The off season has had no shortage of NASCAR news. In addition to the new baby announcements and changes to the schedule, NASCAR announced on Thursday that they will be making some significant rule changes.

NASCAR officials have announced that they plan to relax and let the drivers do what they do best without too much interference. However, it was stated on Next Time By internet radio today that in the past, NASCAR has made the same claim and it hasn’t happened. So will it really change this time?

Now, of course, with this announcement, all the fans are excited and hope for some good racing but we all wonder in the back of our minds: Will NASCAR really relax their grip on the races or will this be another empty promise?

Of course, we did see near the end of last season where this had already started to take place. The fiery feud between Cup series superstar, Denny Hamlin, and Talladega champion, Brad Keselowski sparked a great amount of excitement. NASCAR took it upon themselves to back off and let the drivers have their feud, which has been ongoing throughout the off season.

Some fans seem to have a bit of an issue with this due to safety reasons, but NASCAR CEO and chairman, Brian France states “NASCAR is a contact sport – our history is based on banging fenders.”

And it is so true. NASCAR is a true contact sport in the sense that the drivers thrive on on (and off track) rivalries to keep things interesting. Even with the inevitable safety issues that come up, fans and drivers always love a good rivalry.

“Over the past 10 years we’ve dramatically increased safety and that mission continues. However, it’s time for us to allow the drivers to drive. We don’t want the rules and regulations to get in the way of great racing and fantastic finishes,” said France.

One thing NASCAR fans can always count on is rule changes. And there have been plenty of them for 2010 already. Bump-drafting rules are null and void now at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway. They will also implement a bigger restrictor plate at Daytona.

If you remember, right before the Talladega fall race, NASCAR announced the “no bump drafting into the corners” rule. That rule did not go over well with drivers or fans. The draft, especially the bump draft, is what makes Talladega more exciting to watch. During that particular race, the field was so widely spread out that it be came pretty dull for a good part of the race. Whether or not that is the fault of the lack of bump drafting in the corners is anyone’s guess.

The bigger restrictor plate for Daytona seems to be causing a great deal of excitement and debate in the NASCAR community. Some argue that the racing will be better due to the higher speeds and additional horsepower in the cars and others say that it will be far more dangerous. Whatever the case may be, its sure to make the races fare more interesting to see.

Perhaps the most significant change to NASCAR is the removal of the wing from the COT. Officials have decided to replace it with the spoiler from the old car. I’m not too well versed on aerodynamics, but if I understand correctly, the spoiler will give the car more downforce and hold it closer to the track.

Whatever happens in the next few months, be assured that NASCAR has only what they believe is best for the sport, drivers, and the fans in mind. The new rule changes are sure to make for a really interesting season.

Nothing can possibly be more fun or exciting than watching NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers beating and banging on each other. Especially when they run a dirt track.

Now picture this. A full field of Cup drivers, plus one, racing on a dirt track similar to Eldora. For points.

While viewing the Prelude to the Dream that Cup driver Tony Stewart holds at his racetrack, Eldora Speedway, in Ohio, I had a thought. How fun would it be if NASCAR added a dirt track race to the schedule? I mean, just chew on that thought for a moment. They already run on all sorts of tracks. Short tracks, super speedways, intermediate, and even two road courses have been worked into the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule.

I know a lot of people seem to think that it would be highly difficult for NASCAR to run a Cup race with those cars on a dirt track. There’s too many cars or there are drivers out there not experienced enough to run on such a track. Excuses, excuses! Think about this for a moment, NASCAR Cup teams have brought in what they call “road course specialists” to run the courses. Why not do something like that for a dirt track?

Most of the drivers out there are versatile and experienced enough that they could easily run a dirt track race and not run the risk of wrecking on lap one. Many of the Cup drivers have come from dirt track roots and would probably enjoy seeing something like this on the schedule.

But how can it be done? Well, let me tell you…

My first thought is to allow an extra car to qualify for the race. 44 cars would even out the field and allow NASCAR to run two main events with the same amount of cars.

Secondly, how would qualifying work? Well that’s simple, I personally say do the qualifying like they do the Duels at the beginning of the season. Only break up the field into four heat races, eleven cars in each race. Ten or fifteen lap races wouldn’t do, so I would say, depending on track size, the races should be anywhere from 25 to 30 laps.

The first two heat races would qualify for the first main event. The second two heat races would qualify for the second main event. This would put 22 cars into each of the two main events. The two main events should be around 60 to 80 laps each.

When the two main events are finished, just to add in some extra fun, the top 20 cars from each race should run a 25 lap shoot out.

You may be saying at this point that it seems like a lot of racing for one day and well that is probably true. I say put the four qualifying heat races on a Friday, the day before the Cup race. It would be just like any other Cup weekend with qualifying held the day before. Then of course, the main races should always be held at night with the A Main, B Main, and the 25 lap Shoot out being run on a Saturday night.

Crazy?? Quite possibly. But I think the majority of you would love to see NASCAR return to its roots by running some good old fashioned dirt track races.

 

Now I realize this is superficial, fangirlish, and a little on the obsessive side but I like to have fun when I write. These are also based solely on my own opinion. If you don’t like it, well honestly, I don’t care.

12. Kurt Busch – Now I don’t know how anyone can find this face attractive. I mean his ears stick out, his cheeks look make him look like a little packrat. Ever seen him when its raining? Then he’s a drowned packrat.

 

11. Denny Hamlin – Only two words can describe this picture: deranged psychopath. Sexy. Or not. Sometimes, he has this element of ugly cuteness but then others he looks like…well this:

 

10. Mark Martin – Ok, so he’s one of the greatest drivers of all time. Definitely one of my faves. I adore him but let’s face it, pointy nose, wrinkly skin, and that icky 50 year old 6 pack he’s got. It’s just kinda gross.

 

9. Brian Vickers – The dude looks like a leprechaun. Pointy ears, goofy grin and all. He’s sweet and soft spoken but the guy’s attractiveness level has just plummeted since his Garnier days in 2006. Can we please have Gillette Brian back? Kthnx.

 

8. Carl Edwards – I’m so going to get shanked for this but I don’t care. My blog, my opinions. I just don’t find this man all that good looking! He honestly looks like he could use some braces. And I say that with the greatest respect. I’ll give him this. He has very pretty eyes.

 

7. Jeff Gordon – Pretty eyes, nice facial features and looks downright sexy when he poses for Halston ads but he has NO LIPS. Just look!

 

6. Juan Pablo Montoya – Cute, short, angry little Hispanic man. Need I say more?

 

5. Kasey Kahne – He’s so precious and sweet, like a little China doll! Sometimes I wonder what a guy that’s so pretty is doing driving race cars! He could be a Backstreet Boy or a model.

 

4. Ryan Newman – Sure he’s a little chubby and one of his nicknames is No-Neck Newman, but he’s got the sweetest little smile! And his eyes dance when he laughs. He has a great personality and sense of humor. What’s not to love?

 

3. Greg Biffle – He may not be the most photogenic guy on the circuit, but he sure is good looking. With pretty, sparkling blue-grey eyes and a killer smile, the few photos of him that come out looking good are so worth it.

And could we lay aside the braces jokes for a few moments?

 

2. Jimmie Johnson – Except for a brief period of time where he grew out his beard and then proceeded to let several children all under the age of 10 shave his head, this man is one of the sexiest men I’ve ever seen. He really could use a brow wax though. Just sayin’.

Of course he cracks me up with his antics. I think if he hadn’t pissed me off in 2006 when he won the Daytona 500, I’d probably be a big fan.

 

1. Tony Stewart – Sexiest man in the Chase. And as you can see, it isn’t just looks I am going by here. A great personality also helps. I don’t care if he’s chubby, I kinda like them on the chubby side. Tony has chocolate brown eyes that could melt the polar ice caps and is basically one of the funniest men ever. Even if he is inclined to grab men’s behinds.

When 50 year old Mark Martin announced he would run full time in 2009 with Hendrick Motorsports, I expected a come back of sorts. Never did I imagine it would be this way. With four wins so far this season, Martin leads all active drivers with in wins. Come the chase, should he remain top 12, he will have 40 bonus points to Kyle Busch’s 30 and current points leader Tony Stewart’s 20.

Martin dominated the LifeLock.com 400, leading 195 out of 267 laps, a track record. With just two laps to go on the final restart, Martin raced to the finish and took the victory just .415 seconds ahead of teammate Jeff Gordon.

“That was fun!” Martin said during his post race interview. "That's what life's all about right there. These guys deserved to win. We could have parked the car [Friday] with an hour left in practice. I knew it was awesome.”

Martin was followed by Gordon in second, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Denny Hamlin. The unexpected victory bumped Martin up two spots, putting him back in the chase, though he is in 11th currently. Kasey Kahne moved up four spots with his surprising 3rd place finish to 8th place. Gordon gained about five points on Stewart who still leads the Cup series points.

It took all of 14 races for Stewart-Haas Racing’s owner/driver to win his first NASCAR Sprint cup points race. It is a well known fact that Tony Stewart is never very good or consistent in the first half of the season. He’s proven everyone wrong by pulling the 14 car into Victory Lane twice this season already, the first time being at the NASCAR All Star Race in May.

Call it a fuel mileage win if you will but all that matters is that Tony has got that first win out of the way. Now he can focus on running top five every week, winning more races, and getting that championship trophy in November.

"I didn't think he was going to be a factor," Edwards said of Stewart. "I was sure he was going to run out."

He was probably counting on Stewart to run out of fuel there at the end. Edwards placed second to Stewart with David Reutimann, Jeff Gordon, and Ryan Newman rounding out the top 5.

Edwards and Gordon were also low on fuel with only Reutimann and Newman projected to make the final laps.

When asked what his fuel strategy was, Stewart retorted, laughing “I’m not telling!”

Other drivers, however, lost the fuel mileage game. Mark Martin had to pit late in the final green flag run for fuel and Jimmie Johnson ran out but managed to coast to the checkers in 7th place.

What is even more amazing about Stewart’s win is that he did it in a backup car from a 43rd starting position. His splitter was ripped off in a practice session on Saturday. Still he remained optimistic that his team and car were good enough to not only get to the front but to contend for the win. Within the first 30 laps of Sunday’s race, the 14 car had broken into the top 10. Still, Stewart took little credit for his performance on Sunday.

"Breathe easy, boys, we're gonna make it," Stewart radioed to his crew as he rolled through the final corner. "God, I'm proud of you guys. You make me look like a genius in here."

In attendance was Tony’s father, Nelson Stewart, who was seen to be shedding a few tears on his way to Victory Lane to celebrate with his son.

Tony Stewart now leads the points standings by 71 points. He gained the lead after last Sunday’s race at Dover. This is also the first win by an owner/driver since Ricky Rudd won at Martinsville in September of 1998.