Daytona 500 and Phoenix!

Well, the second race of the 2014 NASCAR season is  now in the books. Last week was the Super Bowl of NASCAR...the Daytona 500. The race I was looking forward to...and the race that had a four hour rain delay and didn't officially end until ten thirty or so Sunday night. Though it was well worth the wait and the long rain delay to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. break  his win less streak to win his second Daytona 500 in his career. I may be a Jeff Gordon/Jimmie Johnson fan, but Dale is my third favorite driver and I found myself rooting for Dale to win as much as I was Gordon at the end of the race. Even if you aren't a Dale Jr. fan, Dale winning isn't just good for his fans or his family...it is good for the sport of NASCAR in general. Not only that he was deserving of that win. Worked hard for it. And boy was it great to see him so HAPPY afterwards! If I wasn't happy for him winning the race (which I was EXCITED to see him win) I'd be happy to just see him so happy. It was great.

Well today they raced at Phoenix...and Dale backed his win at Daytona with another great race as he finished second behind the race winner Kevin Harvick. Harvick got his twenty-fourth win of his career, but his first win with Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick made it clear pretty early on in the race that he was going to be the car to beat as he led the most laps and as the back bumper of his car says he was "freaky fast." 

It was a good race today at Phoenix...not a lot to write about, but it was a great race for my Hendrick team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, Jeff Gordon finished fifth, Jimmie Johnson came home sixth, and after getting his lap back, Kasey Kahne came in eleventh. It was great to see team owner go over and congratulate Kevin Harvick at the end of the race. Though Stewart-Haas does run on Hendrick engines. 

We will be off to Las Vegas for the third race of the season and I am already looking forward to seeing those Hendrick cars back on track.

*NASCAR HMS Fan*

Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing

Well y'all...it is me again. :) And as I am writing this, there is exactly three days until NASCAR's Sprint Unlimited race on Saturday that will kick of Speed Week...and lead to the Daytona 500 on the 23rd. I am so excited that it is finally here! I am looking forward to waving this awful NASCAR off season good-bye and welcome the new season and all it's changes (even though I don't like or agree with all of them...).

And with the NASCAR season slowly approaching, also comes fantasy NASCAR! Or as Yahoo! calls it, fantasy Auto Racing. Which is where you select a few drivers to be on your team every week where you will get points as to where they start, how many laps they lead, and where they finish. They then add the points up for your weekly points and you will compete against other people in your league...it is all pretty fun and pretty simple. (If I can do it, anyone can do it. ;) ). I have had my own Yahoo! Fantasy Auto League the past couple of years and have created my own league again this year. The title of the league is Gordon's Drive For Five...but you don't have to be a Gordon fan to join. All I ask is for everyone to be respectful of one another. It is all for free...and all for fun.

Here is a more detailed version of 'how to' play Fantasy NASCAR on Yahoo!:

                   *Every week you chose eight drivers to be in your team that week (or if you don't change it the                   next week, it will stay with last week's picks.)

1. * Four of the drivers are starters, the other four are bench drivers. The starter drivers you will get points for where they qualify at, for laps led, and where they finish the race at. Whereas the bench drivers will get you points for where they qualify at ... so for them it don't matter if they finish first or last or last.
   
   *There are three groups of drivers. Group A (the more seasoned drivers, drivers that win more...) Group B (drivers that are good, but don't win as often) and Group C (the underdog drivers...the rookies and the drivers that you don't think of to win races.)
   
   *From Group A you pick one starter driver and one bench driver. From Group B you pick two starters and two bench. From Group C you pick one starter, one bench. On Yahoo they do have driver stats and expert picks that you can use from race to race - though it don't necessarily mean a great finish
   
   (Here is an example of what a roster may look like:
   Group A: Jeff Gordon (S) Jimmie Johnson (B)
   Group B: Dale Jr (S) Jamie McMurray (S) Ryan Newman (B) AJ Allmendinger (B)
   Group C: Michael Waltrip (S) Paul Menard (B))
   
   *For starters, you can only use a driver nine times (Bummer, I know. I'd love to use Gordon all 36 races...oh well. )
   
   That is all I can think of as rules right now...I find it fun and entertaining. It gives me more than just Gordon, Johnson, and Jr to follow throughout the whole race. 

   If you are wanting to join, here is the info needed to join my league...you can either try this or it may be easier if you send me your email address and I can send you an invite. Whatever works best for you. :)
    My group ID number is 947                                                                                                              My password: nascar24                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             I am looking forward to the 2014 NASCAR season...as well as to the 2014 fantasy NASCAR season. :) As I said earlier, it is all for free and all for fun. Let me know if you have any questions about how it is played or anything else.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           NASCAR HMS Fan 

New season brings new changes!

Hi Everyone!

As we step out of January and walk into February, we are now only a few short weeks from the 2014 NASCAR season...and this fan is excited! Things will start off with Speed Week on February 14th with practices for the Sprint Unlimited that will be held Saturday February 15th and followed by the qualifying on Sunday for the Daytona 500! Then on Thursday, February 20th will be the Budweiser Duels which are two races that will also determine the line up for the Daytona 500. And then on Sunday, February 23rd is the Great American Race...the Superbowl of NASCAR...the start of the 2014 season...the Daytona 500! I have been counting down to Daytona since the drop of the green flag at Homestead last November and am now down to twenty two more days til the great race...back to when I can officially end my NASCAR withdrawal and get back to following my favorite drivers on the track.

But with the new season...also brings some drastic changes to both the way the drivers qualify and to the Chase.

For qualifying, instead of qualifying on their own as they had in the past, they are now going to qualify in a sort of way the F1 series qualifies; which has been called the knock out qualifying. For tracks larger than 1.25 mile the drivers will qualify together for twenty-five minutes before the top twenty-four cars in speed will run together for ten minutes. Then after that the fastest twelve cars will compete for the pole position in the final five minutes. On the tracks shorter than 1.25 miles, the drivers will go out for thirty minutes before the top twelve fastest drivers will go back out for the last ten minutes.

For the Chase, the first change comes with the name. The new name will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Grid. The field will now be expanded from twelve drivers to sixteen drivers - where the top fifteen slots are reserved for the drivers who have the most wins within the first twenty-six races (the regular season) and the sixteenth slot held for the driver for the most points after the regular season. The Chase will then be cut up into four different sections (Challenger Round, Contender Round, Eliminator Round, and the NASCAR Championship). The first three rounds are of three races while the NASCAR Championship Round only consists of Homestead...the last race of the season. At the end of each round four drivers will be eliminated from the Chase where their points will be reset back to the season point standings. The drivers eliminated will be the drivers with the fewest season points. Though if a driver wins a race in that round, they will move on to the next round. (Challenger Round will have sixteen drivers. Contender Round twelve drivers. Eliminator Round will have Eight drivers. The Eliminator Round will have four drivers.) Which will leave ONLY four drivers going into the final race of the season, Homestead, going for the championship.

Personally, I am not a fan of either change that NASCAR has made for this 2014 season. (I am hoping to be wrong) but to me it seems like all it is asking for is the drivers to wreck each other in order to be the fastest qualifier or to get in the Chase or stay in the Chase. Seems like they are asking for more point manipulation to occur as had happened at Richmond last year when Clint Bowyer purposefully spun out on the last lap in attempt to help his teammate Martin Truex Jr. get into the Chase. As for the changes for the Chase, I understand they want to emphasis on winning. But in doing so, they are punishing the drivers who are consistent throughout the entire season. It is great to have multiple wins in a season, but it is just as great to have a top five/top ten average finish of the season.

Then again, this all is coming from someone who is not a fan of the Chase to begin with. If I had my way, I would just ditch the Chase together and go back to the old point system. Which is probably why NASCAR has yet to ask me for my opinion on it all. :)

Despite how I feel about NASCAR's new changes they are putting into play this season, I will always be a die hard NASCAR fan. No matter what. Which leaves me  no choice, but to give them a shot to prove themselves and their changes to me. I will attempt to stay positive about NASCAR and their changes....and hope that their changes will work in team Hendrick's favor.

Just twenty-two more days until Daytona...am really looking forward to hearing Darrell Waltrip say his "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity. Let's go racing Boys!"

NASCAR HMS Fan

(I got my Speed Week info from: NASCAR Speed Week and my info on NASCAR's new changes from: NASCAR changes to qualifying order and to the Chase)

Chase Elliot

Hi Everyone!

I hope that you all have had a fun and safe New Years! So hard to believe it is already 2014! I hope you all will have a great year full of happiness and health! So far my 2014 has been OK...though can do without all this cold weather. I for one am looking forward to spring...

With that said, as of right now, there is 48 (JIMMIE JOHNSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) more days until the Daytona 500. If I can  make it that far, I can make it to spring. :) Feel kinda lost right now as I no longer have football to watch, no NASCAR, and no baseball.

Well, the past week, I have been wondering what I will talk about in my next blog...well got some news today that has answered that question!

The news being that Chase Elliot has been hired to race full time in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports...and will be sponsored by NAPA. JR Motorsports is ran by Dale Earnhardt Jr and his sister.

Chase Elliot is the eighteen year old son of former NASCAR driver, Bill Elliot (who does still race periodically throughout the season.). So I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that Chase is following in his father's footsteps and seems to have a promising career ahead of him...as his father had.

Being a fan of Hendrick Motorsports, I have been keeping an eye on Chase, through Facebook, on how Chase has been doing the past year or two or so since he has been racing for Hendrick or has some association with Rick Hendrick.

And the news that Chase will be driving full time in the Nationwide Series is something that I am happy with...even happier that it is with JR Motorsports. I am super excited to see how Chase will do in the Nationwide Series and against the other Nationwide Series drivers as well as the several Sprint Cup drivers that will often race in the Nationwide races. (Including his JR Motorsports teammate Kevin Harvick who will racing for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Sprint Cup Series this upcoming season. Last several years, Harvick drove for Richard Childress.)

Though, it is also news that has me a bit saddened as well. Saddened by the fact that it has been going around the past year or so that it will be Chase Elliot who will replace Jeff Gordon in the 24 car when Gordon retires. (I haven't heard that officially yet, but...) And with him just starting in the Nationwide Series, am sure he will be there a couple of years before he is "ready" for the Sprint Cup Series, but still...

I really hate and dread the thought of Jeff Gordon, my all time favorite NASCAR driver, retiring. NASCAR will not be the same without Gordon behind the wheel of the 24 car. And it will just seem wrong to see someone other than Jeff Gordon sitting in the seat of the 24 car.

And though, I am really HOPING that the change won't take place for a few or several more years, if anyone would take over Jeff Gordon's spot in the 24 car, I would hope it would be Chase Elliot. He seems to be a very capable guy and shows a lot of signs of having a promising career as his dad had when he sat behind the wheel of his stock car. And would be someone I would be proud to be a fan of...

Until then, I will be keeping tabs on Chase Elliot in the Nationwide Series and wish him the best of luck with JR Motorsports in 2014 and beyond. He seems to be one talented kid and one I have enjoyed watching his progress and will continue to do so...

NASCAR HMS Fan

Me and NASCAR

Hi everyone!

I am Sally and I will admit, this is my very first blog/post ever. So please be patient with me. :) Before I go much farther let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a big sports fan and am very loyal to my teams. Baseball has always been my favorite sport and have followed the Chicago Cubs since I was four years old. And thanks to my favorite TV series, the Dukes of Hazzard and the General Lee, I became a NASCAR fan around '97 or so...and a few years later found myself  following the Chicago Bears for football. Outside of NASCAR, I am a fan of all teams rooted in Chicago (except for the White Sox...can't go against my Cubs ;) )  Baseball, NASCAR, and football are my favorite sports, but...

This blog will be about NASCAR and my view/opinion on NASCAR. For how little it is worth. As I said, I became a NASCAR fan around '97 or so and since then, I have became a pretty big fan of the sport and of my favorite drivers. That is the thing with NASCAR, there are so many drivers out there to follow and each fan has their favorite drivers, their well liked drivers, and well, their drivers that they don't care so much about. That is one thing I have learned about NASCAR...or it's fans...is that everyone is very loyal to their favorite driver and opinionated about those drivers they don't like. And I can't say I am much different...which is also another great thing about NASCAR. With so many drivers out there and all the different personalities of the drivers, it attracts the fans to that driver or perhaps against that driver.

As I said, I am not much different than what is listed above. I have my favorite drivers, my favorite team, drivers I like or wish the best for, and drivers I don't care too much about. And as I write this blog, I will write about them, but will try to keep it neutral and write about all the drivers on and off the track and all that goes on during the race and after the race.

With all that said, thanks to a poster page in a People's magazine around the time I started to "like" NASCAR, I am now a huge fan of Jeff Gordon. It started out liking him because I thought he was good looking...and still do...and because at that time he had two championships to his name. And after being a loyal die hard Cubs fan, well, I wanted to follow someone who will win a championship here and there (Sorry Cubs...still and always will love you!). Though Gordon has won two championships after I had seen that poster page and after I became a Jeff Gordon fan, I didn't know enough about NASCAR at the time to really know he won the championships or what they meant. Sadly the only person I really knew to talk to and ask questions about NASCAR to was an online friend who somehow "disappeared" or at least stopped emailing me, so it had taken me awhile to really get the full grasp of all that NASCAR was about and all everything means. In fact, it wasn't until the new point system and the Chase had started in 2004 when everything clicked into place and I had started to fully understand what the points meant and had got me watching the race every weekend. Sadly by then, all four of Gordon's championships had been won and celebrated...though if it wasn't for the new Chase system, Gordon would have at least two more championships to his name. Personally, even though the new point system and the Chase had helped me understand NASCAR as a whole, I am not a big fan of the Chase. But that is just me...and the Chase is just one more thing that adds controversy to NASCAR.

Which is also something I learned about NASCAR. There is always some sort of drama unfolding. Some event that adds controversy to the sport or to the race or to the driver. There is always something that fans can argue and fight about. Something to feel passionate about. Something to have an opinion about. Like the whole Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon deal...now don't get me started. ;) LOL.

As I said, Jeff Gordon is and always will be my favorite driver. Yeah it started by his picture and the small amount of info that was on the page, but the reasons I like Gordon has grown over the years. Yes I still think he is good looking, but once he gets behind the wheel, what does his good looks do for him? Not much. His wins, his poles all add up and help give me reasons to support him as well. But it is more than what he does on the track that has grabbed my attention and support to the 24 driver and team...to me he is a champion on and off the track. All his charities he does for children, for the poor, for the hungry, and all that I have heard from fans who have met him all but helps me to know he is a great person on and off the track. I definitely chose a favorite driver for a wrong reason, I am just lucky that he has plenty of right reasons, for me, to continue to follow and like Gordon. I for one really hope he wins  his fifth championship before he retires so I can experience a championship season and a championship off season with my favorite driver, but if he doesn't I will continue to follow and support him for who he is and who he has become over the  years.

And through Jeff Gordon, I have also become a big Jimmie Johnson fan and have been one since about the time he came to NASCAR...all because Jeff Gordon owns half of JJ's car. So I guess I do somewhat know how it feels to experience a championship season and off season thanks to Jimmie Johnson's six championships he has won...but it's still not quite the same, to me, if Gordon would win a championship.

In general, I am a big fan of Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports as a team. My top four drivers are Hendrick drivers in this order: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Kasey Kahne.

I do have a few favorite none Hendrick drivers and them being Carl Edwards, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle. Plus plenty others that I do like and wish well for from race to race...surprisingly, one of those drivers, has become Kyle Busch.  A few years ago, he was on my small list of disliked drivers that I couldn't stand, but over the past few years he has slowly shown, to me, that he has matured. Perhaps getting married helped him a bit, I don't know. He is also a controversial driver it seems. Either people like him or hate him. He will never be one of my favorites, but have grown to accept or at least admit that he is one of the drivers I do like and wish well for.

Well, that is a little bit about me and my general view on NASCAR...all of which, is my opinion. The whole point, to me, for this blog is to write about the sport of which I love. The sport I that I can't get enough of...as of right now, there is exactly two months left to the beginning of the 2014 NASCAR season. But whose counting down, right?

I will use my blog to write about the race and all that has happened in the race, the point standings, and all that happens on and off the track...from info that I read on line, of the races I watch, and of what I think or feel about it all. My opinions may not always be right, but they are my opinions. I will try to keep my opinions at a minimum...feel free to disagree, but please be nice. ;)

I will write during the off season...am still thinking of where I should start or what to write about. I will try to update the blog at least once a week.

To all who read this, I want to wish a very Merry Christmas and I hope you get to spend it will friends and family. Hope you have a Happy New Year and that 2014 will bring you happiness and health. :)

Thank you for all who took the time to read all this.

NASCAR HMS FAN