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December 7, 2010
2011 CHAMPIONSHIP
- WHAT DOES IT PAY TO BE A CUP DRIVER?
FINAL POSITION/POINTS/RACE PURSE
1. Johnson/6622/$7,264,780
2. Hamlin/-39/$5,856,550
3. Harvick/-41/$6,812,580
4. Edwards/-229/$5,716,360
5. Kenseth/-328/$5,621,480
6. Biffle/-375/$4,966,010
7. Stewart/-401/$5,664,250
8. Kyle Busch/-440/$6,291,690
9. Gordon/-446/$5,703,710
10. Bowyer/-467/$4,700,630
11. Kurt Busch/-480/$6,732,740
12. Burton/-589/$5,178,400
85 Drivers attempted to make Cup races in 2010
79 Earned Money
•1 over $7 million (almost $13 million with his bonus)
•4 over $6 million (McMurray won $6,858,689, 2nd only to Johnson)
•11 over $5 million
•5 over $4 million
•10 over $3 million (Travis Kvapil in 33rd was the last)
•4 over $2 million
•9 over $1 million (Landon Cassil in 47th place, ran 16 races, was last)
•9 won over $500,000
- HOW GOOD ARE JIMMIE JOHNSON AND HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS?
•No one has ever won 5 Driver Championships in a row.
•Jimmie has won the title in 5 of the 9 years he has raced in the Cup series. That is a 56% of the years.
•He won his 5th title in 327 starts; Earnhardt took 390, Petty 657.
•He was in the Top 10 in 9 of the 10 Chase races
•He has won 19 Chase races, 21% of all run
•He has been in every Chase race
•Hendrick Motorsports now has 10 Championships, more than any other team in NASCAR history
•Only three other American professional sports teams have won five in a row: Boston Celtics (8), Yankees, Montreal Canadians
•Only 7 teams have more total championships
•Hendrick has 13 Owner’s championships in NASCAR, (10 Cup, and 3 Truck) and 1 Nationwide Driver’s Championship.
•Chad Knaus is the only Crew Chief to win over 2 consecutive Cup titles
•Only Dale Inman has more Crew Chief titles with 8
•Hendrick Motorsports has won a Cup Series pole for 27 straight years, every year it has competed
•Hendrick has won at least one Cup race for 26 straight years. 194 overall (info from Jayski.com)
- HOW DOES THE SEASON COMPARE TO JIMMIE'S OTHER YEARS IN THE CHASE? Jimmie Johnson's 1572 Chase points represent the second lowest total of his five-year reign, bettering only title #1 in 2006 as he scored 1430 points. 2007 remains as Jimmie's high point total: 1663. Johnson's lone win in the '10 Chase equals the low mark of one win in 2006, but his nine of 10 Top 10s and 7 of 10 Top 5s equals the high mark in 2009. Coming out of Talladega in 2006, Jimmie Johnson was mired in 8th place, 156 points out of first with six races to go. Consider his accomplishments over the 56 races since then: 14 wins, 13 Seconds, 3 Thirds (30 podium finishes), 36 Top Fives, 46 Top 10s. (info from Jayski.com)
- HOW DOES JOHNSON AND GORDON CAMPARE AFTER THEIR FIRST NINE SEASONS? Even though Jimmie Johnson has been the top driver in NASCAR over the last five years, Jeff Gordon is the winningest active driver and has been the dominant driver over the last 18 seasons. Let's compare the two drivers after their first nine seasons:
Wins: Gordon 58 in 292 races; Johnson 53 in 324 races
Top 5s: Gordon 147 in 292 races; Johnson 134 in 324 races
Top 10s: Gordon 190 in 292 races; Johnson 203 in 324 races
Championships: Gordon (4) last in his ninth season in 2001, Johnson (5). (info from Jayski.com)
NEW IN 2011
*Rick Hendrick switches crew chief and driver combinations for three of four teams. Only Jimmie Johnson will have the same crew chief in Daytona and the team combinations have been switched also. The #48 team will now be housed with the #88 instead of the #24, and the #24 will be with the #5. The changes represent the overall view of Hendrick that they have one team with 4 cars.
Here is the press release from the team:
*New crew chiefs for Gordon, Martin & Earnhardt Jr.: Hendrick Motorsports has made personnel adjustments in preparation for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. being teamed with new crew chiefs.
Below are the driver-crew chief pairings for each Hendrick Motorsports car, effective immediately:
#5 Chevy, driver: Mark Martin, Crew Chief: Lance McGrew
#24 Chevy, driver: Jeff Gordon; Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
#48 Chevy, driver: Jimmie Johnson; Crew Chief: Chad Knaus
#88 Chevy, driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Crew Chief: Steve Letarte
The cars of Martin and four-time Sprint Cup champion Gordon will be fielded out of the same facility, now known as the 5/24 shop. Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevys will be prepared out of the renamed 48/88 shop alongside those of five-time and defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. "This will improve us as an organization, across the board," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup." (Hendrick Motorsports)(11-23-2010)
- Richard Petty will be at the track. In a deal announced last Tuesday, Richard Petty and two other entities have bought the assets of Richard Petty Motorsports and will field two teams (#43 Allmendinger and #9 Ambrose).
On Monday, the team released 75 employees as they downsized from four teams. They will continue to purchase their cars and engines from Roush Racing.
- The Championship Banquet began with Garth Brooks speaking “A Moment Changes Everything” with scenes from the 2010 season playing on video. I had never heard this song, and I cannot find it on the Internet the way it was presented, but here is what I was able to write down as I listened:
“Every season consists collectively of moments.” Races have defining moments; seasons have defining moments. Moments are memories, snapshots of time. Moments are engines taking every driver along for the ride. Moments of men and machinery. Moments of unforgettable finishes. Moments involving legendary lives forever in our memories. Together, every moment tells a story of a sport. Our sport. Our life. Those days when all the pieces fall in place, and all the world is perfect---even for the best, these moments are rare. Many wait years, knowing they may never capture that feeling again. And yet still they race, win or lose, they turn the pages as the chapter, even as it is being written. In every race of every season, only the fastest reach Victory Circle. The road to the Cup title runs 36 Chapters, 36 weeks. Not always won by the swiftest, but by the driver with the most Endurance, Speed and Strength. A season is remembered by Checkered Flags. A Champion is remembered by history….and how that history is made…is remembered in moments.
PIT NOTE:
I quote (as accurately as I could) the above words because they reflect the following words that I wrote the day after Homestead, two weeks ago.
I have written 38 “Did You Know?” articles after races this season. These represent a series of reports in Chronological order. Individual, timed, dated events, which when combined have provided a champion.
On Friday night, at the banquet, we looked back at the whole of the individual events and summarized the history of 2010 in NASCAR, which in the Bible is called ‘Kairos’ or a ‘moment, season’. The combination of a series of events becomes a ‘moment’ in time. Week by week the teams experienced pressure; however, there was no pressure in the moment.
Day-by-day we experience the pressures of life, but when we embrace Jesus we become part of His moment. We are united with Him and as we reflect on the reality of His life, lived through us daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. The pressure is removed because he has foreknowledge of all things. We are part of His story, not concerned of pridefully developing and maintaining our own history. Jesus has already faced every temptation that we have, or ever will, face and he did not succumb to even one of them. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. Jesus lived a prefect life of not ever sinning, and always obeying his Father. We have been adopted and given the same rights of Jesus. When one believes the Promise of God, that He would and has provided His Son to live the perfect life that we could not, and paid the penalty for our sin, which we could not, the door to God’s house is open to us, we don’t even have to knock. If we do, He says, “It’s your house, why are you waiting to be invited in?”
Paul tells us in Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5 ] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. [6] And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
The NASCAR season is over, we are now thinking of the Christmas Season. The ‘fullness of time’ referred to in verse 4 was the night when the Angel of the Lord declared from the skies the Good News for ALL people, “Unto you is born this day n the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
By faith, we partake of that Moment. The righteousness of Jesus is imputed to us by faith. We are in union with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection. We live days and events that are full of pressure, challenge, and temptation. However, we are now defined by those ‘Chronos,’ because we are part of the ‘Kairos’ of God through Jesus.
Be in the moment! Believe! Merry Christmas to all!
I’ll write you again in January. You can write me at ron@paramountchurch.net.
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November 23, 2010
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY
- Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick, and the whole team are AMAZING! Five-time champ (only two others have that many, and Jimmie took only 327 races to Dale’s 390 and Petty’s 655!), five in a row (no one accomplished that), and 10 total for Hendrick Motorsports (more than Petty!) INCREDIBLE! For only the third time in NASCAR history, the points leader entering the final race of the season was overcome in the last race and someone else won the title. Jimmie pulled it off with his 9th top 10 finish in the 10 Chase races. The key was Jimmie overcoming two pit stops where he lost a combined eight spots on the track and avoiding contact with Kyle Busch while exiting pit road. Meanwhile, Chad was making adjustments each pit stop that kept balance in the car while the track got slicker. Denny Hamlin overcame his spin on lap 24 when he went three-wide attempting to pass Greg Biffle who pulled down to give Paul Menard room against the wall. The spin messed up the right front fender and the toe-in. On lap 135, and again with 103 to go, Denny and his crew chief chose to make minor changes and to keep track position instead of losing more spots and trying to reset the toe-in. With 67 laps to go, they were indecisive about pitting or staying out. Ultimately, Denny stayed out; and when his tires began to wear out before those of the #48 and #29 cars, he “short pitted,” only to be caught a lap down when a caution came out with seven cars that had not pitted. He had to take a ‘wave around’ to get on the lead lap in 18th position with 22 laps to go. With older tires, he was able only to return to 14th position. Kevin Harvick came back from his one mistake, speeding on pit road, to finish 3rd. Both Harvick and Hamlin ended their interviews with commitments to “get ’um next year,” as did Edwards, Gordon and Kyle Busch.
- Carl Edwards must feel like Roger Dangerfield - “I just don’t get no respect!” Carl won his second race in a row after not winning for 170 races. Carl was almost run over; when he was about to do his patented back flip, by the celebrating Jimmie Johnson as he did his burn-out close to Carl’s car on the front stretch. Carl was given the standard Victory Circle celebration where he thanked all his sponsors and spoke of “getting them next year,” as Jimmie waited in his car in the 2nd turn for Carl to get out of the way.
- Team ‘orders’ were discussed by NASCAR before the race. Drivers were warned not to interfere with the flow of the race and cause any conditions where competition for the title, and the final positions of the 12 spots, would be affected. Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin hit on lap 24, and it was not intentional, just a ‘racing deal.’ With 25 laps to go, Kevin Harvick did not let up (by his public statement) when Kyle Busch did a ‘slide pass’ on him coming out of Turn 4. That action dropped Kyle to a 33rd place finish and definitely cost him 6th place in the standings and at least $100,000 in bonus money. On lap 73, Jeff Burton could have helped his teammate, Kevin Harvick, by staying on the track until after Jimmie Johnson pitted, which would have denied Jimmie of the 5 bonus points for leading a lap. At one point in the race, these 5 points would have been enough to give Kevin the title over Jimmie. A few other times, teammates could have held up drivers to their teammate’s advantage, but they did not. In the end, once again, every driver was on his own on the track. However, in preparation for the race, at least for Jimmie Johnson, he gave credit for all four crew chiefs having input on his car’s performance. And, of course, the #33 car’s pit crew was pitting the #29, as was the #24’s was pitting Jimmie’s car.
- Bonus points in the end did not determine the championship. Denny Hamlin started the Chase up 10 points because of the bonus for winning races in the first 26 races. Jimmie Johnson ended up with 5 more bonus points in the Chase races, but won by 39.
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Hamlin/6462
2. Johnson/-15
3. Harvick/-46
4. Edwards/-264
5. Kenseth/-311
6. Gordon/-338
7. Kyle Busch/-347
8. Biffle/-349
9. Stewart/-388
10. Kurt Busch/-429
11. Bowyer/-434
12. Burton/-504
FINAL POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Johnson/6622/6th/2nd
2. Hamlin/-39/37th/14th
3. Harvick/-41/28th/3rd
4. Edwards/-229/2nd/WON
5. Kenseth/-328/13th/9th
6. Biffle/-375/27th/10th
7. Stewart/-401/31st/8th
8. Kyle Busch/-440/33rd/32nd
9. Gordon/-446/11th/37th
10. Bowyer/-467/17th/12th
11. Kurt Busch/-480/15th/18th
12. Burton/-589/14th/31st
The ‘old way’ of determining the title would have seen Kevin Harvick raising the trophy, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. The top 12 would have been the same overall. After the Richmond race, no driver outside of the top 12 out performed any of the top 12 to the point of being able to overcome the points spread when the Chase began.
- Clint Bowyer would have been fifth without the penalty in Loudon of 150 points
- Eight Chase drivers ended up in a different position after the Homestead race.
- Jeff Gordon dropped from 6th to 9th after suffering the one and only engine failure of the entire season by any of the Hendrick cars in the final race. That is 1 out of 152 starts. Randy Dorton would have been proud!
- Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton will not be recognized on the stage in Las Vegas. Only the top 10 are given that honor; and, Bowyer moved ahead of Kurt at Homestead.
- Seven drivers who won in 2009 did not win in 2010. They are: Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin, Joey Logano, and Brian Vickers.
PIT NOTE:
In the September 27, 2010 Sports Illustrated Issue, Jimmie Johnson was asked to finish this statement, “I will not win my 5th straight title if…” His answer was, “I beat myself.” He did not beat himself. He didn’t win because others beat themselves. He finished 2nd at Homestead and overcame the odds. Jimmie won the title by racing better than anyone else on this day and over the last ten races of the season.
Jimmie expressed more immediate excitement about winning this championship than any of the other five, including the first (according to my memory of all five). I don’t think it was because it was his fifth, and he is now one ahead of Gordon and only two behind Petty and Earnhardt, or that it was five straight championships and he is egotistical. I believe it is because of how he obtained the crown this year. He entered the weekend 15 points behind, and started the race up 87 because of Hamlin’s qualifying 37th. He felt relief when he saw Hamlin wreck on lap 24, felt pressure when Hamlin was two cars in front of him with 103 laps to go. Felt worse when his pit crew had a problem and he lost 5 spots in the pits. He was elated when it was over. Adrenaline! Relief! EMOTIONS overflowing!
When you become a new creature in Christ through faith, ‘getting saved’ as many say, it is usually an emotional time. Many are even ‘giddy’ and can not help but tell others of their new life of freedom from the guilt of sin. Their joy is not only because they believe they are going to have everlasting life of joy when they die and are welcomed into Heaven, but they have a fountain of life within them immediately. Their every day life is changed. It is as if cataracts have been removed from their eyes and the colors of life have been restored. There is Relief! There is Adrenaline! Emotions overflow.
Then, time passes and the ‘new’ becomes the common. Others are not as excited for you, and you find a ‘place’ for yourself in a church and/or some ministry of helping others. You have a measure of peace and contentment, but daily life is full of pressures. Your efforts in the name of Jesus sooth the physical hurts of others, but they seldom express the thrill you experienced and seem to stay in their same condition. It is frustrating. It is discouraging. It can become deadening to your own spirit. You may even become a ‘sad’ Christian and not even remember the reason for the joy you felt in the beginning of this ‘new life’ you received from Jesus.
Good News! This ‘sadness’ comes because the believer’s thinking has returned more to concern for their own ‘felt needs’ and personal circumstances, than to the realities of their victories in Christ. “Good News” because this ‘sadness’ is easily overcome. Philippians 4:4-9 tells us to not to worry but to “think on these things.” Romans 12:2 instructs us to “renew our minds.” Both are encouraging us to have Jesus in our thoughts in EVERY THING! It is Jesus who lived the perfect life of obedience to God’s Law which condemned us, but now it has become our pathway of living. It is Jesus who took our condemnation upon his own body on the cross, so we can have ‘no condemnation’ (Romans 8:1). It is Jesus who overcame the same temptations that we face and who empowers us to overcome the same. It is Jesus who has taken away the “sting of death” (I Corinthians 15) and was resurrected from the grave, and who is returning one day to redeem even our physical bodies. It is the actual life and death of Jesus that allows his Father to justly look upon each sinner with compassion and forgiveness; therefore, imputing the righteousness of Jesus to us and also adopting us as his children. This is AMAZING. This is UNBELIEVABLE! This makes me want to scream as Jimmie did as he crossed the finish line! Not the finish line of death where we hope to have lived a good enough life to hear the words “well done my good and faithful servant.” No, I am talking about daily experiencing my heart being ‘tuned to sing’ because of my consciousness of who I, an undeserving lawbreaker, am in the view of my loving Heavenly Father because of what Jesus did, and in spite of what I continue to do. That daily thinking removes my sadness and makes me glad. It also empowers me to become more like Christ in light of my relationship with him, instead of trying to do something good to present to him. I can never do it perfectly, but it is my faith God sees, not my works. That pleases God. What Good News! Believe it today.
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November 16, 2010
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
- Denny Hamlin dominated the race; he led 190 laps, but finished 12th and is now only 15 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson. Denny started 17th, but he moved into the Top 5 on lap 29. He led for the first time on lap 69; and he was in the Top 10 until 14 laps to go, when he had to pit for fuel. He fell to 19th and made up seven spots before the end of the race. When Denny pitted he was running second and had a 69-point lead over Jimmie, and he was 112 points ahead of Kevin Harvick. Jimmie had been conserving fuel since pitting 89 laps from the end of the race. Kevin topped off with fuel when he returned to the pits to put on a missing lug nut, so neither had to make a stop for fuel. They finished 5th and 6th respectively and tightened the Chase race to the closest margins in the history of the Chase.
- The final race of the 2010 Chase will begin with the closest Top 3 in Chase history. In 2004, at the beginning of the race, Kurt Busch was 18 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, and he won the title by 8 points when there was not a caution flag at the end of the race which would have caused a restart. Kurt was down on power, and Jimmie would have passed him if there had been a restart. With less than 10 laps to go, a car lost a tire coming off Turn 4. Fortunately, the tire went down pit road instead of staying on the track; otherwise, Jimmie would have had his first championship.
- For the first time in the Chase, Denny Hamlin was frustrated, disappointed and unsure of himself and his crew after the turn of events described above. For the first eight races of the Chase, Denny’s demeanor had been reserved and controlled. He seemed almost a prophet in ‘holding back’ and avoiding mistakes until Martinsville. He won Martinsville and Texas, and avoided trouble at Talladega, and was just 14 laps short of going to Homestead with a good lead, and almost impossible to lose, if he hadn’t had to pit for fuel in Homestead. Denny’s statements, questioning how almost every driver made it for 89 laps on a tank of gas, while he had to stop, sounded like doubt or maybe even distrust of his crew chief’s calculations. He followed that statement with a declaration that “I did my job,” which also raised doubts of the rest of his team. He recovered his composure to acknowledge his team had provided him with the best car in the race, and that he was sure they would do so again next week. He is going there to ‘win the race’ and the championship.
- Jimmie Johnson was ‘cool’ after the race and emphasized he hoped Denny would be troubled all week. He was grateful for the #24 pit crew which picked him up spots during the pit stops; whereas, his crew lost spots for Jeff Gordon. Chad Knaus was like Jimmie, very calm and committed to having the best prepared car next week. During the race, he had tried to inspire Jimmie to get more out of the car than seemed possible. After the race, it was revealed that the difficulty Jimmie had in driving the car actually helped with the saving of fuel, as he was not able to give it full throttle coming off Turns 2 and 4 anyway.
- Kevin Harvick is only 46 points back after a bad pit stop resulted in his not having to stop for fuel under green as Hamlin did. With 79 laps to go, a lug nut was left off his right rear wheel, so he had to return to the pits before the restart. He fell to 19th on the restart and was 139 points behind Hamlin at that time. By the way, last weekend, the third place Formula 1 driver entering their final race won the race. The leader and second place driver had trouble, so he won the title!
- Carl Edwards won both the Cup and Nationwide races in Phoenix. The Cup win was his first win in 70 races. The only real notice taken of this win was by the fans who got to touch him when he went up into the stands after the race, such is the Chase. The media were more concerned with the Chase effects than Carl’s win.
- The seven drivers who won races in 2009 but have not won one in 2010 are: Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Mark Martin, Joey Logano, and Brian Vickers.
- NASCAR inspected the three team’s Chase cars BEFORE they left Charlotte for Phoenix. In an unprecedented move, NASCAR had the three teams bring their cars to the NASCAR Research and Development Center to be measured. They wanted to make sure that each template fit and their chassis were correct. This helped avoid any controversy if they have another violation as was found with Bowyer after his Loudon win (Bowyer would now be 5th instead of 10th, if that violation had not been detected). On Sunday morning, Jimmie Johnson’s team had to change their right rear wheel studs during inspection; the studs did not have the required 11/2 rounds of threads showing with the lug nut on it.
- Team ‘Orders’ - Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon switched pit crews for the final two races after the Johnson crew was ‘benched’ during the Texas race. The change is the second Chase operation to do so this year. Kevin Harvick was given Clint Bowyer’s crew after he could no longer mathematically win the title. In past Chases, team “play” was limited to the sharing of information between teams; this year, they are moving personnel. Teammates allowing another driver in their organization to pass them to pick up more points would be the next logical action in affecting the outcome of the title. This has been done for years in Formula 1 racing, where it is against the rules, and generally receives only a $100,000 fine. It will be interesting to see what NASCAR does if such ‘team orders’ are issued in NASCAR. Other team tactics could involve picking pit stalls next to other Chase drivers and making it as difficult as possible for them to enter or exit their pit. Ultimately, if a title is ever determined by the wrecking or blocking of a driver during a race by the teammate of the eventual champion, NASCAR will have its biggest controversy ever.
- Denny Hamlin was the only one of the Top 3 Chase drivers to get bonus points at Phoenix. He led a lap and led the most laps to gain 10 points and is now even with Jimmie Johnson in this area.
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Hamlin/6325
2. Johnson/-33
3. Harvick/-59
4. Edwards/-317
5. Kenseth/-325
6. Gordon/-331
7. Kyle Busch/-339
8. Stewart/-363
9. Biffle/-372
10. Bowyer/-397
11. Kurt Busch/-435
12. Burton/-473
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Hamlin/6462/17th/12th
2. Johnson/-15/21st/5th
3. Harvick/-46/29th/6th
4. Edwards/-264/POLE/WON
5. Kenseth/-311/15th/7TH
6. Gordon/-338/15th/37th
7. Kyle Busch/-339/22nd/11th
8. Biffle/-349/4th/4th
9. Stewart/-388/20th/17th
10. Kurt Busch/-429/3rd/9th
11. Bowyer/-434/14th/21st
12. Burton/-504/40th/19th
(Bowyer without 150 point penalty 6178, -284 would be 5th)
Chase Drivers’ average starting position was 16, with four in the Top 10, which is identical to last week in Texas. The three with a chance to win the title averaged 22nd. The twelve drivers’ average finish was 10.7, again with six in the Top 10 and three in the bottom 10.
After the Homestead race, every Chase driver could end up in a different position. All the attention is on who will win the title, but there is also a lot of money riding on where every Chase driver finishes at Homestead. Many of the positions pay a year-end bonus that is $250,000 higher or lower based on just one position. The closest between any two is just one point between 10th and 11th. Only the Top 10 are actually on the stage at the awards ceremony in Las Vegas. The biggest gap is 70 points between 11th and 12th. While the TV coverage will only update the points standing of the Top 3, be sure the owners and crew chiefs of the other nine teams will be very aware of what they have to do to increase their bonuses.
PIT NOTE:
1992, 2004 and 2010 are the best final races for the title that I have witnessed. The 1992 final race was won by Allen Kulwicki after he beat Bill Elliott out off pit road by a mere six inches. This allowed him to lead enough laps under caution to get the bonus points for leading the most laps and win the title. In 2004, Kurt Busch won the race when a loose tire veered left instead of right, and NASCAR did not have to throw a caution. 2010 will be won by a combination of car preparation, pit crew speed, driver skill, avoidance of crashes, good thinking, controlled anger and excitement, NASCAR judgments and maybe even the weather. By the way, this is not just speaking of the eventual winner; how every team and driver does these things combines to make predictions anything but prophecy.
Prophecy is found in the Bible. There may be almost seven billion people alive today, and an equal number who have lived from “in the beginning, God…,” but what is promised in God’s Word for each of those people is true. What circumstances each one faces, and how they interact with each other does not ultimately determine all there is to their life. In fact, it is the promise that God made to provide his “only begotten Son” live the perfect life of obedience to his Father, and suffer the punishment for every sin of every person, that is the one essential truth for the eternal salvation of anyone and every one of those approximately 14 billion people to date. God has taken the need of preparation, worry, and performance out of it. He says that ‘whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) SHALL HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” (John 3:16) That is GOOD NEWS! Better than any title obtained in life. Believe in Him today.
CAN WE EVER KNOW FOR SURE THAT CURRENT EVENTS ARE THE SPECIFIC FULFILLMENT OF BIBLICAL PROPHECY? |
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November 8, 2010
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Denny Hamlin wins for the second time this year in Texas, second time in the Chase, 8th time in the season, AND he leads for the Championship by 33 points. Denny started 30th and steadily moved to the front; he finally took the lead with two laps to go. He had a comfortable lead when a caution came with six laps to go. On the restart, Matt Kenseth moved around him going into Turn 1, but he returned to the gas too soon and lost momentum when he had to lift a second time. Denny boldly ducked to the inside and around Matt and went on for the win. Greg Biffle had led over 90% of the race, until he lost second gear with 30 laps to go. He finished 5th after holding up Jimmie Johnson on the last restart, and Jimmie fell from 6th to 9th in the last three laps.
- Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew was ‘benched’ during the race and replaced by teammate Jeff Gordon’s crew after 191 laps of the race. Jimmie’s crew had returned him to the track in worse positions on four out of the six pit stops they had made to that point of the race. Jeff’s crew was directed to pit his car after Jeff was wrecked by Jeff Burton; he could not return to the race. Jimmie and his crew chief acknowledged potential damage the switch could have had during the event and on the remaining two races, but referred to the team aspect of racing and how in all sports coaches (i.e. crew chiefs) must make some hard personnel changes. Richard Childress made a similar call earlier in the Chase, when he switched his organization’s best performing pit crew from Clint Bowyer to Kevin Harvick; because Harvick was the only RCR driver with a chance to win the title. However, no NASCAR team has ever changed a whole pit crew during a race for stated punitive reasons. It will be interesting to see which pit crew is on which car for the last two races of the season. Jimmie pulled out a 9th place finish on the last lap after restarting in 6th place with three laps to go, and he promptly fell back to 12th, when he could not get around Greg Biffle who was in front of him on the restart. Greg’s lack of a second gear slowed his restart.
- Kevin Harvick pulled within 19 points of the Chase leader with 50 laps to go, but when the sun set, so did his ‘set up.’ Kevin was “loose;” and with 17 laps to go, he slapped the wall and dropped from 2nd to 6th in the finishing order.
- Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton got to gather on the track; in their cars, and then literally on the track. On a caution lap, Burton claimed he was attempting to pull to the side of Gordon’s car to acknowledge that Gordon was right in his assessment of his lack of ‘driving skill’ based on Burton not ‘letting Gordon go’ when they came out of Turn 4 just before the caution. Gordon had expressed his displeasure by pulling beside Burton and gesturing to him. Burton’s move spun Gordon into the wall. After getting out of his car, Gordon walked up the track to confront Burton before getting into the ambulance. Gordon used the same pushing technique he used on Matt Kenseth a few years back in Bristol to express his displeasure. NASCAR officials separated the drivers and directed them to different ambulances, but Burton purposely got into the one with Gordon to tell him that it was 100% his fault. Later, on TV, Burton said he had expected to be shoved by Gordon because his move on the track under caution deserved retaliation.
CHASE UPDATE:
Since the Chase format has been in use, the driver in the points lead after eight races has gone on to win the title.
Denny Hamlin has won two of the last three races to move into the lead by 37 points over Johnson. Denny continues to follow his strategy to displace Jimmie as the champion. After the September Richmond race, he expressed from the stage that he was going to race conservatively until there “were three to go, and then I’ll GO.” He mentioned again that this has allowed him to relax and not panic, as he has done in the past. Denny will be the champion regardless of where Jimmie finishes, if he averages third in the next two events.
Bonus points and pit crews. Jimmie Johnson has ten more bonus points than Denny. It would be ironic if the chase were ultimately won by Jimmie over Kevin Harvick because of the change in pit crews. IF that happened it would be as a result of Kevin’s teammate doing something wrong to Jimmie’s teammate which resulted in Jimmie getting a better pit crew.
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Johnson/6149
2. Hamlin/-14
3. Harvick/-38
4. Kyle Busch/-207
5. Gordon/-230
6. Edwards/-247
7. Stewart/-317
8. Kenseth/-324
9. Kurt Busch/-350
10.Burton/-352
11. Biffle/-361
12. Bowyer/-367
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Hamlin/6325/30th/WON
2. Johnson/-33/17th/9th
3. Harvick/-59/26th/6th
4. Edwards/-317/3rd/19th
5. Kenseth/-325/19th/2nd
6. Gordon/-331/15th/37th
7. Kyle Busch/-339/29th/32nd
8. Stewart/-363/11th/11th
9. Biffle/-372/2nd/5th
10. Bowyer/-397/7th/7th
11. Kurt Busch/-435/6th/24th
12. Burton/-473/16th/36th
Chase Drivers’ average starting position was 16, with four in the Top 10. Their average finish was also 16th, but six were in the Top 10 and three in the bottom 10.
PIT NOTE:
Denny Hamlin created a strategic plan for the Chase. He had “over driven himself out of the last two Chases” and was determined to be patient during the first seven races and make no major mistakes. If he were in contention after seven races, he would concentrate on winning races. A major part of his plan was to not panic or make mistakes at any time. After taking the points lead on Sunday, he said that he sees his team as champions. If he doesn’t win, he is pulling for Jimmie to take the title. Denny desires to be the one to eventually end the streak of championships by Johnson.
Denny did not sound cocky to me, just confident (I’m sure others will feel otherwise). He sounded as one who believed what he has been saying for the last eight weeks; and, he was not surprised that it was happening. He also was acknowledging that he was not in control; he could have trouble and lose. In such a case, he believes his team will be even better next year.
This reminds me of the issue of someone feeling secure in their faith and claiming to know they will be in Heaven when they die. Many Believers consider this as arrogance. This group puts emphasis on how you live your life; in addition, they believe in what Jesus did on the cross to obtain salvation. Another group believes salvation is based solely on the perfect life of Christ in fulfilling God’s demand for righteousness, the complete suffering of the wrath of God by Jesus on the cross to fulfill the justice of God, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus which proved the acceptance by the Father of His Son’s substitutionary death for sinners. This group rests their argument on salvation being possible by ‘faith alone.’ In Ephesians 4:8-9, the Apostle Paul said, (8) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— (9) not by works, so that no one can boast.” This verse, and many others, point to the finished work of Jesus and that man has faith that is a gift from God, as the way to the Truth, the Life, and the Way. Some say this is the truth, but how do you know when you have ‘enough’ faith. They say the degree of faith is seen in our good deeds. However, that makes man the ‘fruit inspector,’ and therefore, part of a salvation ‘process.’
The simple truth is that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) It is not something that man decides to do on his own; it is more of an awakening. It is not based solely on intellectual understanding, for that would defy the definition of faith. It ‘comes’ as one hears “the word of Christ,” which is the Good News that he lived and Jesus fulfilled all the just demands of a holy God, and His life is imparted to all those who believe in his finished work. And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:9)
May you have ears that “hear” today!
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November 3,2010
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY |
- Clint Bowyer won at Talladega for his second win in the Chase. Bowyer started 2nd and led at various times. He was in second place as he took the white flag, but he was pushed to the lead by Montoya (who started on the pole) in Turn 1. Kevin Harvick finished second in a car that looked more like a car after a Bristol race. Kevin tagged a spinning Marcus Ambrose with the nose of his car and had extensive repairs made on it. Somehow the aero dynamics were not negatively affected, and he was able to finish 2nd.
- Teammates and partners were the key to the success at Talladega. The week before at Martinsville, the story was about teammates fighting with each other. At Talladega, two cars can go faster than three or more together, and one lone driver has no hope. The latter happened to Denny Hamlin when he ‘got lazy and lost the draft’ by his own admission. He quickly went a lap down as he lost over three seconds per lap to the single file ‘train’ of cars. With 16 laps to go, the power of a two car draft was witnessed as Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon responded to the command of crew chief Chad Knaus to “go” by pulling out of line in 21st and 22nd position; and three laps later, they were leading the race. They continued to pull away until Jeff pulled down from in front of Jimmie when his car lost power. Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch, actually volunteered to pull out of the draft and ‘go get him’ when Denny was only 16 seconds behind the drafting line, as he knew two cars could make up such a spread. Denny refused and went a lap down. Kyle pushed him in a two car draft back to the lead until two other cars did the same and passed him. Denny eventually got a ‘Lucky Dog’ pass to get back on the lead lap.
- CHASE UPDATE:
Kevin Harvick (who would be 288 points in the lead under the old system) gained 24 points on Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin lost 8 points to Jimmie. With 30 laps to go, Denny was leading the race and the points standing by 97 points over Harvick and 107 over Johnson.
After the race, Denny said, “I didn’t want anyone to be ‘taken out’ of the Chase by what happened at Talladega. Now, at the last three tracks the crews and drivers will be able to determine the champion.” This echoes the sentiments of most drivers that you just hope to ‘survive’ the restrictor plate races, and then go race at the other 20 tracks. On lap 25, with Chase drivers Johnson, Hamlin, Edwards, Gordon and Kyle Busch hanging in the rear of the draft, Johnson came on the team radio and asked partner Jeff Gordon if he “wanted to go play a little.” He was referring to abandoning their pre-race strategy of ‘playing it safe’ until the last 20 laps of the race. His crew chief quickly put an end to that idea.
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Johnson/5998
2. Hamlin/-6
3. Harvick/-62
4. Kyle Busch/-172
5. Gordon/-203
6. Edwards/-213
7. Stewart/-236
8. Burton/-246
9. Kurt Busch/-277
10. Kenseth/-293
11. Biffle/-316
12. Bowyer/-409
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Johnson/6149/19th/7th
2. Hamlin/-14/17th/9th
3. Harvick/-38/14th/2nd
4. Kyle Busch/-207/32nd/25th
5. Gordon/-230/3st/8th
6. Edwards/-247/23rd/17th
7. Stewart/-317/27th/31st
8. Kenseth/-324/26th/16th
9. Kurt Busch/-350/3rd/30th
10.Burton/-352/5th/41st
11. Biffle/-361/34th/19th
12. Bowyer/-367/2nd/WON
Chase Drivers’ average starting position was 19.2, 4.6 positions worse than last week on the shortest track of the circuit at Martinsville, with only three in the Top 10. Their average finish was 17TH, 2.3 positions worse than last week. Five finished in the Top 10.
PIT NOTE:
NASCAR ‘froze’ the field at the moment the caution flag was thrown on the last lap of the race, and they determined the finishing positions by the location of each car. NASCAR took several minutes to determine the winner as Harvick was leading at the start/finish line, but he was a few feet behind Bowyer in the middle of Turn 1 when the flag flew. First, Hamlin was listed as finishing 7th and Johnson 8th, but the review of the tapes placed them 7th and 9th, with Johnson ahead.
Many people assume that their final abode in Heaven or Hell will be determined in a similar fashion. They see their life ‘frozen’ at their last breath, and they visualize facing God according to their ‘position’ at that moment. They hope they will be ‘confessed up’ at the moment of death, so they will not have any sin for God to judge. Others hope they are not in an ‘embarrassing’ place or have just said an ‘unkind’ word or performed an ‘unkind’ deed when they take their last breath. Even if your very best moment in life is also the moment you die, it will not determine your place in eternity. Even if you are in the middle of confessing and repenting of your sins at the moment of your last breath, you are not guaranteed salvation based on such a ‘frozen’ moment.
The only frozen moment in time that allows anyone to have a right standing with God is the moment you accept Christ as your Savior. He lived a perfect life every moment of his 33 years in obedience to his Father, and he died with the full wrath of God upon his shoulders for every sin committed by at every moment of life by every person who has had the privilege of breathing. Those who have faith in the promise of God for the provision of a substitute who would fulfill a perfect life, death and resurrection, that promise being Jesus, have the promise of everlasting life now, and at the moment of death! They are not condemned because they are not trying to live according to what Jesus would do, but are secure in what Jesus did do. What Good News! Believe it now. “Freeze” this moment, and there will be rejoicing in Heaven now and when you enter the gates based on your faith in Him.
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October 25, 2010
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
- Denny Hamlin WINS his fourth Martinsville Grandfather Clock! The most coveted physical trophy in NASCAR is a full-sized grandfather clock given to the winners at Martinsville. Denny won for the fourth time in the last five races at the oldest track on the circuit, where a Cup race has been run every year since 1949. Denny started from the pole, fell to 15th within 30 laps, and continued to make changes to his car until he took the lead with 29 laps to go.
- No cautions in last 25 laps eased the way for Hamlin. In a rarity this season, there were no caution flags in the last 25 laps of a Cup race. This allowed Hamlin to avoid the confusion that the double file restarts seem to create at the end of races. Just as Kurt Busch’s title was won when a loose tire went down pit road at Homestead instead of onto the track which allowed him to maintain a lead that kept Jimmie Johnson from winning the championship in 2004, four times in the last 22 laps Hamlin narrowly avoided having to do a restart. Travis Kvapil (lap 478), Newman (lap 481), Stewart (lap 583) and Montoya (lap 492) all had flat tires, but they were all able to make it to Turn 3 entrance to pit road, and thus get off the track without NASCAR being forced to throw a caution flag. Hamlin said he had set his car up for ‘long runs,’ while Harvick and Johnson had ‘short run’ set-ups on their cars. If any of these four incidents had caused a caution, Hamlin would have been at a disadvantage.
- Mark Martin finished 2nd with a battered car. Mark had his best finish of the year after crashing on lap 129. He spoke of how awful the car was up to that point, and going two laps down while making repairs caused him to dread even returning to the track. To his surprise, the damage actually changed the airflow around and under the car and made it easier to drive. He made the two laps up; and if there had been a restart in the last 10 laps, he would probably have won.
- Teammates at war. Harvick and Burton, Johnson and Gordon. Both sets had harsh words for each other concerning their driving styles during the race. Harvick and Johnson seemed the more aggressive in their actions, Burton and Gordon more aggressive with their words. Harvick and Johnson had the better finishes.
- Kurt Busch ended Jeff Gordon’s hopes of a 5th title with a ‘pay back’ that put Jeff in the wall at the start/finish line. Jeff had bumped Kurt entering Turn 3, forcing Kurt up the track and Jeff was able to pass him. However, Kurt recovered and caught Jeff coming out of Turn 4 and purposefully spun him. After the race, Jeff said “I gave him a reason to get upset. I wish I hadn’t done that.” Kenny Wallace explained after the race that the issue between Jeff and Kurt was with ‘where’ Jeff bumped him. Kenny explained that it is a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with racers that if you are being held up by another driver on a short track, you bump him in the middle of a turn where he can recover. The second bump, if he doesn’t move over, is coming out of the turn. If he still doesn’t respond, then you bump him going into the turn which will move him out of the way.
- CHASE UPDATE:
- Denny Hamlin gained 35 points on Jimmie Johnson who finished 5th and did not obtain any bonus points for the second week in a row. Denny predicted he would win at Martinsville, and he has said for weeks that he would begin his ‘push’ for the championship title with the Martinsville race. He has stated his strategy for the 10 Chase races to be a style of driving that was reserved for the first five races. He wanted to avoid mistakes, not over drive and have bad finishes, and avoid being emotionally drained by investing too much mental energy in trying to figure out where he ‘stood’ for ten weeks. At this point, the strategy looks prophetic…but Talladega cometh.
- Jimmie Johnson has no bonus points for second week in row. Denny Hamlin would be leading the points if he had scored the minimum bonus points available (5 for leading a lap in a race) in each of the first five Chase races. In those first five races, he was the only Chase driver not to get any bonus points. Now, it is Jimmie who is being shut out. Jimmie commented about the Chase now being so close with this statement, “There is a lot of racing left, and Talladega.” Revealing the sentiment of all the drivers that the race next weekend is more about being ‘lucky’ and avoiding “The Big One,” than a demonstration of driver skill.
- Kevin Harvick, (who would be 246 points ahead in the old points system), moved to within 62 points of the lead with a 3rd place finish and five bonus points for leading a lap.
- Richard Childress Racing is using a ‘team strategy’ in the Chase. This week, the #33 pit crew was moved to the #29 team for the remainder of the Chase races based on their superior performance. Before the start of the Chase, the three Childress teams decided that if one of the teams falls so far behind that they could not realistically win the title, that team would then support the other teams who still did have a chance. Clint Bowyer in the #33 can not win the title, so the switch was made. Harvick's new crew beat his old crew, which was pitting Bowyer’s car, all but one time at Martinsville.
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Johnson/5843
2. Hamlin/-41
3. Harvick/-77
4. Gordon/-156
5. Kyle Busch/-177
6. Stewart/-177
7. Edwards/-200
8. Biffle/-225
9. Kurt Busch/-237
10. Burton/-239
11. Kenseth/-256
12. Bowyer/-300
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Johnson/5998/19th/5th
2. Hamlin/-6/POLE/WINNER
3. Harvick/-62/36th/3rd
4. Kyle Busch/-172/11th/20th
5. Gordon/-203/6th/24th
6. Edwards/-213/26th/4th
7. Stewart/-236/7th/8th
8. Burton/-246/3rd/33rd
9. Kurt Busch/-277/29th/16th
10. Kenseth/-293/18th/9th
11. Biffle/-316/32nd/15th
12. Bowyer/-409/17th/38th
PIT NOTE:
Is the Chase a distraction from the real core of NASCAR? Under the current points system there are three drivers within 62 points with four races to go. Under the old system Kevin Harvick would be waiting to be crowned, because no one could overcome his 246 point lead in four races. Would that be worse or just a different focus? Should season long consistency be rewarded versus consistency for ten races to determine the champion, as what is currently done? However, I heard again this week the old slogan being resurrected, “Win on Sunday and sell on Monday.” This implies more value being placed on weekly performance over season (or 10 weeks) consistency. In the beginning of NASCAR, the weekly paycheck was the emphasis, not the bonus check at the end that came with being crowned champion. Now, the weekly winnings are never discussed, the pay for the final points positions never mentioned, only who holds the trophy and wears the leather jacket. Yes, NASCAR has become like every other sport.
Is there a distraction from the real core of Christianity? Many people seem to think there is a points system of good, better and best that God reviews to determine our eternal ranking. In this system, few are totally rejected by God for eternity; this life is about ranking, not eternal abode. Others see it as individual races where you need to be running ‘good’ when the last breath is taken and all will be well for eternity. If you just knew when that moment was coming, you could live anyway you desire and enjoy the ways of sin until near the end. Many people live under bondage as they enjoy hearing about sinful living, but out of fear ‘live right’ themselves.
All these views are a distraction from Christianity. Jesus is the One. He won every ‘race’ put before Him by responding perfectly in the sight of His Father in every situation for the 33 years he was here on earth. Jesus then won the championship when He drank every drop of the wrath of God for every sin ever committed by every person to ever live and was resurrected from the penalty of sin, death. Jesus now offers to everyone union with Himself while here on earth in the ultimate Victory Circle, and a place at the Heavenly banquet once we die. There are no ‘points’ to be earned, and no individual races to win. No strategy to think up and be disciplined to follow. Jesus did it all. Union with Him is by faith in Him. What Good News! Believe it now.
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October 18, 2010
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Jamie McMurray wins the Charlotte Cup race. He won the race by beating the leader Kyle Busch into the 1st turn on the last restart and pulling away. He is the second non-Chase driver to win a Chase race in the 32 races that have been run. Jamie was that driver also, last year at Talladega. This is Jamie’s third win of the season for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
- Jimmie Johnson is at it again. On lap 34, he spun in Turn 2 with no one around him. He did not hit anything, but fell to 37th in the line-up. On the next pit stop, Jimmie and Clint Bowyer collided on Pit Road, which dented his right door panel. His crew chief suggested it would help the car’s down force and maybe it did. He went on to finish 3rd, and only Kyle Busch finished ahead of him among the Chase drivers. While Kyle gained 10 points and is now 177 points behind, the other ten Chase drivers all lost points to Jimmie. Their total points lost were 469.
- Denny Hamlin lost 5 points to Jimmie. He mentioned in a pre-race interview that he was being conservative during the first seven races of the Chase; but, he is going to make his move in the last three. Denny contrasted how in the previous Chase appearances, he pressed too hard in the first Chase races.
- CHASE UPDATE:
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Johnson/5673
2. Hamlin/-36
3. Harvick/-54
4. Gordon/-85
5. Stewart/-107
6. Kurt Busch/-140
7. Burton/-177
8. Kyle Busch/-187
9. Edwards/-162
10. Biffle/-215
11. Kenseth/-241
12. Bowyer/-247
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Johnson/5843/10th/3rd
2. Hamlin/-41/23rd/4th
3. Harvick/-77/24th/8th
4. Gordon/-156/POLE/23rd
5. Kyle Busch/-177/6th/2nd
6. Stewart/-177/29th/21st
7. Edwards/-200/2nd/12th
8. Biffle/-225/22nd/5th
9. Kurt Busch/-237/15th/30th
10. Burton/-239/18th/20th
11. Kenseth/-256/17th/6th
12. Bowyer/-300/20th/17th
Chase Drivers’ average starting position was 15.58 at Charlotte, two positions better than the week before. Their average finish was 12.5; 5.2 positions better than last week. Six of the twelve finished in the Top 10.
- David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett and Bud Moore are the second class to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Pearson, who is 2nd to Richard Petty in total career wins with 105 and who did not race complete schedules except for a few years, was named on 94% of the 53 ballots (all but two voters, who probably should be dropped from the selection panel).
- “Despite Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, the same reasons you would vote Ned Jarrett into the Hall should apply to Darrell Waltrip," said voter Doug Rice, president of PRN.
If voters indeed dismissed Waltrip because of his personality, the man who was known as "Jaws" for running his mouth during his driving career; then, Darrell does not know what he can change.
The 52-member voting panel is made up of eight NASCAR representatives, eleven track owners, fourteen media representatives, three manufacturer representatives, four retired drivers, three retired car owners, three retired crew chiefs, four industry representatives and two executives from the Hall of Fame. The 53rd ballot is a fan vote.
The panel spent more than two hours last Wednesday in a closed door session debating the 25 nominees. The voters said the discussion was split on contributions to the sport and if NASCAR's pioneers should make up the first several years of inductees.
"My personal thinking is that the majority of the voters feel we, the panel, should go back to the roots and honor some of the pioneers first," said Tom Higgins, who covered NASCAR for 34 years for The Charlotte Observer. "I have no problem with that, although I didn't vote that way. The five selected are an excellent class. But, I don't know why Darrell Waltrip didn't make it.”
"I don't think it was personal. I would hope not. But, I don't have any explanation to it other than people wanted to see pioneers get into the Hall first,” Higgins said.
There's an age issue that Waltrip cited himself. He's 63 years-old and won the bulk of his races in the 1980s.
Moore, a decorated World War II infantryman who won 63 races in his 37-year career as a car owner, is 85. Jarrett, a two-time champion and beloved former broadcaster, turned 78 the day before the vote. Pearson, a 105-race winner, is 75, and Allison, tied with Waltrip with 84 victories earned mostly in the 1970s, is 72.
NASCAR president, Mike Helton, said he was confident that Waltrip's exclusion was not personal, but explained that many voters felt a responsibility to electing the sport's elder statesmen.
"There was a great debate on comparing drivers from the 50’s to drivers from the 70’s. There were 52 different opinions on what the five should look like and this is how it came out," Helton said. "I don't think there were any winners or losers in there, every one of the 25 names on there will end up in the Hall of Fame. It's just a matter of when, and five is all we had to work with this year."
Jeff Burton, a usual voice of reason among active drivers, didn't view Waltrip's exclusion as a snub because Waltrip's qualifications are not in question.
"Time will sort all of these things out. If you're honored enough to get into the Hall of Fame, you shouldn't lose sleep about when you got into the Hall of Fame," Burton said. "The third class in no less important that the second class."
Try telling that to Waltrip.
"All these people who say you'll get in sooner than later, well, I sure hope it is sooner because this later stuff isn't much fun," Waltrip said.
| CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY |
PIT NOTE:
Darrell Waltrip didn’t make the Hall of Fame’s second class. He will lead the third class, just as everyone predicted Pearson would be the top vote getter in the 2nd class. His record on the track, his contribution in broadcasting the sport, his being an owner of his own team, the leadership he has shown in the sport, and the fans he brought to NASCAR make his selection a ‘no brainer.’ Darrell will be the 11th person inducted instead of somewhere between 6th and 10th this year. Big deal I say; but, Darrell was hurt that he isn’t in the 2nd class. Mike Helton explained that the discussion among the 52 before they voted gave weight to older participants who are deserving of induction because of their age. Four of the five will be at the induction ceremony (not presuming upon God for all to live until May, but all are alive now at age 75 or older). I appreciate that the voters wanting to honor these who contributed so much to the development of NASCAR, and who reaped far less reward from their efforts than the millionaires that now benefit from the sacrifices of those being inducted. I believe such consideration by the panel demonstrates an aspect of NASCAR that makes it special in sports.
On the other hand, I love that Darrell didn’t hide his feeling of not being inducted this year. I love that he spoke out. He was not whining. He was not saying his accomplishments were more deserving of those chosen. He just wanted to ‘win.’ He is still a racer. Every contest counts to him. I personally was not a fan of ‘Jaws’ until Rusty Wallace did him wrong in the All-Star race. I sort of pulled for him after that, but really became a fan when in Richmond as a ‘rookie’ with MRO I missed my wife and finally saw her in the aisle of Darrell’s hauler, talking to him before a race. When she came out she said, “I don’t know who that man is, but he is so nice.”
The reason I would vote for Darrell has nothing to do with racing statistics, it is his character. Yes, he is ‘a’ character, but I speak of his faith which was demonstrated to the extreme in a chapel service in Phoenix one year. As he approached the microphone to lead in prayer, he saw Ricky Craven on the front row. Ricky had wrecked Darrell the two previous weekends, and Darrell was still mad about it. Darrell paused, and then asked Ricky to join him in front of his peers and over 300 fans. Darrell rightly quoted scripture that requires one to restore relationships before going to the Father in prayer. Darrell asked Ricky to forgive him and then wrapped his arms around Ricky as he prayed. I have no idea what Max Helton preached that day, but it was not as good a sermon as what Darrell preached. That moment was better than any other spiritual moment I have ever observed.
Good News for Darrell and all of us. Heaven is not a Hall of Fame. There are no votes needed to enter. Not even God is voting. Darrell said at one point, "I don't know what I could do. I feel like I've been a good boy lately. I may disagree with things on TV, things I don't like, but that's my job. When I was a driver, I was “Jaws,” and maybe that wasn't my job. That was something I had to overcome."
Thankfully, being a ‘good boy’ and atoning for our past is not required to gain God’s favor. In fact, it is impossible to please God without perfection; no one is capable of living a perfect life. Good News - his Son, Jesus, did live a perfect life according to God’s own law. Jesus then died as a substitution for everyone who cannot live such a righteous life. Good News - embracing that fact by faith writes your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life for all eternity. Good News - that is better than “your bust” in a Hall of Fame that will be consumed when our Father brings Heaven to the New Earth. Good News - you can believe right now! Do it.
| IT'S TOO EASY! |
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Ocotober 11, 2010
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
- Tony Stewart wins at Fontana; he moves up five positions in the Chase, but gains only 18 points on leader, Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie finished 3rd and remains in the lead. Clint Bowyer finished 2nd, remains in 12th place, and picked up only 5 points on Johnson. The other nine drivers lost points to the leader. There were eight drivers within 101 points of Johnson at the beginning of the Fontana race; and now, there are only three drivers still within 100 points.
CHASE UPDATE:
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Johnson/5503
2. Hamlin/-8
3. Harvick/-30
4. Edwards/-53
5. Gordon/-58
6. Kurt Busch/-70
7. Kyle Busch/-80
8. Biffle/-85
9. Burton/-101
10. Stewart/-125
11. Kenseth/-148
12. Bowyer/-252
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Johnson/5673/8th/3rd
2. Hamlin/-36/34th/8th
3. Harvick/-54/21st/7th
4. Gordon/-85/17th/9th
5. Stewart/-107/22nd/WINNER
6. Kurt Busch/-140/38th/21st
7. Burton/-177/15th/23rd
8. Kyle Busch/-187/16th/35th
9. Edwards/-162/20th/34th
10. Biffle/-215/7th/41st
11. Kenseth/-241/3rd/30th
12. Bowyer/-247/13th/2nd
- Chase drivers’ average starting position was 17.83 at Fontana, 1.5 positions worse than last week in Kansas.
Chase drivers’ finished with EXACTLY the same average finish 17.83; 8.9 positions worse than last week, and maybe the worse average in the 64 Chase races. Half of the Chase drivers finished in the top 10 (1-3 & 7-9) and the other half were 21st or worse (2 in the 20s, 3 in the 30s, 1 was 41st)
Nine of the 12 Chase drivers suffered some kind of trouble. Three drivers had penalties on pit road, three blew engines, two had damage from crashes and one had mechanical problems.
PIT NOTE:
Jimmie Johnson finished 25th in the first Chase race, and then 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the next three races. He leads Denny Hamlin by 36 points. With 40% of the Chase races completed, Jimmie looks like he can finish in the top 5 each week and coast to his 5th straight championship. After the race, the reporters where talking about the ‘ifs’ that have happened or that didn’t happen to get to this point. Only 4 or 5 drivers still have a realistic chance to win the title. The logic is that all five of these teams would have to have catastrophic problems and one of the bottom 7 would have to be almost perfect in all six of the remaining races to have a chance. So the ‘odds’ are overwhelming, and the combinations are too varied to predict. We keep watching because each race has its own drama, engines do blow up, crashes happen, drivers make mistakes, and NASCAR could take an action that affects the outcome. All we actually know is that there will be another race next week, five more this year, and a champion will be crowned. Then, we will start all over again in February at Daytona comes in February. In a few years, few will remember or care about the details.
Some consider the same to be true of spiritual realities. They claim that since there are so many religions no one can say with surety what is correct. Others reduce all religion to doing good deeds for people. And, others proclaim that following the Ten Commandments, or whatever moral code is found in ‘sacred’ writings, is the ultimate goal of being ‘religious,’ for it is the key to maintaining order in society.
What we actually know is that people live and die, and few people remember those who die beyond their own grandparents. Many claim to not care about the details. However, in this case, the details do matter…for eternity; to each person and to our Creator. The rise in awareness of Islam in America, and its actual emergence into the mainstream in many European countries and the political influence it is having has resulted in more awareness of religion in general. The call for America to return to the Ten Commandments by Glen Beck with Christians, Muslims, Jews, Unitarians and leaders of other faiths has drawn attention to the early foundational beliefs which undergirded their political writings. However, life and spending eternity with God or in Hell is far more distinct and personal than how we maintain an ordered society. Living socially acceptably can vary from culture to culture, but living in God’s reality of justification before Him is much more critical. Note that I do not say, “a life pleasing to God,’ but that is the one thing common to most religions, i.e. doing good enough deeds that God will accept you as a person worthy of a joyous life in eternity. The truth is that we are sinners by our birth into the human race and by our personal choices. Even our being recognized as ‘good’ is only in comparison to other humans. When we are compared with God’s goodness, we will always fall short of his righteousness. Therefore, the question is not how we live, but how God’s Son lived. Jesus is the Son of God who lived a perfect life in relation to all the laws of God. He is perfect not only in action, but in attitude as well. Jesus died the death that was each person’s penalty for sinning against our holy God. This is a gift from God that is offered to every person to receive by faith. There is no works in faith, it is simply embracing what God has done through Jesus and experiencing the joy of salvation granted from the One whom we disobeyed. Does that do away with God’s Law? Not at all. For the Good News that God sent His Son, once embraced, causes us to desire to live by the Law. More Good News! Once we are in union with Jesus by faith, He lives his life out through the believer through the power of the Holy Spirit! Believe in Him today. That will be better news than winning the Chase Championship.
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October 5, 2010
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
- Greg Biffle returned to Victory Circle in Kansas, and his two Chaser teammates also finished in the Top 7 to give Ford its best overall finish of the season! Hanging outside the Top 10 for most of the race, Jimmie Johnson finished 2nd after qualifying 21st. Changes made during his last pit stop moved him all the way to 2nd, and he now leads the points race.
CHASE UPDATE:
In the six years of the Chase format, this is the closest points race after three races.
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Hamlin/5368
2. Johnson/-35
3. Kyle Busch/-45
4. Kurt Busch/-59
5. Harvick/-65
6. Edwards/-73
7. Burton/-80
8. Gordon/-83
9. Biffle/-140
10. Stewart/-162
11. Kenseth/-165
12. Bowyer/-235
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Johnson/5503/21st/2nd
2. Hamlin/-8/12th/12th
3. Harvick/-30/24th/3rd
4. Edwards/-53/31st/6th
5. Gordon/-58/3rd/5th
6. Kurt Busch/-70/9th/13th
7. Kyle Busch/-80/19th/21st
8. Biffle/-85/5th/WINNER
9. Burton/-101/23rd/18th
10. Stewart/-125/14th/4th
11. Kenseth/-148/8th/7th
12. Bowyer/-252/27th/15th
- Chase Drivers’ average starting position was 16.33 for Kansas, with only Gordon (3rd), Biffle (5th) and Kenseth (8th) breaking the Top 10. Bowyer (27th) and Edwards (31st) even missed the Top 25. However, the race was considerably different; the average finish of the Chasers was 8.9, with the first seven finishers being Chasers. All were in the Top 21.
- Kyle Busch had both the worst and best results of the race. On lap 154, Kyle was running 3rd and appeared to have at least a Top 5 car per its performance to that point of the race. However, David Reutimann chose to retaliate for a spin caused by Kyle on lap 32 which put David in the wall. Kyle had taken complete responsibility of hitting David and apologized on the radio. Meanwhile, usually mild-mannered Reutimann was being told by his crew chief and team how hard they had worked and how he ‘had’ to ‘pay back’ Busch. So, he did; and the damage to the rear axle and trailing arms made the car ‘evil’ to drive. Kyle wanted to go to the garage for repairs, which would have put him five or more laps down and in a finish outside of the Top 30. However, his crew chief and team used six stops to make repairs, and Kyle’s ‘man-handling’ of the car kept him on the lead lap until 11 laps to go. He salvaged a 21st place finish and at least 30 extra points. The worst side of the story is that if he had finished 3rd, where he was running when Reutimann retaliated, he would be only 17 points behind Jimmie Johnson instead of the current 80 points. If Kyle had won, he would be the points leader by three points. NASCAR has not publicly said anything about the Reutimann payback. In the past in drivers’ meetings, they have said something to the effect, “Drivers not in the Chase, do not be the one to affect the Chase standings.” Therefore, acknowledging that there is a ‘race with-in a race’ during the last 10 races of the season. However, NASCAR has not recognized that reality in the way that points are awarded to the drivers. Before in these articles, I have stated that I believe the 31 non-Chase drivers should be given points per the current system per where they finish. The 12 in the Chase should have their own system. In this situation, Kyle would have received the points for finishing 12th among the Chasers, not 21st. Now, value could be greater between each position than the 3, 4 and 5 points that the current system has; but, it would be more fair, in my opinion, to keep all 12 in contention for the whole ten races.
Interestingly, after the race, Kyle was calmer than expected and said, “David will be driving next year; he could have repaid me in any one of those first 26 races of next season and I would understand that.” Kyle understood David’s frustration. He understood the team’s frustration. He respects the ‘pay back’ system. The ‘unfairness’ Kyle felt was the timing. He was saying that his spin of David affected ‘the race,’ while David’s affected the ‘race-within-the-race.’ Therefore, it’s not apples for apples, and Kyle’s logic was that David should wait until they both would experience the same penalty.
PIT NOTE:
God does not have an on-going ‘race within a race.’ He does not have a points system. He does not change systems; he has always used the same one, and He always will. God is not just ‘paying us back’ for doing Him wrong. He does not look at individual sin and assign points per how bad sin is over another.
Adam and Eve sinned against the Holiness of God. As the ‘federal head’ of the human race, their sin against God became our nature. Now, every man, woman and child is born with a nature to sin, and there is no natural desire for God in them. Society will ‘rate’ the sins of its citizens; giving awards and recognition to those who meet or surpass their standards, and incarcerating for varying lengths of time to those who do not. Society is protected and preserved. That is not the goal of God. He is Holy. His ‘standard’ is perfection, and it is impossible for any man since Adam to live up to. ‘Pay back’ was death; for nothing short of death was valid, since it was life that had been rejected. However, God loved man and no one would perish, but all would be restored to life while on earth and for eternity. So God did create a ‘race within a race’ that only He entered. He sent his Son, all Man and all God, in one body. Jesus is that God-Man. Jesus did what Adam did not; Jesus lived the perfect standard of God. Yet, the one man that death had no claim on, laid down his life as a substitute for all other men so that we might have Life! That’s Good News. Believe it today.
Does God hold Christians responsible for their unpremeditated and unconscious sins? |
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September 28, 2010
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- Jimmie Johnson won the Cup race at Dover for the 6th time in his career, and he moves from 7th to 2nd in the Chase. He has now won 33% of the Cup races he has entered at Dover; and he has won 53 of the 318 races his has entered (16.7%). However, 19 of those wins (35.8%) have come in Chase events when it really counted. He has won 30.5% of the 62 Chase events he has competed in.
- Chase drivers took five of the Top 10 starting positions and finishes. In contrast to the previous five years of the Chase, the first two races in this year’s Chase have not been dominated by the 12 Chase drivers. This trend indicates a continuation of the more aggressive approach to the Chase this year. In the previous seasons, ‘not making a mistake’ was more prominent. At Dover, Chase drivers had five pit road penalties assessed during the race. Tony Stewart went three laps down, because he was speeding on Pit Road. He finished 21st and is now 162 points behind the points leader Denny Hamlin.
- CHASE UPDATE: Bowyer was dropped to last position based on penalties that are being appealed (see below).
LAST RACE POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS
1. Hamlin/5230
2. Bowyer/-35
3. Harvick/-45
4. Kyle Busch/-62
5. Gordon/-75
6. Kurt Busch/-86
7. Johnson/-92
8. Edwards/-95
9. Biffle/-108
10. Burton/-112
11. Stewart/-124
12. Kenseth/-136
NEW POSITION/DRIVER/POINTS/START/FINISH
1. Hamlin/5368/4th/9th
2. Johnson/-35/1st/WINNER
3. Kyle Busch/-45/11th/21st
4. Kurt Busch/-59/8th/4th
5. Harvick/-65/33rd/15th
6. Edwards/-73/10th/5th
7. Burton/-80/27th/2nd
8. Gordon/-83/15th/11th
9. Biffle/-140/6th/19th
10. Stewart/-162/25th/21st
11. Kenseth/-165/14th/18th
12. Bowyer/-235/24th/25th (Penalty)
- Clint Bowyer still has the New Hampshire race trophy; however, he has been stripped of all other rewards from winning unless his appeal is successful. On Wednesday of last week, NASCAR announced penalties because his winning car failed inspection by 60/1000th of an inch (less than 1/16th of an inch). If his appeal is not successful, the #33 team will pay $150,000 in fines, lose 150 points (reflected in the -235 points above), and his crew chief and car chief will miss the next six races. NASCAR is saying they will protect the integrity of their champion. They penalized the extra money and points earned by the advantage gained by being over the limit.
The issue is a measurement that is made from six points that are determined on every chassis at the NASCAR R & D Center before a body is put on a car. This is the chassis certification process that every car goes through. The measurements from these points can ultimately only be verified at the center, not at the track where other measurements are taken. They were found to be off 60/1000th of an inch, after NASCAR allowed for a ‘given’ of 120/1000th. As a former driver told me, it seems minuscule; but when extended from the point of measurement, it becomes a significant advantage in down force (see my DKY concerning little things).
Richard Childress and Clint Bowyer will present their case for reversing NASCAR’s penalties at a hearing on Wednesday. Per their statements at Dover, they believe the damage to their car was caused by the tow truck pushing the car on pit road when it ran out of gas during the burn out; or it was damaged by the congratulatory bumps and rubs by other drivers, or somehow it was caused during the transport from Loudon to Charlotte by NASCAR. Clint argues that the fear of Richard’s wrath was another reason he is sure the car was not illegal during the race. After qualifying for the Chase with his finish in Richmond, NASCAR had taken the #33 car and measured it. NASCAR found it was right on the ‘edge’ (exact measurement or over), but within 120/1000th that NASCAR ‘gives.’ NASCAR warned RCR that they were ‘too close’ and their cars would likely be checked after Loudon. Richard evidently spoke to all three crew chiefs and warned them to allow for damage in the race. Clint argues that they were careful to allow more tolerance because they would be ‘stupid’ to not heed NASCAR’s warning. Clint also suggested that if all 43 cars were inspected, most would fail the measurement; therefore, presenting the argument that it is unfair.
The points leader, Denny Hamlin, was outspoken in his criticism of RCR. After heated words in the garage, Kevin Harvick bumped and then rubbed Hamlin’s car on the track as they left pit road for the first practice session.
PIT NOTE:
There is no dispute that the #33 Loudon car was more than 120/1000th above the legal height allowed by NASCAR rules. There is no question that NASCAR has a right as the sanctioning body to penalize the team. The appeal will seek to either justify the car being out of tolerance because of factors outside of the team’s control; and therefore, should be overlooked and the penalties reversed, or to have the appeal panel ‘soften’ the penalty that NASCAR dictated. NASCAR revealed that since 1999, 33% of their rulings which were appealed have been adjusted by either the appeals panel or the NASCAR commissioner, who is the final appeal. The decision will have an affect on the Championship. If the penalty is reduced from 150 points, and Clint becomes Champion by less than 150 points, he will have an (*) beside his name in the record books, and NASCAR’s integrity in determining its champion will be questioned.
God also has some standards called the Law. It is summarized in the Ten Commandments, but actually has over 600 parts. Besides revealing the righteousness of God Himself, it also details how those who do not live every day in complete obedience to every application of the Law can ‘appeal’ for pardon by simply having the faith to believe the promise of God. That promise is that God would provide a payment for the sin of man in a virgin born son who would never break or bend any rule of God, and who would then take upon himself the penalty of death just as if he had sinned. Oh, how wonderful is the grace of God on sinners (us)!
However, instead of agreeing with God that we cannot ever live the perfect life required by the Law and believe and thank God for providing justification for us, we try to defend ourselves. We blame our ‘errors’ on others being a bad influence on us. We try to justify our sinfulness as being within acceptable ‘tolerances’ that a ‘reasonable’ God would understand. We even make appeals to God that we are ‘sincerely’ sorry and ‘determined’ never to do certain sins again. We argue that ‘others are doing the same thing…or worse.’
The fact - the Law was not given to bring anyone into a right relationship with God. It was given to show man that it is impossible to live ‘right enough’ to ever please God. When we hear the Law, it is designed to condemn us; it can never give us life! The Law drives us to the reality that we need forgiveness and pardon, or we will perish for eternity. We see Hope. We see Light. We see Jesus who was sent from his Father to die for the penalty of our sin. Do you believe that Good News? If you do, there is NO CONDEMNATION on you or awaiting you. You have life, for the Life of Jesus has been imputed to you. What Good News! That is the Gospel. Believe it today.
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September 13, 2010
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
- Denny Hamlin wins Richmond and takes #1 seed in Chase. Joe Gibbs Racing’s drivers finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in the Richmond Cup race. Hamlin held off his teammate, Kyle Busch, for the last 35 laps to claim his 6th win in the first 26 races of the season. Jimmie Johnson finished 3rd and Marcus Ambrose finished 5th. Clint Bowyer finished 6th to assure his place in the Chase; he needed to finished 28th or better to earn his spot.
- Seeding for the Chase is based on each of the 12 drivers having their points increased to 5000, plus 10 points for each of their wins in the ‘regular’ season. Their average finish and total points got them in the Chase, but now any advantage is reduced to a maximum of 60 points, as Hamlin is the #1 seed with 5060 points. Here is the change in standings under the Chase format:
NAME/OLD POINTS
Harvick/3723
Kyle Busch/-228
Gordon/-230
Edwards/-296
Johnson/-306
Stewart/-306
Burton/-333
Kenseth/-377
Hamlin/-381
Kurt Busch/-386
Bowyer/-502
Biffle/-546
POSITION/NAME/NEW POINTS
1. Hamlin/5060
2. Johnson/-10
3. Harvick/-30
4. Kyle Busch/-30
5. Kurt Busch/-40
6. Stewart/-50
7. Biffle/-50
8. Gordon/-60
9. Edwards/-60
10. Burton/-60
11. Kenseth/-60
12. Bowyer/-60
- Kevin Harvick loses his 228 point advantage and drops to 3rd place, 30 points behind. Jimmie Johnson, with one less win, goes from 306 points behind to only 10 points down. Five of the twelve drivers did not have a win in the first 26 races and all are 60 points behind.
- Richard Childress Racing places all three teams in Chase after having no teams in the 2009 Championship playoff. Roush Racing also has three teams completing, even though, they only have one win for the year. Joe Gibbs Racing has two teams with nine wins in the first 26 races, and Hendrick has two wins. Both Stewart-Haas Racing and Penske Racing have one team competing.
- Five drivers who were in the 2009 Chase did not make it in 2010. Ryan Newman (13th, -98 points), Mark Martin (15th, -155), Juan Pablo Montoya, (16th, -160), Kasey Kahne (18th, -245) and Brian Vickers (who had to withdraw from racing early in the season because of illness) will not contend for the Championship.
- 45 of the 60 Chase races have been won by drivers in the six Chases that have been completed. That is 75% of all Chase races have been won by the 26.4% of the teams that have competed in those 60 races over the last six seasons. This demonstrates why they were the top teams after 26 races each year, and the fact that with the Championship still a possibility, they performed to a higher standard.
PIT NOTE:
Marcus Ambrose finished 5th at Richmond; quite a feat for a single car team (JTG-Daugherty Racing) who only has an alliance relationship with a multi-car team. Were you aware of where he finished? Did you consider that such a finish is a David versus Goliath type story? Probably not. After the race, the attention was (and will be) on the 12 who made the Chase. This is true in the NASCAR written press and in the TV and Radio programs this week. In the weeks to come, the story will be on these 12 and where they finish. Even if the chart above shows a driver outside of the top 12 moving into the Top 5 under the old system, it will not get any press. This is a major problem for teams who have sold their sponsorships based on the amount of ‘air time’ they would received for the dollars invested in a team. However, it is the game as it is played today. Harvick will not complain of the points lead being taken from him, nor will Greg Biffle spend any time thanking people for his moving from over 500 points behind to only 60.
This is the way the NASCAR game is played. There are ‘adjustments’ to the system being considered for 2011; but right now, this is the only system that is in play. Saturday night was about congratulating the ‘12’ and making it as big, positive and exciting a presentation as possible. Even if they thought about it, the ‘12’ would not have dared express any negative feeling or made any new suggestions on that night. The system was made clear to the participants before the first race of the 2010 season. The 26 races have been conducted fairly and according to the rules; therefore, any frustrations over missing the Chase came from individual performance, and the results of such individuality that had a negative effect on a fellow racer. In summary, definite rules, fairly administered, provide a ‘level playing field’ upon which each team has equal opportunity.
Many have such a wrong assumption of what God has provided. They imagine ‘His rules,’ summarized in the Ten Commandments and successfully lived out by His Son, Jesus, as guidelines for living. Our adherence to those rules, and our faith that God set up the rules, allows us to participate in eternal salvation. A few become ‘champions’ who are identified by national recognition or personal spiritual guidance in and for our live (i.e. a pastor, teacher, grandmother, etc.). Many others run a ‘great race;’ they never quite hold the championship title, but they are in the top 12. Others try hard, and they are good guys who just never had the quality of equipment that would have made them champions. Even the back markers have some good qualities, and only a very few are non-deserving at all. In the end, we can find some ‘good’ in every competitor and justify their ‘belonging’ at some level.
This is the hope of eternal life as seen by many. However, the Ten Commandments are not a guide for living and God’s measuring stick for salvation. The Ten Commandments, plus over 600 other rules, are revealed in scripture to show the holiness of God. Combined, they are called the Law, and they reveal mankind’s failure when compared to God, and are used to expose the impossibility of pleasing God by our own performance. The Law is not a call to ‘pull up our boot straps and work harder,’ it is a weight that drives us to our knees. Good News!!!!! 430 years before Moses received the Ten Commandments, God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised to provide salvation through faith alone. Abraham was justified (set right) in the eyes of God, not by performance, but by faith in the promise of God accounted to him as righteousness (as if he lived the Law). What was the promise in which Abraham had faith? It was that God Himself would provide one who would come and fulfill all the righteousness of God. Jesus is the promise. Faith in Him alone is the call of today. He is the Champion, once and for all. In Him we are granted the favor of God for eternal life and daily living. It is not by our performance, but by our faith in Jesus that we are set right with God. Believe this Good News today!
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Spetember 7, 2010
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Tony Stewart wins at Atlanta for his first win of season. Tony’s only problem was too much horsepower on restarts. He spun his tires repeatedly on the restarts and fell from the front row all the way back to 7th on several occasions. He would pull back to the front as his horsepower and balance set-up gave him control. On the last restart, Tony spun his tires; but the nudge from his teammate allowed his tires to gain grip, and he quickly pulled away for the win.
- The Chase is set (10 of the 12 at least).
The first 10 spots were determined and the 11th (Biffle) is set, if he finishes 42nd or better at Richmond. Clint Bowyer has to finish 28th or better to assure the 12th spot. Even if Clint were 43rd, Ryan Newman would have to finish in the top 10 to claim the 12th spot. Jamie McMurray saw his chances disappear when he had a flat tire and went a lap down. Mark Martin’s car never performed well enough to maintain a top 10 position and he finished 21st. However, it was the top 5 finish in Bristol and the 7th place in Atlanta by Clint Bowyer that actually sealed their fates.
- Engineering to the forefront…
Tony and his crew chief, Darian Grubb, both credited the engineers for their improved performance. Tony also pointed out that this year, Childress Racing has the greatest improvement with all three of their cars in the Chase; and, engineering is the reason. He also quoted Jack Roush as saying their turnaround this summer can be traced to the engineering department where they discovered a flaw in one of their engineering programs. Jack said that once it was detected and corrected, their set-ups have been good at every track. Darian went on to say that the engineers get you close so you can contend for the win, but the driver is the one who provides the input that allows for the fine-tuning.
PIT NOTE:
Atlanta was about ‘little things’ making a difference. The difference in being on the pole (Newman) and starting 2nd (Busch) was 1/1000th of a second. Take out your credit card, look at its thickness, 1/1000th of second over 1.5 miles is less distance than the thickness of your card. Seven pairs of the 43 starters had identical times in qualifying, which determined starting positions by points. Tony pulled away on the final restart with the help of his teammate pushing him ‘just a little’ when Tony spun his tires. Carl Edwards finished 2nd, making the most of the updated information from the new software.
Little things also make big differences in our lives, and our eternal abode. The Gospel cannot be called a ‘little thing,’ for it is the central thing in all of life, and was in God’s eye even before creation. The ‘little thing’ that is needed today is a change in focus. The Good News is what Jesus did, is doing, and will do for each of us. His service to us is central, not our service to Him. His grace is sufficient; it is not dependent on what we do. The subtleness of how we slip from praise and worship of God just for who He is, to worry and working to be more acceptable to God is a HUGE thing. Our salvation is based on faith, not works. The focus correction should be to see God as righteous and lifted up, and that we are condemned in our sin without hope unless He lifts us up. Once we come to faith, we are complete in Him and not under CONDEMNATION. This little change, of being focused on what I can do for God and being to continually grateful for His service to me, ‘tunes my heart to sing’ for now and for eternity. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17.
Have you heard? Do you have faith?
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August 16, 2010
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- Kevin Harvick wins for third time this season, and it is the first Richard Childress Racing win in Michigan since 1990. Kevin and Tony Stewart did not pit with 25 laps to go, while all the other leaders took two tires. Tony fell to 6th; but Kevin recovered after being passed by Denny Hamlin, and he took the lead back with ten laps to go. He was never challenged again. The win gave him enough of a points lead over 13th place Mark Martin that he is now guaranteed to be in the Chase. Before the race, he told several people that he felt like he was on vacation for the next four races before the start of the Chase, and he only cared about wins. This win gave him 30 bonus points and gives him the 3rd position in the Chase with three races to go.
- Jack Roush returns to the track and sees three of his teams finish in the top 5 (Edwards 3rd, Biffle 4th (led most laps of race), and Kenseth 5th). David Ragan finish 13th in Roush’s fourth car.
- Hendrick teams had an off-day; all finished outside the top 10, Johnson 12th, Earnhardt 19th, Gordon 27th, and Martin 28th.
- Mark Martin fell to 13th in the “Race for the Chase;” he is now 35 points behind Clint Bowyer who finished 13th. One of these two drivers should take the final spot in the Chase. Greg Biffle (11th) is 163 points ahead of Mark, and Newman and McMurray (14th & 15th) are 103 and 105 points behind Bowyer. None of the three should lose or gain that many points in the next three races.
| CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY |
PIT NOTE:
“Happy Harvick” has led the points race for thirteen straight weeks! In 2009, he finished in 22nd position. Few people expected him or his two RCR teammates to rebound to make the Chase, much less dominate as he has (Jeff Burton & Clint Bowyer are now 7th and 12th). Harvick won without new tires after two weeks of the winner taking two tires on the last pit stop. He said that he and his crew chief took the unusual gamble, because they felt ‘clean air’ was more valuable than new tires. The reward of 10 bonus points, which comes with a win, was more valuable than even a guaranteed Top 5 finish. His pre-race comments about “not having any pressure in the last four races” also played into his willingness to gamble.
While life is not about taking gambles, it is full of pressures. Few people ever get a four-week ‘vacation’ from the pressures, while waiting to participate in a 10-week competition to become a champion. Sadly, the majority of the world’s population (regardless of the religion they follow) visualize developing a right relationship with God as nothing but an enormous pressure to perform to a standard that will please God. Then, after doing their best to please God (i.e. the most important ‘championship’ to obtain), they still die wondering how they will make out when they stand before the ‘Ultimate Judge’ who has their eternal destiny in His hands. Many of us become disillusioned as we realize that the standards of an all-powerful God are impossible to live out in our mortal body and limited attributes. Only the Gospel reveals that Jesus fulfilled the Law of God both in actively living it perfectly and in suffering the penalty for all others not living it perfectly. Jesus, as the federal head of mankind, met the holiness of God and drank the whole cup of God’s wrath for each and every sin. Good News! Right standing with God is now based on us believing the truth of the promise of God. When we do, we are no longer under condemnation, but we have passed from death unto life. The believer no longer faces an uncertain future before a Judge, but he/she has the assurance that instead of being viewed as a criminal who is guilty and awaiting sentencing, he/she is now an adopted son/daughter of God, a joint heir with Jesus! Now, that is great news that removes the ‘pressure’ to perform and ‘chase’ an unattainable ultimate ‘championship,’ and gives daily freedom to enjoy life more abundantly than ever imagined. It all comes from faith in Jesus, and faith comes by hearing more and more about Him. If you have a little smile on your lips as you read this, you are experiencing this Good News!
| MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - FAITH OR EXPERIENCE |
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August 10, 2010
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
- Juan Pablo Montoya won the Cup race at Watkins Glen, which was his second win of his Cup career. It has been 113 races since his last win; and, he is the only foreign driver to win two races in NASCAR. It is the second win in three races for a Ganassi driver. Kurt Busch finished second when he passed Marcus Ambrose with three laps to go in the race.
- Marcus Ambrose seemed to be the driver to beat throughout the race. He qualified 11th, but quickly moved to the top 5. He drove smoothly until overtaking Montoya for the lead. However, every time there was a restart, he experienced problems entering Turn 1 and lost positions. On the final restart, he fell from 2nd to 3rd. He got back to 2nd only to have a leaking left rear tire slow him down, which allowed Kurt Busch to pass him again with two laps to go.
- Four races to the Chase. Mark Martin moved into 12th place, ahead of Clint Bowyer, when Bowyer had a mechanical problem on lap 61 and went three laps down. Because of continued cautions, he came back to 31st place, just one lap down. Meanwhile, Martin finished 19th and moved from 13th to 12th. “Cautiously aggressive” is the way Carl Edwards described himself and the other drivers who have almost a sure lock on making the Chase, unless they make major errors in the remaining four races. On one hand, they need to win in order to have a better seat in the Chase, but going for the win without regard to a possible finish of 35th or worse must be considered in their decisions during the race.
PIT NOTE:
Take out a credit card and look at its thickness; it is about 1/32nd of an inch. Last week, Greg Biffle attributed his win at Pocono to the removal of a shim that size from his right front shock absorber, and one twice as thick from the left front shock absorber. He expounded that his car immediately had more grip, and therefore, more speed. He also explained that these minute changes required him to change when/where he let off his accelerator entering the three turns, the line he drove on the track, and when he returned to the gas in the turns. He continued to explain that these tiny changes lowered the nose of the car to the point that the ‘splitter’ would hit the bumps and cause him to lose speed, if he didn’t change the way he drove.
Therefore, the win was the result of a willingness to change and adapt. The crew chief had to have the courage to make a change without the assurance it would matter, and only hope that the driver would correctly adapt his driving style. The driver had to be patient during the time he sat on pit road as his pit crew made the needed changes, knowing that he was losing position, which he would have to regain once he was back on the track.
Many times, Spiritual growth results from small changes in our lives. There are many “self-help” books that suggest paths to personal Sanctification (i.e. righteous living). These books suggest that these small adjustments are plentiful, and some even make the NY Times’ best seller list from time to time. However, sanctification comes from faith, not personal work; just as, salvation comes by faith. The changes in our understanding of who Jesus is, and the continual gaining of insight into the unsearchable riches of Christ and all that he accomplished for us, result in the adjustments. Out of that internal growth will come the changes in life where the desire to live holy will increase, and the desire to live worldly will decrease. It is a worthy desire to live godly lives. It is normal to want to do something for God when we realize our own sinfulness, and that it can not be accomplished by our own strength. The knowledge of God’s faithfulness to us, received by faith day by day, provides the ‘informed mind’ which produces an ‘inflamed heart’ as the Holy Spirit empowers a life of holiness.
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August 3, 2010
POCONO RACEWAY
GREG, JACK, and FORD are WINNERS AGAIN! Greg Biffle took two tires and won the race 30 laps later at Pocono. This was his first win in 65 races, and the first for Ford since Talladega last October. It was Jack Roush’s first Cup win of 2010, but it was his second most important win of the week after surviving his second plane crash in the last eight years.
Biffle’s win came after two red flag cautions in the last 35 laps that scrambled the running order and left those taking four tires with too few laps remaining to make up all the positions given up to those who took no tires or just two.
- Jeff Gordon was the biggest loser in this almost weekly game of strategy: In the last 30 laps of a Cup race, discerning which will be more important, track position (‘clean air’ that allows the cars to perform better aero dynamically) or taking four tires which will allow the car to perform better mechanically? For the sixth time this season, Jeff seemingly had the car to beat when his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, caused the wreck that caused the first red flag. After the red flag was lifted, Jeff pitted and took four tires while 12 other cars either took none or two tires. This put him 13th on the restart, which did not come until 22 laps after another red flag was displayed for rain before the race could be restarted. So, Jeff finished 6th, and still has not won in a season in which he has had six reasonable opportunities.
- No changes in Top 12 with only five races until the Chase. Mark Martin is now 34 points behind Clint Bowyer for the last spot in the Chase. Hendrick’s fourth driver, Dale Jr. is 14th and 129 points behind. Look for Bowyer to try to avoid mistakes and finish in the top 15 of the next five races, which would keep him in at least the 12th spot, unless Martin can average top 5 finishes in the next five races. Also, watch how the top 6 will care only about winning in these races. The only finishes that will give them points that matter, once the Chase starts, are from wins in the next five races. Each win in the first 26 races gives a bonus of 10 points at the start of the Chase. At this point, the Chase would look like this:
1. Denny Hamlin (currently 3rd) – 5050 points
2. Jimmie Johnson (4th) - 5050
3. Kevin Harvick (1st) – 5020
4. Kyle Busch (6th) – 5020
5. Kurt Busch (7th) – 5020
6. Greg Biffle (11th) – 5010
7. Jeff Gordon - 5000 points with no wins
8. Jeff Burton – 5000/no wins
9. Tony Stewart – 5000/no wins
10. Matt Kenseth – 5000/no wins
11. Carl Edwards – 5000/no wins
12. Clint Bowyer – 5000/no wins
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PIT NOTE:
In any professional sport, conscious choices about rules and venues are made in order to create excitement that will attract fans around a specific competition. Then, there is the mixing of varying degrees of skill by the participants, the quality of equipment, the ability to control emotions during competition, and the rules adjusted and interpreted to give hope of fairness and success to all competitors. And, there is the weather and other uncontrollable elements, such as the health of one or more team members, that creates opportunity for promotion of the ‘what ifs,’ and the ‘good vs. bad,’ which peaks interest. Finally, there are strategic decisions made throughout the event that keep fans ‘on their feet’ as an event progresses to the very end.
In day to day living, the daily routine is seldom as random or filled with as many variables. Many people are living their lives for the weekend, when most of the ‘exciting’ things take place. Few people approach each day of their lives as a competition; and if there is excitement, it usually involves some sort of breakdown or injury that will cost money, not provide a reward for winning.
Sadly, attending church on Sunday is very likely to reinforce such a ‘sports view of life’ for everyday living. Many church services are designed as pep rallies for God and offer messages that gives direction for better performance for the ‘game’ to be played that week. Others have a default message that encourages the enduring of life until all the joy of Heaven comes at the time of our death. Neither of these approaches exposes the Good News that is a fountain of joy for everyday life. Neither results in a natural response of praise to the Father and service to man. The key word here is ‘response.’ The first two types of church services center on what man does and how he does it. The latter, centers on what God has done, is doing, and will do through Jesus. Simply lifting up Jesus will generate personal peace, as His grace toward us is revealed and we believe. Natural praise and worship will then flow from a ‘heart that is tuned to sing’ by the repeated hearing of the Gospel. Natural ‘good works’ will flow as we become more like Jesus. Faith comes by hearing the Gospel of Jesus. Hopefully, Sunday sermons are like a B-12 shot; and your daily time in prayer and in God’s Word are like taking your daily vitamins. By experiencing the Good News, seven days every week, you are not condemned now and facing an unsure date with a judge, but are in fact being molded by the discipline of a loving Father. This more exciting than anything created and maintained by human invention---be that sports or religion.
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July 27,2009
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Jamie McMurray won at Indy (and the Daytona 500 in February) and gave owner, Chip Ganassi, his first ever “Triple Crown” of motor sports; the Ganassi driver, Dario Franchitti, won the Indianapolis 500 in May. After the race, Jamie said, “Like most people, I pray each morning and ask for good health and for my family. At the beginning of the year, I said, Lord if I could win two races it would be unbelievable; and, for the two to be the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, I feel truly blessed.” He also acknowledged that his car was tight going into the turns. His “only” chance to win came when Kevin Harvick chose to start on the inside as the leader with 17 laps to go. This allowed Jamie to not lose speed by being on the inside, and he was able to pull away going into Turn 3.
- Two tires or four? Of the top ten, on the next to the last restart, six teams took two tires and four teams took four with 17 laps to go. Two tires won! Before the race, “Strategy and track position” was the talk in the garage, and it was the reason Jamie won. When the caution came out with 22 laps to go, all the cars had 16 laps on them and the logical wisdom was to take four tires. Montoya and Biffle, who had been running first and second, followed the standard protocol. However, Jamie and five others did not, and Montoya and Biffle restarted 7th and 8th. Montoya, who had led the most laps and dominated the race for the second year in a row, fell to 9th on the restart as his car did not perform in traffic. Biffle moved forward, but he could only get back to 3rd place.
- With the #1 car -Jamie McMurray’s Brickyard 400 Sprint Cup Series race win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (second win of the season and fifth of his career) he now joins Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jarrett as the only drivers to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. #29-Kevin Harvick finished second, followed by: #16-Greg Biffle, #33-Clint Bowyer, #14-Tony Stewart, #31-Jeff Burton, #99-Carl Edwards, #18-Kyle Busch, #20-Joey Logano, and #2-Kurt Busch. Pole sitter, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya dominated much of the race, leading the most laps, but he lost the lead during a late pit stop, then hit the wall with 15 to go and finished 32nd. There were 14 lead changes among 10 drivers, and six cautions for 25 yellow-flag laps. The attendance was reported at 140,000, down from 180,000 last year.
- Montoya experiences heartbreak at the Brickyard for second year in a row. In 2009, on the last pit stop, Montoya was penalized for speeding on pit road and lost the race which he was leading. This year, taking four tires with 17 to go seemed safe even with six cars moving ahead of him on the restart. This put him on the inside of row 4 with Biffle on the outside of him. With 17 laps to go, four tires instead of two, wins most of the time in NASCAR. But this time, for this driver, the lack of ‘clean air’ bogged his car down and he fell to 9th. Then, he began to push to move to the front and got just a little high in Turn 4 and hit the wall. Then Dale, Jr. hit him and Montoya drove the car directly to the garage, climbed out of the car and finished 32nd. His crew chief, Brian Pattie, through hands covering his face in the hauler, said it was his fault. Montoya left the track. If only two or maybe four teams had chosen two tires instead of four, Montoya may have still won. But they didn’t, and he didn’t. His bid to become the first driver to win both the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 will have to wait another year. He will be in Pocono; he may even win. But, it will not be the same as winning this race.
- Today (Monday morning), Jamie will be in Atlanta testing for the Watkins Glenn road race! Winning the two biggest races in NASCAR and giving Chip Ganassi the ‘Triple Crown’ doesn’t result in a day to celebrate. In fact, it curtailed the night celebration as the road crew in Indy had to fly home, and then to Road Atlanta early Monday morning. The reason is the Chase. Making the Chase is the bigger goal and with the results of the last three races the #1 team is now only 151 points out of 12th place with six races remaining to gain those points. Mark Martin, Dale, Jr., Ryan Newman are 63, 92 and 147 points behind Clint Bowyer who is in 12th. For any of these to replace anyone in the top 12, they will need to not only perform well themselves, but will need Edwards in 10th, Biffle in 11th and/or Bowyer to have average finishes of 15th or worse in the next six races.
- Roush-Fenway Racing and Ford have not won a race in 2010, but they still have three cars in the Chase at this time. Richard Childress Racing also has three teams in the top 12, Hendrick Motorsports has two (with the other two in 13th and 14th), and Joe Gibbs Racing has two, and Penske Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing have the last two spots.
PIT NOTE:
This week, Jimmie Johnson said that he hoped that when the drivers see “Lowe’s” on the hood of the car behind them in their rear view mirror that they feel a little pressure or intimidation. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was known as the Intimidator, and his pulling up on a car definitely affected how they drove. Both intimidation and pressure refer to an awareness that causes fear. Fear always causes us to pause to some degree. It causes us to adjust to some degree; it limits our performance and alters our focus. No wonder it is the most rebuked attitude in the Bible. “Do not fear” is quoted over and over again. I John 4:18-19 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear consists of torment; the one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”
So, it is love that overcomes fear…“perfect love” that is. Perfect love is found solely in Jesus. He lived the only perfect (sinless) life, which allowed Him to drink the ‘cup of God’s wrath’ on the cross, and thus fulfill both the requirements of the Law and the penalty for breaking the Law. Even after we have had this perfect love imputed to them through faith, we have (in a sense) our own conscience in our ‘rear view mirror’ condemning us. While we are told we are ‘new creatures’ according to the Word of God, the old nature is bombarded with thoughts of condemnation for failure to perform according to the Law. The constant reminder of these failures takes the grace of God out of focus. The good news of Jesus’ love, which was demonstrated on the cross, and his forgiveness of our sin is replaced with thoughts that we must now ‘work’ for our salvation. Constant contemplation of our failure and the realization that we will never in our flesh succeed in holy living is terrible news. It will lead to frustration, despair, and hopelessness. This is the ‘torment’ spoken of by John. However, he also gives the Gospel, the good news that “perfect love casts out fear.” Dwelling on the perfect life of Jesus and his taking on the punishment of all our sin reveals and deepens our understanding of His love for us. This brings deeper appreciation for His love. Thinking on these things every day, instead of our failures, will allow us to live in the Spirit, which we are told is a place of liberty and freedom.
If you live each day free of judgment, retaliation and punishment, your soul is in torment. That is not of God. “The just shall live by faith.”
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July 12, 2010
CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
David Reutimann wins at Chicago (without an *)! Michael Waltrip Racing’s lead driver won for the second time in his career. However, during the race, every time an announcer mentioned David as the “potential or probable winner,” they felt compelled to mention that his only other win was a “rain shortened” race at Charlotte. This also was the focus of the Victory Circle interview; the implied difference being that this was his first ‘legitimate’ win.
In both wins, David was the one leading the field when the checkered flag was displayed. The first win came as he huddled under an umbrella and shivered in the rain, after going 180 MPH just two seconds ahead of the second place car and the race being red-flagged for rain. The second as he sweated in his car and nervously navigated the last five laps around traffic with his eyesight blurred by tears. Both paid 1st place money, awarded the same number of points, and gave him a spot in next year’s All-Star race. Both post race interviews focused on the rain shortened win in Charlotte. Why? The first win did not require the finishing of the race, and his win was viewed as some sort of luck (grace?). The second win involved the same elements of grace at various moments during the race, but crossing the finish line under power and physical control of the car gave legitimacy to the effort.
- Jimmy Johnson led the most laps, finished 25th. Jimmie uncharacteristically fell two laps down with a mistake on pit road and a slide through the infield. He finished one lap down after getting a ‘wave around.’ He stayed in 3rd place in the points and actually gained points on the leader, Kevin Harvick, who finished 34th.
- Jeff Gordon moved to just 103 points behind Harvick with another 3rd place finish.
- Daytona was the 18th points race of the season, half of all the races. Here are some stats at the halfway point from Jayski.com:
• 7 different race winners
• 12 different Coors Light Pole winners
• 46 drivers led at least one lap
• 31 drivers have scored at least one top 10
• Average Margin of Victory of 1.294 seconds
• 11 races with an MOV under 1 second
• Average of 12 leaders per race
• Average of 28 lead changes per race
• Average of 43 green flag passes for the lead all along the track (highest through 18 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005)
• Average of 3,613 green flag passes per race (highest through 18 races since the inception of Loop Data in 2005)
• 50% of the cars finished on the lead lap
• 78% of the cars were running at the finish
• All four manufacturers are in the top 12; three have won at least one race.(NASCAR PR), see more NASCAR stats on Jayski's statistic pages. (7-6-2010)
PIT NOTE:
Reutimann celebrated both wins about the same outwardly (soda and alcohol baths, and pictures with every hat imaginable). However, this win without an *, revealed a sense of relief a sense of real accomplishment tied to his finishing every lap.
Spiritually, everyone who receives Eternal Life will need an (*) beside their name. That (*) will refer to a note that says: “Jesus Christ, the only son of God, lived a holy, righteous life that perfectly performed the Law of God. Jesus received the complete wrath of God on the cross as his Father left Jesus completely alone for the first time in eternity. Three days later, Jesus came back from the dead giving proof that his substitutionary death for sin was accepted by his Father; and therefore, Jesus’ Holy performance replaced the requirement of man’s works of righteousness for anyone who has faith in the promises of God.”
That is Good News! By faith, I have that (*) beside my name.
I pray that you do, or will, also
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July 6, 2010
DAYTONS INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- Kevin Harvick beat half the field to win the Cup race; the other half was in the garage! After the Green-White-Checkered restart, Kevin started on the inside pole position where he had started the race. He pulled out to a big lead on the back straightaway, when Jeff Gordon, in 4th place, pulled to the outside of Kevin’s teammate, Clint Bowyer, who was in 2nd place. This allowed Kasey Kahne to push Kevin to the win on the inside, while the outside lane slowed up. Kasey finished 2nd in a Ford, which is still the best finish for Ford this season.
- Eighteen (18) cars were involved in a crash with 12 laps to go. This not only affected the outcome of this race, but may have determined cars that make the Chase. Clint Bowyer had been leading the race, and he had moved from 14th to 10th in the points. He was within 300 yards of taking the white flag, when the caution came out and a Green-White-Checkered finish was dictated; he is now 49 points out of 12th after finishing 17th. As a result of being in the crash, Mark Martin fell 39 points out of the Chase to 13th, and Dale Jr. replaced him with a 4th place finish. Jeff Gordon moved to 2nd place, ahead of Jimmie Johnson who was in the crash. Harvick is now over 200 points ahead of both Gordon and Johnson, an increase of over 100 points. He can now concentrate on winning the next eight races before the Chase, and closing the gap of 30 points that he would be behind Denny Hamlin and Johnson in the reset of the points, if the Chase started today. The ‘Big One’ also affected others toward the bottom of the top 35, who don’t have to qualify on time. Rookie Kevin Conway made it to the top 10 after the crash and finished 14th. This puts him 123 points ahead of 36th. This year, he has changed car numbers twice with other team cars to keep him from having to qualify, and therefore, dominates the Rookie contention. Steve Parks, who has not had a Cup start in years, finished 13th.
PIT NOTE:
NASCAR had a ‘moment’ on Friday night…the Richard Childress #3 car, in Wrangler blue and yellow decals, with Earnhardt Sr.’s name over the driver’s door, started 3rd, led during the 3rd lap with fans holding up 3 fingers, took the checkered flag, and pulled into Victory Circle!
Dale Jr. did not do a burn out; he simply paraded his car along the front straightaway for the fans. His in-car camera showed his face the whole time, and the announcers were too emotional to speak. Once out of his car, he hugged and exchanged personal reflections with Richard Childress. He was asked by the reporter to express his feelings. Dale thanked everyone involved including the fans, spoke of his father, and expressed that this was the last time he would drive a car with #3 on the side. Then, he revealed that it would have been a shame for all the effort of Richard, Teresa, the teams and his own driving to have not resulted in the #3 Wrangler car not being in Victory Circle. He rambled on until he acknowledged he was rambling, then the reporter asked him to ramble some more. Which he did by repeating most of what he had just said in the last two minutes. He expressed again his relief that he had not messed up the moment by some driving mistake of his own making.
REAL, RAW EMOTION. That was what was happening. Reality TV shows try to create it, and NASCAR had it on Friday night in a NATIONWIDE race. Performance, nostalgia, appreciation, and relief all came together for a moment to create real, raw emotion. It was thrilling and draining. No one wanted it to end. Even reporters and those who had known and raced against Dale Sr. were too caught up in the moment to speak, to ask penetrating questions, or to produce an entertaining segment. It was a moment all its own.
Sadly, in real day to day living, many people are seeking such ‘personal moments’ instead of every day enjoying the good news that is available and an absolute thrill to their soul. That good news is found in understanding what Jesus has provided through His life, death and resurrection. One who has believed the promise of God in Jesus does not have to depend on his own performance to be in right standing with his Father. This person does not have to relive the past victories in life to find joy, for joy comes new every morning as we discover Jesus on each and every page of the Bible. This person does not have to find peace by manufacturing praise for what God did in the past, because His presence and power is experienced daily and He renews our strength. This person is not relieved just to have avoided ‘messing up,’ he does not live in fear of failure. Instead, he knows that he cannot ever live the holy life that Jesus lived, and the Father requires to be right with him. He is grateful that Jesus took all the wrath of the Father for his personal sin, and the sin of the world. Intellectually, he knows that he is not under a cloud of condemnation for his failure, but his sins have been forgiven because of his faith in Jesus being his substitute in death. He experiences the unspeakable emotion of being granted life, now and eternally, instead of a just sentence of death and eternal separation from a righteous God.
NASCAR had a moment, and we race fans enjoyed the experience. God offers you a greater moment, every moment of the remainder of your life…and beyond. Please believe the promise of God in Jesus, today.
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June 29,2010
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Jimmie Johnson wins his 5th race of the season ‘by a bumper!’ After winning three of the first five races this year, the #48 team went into a ‘slump.’ Jimmie described it as his failure to relax and accept what his car was capable of doing. He said he had been pushing too hard and making mistake. He has now won two races in a row by taking advantage of other driver’s mistakes. Last week, it was Marcus Ambrose cutting his engine off while leading under caution and being unable to restart the car. This week, it was leader Jeff Burton not pitting with 14 laps to go, and all the lead lap cars pitting behind him. That placed 14 cars in seven rows on new tires behind him, and all passed him before the checkered flag flew. Burton finished 12th. Meanwhile, Jimmie was bumped by Kurt Busch in the 3rd turn and passed for the lead with six laps to go. Jimmie recovered and fell only to second. With two laps to go, he bumped Kurt in the 3rd turn and passed for the win.
- “Rubbing is Racing” has returned to NASCAR. Last week, at Sonoma Jeff Gordon rubbed four drivers ‘wrong’ (Sadler, Truex, Biffle, Kurt Busch). He admitted his errors in judgment, called to apologize between the races, and admitted he was ‘looking over his shoulder’ as he raced at Loudon. This week, it was Montoya that seemed to hit everyone until he was ‘taken out’ by Reed Sorenson who was a lap down. Jeff Burton spun Kyle Busch while trying to avoid his inevitable slip from 1st to 13th after the final restart. These were just the most visible of a race full of the inside car leaning on the outside car in the corners of this mostly flat track. As Kenny Schrader often said, eight tires are always better than four. After the race, except for the Montoya/Sorenson tangle, the drivers were not upset with the rubbing. Jeff Burton, who had angry words for Kyle Busch after the Charlotte race, passed it off as his fault and apologized to Kyle. Kyle was not seemingly upset with Jeff in his interview. Kurt Busch, who finished 3rd after his bumping with Jimmie Johnson, talked of this being the way racing used to be and by implication and smile as he spoke, ‘the way it should be.’
- Nine Races remain in the ‘Race to the Chase.’ When the teams return to Loudon in September, it will be the first race in the Chase. The top 12 drivers will have been determined from those currently in the top 12 of points. As of today, those within 100 points are: (13) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3 points behind Carl Edwards in 12th, (14) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], -15, (15) #33-Clint Bowyer, -16, and (16) #20-Joey Logano, -99. Three drivers who made the 2009 Chase, but appear out of the running this year since they are more points behind 12th place than can be made up in one race, are: (20) #9-Kasey Kahne, -174, (22) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, -183, (35) #83-Brian Vickers, [out this season with illness].
After seventeen races, two of the top 12 have won ten of the races, while seven have not won at all. Richard Childress Racing has the 1st and 8th place drivers, Hendrick has the 2nd, 7th and 11th place drivers, Gibbs has the 3rd and 4th, Kurt Busch is the only Dodge team in 6th, and Roush drivers are in the 7th, 10th and 12th. Tony Stewart is in 9th place. The fact that three Roush Ford drivers are in the top 12 is somewhat remarkable, as Ford has not won any of the first 17 races of 2010. This has not happened in the last 30+ seasons of the Cup Series.
PIT NOTE:
Right after his 4th win, Denny Hamlin was saying “all we do is win.” However, for the last two weeks, he has mostly been a non-factor. Jimmie Johnson was being analyzed for what was wrong with him for nine weeks; then, he wins two in a row and is almost crowned the champion for the 5th straight year by the media. If the Chase started this week, Denny and Jimmie would be tied for the points lead by virtue of their five wins each, 30 points ahead of both Busch brothers, 40 points ahead of the current leader Kevin Harvick (would be 5th) and 50 ahead of the other seven drivers.
However, it does not start until after nine more races. Both drivers could be passed in wins by that time; if so, that driver would be the favorite. This is racing. Consistency is the best indicator of eventual contenders for the Cup title each year. The only problem is that you never know when someone new is going to become the most consistent driver…and for how long. Yesterday, I saw two interviews of one of the top 5 finishers on pit road; in the background was Richard Petty walking with four other men on his team. Richard’s #9 car had dominated the race until the engine blew. That inconsistency in an engine part had Richard hurrying to his plane instead of being interviewed. Richard’s 200 wins did not matter, only what had happened on the track the last four hours resulted in news worth talking about. This year, Jeff Gordon, Kurt and Kyle Busch, and Tony Stewart have been very consistent. In my estimation, they pose the greatest threat to Jimmie or Denny not being crowned champion at the end of the season. Yet, none of that may materialize. Literally, until the races are run and the numbers say otherwise, anyone really has a chance to win it all.
Consistency - I often say, “the most consistent thing about me is my inconsistency.” Therefore, I am frustrated much of the time, especially when I ‘preach’ to others and do not live it myself. Not that anyone can ever ‘preach the gospel’ by their life. We live as directed by the law. We hear, believe, enjoy and proclaim the gospel, but never live it. We are driven by the good news revealed in the gospel to live by the direction of the law. If we ‘lived the gospel,’ we would be Jesus and replace His perfect 33 years. Moreover, our ‘living the gospel’ would be bad news because we sin! The glorious truth that I am learning is that there is really only one consistent One; and, that is Jesus. He was consistent in his daily living for 33 years and never sinned. He was consistent on the cross, where He not only endured, but fully exhausted the complete wrath of His Father for sin. Jesus is consistent and faithful today and every day to His Promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). That consistency is summed up in not only His continual forgiveness of our sin, but in His choosing to not remember our sin. Therefore, we are free from guilt and free to live for Him. We are blessed by his eternal promises of abundant life. We are free of condemnation from Him who could have chosen for us to face our own penalty for sin instead of sending His Son to be our substitute.
Jesus is the only true Champion, and you are part of Him through acceptance of His promises by faith. And, yet…you will still not live a consistent, sinless life, but He will consistently forgive you and you will never again have the shadow of God’s wrath following you. That is Good News!
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June 22, 2010
INFINEON RACEWAY
- Jimmie Johnson won the pole, dominated, fell back, fought with Marcus Ambrose for the lead, got beat out of the pits, fell back and accepted 2nd place; then, he was handed the win when Marcus made on of the biggest blunders in NASCAR history.
- Jeff Gordon was aggressive and hit two cars (#6 and #56) at different times on lap 62. Later, he took out two more at the same time.
-Gibbs’ cars finished 33rd, 34th and 39th for worse day in their history.
- BUT the BIG story was the loss of the race by Marcus Ambrose in the #47 car. Marcus was the fastest driver in all practices. He started 5th and had a two-second lead when the caution came out with 9 laps to go. With a good restart, he would win the race. Seemingly, to save fuel, he turned off his car going uphill and coasted to a stop before it refired. By that time, six cars had passed him, and there was no one to blame but himself.
PIT NOTE:
What do you do when there is no one else to blame? |
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June 16, 2010
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- Denny Hamlin won the Michigan Cup Series race, and it was his fifth win of season - all five wins since the spoiler replaced the wing ten races ago! That is one-third of the races this season. If the Chase started today, he would have a 20-point lead. He led 120 of the 200 laps, overcame a loss of fuel pressure on a pit stop, and he did not hit the wall during his victory burn out. Other than that, it is just another weekend for Denny and Joe Gibbs Racing.
- Tony Stewart moved to the 11th spot in points with his second straight top 5 finish. This is the first time he has been in the top 12, and therefore in the Chase this year.
- Hendrick teams finished 4th, 6th, and 7th. Jeff Gordon was the highest finisher, which has been the case in the majority of the races this year.
PIT NOTE:
After the race, Denny said he just stayed patient at the start of the race and moved to the lead as other cars fell back. He shared that the car was really bad during the first practice on Friday, but continued to get better in every practice and ended up being the ‘Best’ in the race. Jeff Gordon commented that “the #11 car is the best right now, but he may be peaking too early and not be as good in the Chase.” J.D. Gibbs, President of Joe Gibbs Racing, indicated that he simply enjoyed each win, because you never know when it will be the last win.
This is just an example of how some are thinking about the Championship; however, those winning now are emphasizing the ‘now,’ while those not winning are emphasizing the ultimate prize at the end of the season.
In Christianity, you will find a similar contradiction. The Gospel is the good news of forgiveness of sin, because Jesus experienced the total wrath of God in judgment of sin when He was on the cross. Jesus lived a sinless life in fulfillment of the Law, which no one else could perfectly keep. The contradiction is found between those who see Heaven as the goal of being ‘saved,’ and those who experience the freedom to live each day ‘in Christ.’ Many, who see a relationship with Jesus primarily as the key to life after death, try to do the impossible and live a ‘perfect’ life. Oftentimes, they put down those who are not ‘serious’ enough and demonstrate too much happiness and joy in the Lord each day of their lives. Others seem to ‘win’ everyday, because they are seemingly always bubbling over with joy.
There are cycles in racing. After Jimmie Johnson won three of the first five races of the season, it was predicted that he would win all season and ease his way to his 5th Championship. Now, everyone debates what happened when the wing was exchanged for the spoiler. However, there is not a cycle in the truth of God’s Word and the work of God’s spirit when both are given free rein in our lives. Properly understood, the Good News frees a person from the fear of the condemnation of God, today and for eternity. Therefore, you will enjoy the abundance of life every day here on earth, and then even more so in the presence of God for eternity. All fear of failure is gone, or of running out of favor with God. You are confident because you understand that it is all about Jesus and not yourself. What a joy to know that you win because of being ‘in Christ,” not because you pleased God more than you angered Him.
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June 8, 2010
POCONO RACEWAY
- Hamlin wins for the fourth time at Pocono and for the fourth time this season. Denny Hamlin remained patient and overcame a two-hour rain delay, 5 caution flags in the last 50 laps, a Green-White-Checkered finish with a Talladega ‘Big One’ style taking out seven cars, to win for the 12th time in his career. One third of those wins have been at Pocono where he has only nine starts. The win moved him to third in the points; and he would be the top seed, if the Chase started today per his series leading four wins for the season. His perfect day was marred only by his victory burn-out when he hit the wall. Denny will now need a front clip put on the car which had not received a scratch in the previous three races it was used, all of which yielded wins.
- Teammate troubles continue…
Already this season, Johnson/Gordon, Montoya/Murray, and Busch/Hamlin have had very public disagreements following on-track crashes. After the last lap crash that took out seven cars when A.J. Almendinger blocked Kasey Kahne on the back stretch by forcing him onto the grass on the inside of the track, you can now add Almendinger/Kahne of Richard Petty Motorsports to this group. A.J. was protecting his best finish of the season and made a move that may have worked in his old open wheel racing day, but never in NASCAR. Almendinger’s move cost Petty a second car in the Top 10, Jeff Gordon a drop of three positions in the Chase, seven cars with finishes of 27th or worse, and over $200,000 in repairs to cars.
- Logano (Joe Gibbs Racing) and Harvick (Richard Childress Racing) also had an on-track ‘run-in’ for the 2nd race in row. As Joey passed Harvick on the outside, both cars went for the same spot and Joey spun out. After the race, Joey pulled his car as close to Harvick’s as possible and was restrained by NASCAR officials and Childress crewmen when he tried to confront Harvick. Joey’s father met him at the car and emphatically directed his son to go after Harvick.
PIT NOTE:
Retaliation is a natural emotional response when one is ‘wronged’ by another. It is natural for those who love the wronged one to take their offense personal and take up the defense of that person. It is natural for loved ones, such as parents, to respond in defense of their children.
Thankfully, God did not follow that which is natural for an earthly father, nor that which is natural for a friend or for a fellowman, when He witnessed the cruelty inflicted on His son for mankind’s sake. In fact, it was revealed in the Old Testament what would be necessary for the anointed of God to bear in his own body if there was to be redemption for mankind. Since the sin of Adam and Eve, every man has personally sinned. The holiness of God was absolutely violated; there was no ambiguity about who was at fault. Each and every man stands guilty before God. Many have tried to defend their sins, many deny there is an absolute to which they are accountable, and most have sought to appease God’s wrath by emphasizing their ‘good works’ toward others as a reason for God to grant them grace and eternal life. However, God’s wrath against sin is perfectly aligned with the gravity of sin itself. Man cannot fully comprehend the violation of the personhood of the Father; therefore, his sincere attempts to redeem himself are as laughable as they are predictable. Ultimately, anything man attempts on his own, fails; and God understood this before man even sinned.
Until we consider and get just a small glimpse of the overall vileness of sin versus the holy God, we do not understand and admit that only God could provide redemption from that sin. We look to the cross and the judgment of sin to find how much love God had for us and the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice. Pain, humiliation and the thought of how unfairly Jesus was treated, pale in comparison to the silence from the Father in this most horrible time for his son. Jesus could have called angels to defend him and destroy mankind. Jesus could have rightly proclaimed his innocence, and Jesus could have spoken one word and been out of the situation. If he had, then what we witnessed on that day would be the reality facing every man at death when the Father would require the judgment on every sin.
The GOOD NEWS - God remained silent when Jesus pleaded, “Why have you forsaken me?” By that silence, God refused to intercede but instead allowed His son to bear His complete wrath for sin. GOOD NEWS!!! There is not now, nor will there ever be, condemnation upon anyone who embraces Jesus’ act on the cross as redemption by God of that person from both the penalty of sin and the dominance of sin each day of his remaining years on Earth. GOOD NEWS!! Man is ‘set right,’ justified in the sight of God, for all eternity by simply believing that Jesus not only endured the wrath of God in death, but because of his absolutely sinless life, Jesus rose from the dead and his sacrifice was sufficient to redeem any and every person who does so (i.e. believes in Jesus).
Thankfully our heavenly Father did not encourage his Son to defend himself, but allowed him to love us who are totally guilty.
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June 2, 2010
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Kurt Busch wins the COCA-COLA 600. For only the seventh time, the same driver won the All-Star race and then won the 600 the following weekend. Kurt dominated the 400 lap event by leading 252 laps. It is also the fifth time Kurt and Kyle have won Cup races back-to-back. Only eight pairs of brothers have pulled off the feat for a total of sixteen times. Jamie McMurray finished 2nd and Kyle Busch 3rd. Pole sitter Ryan Newman finished 9th.
- Jimmie Johnson finished 37th. This was the third finish of 31st or worse in the last three races. He has now fallen to 7th in the points standings.
- Half-way…to the Chase. Charlotte was the 13th race of the season with 13 more races until the Chase field is set. Kevin Harvick is the points leader by 29 points over Kyle Busch. At this time, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton (8th) are the RCR cars in the Chase, with Clint Bowyer just 4 points out of 12th. Kyle Busch (2nd) and Denny Hamlin (5th) are the Gibbs’ qualifiers. Roush has three cars qualified at the half-way point (Kenseth 3rd, Biffle 9th, and Edwards 11th). Hendrick entries are Gordon 4th, Johnson 7th, and Martin 10th, along with Newman in 12th. Kurt Busch in 6th position is the only Penske car. Martin Truex, Jr. (-14), Jamie McMurray (-26) and Tony Stewart (-27) round out the Top 16, which it appears the final 12 will come from. Montoya (20th/-176 points) and Kahne (21st/-183 points) both made the Chase in 2009, and they would be the long shots to make up the difference.
Twelve of the first thirteen races have been won by six drivers in the Top 12. Matt Kenseth (3rd) and Jeff Gordon (4th) have not won a race so far this year.
- Chip Ganassi wins the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 in the same year. No owner has ever accomplished this feat. For over ten years, Ganassi and Roger Penske have entered cars in both races, and Richard Petty has done so on a couple of occasions. This year, John Andretti was in the Petty car, but wrecked on lap 65 and finished 30th in the 33 car field.
PIT NOTE:
On Memorial Day, I watched (small) parts of three races (which took place on Sunday, the day before): Formula 1 (190 miles, 58 laps), Indianapolis 500 (500 miles, 200 laps), and the Coca Cola 600 (600 miles, 400 laps). That is 1290 miles, 658 laps of racing! Indy says it’s the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” and they had the most spectacular wreck of the day. However, TV producers of the race focused over four minutes of their last 30 minutes on the air to show Ashley Judd (wife of the winner, Dario Franchitti, who failed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series) running to Victory Circle, standing in the corner of Victory Circle to try to avoid taking the spotlight off her husband, kissing her husband, and sitting on the side of his car. For the day, Formula 1 had the most interesting moment of racing when teammates purposefully crashed each other while running 1st and 2nd (their designated #1 driver was being beaten for the 4th race in a row by their #2 driver and this moved the whole team out of the #1 position for the season). The Coca-Cola 600 once again had the greatest pre-race show which demonstrated our military might and honored those who serve to protect our rights and economic system that allows for races to be enjoyed. But, on this Memorial weekend, what was memorable about racing, the Cup race specifically?
Kurt Busch was excited about winning both weekends at Charlotte. He was ecstatic about his crew chief, Steve Addington, who was his brother’s crew chief last year. He was elated that he led 252 of the 400 laps. But, what happened on the track that was memorable for the fans? Unless you live and die by what happens for an individual driver, such as Jimmie Johnson who had another DNF and fail another spot in the points, probably nothing.
Yet, there is much that can be considered memorable, if it were not such a long season and the strength, strategy and statistics had not become common place to the fans. For example, 43 cars running 600 miles equals a race of 25,800 combined miles, if all cars had finished the race. That is 43 cars that all reached speeds of over 190 miles per hour every green flag lap (all three races mentioned above had at least one car exceed 200 mph during their race). It is remarkable that there were very few crashes, while racing over 25,000 miles at three times our normal speed limit, just inches apart. It is remarkable that with over 400 combined pit stops in the race, resulting in over 9000 lug nuts being taken off and returned, there were not more tires that were not secure. It is remarkable that only one crew member got hit on pit road (Tony Stewart ran over one of his crew member’s feet – by the way, he is OK). It is remarkable that 43 engines with hundreds of internal parts and thousands of other parts and bolts on each car all stayed together as well as they did. When broken down and examined, the odds against winning a race is overwhelming. Beating the odds of even finishing a race is remarkable. The combined effort involved in even getting a car to the track to qualify is commendable. Yet, there is little memorable about any one of the 38 races run in a NASCAR season, nor of the season as a whole.
What about your life? Up to this point in your life, what is most memorable? If you live to be 70 years old, you will experience 25,550 individual days, and 80 years gives you 29,200 days. Your body is remarkable. It is so intricate that race cars are simple in comparison. Most of us put the wrong ‘fuel’ into our bodies and they still work for years. If we need repairs, man has figured how to remove infected parts, redirect internal piping, tie things back together, provide physical therapy, supplement the healing with medicines, and then marvel that the body will mend itself.
In truth, the number of years we are housed in this repairable body is nothing compared to the eternal existence that everyone will experience. If you are alive today, you can be alive forever. The most remarkable thing is that we can live that eternity with the Creator of all that we have experienced. It is also remarkable that we can have peace and joy in these earthly years because of what our Creator has provided for us.
God is Holy, and every person is a sinner. God is Just and therefore cannot overlook sin; He must judge sin. The penalty for sin is death. Everyone dies physically, and without Him, all would continue to experience death every day of eternity. Man can repair the physical body, but he will always fail in his attempts to mend his spiritual state with God. Doing ‘good’ for others through personal efforts or charitable gifts of money and time has nothing to do with pleasing God and avoiding the penalty for sin. The Good News - God sent his Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for the penalty of our sin. God’s wrath toward sin was experienced by Jesus so that any and all men who believe on Him will never experience the wrath of God for their sin. But those who do not believe are condemned even now.
More Good News! Those who believe do not wait until eternity to experience the forgiveness of God. There is no condemnation right now, or ever for those who embrace through faith what Jesus has done for them. God has already judged their sin on the cross and does not judge their sin again. A believer experiences only the correcting love of a Father when he sins; there is no fear of eternal condemnation. A believer’s life is renewed each day, and the joy of his salvation is restored each day as the believer reviews the Word of God and sees the restoring power of Jesus on every page. The memory of what Jesus did on the cross in experiencing the wrath of God, the memory of how Jesus lived in compliance of every degree of the Law of God, the memory of how Jesus rose from the dead because of the perfect life he lived which is imputed to believers, the memory of the fact that Jesus is coming back one day and that we will rejoice in His presence FOREVER is MEMORABLE...GOOD NEWS!!!!
Think on (remember) these things.
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May 24, 2010
CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- All-Star Race was won by Kurt Busch. Kurt Busch had the horsepower, and the Gibbs’ teammates provided the drama. Kurt Busch powered his way around Denny Hamlin to win the fourth and final segment of the race and the one million dollar prize. Denny had blocked Kyle Busch earlier, which caused Kyle to retire to the garage when he hit the wall. Martin Truex, Jr. finished second after winning the preliminary race and transferring into the All-Star Race.
- NASCAR inducts the first five into their Hall of Fame - Bill France Sr., Bill France, Jr., Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, and Dale Earnhardt. These five men were recognized for their key roles in the development of the sport by being the first to be enshrined in the new Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, May 23rd. Only drivers Petty and Johnson were alive to give their own speeches and interviews, but both spoke of just realizing “how big a deal this is.” Both these men love to race; both were successful doing so, and both gave as much to the sport as they received.
Richard Petty won 200 races. He is called the “King” just like Elvis. However, what he has given to the sport is his patience to sign every autograph he could, every time he was asked, and many times when he just made himself available. I saw him do so many times, but two times especially stand out to me. One time, he was standing at the gate waiting to cross the track at a Busch race with me when he saw some kids wanting autographs. However, two rows of fences made it impossible for them to ‘bother’ him. He could have smiled, shrugged his shoulders and told them he could not get to them. Instead, he told them to wait; and when the gate was opened to cross the track, he walked around to where they were and signed until the gate was closed (he had to wait 30 minutes for it to open again). The other time was at his shop where I conducted a Bible study. Each time, there was a table waiting for him to sign things sent by fans. Every time, I was there he had a set amount of time dedicated to sign for the fans. With each signature, Richard was acting as an Ambassador for NASCAR. He is called ‘King,’ but I know he is the best Ambassador NASCAR will ever have.
Junior Johnson won races and championships as a driver and owner. His moon shining stories made him a folk hero around which an image of NASCAR emerged. However, his greatest contribution was the unselfish act of directing RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company to talk to Bill France, Sr. about being the title sponsor of the Cup Series. Junior could have taken the money for himself, but his pass-off to the sanctioning body changed NASCAR forever. I believe that act is the single most important act in the history of NASCAR. Without that one act, there would be no need for a Hall of Fame, as the Frances would have never built the empire they have. What did Junior get in return? A lot of enjoyment summarized in his own son inducting him into the Hall of Fame on Sunday.
PIT NOTE:
In ‘stick and ball’ sports, being included on the “All-Star” or “All Pro” team is by the vote of fans, participants, and/or media members. To be chosen is a distinct honor as you form teams of the best from all the teams in the league and have a game of the best against the best. Racing does not fit that type of format, so everyone is invited that has competed in at least one race in the last 36 races held. The winners of the last thirty-six (36) points races and the winners of the last ten (10) All-Star races, who did not win in the last year, are given an automatic spot in the race that pays $1 million to the winner. Two other drivers are added by virtue of finishing first or second in a preliminary race. Finally, one driver is allowed to participate by an actual vote of the fans! You might argue that this is the only driver who can claim to be an actual ‘All-Star.’ However, the winner of the fan vote is usually the driver whose fan club does the best promotion. This year, a promise to donate all winnings to Speedway Children’s Charities propelled Carl Edwards into the race.
Denny Hamlin did not win the race, but expressed the fundamental attitude that dominates the All-Star races when he defended his movements while blocking his teammate, Kyle Busch. Denny proclaimed that as the leader, he had control of the whole track and that he had no responsibility for the crash of his teammate. Kyle, on the other hand, pulled directly behind Denny’s hauler and proclaimed he needed to be stopped from killing Denny. Other drivers point out that since this is not a race where points are a consideration, they can take chances and ‘go for it.’ This reveals the attitude where the normal restraints of a points race are removed and the only thing that matters is winning. Again, this is in contrast to all other All-Star events where special rules give more protection to the stars, not less. Having a great experience is more important than the final score.
All-Stars in other sports are a very special select group; whereas, everyone is invited to compete in NASCAR’s version. The only special part of the night that involves people is the introduction of the crewmembers with their driver before the race. This is the only time special emphasis is given by actually naming those who, if mentioned at all, are recognized by the driver as ‘my pit crew’ or ‘the guys back in the shop’ when interviewed on television.
The spectacle that is produced by the Charlotte Motor Speedway staff is exciting. The changing of the format from year to year keeps it fresh, and the “no holds barred” or “go for broke” attitude is different from regular races. The fact that the three feet high, 1.5 mile wall is painted yellow for the race and repainted white within four days for the next race, is impressive. However, unless every driver is truly an All-Star, this weekend is ‘All-Star’ in name only.
So what? Who cares who is a real All-Star? What is the Biblical lesson that we can learn? This year, I became acutely aware of how self-centered this weekend is for the drivers and teams. While the event is a great celebration for everyone in NASCAR, a showcase and a fun time, it is also a microcosm of most of society. Individualism dominates society. Doing what is best for ‘me and mine’ prevails in this modern culture, just as it does each year at this event. In real life, this attitude motivates people to sometimes work hard, but also to manipulate to get their desired results when hard work fails. Sadly, it is also the way people seek to ‘win’ with God, (i.e. be blessed by God). It is sad because if we understand God, then we will understand that there is no contest for God’s love. God’s love is unlimited. There is no manipulation of God; He knows all, even the motives of our heart, and He cannot be fooled, tricked or appealed to with tears. God loved us from the foundation of the world. He loved us before we were even formed in the womb. He sent his only Son to die in our place. He did for us everything that had to be done to live up to His holiness. He gave us His Law to show us His holiness versus our inability to live according to His Law. He then asks us to simply have faith that He has done all the work. He tells us that He will attribute our faith as righteousness, just as He has done for every person who is in Heaven from Adam to this very day. “The just shall live by faith” is the common thread. He is the All-Star. We are invited to celebrate Him, every day, every hour, in every way for eternity. And, if we do live by faith. we will one day hear, “well done, my good and faithful servant.” Faith, not by our works, qualifies us for His ‘All-Star squad.’
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May 17, 2010
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Kyle Busch won the Cup race at Dover after Jimmie Johnson was caught speeding. For the second time in three weeks, Kyle was bowing to the crowd with the checkered flag in his hand. He did the same thing on Saturday after the Nationwide race; he would have won the truck race on Friday, if he had not run out of gas during the Green-White-Checkered restart. In all, this past weekend, he led 494 of the 900 laps that were run at Dover.
- Is Joe Gibbs Racing the “king of the spoiler?” Since the rear spoiler replaced the wing seven races ago, Denny Hamlin has won three times and Kyle Busch has won two times. That is five of the last seven races being won by a Joe Gibbs team. However, if Jimmie had not been penalized for speeding on Pit Road, he probably would have won the race since he led the majority of the laps. So…
- Who will make the Chase? In two weeks, the Charlotte ‘Coca-Cola 600’ will be the half-way mark to the start of the Chase. The short history of the championship format shows few changes in who qualifies between the 14th and 26th races of the season. At this point, there are 3 Hendrick, 3 Roush, 2 Childress, 2 Gibbs, 1 Waltrip and 1 Penske team in the top 12. However, there are only 43 points from 12th to 16th, and those four teams include three more ‘Hendrick’ cars (Newman, Stewart, Dale Jr.) and Bowyer from Childress. I believe at least two of these will move into the top 12.
- Brian Vickers will not make the Chase this year. Brian did make the Chase in 2009, but he has been side-lined indefinitely with blood clots found in his legs last Wednesday. No cause for the condition has been reported, but he is on blood thinners to minimize the immediate danger and will not be allowed to return until he passes a new physical with NASCAR. Please take time to send Brian a note. Last year, I received a lot of cards when I had cancer and it blessed me immensely.
- Attendance was only 88,000 for the Dover Cup race. That was down 45,000 from 2008. The total for the combined three races held at Dover this weekend did not cover the 133,000 that was at the Cup race in 2008.
PIT NOTE:
“Right in front of your nose.”
“Right under my feet.”
“It was coming right at me.”
These are three common statements we often utter in lifetime (usually in exaggeration). These are literally true for the fans who had the connections to get tickets for seats in the bridge that crosses the third turn at Dover.
Dover did not have a tunnel or bridge until the late 1990’s. When the gate crossings were closed, you were stuck either inside or outside of the track. The gates were only opened before the checkered flag when they had to take an injured driver or crewman to the hospital, and that meant a red flag for the race. They added a bridge over Turn 2 which allowed for a better access and way out for the crews and infield fans. However, the second bridge was the most unique viewing spot in all of NASCAR. The back stretch is banked 9 degrees, with a higher inside wall than outside as it supports the dirt for the horse racing track inside the car racing track. The track is narrower on the back, and it actually narrows by about three feet from the exit of Turn 2 to the entrance of Turn 3. It literally gives the impression of going down a tunnel or at least a chute every lap. These features give those sitting a mere 20 feet above the surface of the track the most unique experience in watching a race in NASCAR. In a matter of about 8 seconds, a dot in Turn 2 becomes huge as it streaks right at you, passes under your feet, and you smell the tires as they burn off on the track. Literally, the best seat in NASCAR!
In the spiritual world, there is as great an experience for our daily life that many never realize is “under our noses,” “under our feet,” or right before our very eyes.” That experience is having the Gospel tune our hearts to sing everyday. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died for our sin; and if we embrace what He did on the cross to satisfy the penalty of sin against God who is Holy, we will have eternal life. Many do believe this, and it is ‘counted unto them as righteousness.’ However, the Gospel is not just a key to getting into Heaven when we die; this is what many miss. The Gospel is also that we now have a fountain of living water for EVERY DAY of our life, from today throughout eternity! That is GOOD NEWS!
So, how do we miss the Gospel being applied to every day of life? We do it by substituting the Law for the Gospel. Many times in the Bible, we are told - “They just shall live by faith.” The first time this is illustrated by Abraham was 400 years before the Law of Moses was even given. It was written by the prophet Habakkuk in chapter 2, verse 4 - “the righteous shall live by faith.” Jesus fulfilled the Law by living it perfectly His entire life and by suffering the penalty of death for us (every human) who failed to keep even one part of it at any time during our life. In doing so, Jesus took away the “sting of death” brought by the Law and provides the joy of salvation EVERYDAY!!!! Sadly, many come to Jesus in faith, and then feel they must live the Law to receive the daily blessings from God. This is contrary to scripture. The Law only condemns; it is the Gospel that blesses. The key is finding Jesus on every page of scripture and meditating on His love and grace, instead of searching scripture for how we are to do something to bless Him.
It is literally “right before our noses,” ‘right under our feet,’ and right before our eyes.’ It is all about Jesus, not us! That is the Good News for everyday living.
FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING--TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN (Discover the Word Archive) |
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May 10, 2010
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
- Denny Hamlin wins for the third time, and all since having knee surgery. During this time, Denny has moved from 15th in points to 6th. He also won the Nationwide race on Friday night.
- Jeff Gordon led the most laps during the Darlington Cup race. Also, he has led the most total laps for the season; yet, he has not won a race. Jeff has lost three races when cautions occurred in the last five laps of a race he was leading. This time, he probably would have won the race, if he could have gotten a late caution. However, during the last caution with 25 laps to go, Gordon was in the wrong place. Jeff said it was his fault for not clearly signaling to the drivers behind him that he was planning to pit. This caused him to miss pit road. When he did pit, the caution flag came out and he drove through the pits, and he was in 15th position on the restart. Even in traffic, his lap times were faster than Denny’s by a couple of thousands of a second, which proved he had the better car. In addition, Jeff would have been even faster in the clean air that Denny enjoyed.
- Jamie McMurray finished 2nd after starting on the pole, and he is 16th in the points for Ganassi/Earnhardt. This year, he has been strong in several races.
- Jimmie Johnson had his third DNF of the season - three WINS and three DNF’s. Jimmie was knocked out of the race when Almendinger slid across the track and hit him hard in the driver’s door. He had already been in the wall to get two ‘Darlington Stripes,’ and he received a ‘Lucky Dog’ pass to get back on the lead lap. Even after finishing 36th, he is still second in points.
PIT NOTE:
Good News! Those who believe in Jesus will not have a DNF! The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” God is the One who starts the work of salvation, and He does not fail! He will “keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish.” DNF’s are the worst thing for race teams. After a crash, they work feverishly to repair their car in order to finish as many laps as possible. They hate to give up on finishing a race. Seldom has there been a Cup Champion with over three DNF’s in a season. Christians experience many ups and downs in life. They are frustrated in their inconsistency in living a life that shouts to the world that they believe in Jesus and that they continually experience peace and joy. This verse gives the answer. It is not our effort in trying to live the Christian life that will ‘keep us on the race track and out of the garage for repairs.’ It is the realization that God:
1) Starts the work in us
2) God will keep at it
3) God will bring our lives to a flourishing finish
4) It is a process that does not end until Jesus Himself appears!
How refreshing! How freeing! How wonderful this news! As we seek God everyday by reviewing and reminding ourselves of what the Gospel provides TODAY (not just on the day of death), we have our hearts tuned to what God is doing. Each believer receives the power and freedom to live in peace with God and as a testimony to others. We are blessed to know that when we have a sinful thought or action, we are not put ‘out of the race,’ because “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
God does not have DNF’s. This is ‘Good News’ for all who believe!
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May 3, 2010
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
- Kyle Busch won the Cup race at Richmond plus both poles for the weekend. Kyle won when he passed Jeff Gordon with 5 laps to go coming out of Turn 2 on the restart with more momentum from having the outside lane on the restart. Kyle dominated the first part of the race by leading 219 of the first 229 laps. There were only nine cars still on the lead lap after the green flag pit stops between laps 150 and 157. When the caution came out on lap 160, ONLY those nine cars pitted and the 18 cars who were one lap down did not pass and received the “pass around” that allowed them to return to the lead lap. Just 10 laps later, a caution came out and all 27 lead lap cars pitted. All of those cars made changes to their set-ups. By lap 200, Kyle, while still in the lead, was complaining that his car was not as good as it had been. Kyle fell back in the pack until the caution flag flew with 25 cars remaining in the race. By this time, Jeff Gordon had built a 7-second lead, and Kyle had no chance unless there were several caution flags. Three cautions in the last 25 laps provided that opportunity; and, Kyle passed Jeff with 5 laps to go and pulled away for the win!
- Jimmie Johnson: Five in a Row? “One for the Thumb”? Chad Knaus, Crew Chief for Jimmie Johnson, stated that a lot of the #48 team’s success over the last four years has been because of the relationship between his team and the #24 team. He spoke of how the two teams are like one team in the race shop. At Richmond, a newspaper report told of a scientific study that indicates that superstars in any sport have an ‘intimidating factor’ that gives them an advantage. The report says that other competitors naturally give ‘allowances’ to those with great success, which gives a slight advantage, which leads to more victories. Donald Trump, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods were among those mentioned, as was NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Senior. If you put these two reports together and see how Jeff Gordon has performed this year, it might indicate that the one person/team who may deny Jimmie and the #48 team ‘one for the thumb’ is the one by whom Jimmie was mentored, and has helped his team the most.
- For the third time in 2010, Jeff Gordon loses the race when leading with 5 laps to go. Jeff has led 131 more laps this season than any other driver. He has been a strong contender at some point in 7 of the past 10 races. It has just been at the very end of the races, where caution flags have taken away large leads and then the double file restarts have allowed others to win by different pit or restart strategy. In this case, the top 5 cars did not pit on the caution with 37 laps to go, while those from 6th position back did. Kyle was 8th at the time, but by the time the final green flag flew on lap 395, he was on the outside of Jeff with fresher tires. Jeff’s choice of the inside restart position gave him the preferred position for blocking, but Kyle was able to maintain his RPM’s and used the horsepower and fresher tires to pull away. Jeff’s other two losses with fewer than 5 laps to go were at Martinsville and Phoenix where he was leading on Green-White-Checkered restarts and lost.
PIT NOTE:
Jeff is 6th in the points’ race, 162 behind Kevin Harvick, and 152 behind Jimmie Johnson. If the Chase started today, he would be 40 behind Jimmie, with whom he has shown the most frustration this year, because Jimmie has won four times to his none. Jeff has voiced his displeasure with Jimmie and Matt Kenseth for their driving styles that he believes has cost him better finishes. However, he has been mostly ‘cool, calm, and collected,’ as we would say in the 1960’s of someone in control of their emotions. Jeff has run strong enough to win four of the first ten races, yet he is 6th in the points and winless.
I do not know what Jeff’s actual emotional state is; I only hear his comments on TV. However, his demeanor and words after the Richmond race reminded me of a sermon I preached at the track in Nazareth, PA at Busch (Nationwide) race in 1995. It was about how to “FLOW” in life, seeing the ‘big picture,’ instead of allowing your mood to be determined by the latest good or bad circumstance. The admonition was to: “F”…Fear Nothing, for the Bible tells us “Do not Fear” more than any other command. That includes not worrying. “L”…Love EVERYONE, for we are told that is the most important command of God after loving Him. Love is simply meeting someone’s need, which always requires honesty in dealing with people, not just ‘taking it’ from those who want to harm you. “O”…Oblige the Moment is the way we are to live. Accepting the reality of a current situation in our life, instead of dwelling on the “ifs” of life which removes the immediate frustration caused by disappointment. It allows us to move to solutions more quickly. It encourages us to analyze and avoid the same mistake in the future. Jesus told us to live and be thankful for today and tomorrow will take care of itself. Finally, the “W”…Worship the Lord. This is the key. In everything we are to “rejoice and be glad” for in Him we have our very being. In Him we find peace, comfort and joy in all things. When we acknowledge Christ in all things, win or lose, we are able to "FLOW" in life, instead of the emotional roller coaster we oftentimes experience.
Fear Nothing
Love Everyone
Oblige the Moment
Worship the Lord
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE - "TRUST GOD'S PROMISES, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES" |
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April 27, 2010
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
- Kevin Harvick “noses” his way to a Talladega victory! The news of the week had many concerned at Richard Childress Racing (RCR), with Kevin’s sponsor, Shell, moving to Penske Racing at the end of 2010 and the possibility that Kevin would also leave the team. But, all was well at Richard Childress Racing (RCR) on Sunday. Kevin restarted third, behind leader Jamie McMurray, on the first ever third Green-White-Checkered attempt in the Cup Series, and he pushed his way to the eighth closest finish in the series’ history. On the final restart, Kevin pushed Jamie almost continually for 1¾ laps, and established a gap to the third place car of about ten car lengths. In the tri-oval, Kevin rubbed Jamie’s bumper just enough to cause him to wiggle. Kevin then pulled to the inside and beat Jamie by .011 seconds. This was his first win since the Daytona 500 in 2007. After the race, Jamie said that he was just hoping for a caution flag on the third Green-White-Checkered restart once the White flag came out, which would have given him the win at any point except the last few feet coming to the Start/Finish line.
- Talladega’s unique Start/Finish line location gave Harvick the opportunity for the win. Only at Talladega is the finish line NOT in the middle of the front stretch where the most fans have the opportunity to see the finish. At Talladega, the start/finish line is almost in the first turn; therefore, the tri-oval plays a bigger role in determining the winner than at any other track. Over the years, many winners would not have won if they had not had that extra ¼-mile to race.
- The new spoiler is not a ‘spoiler’ at Talladega; NASCAR hits a ‘home run.’ Restrictor plate racing is only 1/9th of the Cup season (4 of 36 points races), but it consumes separate whole divisions of race teams with separate budgets. The four restrictor plate races have historically been the most controversial, as special rules and inspections are used. NASCAR has tweaked the rules of these races over and over, many times between each race in a season; sometimes during the weekend of a race (they even considered lowering the size of the restrictor plate as late as this past week on Saturday night when the speeds approached 200 MPH). This was the first restrictor race with the spoiler on the cars, instead of the wing, that had been run for two years. The result? After years of trying, this was maybe the ‘perfect’ combination. From the beginning, the cars obviously handled better than in the past years. Two cars could out run a pack of eight or more. Pulling out to pass was not a death sentence. In my opinion, it was the best Talladega race since before restrictor plates. NASCAR got it right!
- Family Feud… the Jeff and Jimmie saga expands. After the race, Jeff Gordon said of his run-in with Jimmie, “It takes a lot to make me mad, but the 48 car is testing my patience…” With six laps to go, Jimmie was in the middle line and appeared to move down to block his teammate/partial owner who was obviously faster and moving toward the front. The ensuing checking up of cars to avoid Jimmie resulted in a crash that collected Jeff as he was forced to slow and move below the yellow line. This was the fourth race in a row that Jeff had a strong car only to have conflict with a driver and crash to some degree. Three times Jimmie has been involved. Jimmie’s day also ended in a crash, and he finished 31st.
- Denny Hamlin was once again impressive and finished 3rd after having one of the best cars all day. His recovery from surgery has been phenomenal but his avoiding hitting the wall and damaging his car when he did four complete loops coming out of Turn 4 on lap 74 gave him the opportunity to finish well.
- Dale Jr. finished 13th after restarting 6th on the last Green-White-Checkered flag. Once again, he was one of the strongest cars, but he chose the wrong line on the final restart and fell back.
- Michael Waltrip led the race twice and looked strong until he was taken out in a crash for which he blamed Kurt Busch with strong sarcasm.
- The first three finishers, Harvick, McMurray and Montoya finished on flumes as they coasted and drove on the apron of the track to conserve fuel when the planned 499 mile race was extended with three Green-White-Checkered restarts.
- Mark Martin (5th) was surprised to be the top finishing Hendrick team after riding in the back of the field for most of the day.
- There were 88 lead changes among 29 different drivers which sets the Cup record in both categories.
- One third of all the Alabama State Troopers were on site at the Speedway.
PIT NOTE:
Harvick seemed to be helping McMurray win the race by pushing him around the track. McMurray knew he needed the help, but also knew Harvick would pull out and try to win himself. When Harvick made his move, McMurray was not surprised and had chosen a line that he thought would protect the inside and force Harvick to the outside. But, Harvick’s move was sudden and decisive to the inside. The ensuing drag race from the tri-oval to the finish line was ‘too close to call,’ and McMurray was trying the ‘side draft’ maneuver that Harvick had used against Mark Martin to win his last race at Daytona in 2007. The move did not work, and McMurray settled for 2nd instead of actually running into Harvick and probably taking the win.
Many people live their lives the same way. Taking ‘help’ from any source for immediate gratification of their current need; and then they are hoping they can avoid any ramifications of that relationship that may harm them. The bottom line is a reliance on self instead of God. God is to be our source for all things, at all times. His assistance is always from absolute truth and with total desire for our good. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” His ways are not our ways; His ways are full of grace, hope and love. Those who surrender their will and way to His will always find peace, comfort and joy, even when the results are not pleasing. Let Him have control today in all you do.
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE -"HOW MUCH DOES GOD CONTROL?" |
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April 20, 2010
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch both won on Monday in Texas for Joe Gibbs Racing! Rain on Saturday and Sunday delayed the Nationwide and Cup races, so 801 miles were run on Monday. Denny restarted second with 17 laps to go and moved around Jeff Burton (who had come from 30th after a pit road violation) on the restart. He was not challenged during the last 17 laps; even though, he took only right side tires on his last pit stop with 24 laps to go. Jimmie Johnson was bearing down on him after restarting fifth and being the first car with four new tires, but he could not overcome his advantage with so few laps to go. The win was Denny’s second in the last three races and this came just 19 days after knee surgery. Kyle’s win in the Nationwide race was his 5th straight Nationwide race win at Texas. He joins only Dale Earnhardt and Jack Ingram with the record at having won five in a row at a single track.
- A Talladega style “Big One” (location of this week’s race) with 19 laps to go takes out the dominant cars of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart along with seven other teams. On the restart with 19 laps to go, everyone ‘went for it.’ After taking only two tires, five cars were leading and there was four-wide racing in the 1st turn and again in the 3rd and 4th turns. Tony took the blame for the crash, after he and Jeff had led 285 of the total laps. In his interview, Tony expressed his apologies to all the drivers, teams and the fans of the cars his error took out of the race. He spoke especially to Jeff Gordon, whom he addressed as ‘a teammate’ since Hendrick provides the engines, chassis and technical support of his and Ryan Newman’s cars. After a 19-minute red flag, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle all pitted for tires; they moved back to the front and finished 5th, 6th, and 10th respectively.
- Some Track Dryer Facts (from Jayski.com).
*8 ServiceMaster Clean jet dryers were used to dry the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval.
*A ServiceMaster Clean jet dryer will operate 50 minutes on full tank of fuel. *The minimum time it takes to dry a 1.5 mile track after a significant rainfall is 150 minutes.
*175 gallons of fuel is needed to fill the tank of a ServiceMaster Clean jet dryer
*There are 4,500 ServiceMaster Clean franchise locations around the world.
*There was 20,000 gallons of jet fuel available on the Texas Motor Speedway premises for use in track drying efforts. (ServiceMaster)(4-18-2010)
- According to Kyle Busch, the spoiler made a difference for the first time in a race. After finishing 3rd in the Sprint Cup race, Kyle indicated that he and his crew chief had concluded that their frustration during the race (mid-way he suggested on the radio that they forget a good finish and just use the second half of the race as a test session) was caused by the set-up they used being suited for the car with a wing on the trunk instead of the new spoiler.
- Dale Jr. fans cheered his passing for the lead early in the race, but he was passed by teammates Johnson and Gordon soon after that. Dale finished 8th after restarting 3rd with 17 laps to go.
- Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson provided the most controversy during the race, as they sparred with each other for several laps. Each made ‘runs’ on the other on lap 124, and both were nudging the other either in the side or in the rear until Jimmie suffered a cut tire and had to pit. Each expressed ‘disappointment’ with the other after the race. Neither one thought that they were at fault and that the other one had “started it.” Johnson’s crew chief expressed that it was wonderful that both drivers are ‘stallions’ and not ‘old mules.’
PIT NOTE:
Jeff and Jimmie followed their statements of ‘disappointment’ in each other with assurance that they would discuss their points of view privately and would come away as friends as they were prior to the incident. Quite a contrast to the proclamations we have heard many times when similar run-ins happened on the track. (Which was completely different from the comments between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski after the Atlanta race.) NASCAR is known for the weekly calls between drivers who had ‘problems’ during the race. They honestly express their displeasure with the other driver’s actions, sometimes they get an apology, but mostly they just air their frustrations so they can have peace, since they have to deal with the same driver again next week.
What they do is very close to the ‘conflict resolution’ instructions given in Matthew 18:15-17. "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
This is not just ‘great advice.’ It is actually the command of Jesus as to how two believers are to restore relationships that have been strained because of either purposeful or unintentional sin that affects the other person. It involves simple, honest, and hopefully calm presentation of the facts as seen by each one, and then agreement to the fault. There is not even a restitution factor involved (just as no owner ever replaces a car destroyed by the error of his driver). Why? Because restored relationships that allow for fellow believers to walk in peace together are more valuable than the replacement cost of any material thing.
Taking another view and application of the passage also reveals how Jesus deals with each of us. We have all sinned against Him. He calls upon each of us to face the facts of our sin against God and confess our sin to Him. Once we do that, and repent of our determination to be ‘right’ and ‘justified’ in our own way of trying to be accepted by God, then we have a restored relationship with God that is eternal. However, failure to listen to God’s revelation of our personal sin against him will result in an eternity apart from the love of God in a place made not for man, but for Satan. Heaven or Hell, only two eternal abodes. Please respond to the confrontation from God about your sin against Him and receive His forgiveness today.
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE - "UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS" |
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April 13, 2010
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
- Ryan Newman wins from the inside restart position on two tires at Phoenix. Kyle Busch was 2.5 seconds ahead when Scott Riggs blew a tire and hit the wall with two laps remaining, which allowed NASCAR to have yet another Green-White-Checkered finish. The night before in the Nationwide race, the same had happened with four laps to go and Kyle won when he took four tires and promptly raced for the lead on the restart. This time, however, SEVEN cars decided to take only two tires, relegating Kyle to the 9th starting position with the other dominate driver of the race, Jimmie Johnson, in 8th. Jeff Gordon was the first off pit road with two tires, and he chose to restart on the outside which had been the preferred restart position all night. Ryan’s tires gripped, while Jeff spun his wheels on the restart, and Ryan beat him to the first turn and the race was over. Jimmie made it to 3rd, but Kyle was hung up in traffic and only made it to 8th, after the two drivers each led 113 laps of the race. This was Ryan’s first win as Tony Stewart’s teammate; his first win in 78 races and the first time ever that a car with the 39 number had won a NASCAR Cup race. It is the 103rd different number to win a race in NASCAR’s history.
- Robby Gordon moves into the Top 35 and will not have to qualify for the next race. Travis Kvapil blew his engine and finished 36th, while Robby finished 14th. This moved Robby 7 points ahead of Travis in Owner’s Points.
- This year, the Phoenix race added 63 laps in order to finish under the lights. The additional laps allowed for the last hour of the race to be under the lights. In past years, the race started later and the final hour was under lights, but with NASCAR’s standard start time being 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), the race would have finished before sunset at the former length.
- A. J. Almendinger won the first pole in over 11 years in the #43 Petty car. He finished 15th.
- Hendrick cars finished 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 8th, PLUS 1st and 10th, when you add the Stewart/Hass relationship for engines and tech support.
- Roush, Hendrick, and Childress all have three cars in the Top 12 in points.
- Just ten days after knee surgery, Denny Hamlin drove the entire race.
PIT NOTE:
Twenty-four hours before Kyle Busch refused to talk to anyone after the Cup race, he had been all smiles and full of things to say in Victory Circle for the Nationwide race. His crew chief had made a ‘great call’ with four laps to go and put four tires on his car, allowing him to pass the two cars that had taken only two tires. A day later, the same choice relegated the best car at the end of the race to an eight place finish. The song says, “What a difference a day makes…” Kyle’s crew chief was monitoring Jimmie Johnson’s and Jeff Gordon’s communications as they entered the pits, and he heard each of their strategies of four and two tires respectively. They also heard Ryan overrule his crew chief and call for two tires. However, Jimmie had been Kyle’s only competition for most of the race, so he made his call for four tires based on Jimmie’s call, which matched the winning strategy just 24 hours before.
What was not anticipated was that five more teams would join Jeff and Ryan in taking two tires, therefore, putting four rows of cars to pass in a mere two laps to take the win. All were slower cars, but with better positions than Kyle. So Kyle refused interviews when he got out of the car.
Two observations - Kyle showed his frustration in the right way. Getting out of the car and giving the politically correct (for NASCAR) answer, “It’s just racing, we’ll get’um next week,” would not have been honest to his feelings. By God’s design, any and every ‘loss’ hurts or at least disappoints us emotionally. When your profession involves determining a ‘winner,’ this is even truer. There are weeks when a driver gets “everything he can out of his car,” and he is satisfied with the results. However, he will express his displeasure at the team meeting that ‘everything’ was not ‘enough.’ When the car was ‘enough’ and circumstances deny him the win, the ‘hurt’ can be overwhelming. The feeling of “what else can we do,” or the statement “it’s useless to even try or care” may come to mind. The thought of “it’s not fair” overtakes many times.
Kyle’s quick exit and silence was correct; he was not in the top three finishers, and therefore, he had no obligation with NASCAR to give an interview. The Bible tells us to “be angry and sin not,” and to “not let the sun go down on our anger.” When you do all you can do, and the results are less than you anticipated, you should be angry. “Not sinning” in those times starts with silence instead of “let me tell you one thing,” and then “another thing…” Control of the tongue is paramount according to the Apostle James. Reflection before speaking does not change the past hurt, but it can definitely positively influence the future and avoid further hurt.
A second lesson, we can only control what we do, and the choices of others will mess up our strategy at times. If only four cars had taken two tires, Kyle or Jimmie would have won. Seven chose two, and their strategy was doomed. Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes that there is a “proper procedure for every matter.” This is our part; consider all the information you have and make the best call you can. Then it says, “time and change happen to all men.” This is God’s part. We are to acknowledge that “His ways are not our ways,” and we are to ask that “His will, not ours, be done.” This strategy allows us to compete with all our mind, soul and spirit, and be sure that “all things work together to the good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” This allows for the immediate human disappointment of failure, and the long term satisfaction that God’s love covers all we do.
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE - "WHY DO CHRISTIAN AVOID EXPRESSIONS OF ANGER?" |
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March 30, 2010
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
- Denny Hamlin’s “surgical” moves win at Martinsville on the day he was supposed to have knee surgery. In addition, the Joe Gibbs Racing team of Joey Logano finished 2nd to give the company their seventh all-time 1-2 finish and their 78th win overall. Denny was to have surgery on Monday on his ACL that he tore last December; but instead of recovering in a hospital room, he was celebrating in Victory Circle. He, along with Jeff Burton, dominated the race until Jeff had a flat tire and hit the wall. Denny was leading the race with seven laps to go when he pitted on the last caution and fell to 9th on the restart. However, with Jeff Gordon only 30 yards from the white flag, the final caution occurred. The Green-White-Checkered restart allowed Denny to restart on the second row. Denny nosed Ryan Newman out of the way on the restart. Then, going into Turn 3, Jeff wrecked Matt Kenseth. Denny got past both of them and took the checkered flag. All 43 cars were running at the end of the race.
- Have you ever wondered about the finances in NASCAR? Jayski.com reported the following from Forbes.com this week.
• Highest paid NASCAR drivers:
#88 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. is NASCAR's highest paid driver for a second straight year with earnings of $30 million in 2009. For the past two years, Earnhardt has had little racing success, with only one win at the track. He finished a disappointing 25th in the Sprint Cup standings last year, but he was voted NASCAR's most popular driver for a seventh straight year. Forbe's earnings estimates include salaries, endorsements and the drivers' share of track winnings and licensing income. Earnhardt's immense popularity translates into big dollars in each of these areas outside of track winnings. "NASCAR needs Dale Jr. to be competitive, because he is so closely associated with the success of the sport. [As] go the fortunes of Junior, so goes NASCAR," says Ardy Arani, managing director of Atlanta-based Championship Group, a motor sports marketing consultancy.
The top 10 list from Forbes.com:
No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnings: $30 million
No. 2 Jeff Gordon: Earnings: $27 million
No. 3 Jimmie Johnson: Earnings: $23 million
No. 4 Tony Stewart: Earnings: $19 million
No. 5 Carl Edwards: Earnings: $14 million
No. 6 Kevin Harvick: Earnings: $13 million
No. 7 (tie) Kyle Busch: Earnings: $12 million
No. 7 (tie) Kasey Kahne: Earnings: $12 million
No. 9 (tie) Matt Kenseth: Earnings: $11 million
No. 9 (tie) Mark Martin: Earnings: $11 million
(full article and more at Forbes.com)(3-25-2010)
• Hendrick Motorsports is still deemed most valuable:
Forbes reports that the average NASCAR Sprint Cup team generated $92 million in revenue last year, a drop of 4%. Teams were hurt by a 19% decline in NASCAR licensing revenue. According to License Global Magazine, total retail sales of licensed merchandise in 2009 was $1.63 billion compared to $2 billion the prior year. The economic down-turn and a saturated licensing market helped spur the decline. Another factor was the near bankruptcy of the leading NASCAR merchandise company Motorsports Authentics. Despite the revenue drop, the average operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the top teams was flat at $7 million. Teams have trimmed budgets by reducing head count, tracking inventory more closely and cutting travel budgets. One area that has not yet been affected are the drivers’ salaries--but those cuts will come once contracts start to expire.
NASCAR's top team remains Hendrick Motorsports which is worth $350 million, the same as last year. They are the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers and the Manchester United rolled into one. They dominate on and off the track with the best drivers (home to the top three finishers in the 2009 Sprint Cup) and the most popular racers (three of the four best-selling drivers for licensed merchandise). Hendrick Motorsports is worth 47% more than the second most valuable team, Roush Fenway Racing. The gap in value between the two top teams is similar to baseball with the Yankees (64% more valuable than the Mets) and ManU in soccer (38% more than Real Madrid).
Hendrick is the sports leader when it comes to sponsorship revenues, thanks to the success and popularity of its drivers. The four Hendrick cars generate an estimated $115 million in sponsorship revenue annually (from DuPont, Go Daddy, Lowe's, the National Guard and PepsiCo). Hendrick cars have the highest budgets in NASCAR, but the huge sponsorship haul allowed Hendrick to turn an operating profit of $20 million last year, the highest in the sport. The value of Stewart-Haas has risen 23% to $98 million, which ranks seventh overall. It is one of only three teams to see an increase in value over last year.
• Top NASCAR Teams:
No. 1: Hendrick Motorsports, Current value: $350 million, One-year value change: none
No. 2: Roush Fenway Racing, Current value: $238 million, One-year value change: -12%
No. 3: Richard Childress Racing, Current value: $153 million, One-year value change: -8%
No. 4: Joe Gibbs Racing, Current value: $144 million, One-year value change: none
No. 5: Richard Petty Motorsports, Current value: $124 million, One-year value change: -6%
No. 6: Penske Racing, Current value: $110 million, One-year value change: -1%
No. 7: Stewart-Haas Racing, Current value: $98 million, One-year value change: 23%
No. 8: Michael Waltrip Racing, Current value: $88 million, One-year value change: -12%
No. 9: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Current value: $71 million, One-year value change: 1%
No. 10: Red Bull Racing Team, Current value: $59 million, One-year value change: 7%
(See more at Forbes.com)(3-25-2010)
PIT NOTE:
Denny Hamlin was expected to be one of, if not the biggest, obstacle to Jimmie Johnson winning his fifth straight championship. In the 2009 Chase, Denny’s performance and the history of Joe Gibbs Racing gave rise to speculation that he was the best ‘hope’ to unseat Jimmie. Denny’s off-season injury to his ACL threatened to sideline him for the first few races; but, he said he could delay the repair to the end of the season. He drove the first five races in pain. On the Thursday before Martinsville, he announced on the Fox and Friends Show that he would indeed endure the pain for the good of the team and his dream of winning the championship. Two days later, he had succumbed to the pain. He acknowledged the sound advice that getting the surgery now would accomplish what was best for his career long term and his quality of life long after his career ended.
So, Denny wins his last race before surgery, and Jimmie moves into first place in the 2010 points race. If Denny cannot get into his car at Phoenix and take at least one lap before climbing out and putting a substitute driver in, his hope of replacing Jimmie at the head table in Las Vegas in December is over. The surgery is now scheduled for Wednesday, which places real doubt he will be able to start on Saturday night in Phoenix. So, Casey Mears will substitute for Denny, and the #11 car will essentially be running for the Owner’s Championship and not the Driver’s Championship for the rest of the year. Such a split championship has happened in both the Nationwide and Truck Series, but never the Cup.
Denny’s attempt to endure the pain and delay surgery until a ‘more convenient time’ that would not interrupt his plans is common to all of us. It is especially true spiritually. Every man is ‘injured’ in that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” As we are very aware at Easter, Jesus voluntarily gave his life as the substitute payment on the cross for our sins. However, three days later, Jesus arose from the grave, having been victorious over sin and the penalty of sin. The life He now has for eternity, He provides to all who embrace by faith the ‘surgery’ He performed on sin. Denny agreed to the surgery that will give him opportunity to race for years and allow him to live a full life after racing. Embracing by faith the truth of our sin and what Jesus has done for us (i.e. The Gospel) will give us peace and joy for the remaining years here on earth and for eternity in Heaven. Not a bad exchange for simple faith. Embrace the Truth this Easter!
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE -"WHY DID CHRIST HAVE TO DIE?" |
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March 9,2010
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Kurt Busch ‘unwinds’ (his reverse victory lap celebration) at Atlanta for the second year in a row. The Penske driver and his new crew chief, Steve Addington, won the fourth Cup race of the season. Kurt ran well in the first three races, but he was not able to ‘finish the deal’ for a variety of reasons. This time, Kurt had to overcome two Green-White-Checkered restarts to make it to Victory Circle. Kasey Kahne led the most laps for the race, but he fell to 4th on the final restart. Montoya finished 3rd after spinning his tires on the last restart when Kurt restarted the race about 40 feet sooner than he had been doing on restarts (the leader on a restart can restart the race at any point between a line on the wall and the start/finish line, and the second place car must not cross the line before him or he will be black flagged).
On the first attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish, there was an eight car pile-up going into Turn 3; most of those cars were in the top 10 when the crash began.
- With six laps to go, Carl Edwards created the need for the ‘overtime’ when he deliberately crashed Brad Keselowski. Brad forced Carl up on the first turn banking and into Joey Logano. Carl’s car ended up in the garage on lap 41 of the race and stayed there for repairs for many laps. Carl and Brad have been involved in controversy in Cup and Nationwide races for the past three years, and they have rubbed each other (on purpose) several times on the track. This time, Edwards tried to slide into the side of Brad the lap before but missed. He clearly turned right and into Brad’s rear quarter panel at the Tri-oval, which caused Brad’s car to flip, hit the track and wall simultaneously, before turning back over on its wheels. NASCAR promptly ‘parked’ Carl and had him report to the NASCAR office. On his way, Carl responded to a reporter’s question of his intent. He said, “Brad knows the deal between us; the scary part was that he got airborne, which was not at all what I expected. I’m glad he is OK; maybe he and I will not have any more incidents…” Carl admitted that he had intentionally wrecked Brad. When he was told that he was being parked for the rest of the race, he was on the front straight-away and turned onto the Legend’s track at Turn 1 which took him onto Pit Road. This made him enter Pit Road going the wrong way, and he continued until he got to the garage. Pit Road was not open at the time, and no cars were coming down the lane; however, it was a very dangerous situation.
What will NASCAR do? We should find out today if Carl will receive fines and penalties; but, history says this could be BIG, or basically overlooked! ‘Pay backs’ have been a part of NASCAR from the beginning. As a chaplain in the 90’s, several times I talked to drivers about not retaliating (some worked, one definitely did not). At that time, it was common to know before you arrived at Martinsville, Bristol, Phoenix or Loudon who was ‘out to get’ someone else; and, it generally happened as predicted at one of these four ‘slower’ tracks. If there is a fine (and there was not one after Homestead last November when Denny Hamlin admitted he intentionally wrecked Brad also), one unique requirement would be interesting. What if NASCAR required Carl to pay Roger Penske for the replacement of Brad’s car, or maybe Roger should require Brad to pay for it? In addition, there was the driving the wrong way on Pit Road. Just last year, NASCAR gave a crewman a four-week suspension for going into the infield to get a tire, which required them to throw a caution and influence the outcome of the race. There was also the incident where Kevin Harvick was suspended for a Cup race because he parked his truck in front of the NASCAR office after he was black flagged in a Martinsville race.
In the off-season, NASCAR announced that they were going to let the drivers ‘police themselves.’ This situation will definitely challenge their thinking; as this could have involved injury to fans if Brad’s car had hit the fence, which it almost did. In the end, it may just be the driving the wrong way on pit road that is ‘policed,’ as that act was not toward another driver, but to NASCAR itself.
- Richard Petty Motorsports placed cars in the 4th, 5th and 6th finishing positions. This is the third of four races this season that the team has had at least two teams running well in the race.
- Tires were a problem for at least nine teams. Goodyear suggested it was caused by either debris on the track that cut two of the tires that were on wrecked cars, or that teams had been too aggressive on ‘camber’ in the front tires, causing excessive wear and/or heat. During the first three races of the season, Goodyear was praised for changing the tires. They were given credit for the improved racing on the track. In NASCAR, there is always ‘someone else’ that can be blamed for just about every failure. That’s “just racing.”
- Jimmie Johnson ONLY finished 12th… but once again two caution flags happened at ‘just the right time’ to give him time to make changes and avoid going a lap down.
PIT NOTE:
Racing is a sport; it is entertainment, and controversy ‘sells.’ Having ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ sells tickets and t-shirts. It captures TV time and provides lively discussions on radio shows. The ‘heroes’ of the sport also teach values to youth by how they handle tough, emotional situations. Their fans live vicariously through them; and sadly, they find more excitement in defending or condemning a driver for a bad action on one day of the week (Sunday), than they do about anything in their lives on the other six days of the week.
NASCAR may come down hard and suspend Carl, or they may not. Denny Hamlin admitted he retaliated in Homestead, and he did miss the next race (Daytona). The only difference here is a car that flipped and could have hurt a fan.
So, how do we see the Gospel of Jesus in any of this? 1) God is not like NASCAR! Whatever decision NASCAR makes, as far as punishment, will possibly be inconsistent with something they did in the past in a similar situation. God is always just, fair and consistent in his judgment of sin. Jesus became sin for us and experienced the wrath of God on sin. 2) There is no defending ourselves by comparing ourselves with what someone else did to us. There is no such thing as ‘paybacks’ in our relationship with God. He is Love, and He loves us. He never seeks to hurt us or ‘get back at us.’ He is forgiving, and he forgets. We will only experience punishment for our sins, if we reject the gift of God, which is life eternal and abundant. 3) God will not react emotionally to something we do against Him, and act out of His character in a moment of ‘losing it.’ He will not get more and more upset as he waits for his car to be repaired, and then return to just ‘get us.’ He will come to us, speak clearly to us about what we did wrong, and then press us to confess our sin and repent of doing it again. 4) God will never forsake us. Regardless of how gross our sin, how embarrassing our actions, or how immature we act, God invites us to live in His Grace.
There are more lessons, but the foundation of them all is that, to varying degrees; we all act like Carl and Brad because we have a sinful, human nature. God seeks our rebirth as a ‘new man,’ whose life is the life of Jesus. Finally, Jesus, the God-man who turned the other cheek, who gave more than asked when others asked unfair things of him, is the only Hero that can be trusted and followed.
The Good News is that we no longer ‘fight’ our own battles! We simply preach the gospel to ourselves each day, and God’s Spirit will direct our path away from evil and revenge into Joy, Peace, and Love.
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE -"DIDN'T PAUL SAY ALL THINGS ARE LAWFUL?" |
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March 3, 2010
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Gordon dominates, but Johnson WINS!
Jeff Gordon crossed the start/finish line for the 202nd time on pit road where he took two tires in order to be on the front row on the restart as he rightly figured that other teams would take two tires. He had the ‘clean air’ that was so important, and he had nine ‘wave around cars’ (cars that stay on the track to get a lap back under the new double file restart rule) to contend with. However, the only car that really could spoil his dominance was his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, who took four tires and still restarted 4th. The difference in the wear of those two tires that Jeff did not change was only five laps, but that was HUGE in the remaining laps. Jimmie passed Kevin Harvick, who restarted 2nd in the 1st turn, and then passed Jeff for the lead 17 laps later. Jeff fell all the way to 3rd as Kevin, who also took four tires, passed Jeff. Kyle Busch may have been the only car that could have competed with the Hendrick cars; but, he finished 15th after serving a penalty for speeding on pit road on the last pit stop.
- OVERVIEW (after three 2010 races)
The racing has been great! Finishing in the Top 15 at Las Vegas were four Hendrick cars (Tony Stewart runs Hendrick engines), three Childress cars, three Roush, two Gibbs, two Waltrip and one Petty car. In the Top 15 in points are five Hendrick cars (Tony again), three Childress, three Roush, two Gibbs, one Ganassi and one Waltrip. All three races have had record or near record numbers of lead changes. The outcome has been in doubt at the end, even with various cars dominating at times during the race. NASCAR has responded to the fans and teams to give drivers more opportunity to really race. NASCAR has been in the background and not very much of a conversation item after the races. Jimmie Johnson has won twice, but two Childress cars are in 1st and 2nd in the points. Let’s hope this continues.
- ENCOURAGED
Richard Childress Racing, with 1st, 2nd and 7th places in the points, is the most improved overall operation. Richard Petty cars have performed well in each race, and Kasey Kahne is 9th in the points. Ganassi Racing won the Daytona 500 for the first time. Joey Logano, in only his “sophomore year,” is the top Gibbs car in the points. NASCAR has hit a home run in the Nationwide Series with Danica Patrick; look for her to be in the Cup Series next year.
- A little NERVOUS
Newman and Ambrose are 32nd and 33rd in the points, with only two races remaining until the 2010 Top 35 in points determines who is guaranteed entry in each race. Both drivers were in the top 17 in 2009 year-end points, but they were out of the top 35 for this season until good runs at Las Vegas, but another bad run for either in the next 2 races could mean they will have to make races on their qualifying times. Dale Jr. qualified well in two of the three races and finished 2nd at Daytona; however, Fontana and Las Vegas looked more like 2009 than a fresh start in the new decade. Brian Vickers, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman all made the 2009 Chase, and currently are 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th and 32nd respectively. There is plenty of time for all to recover and make the Chase…but they are nervous!
PIT NOTE:
Jeff Gordon had more fans than ever at Las Vegas as Jimmie Johnson approached for the pass that would give him his 2nd win of the season. The ‘anybody but Johnson’ fans were out in force and cheering for whoever was ahead of Johnson. Never mind that the race was between Hendrick teammates, at least NASCAR would have an ‘underdog’ winner if Johnson could just be held back. Americans like a person who works hard and gains success, but then they want another person to overtake and replace that person by working harder to gain success. Many fans do not acknowledge that the #48 car is anything but ‘lucky,’ as Jimmie mysteriously seems to be near the top of the chart, if not the ultimate winner, week after week.
Many people take this same view of life, reward and punishment is their relationship with God. They see themselves as ‘underdogs’ as they compare themselves with others. Being an underdog in this life, they believe God owes them better on the ‘other side’ based solely on their current circumstances. Others believe that working hard at living a ‘good’ life” with pure intentions will bring the ultimate success, Heaven.
While we are all ‘under dogs;’ we will never be righteous by what we can do to satisfy the holiness of God and therefore need someone else to be our substitute, the emotional angle that causes people to pull for the ‘underdog’ would be misdirected. The verse (Romans 3:23), “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” is the factual position of every human being. It is an emotional realization only in the sadness of the reality that everyone is both born with a nature that will sin against God, and that every individual will also desire and choose to sin against God. It then becomes the natural inclination to try to “do good works” to ‘win’ either a place with the Divine eternally, or to find ‘joy’ on earth while here. In contrast, Paul says in Galatians 3:15 that a person is only “justified by faith, not works.” Justification means that God looks at us ‘just as if we have NEVER sinned,’ and ‘just as if we have ALWAYS obeyed.’ God promises to declare us righteous (as if we never sinned, always obeyed) if we have faith in His promised Redeemer, Jesus.
It is not an emotional tie to an ‘underdog;’ and it is not a scale that weighs our good and bad works in life that ‘wins’ us a place in Heaven. It is simple faith in Jesus that gives joy, comfort and meaning to this life now, and for eternity.
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE - "WHO'S GOING TO HEAVEN?" |
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February 23, 2010
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
-Jimmie Johnson wins for 48th time, 5th time at Auto Club Speedway, with a ‘comeback’ after Daytona for a fourth straight year. In 2007, he finished 39th in Daytona and 3rd in California. In 2008, 27th and 2nd, 31st and 9th in 2009, and 35th and 1st this year…and he won the Cup Series Championship each of those other years. Chad Knaus, Jimmie’s crew chief, said that at noon each Monday after the race everything about the previous race is forgotten. The ‘bad’ (35th a week ago) and the ‘good’ (1st this week) are behind them. It is all about the next race. They learn what they can from the ‘bad’ and move on. They celebrate the ‘good’ and move on. That is their ‘secret’ to their four straight championships. They were within two car lengths of being a lap down when the last caution came out with them on pit road. Under the old NASCAR rules, they would have been at best 18th in line on the restart. However, with the tweaking NASCAR made in the off season, they were leading the race and had their choice of starting on inside or outside. They made bold changes to their suspension on the pit stop, and took extra time in the pits in order to have the best run on the track. They could have panicked, but they did not. At the same time, Jeff Burton could have run a little faster on the track and beaten Johnson to the line instead of being 2/100’s of a second behind him. NASCAR would not have noticed that minute speed difference, and Johnson would not have won. Some claimed he was lucky, but the facts show that the #48 team simply followed the rules, kept focus on their own “game,’ and benefited by doing everything a little better than everyone else.
- Richard Childress Racing is BACK!! Their three teams finished 2nd, 3rd and 8th in California, after running equally well in Daytona. In fact, both Bowyer and Harvick could have easily won both races this year. All three teams have led this year, and they will be factors in the Chase based on the performance we have seen so far.
- Goodyear praised for bringing tires with more grip. Comments from several drivers indicate that racing in 2010 will be the best in years because Goodyear is doing extra testing and taking the advice of the drivers who did the testing at the various tracks. The key seems to be a change to softer compounds in the rubber, which gives more grip at the beginning of runs. The tires do wear down in fewer laps, which places the emphasis on the ‘handling’ of the cars. This, in turn, gives the drivers and crew chiefs more determination in the outcome, as their communication skills become even more critical.
- Joey Logano finished in the top 5 for the fourth time in his career after he and his crew chief had what he termed ‘a heart to heart’ after Daytona. Joey is being more definite about what he ‘feels’ in the car. The ultimate relationship between the driver and crew chief is what Chad said about himself and Jimmie, “It’s a trust thing; we don’t second guess each other.”
- Points are already being discussed…but those with the fewest, not the most points. Being in the Top 35 of Owner Points is the most important accomplishment during the first five races of each season. NASCAR rules guarantee the top 35 will be in the next race, regardless of how badly they qualify. The top 35 from the previous season are guaranteed a spot in the first five races of a season; but at the 6th race in Bristol, the top point getters in the first five races of the current season get the spots. After two races, this would mean that Ryan Newman, who was in the Chase last year, would have to start qualifying on time, as well as Marcus Ambrose who was 17th in 2009. Both of these drivers have had mechanical problems in the first two races, with Ambrose having blown engines in both races. Also, in trouble, is the #26 car which ‘bought’ the points of the Roush team that they had to close because of NASCAR’s limit of four teams per owner.
PIT NOTE:
The ‘big picture’ is the Championship. Every team knows that and talks about it; however, the #48 team lives it. When Chad said “at noon on Monday the past race is behind us,” I think he revealed his teams’ advantage. “Living in the past” assures us of failing to get the most out of the present. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3: 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Over my many years in churches, I have heard numerous testimonies about Christians’ past lives. It seems that the worse their life was before they became a Christian, the more people like to hear their story. Many come to the point of ‘glorying’ in how they used to be, instead of emphasizing the glory of God in their present life. Others are so teary in revealing how much they appreciate God for forgiving their past, that they never tell what He is doing in their life TODAY. When I pastored a church, I called on the congregation to tell how God had blessed them ‘in the last two weeks.’ I wanted to hear the current stories of God’s blessings, not the past. I wanted people to be aware of God’s power in their day to day lives, not telling about their past victories like old racers do with ‘bench racing.’
The ‘goal’ to which Paul refers to in the 14th verse, and which he “pressed on toward” was sanctification, being like Christ. Sanctification is by faith; faith comes by hearing the truth of God’s Word through reading it, hearing it, studying it, and meditating on it. It does not come by talking and thinking about your good or bad. It is all about Jesus. It is the Good News of who Jesus is, what He did for us, what He provides for us, and how He empowers us. It is all about Him, and nothing about us. The ‘pressing on’ we do is not done through our own works of righteousness for Him to approve and us to have pride in. When we truly ‘press on’ we ‘preach the Gospel to ourselves daily.’ Take a lesson from the #48 team; daily forget the good and bad of your own actions from the previous day, and think only of Jesus.
CHECK OUT THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ARCHIVE - "HELD BY THE GRIP OF GOD" |
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February 15, 2010
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- The Duel 150 qualifying races on Thursday were won by Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne; they took the 2nd and 3rd starting positions for the Daytona 500. Both races ended with side-by-side finishes with a total of 2/100th of a second between 1st and 2nd place (in both races). There were only four open spots in the 500 to be determined, all the rest were racing for their starting position and pit locations. When the right combination of cars finished the second race in the correct order for Michael Waltrip, he was the final driver to know he was in the 500.
- NASCAR changes the Green-White-Checkered procedure in response to the end of the Bud Shootout. In another quick response by NASCAR to the desires of fans to have all races end under a green flag, NASCAR announced they would have a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish procedures. If the caution flag comes out on the final lap and the leader has not taken the white flag, the race will be restarted again, up to three times, before not ending under green. If there is a caution flag during the final lap and the leader has taken the white flag, the field will be frozen to determine the finishing order.
- Pavement problem delays race and puts the Daytona 500 finish under the lights. Three Richard Petty Racing cars (Kahne, Sadler, and Allmendinger) and two Richard Childress Racing cars (Harvick, Bowyer) were the dominant five cars in the first two thirds of the 200 laps of the Daytona 500. During this portion of the race, there had been 19 different leaders, making 34 lead changes, with these five leading the most laps. This record number of passes for the lead, even with the cars spread out more, was more than expected. However, with the track temperature dropping 30+ degrees from the start of the race, the grip in the track was enhanced and the last 40 laps produced much closer racing. The cars had spread out during the hours with the sunshine; once darkness fell the close side-by-side racing expected at restrictor plate tracks returned. With just over 70 laps to go, the first red flag came out so the crew could repair the large pot hole in the track, causing over an hour “break” time. Once the race resumed and with 40 laps to go, the two Joe Gibbs (Hamlin and Busch) cars, two Roush cars (Edwards and Biffle) and two Hendrick cars (Gordon and Earnhardt) had moved to the lead pack. The other two Hendrick cars had started 1st and 3rd but were in 16th and 17th positions as the caution flag slowed the race for the recurring problem with the pavement. The second red flag to repair the hole again was removed with 32 laps to go and three additional drivers led the race during those laps for a combined total of 22 different leaders and 18 more lead changes in just 32 laps. Cautions ensued. On the first Green-White-Checkered flag, Harvick was 4th and his 1st place teammate, Clint Bowyer, chose to start on the outside in order to help Harvick. Harvick immediately dove to the bottom of the track, and all of the first eight cars banged against one another like you generally see at a much slower track (like Martinsville). This left the two Childress drivers 3rd and 4th on the second attempt at the G-W-C, and Harvick 1st and Bowyer 8th on the final one. On the final of the three Green-White-Checkered restarts, Kevin Harvick was leading and chose to restart on the inside with Carl Edwards behind him in 3rd. Jamie McMurray was on the outside with Greg Biffle behind him as a partner. Two laps later Jamie was on his knees in disbelief and gratitude, kissing the Daytona 500 sign on the infield grass, while Harvick was 7th. In fact, of the eight top starters on the last restart, three fell out of the top 8. Meanwhile, Dale Jr. finished 2nd after restarting 11th, and had been back in 22nd on the first restart!
- Jamie McMurray wins the longest (520 mile) Daytona 500 in history! NASCAR’s commitment to providing fans with a green flag finish was put to the test the very first weekend of the new policy. Jamie won on the third Green-White-Checkered attempt, which added eight laps to the race (20 miles) and after two red flags delayed racing over two hours to repair a pot hole in the first turn. Jamie was in tears and continued to shake his head in disbelief an hour after taking the checkered flag. His win was the first Daytona 500 win for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Chip Ganassi joined Roger Penske as the only owners to win the 24 hours of Sebring, the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500, the three major racing prizes in America. Chip was in tears after the race, just as Jamie. Jamie ended 2009 as the ‘odd-man-out’ at Roush Racing as NASCAR’s mandate caused Roush to drop their 5th team. He was not confident of even having a ride until Chip gave him a second chance to drive one of his cars. Jamie was not in the Top 6 on the first Green-White-Checkered; he was 6th on the second, and 2nd on the final restart. Greg Biffle pushed Jamie from the 1st turn to the 3rd on the last restart and into the lead. He led from there to the checkered flag; thus, leading only two laps of the race, which is the fewest laps ever led by a ‘500’ winner. Jamie shared in Victory Lane - “I am a huge believer in prayer and this morning beside my couch I asked for safety, and then to finish in the top 10; God answered my prayers.”
PIT NOTE:
This “Great American Race” was just that, ‘GREAT.’ NASCAR had made changes in the off-season that “put the race back in the drivers’ hands” by allowing them to ‘police’ themselves as far as when and where they ‘bump drafted.’ During the two weeks at Daytona, NASCAR revised the Green-White-Checkered rule, which ultimately gave this great finish. Then, during the race they responded to the pavement problem by taking the time needed to fix the problem, twice. They allowed the cars to race back to the checkered flag instead of throwing the caution and freezing the field when a crash happened in the 3rd turn of the last lap at the back of the field. NASCAR got it RIGHT, before, during, and at the end. The drivers made mistakes, but recovered. The fans were satisfied and enjoyed their time at the track. Win, Win, Win!
PIT NOTE:
God set the ‘rules’ right from the beginning, and He has never changed them. He has allowed mankind free choice. When the ‘track’ on which people were running needed repair, He sent His Son, Jesus, to establish and demonstrate the ‘new covenant.’ When grace was needed to finish their race well, He provided Grace for restarts. But, the race will ultimately end for each of us; and, when it does, He will judge fairly based on both His law and His grace. For those who have confessed their sins and believe that Jesus lived the perfect life which they cannot, that He died in payment of the penalty for our sins which no human can pay, and believe that Jesus rose from death and He is eternal life; they will be saved eternally, and experience the joy of being in a right relationship with God everyday! There have only been 34 different winners of the fifty-two (52) Daytona 500’s. There are no limits to the number of people God loves and offers His grace for salvation.
CHECK OUT THIS OUR DAILY BREAD ARCHIVE - LIVING LIFE TO THE MAXIMUM |
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February 9, 2010
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
- Fewer Restrictions...Better Racing!
Kevin Harvick won the Shootout for the second year in a row; and, it was the seventh shootout win for Richard Childress Racing! Kevin came from 3rd to 1st by passing Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne in the first turn after the restart with two laps to go. A half-lap later, he won the race when Greg Biffle and seven other cars crashed behind him, and the caution was displayed. Under the rules, the order of the cars was frozen and the race ended at that time. The race was conducted under new rules announced by NASCAR in the off season, which allowed for the drivers to once again bump draft according to the way they chose to “police themselves.” The relaxing of their oversight at Daytona and Talladega, where last year the races were mostly ‘stay in line and follow the leader,’ resulted in exciting racing for all 75 laps. Along with the opening of the restrictor plate hole by 1/64th inch, which gave the drivers 12 to 14 more horsepower, throttle control and response when they needed to back off to avoid hitting another car, the racing was drastically different. There was not a single lap of the 75 where there were less than 10 cars running two abreast. Kevin Harvick’s remarks about the new rules and the fact that the Shootout is not for championship points were, “(drivers) don’t think twice about the cars, if it comes home in a garbage can, it comes home in a garbage can. It’s a lot more fun pushing and shoving, than riding around in a line.”
After the race, Jeff Gordon said that the relaxed rules resulted in much more pushing and bumping in the Shootout because it was not a points race. But, in the ‘500,’ we will experience ‘smarter’ racing, as no one will want to risk wrecking and starting the season off with a bad finish. Kyle Petty, commentating on TV, said the “risk/reward factor will come into place in the 500, whereas the Shootout was just for the trophy.”
- Danica Patrick’s’ start in the ARCA race was the most covered story of the week in Daytona. When touched by another driver, the Indy racing star finished 6th after sliding through the infield grass. She kept the car off the wall, pitted for repairs and came from 23rd to 6th with just 19 laps to go. It was announced on Monday morning that she will run her first NASCAR Nationwide race this week at Daytona, rather than waiting until next week at California as originally announced.
- The Shootout ended with an eight car crash after Speed Weeks started off with a 6 car crash on Thursday. Kurt Busch and Mark Martin lost two cars in the process, and winner Kevin Harvick won the Shootout in his back up car.
- Joe Gibbs Racing placed all three cars in the top 7 of the Shootout.
- Gil Martin, crew chief for Kevin Harvick, won for the first time at Daytona after coming to the track for 21 straight years.
- Ken Schrader started and finished 14th in what may be his last Cup start.
- NASCAR made several changes during the off-season:
• Race purses were reduced by approximately 10% at all races.
• Speeding down pit road to avoid going a lap down will not be allowed. Teams in the past would work on repairs after a crash, speed down pit road to beat the pace car and then only go to the end of the longest line on the restarts. The teams now will have less time to make repairs under cautions.
• Teams will be allowed 4.99 mph over the posted speed limit on Pit road. No more, no exceptions.
• Drivers committed to enter pit road when the red light closing pit road comes on will be allowed to drive through pit road at pit road speed without stopping in their pits for service. NASCAR will then return them to the spot they were running before the red light was displayed. This rule change corrects one of the biggest inadvertent penalties in NASCAR.
• Officials on pit road will block tires that come directly toward them on pit road for safety reasons only. A tire that gets loose and goes outside of the pit box results in a lap penalty for teams. In the past officials have ‘saved’ teams by moving to stop tires. This change makes officials ‘part of the field’ just like other sports where officials sometimes interfere with a play.
• On four-tire stops, if the tire changer flips the air hose and a ‘small’ portion does not get beyond the wheels, running over the hose in this case will not result in a lap penalty.
• The rear wing will be replaced with a spoiler like in the old cars starting in the 6th or 7th race of the season. This will depend on tests that have already started for Goodyear to determine changes they may need in the tires to handle increased down-force. Teams will be allowed to participate in two open tests before the change to determine set up changes they will need to maintain the proper ‘balance’ in their cars.
PIT NOTE:
Regardless of why the drivers race the Shootout differently than the ‘500,’ the relaxed rules change the responsibility of the drivers; it gives them more control and the ability to use tactics which will result in more side-by-side racing, without the fear of being penalized. Now the rules NASCAR put in place are the best ways to assure less crashes. Jeff Gordon even indicated that if the drivers are ‘smart,’ they will abide by what is not required. The difference is that the rules and punishment will not be the controlling thought process in their driving styles. Instead, they will be freer to take calculated risks and not just hope to ‘survive’ and go race at the 32 races not at Daytona and Talladega.
Most of the various religious world views center on rules that restrict behavior with some possibility of ‘future reward’ if one ‘stays in line.’ Those who reject religion all together create (by default) systems to control people’s behavior for some common ‘good.’ There is only one true message that provides the freedom to live each and every day in peace, joy and abundance. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the Good News that Jesus fulfilled all the Law written in His Word and revealed in His creation. It is the great joy of salvation experience anew each day as we reflect on the goodness of God in providing the gift of life in His Son, Jesus. Reviewing the truth of the Gospel each day of your life is the way to experience the abundance of life promised in John 10:10 (“…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly.”).
CHECK OUT THIS OUR DAILY BREAD ARCHIVE - LIVING LIFE TO THE MAXIMUM |
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MOTOR RACING OUTREACH ASSOCIATION
The Motor Racing Outreach Association (MROA) is designed to be an organization of people
and ministries committed to providing quality care and trauma response who align themselves
with Motor Racing Outreach in accordance with our doctrinal statements, philosophy of
ministry, mission and vision to impact the world for Christ. Members will come primarily from
a common interest in motorsports, but can also include persons and organizations from other
fields of ministry opportunity.
The purpose of Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) is to introduce the racing community to personal
faith in Christ, to growth in Christlikeness and to active involvement in the church through
relationships that provide care in times of stress, knowledge of God’s word and assistance in
development of leadership skills.
MRO is a member in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Founded in 1979,
the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is comprised of over 900 charitable,
religious, and educational organizations which are qualified for tax-exempt, nonprofit status.
The ECFA seal is tangible evidence to you, our donors, that Motor Racing Outreach (MRO)
adheres to the highest standards of Christian ethics in financial accounting and reporting.
Find out more about MRO! www.go2mro.com
To Bookmark Ron Pegram's Did You Know MRO Page Please Go To This Link:
http://www.go2mro.com/CurrentDidYouKnow.html
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© Copyright 2007-2010 Ron Pegram / Jackie Pegram - All rights reserved.
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The DID YOU KNOW newsletter
with "Pit Notes" for Motor Racing
Outreach (MRO) is written by Jackie's
Husband, Ron Pegram ~ MRO associate.
Ron is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Samaritan's Feet Ministries.
We are offering a copy here on Miss Jackie's site for you to enjoy, and we will keep
updating these compliments of MRO.
If you would like to subscribe to the
MRO newsletter, please click here.
If your group or church would like for Ron to speak at an event for you, please contact Cheryl Shore at cshore@go2mro.com
To Email Ron directly: rpegram@samaritansfeet.org
RON'S PIT NOTES ~ 2010
2007 Pit Notes Archives
2008 Pit Notes Archives
2009 Pit Notes Archives
