If a person wants the answer to that question, one would think that going to the NASCAR glossary, you would find an answer, but not so. If you go to the NASCAR glossary and search for rookie, you will find the definition of a rookie stripe, but you will find the glossary lacking the definition of a rookie. So just what is a rookie in NASCAR? After much investigation of the term, I was able to find only one definition of a rookie as related to NASCAR and that left me with many questions. The definition is as follows (and this is a quote from Wikipedia): Auto racing[edit] In order to qualify as a rookie NASCAR, drivers must have raced no more than seven races (five prior to 2001) in previous seasons in the series which they are racing. Starting in 2011 with the Series Declaration Rule, the provision that the limit applies only to the series which they have declared was added. Rookies are denoted by a yellow stripe on the rear bumper of the car that is placed on both sides of the name or symbol of the manufacturer of the car.
I have read and reread this definition and cannot figure out how a driver who has raced in more than ten NASCAR sanctioned races is eligible to compete for the title of "Rookie of the Year." It is my hope that some of the higher up officials of NASCAR read this and respond to clarify things for me so I do not post misinformation.If anyone can clarify this for me, I would be greatly appreciative. I do not want to be posting information that is not accurate or is unclear.
After the problems with the wrecks in the Budweiser Duels, it was no surprise that the 500 was a race to remember. The start of the race was pretty much uneventful, but after the longest rain delay in the history of the Great American Race, there were several cautions for the dreaded "big ones" and when the smoke cleared, we found Dale Earmhardt, Jr in Victory Lane with an ecstatic team and team owner.
Terry Labonte announced that this would be his last start in the Great American Race. We wish him well and would like to tell him he will be greatly missed.
Although the #3 car tool the pole position, it could only maintain the lead for one lap and then fell behind and spent the rest of the rave chasing the leaders, that is when he was not caught either in or causing a "big one." What a dramatic start to the 2014 season. A legend in the racing field announcing his retirement from the sport and an Earnhardt in Victory Lame, and unfortunately a not so memorable return of the famed #3 car to the track.
It was truly a shame to see so much carnage at the end of the race. Many good, notable drivers were taken out in 'big ones' as well as some great contenders for the title of "rookie of the year." I hope this is a preview of a great racing season to come and not one of races plagued with wrecks.
I must say I had to disagree with the second penalty given to a driver who was forced to either speed up or get wrecked at the entrance to pit road. What was that driver to do but speed up to avoid the accident and yet the driver was penalized for speeding on pit road. Would the NASCAR officials rather the driver would have been needlessly injured in an accident on pit road that was obviously unavoidable? I think they need to revisit their rule book and see that all rules will at some time or other have an exception. There will always be that one time where the rules just do not fit the situation.
All in all it was a great start to the 2014 season and I look forward to the next race to see if my favorite driver can score a win, my hat is off with a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Dale Earnhardt Jr on his second win of the Great American Race.
Well, it's official, the season for the NNS Series is now underway. The race at Daytona is in the books with Regan Smith scoring his first win in a long time after being sidelined due to health issues.
The field was laced with many rookies vying for a chance to claim the checkers at Daytona, but it was a veteran they had to beat and this veteran had another veteran to beat.The veteran that Regan Smith had to beat was 2012 NSCS Champion Brad Keselowski and he beat him by only inches.The field was also laced with many drivers who call the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series home.
I, for one, would love to see the officials at NASCAR limit the number of races that a driver from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) could participate in within a season. I think this would give the Nationwide drivers a better chance at winning within their own series.
A big congrats to Regan Smith on winning the big race at Daytona this season!
The Camping World Truck Series hit the track for the first race of the season. There were many new faces and even many old faces that are regular drivers in the truck series. It is a shame that a regular driver in the series could not claim the checkered flag. Had to be a regular driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. What a shame, I would much rather have seen a regular truck driver win.
All in all the problems were few and the race as a good one, especially near the end. There were a few cautions, but not as many as I have seen in other races at super speedways. One thing that bothers me is the fact that windows are falling out of vehicles on the track. This could lead to some serious injury for a driver, track worker, crew member or even worse a fan.
Even with what happened, it was a great thing to hear the roar of the engines of the trucks again after what seemed like a very long time off this season.
Even though I do not feel the Cup drivers should participate in the lower series, congrats to Kyle Busch on his win. I hope that the real truck drivers do capture most of the wins this season instead of the Cup drivers.
Well, The 2014 racing season is underway. The Sprint Unlimited is in the books with Denny Hamlin winning all three segments. Seems like he might be the one to watch this season. I do know the Toyotas were wicked fast in the Unlimited.
Amid Jimmie Johnson's spin out and hitting the inside wall and the massive pile up during the second segment, there were some serious passes and some very hard racing.
Too bad for Danica that "her boyfriend" had to take her out of the race. For once it looked like she was holding her own in a race and was even able to move up through the field after she had lost the draft. This was a great showing for her and Stewart-Haas Racing. But when the checkered flag dropped the only car in the stable of Stewart-Haas was that of the #4 Kevin Harvick.
If I had money to bet, I would place it on the #4, because I think Harvick will be a force to be reckoned with this year with the move to Stewart-Haas and the loss of the pressure of RCR.
All-in-all, looks like this season will be an exciting one. Just have to wait and see how the recent changes in qualifying and how the chase is set to see.
To all who read this, may you not miss a race and may your driver shine bright.
Jennifer is a very serious driver in one of NASCAR’s top three series. Although she spends most of her time driving a truck, she admits to loving to drive the cars as well because of their difference in handling on the track.
Jennifer was born into a racing family and has been at a race track since the age of 2 weeks. Her dad was a racer and although he did not actively give her a start in stock car racing, he was instrumental in starting her racing career. He did this by giving her a first car, a car for the drag strip which she drove until she reached the age of 18 and could drive in NASCAR sanctioned races.
Jennifer admits she enjoys the travelling involved with racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series and hopes to be able to build a lasting, profitable team and one day drive in the elite Daytona 500.
Getting sponsors is a problem for most drivers and Jennifer is no stranger to that. She does credit her background in journalism as a positive help in knowing how to present herself to potential sponsors.\
While on the road, Jennifer admits she loves to cook for the crew and even “sneaks in veggies” when she has the chance. Jennifer has had several women in her crew and instead of letting them do the cooking, she prefers to do it herself.
As many may remember, Jennifer had some very valuable equipment stolen last year and when asked about it, she declined comment stating, “this is still an ongoing legal case,” as a civil action is still pending. She also says she is ready to put the past behind her and move forward to 2014
.Jennifer admits to having a long-standing boyfriend who, races the same circuit as she does, so they get to spend a lot of time together. Since they met in racing, he understands her passion for racing, but she feels he would not mind if she quit racing to have his children.
Jennifer has three siblings (2 half-sisters and a half-brother) who “keep an eye on her” when she is racing, but are not involved in racing.
Jennifer says she relies on prayer, prayer, prayer before each race and does not have any specific good luck charm that must be in the truck when she is on the track.
Let’s all give Jennifer Jo our support in this new season of racing starting in mid-February. I would like to thank Jennifer Jo Cobb for taking the time to do this interview and to wish her the very best of luck in this coming season of racing. Also I would like to tell her I will be rooting for her every race, but especially at Gateway International Motorsports Park in June when the Camping World Truck series makes a comeback there.
I would like to introduce you to Julien Digoit. Julien is from Morocco and races buggies there. Although he was born in France, he now resides in Morocco. After taking a class in driving open wheel cars, he found his first love in racing – buggies and off road racing. Julien decided he wanted to be a racer after he reached adulthood. He stated that, because racing is not very popular in Morocco, it is very hard to get started in it. After his racing school, he realized that off road racing was his love and soon purchased his first buggy. Our professional drivers here in the United States cite sponsorship is very hard to get and keep. Being that racing is not popular in Morocco; Julien stated his biggest problem is getting sponsors. Prior to his attending driving school, Julien did a short stint in driving go karts and that is what started his love of racing. Julien’s favorite track to race is in the rocky dessert in Morocco. “It is a very beautiful and technical course to drive,” stated Julien. He drives there as much as he can at the wheel of his buggy. His second favorite track is in Spain and this is the track he drives the most. He cites it as “very challenging” and quite often very muddy when raining. Because he has not been racing that long, since 2007, he has not had a chance to develop a favorite driver and team to compete against. He did state that if he could have driven against any driver, he would have loved to race against Dale Earnhardt Sr. or Ayrton Senna who was a Brazilian racing driver who won three Formula One world championships. Julien denies any good luck charms or pre-race rituals other than running to warm up his body before getting in his car for a rally race. Being that sponsorship is difficult to find, Julien has missed some races where he stated he could have made a “good rally” had he had the sponsorship to race. The buggy he drives is a Predator X18S buggy, which, by the way, is made in America by the Predator Motor Corporation and sports a General Motors Ecotec 170 HP 2.4 Liter engine. It is a buggy that works well on any number of different terrains. Maybe if we watch some of the off road racing here in the States, we will see a buggy like his in action. Julien cites Formula 1 as the pinnacle of racing and Formula 1 drivers are considered the best drivers in the world. Julien thinks the Indy Racing League drivers are the best given the different courses, tracks, road races, etc. which they have to compete on, He named two IRL drivers as his favorites, Marco Andretti and Ryan Hinter-Reay. He has never raced in the United States, but given the chance, I can bet he would if sponsored. For all you ladies reading this: Julien is NOT married and does NOT have a girlfriend at this time. He is 33 years old and has a birthday on January 6. He is French. He was born in Toulouse, France and now resides in Morocco, where he grew up. Since racing is not as popular in Morocco as here in the States, Julien maintains a “regular” job so he has the money to race when he can. He considers himself an amateur driver at this time. Being an amateur driver, he has no swag for his fans. He states that without endorsement, drivers in Morocco do not have swag for their fans. You can find Julien on Facebook or LinkedIn. If you want to get in touch with him and cannot find him on either of those two, you can write him at: Julien Digoit JD TEAM c/o HYSCA 20, Boulevard Rachidi 20000 Casablanca – Morocco Or you can reach him by email at: [email protected] Let’s give this up and coming driver in the off road series our support. Maybe, with a little help, we can get him to the States to drive in a few rallies and, if so, might find he likes it here and decide to stay. People who want to support him can make a donation through his Go Fund Me page: http://www.gofundme.com/julien-digoit
Well, with the last race of the 2013 season over, a champion has been crowned in all three leading NASCAR series. Did any one of your favorite drivers win their respective series? If not, how are you dealing with it?
I do not know about you, but I am already ready for the start of the 2014 season. I wish there were summer and winter races so there would be races all year round. It would sure make it easier to deal with winter.
Matt Crafton won the NCWTS 2013 title in an impressive fashion. He is a driver in a league of his own.As I am sure you know, Austin Dillon won the NNS title, much by the choice of NASCAR because they failed to stop the race with 20+ laps remaining and give Hornish at least a chance at the title. And Jimmie Johnson won the NSCS title and can no longer be called five time but now should be called "six pack." The ladies in the NCWTS and NNS series did better than expected while Danica did not perform as expected of her.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. managed to beat out girlfriend, Danica Patrick , to win the Rookie of the Year in the NSCS series. Kyle Larson took the Rookie of the Year honors in the NNS series and Ryan Blaney managed to beat out several contenders, including "Bubba" Wallace, Jeb Burton and others to win Rookie of the Year honors in the NCWTS series.
A big congratulations to the Champions and Rookies of the Year in all the three major divisions of NASCAR.
We can hope the 2014 season is as exciting as the 2013 season was. How many Rookies will contend for the Rookie of the Year titles next season; guess we will have to wait and see.
And lets not forget to congratulate the owners of the year as well. They are the "behind the scenes" champions that we tend to forget about, but are a very integral part of the teams they build. Please join me in wishing the Owners of the Year a big congratulations on their wins and for what they contribute to the sport we so love.
During this off season, I will continue to interview drivers and post those interviews here. They will not all be NASCAR drivers, some will be from other racing genres. Please read them and comment on them as you feel fit to do.
Have a happy and safe off season. Let me and my family wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving, a very Merry CHRISTmas,a Happy New Year, and a Happy Valentine's Day, just so I do not forget! Will start posting interviews soon after Thanksgiving. Have a great off season!
What was a good, very good, race turned into a complete disappointment for me and many people that were tweeting. What should have been a race to the championship, ended up with the NASCAR officials giving the title to Austin Dillon. How you might ask? By NOT red flagging the race when there was less than 20 laps to go AND RUNNING THE CARS DOWN TO 6 LAPS TO GO BEFORE GIVING THE GREEN FLAG.
This was not the way to end the Championship race. Where the daylights was the red flag???? You simply handed the championship to Austin Dillon and did not give Sam Hornish a chance to win the championship after he drove his brains out the entire race. WHY??? Did Pop Pop pay you not to wave a red flag???
Oh and just HOW can a champion win a championship without winning even a single race???
I am truly disappointed in the NASCAR officials for their lack of fairness in this Championship race that was so close! I have lost all faith in them to be fair in ANY given race!
With just one race to go, Jimmie Johnson extended his lead over Matt Kenseth in the second to last race of the season at Phoenix. Kenseth had several problems which kept him mired in the pack throughout most of the race.
Jimmie Johnson won the pole, but was quickly taken back a few spots on the start when he was tapped in the rear by Joey Logano. This kept Johnson back in the pack for most of the race. ''although he had the fastest car, he was unable to get to the lead of the race and stay there.
Kudos to Kevin Harvick on his fourth win of the season. Seems he will leave Richard Childress Racing with several wins under his belt for this season. Harvick is 36 points behind Johnson and could, with some good luck on his part and bad luck on Johnson's part, win the championship. All it would take would be for Johnson to have a major problem, and this at a track that he has not had success at as yet. If Harvick could win at Homestead and both Johnson and Kenseth had problems, Harvick could come out on top and secure the Championship. This is a long shot, but is totally possible. Go Kevin and give em a hard time!
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