3/6/04…….. Another one bit the dust…… NASCAR’s “reasonable suspicion” testing for substance abuse came into play again this season, this time branding Kevin Grubb with the user tag that will accompany him throughout his racing career. The garage area in NASCAR is a close knit group of people. When the buzz centers on a person who may or may not have become moody, or drastically changed in some form or fashion, reasonable suspicion may exist for substance abuse testing. Word of mouth also plays a major part in keeping the garage area drug free. It an environment of that type, everyone knows someone who knows someone else. A person doesn’t remain a stranger very long in the NASCAR community.

Grubb had been scheduled to race for Team Rensi in the No. 35 Ford at ten events this season, beginning with Texas Motor Speedway in April. Team owner Sam Rensi is now forced to look for a replacement driver for his part time 2004 Busch Series program. With the financial crunch reaching a peak in the Busch Series this season, team owners have a slew of available drivers to pick from.

Last season they hammered Shane Hmiel, putting a crimp in the up and coming young driver’s career. The last I heard, Hmiel had met his NASCAR mandated rehabilitation requirements and was due to be cleared to race, but I don’t see his name on any entry lists. Team owners, and especially sponsors who are approached by team owners, would understandably have to think long and hard before banking their lot on one who has risked the use of illegal substances.

These guys deserve to be hammered. Regardless of what series they’re driving in, they need to have clear heads, on and off of the track. Some tend to think that when a NASCAR licensed driver isn’t racing, what he does is his own business. That may be true, but his actions off of the track carry over to his work on the track. If one gets used to using controlled substances as a crutch for whatever purpose on his free and easy times, then he’ll eventually form a dependency that will require him to use the substance during stressful times, which could mean sponsor and media obligations as well as on-track activities.

I applaud NASCAR for their tenacity in sticking with their testing programs. Not only are they catching some these drivers at an early age and helping then to get back on the right track, they are also striving to maintain a safe drug free environment for racing personnel and fans.

The Cup drivers didn’t disappoint the crowd at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Six Cup drivers finished the race in the top ten. A late race altercation between Cup driver’s Johnny Sauter and Matt Kenseth took Kenseth out of contention and paved the way for another Cup driver to score the win. Kenseth’s right front fender suffered enough damage to cause him to slide back and become a null factor in the finish of the race.

Kevin Harvick managed to take the lead and hold off a hard charging Kasey Kahne to take his 12th career Busch Series Victory. Kahne managed to catch Harvick on the last lap, but some tricky maneuvering by Harvick took away the only chance Kahne had to try and best him at the line.

Following Harvick and Kahne across the finish line were David Stremme, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Matt Kenseth, Tim Fedewa, Jason Keller, Joe Nemechek, and Greg Biffle. The top ten starters and how they finished:

1. Mike Bliss -- No. 20 Chevy – finished 12th
2. Bobby Hamilton Jr. -- No. 25 Ford – finished 5th
3. Kasey Kahne -- No. 38 Dodge – finished 2nd
4. Martin Truex Jr. -- No. 8 Chevy -- finished 14th
5. Jason Leffler -- No. 00 Chevy – finished 22nd
6. Robby Gordon -- No. 55 Chevy – finished 19th
7. J. J. Yeley -- No. 18 Chevy – finished 23rd
8. Johnny Benson -- No. 1 Dodge – finished 34th
9. Greg Biffle -- No. 60 Ford – finished 10th
10. Kyle Busch* -- No. 5 Chevy – finished 15th

Kevin Harvick’s win puts keeps him atop of the Busch Series driver’s point’s standings. He leads the standings with 520 points, followed by Johnny Sauter with a -70. Michael Waltrip moved up three spots to third with a -84 followed by Bobby Hamilton Jr. who also moved up three spots to fourth. David Green dropped down two spots to fifth, followed by Jason Keller who moved up two spots to sixth. Robby Gordon dropped down three spots to seventh followed by Martin Truex Jr. who moved up one spot to eighth. Tim Fedewa moved up five spots to ninth while David Stremme moved up eight spots to round out the top ten.

The Busch Series has a week off, returning to action at Darlington on March 20th. Check back next week for a run down on last season’s Busch Series event at “The Lady in Black.”

3/13/04…….. Johnny Sauter got a reality check. One would think that being in the position to observe what has happened to other drivers who spouted profanities into microphones, he would have known better. I’ll give you two to one that he knows better now.

There’s more than one way to look at the profanity situation with these drivers during and after an event. We all have to realize that emotions run just high as adrenalin when you are behind the wheel of a race car running at high speeds. When altercations occur, the monster comes to the surface quickly, just like the road rage that affects us common folk when we get used badly by other motorists on the highways.

We also have to consider that the media shoves microphones in the driver’s faces before they have a chance to get out of their racecars. It’s true that we, as fans, want to hear what some of them have to say after an event, and often the post race interviews are somewhat spicy by catching the driver for comments soon after the so called “heat of the moment.”

Is this fair to the drivers? Are we supposed to think that they are supposed to vent their anger without a slip of profanity? NASCAR thinks so. They levied a $10k fine on Johnny Sauter and took away 25 driver’s points, knocking him out of second place back to fourth. This could certainly cost him the championship at the end of the season; lots of second place finishers have lost the championship by a lot less than a mere 25 points. Sauter may really regret that profane remark next November!

I truly believe that profanity needs to be eradicated from interviews in NASCAR racing. We have lots of children watching the events, doting over their favorite driver’s every word. When they are angry and use profanity, what kind of message does this send to our young fans? As a rule, adults are old enough to realize that the driver is in an angry mental state at the time, and just brush it off. Children see this type of behavior as a novelty, and tend to dwell on the memories of such actions.

This subject has been brought up on numerous occasions and lots of different spins have been taken on the subject. One of the best solutions that I’ve heard is to allow a cooling off period after the race before sticking a microphone in a drivers face for an interview. That’s the most sensible solution, and I’m sure everyone agrees with it. Everyone except for the TV networks, who associate time with dollars, more than a self employed contractor does.

In order for the television networks to be appeased, NASCAR allows the media to jump on drivers with questions before they get a chance to regain their composure, then fines them if they happen to slip out a little profanity. Something is wrong with this picture. The dictatorship at NASCAR is what needs a reality check, worse than Johnny Sauter, Kevin Harvick, Jimmy Spencer, or, last but certainly not least, Tony Stewart.

Usually the networks, whether it be FOX, NBC or their associates, arrange the commercial advertising so that the last laps of the race can be viewed without interruption. These commercial advertisements should be aired in a block following the race to allow the drivers to get a breath of air and clear their heads before having to be scrutinized before the world on TV cameras. Of course, if this was the case, viewers would also take a five minute break and visit the refrigerator and personal facilities during this time instead of watching the commercial advertisements. With this in mind, we or the drivers aren’t likely to get a break, because the networks want us glued to the TV to see the ads that are paying for the broadcast. It’s a catch 22, no one wins, and no one will as long as things are controlled by the almighty dollar. NASCAR needs to find the brains and courage to alleviate it, instead of taking its inability to provide fair play out on the drivers and team members who use profanity in the heat of the moment.

Next week the Busch Series continues its season at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina with the Diamond Hill Plywood Co. 200. The event is scheduled to be televised by the FX channel on Saturday, March 20th, at 12:30 pm eastern. Qualifying will be televised by the SPEED channel on Friday, March 19th at 1:30 pm eastern.

Last season’s winner of the March Darlington event was Todd Bodine. He was followed across the finish line by Jamie McMurray, Scott Riggs, Stacy Compton, Johnny Sauter, Hank Parker Jr., Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Ron Hornaday, and Jason Keller.

There was no poll winner last season due to inclement weather. The starting lineup was set by owner’s points with Stanton Barrett starting first in the No. 60 Roush Racing Ford. There were four caution periods for a total of 19 laps out of the 147 laps on the 1.366 mile egg shaped oval.

3/20/04…….. The first day of spring brought another victory for Greg Biffle in the No. 60 Roush Racing’s Charter sponsored Ford. The “Track Too Tough to Tame” or “The Lady in Black,” which ever pre-coined phrase you care to use, wasn’t any problem for the Roush Racing teammates of Biffle and Jeff Burton in the No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford.

The win was the 12th career victory for Biffle, the 2002 Busch Series Champion. According to stats at NASCAR.com; Biffle has won a race every year he has raced in the Busch Series, four years running.

The addition of the SAFER barriers at the Darlington facility didn’t seem to affect the racing either. There was lots of concern that the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction system would create havoc as it takes away most of the outside racing groove in the corners. The barrier juts out 30 inches from the wall on the already narrow and aged racing surface. There wasn’t any more than the normal “Darlington Stripe” action, as some figured would happen. As with any other controversial issue, there are always two sides that believe that they are right and their opposition is wrong.

Although the SAFER barriers have been in use now for the past two seasons, beginning with the first installation at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they have only been installed at six facilities. The other four facilities are Richmond, Phoenix, New Hampshire, and Homestead-Miami. There has been lots of carping among drivers and safety advocates that the system hasn’t been installed at the circuit’s fastest tracks of Atlanta, Michigan, Texas, and California. NASCAR, track owner, and safety officials have a whole slew of excuses as to why there such a slow implementation of the safety system. The key word here is “excuses” as opposed to “spending the money.”

Following Cup drivers Biffle and Burton across the finish line were David Green, Martin Truex Jr., David Stremme, Johnny Benson, Robby Gordon, Michael Waltrip, Casey Atwood, and Mike Bliss. The top ten starters and how they finished:

1. Kyle Busch* -- No. 5 Chevy – finished 17th
2. Kasey Kahne -- No. 38 Dodge – finished 11th
3. Kenny Wallace -- No. 23 Chevy – finished 12th
4. Greg Biffle -- No. 6 Ford -- finished 1st
5. Jason Leffler -- No. 00 Chevy – finished 14th
6. Johnny Sauter -- No. 27 Pontiac – finished 27th
7. Kevin Harvick -- No. 21 Chevy – finished 22nd
8. Ron Hornaday -- No. 2 Chevy – finished 23rd
9. David Green -- No. 37 Pontiac – finished 3rd
10. Martin Truex Jr. -- No. 8 Chevy – finished 4th

Cup driver Kevin Harvick is still holding the lead in Busch Series driver’s points, but his paltry 22nd place finish let second place driver move up three spots to follow Harvick by a mere 23 points. Cup driver Michael Waltrip dropped down one spot to third, now listed with a -39. Martin Truex Jr. moved up four spots to fourth listed with a -67, while Cup driver Robby Gordon moved up two spots to round out the top five with a -74. Bobby Hamilton Jr. didn’t have a good day, just barely getting a top 20 finish and dropping three spots to sixth with a -85. Right on his heels with a -86 after dropping spot is Busch Series veteran Jason Keller. David Stremme’s strong showing moved him up two spots to eighth, listed with a -92 while Greg Biffle’s win moved him up six spots to ninth listed with a -104. Johnny Sauter rounds out the top ten after dropping six spots to a -110.

Next week the Busch Series travels to the Bristol Motor Speedway at Bristol, Tennessee for the Sharpie Professional 250. The event is scheduled to be broadcast by the FOX network at 1 pm eastern on Saturday, March 27th. Qualifying for the event is scheduled to be telecast by the SPEED channel on Friday, March 26th at 1:30 pm eastern.

Last season’s winner of the spring Busch Series event at Bristol was Kevin Harvick. He was followed across the finish line by Tony Raines, Jason Keller, David Green, Mike Bliss, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Shane Hmiel, Randy LaJoie, Todd Bodine, and Johnny Sauter.

David Green won the Bud pole award with a speed of 126.495 miles per hour. There were 13 caution periods for a total of 79 laps out of the 250 lap event on the 0.533 mile high banked (36 degree) Thunder Valley concrete oval.

3/28/04…….. Martin Truex Jr.’s on first! Truex not only won his first Busch Series race at the Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday, he also became the first regular Busch Series driver to win a Busch Series race this season.

The elated Truex was just as full of jubilation as was the owner of his Chance II Motorsports team, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The victory was the second this season for the team with Dale Jr. winning the season opener at Daytona.

Following Truex across the finish line were Kevin Harvick, rookie Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, David Green, Tony Raines, Michael Waltrip, Jason Keller, Ron Hornaday, and Mike Wallace. The top ten starters and how they finished:

1. Greg Biffle -- No. 60 Ford – finished 4th
2. Martin Truex Jr.* -- No. 8 Chevy – finished 1st
3. David Green -- No. 37 Pontiac – finished 5th
4. Bobby Hamilton Jr. -- No. 25 Ford -- finished 24th
5. Kevin Harvick -- No. 21 Chevy – finished 2nd
6. David Stremme -- No. 332 Dodge – finished 18th
7. Ashton Lewis -- No. 46 Chevy – finished 31st
8. Ron Hornaday -- No. 2 Chevy – finished 9th
9. Robert Pressley -- No. 47 Ford – finished 22nd
10. Jason Leffler-- No. 00 Chevy – finished 32nd

With his second place Sharpie 250 finish, Kevin Harvick increased his driver’s point’s lead over second place David Green to 41 points. Martin Truex Jr.’s win moved him up one spot to third, now listed with a -50. This moved Michael Waltrip down one spot to fourth listed with a -66. Greg Biffle’s fourth place finish moved him up four spots to round out the top five with a -115.

Jason Keller’s top ten finish moved him up one spot to sixth listed with a -117. Robby Gordon dropped two spots to seventh and is tied at -153 with rookie Kyle Busch who moved up four spots to eighth. David Stremme dropped one spot to ninth listed with a 156 while Johnny Sauter remains in the tenth position listed with a -162.

The Sharpie 250 was not a boring race! There were the usual altercations during the event that are synonymous with Bristol racing, but the ending was phenomenal. The wild fray that erupted after the green flag flew with nine laps remaining, caused garnered drivers and crew chiefs an oral invitation to the NASCAR trailer after the event. The majority of the discrepancies included pay-backs and passing under yellow to gain position. The caution flag came out with two laps remaining, as there were separate incidents on the track. NASCAR has previously let the race continue when two other wrecks occurred during the last few laps before the ending. Bristol’s high banking allows the cars to slide down onto the apron out of the racing groove. NASCAR bent over backwards to allow the race to end under green, but things got to wild and crazy so the race had to he yellow flagged. You can rest assured that there will be fines handed out to some of the competitors and possibly their crew members, following several incidents and arguments around the NASCAR hauler. Check back here after Tuesday, march 30th for an update on how NASCAR dealt with the situation. Official fines and reprimands from the weekend’s events are normally handed down from NASCAR on Tuesdays.

Next week the Busch Series travels to the Texas Motor Speedway for the O’Reilly 300. The event is scheduled to be telecast by the FOX network at 2 pm eastern on Saturday, April 3rd. Qualifying for the event will be televised on the SPEED channel Friday, April 3rd, at 3 pm eastern.

Last season’s winner of the event was Cup driver Joe Nemechek. He was followed across the finish line by Scott Riggs, Shane Hmiel, Todd Bodine, rookie Chad Blount, Jimmy Spencer, Matt Kenseth, Scott Wimmer, Kasey Kahne, and rookie Coy Gibbs.

Jason Keller won the Bud pole award in the No. 57 Albertson’s Ford with a speed of 187.474 miles per hour. There were ten caution periods for a total of 48 laps out of the 200 lap event on the 1.5 mile oval.