During this year's Chase, because of the points battle that ensued between the top three competitors, much desired television exposure was lost by the remaining nine teams as the focus was squarely and perhaps fairly placed upon the leaders. We watched as the leaders battled upon the track, we observed their crew chief's pit selection, we heard the three in pre and post race interviews to the exclusion of almost all other competitors, special graphics were displayed during the television broadcasts that kept them in firmly in the forefront of our conscience minds. Unless something unusual occurred on a particular day, a casual observer might not have even known that there were greater than three in Cup competition as we came to the close of another season of Sprint Cup racing.

If I owned a NASCAR team who found themselves competing within in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, and my team had absolutely no chance of cracking the top ten positions in the point standings, it would then be most appropriate and helpful to garner a little notoriety for my valuable sponsors, to ensure a little television exposure, to have my sponsor's names or their logos mentioned or shown in the broadcast, it would be time for my driver to become the "Clown Prince of the Chase"! It would be foolish to limit participation in this effort to just the driver, to ensure maximum effect the entire crew would need to join in as well.

After being mathematically eliminated from the top-ten Chase competitors, my team would issue a press release informing the media that a news conference would be held the following day. Few details would appear in the release but it would be made abundantly clear that copious amounts of free food would be served, this would make absolutely certain that every media member from every outlet would attend the next day's early afternoon conference without any shadow of doubt.

The day of the event, upon entering the briefing room the usual seating arrangements would be in place and upon every seat would be a piece of paper with a list of the team's sponsors and brief tidbits about the team's relationship with them, but the entire front of the room would be covered by a curtain. Behind the curtain a celebratory Chase dinner for the team would have just taken place, the scent of roasting meats, baked bread and cookies would envelop the attending throng outside the curtain, the sounds of clinking glass and tableware would whet the media member's appetites for what the they feel surely is to come. Just prior to the assembled masses becoming an ugly mob, the curtain would be drawn back to show the driver and his team in their firesuits. Each team member would have gigantic sacks filled with very small bags of peanuts and marshmallows printed with the various sponsor's logos. They would begin shouting the names of the team's sponsors while tossing the packaged victuals at the seated members as if the media were caged zoo animals, feeding would continue until all the bags were emptied and their contents were thrown. The curtain would then be once again drawn and the event would come to a close. I would think that pictures and news of this happening would be tweeted, columns would be written and video would be played during a few news casts and most NASCAR related programming that very evening, sponsors names most assuredly would be mentioned.

The now notorious munchies would be given away at tweetups, proffered to the line of notables during driver introductions and thrown to the throngs of adoring fans as the driver rode around the track. Later in the day's race a bag would also be thrown at the top Chase competitor when they were on camera as they made their way down pit road ( I'm certain this would only be allowed to happen once ). Not surprisingly the bags would also somehow make their way to rest upon the track during competition, causing a much needed debris caution!

After having pitted in sequence with the leader in order to have a sponsored bag of peanuts thrown at them, my driver would then pit out of sequence drawing as much attention as possible without endangering himself or the other competitors. Being the only car on pit road, crew members would dance, shuffle and shake thereby drawing as much attention to them as possible while performing any needed service. At one point in time when the car is again alone on pit road, the bags of treats team members keep in their pockets will be thrown at each other in a play fight. Crew members will skip around the car darting behind and around it in order not to be pelted by their pursuers with the packaged peanuts and/or marshmallows. This epic performance will continue until the team is shown on television.

As the driver leaves pit road, no other cars are about so he can perform as many donuts as he wishes, the only limiting factor is that he must not hurt the tires too much. This particular maneuver can be executed during competition on large tracks as well, all the driver needs to do is drop to the back of the pack before doing so, and of course the driver will need to be careful to not flat spot the tires too often or the team will run out of rubber.

If the driver ever happens to come in contact with the wall or suffers mechanical failure that necessitates a trip to the care center he will be instructed to attempt to dance with the safety workers but only after handing them samples of the ever-present packaged peanuts and marshmallows, the packages could be easily taped to the inside of the car in an easily accessible area. All the driver's actions must be done slowly, dramatically and with great flair in order to draw the attention of the media.

At the end of the race, if not having finished first during this particular contest the car will stop well away from the race winner and the crew will run from their pit stall to surround the car and driver, their own carefully choreographed celebration will ensue until such time as the television broadcast ends, they become tired or are warned to leave by the officials.

Who cares where the team finishes in each race?  The WORST they can do is finish twelfth in the point standings at the end of the year.

Place blame where it’s due, place blame upon the instigator.

When anyone sets out to fulfill a particular goal, sometimes not everything goes as planned. Carl and Brad raced cleanly throughout the entire contest until the final lap. Regrettably, Brad Keselowski set out to wreck Carl Edwards in turn one of Gateway International Speedway , his blatant attempt at wrecking Carl failed, and failed less than spectacularly I might add but it set in motion a chain of events for which Brad failed to plan.

Brad Keselowski delivered NOT a bump, nor a nudge, nor a tap, nor a rub to the 60 of Carl Edwards. BRAD delivered what HE hoped would be a race ending malicious blow to the Aflac Ford Fusion. To characterize it any other way as many media sycophants have done is repulsive, repugnant and most of all simply wrong. If you say that Brad’s “backing off the throttle” proves your point that he didn’t intend to wreck Carl Edwards is both ludicrous and absurd. Brad backed off because he thought he delivered the blow that would send Carl spinning in front of him (and in front of the entire field who were running at “full song”) and he wanted to avoid what he thought was the eventual contact. This was the first of Brad’s failures that evening, BRAD struck and dropped the match that ignited the explosion that was to come.

Failing to maliciously wreck Edwards was Brad’s first mistake, letting Carl Edwards catch him was only the second. Can you image the sphincter tightening moment Brad must have experienced when he realized that the driver he just tried unsuccessfully to wreck had been able to catch him? I’m certain that it played a large part in the fact that Brad had neither the skill nor the aplomb to recover from the hit that Carl Edwards so deservedly administered on the front stretch. Certainly it’s easier to recover a car on the straightaway than when it is in a turn. Isn’t it?

Just milliseconds after delivering Mr. Keselowski’s payback Carl Edwards crossed the finish line First On Race Day, and Brad lost the race. This was the third and perhaps the most humiliating failure of all.

Place the blame squarely beneath the feet of Brad Keselowski ladies and  gentlemen, because it was he that set the wheels in motion, his plan led to his own ultimate demise as a result of unintended consequences. He sowed the seeds of his own failure! Blame Brad Keselowski for all the collateral damage to the poor souls who were innocent bystanders.

Brad Keselowski did win something at Gateway however; he hit the Trifecta of Failure.

I certainly hope that RPM Motorsports IMMEDIATELY jettisons that fey little snivelling creep Kasey Kahne, don't let him hang around to steal proprietary information & team Ford secrets about the FR-9. 

Ford placed its good faith & hard earned dollars supporting this young man early in his carreer only to see him be lured away by the Svengali like Ray Evernham.

Fate placed him in the Ford fold with RPM's inspired move to the Blue Oval and what does Kahne do?  Jump ship, that's what!  I guess he has no LOYALTY to any manufacturer whatsoever, not Dodge and certainly not Ford.

Go ahead, go to the Cult of the Bow-Tie and to the only team whose owner needed a Presidential Pardon, you seem tailor made for each other.

Somewhat of a rant here, I thought the weekend at Phoenix was a triple header for Truck, Nationwide & Cup but as usual I was wrong.

A couple of weeks ago, the better half & I watched great battles within the field as Kevin Harvick ran away, it was no contest for the win at Martinsville but we witnessed great racing nonetheless.

As usual I was watching the series run at Nashville too.  I don't know if it was the coverage or the race itself but I found it somewhat processional & less than compelling, sure there were bits and pieces of excitement but the whole show appeared lackluster to me.  With this bitter taste left in my mouth & presumably the mouths of others as well,  the series leaves the stage for an entire month.  Instead of making a pilgrimage to its southwest birthplace , the series takes four weeks off.  It seems like an opportunity for redemption is lost, the possibility of staging an exciting contest at Phoenix or somewhere in the west is missed.

Perhaps fiscal constraints prohibit the teams from making the long westward trek, if that's the case then let the series come back to Virginia from Tennessee.  Let them come to South Boston where I witnessed the greatest racing in the series up close and personal in the little "bull-ring".

The series could return to RIR which jettisoned the IRL event this year.  While a little bigger than SoBo it's a great venue for the Truck Series to beat and bang in, and it is sorely missed.

Perhaps it's time for road racing to return to the series, let them come to  Virginia International Raceway (VIR).  While much,  much larger than the two aforementioned short tracks, VIR is a beautiful setting in which to watch a race, fans would be treated to a form of racing not seen in the series since Watkins Glen & Portland International in 2000.  Whether on the full course or only part of this magnificent setting, fans would be in for an interesting treat and a break from the oval course monotony.

A month is just too long to wait to see the NASCR Camping World Truck Series drivers compete!