Thank you 88, 9 and 20 fans for making my Dover experience!

Having just returned from Dover, I could not wait to post this on the boards.

I just want to thank all the 9, 88 and 20 fans that, in some cases, saluted Kyle for hundreds of laps by telling him that he was number one. Even while he was mired in 3rd and 4th place, they believed in him enough to pass on their gestures of encouragement until he, well, was number one. I have included a shot from my seat of a special 9 fan who went out of his way to encourage Kyle, with both hands, even while he was doing his burnout!

Click here to get it!

And to the drunk 88 fan, who after the race told me what he thought of me being Kyle fan, I know in my heart that you probably know some words that do not start with F…and I know that I could have said something rather than to just look at your drunk sorry ass….and then look at the scoring pylon…..and then your drunk ass again…and the scoring pylon---but I just could not think of the words that would have made you feel better. Oh, and sorry about the beer you wasted on the track. Bummer.

If I only knew the hand gesture to salute the guy who finished 35th (13) laps down. Anyone help me out with that one?

• 13 Comments
• Kyle, Dover 2008, 9, 88, 20, thanks, number one

Shrub Club Issues Formal Challenge to JR Nation

!!!!! ATTENTION ALL JR NATION MEMBERS!!!!!

The SHRUB CLUB members on ROWDY would like to propose a CHALLENGE to you, one of good natured intent in the hopes of making the budding rivalry between our favorite drivers more interesting. We propose a SHRUB VERSES JR CHALLENGE where the winners will be able to gloat over their rivals defeat at season's end. This might be a video ,series of photos, blog, you win – you pick it.

On the other hand, the losers will pay the price for sure.

Here's how it will go.

Whichever driver, Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt Jr., finishes highest in points will be considered the VICTOR of this competition. The LOSER'S ROWDY SUPPORTERS will have to document themselves proudly wearing the livery of the WINNING DRIVER. It can be in the form of a shirt, a hat, a bumper sticker across the forehead, whatever as long as it is proudly worn and painful to the loser.

They will also have to CONSUME THE SPONSORED PRODUCT of the winning driver. In other words, if Busch finishes ahead of Earnhardt (which he will, of course!), participating supporters of Jr. would have to either photograph or video themselves in Kyle Busch gear chomping down a bag of M&Ms. Conversely, if Earnhardt finishes ahead of Kyle (which will never happen!), us Busch supporters would have to wear the ugly green colors of Jr. Nation and guzzle down a can of that gawd-aweful AMP swill.

All documentation, videos, pics, etc, would be posted loud and proud here on ROWDY for all to see in eternal humiliation.

Sound like fun? Brave enough to want in?

If so, Shrub Club and JR Nation members should reply to this blog, declare your support for your driver and let the challenge begin!

Regards,

SHRUB CLUB Co-Founders
Mark & Racer X

• 23 Comments
• Jr, 18, 88, Shrub, Busch

No, I am not kidding.

So I head out to lunch today and what to my eyes did appear, but a show car from Joe Gibbs racing. Now, it was not the car of my favorite driver, but a race car is a race car. I walk up to the hauler driver, Shrub hat in place, to tell him I appreciate bringing the car around and joke that he probably feels safer driving this hauler than one from Shrub. He smiles, laughs a bit, and says something like this one is hard enough.

As I am standing there looking at it, a midst maybe 10 other people at the car, a JR fan has to start crap with me over Kyle Busch. Not good natured banter mind you, but legitimate, down home, what goes around comes around crap. I tried to kid around with the guy, just trying to calm him down, but he was having none of it.

My first thought was, though not spoken, dude are you kidding me?

It is lunch time in a major city, there are kids right next to you grabbing hero cards and getting their picture taken, and you have to start something here over people we cheer for. Seriously, this is a parking lot in front of several businesses, with a sizable lunch time crowed, and you are really doing this. I was embarrassed for him.

Of course, he decides he would like to eat at the same restaurant as me and ends up in line, right behind me. And so it continues in the restaurant. When I got done placing my order I turned around to ask him what he wanted…I was going to by this guy lunch; but when I did, his mouth was still going. I decided to forget about it.

Honestly JR fans, get a grip and police your own.

• 17 Comments
• Jr, Kyle, Busch

Shrub Club Mark - Comments on Richmond

As one of the charter members of the Shrub Club here at Rowdy, I guess I should step up and say something about the Kyle deal.

But, before I do… I just want to say that I find it a shame that we had Michael Waltrip ram another competitor, with malice, and yet the blogs are filled with “Kyle sucks�. Only one person (Mark) even mentioned what is one of the most heinous, belligerent acts I have ever seen in racing.

Now back to Kyle B-u-s-c-h not Bush. How much validity should we put to a blog where the guy writing it does not even spell the guys name correctly? When Kyle got hit Friday night, there were plenty at Rowdy that talking about him acting like a girl and not being able to handle what is “just short track racing�. A driver runs in to the back of KyB, on the back straight – not even in a corner, and Kyle was still the bad guy because he did not handle the incident like his haters thought he should. It was just short track racing, right? But when he makes a mistake on Saturday that ultimately cost him and /or JR the win, suddenly short track racing is not short track racing anymore. Guess I should just be used to the sliding scale, but I am not.

There is no doubt in my mind that JR ran a defensive line in to the corner and he darn well should have. Any other driver would have done the same. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last that a car gets loose on the inside of another and takes a car (or two) out. It just happens. Both of those guys could have given some room, but they choose not to and both paid the price. Had Kyle been a little more patient, I believe he would have likely won the race. But he lost the car and bumped – God forbid – JR.

This would be a completely different story if KyB had pulled the bump and run, but he didn’t. But there again the sliding scale would have applied. The great Dale senior bumps and runs we call him the Intimidator and laugh about it. Jeff or Kyle does it and hells bells they suck, the sky is falling and they need to be publicly stoned. If it had been JR that caused the 18 to crash, most of you would have been writing that Kyle got what he deserved and that close racing is just short track racing. You know it, so don’t bother refuting it.

I want, more than anything, for Kyle to beat Hendrick drivers every chance he can get. But I did not want to see it happen like this because it is too much work. If you want to not like the guy, fine, pick a driver and let’s go; that is what makes our sport so great. But save all of us, not just the Shrub fans, weak arguments based on this sliding scale of what is and is not ok in racing. The kid will give you plenty of ammunition for valid arguments and respectable fan banter. Go get that.

Off to Darlington.

M

• 15 Comments
• Kyle, Richmond

Shrub and F1?

So I was excited as heck to receive my new Racer magazine because it had an article on Kyle Busch. The article was lame and left me with grave concern that Kyle was going to start caring what people thought.If that happens, I guess I am off to find a new driver.

Anyway, the only interesting part of the article was a side bar that mentioned that, should the opportunity come up, that Shrub would be very interested in testing for Toyota F1.

If F1 struggles with the optimistic passing attempts of Sato, and in the past Montoya, can you fathom the ruckus Shrub would cause? My stars I would LOVE to see this.

So here is the question, why do you suppose all roads lead to NASCAR and not (say) NASCAR to F1? Last I heard anything of the sort was trading paint with Jeff G and JPM.

Thoughts?

M

• 2 Comments
• Kyle Busch, F1

Danica and Kyle Comparison

Just wondering if someone wants to fire up the Kyle Busch v. Danica comparison again.

Anyone?

Maybe Ashley Force would stand to be a better long term comparison, after all she is leading the points for her series....beats, oh say 19th...right?

Time to update that KyB graph again.

• 3 Comments
• danica, Kyle

Dear Nationwide Series Race "Coverage" Team

Dear Nationwide Series Race "Coverage" Team,

I just want to drop you a quick note to say thank you for the in depth coverage of Clint Bowyer’s race progress while there was a pass being made for the lead. It is OK with me that not a single camera managed to catch it or that you simply did not bother to replay it. Should we assume that you were censoring Kyle’s driving like you apparently did his radio transmission regarding Pruett’s blocking and the looming fireworks once he caught him? Really, who wants to see an established road race champion get passed by a guy who admittedly did nothing to prepare for the race?

If I somehow missed this pivotal race moment whilst fast forwarding through the race on my DVR, and flipping back and fourth to watch a documentary chronicling the mating rituals of the African Three Toed Tree Sloth, please feel free to send me a link to where I can watch it on your site; and accept my apology.

Sincerely,

Mark

• 5 Comments
• Mexico, Nationwide, Kyle Busch, pruett, ABC, ESPN

The greatest drivers????

The variety of racing available this weekend, combined with the advent of the DVR, allowed me to condense about 30 hours of would be racing boredom in to about 4 hours of enjoyment. The start and finish of the 12HoSB, Australian GP, ½ Nationwide at Bristol, the last 20 laps of the cup race and the NHRA Gator Nationals (of which I still have not FFWD through so do not spoil it for me) – all at my finger tips.

Since the racing was not all that compelling, my mind found other ways of entertaining itself. One way was noting the crossover of drivers to different series. IRL and F1 to NASCAR, Champ Car to F1, IRL and Grand Am to ALMS…etc…etc. I was remembering the big hoopla around Montoya's move to cup which basically disguised his F1 unemployment behind the story line of “just wanting to race with the best in NASCAR.� The IRL drivers have used the same “we want to race with the best…blah..blah�….when the facts are likely that they simply wanted out of the slow death known as American open wheel racing. You get the idea here.

From this line of thinking I went on to notice that I could not think of one driver who has crossed over to another series that ever realized the success found in the series from which they came.. Save for maybe dirt to paved oval, Andretti to F1 or Montoya from IRL to F1. And to JPM’s credit, he did win a race last season (though fluky). It just does not seem to happen. Why?

I propose that the “to race with the best� literally translates to “I just do not want to be unemployed and/or I think I can make some (more) money there.� And if there was one true series made of the worlds best drivers, the ROC held in France would be dominated by (1) series.

NASCAR is not the best.

F1 is not the best.

CHAMP and IRL are not the best.

Grand Am and ALMS are not the best.

Fact is, there is no best, just different.

Thoughts?

• 6 Comments
• NASCAR, F1, CHAMP, IRL, best drivers

ROWDY Driver Divorce Court

There was, and may still be, a satellite radio show that would allow fans to call in and present their case to receive permission to break up with (divorce) their favorite NASCAR driver for another. The show was hysterical, incredibly popular, and happened two times per race year - Once before and once at the midway point of the season. I thought it might be fun to start the ROWDY version of NASCAR Driver Divorce Court

If you are changing, or have changed your favorite driver allegiance for the 2008 season, BLOG here with who your current favorite driver is, why you feel you have grounds to break up with him as your favorite, and who your new driver will be for this season. Once you air your case, the ROWDY fan base will either provide or deny your request to break up with your driver based on the evidence presented.

(Now, obviously you can cheer for who you want, and this BLOG has nothing to do with you actually going in and changing your favorite driver listing in your profile,….but it would be funny if it did). This does not mean you can not like more than one driver, this simply addresses your favorite driver.

It might look something like this:
Hello, my name is (Insert Your Name Here). My current favorite driver is Dale Jarrett and I am requesting a divorce on the grounds that he is retiring. I would like my new favorite drive to be (Insert Name Here)

Court is in session, first fan on the docket please.

• 8 Comments
• Favorite Driver

Brand Loyalty – The Chaser

So this is interesting. So far (11) responses and not one person sited the make of the car as a major contributing factor as to the driver they support.

This begs the question:
Assuming ROWDY represents the more racing savvy/hardcore side of the NASCAR fan base, and we do not care who makes the car of our favorite driver, who is the target audience for Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota? With US auto manufactures struggling financially as they are, why would they continue to sink money in to NASCAR? Unlike ALMS or Grand Am, where one could argue a technological return on investment, I just do not see the return in cup. Unless of course there is a huge untapped market for splitter equipped production vehicles that only turn left.

Sound off folks, what is the point?

• 8 Comments
• Car Make, advertising money, brand loyalty