In this weeks edition Bubba takes on the Edwards/Kenseth feud. For something a little different this week Rubber Racer added his two cents to Bubba's argument. This is our first debate on the site so we hope you enjoy.

Bubba vs Rubber Racer

BILLY

One of the worst things you can hear if you are a race fan is a driver being seriously or fatally injured.  On Sunday September 2nd Billy Kimmel was killed in a racing incident at Williams Grove Speedway.  Being a huge sprint car fan and living 30 miles from Williams Grove it was just terrible news to hear.  I did not personally know Billy but I had seen him race and from talking to people who did know him they said he was a genuinely nice guy.  Billy did not care about wins or championships he just wanted to race. 

He started by working on Mark Coldren’s sprint car and always had a dream of starting his own race team.  Billy ran a very low budget team but he was a true hero because he was doing what he loved and doing the best he could with the resources he had.  This is the part of the sport I hate but maybe we can learn something from it and make the cars even safer.  Another dream Billy had was to have drivers autograph a t-shirt and then auction it off and use the proceeds toward the injured drivers fund.  What a great cause.  If anybody is interested in reading more about Billy and some of the upcoming fundraisers check out beerhillgang.com. I wish I would have taken the time when Billy was still here to go see him in the pits and thank him for his efforts because if you look up the definition of a true racer in the dictionary there would be a picture of Billy Kimmel.  God speed Billy!

Let the Chase Begin! 

This weekend the chase for the Nextel cup gets underway with the race at NHIS.  It should be an interesting chase this year with the mix of COT and COY races.  I would like to give call out to Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson on being the only drivers to make all four chases.  Even though Johnson has been on a tear of late I predict that when the dust settles at Homestead his teammate, Jeff Gordon, will be hoisting his fifth championship trophy.  Here are my fearless predictions for the rest of the top 12. 2. Stewart 3. Johnson 4. Kenseth 5. Hamlin 6. Ku. Busch 7. Edwards 8. Burton 9. Ky. Busch 10. Harvick 11. Truex Jr. 12. Bowyer.  Good luck to all the drivers involved in the chase except for maybe Hendrick Motorsports, HaHa.  Go fast and turn left and stay safe out there wherever you may be racing and if you are attending the races make a point to go down to the pits and thank the drivers for all the hard work and dedication they put into the sport.  I’m sure they will really appreciate it.

Billy Kimmel Photo Credit: williamsgrove.com

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Last year about this time I got the opportunity of a lifetime with the help from my friends, Carlis Johnson and Tony Cox, from the Hooter’s Pro Cup series.  Rubber Racer, my brother, another friend and I had the opportunity to watch the Craftsman Truck race and Hooter’s Pro Cup race from the pits at Bristol Motor Speedway, man what an experience.  I remember standing down in turns 1 and 2 and feeling dizzy because of the noise, you really appreciate how talented the drivers are when you can watch that close.  I remember there were two fifteen-year-old kids starting up front for the Hooter’s race, Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne.

I’m sure everyone has heard the name Joey Logano, but Trevor Bayne has been sort of flying under the radar.  Bayne really impressed me last year by leading the Bristol race. He probably had a real good shot to win if not for veteran Bobby Gill moving him out of the way.  I thought to myself that this kid is going to win some races and he finally did. Trevor won his first Pro Cup race at Hickory Motor Speedway this past weekend, and in dominating fashion.  Bayne recently signed a development contract with DEI so I am positive you will be hearing a lot of Trevor Bayne in the future. 

I enjoy picking out some young drivers to watch and see how their careers develop.  One driver I have noticed recently is Michael McDowell who races in the Arca Re/max series.  He is second in points and just won the Pocono race this weekend, if I was a NASCAR owner I would be getting this 22 year old on the horn. 

The only thing that worries me with all these young drivers is making the move up to the Nextel Cup too fast.  Take Reed Sorenson for example, I am a big Reed fan but I think Ganassi moved him up to the next level too quick.  He is a great talent and will become a NASCAR star someday, but he is only 21 years old.  I remember when Matt Kenseth and Dale Jr. were considered young guns and they were 28 years old. I realize owners don’t have a choice because if they don’t move the drivers up fast enough there are plenty of owners out there who will.  I just don’t want to see these kids get burnt out and miss out on reaching their full potential because of all the pressure and commitments that go along with being at the top level.  I hope everyone enjoys the racing this coming weekend and remember go fast and turn left or in Nextel cup’s case this weekend left and right.

Hey Bruton & Bob, Let ‘em Race

I had a dream the other night that my friends and I were watching a race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.  I don’t even know what kind of cars were racing but the point is I wish my dream would come true and there is no reason why it couldn’t.  There has not been any kind of racing at the speedway located in Wilkes County, NC since Bruton Smith and Bob Behr bought it in 1996 to gain the cup dates for Texas and New Hampshire.  I don’t care that they bought the facility and the Speedway lost its cup dates but what upsets me is what is happening to the Speedway now.  North Wilkesboro has character, it was a unique 5/8-mile track with an uphill backstretch and downhill front stretch there is no track like it on the current Nextel cup schedule.  I am a realist and know that we will probably never see a Cup event at the track but what I don’t understand is why they couldn’t race Busch, Truck or even a regional series like the Hooters Pro cup series.  Well I’ll tell you why.  The assessment on the property is 4 million dollars and there have been plenty of offers, even from Junior Johnson, but Bruton and Bob said there asking price is 12 million.  So my plea to Bruton and Bob is don’t be so greedy over the price of the track and let someone offer you a fair price so there can be racing again at a dying community and track.  There is a pretty cool website with old photos and information on the track called www.savethespeedway.net. Also, I read the Rock is up for auction, man I wish I were a billionaire because I would buy both the Rock and North Wilkesboro. 

Let’s talk about some racing. From what I saw of the race at New Hampshire it was a pretty boring race.  I had my reservations about the COT but I was willing to give it a fair shake but I must say now I hate it!  These guys are supposed to be some of the most talented drivers and yet NASCAR makes they drive this piece of trash called the COT.  They look slow on the track, the driver’s complain because the car won’t turn in the center and they look awful.  I really hope NASCAR will go back to the drawing board and make some improvements because I’ll be honest; the races just don’t interest me that much anymore.  Sure if Matt is up front I pay more attention but if not I start to lose interest.  At least for the next couple of weeks they will be back to the car of yesterday and Daytona under the lights, should be fun. 

I took my nephew down to Lincoln speedway the other night for a PA speedweek event. He had never been to a race before so it was pretty neat to see his face when those 800 horsepower fire breathing monsters raced into turn one, two and three wide.  I think he had a really good time and it makes me feel good when you can introduce something new to someone, especially racing.  If you never had the opportunity to attend a winged sprint car show and you are a true race fan then make a point to put it on your racing schedule sometime. You will not be disappointed! 

Greatest Team Ever?

I’ll admit I’m not a big Chevy guy or an HMS fan but with the announcement yesterday that Little E is heading to Hendrick my first reaction was this is possibly the greatest NASCAR team ever.  I mean you arguably have the best driver ever in Jeff Gordon, the best driver now in Jimmie Johnson, and by far the most popular in Jr.  Heck, throw in Casey Mears as a bonus and that is a pretty stout team. 

With all that said I think Rick Hendrick got it wrong, the upside to Kyle Busch is much greater than Dale Jr.  Sure Kyle Busch is a whiner right now and is immature but so was I at that age.  I like Dale Jr. and I think he is a heckuva racecar driver but he has about 10 years or so on Kyle.  I don’t really like Kyle but whatever team gets him (probably DEI) is getting one of the most talented drivers out there.  Maybe I am just rambling because I get sick and tired of hearing about Hendrick motorsports and now with Jr. on board it will only get worse.  It will definitely be interesting to see how Jr. fans react to this because there has always been a hatred between Jr. fans and Hendrick Motorsports.  Also look for Truex Jr. to move over to the #8 car especially if Budweiser stays on board.  Speaking of Truex Jr., it was really cool to see him get his first career win at Dover, it was long overdue and I think he benefits the most from Jr’s departure from DEI. 

Finish the race!

Nothing irritates me more than a rain shortened race. Where they just complete enough laps to make the race official.  Let’s say you were at a football game and they played one half and it started to rain and they decided to call the game.   If I was a fan or a player I would be very upset about the outcome.  In my opinion they need to race what they can on the day of the race and whatever they don’t complete finish the next day.  I understand that some of the fans would not be able to make it back for a Monday finish because of work requirements but I would like to think it would only be a small percentage.  I was down in North Carolina playing in a golf tournament with my older my brother so I did not get to see any of the race but from what I read and heard they never even should have started the race.  Of course now they are trying to say they could have finished the whole race if the rain would not have come but the rain came at 7 pm and the race was only halfway.  Also, they need to change the Pocono races to 400 miles instead of 500 and they should only have on race date.  I live in PA but there are plenty of other great racetracks that could be added to the schedule but that argument or discussion is for another day. 

I know I have been slacking a little on my down on the farm reports so look for extensive coverage in the coming weeks.  Mark Mcfarland picked up his second win of the season in the Hooter’s Pro Cup series with a win at Mansfield in the Northern division. The week before Clay Rogers broke into victory lane at Peachstate in a Southern Division event.  Next stop for the Pro Cup series is at their home track in Myrtle Beach.  Myrtle Beach speedway is an exciting little ½ mile track that always seems to have great finishes.  Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the racing this weekend and my pick for Michigan is Matt Kenseth.  Speaking of Matt Kenseth congratulations go out to Ross Kenseth on his first late model series start.  Lastly a pick for all you golfers out there, Phil Mickelson will put his demons to rest and win the U.S. Open.

Fast Freddie Rahmer

I wanted to do something a little different with my column this week.  This is my tribute to a legend in our neck of the woods in PA. A true racer named Fred Rahmer.  I remember going to the races when I was a kid back in the mid eighties and rooting for Steve Smith Sr. and Jr. but didn’t remember hearing the name Fred Rahmer. That was about to change. 

Jump ahead 10 years or so to 1997 we were back at Lincoln Speedway after a short hiatus due to various reasons and I remember asking a guy next to me who is the driver to beat these days and he sort of grunted out “Fast Freddie” You see Rahmer is a driver that fans love to hate, sort of like Jeff Gordon of NASCAR, because he wins a lot.  I am not one who normally roots for a guy who wins all the time and still don’t like to see him win every week but something drew me to “Fast Freddie” maybe it was respect because of his amazing accomplishments as a racer or his attitude. 

They asked Rahmer one time in Victory Lane what his biggest fear was and he replied not winning and you are only as good as your last win.  Well, he has won plenty and his unbelievable resume looks like this.  471 total career wins.  He started his career racing modifies where he picked up 99 wins and 7 track championships before moving to 410 winged sprint cars in 1986.  In twenty yeas he has racked up 372 sprint car wins and 24 track championships, 7 and 9 respectively at Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedways, two of the tougher tracks in our area.  Rahmer is atop of the all time win list at Williams Grove with 73 and tied for the most wins at Lincoln speedway with 150.  In addition he has 9 World of Outlaw wins and 18 All-Star wins and has claimed the PA Speed week crown 10 times.  At the age of 46 he won 34 times in 2004. 

We could talk numbers all day but one thing that impresses me the most about Rahmer is how he treats the fans.  I have walked down through the pits after the races and he is always open to talk even if he had a bad night and he always seems to go out his way to talk to the kids.  One night my brother and I were down in the pits and he got Steve Smith Sr. to autograph his shirt. Then we walked down to Fred’s hauler. When Fred realized that Smith’s autograph was on my brother’s shirt he made sure to sign below because he said he wasn’t even half the racer Mr. Smith was. Well I got news for you Fred, you are. 

I was disappointed this year because there was an incident that happened at Williams Grove where he got together with Lucas Wolfe and all the fans were saying that he tried to intentionally kill Lucas.  Look, “Fast Freddie” is not perfect and has made plenty of mistakes over the years but he is a hard-nosed racer and would never intentionally try to hurt anyone.  Well, I’ve rambled long of enough but I just want to say thank Fred Rahmer for giving 110% every time he hits the track and making it so exciting for the fans.  When I sit down at Lincoln Speedway on a Saturday night and the fans boo and cuss him I just smile because I know I was able to watch one the greatest racecar drivers ever.

For more information on Fred Rahmer please visit www.fredrahmer.com

Thank you NASCAR!

Nothing against little E but I was really glad to see NASCAR come down hard on the #8 team for their infractions at Darlington.  I was afraid since it was Dale Jr. they would give the team a slap on the wrist but they stuck to their guns.  I remember John Darby saying that any team that messed with the COT would be penalized harshly and they got it right with this call, I’m sure Jr. fans don’t think so. 

I really feel bad for Denny Hamlin; he has had a car to win at every COT race so far this year but has had bad luck or problems in the pits.  Denny has to remember is it’s a long season. The key is they are competitive and running up front. When you do that the wins will eventually come. I know he is frustrated with his crew and he has every right to be but he did cost himself a win at Phoenix by speeding on pit road.  Everybody makes mistakes and he needs to keep pumping the guys up giving them the confidence to do better. 

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville is back where he belongs, in a Ford.  Even though it is a part-time deal with the #21 Wood Bros. car I am still pretty excited.  I grew up a huge Bill Elliott fan and part of me was sad when he went to Dodge.  I understood that it was a good opportunity for him. I even had a couple of tears in my eyes when he won again at Homestead for the first time in 10 years. Now I’ve turned my main allegiance over to Matt Kenseth and the Killer Bees.  Speaking of Matt Kenseth, one of the coolest All Star races I remember was in 2004 when Matt battled it out with Ryan Newman.  After Matt won and did a couple of burnouts Ryan came running out to congratulate him, two classy guys showing respect for each other. It should be another no holds bar event this weekend but I am predicting that Smoke will take the checkered flag and the one million dollars. 

Tonight, my brother and I are heading to the historic Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa to watch a little dirt track racing.  The World of Outlaws are in town and it always makes for an awesome event.  We have this little thing where we call our local drivers the PA Posse when they face the Outlaws.  Most tracks the Outlaws run at they have no trouble beating the locals. That is not the case in PA. Every outlaw win is a hard fought win.  GO POSSE!!  Hope everyone enjoys the racing this weekend either on T.V. or at your local track and remember if there’s not dirt in your beer it ain’t racing.

The Lady in Black!

First and foremost I would like to wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day this weekend.  I am really excited about the racing this weekend, I love Darlington.  There’s nothing like putting that black stripe on the wall at the track “too tough to tame”.  It brings back the wonderful memories of the old Rock since both tracks have similar characteristics.  I really wish NASCAR could find a way to put Rockingham back on the schedule, my friends and I made the annual fall trip five years in a row and it was some of best racing there was.  It will be interesting to see how the COT does at Darlington, most drivers say you need a tight race car and the COT definitely seems to have that problem.  Maybe its just me but the cars at Richmond looked slow on T.V. It was like the drivers had to back it down so much to get the cars to turn in the corners.  Hopefully Hendrick’s domination will end this weekend, if not then the COT is not doing its job of making the competition more even. 

My pick for this weekend is Greg Biffle, he seems to be the only Roush Fenway driver who has the COT figured out and he is way overdue for a win.  Along the same lines, what is going on with Ford racing?  They only have one driver in the top 10 and one win on the year it reminds of 2003 when they struggled but Matt Kenseth won the championship. But hey I would not be disappointed if Kenseth wins another championship.

Let the Dale Jr. sweepstakes begin!  This has to be one of the biggest announcements in NASCAR history.  I’m sure Jr.’s phone is ringing off the hook as we speak.  I still believe he will end up at Childress Racing and it might even happen before the season is over.  The only other possible suitor would be Gibbs because of his friendship with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin, and they are definitely competitive.  I think this will open the doors for the Yates-DEI merger especially if Truex Jr. stays at DEI. 

I hope everyone enjoys the racing this weekend, I am personally looking forward to the Busch race because Jason Keller will be in the race behind the wheel of the number 11 CJM racing entry.  I had the opportunity to meet and talk to Jason at Myrtle Beach speedway and he his truly one of nice guys in the sport.  So good luck to Jason this weekend at Darlington!

Dale Jr. In a Ford?

What would really happen if DEI and Yates merged together?  I just can’t see Yates motors in a bowtie.  Maybe this is the writing on the wall for Jr. because I still think he will be driving the #3 Budweiser Chevrolet for Childress racing next year.  It makes sense for DEI because they are fourth on the ladder at Chevy behind Hendrick, Gibbs, and Childress.  It will definitely be interesting to see what transpires in the next month or so with this ongoing soap opera. 

Well, Gordo passes Big E on the win list at Dega but the only thing I can’t figure out is why NASCAR waited so long to throw the caution flag when Reutimann blew up.  Actually the last half of the race was a snoozer. I don’t remember a Talladega race when everybody was in one continuous line. 

It is truly a shame that the fans had to act like they did after the race. There is no room for that kind of behavior no matter who wins.  The sad thing is, tracks will stop letting fans bring beverages in and that is what separates NASCAR from other pro sports.  Off to the action track this weekend at Richmond, boy I love good old-fashioned Saturday night short track racing under the lights.

Down on the farm

Chase Pistone picks up his first career Hooters Pro Cup victory at Concord Motorsports Park.  A kid to really watch in this series is 16 year old Trevor Bayne, he finished 5th at Concord and moved up to 5th in the season standings.  The question is, when is someone going to give Clay Rogers a full time Truck or Busch ride? Growing up in PA I’m a big fan of winged sprint cars and there is some big news happening at Lincoln Speedway, our local dirt track.  The chase is on as Fred Rahmer tied Steve Smith’s record of 150 wins so everyone is anticipating is 151st win.

Ruminations following Phoenix

I would like to thank rubberracer.com for giving me an opportunity to share some of my opinions and insight about the racing world.  First, congratulations to Jeff Gordon on his 76th career win and first at PIR.  That is a pretty amazing feat, 76 wins in 15 seasons. All I have to say is watch out Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison.  What about Matt Kenseth, starts out 50 points in the hole at Daytona and is already up to 4th in points.  If it wasn’t for the last lap crash at Daytona he would have 6 out of 8 top 5 finishes, the same as Gordon.  I think it is time for him to be mentioned as one of the Big 4 in NASCAR.  What a great run for Haas CNC racing, both Jeff Green and Johnny Sauter came home with top 10 finishes. Sauter even started in the 42nd position.  Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of the COT. I still don’t like the looks of them but the racing has been pretty good so far.   

Well, back to the COY and on to Talladega this week. Let’s see if Yates’ rockets can duplicate what they did at Daytona. We’ll see if Michael Waltrip can actually make the race.  If I was Napa I would be pretty upset. The idea of advertising on the car is to actually have the car in the race so it can be seen.  Maybe they should ask for some money back.  I hate to say it but I think Jeff Gordon will take one more step towards DW’s win total this week, that team is just really on a roll.

On a side note, if you never checked out the Hooter’s Pro Cup series it is a really great series.  We have seen some really good races at Bristol and I will be doing some features on up and coming drivers that are participating in this series in future columns.  You can check out their website www.usarprocup.com they will be racing at Concord Motorsports Park this weekend.  I hope everyone enjoys the racing this weekend and remember you must first finish-to-finish first.