1. Denny Hamlin Vs. Joey Logano
The most talked about event of the first part of the season was the extreme situation between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. The situation began to heat up when Hamlin wrecked Logano at Bristol while Logano was running at or near the front. Logano was not happy with Hamlin and the two shared words at the end of the race while crew members pushed and shoved. A week later, the situation completely erupted at Auto Club. Coming to the checkered flag, Hamlin and Logano once again wrecked going for the win. This time it would end up much worse than a rivalry. Hamlin spun towards the inside wall and slammed it. His car lifted off the ground and came to a stop. He jumped out of the car, but he was in a lot of pain. He had hurt his back and would miss a bunch of races. Now, we head back to the same track with Hamlin starting on the pole. I personally think this rivalry could spark up again, but I definitely don't want it to. Hamlin has barely recovered from his back injury and needs to take it slow before paying him back. If it does happen again, it could be a very hostile and angry situation.
2. Tony Stewart Out For Rest of Season
The Tony Stewart saga has been going on for about three weeks now. Since he broke his leg in a sprint car crash, everybody has been wondering how long he would be gone and who would drive the car during this time. Now, we know both, but I want to talk about them separately. It was announced that Stewart would not return to his ride for the rest of the season. He will most likely be ready in time for preseason testing in January of 2014. To me, I think this is a good idea for the team. I know it is a sad situation that Stewart is in, but the team is handling this the right way. If you put him back in this year, you could shorten his career and cause him to lose a lot of wins. Since they are waiting, it gives him the proper amount of time to heal and make sure he is ready. Plus, the team is not making moves without him. According to practice yesterday, Stewart has a radio at his house that allows him to communicate with the team. Now that is pretty cool and innovative.
3. Mark Martin Replacing Tony Stewart For 12 Races
For the past three weeks, we have been wondering who would replace Tony Stewart as he is out. Now, we know the answer. Since he is out for the rest of the year, Mark Martin will take over for 12 races and Austin Dillon will jump in the car at Talladega. I don't care as much about the Dillon move as the Martin move. If I had to rank good moves in my memory of watching NASCAR, this is definitely near the top of the list. Not only do you get a driver who can win, but you get one who knows something about racing. Since Martin has been at Michael Waltrip Racing, the team has really improved and shown a lot of strength with him behind the wheel. Now, he heads to Stewart-Haas Racing who need help getting Ryan Newman in the Chase and I don't have to say anything more about Danica Patrick. With his help, their future looks really bright and they still have a chance for the Owners Points title.
4. Austin Dillon Moving to Cup In 2014
It was definitely a busy week for the elder Dillon boy. First, it was announced that he will driver for Tony Stewart in one race and then it was announced he will drive full time for Richard Childress in Cup in 2014. Personally, I have a few differing opinions on the move. First, I think it is a good move. Childress has done a good job in grooming the elder of the two Dillon boys to make sure he is good before jumping to Cup. He is a Truck champion and is contending for the Nationwide championship this year. Another thing is that Dillon has good connections with other drivers. Tony Stewart and many others think he has a good future and that can go a long way in helping him. But there are some bad things for him now. The first thing is that he doesn't really have a stable teammate next year. Paul Menard is an okay driver, but he is not good in leading others. Jeff Burton has a lot of experience and wins, but he just hasn't been winning or running up front every week lately. A final bad thing is the number he is probably going to use. Childress is most likely going to put Dillon in Dale Earnhardt's famous number 3 for next season. This has been a definite topic of conversation since he has been on the Sprint Cup radar. Some people like the move, others don't really care, and others are about as mad as you can get about it. Personally it is just a number. Yes, it is a representation of a great racer, but we shouldn't have to remember him by his number. I am going to remember Jimmie Johnson for the great things he has done, but not the number 48. It just seems like to me people get too wound up about the subject. The only thing Dillon could have trouble with in the number three is that people will expect a lot from him. If you jump in the Intimidator's car, you are expected to drive as good as the Intimidator. To me, that is the only problem Dillon could have with driving the three.
5. My Pick to Win
Last time the series went to Bristol at night, Denny Hamlin walked away with the victory. He isn't a bad pick since he is on the pole, but I think I'm going to go with someone else. I am going to go with Kurt Busch. Busch qualified up front and has been at or near the top of the practice charts all weekend. If you don't like that pick, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch are good picks. Once again, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my opinions. If you have a differing opinion than mine, just let me know know what you think down below. As always, I will continue to talk with you guys and write as much as possible.
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