Week 28 NASCAR Update ~ Danica Patrick Now Experiencing Hearing Loss!

This past weekend’s racing took place at Richmond International Raceway. This joint!

Once again, it was a night race weekend, featuring the Nationwide Series on Friday night and the Sprint Cup Series Saturday night.

Friday night, Austin Dillon rolled off 2nd and Danica 24th. You ever notice how bad Danica usually qualifies? Remember, when the drivers are qualifying, there is no one else on the track… Danica can’t even run well when she’s the only driver on the track!

I really didn’t watch the race, as I was busy cleaning and preparing for my friends to get here from Pennsylvania on Saturday, so we can all go to the Eagles at Browns game on Sunday.

As I’m cleaning the kitchen I hear, “CAUTION IS OUT… Danica Patrick is into the wall…” I run into the living room, plop down on the couch and check out the replays…

I’ve never told you all about spotters in NASCAR. See, driving one of these race cars is NOTHING like driving a regular car… yes, the cars have a rear view mirror so the drivers can see anything directly behind them and they have a small left side view mirror to see some of the action to their left, but overall the drivers’ vision is hindered by nightmarish blind spots. To help out with that, all the teams employ spotters. Spotters are situated above the grandstands so they have a view of the entire track. These spotters have a direct radio link to the drivers and basically keep their driver informed about where other cars are located in relation to their position on the track. When there is close racing on the track you’ll normally hear the spotters telling their driver whether there is a car high or low on the track that the driver may not necessarily be able to see.

Prior to Danica’s crash, she was racing for position with Brad Sweet, who had the top lane while Danica occupied the next lane down. Brad appeared to be passing Danica on the high side but Danica started to drift up… Her spotter said, “Car high… Still there… Still there… Still at your quarter…” Danica continued to drift up… right into Brad’s car. The contact caused her car to turn into the wall, causing extensive damage…. and a 29th place finish; 32 laps down… Why didn’t she listen to her spotter? Is she deaf? Or worse yet, does she not feel it necessary to listen to her spotter?

Anyway…. Austin Dillon finished 6th and Kevin Harvick won the race…

I did not watch Saturday’s Sprint Cup race, as my PA friends were in town and we were out having a great time (more details on the visit are planned). Dale Earnhardt won the pole with the fastest qualifying time, led 67 laps, and ultimately finished 14th…

Clint Bowyer won the race…

The Sprint Cup Series now goes into what is called The Chase for the Sprint Cup. The Chase is essentially a playoff system devised by NASCAR to keep television ratings up. Prior to the 2004 season, when the Chase format was created, it was possible for a driver to have a large enough cushion in points this time of year that fans knew he was going to win the championship with 10 races to go. Why is “this time of year” so significant? BECAUSE THE NFL SEASON JUST STARTED!!! NASCAR is freaked the fuck out by losing viewers to football, and if a driver already appears to have clinched a championship why watch the races? They’ll just watch football! I know I did.

So, basically, the points for the top 12 drivers after the first 26 races have been realigned so that they are the only ones who can compete for the Sprint Cup Championship. Each was given 2000 points plus 3 bonus points for each win. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you your 2012 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers (I included their current 2012 winnings just for shiggles):

Driver	Starting Points	Winnings thus far
Denny Hamlin	2012	$5,316,970
Jimmie Johnson	2009	$6,097,510
Tony Stewart	2009	$5,115,100
Brad Keselowski	2009	$4,421,410
Greg Biffle	2006	$4,534,960
Clint Bowyer	2006	$3,982,290
Dale Jr.	2003	$4,372,840
Matt Kenseth	2003	$5,708,900
Kevin Harvick	2000	$4,311,250
Martin Truex Jr.	2000	$3,990,540
Kasey Kahne	2000	$3,564,340
Jeff Gordon	2000	$4,394,480