The ByrnesStrong Poll, formerly known as The Century Poll but renamed in honor of Steve Byrnes who just lost his battle to cancer, focused this month on who of the twenty NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees would be voted in for induction in the next class.
As the boys and girl venture on to Fort Worth, it seems apropos for some to seek a resurrection of their hopes on the season. For others, the off weekend did little to help matters from where we left off after Martinsville.
The countdown has begun to the start of a new season, with less than ten days to go before the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona. A new campaign, some new teams and some new expectations.
After finishing 15th in the season ending Sprint Cup Series standings to go with a 12th place finish the year before, there were quite a few rumors spreading that Kasey Kahne would not be resigning with Hendrick Motorsports in an effort to make room for Chase Elliott. However, HMS dropped a surprise, announcing a three year contract extention for Kahne.
His smile is infectious and his exuberance contagious. Nowhere was that more evident than in victory lane after Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally won at Martinsville Speedway. He’s an unexpected combination of vulnerability and a hidden strength born of tragedy that endears him to not only his fans but his fellow competitors as well. When Earnhardt wins it’s difficult not to get caught up in his joy.
What a wonderful race we saw at Talladega on Sunday. It had visual excitement that can only be rivaled by Daytona. We had suspense, as we did not know who would continue in the Chase and who got their hearts broken right through to the final lap. It was everything we could have hoped it would be. Then Brad Keselowski won the damn race and ruined everything.
Well, boys, you are not in Kansas anymore. Thank God, at least for the gents from Hendrick. If not for a blown tire by Brad Keselowski to allow a Penske driver in on some of the fun, the bottom four would consist entirely of drivers working for Rick Hendrick. However, unlike Napoleon at Waterloo, Hendrick's boys will have a shot at redemption.
From the impact of crew chief suspensions inspired by the No. 11 Denny Hamlin penalty to the forecasted rain that never reared its ugly head, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the 41st Annual GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. realized that it took a bit of luck for him to win at Pocono Raceway in June. But he knew his team was firing on all cylinders Sunday when he completed the season sweep.
