RaceDriven.com

NASCAR changes policy and now will publicly disclose fines in 2012 - Fans and media cheer.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:38:00 +0000

Earlier today, NASCAR issued a statement on how fines will be disclosed to the public beginning this season:

NASCAR will no longer issue fines that are undisclosed. We looked at this issue from every angle and gathered feedback from the industry. While there are always sensitivities related to sponsor relationships and other leagues may continue issuing disclosed and undisclosed fines, NASCAR has decided that all fines moving forward will be made public after the competitor or organization that has been penalized has been informed. (Read Statement at NASCAR.com)

As a NASCAR fan, I have seen this sport change over the years from its stars to its policies and while the "Boy's Have at it" policy hasn't changed that let's drivers wreck each other at will if they see fit, at least NASCAR is making the effect to make changes as needed in the sport and today's statement that NASCAR will now publicly disclose fines in 2012 is a good step forward.

Basically as one NASCAR fan commented on this article on NASCAR.com, "There is no secrets in the garage anyhow. It always gets out." And to that I give you the examples of Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski, they are received secret fines.

Ford unveils the new 2013 NASCAR Ford Fusion during the NASCAR Media Tour.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:37:00 +0000

Earlier today during the NASCAR Media Tour, Ford unveils there new 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racecar that will debut at the 2013 Daytona 500. The new racecar does in fact look more similar to the street version than the 2012 NASCAR racecar. However the new racecar add more including four doors (decals), but not bad, they are getting better.

(Photo Credit: Ford Racing via Jayski.com)

(Photo Credit: Autoguide.com)

A 1948 Tucker Torpedo, 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and a 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee stool the show at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:52:00 +0000

Its Saturday night and here I am still watching the 2012 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction live on SPEED which is in Scottsdale, AZ. In watching this collector car auction like I do every year for the last several years, there is always those few special vehicles that have caught my attention and on this Saturday night, there were three collector cars that were jaw droppers to say the least.

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson Official Website)

1. One top seller, a 1948 Tucker Torpedo from the 5000 series collection that hammered away for $2,260,000. What a work of art.

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson Official Website)

2. 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (one of 146 in 1954) with 4,149 Original Miles, a rare car and it crossed the block and sold for $2 Million Dollars and in my opinion, it was well worth it. This car to me is considered priceless. It is the ride.

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson Official Website)

3. A 1969 Dodge Charger (General Lee #1) sold for $110K. Considering the fact that I'm not only a huge fan of the television show "The Dukes of Hazzard" and one of the collector cars that I would love to own before I die is a 1969 Dodge Charger, it should be no surprise that this ride got my full attention.

After all that the 2012 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction brought for hammer prices and amazing rides, I just have one question, how will 2013 top this one?

A quick note on the 1965 Shelby GT350 Fastback that sold for $350,000 at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:49:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson Official Website)

One of the collector cars that crossed the auction block earlier tonight at the Barrett-Jackson really caught my attention was a barn find or garage find in this case, a 1965 Shelby GT350 Fastback that sat in a garage for over three decades undriven.

In my opinion, this Shelby is a classic, its original and you just don't find a classic car like this anymore. But it also begs the question, what would you do with this 1965 Shelby GT350?

Well I thought about that and personally I thought that $200,000 would be well worth it, but I have to say that I was shocked to see that a bidder paid $350k for this ride.

As for what I would do with the ride, well an option would of course be to have a full restoration done to it, but actually I would take this Shelby and just have it repainted white with blue strips like it was when it was in the showrooms, how some maintenance done, register it and drive it to car shows and Sunday drives. Its better left as much original as possible. Of course I love resto-modes, but this ride would be one that I would touch in that way, it would be a waste.

$82K takes home this 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale. I love this custom ride.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:55:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson.com Official Website)

So some of my readers may be asking, why would he write about this collector car, a 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe Custom that went across the block and sold for $82k on a Saturday afternoon? Well that's easy, as a car enthusiast, I have a list of collector cars including custom ride that I would love to own one day before I died and this particular collector car is on my wish list. Yes, someday I would love to own a 1940 Ford Coupe.

However there is one more part to this story. Back in January 2009 at the World of Wheels in Boston, Massachusetts, I stood in line for 6 hours to get Chip Foose's autography. I received a picture with Chip, an autographed discast that I bought just a few hours before and a signed sketch that he did in front of me of what looks to be a 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe. The signed sketch was incredible, but the experience of meeting Chip Foose was perfect. He ended up signing autographs for over 6.5 hours straight and I couldn't thank him enough for those autographs and his time.

And yes Chip Foose is a really nice guy in person.

A jaw dropping $325k buys this 1962 Chevrolet Corvette convertible at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:16:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson Official Website)

My jaw just dropped with after that 1962 Chevy Corvette custom crossed the block and sold for $325k and its only Friday night. What a buy, you can't get no better than that pure custom. But I bet they will. And here I though nothing would get this crowds attention other than charity cars when it comes to high dollar bids.

A 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with serial #00001 hammered away for $185k at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:08:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson Official website)

Moments ago at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, this (pictured above) 2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with a serial #00001 and 3600 miles on it (list price for $121k), crossed the auction block and sold for $185k. Damn, this will be a collectors dream in years to come, hell its my dream now.

Now this is Corvette is a supercar that I would drive regularly and I would pick this Corvette over a Ferrari any day.

A 1987 Buick GNX 2 door hardtop hammered down for $66k at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:50:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson.com Official website)

So some of my readers may be asking, why would he write about this muscle car, a 1987 Buick GNX with 25k original miles that went across the block and sold for $66k on a Thursday night? Well that's easy, as a car enthusiast, I have a list of collector cars including muscle cars that I would love to own one day before I died and this particular muscle car is high on my wish list. Yes, someday I would love to own a 1987 Buick GNX or more so the Grand National.

My father showed me one of these at a car show several years ago and I love it. What is better than all black, fast muscle car that could be used as a daily driver if desired. But I do have to say, as much as I would want to keep it stock, part of me would actually have the car upgraded to a turbo-charged diesel engine or even a hydrogen powered car after several years of driving it and create one hell of a ride that looks stock on the outside and interior, but under the hood its all pure power.

Brad Keselowski's Talladega 2010 winning NASCAR Nationwide Series racecar sells for $250k at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale for charity.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:12:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Barrett-Jackson.com official website)

Welcome readers, its January and that can only mean one thing for us car enthusiasts, its time for the 2012 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, AZ. And while I'm not going to be their, I do have a great seat for the action, right in front of my television set and I'm tuned in to SPEED Channel.

One auction vehicle that rolled across the auction block that got my attention earlier tonight was Brad Keselowski's Talladega 2010 winning racecar from Penske Racing that hammered away for $250k, plus an additional $350k from 2 other people being donated to the charity with ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA.

I do love it when NASCAR invades the Barrett-Jackson especially with racecars being auctioned off for charity.

10 NASCAR drivers fans should watch during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season after off season changes.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:26:00 +0000

After a two month active off season that featured several announcements and changes, last week, NASCAR teams were hard at work at Daytona International Speedway for NASCAR’s Winter Testing. SPEEDtv.com and SPEED TV televised the 3 day event live and in watching most of the coverage, this was the first time for fans and media to see most of the off season changes at work.

1. A.J. Allmendinger: In 2012, I truly believe that this is just about AJDinger’s last chance to find success in NASCAR’s elite series, but I really do like what I have seen so far with testing with A.J. Allendinger driving the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing. I believe that this is the year for him to break out and win his first Cup Series race. He has the talent, the equipment, the people and a good teammate in Brad Keselowski, so let’s see what he can do.

2. Jeff Burton: Burton hasn’t been very successful in the Cup Series in the last few years now, but he does have a new winning crew chief joining him in 2012, Drew Blickensdefer. And RCR is going back down to a 3-car team in 2012 with the removal of the #33 team due to lack of sponsorship. I look for good things out of RCR and Jeff Burton in 2012.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: In 2011, Dale Jr. had a successful season of rebuilding and despite going winless, Dale Jr. and the #88 team did make the chase and finish 7th in the final point standings. But what will 2012 bring, hopefully victory lane and making the chase again.

4. Joey Logano: Logano has had a tough go in the Cup Series so far over the last few seasons now despite one victory in New Hampshire back in 2009 (a race I was in attendance for), but with a new season comes renewed effected to win and a new crew chief with Jason Ratcliff. I look for Logano to be a consistent top 15 driver.

5. David Reutimann: After MWR released Reutimann at the end of last season, Reutimann was able to pick up a new Cup Series ride with TBR that as of now is just for 2012 and several races. Sponsorship seems to be a keep sticking point. I’ll be interested to see what Reutimann can do with TBR in 2012.

6. David Ragan: After being released from Roush-Fenway Racing at the end of last season, Ragan was able to land a ride at Front Row Motorsports in 2012. But honestly I would say the goal here would be for Ragan to make all the 36 races, finishes races, finish inside the top 25 in points, gain experience and stay clean. Other than that, Ragan is a question mark.

7. Denny Hamlin: After a 2^nd place finish in points in 2010, 2011 is a season that both JGR and Denny Hamlin will want to forget despite making the chase. However in 2012, Hamlin will be joined by a new crew chief (last season’s championship winning crew chief) Darian Grubb. This will be an interesting combo for sure and maybe a victory or two along with making the chase are in the cards???

8-9. Michael Waltrip Racing comes into the 2012 NASCAR season with two new drivers, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer. Both drivers bring experience and victories with them.

- Mark Martin: After running full-time for the last few seasons, Martin now finds himself back to where he wants to be, running a 25 race part-time schedule for MWR in the #55 Toyota. This will be hard for me to follow in some ways, Mark Martin in Toyota, oh brother. But I do believe that Mark Martin can give MWR the help and guidance they need to contend for wins on a regular basis, which could result in wins???

- Clint Bowyer: After being unsuccessful in getting a sponsorship at RCR, Bowyer was able to land a ride at MWR in the #15 5-hour energy Toyota.

10. Kasey Kahne: In 2012, I truly believe that this will be Kasey Kahne’s season to win races and make the chase. Kahne with his longtime crew chief, are finally joining Hendrick Motorsports in the flagship ride, the #5.

I like to be optimistic when it comes to a New Year and new season especially in NASCAR. I’m really looking for 2012 to be a banner year in NASCAR for several drivers, but right now, it’s all about the Daytona 500 in last February to kick off a new season. Let’s go racin’.

Predictions: Top 10 biggest NASCAR storylines to watch in 2012.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:28:00 +0000

As the start of the 2012 NASCAR season approaches towards the end of next month (February 2012) with the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway followed by the 2012 Daytona 500.

Today I want to share my thoughts and insight with my readers with my predictions for the upcoming 2012 NASCAR season including mainly the Sprint Cup Series. Here are the top 10 storylines to watch in 2012.

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1. Another “Boy’s Have at it” moment will force NASCAR to finally change the rules package in the sport and wake up at the same time. During the 2012 NASCAR season, it is a safe beat that their will be another “Boy’s Have at it” moment so long as NASCAR drivers know that there is little penalty by NASCAR. And finally that moment will lead to a reaction that NASCAR will make changes to the current rules in the sport regarding where a hard line will be and what the penalty will be.

Letting the drivers run the sport without much in the form of penalties isn’t the way to run such an amazing sport of NASCAR, I predict that changes will have to be made to restore NASCAR credibility with everyone including the fans, teams and sponsors.

2. Rule Changes: In 2012, NASCAR will be making changes at both Talladega and Daytona superspeedway races in hopes of getting rid of the two-car tandem drafting racing that fans have seen throughout the 2011 NASCAR season including the boring Coke Zero 400 at Daytona last July.
Will the new changes work? You will see a difference at the July Daytona race, but not before and I’m being optimistic.

3. Track Attendance and TV rates will have a slight increase at many tracks and on some networks: In 2012, I believe NASCAR fans will continue watching NASCAR grow again by watching races on TV and attending races again. I also believe that attendance at several racetrack will be very strong, while others will just show a lot of empty seats, it will all depend upon the market and quality of the racing, plus the average ticket prices. One thing I can say is fans continue to attend and sell out many concerts in 2011, so that should be a good sign that NASCAR fans will once again come out and attend races so long as they get their money’s worth. …

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. rebound: Last season (2011) was a good season for Dale Jr. and while he didn’t win a race in 2011, he still made the chase and finished 7th in the final point standings. So in 2012, I believe the #88 will continue to be running up front and contending for wins and make the chase again.

5. Having sponsorship is going to be the key to survival in NASCAR: Many fans might not think of this, but it’s a reality that in NASCAR that there isn’t as many sponsors as there once was especially in the Cup Series. As of now, Red Bull is gone, Best Buy has cut back on sponsorship and moved to the #17 Matt Kenseth RFR Ford Fusion and many other sponsors will followed suit. But the magic question is, since the Cup Series is struggling, what will the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series see for sponsorship in 2012?

Bottom line, money equals racing and without sponsorship, you’re not racing period.

6. Hendrick Motorsports rebound and be the organization to once again beat: I’m looking at Hendrick Motorsports with its four elite drivers (#5-Kasey Kahne, #24-Jeff Gordon, #48-Jimmie Johnson and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.) to dominate the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and win the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship – Just one question, which driver will win the champion in 2012?

7. The Nationwide Series will see more Nationwide Series regulars win races in 2012. Yes you read that correctly, more Nationwide only drivers will win more races in 2012 and there is a reason for that.

First, we have a good crop of Nationwide only drivers in 2012.

Second, several Cup Series drivers aren’t running in the Nationwide Series in 2012. Carl Edwards will be in the booth as far as I know, Brad Keselowski is sharing the driving duties of the #22, Kyle Busch will be limited due to JGR and sponsors request.

And other drivers are running the series full-time without running Cup.

8. These 10 drivers will make the chase for the championship. In no particular order: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch.

But look for Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray to contend for the two wild card spots. BTW: I believe that Carl Edwards will have a Denny Hamlin 2011 type season as he is the runner up in the 2011 Cup Series point standings.

9. Kasey Kahne and Austin Dillion will be the Breakout star of 2012 in the Cup Series. Kasey Kahen is due and he is driving for Hendrick Motorsports, need I say more. And Austin Dillion is making his Nationwide Series full-season debut in the #3 Bass Pro Shop RCR Chevrolet Impala SS, I see him contending for wins for sure.

10. Stewart-Haas Racing will find success again in 2012: In 2011, Stewart-Haas Racing had a banner season with Ryan Newman winning a race and making the chase and of course Tony Stewart not only making the chase, but winning 5 races enroute to capturing his third Cup Series title after wining at Homestead and a tiebreaker. In 2012, SHR enters with Tony Stewart having a new crew chief (Steve Addington), Ryan Newman and Danica Patrick, along with Zippy coming on-board as Patrick's crew chief and working with all three teams.

So, how will Danica Patrick do in her 10 race season? Will Stewart contend and repeat as Cup Champion and how will Ryan Newman do? Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing is the teams to watch in 2012 for competing for the Cup Series Championships and race wins.

Hopefully the 2012 NASCAR season will be less frustrating and more entertaining then both the 2010 and 2011 NASCAR seasons.

Adam Carolla from The Car Show, legendary racecar driver Michael Andretti and American Chopper's Paul Teutel Sr. among others to be on the upcoming season of The Celebrity Apprentice, say what???

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:50:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Autoblog.com via Andrew H. Walker / Getty)

Interesting, I just read (over at Autoblog.com under report) that SPEED Channel might be cancelling the Car Show with Adam Carolla. I watched The Car Show on SPEED and while it was a little weird and it reminded me of Top Gear, it wasn't that bad.

But what really caught my attention was that Adam Carolla, Michael Andretti, American Choppers own villain Paul Teutel Sr. among others will be on the upcoming season of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice. I will say that I've been watching both The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice for years now especially with John Rich and Trace Adkins being on the show and I actually for the most part enjoy the show. But this season, what I'm really looking forward to is hopefully seeing and hearing Donald Trump say those magical words to Paul Sr. "Your Fired!", its so worth it. I like Sr. vs. Jr. American Chopper, but only because Paul Jr Designs is on it.

Happy New Year 2012 everyone - My New Years Resolutions.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com)

Happy New Year 2012 Ladies and Gentlemen and to kick off 2012, I want to share my new year resolutions with you.

1. Land a new job. Its a new year and finding a job is step one to happiness.

2. Learn to let most things go, except the ones that need a voice.

3. Watch less of NASCAR's talking heads and instead enjoy more racing. During both the 2010 and 2011 NASCAR seasons, I have been growing more and more frustrating with the sanction-body especially with "Boy's Have at it" and the lack of responsibly and no real rules that NASCAR has, the negative words of the NASCAR media and listening to all of pointless hype before a race. And in doing this, it has taken a lot of my passion away from actually watching the racing either in-person at the racetrack or more so live on television and enjoying it. Key here, find my passion for NASCAR again.

4. Exercise and lose this weight.

5. Find true love.

6. Regain my passion for blogging and explore my passion for photography again. Since September of 2010, I have been trying new thing through trial and error on trying to find my passion for blogging once again. I have tried out new services including Posterous, Tumblr and more and while those sites I started on each service are basically gone now since they were test beds.

I did find that I really don't want to be a traditional or normal blogger anymore. I don't want to write long articles anymore. At one point, blogging has become less of a passion and more of a job that I don't get paid for. But I have found that instead of writing long articles, I actually want to share links, take photos and share small bites of insight online in a new personal stream or something.

7. Find a balance between online life (social media and blogging) and offline live (Go out and live life the way it should be): I've found that my online life tends to dominate my offline life by 2 to 1 and that is terrible. I want to sign off more often from Facebook, but instead use Twitter and Blogging to have a real voice while I'm online. But still enjoy life without a smartphone and laptop near me.

8. Separate my personal life and professional life online. If I'm going to be a professional person online, than I need to have a professional website and keep that separate from my personal website.

Ladies and Gentlemen, recently I read an article called "What I learned about the wired world on jury duty" on RedWriteWeb and it was a wake up call sort of speak. Sometimes in life, we need a wake up call and this article falls into that category when it comes to online. This is a very eye opening article that has left me thinking about my future online as well including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and my blog on RaceDriven.com.

Well that's a good start. Personally I really don't know what 2012 is going to bring me, but I know one thing, I'm really excited about 2012 (the future) and whatever life brings me.

Top 10 Best and worst surprises of the 2011 NASCAR season including Boy’s Have at it over the top, Trevor Bayne, Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski and more.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:01:00 +0000

Merry Christmas readers, as 2012 is just over a week away and even Daytona testing a few weeks away, today I want to take a final look back at the 2011 NASCAR season including the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series in the form of surprises of 2011.

In 2011, there were several things that caught my attention, some were good, while others where bad or even just plain wrong. Well I have outlined the top 10 best and worst surprises of the 2011 NASCAR season and I bet at least one of them left you saying OMG!

1. Best - Tony Stewart narrowly wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship on a wins tiebreaker over Carl Edwards. Need I say more, there’s nothing like a championship battle that goes down to the final lap in the final race of the season with a winner take all deal.

2. Worst - Kyle Busch finally gets NASCAR’s attention after taking NASCAR’s saying of “Boy’s Have at it” way over the top with a violent incident under caution between him and Ron Hornaday Jr. during the Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR parked Kyle Busch of the rest of the Texas weekend (rest of Truck race, entire Nationwide race and Cup Series race). Of course Kyle Busch is still going to be feeling the effects of this one throughout the 2012 season.

Personally, this incident was the latest black-eye NASCAR has received after letting drivers self-police themselves on-track and off-track. While Boy’s Have at it has gotten drivers to get up on the wheel and drive, it has also proven that NASCAR has lost control of its drivers and now needs to take a stand, make real rules and take back their sport before it’s too late. Of course to some, it already was too late.

3. Best - Trevor Bayne wins his first Cup Series race by winning the Daytona 500 in the famous #21 Ford with the Wood Brothers. You can’t get any better way to start the 2011 than Bayne and the Wood Brothers winning the Daytona 500.

4. Best - NASCAR’s New Points System. This is one area that NASCAR got it right when they changed the old points system to a simpler 1 point per position point system with 3 points for winning and a driver can get a max of 48 points. Plus 2 wild card spots that putting winning races to a premium level. This new point system gave NASCAR fans one hell of a tight points fight right down to the final lap of the season at Homestead with Smoke taking the Cup Title over Edwards on a tie breaker. You can’t get no closer than that.

5. Worst - Two-car tandem restrictor plate racing at Talladega and Daytona: Here was one topic that NASCAR fans exploded on talking about and voicing their displeasure on. Following the Daytona 500, NASCAR drivers and teams took advantage of a new type of drafting at the superspeedway races, two-car tandem racing or tag team racing and it was terrible. It took a lot of the fun out of these races (if there was any) and took half the field out of winning the race. Any driver that was pushing, basically had a 10% chance of winning the race over the driver that was being pushed.

Take the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July, Matt Kenseth took himself out of possible winning the race by pushing David Ragan in the closing laps. Ragan won the race and Kenseth finished second. Or Jimmie Johnson wins at Talladega while Dale Jr. finishes 2nd. Only Clint Boywer has been able to overcome the stupid type racing and win by a last lap pass over teammate Jeff Burton at Talladega.

6. Best - Brad Keselowski: The Cup Series breakout star of 2011 has to be Brad Keselowski with not only his win at Kansas, he was outside the top 20 with several races to go in 2011, but even after a hard hit at Road Atlanta, Keselowski went on a streak raking up two more wins at Pocono and Bristol to make the chase with a wild card spot. In the chase, Keselowski stood tall and came away with his best point’s finish of his career in 5^th spot. 3 wins, making the chase and finishing 5^th in the final standings, that’s a damn good way to end the season.

7. Worst - Paul Menard’s blatant spinning out at Richmond to bring out a caution flag to help teammate. I’m surprise no other team did this or got caught in this case. At the fall Richmond race, Paul Menard was a few laps down and throughout the race was getting updates on where teammate Kevin Harvick was on-track and if he needed a caution flag. I truly believe that this was Paul Menard, his crew chief and Mike Dillions idea to help teammate Kevin Harvick has a shot at winning the race for the extra points heading into the chase over in this case Jeff Gordon. But I don’t believe that Richard Childress knew anything about it. NASCAR should have busted them, but unless they confessed, it wasn’t going to happen…Boy’s Have at it.

8. Best - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 2011 was Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s year in the Nationwide Series. With the welcome addition of the Nationwide Series only drivers’ championship, Stenhouse Jr. showed all season long that he could run with front runners and on his way to his first Nationwide Series Drivers championship in 2011, Stenhouse Jr. collected two victories in the season, both coming at Iowa Speedway including him blowing a motor coming out of turn 4, to only get hit from behind by teammate Carl Edwards (who wanted that win badly) and winning the race. Damn what a race and a championship.

9. Best - Austin Dillion: The 2011 Truck Series breakout star and Truck Series Championship. In 2011, Austin Dillion driving the #3 that his grandfather Richard Childress drove in his driving career, became a front runner and contending for top 5’s and wins on a weekly basis. Dillion would end up winning two races (Nashville and Chicago) on his way to capturing his first Camping World Truck Series Championship.

Personally I was impress with Austin Dillion and while the win total doesn’t show it, Dillion was one of a few Truck Series regulars that could keep pace with Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick all season long. Now he is off to the Nationwide Series and his brother Ty Dillion takes over the #3 Bass Pro Shop Chevy in 2012.

10. Worst – Payback, Payback, Payback as “Boy’s Have at it” goes too far and NASCAR can’t and doesn’t want to get it under control, they call it racing for now.

Bottom line, 2011 was somewhat a lot like 2010 when it came to “Boy’s Have at it”, but at least 2011 has several good moments including Tony Stewart winning the Cup Title, Trevor Bayne winning the Daytona 500, Dale Jr. making the chase to some amazing races including Martinsville, California Speedway and of course the season finale in Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Now I have to wonder what 2012 will bring and more importantly, what changes NASCAR will make before the 2012 season. Hopefully NASCAR will wake up and get rid of Boy’s Have at it and create real rules, but not likely, I give it a 10 percent chance.

As for me, 2011 makes the end of another season and another year, but I really don’t know what 2012 will bring for me as a blogger, a person, an unemployed guy, but I can hope and work on making my dreams come true in the new year. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and/or Happy Holidays everyone.

More NASCAR off-season changes with SPEED news no where in sight.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:14:00 +0000

After reading an interested article over The Daly Planet called "Week in Review: Off Season Changes", here's my opinion on it.

Three simple things:
1. NASCAR Chairman Brian France is at #17, really??? Giving Brian France this award is like giving the lady from National Grid an award, neither deserve it, because they didn't do their jobs correctly.

2. NASCAR need to partner with another network instead of making their own. How about CBS or NBC. There has to be a good network that can handle NASCAR's programming especially live ones that is both in homes all over the world and online.

3. SPEED is changing and NASCAR isn't included in these changes. SPEED Channel, the automotive channel without Motorsports or NASCAR.

By the way SPEED, come on, no Speed Center even on Sunday's, give us a break.

Can you see these four brake lights on this brake happy Dodge Ram driver?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:34:00 +0000

(Photo takes by me "Brian Vermette" with my 3MP cell phone)

Sorry, I just could help myself to take this picture (from the passenger seat, no I wasn't driving) when I was coming up to the Massachusetts tolls on the MassPike yesterday after being stuck behind this Dodge Ram at the tolls. Ironically enough, we were in the Fast Lane (EZ Pass lane), no change required, just wait for the green light once it bills you. But I do have to say that I like the four different locations of the bright brake lights.

John beats Antone and Ramon to win season 12 of The Biggest Loser.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:21:00 +0000

Despite the fact that the live Biggest Loser season 12 finale should have been named "let's talk for two hours" and saw just 6 people weight-in (3 finalists for the at home prize and 3 finalists for the $250,000 prize). Its all about the end result of this weight loss journey and whoever has lost the most weight (in percentage of weight loss) wins and on this night, it was Jennifer losing 145 pounds to win the at home prize of $100k and John losing 220 pounds to win $250,000 and be crowned the season 12 Biggest Loser winner.

But I have to hand it to everyone, everyone dropped a lot of weight and looked great with their new looks especially country music singer Vinnie who is engaged as well as Ramon and Jessica who found love on teh ranch. I wish them all the best of luck moving forward.

And if that wasn't enough and despite the fact that I named this one "Let's Talk for two hours", the format of weighing in of all of the at home prize people backstage and then just having the 3 finalists weigh-in live again on stage for the at home prize is a good format, it moves the show along, but still showcases each person.

Now I'm looking forward to season 13 of The Biggest Loser (No Excuses) with two trainers and a new twist that I might like, each pairing is two family members, but they're playing as singles. I don't care for the teams at all and would prefer to see them all play as singles. But this could work because its the best of both worlds. Sad though to see that Anna isn't returning to the show, but we still have two great trainers with different styles. I can't think of a better way to start off the new year then with weigh lose. Its a new years resolution for me.

Lowe’s pulls advertising from TLC TV Series, AT&T/T-Mobile merger, Grubb to crew chief for Hamlin at JGR: My Take on Trending Stories.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Welcome readers to today’s edition of “My Take on Trending Stories” that features three hot topics that have me in some cases scratching my head from the Lowe’s/TLC controversy and AT&T/T-Mobile merger to yet another off season crew chief move in NASCAR.

1. Lowe’s pulls advertising dollars from TLC’s "All-American Muslim" after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained… (Read full article from the Associated Press)

My Take: I going to say the same thing that I said earlier today on the Consumerist.com. The only two issues I see here is, first, this legislator (California Sen. Ted. Lieu) should be in investigated for wasting taxpayer money.

And second, since when is it "un-American" or wrong for a company (in this case Lowe's) to pull their advertising dollars from something because they want too. Maybe Lowe's just wasn't getting their investment back from the program. At any rate, they DO have the right to pull the money, its money to do what they want with.

Personally I don't believe that Lowe's should have even advertised on this TLC Series in the first place, you could see the firestorm coming from this decision, It would have been better to advertise on "The Playboy Club" if it was on USA Network, then this TLC Series. But they do have the right to pull their advertising dollars after the fact if they want too and no legal issues should keep them from doing so. And I will continue to shop at Lowe's Home Improvement Stores.

Although I do have to say that me using “un-American” wasn’t about reading between the legislator’s comments lines, but rather just trying to make a simple point. Basically I don’t see the issue here, plain and simple.

2. AT&T/T-Mobile “possible” merger

My Take: I’ve been reading and hearing about this whole AT&T/T-Mobile merger deal and all of the lawsuits, withdrawals, and whatever else that this deal has gone through and personally I only really see one good outcome out of three possible outcomes.

I don’t like the idea of AT&T merging with T-Mobile because it takes away one more wireless communication's company that I can do business with especially in finding a better price tag for the service I want as well as more job lose. On the other hand, if this merger doesn’t go though, then AT&T’s coverage map wouldn’t get better and let’s be honest, I would give T-Mobile 5 - 10 years tops of surviving in this business.

But I do like the idea of AT&T and T-Mobile remaining as separate companies with a technical alliance. Hopefully that means that both the AT&T and T-Mobile coverage areas would improve as well as data speed without losing another wireless communications company. One could only hope. Keep in mind that right now I’m an AT&T GoPhone customer who almost picked T-Mobile if it wasn’t for its terrible coverage in my area.

3. Darian Grubb will be the new crew chief for Denny Hamlin at JGR. (Read full article)

My Take: This is a mixed bag for sure, on one hand, Grubb lands a new crew chief job as getting let go from being the crew chief of Tony Stewart despite winning the Cup Series title in 2011. Keep in mind that this decision was made way before the end of the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series season and then winning the title.

But on the other hand, my headline reads Grubb crosses over to the dark side to become crew chief for Denny Hamlin at JGR. Sorry, from Chevrolet to Toyota. Tony Stewart made that same move and lost in fans base and considering I only support Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge in the Cup Series, Toyota is the dark side to me.

This was an interesting first edition article of My Take on Trending Stories. Sure I could have created three separate articles out of these three headlines, but I really wanted to try this new article format out especially considering it’s a good talking article.

American Chopper: The Build-Off - Paul Jr. Designs beats out Jesse James and OCC to win Build-Off.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:05:00 +0000

Earlier tonight, Discovery Channel showcased American Chopper: The Build Off that featured Paul Jr. Designs, Jesse James and Orange County Choppers. I've been a fan of American Chopper since the first episode aired and while the show has changed, I still watch the show now only to see what Paul Jr. and PJD can turn out.

Coming into tonight, I expected a show and bikes for that matter that would go on typical "Biker Build-Off". As several fans might have seen, I'm talking about a Discovery Channel show from several years ago that featured The Martin Bros., Denver Choppers, Rick Fearless, Arlen Ness, Cory Ness, the late Indian Larry, Hot Match... for example. Typically a chopper that can and must be road for several hundred miles and then the fans voted for there favorite.

But I should have known better as American Chopper: The Build-Off between PJD, Jesse James and OCC was simply who could get the biggest response from the crowd with there off the wall creations. But I will say each bike was completely different from what the others had built.

Paul Jr. Designs: Winner

While I was expecting something along the lines of the Anti-Venom, The Black Widow or a Cadillac Bike, I will give him credit, it does remind me of plane, its a bike and it is creative. But I dare him to ride this bike from Las Vegas back to New York. I don't think so, especially with that exhaust and 1 gallon gas tank. And yes I voted Paul Jr. Designs, it was the best of the 3 bikes.

Jesse James: Second

I was expecting a lot more out of Jesse James considering I've seen several of his bikes from almost a decade ago. But that was almost a decade ago and while I will give Jesse James credit, he did build a bike from the ground up including the front end and the frame itself, this simply wasn't it. One question, why does this remind me of a 57 Chevy?

Orange County Choppers: Third

Honestly, I'm disappointed with OCC. I was expecting a traditional chopper or Old School chopper that can be road across the country and enjoyed. But instead we got this Electric Monster above. Don't get me wrong, its an amazing creation and its electric powered, but simply put, its not a chopper plain and simple, its a showpiece.

With all that said, Discovery Channel, congrats, you made this, just like the latest American Chopper episodes, a personal tale of three builders and not about the bikes themselves especially with sit down before the vote was revealed. But at least we had some interesting creations. Hats off to the builders for creating them and its Paul Jr. that comes out on top over Jesse James in second and OCC in third. Congrats PJD.

(Photo Credit: Discovery.com)

With Penske Racing and Kurt Busch officially parting ways, the question is who will drive the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Cup car?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Earlier this morning, Penske Racing announced that they and Kurt Busch have officially agreed to part ways. In a statement:

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 5, 2011) - Penske Racing announced today that it has reached a mutual agreement with driver Kurt Busch to end its driver/race team relationship, effective immediately.

The team will evaluate its options for the driver of the No. 22 Sprint Cup Series car in the future while Busch will seek new opportunities with another race team.

"I appreciate the victories that Kurt has brought Penske Racing and our sponsors over the past six years," said Roger Penske. "While I am disappointed that Kurt will not be racing for our team in the future, both Kurt and I felt that separating at this time was best for all parties, including our team and sponsors. I wish Kurt the best in his future racing endeavors."

"I am grateful to Penske Racing for six very productive years," said Busch. "Together we won a lot of races -16 in all. Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it's an important step for me and allows me to take a deep breath to work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person. I want to personally thank Roger Penske for the opportunity that he has given me." (Source: Penske Racing)

Of course with this announcement, this just leaves one questions, who will drive the Shell-Pennzoil-Penske Racing Dodge in 2012 in the Sprint Cup Series?
There are a lot of rumors going around following not only last night's report from Thatsracin.com, but earlier this morning's official announcement. Of course I don't expect Penske Racing and Shell-Pennzoil to make an official announcement for a little while. Personally I know that I've heard David Ragan, Sam Hornish Jr. and Steven Wallace, but those are only rumors and rumors are junk.

Personally from a fan stand point, I would like to see veteran driver David Reutimann who was released from Michael Waltrip Racing a few months ago because of a lack of sponsorship.

NASCAR Fines Kurt Busch For Actions At Homestead-Miami Speedway

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:35:00 +0000

Earlier today, NASCAR dropped a $50k fine on Kurt Busch for “Angry Bird” in the NASCAR garage area a few laps into the Ford 400 at an SUV that was associated with the First Lady Michellle Obama (her people), and his actions towards ESPN media reporter Jerry Punch.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 25, 2011) NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch $50,000 for his actions during the Nov. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR determined that Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing – inappropriate hand gesture; abusive language) of the 2011 NASCAR Rule Book.

In issuing the penalty, NASCAR cited Kurt Busch’s “poor judgment in making an inappropriate hand gesture” when he drove his car into the garage early in the race after it experienced transmission problems. In addition, NASCAR said Kurt Busch showed “disrespect towards a media member,” an incident that followed similar inappropriate media confrontations earlier in the season. (NASCAR PR - NASCARmedia.com)

NASCAR, its about time you wake up to Kurt Busch’s actions that have been seen by all, all season long. And its not a secret fine, what a concept.

Photography: A 1970 Plymouth Road Runner that is nicknamed “The Hammer”.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:47:00 +0000

(Photo Credit: Hot Rod and Barrett-Jackson.com)

This is one Dream car that I’ve never seen in person, but is one amazing ride that even I would love to own myself. It’s a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner that is named “The Hammer”. I first saw “The Hammer” on RIDES (TV Series) a few years ago when the guys at Pure Vision Design when the team was racing to debut this muscle car at the upcoming SEMA show in Las Vegas.

The car has an all aluminum 526 HEMI big block engine and was featured on RIDES, in Hot Rode Magazine, at SEMA and of course in the movies Fast & Furious 3 and 4.

Of course the is muscle car returned at the 2010 Barrett-Jackson in Orange County where it was hammered away for $175,000.

But I do have to say that “The Hammer” is also available in a 1/18 scale GMP Scale diecast as well. personally I’ve been looking to buy one of them, but just haven’t been able to get my hands on it since they go for so much money. I figure if I can’t own the real thing, then at least I could own it in diecast form and it woudl go right next to my 1/18 2008 Ford Mustang Roush Stage 3 diecast that signed by Jack Roush himself.

Photography: Tony Stewart’s Hearse, "the Smoke Deville" from Unique Whips.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:41:00 +0000

(Photos were taken by me - Brian Vermette)

While I was looking though my digital photography collection, I came across those photos and I decided to share them here on ThinkingBrian.com. The photos above are Tony Stewart’s custom made Unique Hearse that is nicknamed “The Smoke Deville” that Tony Stewart had built years ago by Unique Autosports that was featured a SPEED Channel show called Unique Whips.

Back in 2008 at a Motorsports show called Speedway Expo in E. Springfield, Massachusetts, I saw this ride for the first time. I walked by this hearse a few times and on the final time by, the Unique Autosports crew had turned on the inside lights and damn, with the lights on this one just shines. The photos above don’t do this hearse full justice.

Of course I do own the two episodes that show them building it. I just bought them on Amazon and downloaded them to my notebook so I watch them whenever I want too. And I hope to have them on my Android device real soon.

Can you imagine driving around in a custom hearse? I could and would.

NASCAR fans boo First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden at Ford 400, a silence response would have been a better choice.

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Vermette) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:51:00 +0000

Last Sunday before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale, the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, that saw Tony Stewart capture his 3rd Cup Series title by winning the race, made headlines before even the drop of the green flag. You see, (President Barack Obama’s wife) the first lady Michelle Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden were in attendance to be the grand marshals of the race and when they were introduced and gave the command “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines”, they were booed by several NASCAR fans in the crowd.

You could hear the booing on the live ESPN telecast and it was disrespectful. The fact is, you just don’t boo the first lady, nor do you boo women in general. However, if you want to voice your displeasure of someone or in this case, you didn’t like the First Lady being at a NASCAR race and that would include me, then try being silent. I truly believe that a silence is a bigger response makes a statement than booing someone, besides you’re not being disrespectful and rude if your silent.

Oh yeah to the mainstream media, NASCAR is a national sport that has millions of fans, try reporting on, on a weekly basis in positive way for a change.