The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word obsession as: “a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling”.

Now that ESPN is reporting Indycar superstar Danica Patrick will be driving a dozen or so Nationwide races and some ARCA races for JR Motorsports in 2010, expect next season to be dominated by an obsession with Danica Patrick.

I admit the story is big news. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be mentioning it.
But after watching a full half-hour of discussion about this one news item on an ESPN program last night, I was about ready to vomit.

Danica Patrick is a talented race car driver, but she has done very little in her career that is overly impressive. She had some good runs in the Indy 500, but won just one race in her half-decade in Indycar. If you did a TV commercial-per-win ratio, she would be the champion by a mile.

If Danica wasn’t a woman, there would close to zero hype about her, and a move to stock cars would be about as hyped as the switching of Max Papis or Patrick Carpentier to stock cars.

As I watched an endless number of commentators and guests comment on how great Danica is and how great it is for NASCAR that she’s coming over to stock cars, I realized just how ridiculous the media is going to be during this possible transition to NASCAR. It was only Day 1 of the news coming out, and they didn’t even mention a single news item that wasn’t Danica-related.

One thought kept popping up in my head as the endless parade of praise continued: This is all we’re going to hear from February to November.

During that time span, anytime Danica appears in an ARCA or Nationwide race, she’ll eat up all the screen time. It will be, “Where’s Danica running” on a constant loop, peppered with “It’s going to be a tough learning curve” when she screws up and “She’s really making a great transistion” when she does well.

Personally, I might just watch the races on mute, just to avoid a Danica overdose.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

Imagine this announcement coming from the speakers in the late 1990s at a Cup track: “Introducing Dale Earnhardt, driver of the #3 GM Goodwrench Toyota Camry!”

I don’t think it ever would have happened, under any circumstances. And the many fans of the Earnhardts would not be pleased.

But now, there are rumors the team that still holds his name (which is essentially a Chip Ganassi team) wants to switch to using Toyotas next year. If that happened, drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and presumably Jamie McMurray would field Toyotas for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

Something tells me this would not go over well.

I’m all for teams doing whatever is necessary to survive. But if this happens, I have a suggestion that would make everyone a lot happier. Teresa should withdraw from the team and it should be called Chip Ganassi Racing.

The idea that a team including Dale Earnhardt’s name would field Toyota’s is unimaginable to me. I’m not a Toyota hater, but I’m pretty sure he would not approve. Out of respect, if this deal goes through, Teresa should let Ganassi buy her out and be gone.

It makes sense anyway, regardless of this deal. Teresa is never at the track, makes no real decisions at the team and is an owner in name only, basically just collecting a paycheck. Since her husband died, she has had little to no interest in the sport. This is understandable, considering it’s the sport that took his life.

So why is the Earnhardt name still on a team? What’s the point?

Unless Ganassi absolutely needs Teresa’s involvement for the team to exist, I see no reason why she needs to keep the Earnhardt name involved, especially if the team switches to Toyota.

Early start at Penske for Kes
In a move I was not expecting, Rochester Hills native Brad Keselowski, having fulfilled his obligations to Hendrick Motorsports and the #09 team, will get an early start in his new ride at Penske, replacing David Stremme for the final three races of the year. Even though it’s a new car for him, this will be a good opportunity to see whether the #12 car’s struggles this year were more car or driver. I don’t expect miracles, but it’s obvious Brad is a better driver than Stremme and should get better finishes out of the car (or at least spin out a lot less).

Look for Stremme to return to Nationwide racing next year, as he did pretty well driving for Rusty Wallace in 2008. If he lands a decent ride, he can thrive there. So far, he’s 2-for-2 in losing Cup rides, so don’t expect him to seek a third try immediately. He’s running out of strikes.

Attorney says Mayfield owes him money
Attorney Bill Diehl says Jeremy Mayfield owes him “a lot” of money and vows to collect. News flash: The guy owes a lot of people money. I’m pretty sure Diehl knew from the start that Mayfield wasn’t going to pay him, and that he took the case for publicity, just as Mayfield’s current attorneys are doing.

It’s also highly unprofessional of an attorney to speak publicly about money owed to him by a client, but that’s a whole different issue. Regardless of what was promised, I have some hard news to break to Diehl: You’re never going to see that money.

Of course, that’s not really news. I’m pretty sure he already knew that.


https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

I feel sorry for anyone who actually sat through the entire live broadcast of Sunday’s race
at Talladega, because that wasn’t a race.

You could call it many other things: A parade, an accident waiting to happen, a complete farce.

But it wasn’t a race.

It’s ironic that a tribal medicine man was recently brought to Talladega to clear up some bad mojo that was allegedly lingering there, because he really should have gone to the NASCAR headquarters in Daytona to do his dance. Brian France, Mike Helton and crew have ruined this race, plain and simple.

Newman said it best after his wreck: "No one watching enjoys this. Well I hope not, if you do. you just don't belong here"

Jeff Gordon had a good one, too: “At least we were able to run out of gas on time, so we could get to the pits, get back out on the track and destroy our car.”

Then there is Mark Martin, whose title hopes were ruined by the stupidity that Talladega has become. He wanted to rip NASCAR a new one, but he didn’t. He’s too nice. “Congratulations to Jamie McMurray. That’s about all I know about this race” was what he said, but you could tell he wanted to cuss them out.

Two things remain true about Talladega.
1. Plate racing remains dangerous, and one of these wrecks will eventually kill someone again. There has to be another way to slow the cars down without creating these tight packs. (And while we’re at it … can we get some roof flaps that actually work and stop the cars from flying?)
2. The new rule restricting bump-drafting basically forced the drivers to run single-file, for fear of being penalized. This begs the question that if they’re not allowed to race, why should the fans watch?

There is a terrible new formula for the race. 150 laps of parade, followed by 30 laps of scary crashes. I seriously thought Newman was dead (luckily his radio was just disconnected), and if he had died then NASCAR would have been to blame for creating the situation.

I’m putting this race on the level with the restrictor plate race they held at New Hampshire, as it was one of the worst races I’ve seen in the dozen years I’ve been watching the sport. And I know I’m not alone in this sentiment.

Jimmie wraps it up
In other news, write Jimmie Johnson’s name on the trophy. Under the previous points system, both Tony Stewart (-7) and Jeff Gordon (-72) would be realistically in the title hunt. As it stands now, Johnson leads Mark Martin by 184 points, and Gordon by 192. It’s official. This Chase is a dud, and stinks like a manure farm.

Somehow, Johnson’s strategy of staying in back all day, then moving up the front late, worked for him. He finished in the top-10 and all his competitors wrecked. Congrats Jimmie, but you’re boring me to tears with this. Four straight titles is just sick, and I don’t think it’s good for the sport.

Surprising finishes
Talladega always has some interesting finishes, as guys who don’t normally do well will have solid days if they avoid trouble. The biggest surprise this time is Robert Richardson Jr., who drove the #36 car of Tommy Baldwin racing to 18th in his first Cup race ever. Reed Sorenson was 16th, Bobby Labonte was 10th in the #71 TRG Motorsports car, Elliott Sadler was 9th in his first race in a Ford for RPM and Michael Waltrip was 7th.

Don’t blame Brad
Lastly, a lot of people online have been critical of Brad Keselowski, saying it was his fault that last big wreck happened. They would be wrong. Just like in the spring, NASCAR’s rules forced another bad wreck. I could see why some people might jump to this conclusion, given Brad’s recent history of aggressive driving at other tracks, but it’s not that simple. Brad got pushed and hit another car, and that’s not his fault. It’s the fault of an organization that forces dangerous restrictor plate racing on the drivers.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

To say the 2009 Formula 1 season was strange would be an understatement.

The championship was won by Jenson Button, a driver whose hopes at a title had long been written off, and he was driving for a Brawn Racing team that brand new and had never competed in Formula 1 before this year. Despite this, Button went out and won six of the first races of the season, which came in handy in the points as the other teams almost caught up at the end of the season.

So who was the next best team? Ferrari? McLaren?

Wrong. It was Red Bull, with a young Sebastian Vettel who looks like the next Michael Schumacher, and a resurgent Mark Webber. This team had never been a serious contender, but now it appears that Vettel is without a doubt among the favorites to win the 2010 title. He won four races, and the sky’s the limit for Vettel and the Red Bull team as a whole.

Then, of course, there was the little matter of almost all the teams threatening to leave and start their own series in another F1 power struggle. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and a compromise was reached.

So what about those two perennial favorites: Ferrari and McLaren … how did they do?
Not so well.
McLaren stumbled out the gate, with last year’s champ Lewis Hamilton not hitting his stride until the second half of the season, dooming McLaren’s title hopes. It does look like the team is back on track and will contend again in 2010, but this year was pretty much a waste.

Over at Ferrari, there was much drama. First, Felipe Massa gets blasted in the eye with a suspension part in a scary wreck and almost died. He’ll be back next year, but that was pretty scary. Giancarlo Fisichella filled in, but didn’t do much of note to end the year in that ride. The other seat, driven by ex-champ Kimi Raikonnen, was also full of drama, as he was released from his contract (at a reported cost of tens of millions of dollars … it’s amazing how much money is thrown around in this sport. Amazingly, he is demanding about $30 million per year from whatever team he moves to next, so he may not even be driving next year.) In his place next year at Ferrari will be another champion, Fernando Alonso. Ferrari is like the Yankees of Formula 1, they have to buy the best players.

What’s going to happen in 2010? That’s a good question. More new teams, including a U.S.-based team, are coming into the sport. This will shake things up, but don’t expect any Brawn-like debuts. That was a miracle season that won’t happen again for any newcomers.

I predict a return to the usual order: Massa, Alonso and Hamilton at the big two powers, and Vettel at Red Bull, will mix it up for the title, with possible involvement from Button again. And don’t be surprised if the champion is wearing red once again next year.

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

Normally, practice sessions during a NASCAR weekend are far from exciting as television programming. Usually, everyone is just making laps, no one races each other hard, and it’s just an opportunity to fine-tune the cars before qualifying or the race.

Not so at Talladega, where tempers were flaring during a couple practice sessions Friday that was more interesting than some races I’ve seen in recent weeks.

There was 4-wide racing, and some really close bump-drafting. Not surprisingly, with all this tight racing action, there were some wrecks as a result.
The news highlight of the sessions was Michael Waltip being parked for the final half hour of the last practice by NASCAR, after driving too aggressively while bump-drafting behind Jimmie Johnson.

Waltrip had been warned by NASCAR, which is being cautious after the wild end to the spring Talladega race and is policing bump-drafting closely, and he didn’t back off. Hence the parking.

Another more humorous note involves Kyle Busch, who wasn’t happy with how Jimmie Johnson was racing him in the first practice. On the radio, he joked with his crew chief that maybe Jimmie’s brother Jarit Johnson (a driver in the lower regional series who hasn’t yet made the leap to the big 3 series) was really behind the wheel.
That’s pretty harsh on Jarit, who’s just out there racing wherever he can each week, but talk like that shows how testy things can be at Talladega … and this was just practice!

On the Waltrip issue, I am somewhat disturbed. I recognize the need for safety, especially after Edwards’ wild ride, but selectively choosing when bump-drafting is bad and when it’s OK will only fuel conspiracy theories. I and others are probably wondering why the penalty was given to someone bump-drafting the points leader, not someone bump-drafting Casey Mears for example.

Are they just out to protect their biggest stars? It certainly appears that could be a possibility.

The biggest problem with NASCAR’s argument is that bump-drafting was created by them when they made the drivers use restrictor plates and bunched them up so much. If NASCAR can’t come up with a different way to slow the cars down, they shouldn’t get mad when cars they forced so close together make a little contact.

#3 truck fails inspection

In a surprise ruling, the #3 truck that was supposed to be driven in Saturday’s truck race by Austin Dillon (Richard Childress’s grandson), failed inspection and didn’t race. It was too low, officials said, and did not meet the requirements.

That’s pretty amazing. The truck had a paint scheme reminiscent of Dale Earnhardt’s #3 car, and fans were looking forward to seeing it. Somebody must have screwed something up, but don’t worry. Dillon should be around for the long time, and that paint scheme will return.

In more positive Truck series new, the series will be using double-file restrats in 2010, and also return to allowing both tires and gas on a single pit stop. (I never really understood that rule anyway. It was just silly for them to all come down pit lane twice.)

https://twitter.com/MattMyftiu

We’ve all been there.

Out to dinner with family or friends, and you have a few drinks. Then, you have to decide whether that few drinks was too much, or if you’re OK to drive.

Allmendinger was right at the .08 limit when he was pulled over, and now he is facing a court date, plus probation until the end of the year from NASCAR.

Allmendinger says he was OK to drive, and I believe him. But the law says what’s legal, and he just barely crossed that line.

Long against using alcohol himself, Richard Petty was of course not very happy with the news, saying "I am deeply disappointed this has happened. AJ has accepted full responsibility for his actions and will work to make this right. On behalf of everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports we sincerely apologize to our fans and partners." (Of course, he lives with Bud sponsoring driver Kasey Kahne, but that’s not really his call anymore.)

In the grand scheme of things, is this a big deal? No. Allmendinger didn’t get bombed and plow into a bunch of people on the road or anything crazy like that. But it goes to show that when you are a driver for a living, you have to be careful about how you drive in real life, and what you drink before you drive. (Insert your Michael Waltrip joke here).

Whether fair on not, drivers’ actions off the track will influence how the people in the sport and the fans view you when you come to the track. One time is no big deal. Keep it up, and you’ve got a problem. For example, anyone seen Jeremy Mayfield lately?

And if fans want to look at this Allmendinger through their own prism, just look at your life. Almost all of us have an experience at some point of drinking a little bit too much, then debating whether to drive. Best bet? Be safe and don’t push your luck. Pick up your car the next day if you need to … it’s often safer than driving.

It’s possible you’ll make it home alive and not get pulled over either. But it’s also possible that you could have some seriously bad stuff happen on the way home.

Is it worth it? Probably not.

Regular folks have enough to lose from this type of bad decision, and an up-and-coming driver like Allmendinger has all that plus a potential bright career he doesn’t want to throw away.

Let’s just say I have a feeling he might let a buddy drive next time. This isn’t the end of the world for A.J., but it will likely be a strong wake-up call.

The big topic this week is whether Joe Gibbs made the right move in removing Kyle Busch’s crew chief, Steve Addington, and replacing him with Dave Rogers from the #20 Nationwide team.

That’s debatable, as both are very talented, but I’m not here to argue that point.

I contend that if Kyle Busch wants to know why he missed the Chase this year and doesn’t contend for titles like Jimmie Johnson, despite winning almost as often over the past two years, is very simple – it’s all in his head.

In all the champions I’ve seen in all sports, there is one trait that stands out among the best of them: Calm in the face of chaos.

Jimmie Johnson is the epitome of this. No matter how close or far the points lead or deficit, he goes about his business with precision and usually comes out on top.

Busch is highly talented, but many of his poor finishes over the past few years can be attributed to his emotions, and how he handled adversity. Last year, after a parts failure put him down early in the Chase, his mind just wasn’t in it anymore and he sulked his way to a terrible Chase finish.

In every sport, a certain amount of the advantage winners have is mental, to varying degrees. Extreme mood swings of the kind Busch has shown this year in various series don’t exactly lead to a serene mental picture, and can have negative implications on how a driver finishes in races and the points.

Also, Kyle didn’t do himself any favors by running the entire Nationwide season and half the truck races in 2009. Next year, wisely, he is scaling back, as that is something he must do if he wants to compete with Johnson and others for a title.

Talent will get you far in NASCAR, but once you’re at that level you need focus, concentration and a cool head to become the best of the best. No one doubts Kyle has the talent to be champ, but does he have the mental fortitude to get through a Chase and finish on top?

I would love to see it, as a Kyle Busch championship would be a great story, if only for how many people were upset that he won. Things have gotten boring with the #48 team’s domination, and we need the bad guy to win a little now.

Whether that happens next year will have a lot to do with Kyle and how much he can mature mentally.

Scary holiday, scary track
It’s Halloween, and fittingly we’re going to scary Talladega, where the slightest tap can wreck the entire field (except Jimmie Johnson of course, he’s indestructible.). Call me boring if you will, but here’s hoping we get through the races this weekend without a massive, dangerous crash that tears up half the cars in the field.

While plate racing may be fun to watch, I’d rather see hard side-by-side racing instead of the huge packs. There has to be a way the engineers can come up with to achieve that at acceptable speeds, and it’s a shame we’ll likely never see it happen.