side by side on that very turn it would have never happened. Period. That and Sadler made a rookie mistake and admitted it so why you trying throw fuel on a fire thats out? Man I tell you it seems like some of these Fox writers and some of these posters have lost a few marbles here lately.
GLMCALLISTER5/14/2008 12:46:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
NO NO JR572.... u got it all wrong!! the best thing for jr nation would b to have steve wallace rough him up 4 calling him an idiot on cup pre-race!! and then maybe get ruffed up a little more outside 7-11 like he did last year!! last time i checked i havnt heard jr. say ahh shucks!! the little girl with his gay glasses wouldnt last a day in a small town in the south!!! jr cheating?? crazy!! that means he must have been 500 lbs. lite last year.. that might explain 9 blown engines running n or around the top 10!! i have heard it all now
SNOOK85/14/2008 10:29:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
jr_572 - you claim to not be a JR hater, but these ridicuous allegations of cheating - Jr is not Bellicheck. <br /> Let me break it down for you shrub lovin retards:<br />Jr - 17 Cup wins (9 in his first 5 yrs) and 2 back-to-back Busch CHAMPIONSHIPS<br /><br />Lil Shrub - 7 cup wins (4 yrs with superior HRM equipment) and 0 championships<br /><br />And Kyle "I need to change my tampon" Busch is better? Um, I don't think so
Jr_SrRule5/14/2008 9:21:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Well golly DW I dont think Jr Nation is gonna ever cut any slack to Kyle man you know that. Only way thats ever gonna happen is if Kyle and Jr land on the same team and Im thinkin that aint gonna happen anytime soon so Kyle better just get used to the boos. PR man aint gonna help him outta this one anytime soon.
GLMCALLISTER5/14/2008 7:15:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Prior to the 1989 Winston, nobody would have thought that DW would ever be voted Most Popular Driver. Thanks to Rusty Wallace booting him in the race he won it twice. Sounds a lot like what Shrub is experiencing right now.
Pearson21fan5/14/2008 0:31:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
DW - you're dreaming if think JR will win 6 cup races this year!<br /><br />DW stop being crybaby busch's pr man! Start talking about real respectable drivers like the 88, 24, 48, or the 29.<br /><br />He must be doing something right if the Jr fans and Jr haters disagree with him.
Pearson21fan5/14/2008 0:13:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Well I need to go to 10 oclock news about to start. Night all!
retiredme5/13/2008 18:53:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
3 years, so now I rent about half out of it
retiredme5/13/2008 18:51:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
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