Logano makes history at Loudon

It was just another boring week in NASCAR where nothing major happened and the results of the race at Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway had a predictable outcome. NOT!
This past week’s race was anything but normal, and there is so much trash talk going around the garage it’s hard to keep it straight. I mean, who would have thought that Joey’s Logano’s crew chief, Greg “Zippy” Zipadelli, would throw the dice in New Hampshire and leave the Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate out on the track with precious little fuel? For Logano, there wasn’t much to lose since he was going to have to pit pretty soon anyway. As for Zippy, he was on the pit box doing his best Cherokee impersonation and dancing to the rain gods. And within just a few laps, the bet paid off and Logano was sitting at the front of the field when the skies opened up and drenched the track.
It was a smart move and Logano deserved the win, despite what anyone else says. Don’t get me wrong, I am not on the Sliced Bread bandwagon but I know the rules and when a guy is leading the race past the halfway point and it ends because of rain, he is the winner. You don’t have to like it but that’s the way it is. Kurt Busch won that way last year. David Reutimann did it in May at the Coca-Cola 600. Matt Kenseth did at the 2009 Daytona 500.
So what’s the big deal?
Apparently, some fans are upset that the youngest guy in the sport got his first win on a technicality. Others say that because his car wasn’t dominant throughout the race, the win shouldn’t count.
Too bad for them. The rules are the rules. Logano won and his name went into the history books as the youngest driver to do so. It’s pretty simple — get over it.
As for the other major news events of the week, there has been a lot of talk that the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will go the way of the dodo bird. (That last analogy brought to you by my wife.) Anyway, the rumors of the truck series’ demise appear to be greatly exaggerated. And NASCAR doesn’t appear too happy about it.
The blame for the rumor is being heaped on a friend of mine, veteran NASCAR reporter Mike Mulhern. Some are saying that Mulhern fabricated a story that the series was on its deathbed but there is no denying that most everyone who covers the sport, including myself, is asking the same question. The series is struggling to say the least and hiding your head in the sand about it isn’t doing any good.
Still, NASCAR’s Jim Hunter is officially “on-record” saying that truck series isn’t going anywhere. For me, I hope not because it’s some of the best racing in the sport.
And the battle between NASCAR and Jeremy Mayfield is getting hot. NASCAR countersued Mayfield a few weeks ago claiming that he essentially defrauded the sport. A lot of documents have been filed in the case but on Wednesday, Mayfield and NASCAR were back at in a Charlotte, N.C., federal courtroom.
And by mid-day Wednesday, Mayfield had the answer he was looking for, as U.S. Distirct Judge Graham Mullen lifted an indefinite suspension pending the final outcome of the Mayfield’s case against NASCAR. And what was NASCAR’s reacton? Well, I thought they would have run across the hall and filed an immiedate appeal but they aren’t “at this time.” However, NASCAR Spokesman Ramsey Poston made it clear that Mayfield will be continuously scrutinzed by the sanctioning body. hey jeremy, get ready to drink lots of fluids because NASCAR’s going to want to you to pee in a cup 10 times a day, more than likely.
I say good for Jeremy. I don’t think Mayfield is a meth-head and I do believe that a drug test can be flawed —that’s where I am different from NASCAR. They think they are perfect.
In other news, if you missed Bill Weber’s commentary on TNT this past weekend, it was because the network pulled him from the broadcast at the last minute. Just prior to Sunday’s race, TNT executives released a statement confirming Weber’s absence but it left out any real details of what may have led to their decision. According to the statement, Weber was dealing with personal issues and that it was the policy of TNT to not comment on such things.
All I know is what I read in the Charlotte Observer, which said Weber was involved in some sort of heated argument at his hotel. This has pretty much flown under the radar but some media outlets are reporting that Weber will return this weekend. At this point, it is a wait-and-see situation.
And finally, Michael Waltrip Racing has announced that it will be holding a press conference on Monday. From everything that I can gather, the announcement will be that Martin Truex Jr. will join the organization next season. Truex is currently in the final year of his contract at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and is looking to move somewhere where he can be more competitive.