Why are the NASCAR forums so full of haters?

I've been reading in a few of the NASCAR forums and I am so disappointed with the conversations in them. I belong to a few of them, but it just isn't worth it for me to try and say anything positive. Everyone is so busy trashing the driver of the day, nothing good is said about our sport. They are the reason NASCAR has a bad image with a lot of people.

Hurray for Tony

Good for Tony Stewart for showing that at least one driver isn't a corporate sponsor cookie cutter personality.  I'm just an old redneck girl at heart and I like the drivers to have personality and stand up for themselves even if it goes to the parking lot! I've seen some pretty good fisticuffs on the track also and that sure made for a memorable race.

Way to go Michael!

Congratulations to Michael Waltrip on his 25th consecutive Daytona 500 start.  That's quite an accomplishment. It's also the 10th anniversary on Dale's death, Michael's win and his sponsorship with NAPA. This coming race at Daytona must be an emotion roller coaster for him. And his book, In the Blink of an Eye, is out!  Here is an interview he did recently.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=10333070-25b2-4ee1-8144-3a04197c2249&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="Waltrip talks new book">Video: Waltrip talks new book</a>    

 His book is available at amazon.com    

Be Afraid Boys, Be Afraid

The boys must really be afraid of what Danica Patrick will be able to do if she signs with Richard Petty.  She is good for our sport with the exposure she would bring and would be a great asset to Petty.  I think she has the heart, nerves and skill to become a great driver in NASCAR cars. I'm looking forward to watching her race this year. I hope she does well and continues to grow her skills in the bigger, heavier cars.  She has already shown she is not afraid to trade some paint when needed and can bump draft with the best of them.  You Go Girl, this is one NASCAR fan rooting for you!

Woo Hoo! the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Qualifying is on Speed TV tonight at 11pm eastern time. Only four and a half hours to go, crank up the surround sound and let's have fun! It's been a long winter and I am  ready for "LET'S GO RACIN" BOYS!"

This week's Daytona Testing

Hi everyone,

Testing is over and now it's a waiting game until the Bud Shootout for more racing action. My husband is glad to see the NASCAR season start. Every year I go through severe NASCAR withdrawals at the end of the season and if my Cowboys lose a game my husband and the cats all run for the hills! Or I get a suggestion about "Are you sure you don't need to go ------?" Fill in the blank with anywhere but here!

I watched Saturday's testing session and was impressed with the new track surface. The cars looked to have a much smoother line with more handleing control. The speeds were really fast on the back stretch, reaching 203 mph and over 197 mph in the draft. I would guess that NASCAR is going to leave the restrictor plate size alone, the speeds don't seem to be a problem.

Will the Shootout and the Duels give us a sense of who will team up for the big dance at the Daytona 500?  The best draft partners will be the teams that can keep the car cooler longer for the push and have the best car nose/tail matchups. Airflow to the cooling of the cars are limiting the draft runs to approximately 3 1/2 laps now. If a couple of teams can get a longer run it will be a definite advantage for them.

With the new with E15 fuel and the new fuel cans coming to the Sprint Cup Series it should make for some interesting pit stops. Some of the have experience with the system and the new fuel from the Camping World Trucks. Will that help them have faster pit stops? The decrease in fuel mileage will result in more pit stops for fuel, but they won't need as many tire changes.

The new Goodyear tires have a good showing so far. Traction looks to be good and they don't seem to wear out as fast. There should be less four tire change during pit stops.

So it looks to me like it's going to come down to who can hook up in a draft, stay out of the "Big One", get to the front and hang in there the longest.

I can only hope the days go by fast! Withdrawal pains hurt and testing is only a teaser!  I want more, more, more NASCAR!

Rumors about the Points System

Did you see the Fox Sport report today that NASCAR is considering changes to the points system. This is the gist of what was reported:
The sanctioning body wants to go to a scoring system that would award 43 points to the race winner, and one point less for each ensuing position down to one point for the 43rd-place finisher.

I'm sure it would make it a lot more interesting though out the season. If they would dump the Chase that would be even better.  It was an fun experiment but let's get back to hardcore racing!  Let's have a more open competition for the Championship.

How about Mark Martin and him driving in all three series this year?  I love this quote from him, “The races we picked for both series are personal favorites of mine. I’d love to win another Truck race, and I’ve got to get back to Victory Lane in the Dollar General car so I can keep Kyle [Busch] from breaking my Nationwide Series record,” Martin said.  Way to go Mark!!

I just can't wait for the season to start, it should be a great year for racing no matter what the changes are.

I grew up around local tracks, dirt and asphalt. My brother was a race car drive and car builder. He won his fair share of races and I loved being at the track on the weekends with him and his family.