My Top 25, Some Cyberspace Races, And NASCAR Weirdness

Below is my www.DirtonDirt.com Top 25 ballot for the week. 23 of my top 25 are in the overall rankings.  The other two-well, I was the only one who voted for Chub Frank.  Actually, I was in a rush when I voted, and should have put Shannon Babb in instead. Steve Francis did have a few of the other 19 voters believing he was worthy of a top 25 spot.

DirtonDirt.com Top 25 Voting Ballot
Name:	Ron Meyer
Date:	10/26/2015
Position
1	Scott Bloomquist
2	Jonathan Davenport
3	Mike Marlar
4	Shane Clanton
5	Jared Landers
6	Chris Madden
7	Don O’Neal
8	Billy Moyer
9	Jimmy Owens
10	Josh Richards
11	Bobby Pierce
12	Jesse Stovall
13	Brandon Sheppard
14	Dennis Erb Jr.
15	Earl Pearson Jr.
16	Dale McDowell
17	Billy Moyer Jr.
18	Rick Eckert
19	Darrell Lanigan
20	Chris Ferguson
21	Randy Weaver
22	Jason Feger
23	Chub Frank
24	Steve Francis
25	Frank Heckenast Jr.

 

There are only two weekends of big time dirt late model racing remaining this season-and you can watch the action from both events on DOD. This weekend is the unsanctioned National 100 from East Alabama Speedway in Phenix City, and next weekend will be the WoO championships from the Dirt Track in Charlotte, and will also include 410 sprint car and big block modified action.

Although late model action will soon be ending, and Midwestern racing action is through for 2015, you can still get your internet racing fix after the late models chill until January. Speed Shift TV will show 10 races over 8 nights in November, while RACEFEEDX.com has 15 November races and 2 December races on their schedule, including the huge Duel in the Desert from Las Vegas. Check out all the websites for more information.

I feel like a scratched record-vinyl IS making a comeback, and if you don’t know what an LP is, I’ll show you my Davie Allan and the Arrows album. Anyway, I have said over and over that you can expect something bizarre to happen almost every week in NASCAR, and it is a better than even event something weird will happen when the Sprint Cup Series visits Alabama and the biggest track on the circuit.

Sunday was simply to strange for words. For a time it looked like Greg Biffle was going to steal a win on fuel mileage, and steal is the only way a Roush Fenway driver is going to win anything in 2015, but a late caution flag and lengthy clean-up under yellow took care of that problem.

Drivers lined up for a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega, and according to NASCAR there would only be one attempt at a green-white-checkered. Except there was two-well, apparently the first did not count as an attempt because the caution came out before leaders crossed the start line.

OK, NASCAR wanted to give fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. a chance at a win and in turn remain in the championship hunt. So, a second, ‘er first other restart. And true to form there was a big wreck almost immediately after the green flew this time, but the leaders had crossed the start line, so, it was yellow and checkered for the race.

Now, NASCAR had to want Earnhardt to remain in the Chase, for TV ratings alone. And if they had waited about two seconds longer to throw the caution, they would have got what they wanted. Instead, when they flew the yellow, Joey Logano was leading, giving him the win. Everyone likes Earnhardt, no one likes Logano-I mean he sells like two t-shirts a week at NASCAR races. Outside his family, Tony Anville might be his only real fan.

So, no Earnhardt running for a championship. BUT, should Kevin Harvick be blamed for the 88 missing a win? Harvick’s engine was about to expire at the end of the race. If the race had not ended in a caution, Harvick likely would have faded to a poor finish, and the past champion would have been out of the championship picture. So, conspiracy buffs suggest that Harvick intentionally wrecked Roush Fenway driver Trevor Bayne to cause a caution so he would finish higher.

Interesting theory, but I would say if Bayne gets wrecked trying to pass a car that couldn’t go over 30 miles per hour, it says more about the current status of RFR, than about Harvick.

So, Jeff Gordon is still in the championship hunt-along with Logano, Brad Keselowski, Harvick, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Martin Truex Jr. With any luck Logano will get his much deserved payback from Matt Kenseth this weekend at Martinsville. And with a lot of luck, the final four at Homestead will be Gordon, Harvick, Truex, and Kyle Busch.

I’ll be watching the Sprint Cup race this weekend, but how many of the Jr. Nation will be watching? Fingers crossed for a 24 win, and Logano meeting the Martinsville wall courtesy of Kenseth.

Thanks for stopping by.