Nascar 2002: We're Back!

[Guest Choken One]

It's Nascar Speedweeks 2002 and we're setting up for a AWESOME series this year.

 

While I'm saddened that I won't be attending this year and I won't even be competing this year as our team lost our fire and decide to just build for other young teams.

 

 The top series is Winston Cup and 2002 has such an open field, it's nearly impossible to predict the outcome for this season.

 

It's full year removed from the Tragic and sad lost of a beloved legend, Dale Earnhardt Sr, but Nascar and it's fans have moved on and we're looking at the new Earnhardt inspired crop of talent arriving to the field.

 

The main theme that the media seems to be pushing this season is the "Young Vs Old" storyline and unlike WCW, they have a case. Each department are loaded with well capable and talented and popular drivers.

 

 One the "Young" side you got rising stars like, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jimmie Johnson,Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Casey Atwood, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth Vs the "Old" Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Bill Elliot, Terry Lobonte and Sterling Marlin. It's a nice storyline and the drivers are playing along with it. Meanwhile, You still got popular and talented drivers wedged in between those groups like, Jeff Gordan, Jeff Burton, Bobby Lobonte, Micheal Waltrip, and many others.

 

 After the main "Young/Old" storyline, Media has been begging for a instense and fierce rivally since Bill Elliot and Dale Earnhardt seperated in the early 90's. They finally got Serious and deep rivally between 4 time Track Champion, Jeff Gordan and rising sensation, Tony Stewart. They both play along with it and Tony Stewart is perhaps the closest any driver has been to the late great Dale Earnhardt on and off the track, mean while, Jeff Gordan is your Homecoming king, take to the parents, intelligent "hunk" and Brings in a huge female audience. It's bound to be the closest watched series and it will be intense as always.

 

 Every year about 12 drivers immeditly break away and settle the ground for the top 12, and every year we get the "How he get there" and the "What happened with him?" and this year, it's different, while the main field for the Championship is likely chipped to 6, there is a wide field for the rest of the series.

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr -He is the sentimental favorite for many and he can back it up with his enormously inherited talent and has a superb crew and is perhaps the most popular driver amongst 13-25 Audiences. Has a big footprint to walk in but he has the resources and desire to cover those tracks and make some of his own.

 

Jeff Gordan- The most talented and marketable driver ever. Even more then Petty, Waltrip and arguably, Dale Sr. He is always the odds on favorite to win the race and the championship and this year, following his Fourth winston cup circuit in 10 years time, wants to close in on the record 7 titles established by Dale Sr and "The King" Richard Petty. There's no question that Jeff Gordon will eventfully capture his 5th, 6th, 7th and Eighth  winston cup title in due time, but the only question is, How dominant will he be?

 

Tony Stewart- The "Next Dale Earnhardt " Quite a lofty expecation he has been handed but he has managed to channel the early days of the legendary champion. He has quickly become antithesis of Dale Earnhardt of the Early 80's, vastly brash and hated but proves his talent week in and week out. This young and talented driver has turned heads with his rapid succession to the top of nascar along with his Double Duty Indy 500/Coke 600 days in May, although Robby Gordon and John Andretti have attempted it before Stewart, it was Stewart whom has managed success with a 6th Place finish at Indy and 3rd place at Coke 600. Showing his versatile ability and he is praised for his intensity although it has costed him a pretty penny. He is easily one of the top new stars of Nascar and he likely intends to stick around.

 

Kevin Harvick-Who else could have done what he did last year what Kevin Harvick did in 2001. Days removed from the death of the biggest influence in Nascar history, Harvick was thrown into the driver's seat of the "29" car and had a huge obsectale to run but he succeded beyond expectations, not only did Kevin Harvick gain respect by succeding but he succeded in high fashion with 2 wins (one coming 3 weeks after Earnhardt's death in a thriller) and quickly gained his own following and has started to erase the burdon of following in a legend's footsteps. While he may have touted as one of the future drivers by the likes Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt himself, no one expected him to shine like he did in 2001. Now, there is extreame pressure, not to follow in the footsteps of Dale Earnhardt but to prove it was not a fluke.

 

Jeff Burton-While his results of 2001 would not indicate him to be a popular favorite to challenge for the winston Cup title, he was saddled with a poor crew and a unblanced schedule being a Nascar Driver and "Mr. Safety", he practically volunteered to be the head "safety" guy and some feel that burdened him in 2001 and it showed that he still had talent as he made a huge finish and finished in good points position but not where he had aimed. However, he says his role as safety man will not curb his desire for the title.

 

Strerling Marlin- One of 2001 many success stories, he made a surprise run at the Title this year finishing 3rd, as many analysts had already cast him of as a "Has been", after battling the storms of death threats as the driver that tapped the black #3 car into the wall, he fought through that stigmata and eched a more memorble year as he made a huge comeback and has a amazing owner in Chip Gannassi that has deep pockets and can bring Marlin the best resources for him to end his Title drought.

 

 

Seven other Drivers to contend

-Bobby Lobonte

-Jimmy Spencer

-Robby Gordon

-Ricky Rudd

-Dale Jarrett

-Johnny Benson

-Rusty Wallace

 

Drivers on their last wheels

 

Terry Lobonte-It was but a scant 5 years ago he was the Two time Winston cup champion and now he is coming off a embarassing 23rd place finish and has been bombarded with "Retirement" rumors and it's somethat  can't be avoided, he has past his time and he will try to rectify those statements and make another run but no one will take him seriously.

 

Ken Schrader- Another Driver that has failed his potential.  It's been more then 10 years since he has entered Victory Lane in a points race and it's not looking like it's going to occur anytime soon. Always been a popular driver for the fans but he has not aligned himself with the right teams since leaving Hendricks a few years ago.

 

Kyle Petty-He has been haunted by his Father and grandfather's legendary status and never got to those levels and some argue it's because of lack of talent and others say lack of desire. While it's not expected for him to ever come close to attaining his father's inmortality, it is expected that he should be able to bounce back from his son, Adam's tragic death in a Practice lap at New Hampshire. He is unlikely to recover as a driver but there is still hope that he can succeed where his father never could, as Car Owner.

 

John Andretti- Another member of the Petty Enterprises team and one of the most disapointing Nascar careers ever. Hailing from a family of racing legends, you must think he was the black sheep. He never achieve status like the rest of his family. Maybe he can right some wrongs but only if he finally leaves Petty.

 

 The Outlook of 2002

      This season looks jammed full of storylines and amazing stories to go along with great racing. Will we get the much awaited Stewart/Gordon points showdown or will a rising superstar of the Future like Ryan Newman or Jimmie Johnson make a huge impact like Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick did. Or perhaps will one of the old guns, Dale Jarrett or Rusty Wallace have one more day in the sun. Perhaps a close but never quite there driver like Martin or Marlin or Rudd can finally achieve the goal. So many probobilitys for 2002, it's going be a thriller and I can't wait.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Gordon vs Stewart might be actually what NASCAR needs.

[Guest Army Eye]

A Gordon vs. Stewart feud sounds good to me.  Both awesome drivers who will be around for a long time to come.  Polar opposites when it comes to personality too.  One of the thing I always liked about Earnhardt is that he just said exactly what was on his mind. Stewart is the same way.  If someone wrecks him he'll tell you exactly who did it and how stupid the guy is.  Gordon on the other hand, everything he says is watered down and sanitized for public consumption.  And, as someone who has watched NASCAR through all of Gordon's career, I have already seen more than enough of his mug to last a lifetime.  I hope someone can take the spotlight away from him a little, and it seems like Stewart has the best chance of doing that.

[Guest Choken One]

I have to agree, I've met both guys and had long convos with each of them and Tony is def. a striking resemblance to Dale Sr. Jeff is too watered down and Stewart is Nascar's worst nightmare and that's why I like Stewart more this year.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Stewart can be too much of a hot head. Yelling and screeming at drivers in the garage area. Earnhardt would never do anything like that. A simple love tap if he was pissed off.

[Guest Choken One]

You ever watch Nascar? Earnhardt could be hot head in his early days like Stewart and I've heard some great stories about Earnhardt in the Garage in my life and he could be the great loving guy he was 97% of the time but 3% of the times he could be really hot headed.

 

Alot of Nascar's greats started like Stewart has Hothead and angry. Earnhardt, Wallace, Waltrip and Allison and then they cooled down and became legends.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

"Alot of Nascar's greats started like Stewart has Hothead and angry. Earnhardt, Wallace, Waltrip and Allison and then they cooled down and became legends."

Exactly, and it wasn't until they controlled their tempers better did they really start winning.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

I hate when people spell Jeff Gordon Jeff "Gordan".  

 

Seriously though, I cant wait for Daytona, even though Jeff Gordon seems to have either really bad luck there in the 500 or outright wins it.

 

Its going to be a competitive year, although guys like Rudd, Jarrett and Rusty will be fading as guys like Stewart, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Ricky Craven (yes, Ricky Craven) are going to be on the rise.

 

And I have a new driver to root for, I think Jimmie Johnson could be for REAL, and he drives for Jeff Gordon...

 

And NASCAR does need the Stewart/Gordon rivalry, its something that NASCAR has been missing since the 80s.

[Guest jonstreich]

Choken One- that's a better preview than the one that I almost wrote.  I wouldn't really count on Sterling Marlin doing as well as he did last year.  It seems that the results Dodge had last year were somewhat flukey, as they may have tried to change too much over the winter.

One thing NASCAR does need is at least one more road course to race on, as racing on tracks such as Pocono, Atlanta, and New Hampshire twice is just dumb.

 

My pick for Sunday's race: Rusty Wallace, if for no other reason than to hope for all the free beer that would be rolling I-43 out of Milwaukee.

[Guest Choken One]

I agree that Nascar should toss in another Road Course race but don't get rid of Atlanta, every year that track chruns out a thriller (Harvick's photo finish win last year). The track that needs to be expunged is New Hampshire, it's laden with it's bad media history (3 deaths in 5 years) and it's rarely exciting. Although I am a die hard fan of 36 races, Nascar needs to Truncate it to about 33 and give the drivers three more weeks off.

 

 Wallace is always a threat but Daytona never done him good and I'd a love Earnhardt for him but if there is gonna be a Earnhardt win this sunday, It's either coming from Ricky Rudd or Dark Horse Mark Martin.

 

My actual pick is Tony Stewart, not just for Daytona but for the entire season.

[Guest Army Eye]

Any comments on the 125s today?  First one was super boring, second one had a lot more action but still not much in the way of lead changes.  

 

Good to see Kyle Petty make the show despite his finishing out of the top 15.. and Marcis finishing 7th was pretty awesome.  And good job by Skinner coming back from the wreck to finish 10th (and he needed it)

[Guest Choken One]

The first was boring even with the super powers but the second race was more exciting watching 9-16 places as we knew then who needed what. I was bitting my nails hoping that Kyle and Marics made the rce, you could never meet two nicer guys.

 

 We saw that there won't be much for passing but that won't hinder the race much as it's always exciting to watch someone squirm at Daytona for 500 Miles.

 

  The first major story of 2002 is perhaps Jimmy Spencer's failing to qualify for the race. Spencer was one of the faves to contend for the Top 10 and although he is not damaged (Harvick missed Daytona and finished 9th). It's intersting to see a Female in The 500 for the first time in over a decade. Although, I've heard some mean stories about Robinson being a domintrix to her crew.

 

 I'm really getting exciting right now and saw so many stories unfold just in he 125's.