Sunday, May 24, 2009

How much drug testing is too much drug testing?

Jeremy Mayfield's suspension for "drugs" is the big talk of NASCAR right now. But a question has to be asked now. How much testing is too much testing?
Here's the new test policy. A computer randomly selects 4 drivers, 10 crew members, and 2 NASCAR officials. Testing is done after the race. Drivers are allowed 2 tests, an A Test, and if they fail that, they can request a B Test. If they fail the B Test, they are suspended. This is done every week to every NASCAR series.
But something NASCAR did was a little out of the ordinary. During a rain delay for the Coca Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, NASCAR tested 10 crew members. These crew members were not ones picked by the computer to test at the end of the race. So why did they test them? No members of the press heard about this until it was over, but it sent them scrambling.
So the question remains to be asked. How much testing is too much testing?

Sunday, May 3, 2009

First Quarter Report Cards

A good start to a year can do everything for a driver, but so can a bad start. A good start can get a driver pepped up, while a bad start can get a driver wanting to do better. So here is my first quarter report cards.

Honor Roll
David Reutimann A+
The Franchise has done very well in his performance, and it shows by his points position.
Jeff Gordon A-
He has performed a little less than expected, but overall has done a good job.
Matt Kenseth B
Kenseth has had trouble but is recovering.
Marcos Ambrose B-
This Australian has had a mix of finishes placing him in the top 20.

Needs Improvement
David Gilliland C
He needs to perform a little better, but not much.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. D+
Junior and the pit have to fix their problems.
Joey Logano F
He needs to get more experience.
Scott Speed F
They need to get him out of the car like they did with AJ Allmendinger last year.

Group Work ( I averaged out the drivers in each group's grades to get the group grades. )
Busch Brothers A
They have got some power underneath their hoods.
Michael Waltrip Racing B
This group has done their homework and has almost all the kinks worked out. They would have a C if not for Michael Waltrip's role as the "designated two-time Daytona 500-winning driver" on My Name Is Earl. That earned MWR some extra credit.
Rookies D-
Logano and Speed are not performing, while part-timers Max Papis and Brad Keselowski have performed very well.
Roush Fenway Racing F
This five car team better get some good finishes.

No engines were blown in the making of this post, but several fingers were cramped.