Photo credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

Sorry about the lengthy silence last week. My little site was off-line due to some server issues. However, I’m back (actually, the site was back up Saturday morning after having been down since Wednesday afternoon). You lucky yous.

Anyway, first topic to cover, albeit belatedly — not my fault, okay? — is the move by Greg Zipadelli from JGR to SHR. There are multiple angles to examine.

First is how this move relates to Joey Logano. It’s no secret that earlier this year Home Depot was desperate to replace Logano with Carl Edwards when Flipper was a potential free agent starting in 2012. The number of Home Depot ads not starring Logano, because there were no ads at all, being run on television during races this year was another telling sign of the big orange box’s disenchantment with their overwhelmingly major source of air time during the year being whenever Logano painted the SAFER barrier orange – the hard way. Apparently, during the ten year stretch when Tony Stewart flew their colors they had gotten used to the idea of sponsoring a driver who actually won once in a while.

However, it is still a tad too early to dismiss Logano as a quality driver. There is the possibility that the mix of him and Zipadelli simply didn’t work. It’s not that uncommon to have a driver and crew chief, both of whom are capable, be unable to work together for whatever reason. The most notable example of this came when Larry McReynolds, who had enjoyed tremendous success with Davey Allison, and Dale Earnhardt couldn’t get it together. It has been argued that Allison was a superior driver to Earnhardt; the Intimidator himself stated that had Allison’s life not been tragically cut short, he (Earnhardt) wouldn’t have won seven championships. Still, it wasn’t like Earnhardt lacked talent. Neither did McReynolds. Yet, save for the 1999 Daytona 500, the two never clicked well enough for Earnhardt to find victory lane.

I’m not comparing Logano to Earnhardt or Allison. He reminds me more of a character in another sport, namely Alex Smith whose status as the number one pick in the draft became a running joke under a series of head coaches and offensive coordinators, yet has proved to be a serviceable quarterback under the tutelage of Jim Harbaugh. Perhaps Logano will flouish underneath his new crew chief Jason Ratcliff, or will at the least prove serviceable.

That said, even as Alex Smith will always live underneath the shadow of Aaron Rodgers, who was passed over by the 49ers in the draft in favor of Smith, Logano’s career will always be judged by being measured against the driver he replaced. He’s got a lot of catching up to do. Also, his career is being measured against those being currently enjoyed by his teammates. Kyle Busch, winning races and contending for championships. Denny Hamlin, winning races and contending for championships. Logano, not so much. If he doesn’t step it up, and soon, Logano is in grave danger of becoming this generation’s Casey Atwood.

Turning from Logano to Zipadelli, while being the team competition director is hardly a 9 to 5 spent skipping along Easy Street the most interesting development is his agreeing to be the crew chief for Danica Patrick’s Cup races in 2012. Zipadelli is paying appropriate lip service to the “oh, I’m just filling in” meme, but it’s quite obvious from his comments that he relishes the opportunity.

Given that it is Stewart’s name on the checks, he wouldn’t have hired Patrick if he didn’t believe she had potential above selling a lot of merchandise. Paring her with a known, proven commodity like Zipadelli reinforces the notion neither he nor Patrick are playing around. And, although it remains unsaid, there’s no doubt a certain amount of neener neener neenering being hoped for should Patrick and Zipadelli prove to be a succesful combo.

I don’t expect Patrick to win any Cup races next year. What I am looking for is her finishing the season with quality seat time. One or more lead lap finishes would be a strong success, a top ten even more so. Not betting on it, but not betting against it earlier. The ultimate would be for Patrick, pushed by Stewart and/or Ryan Newman, to win a restrictor plate race in 2012. Imagine if you will the media meltdown if she won the Daytona 500. Stranger things have happened in racing.

Stay tuned. The Danica Patrick in NASCAR story is getting more interesting.

P.S. Sorry, couldn’t resist:

First, the driver who finished thirty-two places behind first. That would be Danica Patrick, who before Ryan Truex demonstrated how his older brother hasn’t been sharing much of his NAPA know-how was having a day much like every other driver has during their first visit to Thunder Valley. Namely, rough and tumble in the concrete jungle. Given that short tracks are admittedly the weakest item on Patrick’s résumé, that she couldn’t hang on the lead lap is hardly an indictment bringing the charge of lacking driving ability. Speaking of same, isn’t it odd how the same pundits who last year were calling Patrick an over-hyped, uncommitted hack are now singing her praises? Either she dramatically improved during the off-season, or there’s some serious sucking up going on in order to curry favor with the ESPNs and Sports Illustrateds of this world.

Now, the curious case of Ms. Cobb. It’s a he said/she said scenario, with her stating she was told to be a start and park ten minutes before the race started and chose to do the honorable things by not starting at all, while the team owner insists he told everyone including her the day before. My inclination, given how she’s pretty much put her life on hold in order to pursue a racing career, is to believe her side of the story.

Cobb could easily carve out a nice little niche for herself in the racing world via cheesecake alone. Instead, she’s grinding it out minus the bump and grind, throwing herself wholeheartedly into eking out a place in NASCAR based on how she drives. Is she the greatest driver there is? No. But her desire and determination to improve is unquestionable. Cobb is no ones Twinkie, and when she says no to a race day consisting of waving to the crowd during driver introductions and then waving bye-bye to the track as the green flag waves it’s because she came to race. Period.

No matter how anyone or anything tries, it takes much more than what happened at Bristol over the weekend to break these girls. Women, to be precise.

Keselowski, understandably frustrated after a day which saw him playing a fuel mileage gamble into a lead entering the final lap only to have a cut tire relegate him to a third-place finish behind winner Mark Martin, was miffed by what he saw as disrespect when he was not interviewed on TV following the race. Meanwhile, Patrick was surrounded by media after recording the highest finish by a woman in any of NASCAR’s major series in its sixty-three year history.

Keselowski, who won the Nationwide championship last year, started by saying:

Before broadcast ends I’ll go ahead and say tv skipped me for Danica. Imagine that…

Shortly thereafter, Keselowski attempted to make light of the situation by tweeting:

haha I hope! “@davgrant: @keselowski Well you probably don’t look as good as her in a bikini!”

Keselowski followed this with an exchange on Twitter with Allen Bestwick of ESPN. Bestwick asserted that the reason Keselowski wasn’t interviewed on ABC’s post-race show was because the crew sent to interview him was unable to locate him. Keselowski asserted he was at his car for a few minutes following the race’s conclusion, subsequently walking past an ESPN crew on his way to the track’s media center to talk with assorted print media members and then left the media center while the television broadcast was still on air.

Keselowski next “went there” with this tweet:

haha In fairness, She did run really well. “@charlotte_11N14: @keselowski they can’t admit they all have a hard on for Danica ~

From there, Keselowski apparently realized he needed to swiftly tone it down:

I truly am happy for her She ran well. “@smokinace88: @keselowski So you didnt like Danica getting a good place finish today?”

that’s for u the fan to decide… exactly y tv must treat us the same “@SpTfN: You don’t think she’s a bigger story than your flat today?

I concede, Def. A gr8 story But not the call out about being unavailable @JowersRN: I think Danica deserved the camera time over you today.

Interspersed with these tweets were retweets by NASCAR writers such as Tom Jensen, editor-in-chief at SPEEDtv.com, supporting Keselowski’s opinion.

The subject of whether Danica Patrick receives more publicity than is warranted has been a hot-button issue since she first came to prominence in IndyCar, intensifying since she added NASCAR participation to her racing resumé last year. A fact often lost in the furor over whether it’s how she handles the curves on a race track or displays her curves in assorted magazines that brings her the most attention is how Patrick is indeed a talented driver. Her greatly improved results this year in Nationwide, including her fourth-place finish yesterday in a race where even without a successful fuel mileage gamble she would have placed solidly in the top ten, provide ample testimony to this fact.

Keselowski is justified in feeling slighted by not making a post-race appearance on television yesterday. However, he would be well advised to keep his disappointment strictly a matter between himself and the broadcast networks, leaving Danica Patrick well out of it.

(Cross-posted at Examiner.com.)

Danica Patrick. Because I can.

There’s a whole lotta nuttin’ going on in racing at the moment, with the exception of the Dakar Rally if you’re into such things. Which not that many people are, sad to say.

In what little news there is, NASCAR’s equivalent of a pre-season, a/k/a NASCAR Preseason Thunder, takes place Thursday January 20th through Saturday January 22nd at Daytona International Speedway. This three-day session provides teams with the opportunity to test out the repaved track, learn how the new nose on Sprint Cup cars makes them handle, accumulate data for when racing begins in earnest at Daytona in February, and work on their sound bytes about the tremendous advances their team has made from last season and 2011 is their year for sure. Sure…

In NHRA, all is quiet until the season kicks off in Pomona February 24th through the 27th. No one is presently working on their sound bytes with the exception of John Force, who’s a walking sound byte 24/7/365. God bless him, the grandest personality in all of motorsports.

The Series Formerly Known As IRL But Now Desiring To Be Referred To As IZOD IndyCar Series And Where Danica Is In All The Races lays low until the end of March, when things kick off in St. Petersburg. In the meanwhile, fans can occupy their time with wondering how many 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 collectibles they want, how the new car and manufacturers entering the series in 2012 will affect things, and will anyone not driving for Ganassi or Penske win a race in the meanwhile.

Thankfully, there is some actual racing to look forward to this month, albeit on the final weekend: the Rolex 24 at Daytona, season kickoff for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Given how a sprinkling of NASCAR and IndyCar names usually find a ride for the weekend, even though it’s a road course and a tad difficult to follow at 3 AM unless one is an expert at differentiating headlights at least it’s racing. And not a minute too soon.

(Cross-posted at Liberty Pundits and Examiner.com)

I'm thinking the guy in red is closest to the trophy with good cause.

This weekend, the 2010 NASCAR season ends with all three major series running at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Homestead isn’t the most thrilling track on the circuit, but it’s not bad as far as longer tracks go. You occasionally get some decent action there other than when the canasta tournament at the nearby retirement center goes wild.

The track race today will conclude with Todd Bodine holding his second champions trophy in one hand and a “your name here” sign for potential sponsors on his truck in the other. It’s sad that a now two-time champion and his team have no idea whether they can afford to defend their title in 2011. But that’s the truck series, the unloved save by a small core of action-loving fans redheaded stepchild of NASCAR.

The Nationwide race tomorrow will feature Brad Keselowski hoisting what may well be the final trophy won by a Sprint Cup regular in the series. It’ll also be the last opportunity this year for sufferers of DDS (Danica Derangement Syndrome) to get their hatin’ on in-between sessions of hanging out in the chat rooms of teenagers online talk shows. Meanwhile back in the real world, being that it’s a bigger track, a top twenty finish for Danica isn’t out of the question, as she gains more of the stock car experience she’ll need a lot more of if she wants to progress in the sport.

And then there’s Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Can Jimmie Johnson run well at a track where in recent years he’s had nothing to do but loaf around? Will Denny Hamlin beat the competition or only himself? Will Kevin Harvick channel the man who he succeeded via winning by any means necessary? Or will we all take a nap as the whole thing plays out as a snoozefest? Hopefully not, but racing is weird that way. Intense excitement can neither be forced nor suppressed. In either case, it’s must see TV. As the cap’n says, stay tuned.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Those who play the pop culture game, at least those with a modicum or more of intelligence, know this. They anticipate the downside while nonetheless striving to climb as high as possible. A level of indifference to snark and sniping is well advised, for it will come as surely as fame and acclaim for those who, be it through talent, drawing attention to themselves, or both catch the public’s fancy if not necessarily its favor.

The media, be it professional or amateur or merely amateurish, feeds this voracious pop culture beast with gusto. Curiously, albeit curious in nature solely on the surface, the media also relishes opportunities to take potshots at popular figures in the spotlight. A tad ironic, since the media more or less decides who gets bathed in said spotlight.

The media knows few things bring the readers, listeners and viewers like manufacturing controversy. This is accomplished via the aforementioned cracking on popular people. If you build it by busting on it… er, them, they will come. Be it the minority who believe supporting those who, under the guise of speaking truth to power, belittle those who are actually capable of doing something raises their own non-existent lives to a meaningful level; or the majority staring aghast at allegedly impartial observers beclowning themselves in order to generate heat minus genuine fuel source, the page views and variations thereof will rise when someone strikes a contrarian pose. Never mind the true purpose of which is increased ad revenue via increased audience share. Better to look the edgy rebel than be genuine. 

Enter into this odd little universe Danica Patrick.

One of the favorite pastimes this year among the press corps has been ripping on Danica for her less than spectacular foray into NASCAR. This, combined with a year in Indy car that was subpar to her 2009 season, has made Patrick the target of many a journalist’s jabs about her being the sum total of her photo shoots and little, if anything more. Why is she out there. Why does she have all this sponsor’s support. Why does she get so much attention.

Why do these people have jobs.

While two races do not a career make, Danica’s performance during the season-ending IRL race at Homestead and in this past Saturday’s Nationwide race at Auto Club Speedway demonstrates to all except the willfully ignorant — or ignorant period — she more than belongs on the racetrack with the big boys. Her multiple-lap duel with Tony Kaanan during the conclusion of the Firestone Indy 300, with Patrick ultimately nipping Kaanan for second, was the stuff for which Indy car fans live. Next came Auto Club, where in her eighth Nationwide race and tenth time driving a stock car period Patrick qualified in the top twenty and late in the race was well poised to finish in the top fifteen until racing legend James Bueschler, irate at her using the chrome horn on him the previous lap, expressed his displeasure by deliberately turning into her, smashing her hard into the backstretch wall.

It’s sadly amusing how some hurl abuse at Danica for using her looks, knowing full well they look and leer at every photo shoot, lavishing link love on same in hopes of snagging some of the Web traffic generated by same. According to these part-time moralists, it is her looks alone that matter. Which, were it the truth, would mean Milka Duno is a superduperstar times ten.

If one were to listen to the pundits, Danica’s career should be over by now. Actually, if knowing what you’re talking about is a prerequisite for employment, it ought to be theirs. Patrick’s year hasn’t been a non-stop string of success. But a failure? No.

Danica Patrick’s not over. Not even close. Those who believe so are victims of their own polluted dreams.

P.S. Speaking of not dreaming it’s over…

October 7

Going To California

October 8

Fontana Friday Morning

A Relaxed Danica Patrick? Believe It

A Softer Side Of Carl Edwards

October 9

Kyle Busch Wins Race, Danica Patrick Real Winner At Auto Club

October 10

Tony Stewart Wins Smokin’ Hot Pepsi MAX 400 At Auto Club Speedway

I classify myself as an unashamed Danica fan, albeit one who embraces reality. She had a miserable day in today’s Nationwide race at New Hampshire, won by Kyle Busch (yawn). Not a small part of her difficulties stemmed from inexperience in understanding the physical nature of stock car racing at shorter tracks. Although as mentioned yesterday NHIS doesn’t fully qualify as a short track, it’s a far cry from the previous tracks where Danica has run in Nationwide (Daytona, Auto Club and Las Vegas). Not a whole lot of intentional fender rubbin’ at those places. Other than between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, that is. But I digress.

Another element to consider is how Danica is definitely going about her stock car racing career the hard way. More than a few expert open-wheel racers have tried going into NASCAR full-time only to find themselves perpetually struggling, with results far poorer than what they had previously enjoyed (for example, Sam Hornish Jr.) or, for lack of a more genteel description, washing out altogether (Dario Franchitti). And that’s focusing exclusively on stock cars. Trying to learn NASCAR in-between IRL races while doing the latter full-time? Yeepers. For that alone, Danica ought to be admired.

Ought to be.

However, this is Danica we’re talking about, one to whom the laws of logic and this amazing commodity known as “having a clue” routinely are not applied. Hence, displays of dumb such as today’s Twitter stream by Jeff Gluck.

Gluck, more than any other traditional media person presently covering NASCAR, embodies DDS (Danica Derangement Syndrome). He writes and tweets about her incessantly, whining all the way about how he’s only doing so because she’s a Hot Topic. Although you’re far more likely to find a Twilight t-shirt than one for the GoDaddy.com car at one of their stores. But again I digress.

Gluck’s lack of knowledge when it comes to the sport he covers seldom fails to make its presence felt. Today he snarked on Twitter after early race contact between Morgan Shepherd and Danica, one of those situations either driver could have avoided but chose not to, that Shepherd is known for dumping people (/sarcasm off). If he knew the least little bit about Shepherd, he’d know that unlike the present era, which casts him in the role of a quaint old coot in his Jesus-sponsored car, back in his day Shepherd was a good driver not averse to the rough stuff. Guess knowing that’d be too much to ask.

And so Gluck kept on, and on and on and on, about Danica. He openly feuded with some fans of hers who chided him on Twitter, labeling her “an embarrassment” and publicly sulking like a thin-skinned twerp over it all. There are few things more pathetic than those who troll for sympathy by retweeting slams against them. Yes, Gluck did just that. Shocker, eh?

Here’s some helpful advice for the Jeff Glucks of this world, the ones who snark and snipe under the guise of speaking truth to power then cry like spoiled brats whenever called out on same. Read carefully the earlier paragraphs in this post about Danica’s performance today and overall effort thus far in NASCAR. Note the honesty minus personal animus. Instead, a balanced presentation of facts. It’s called reporting. You know — what you get paid to do?

An additional tidbit of wisdom. You’re not the show. Never have been, aren’t now and never will be. Ever.

Racing fans are about the racing. Drivers, cars, tracks, stuff like that. To date there has yet to be a single recorded incident of a fan buying a ticket to a race so they could watch a reporter. Go figure, huh?

The best reporters know this. They gather information and present it in a form that both entertains and informs. They’re not about placing themselves at the center of a personality cult. Their primary goal isn’t gathering applause and shouting “look at me” every time their byline appears. The greatest compliment a reporter can receive isn’t being told what a great story they’ve written. It’s being told by an appreciative reader, listener or viewer how they’ve provided previously unknown knowledge about someone or something. Period.

Yesterday, Dave Weigel, who had been writing a column for the Washington Post about conservative politics, was forced to resign after several vicious comments he had made about some of the people he was reporting on, made in a private e-mail list group of liberal journalists to which he belonged, came to light. While Weigel’s political views were a known quantity all along, he has asserted he was sufficiently professional to put these aside and report with integrity. His unguarded comments indicated otherwise.

The sole difference between Weigel and Gluck is that the former believed his opinions were being expressed privately, whereas Gluck displays his bias in public for all the world to see. A reporter who is openly derisive of someone or something they have been assigned to cover cannot be believed when they bleat it doesn’t matter. Yes, it does.

Gluck’s anti-Danica bias isn’t a professional opinion. It is personality and celebrity-based, bordering on if not completely within the realm of misogyny. He can protest to the skies this is not the case. His own words betray him.

Gluck’s goal is to make a buck. Fair enough; we all have to earn a living. He could do this through accurate, unbiased reporting. Instead, he has chosen to be a pretend tough guy by insulting someone who does what he never could do.

Namely, be a professional.

“Honey?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Why is our daughter running around the house making zoom-zoom noises?”

“Oh, she’s just pretending she’s Danica.”

“Since when does yogurt make sounds like that? And why is she pretending to be…”

“No, dear. Not Dannon. Danica.”

“Who?”

“You sound like Amanda Brookman.”

“Who?”

“Never mind. Danica Patrick, dear. She’s a race car driver.”

“Since when has our daughter cared about race cars?”

“Since she found out there’s a woman driver… and what a woman…”

“What?”

“Nothing, dear. Anyway, Danica’s her new hero. We’re going to see her this Saturday.”

“See here where?”

“At a race track in New Hampshire. She’s racing.”

“There’s a race track in New Hampshire?”

“Yes, dear. It’s an oval.”

“You say that like it’s supposed to mean something to me.”

“An oval track is… well, oval-shaped.”

“So everyone drives in a circle?”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh, that sounds like a challenge. Tell this Danica person to try maneuvering a SUV in and around fifty others when it’s time to pick your kids up from school.”

“Yes, dear. Try driving at a hundred and thirty miles an hour with cars on all sides inches away from you. Anyway, Danica’s racing at New Hampshire this weekend, and I’m taking Chelsea. It’ll be some daddy-daughter time.”

“More like ‘daddy wrapped around daughter’s little finger’ time. So what kind of racing is this, anyway? Is it like what that cute Helio does? I loved him on Dancing With The Stars.”

“Well, Danica does race in that series. But it won’t be at New Hampshire this weekend. Next year, though. No, this is a different series.”

“Which one?”

“Um… well… NASCAR.”

“What?”

“NASCAR.”

“WHAT?!!”

“Er… NASCAR.”

“You’re taking MY child to NASCAR?”

“Now, dear, she wants to see Danica, and…”

“And nothing! I absolutely forbid it!”

“Now, dear…”

“Don’t ‘now, dear’ me! Under no circumstances will I allow my child to be in a crowd of beer-swilling, foul-mouthed, uneducated, unshaven, unkempt, trailer-trash, redneck…”

“Go ahead and say it, dear.”

“… REPUBLICANS!”

“And you know all this how?”

“I’m well informed!”

“You can’t believe anything you read in the New York Times, dear. Regardless of what you’ve ‘heard,’ the overwhelming majority of NASCAR fans can read and write, have day jobs and don’t change toothbrushes by switching fingers. Also, there are going to be a lot of dads there with their daughters, just like Chelsea and I, to see Danica. I won’t be bringing our daughter home with two tattoos and Budweiser on her breath, promise.”

“Well… if she has her heart set on it, all right. But I’m still not happy about it.”

“Here, dear. I have an idea. Why don’t you come with us to the race?”

“Have you lost your mind? I’d be bored stiff! What possible reason could I have for going?”

“The skill… the competition… oh, and this guy will be driving.”

“So what do you say, dear? Dear? Are you in there? What do you say?”

“BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!”

“Works every time.”

Simona de Silvestro and Danica Patrick

A few — well, more than a few — questions after yesterday’s Indianapolis 500, dominated by Dario Franchitti:

What happened to Penske? Everything leading up to the race was the sole property of Penske cars, with everyone else relegated to Happy To Be Here status. However, the moment Jack Nicholson waved the green flag, most everyone and everything under Roger’s command transformed from kingpins to the Keystone Kops. Huge mistakes on pit road; subpar on-track performances. Why? Granted, you would have had to have been perfect to be within shouting distance of Franchitti, whose performance was flawless. But still, an odd off day. Especially on the biggest day of the year. No offense to Kurt Busch, but when he’s the star performer in your stable, something is off-kilter.

Why is there such a performance gap between Ganassi and Penske compared to all other teams? Yesterday (as far as Penske is concerned) notwithstanding, it is a rare occurrence when anyone other than a Penske or Ganassi driver isn’t atop the podium. Why? The car hasn’t changed in years. The cars are identical from team to team. There is no manufacturer advantage. Granted, Ganassi and Penske boast a stellar lineup of talent behind the wheel. But they don’t have a monopoly on this. So why the disparity? It’s not good for the IRL, which right now needs all the competition it can muster in order to get some attention on the national sports scene.

Who will Dreyer & Reinbold put in the #24 car? With Mike Conway sidelined for the year, someone needs to drive the Dad’s Root Beer float. While there are any number of qualified pilots, the best choice would be Ana Beatriz. She’s proven her mettle in both the Indy Lights series and with the big boys & girls. She’s demonstrated genuine potential to be in the upper echelon of open wheel. And there is the instant added publicity offered whenever a woman takes the wheel. C’mon D&R. Do the right thing.

Speaking of such… Yesterday heralded the continued gender integration of open wheel racing, in the same manner as NHRA has been. In the latter, whenever Ashley Force Hood or Karen Stouffer are in the staging area the thought isn’t “oh, there’s a woman.” It’s “oh, there is a top-notch driver.”

The issue facing Simona de Silvestro, as well as Beatriz and, yes, Danica, isn’t their lack of a Y chromosome or lack of ability. It’s not driving for Ganassi or Penske. Should their respective teams pick it up, the novelty will fade as the quality shines.

That said, female drivers will always have an instant edge in popularity over their male counterparts. For some reason, the media fails to grasp this fundamental, reacting in horror whenever slammed for slamming Danica or whoever. In its bleating how all drivers should be judged equally regardless of gender, it invariably overlooks multiple factors such as, oh, the quality of team for which they drive. As an example, has Sarah Fisher ever driven a car capable of winning? No. How, then, can we know what her true driving ability might be? We can’t. All we can do is wonder.

Switching over to Danica, she started at Rahal Letterman — second tier team — and from there moved to Andretti which has been struggling to be in the same ballpark as Penske and Ganassi. Consider her teammate Tony Kaanan. It’s been a long time since he has won. Has he forgotten how to drive? Is he an overrated hack? No. And neither is Danica.

It’s difficult to escape the conclusion that an alarmingly large number of writers covering auto racing do so not from the aspect of sport, but rather from the unholy trinity of entertainment, pop culture and personality. None of which can drive a car or turn a wrench worth a lick. These writers don’t know the sport itself, from either the mechanical or competitive aspects. And it shows.

Bob Dylan said it best when asked about whether he noted what critics said about his work: “You can’t listen to critics.” Listen to those who know by doing, or at the least have obtained genuine knowledge by listening to those who know by doing. Making things personal via obsessing over personality is journalism done on the cheap. Actually, it isn’t journalism at all.

Okay, off the soapbox and back to racing.

About Andretti Autosport… Considering the miserable time all members of said organization had at the cathedral of speed during practice and qualifying, the race results were very positive. Kaanan’s charge from the back was especially noteworthy. However, this alone doesn’t negate the fact that there are issues at AA needing to be addressed. IRL could use someone stepping up to challenge the Penske-Ganassi stranglehold. Who better, from the PR aspect if nothing else, than Andretti?

So what’s next for the IRL? In the immediate future, it’s Texas this Saturday night. This race needs to be a good one. Usually the host to awe-inspiring action and fantastic finishes, last year’s event was a snoozefest with zero excitement. Given how this coming Sunday finds NASCAR at poke-along Pocono, Texas is a golden opportunity for the IRL showcase itself. Here’s hoping it won’t blow it. Long term? To be discussed at a later time.

P.S. A personal note: thank you to everyone for your condolences over my mother passing away last week. Very much appreciated.