Bristol Night Race Edition - Aug 25/08

By Lori Munro (LAM) and Dennis Michelsen (DMIC)
Back by popular demand the dynamic duo of Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen will thrill and amaze you with their NASCAR wits and acumen every week! If you can't get enough of these nuts on the "Doin' Donuts" radio show every Monday night on RaceTalkRadio at 8pm ET, now you can check out "Doin' Donuts for the Hearing Impaired" every week in print too! Race fans can even join in the debate with our easy to use comments section. Strap in for a wild ride as LAM and DMIC crank it up every week! You might even hear your comments on the radio so join in the fun today!

Call Pops for Help
DMIC says…Maybe it is time to go to the bench and get Tony Eury Sr on the box for the Chase races with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Tony Eury Jr is one of the best in the business at setting up a car but doesn't seem to keep up with the changes. Maybe Junior and Junior need old Pops to step in and wade through all the BS and get the job done better! It is time to put egos away and go out and win the championship. Putting Pops up on the box will make the No. 88 a better team.

LAM says… I hate it when we agree. My brain went into overdrive watching the Bristol race because all I think that is needed is just some sort of helping hand for Eury Jr. and Junior to help them get back to where they should be running. It's a good lesson for everyone in that money does not instantly buy success, manpower doesn't instantly bring you success and sure as hell being the most popular driver in NASCAR doesn't bring you anything but tee shirt sales and fans in the stands. Success comes from that magical part of the universe that combines a given amount of matter with a given amount of luck and with just the right amount of "sprinkles", success will follow. Just a hand is needed here, no more, no less.

Casey Who?
DMIC says…Is Casey Mears going to be the next Jeremy Mayfield, recycled from team to team after proving he is an average Cup driver? The fourth car at Richard Childress Racing was one of the top rides available this season! Shouldn't this ride have been reserved for a driver capable of winning a championship? Casey Mears couldn't get the job done in Hendrick Motorsports equipment, what makes RC think he can get the job done in his fourth car? Perhaps Casey is keeping the seat warm for Austin Dillon!

LAM says… My head spun like an Exorcist trailer when I actually saw Childress sitting down in conference-like fashion flanked by both Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears. I mean, does Casey Mears fit the image of an smooth shot of Jack Daniels? Hardly. Mears is closer to being a hard lemonade man, whereas Bowyer as much suits breakfast cereal as Secretariat was a hang-glider expert. But go ahead Richard Childress, use the Mears smoke screen because we know that in short order you'll have grandbaby over the door of car number four and we'll ask no more what the number 3 will adorn.

Chasing the Chase
DMIC says…The Bristol night race can sure throw an additional monkey wrench into an already interesting race for the final playoff spots. Kasey Kahne looked like a shoe-in for a spot just a few short weeks ago. Back to back 40th place finishes now have Kahne on the outside looking in and wondering what might have been. Stick a fork in the No. 9 team they are done for the year as far as making the playoffs. Now the big question is who will be bumped out by David Ragan in the final two races.

LAM says… Sorry Michelsen. Not taking your bait. Anything can happen in the next two races and sure as you're a monkey's uncle we'll likely be surprised by what goes down. The topsy-turvy twists and turns we've seen this season with some guys looking like shoe-ins all of a sudden scrambling to maintain their points status will take us right down to the wire. Close your eyes and flip a coin… and just wait…

Flipping or Bowing
DMIC says…Remember back in the day when a driver would win a race and just drive to Victory Lane? This year we have seen the Battle of the Bow versus the Battle of the Flip and I love it! But which celebration is better? Since Kyle Busch plays up to the fans and encourages their boos and cheers I give him an edge. But Carl Edwards has to earn points for a great dismount. One thing for sure we will see more bows and more flips in the years to come because these two drivers are the best in the business right now!

LAM says… What did we ever do before Cirque du NASCAR came up with this sideshow. First it was burnouts. The Polish victory lap (was it served with sour cream?) Then Tony decided to scale chickenwire until he quit winning. Then the Tyler Walker-inspired acrobatics by way of a backflip by Carl instead of a cartwheel and now, step right up and take a bow.

You tell me Michelsen, which is better? I say flat foot it to victory lane and get the trophy and the check and high tail it out of there before some eagle-eyed tech person finds the next edition of animal magnetism or loosened reservoir lids.

My only question; What would Cale do?

Bristol Better or Worse or Just Different
DMIC says…It's Bristol baby! Who the heck cares if they make these guys race unicycles on a track covered in marbles, Bristol will always be Bristol! The only people whining that track management ruined Bristol are the people that love train wrecks. Drivers can actually drive and pass without punting their fellow driver into the cheap seats. You still have lots of mayhem because this is the fastest half-mile track in the world! Bristol is better than ever with the new progressive paving!

LAM says… I can't even begin to express how much I personally enjoyed all 3 races this past week. New Bristol, old Bristol I'll take it any way it comes. Less carnage suits me to a tee because there's enough train wrecks in life I don't need them added to my racing entertainment. Even with the new Bristol, we've still got drivers fuming at each other and to this day, I don't think I've ever witnessed Mr. Ed in a car. I mean, where on earth does he hang his horseshoes and feedbag when he's driving?

Tale of Jim Johnson
DMIC says…Who is this moron Jim Johnson? Certainly this impostor couldn't have won two Cup championships the way he drove Wednesday night in the Craftsman Truck series. Wasn't he cute having a "Hit List" on board for the race? Jim Johnson must have had "Wall" written on the list too because he sure hit it hard enough! Kyle Busch and the Rowdy thing was cute. But putting Jim Johnson on the car to supposedly have an alter ego for a guy with no personality at all is a joke!

LAM says… You been taking lessons from Scott Speed? It's a TRUCK for heaven's sake! Speaking of which, the talented former F1 driver (I hate that saying too), really made quite a showing with his 3rd place finish last Weds night at Bristol. All that aside; I know the true reason why it was "Jim" as opposed to Jimmy. There were so many truck trashed for no good reason that he figured if he changed his name, the race results that people look up 10 years from now will say that JIM Johnson crashed out and took 9 trucks with him, not Jimmy Johnson. What gets me is that JIMMY actually laughed after he wrote the truck off and apologized to Randy Moss for not getting him his first win. The people he SHOULD be apologizing to are the ones who race in the truck series week after week and value every point they gain and were the victim of an uncontrolled crash caused by a truck-race-wannabe. Humph.

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