Bleacher Report - Articles by Rebecca Spence

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Hallow-Dega Edition

Rebecca Spence — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:37:50 -0400

As a race fan for nearly all my life, I can honestly say nothing beats a wild card fall race at Talladega Superspeedway.

With cars darting in and out of the draft, going three, four, even five wide around the high banks at breakneck speeds, it’s NASCAR at its most thrilling.

This year the thrill of Halloween and the excitement of Talladega merge into one giant Alabama block party.

Amongst the celebration of ghost goblins and fans dressed like drivers, there is another thrill ride in store for one team this week.

The No. 19 team of Elliott Sadler and RPM (as you may have heard) will be running Roush-Yates power under the hood of a Ford. The one-race “test run” for the team is in anticipation of the possible merger to take place before next season.

In light of the event, I asked my past SvS guest Brett Griffin (spotter for the No. 19 team) if he would like to return to feature in this week’s edition.

“I'm stoked,” Griffin said when asked about the team being in a Ford at Talladega.

“Elliott (Sadler) has always run well at restrictor plate races, but to be back in a Ford and have Yates horsepower under the hood is awesome.

“We have to race smart, stay out of trouble, and if we're there at the end, we'll be in contention to win. I don't know any current spotter/driver combination that has been together longer than we have. I've been spotting for him since 2001. I think we know what each other are thinking, and at Talladega, that trust can go a long way.”

So knowing how well Sadler and Griffin have worked together and the great runs the team has overall at superspeedways, I asked Griffin to share his “bird's-eye” view of the track and its racing.

“As is often the case at most tracks, the spotter's stand at Talladega offers the best view in the house,” Griffin said.

“We stand at the tip-top of the grandstands approximately 300 yards before the start finish line. There's one thing unique about this spotter's stand, though. The fans are literally one row under us and are also just to our left. So, when they start pointing and ‘ooh-ing’ and ‘aaah-ing,’ it can be a little bit of a distraction. And, what I mean by a distraction is, what do they see that I don't?”

Spotters and teams as a whole have to be on their guard this trip to Talladega. After the events on the last lap of the spring race, people have been wondering the true depth of challenges that face competitors and their teams at a track like Talladega.

“The toughest challenge we face as spotters are clearing the drivers as they exit turn four and enter turn one. They are coming at us and going away from us at those points, so depth perception can be a big challenge.

“The other major challenge is how far we are away from the backstretch in the event of a crash. It's a long ways to the backstretch, and if cars start wrecking, it can be tough to give the driver the information he needs to miss the wreck. The window for information at Talladega is much, much smaller,” says Griffin.

“There's up to 43 cars in one pack, running inches apart. It's a chess match at 200 mph.

“From the team's perspective we just want to have smooth pit stops all day, stay out of trouble, and not get the front end knocked in to where our temps get too hot.

“If you can do those things, stay in the lead draft, and be going forward in the last five laps, you'll have a chance to win, or at least a solid finish.”

A solid finish is exactly what the Stanley Ford team is looking for this weekend.

Now, Talladega is a love it or hate it kind of track among the drivers, isn’t that right? What are Griffin’s thoughts about it?

Well, he agreed.

“I know the drivers don't love Talladega. You can't ask for 43 individuals to be perfect all day when they are three and four wide and inches apart. But, for me as a spotter, I love it. This is my favorite track.”

Keep an eye on the No. 19 Stanley Ford Fusion this weekend as Sadler takes a déjà vu ride in a Yates-powered ford for the first time since August of 2006.

Welcome To The Martinsville Garage Watch Your Step (HUMOR)

Rebecca Spence — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:31:58 -0400

The pesky paperclip is hard to get arround as a driver. But the cars aren't the only things that need good brakes, and the drivers aren't the only people who need to watch the road ahead. Here are some shots from the garage are durring Cup Pratice. No Pedestrians were harmed.. but they could have been! For those of you who have been where I am now you understand. I labeled this as humor~But is it? *All Photos By Rebecca Spence

Begin Slideshow

Jimmie Johnson: "I Just Have To Keep My Blinders on and Focus on My Job"

Rebecca Spence — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:04:57 -0400

We have all heard and read the comments. A fan, teams, texts, tweets, and articles all about how sick people are getting of seeing the dominance of Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team.

Let it be said you can rant and rave, but Johnson won’t be listening. Because instead he’s focused on doing the best he can, and on the history he and his Lowe’s team are trying to make.

He occasionally catches wind of a comment or three, but it doesn’t stay on his mind.

“If I worry about what other people think then I’m not worrying about my racecar,” Johnson said.

Like water off the back of a duck, he lets everything but his driving roll off. He ditches it all, not watching media coverage or reading any articles to stay in the zone. When asked about the comparisons made between his dominance and other sports dynasties, his response was “I can’t say I’ve been paying attention enough to know.”

Johnson has a one-track mind when it come to the races in the Chase, which he’s dominated the last three years, and on one track at a time. One week at a time.

It’s not as easy as Johnson and his team seem to make it look.

“To operate at this level is so tough to do,” he said.

“So many things change every year,” he added, referencing everything from team personnel and Goodyear tires, to the ever-changing technology and the rules that harness them.

On Friday, nothing changed for the No. 48 team as it headed to a track it's dominated in the past and got to work doing it again. To those who may be wondering about Martinsville qualifying, Johnson isn’t worried.

“Race trim was really, really good in practice," he said. "We didn’t spend a lot of time in qualifying trim. And unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we are going to start up where we wanted to (starts 15th on Sunday). But it is what it is.”

Johnson is who he is—a driver that has won five of the last six races at this paperclip shaped track—and he’s very happy about that and everything it entails.

“My goals really remain the same," he said. "This is where I want to be, I love driving for Hendrick Motorsports.”

The defending winner at Martinsville, and winner of the last two Chase races, looks to have a good showing in Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 to continue toward his goal of winning a fourth consecutive championship.

Spectator Vs. Spotter:Charlotte Edition With Tim Fedewa & Team Red Bull

Rebecca Spence — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:22:00 -0400

Charlotte, Home to NASCAR valley. Spectator, fanatic, and sportsman alike can relax and enjoy the festive and homey atmosphere.

Race team headquarters surround the area and the track always puts on a show. The spectacular pre race festivities can only be out done by the fantastic on track racing.

This week’s guest spotter has seen the speedway from many viewpoints. Tim Fedewa has been both behind the wheel and behind the binoculars at Charlotte. Now as the spotter for the No. 82 Red Bull Race team of Scott Speed, Fedewa shares his views for this weekend’s event with SvS.

When asked his views on the speedway his answer was simple. Fedewa said, “Lots of history, fast track, it’s cool to do good at home track of all competitors, lots of action.”

“As far as spotting you always have to be on a little extra guard at Charlotte because of the speed and the way the groove spreads out. You have bottom feeders and high rollers and they come together at the exit of the corners and you better be paying attention or you can wreck some stuff.” Fedewa added about the challenges that arise at this track.

“The team faces many unique challenges the biggest is keeping up with the changing track conditions. Charlotte is very heat sensitive! (It’s a) crew chiefs nightmare!”

“My favorite thing about the track is the racing it is always exciting with lots of action for us and the fans, and the fans are always so into it!! Very knowledgeable and rowdy makes for a cool atmosphere for everyone!” Fedewa continued.

“Least favorite thing would be all of the hoopla leading up to the race, Charlotte is famous for going the extra mile with their events and activities leading up to the race some of it is cool , some of it gets old!!”

The fans may disagree but Fedewa explains why he feels as he does.

“We can forget that the racing is why we are all there not the band playing at pre race or the celebrities who can’t remember who even drives the cars that are on their t-shirt!”

“It’s all good though, I guess I'm just old fashioned I come there for a race!!”

Fedewa will have his hands, radio and binoculars full of Charlotte Motor Speedway, as he Guides the rookie Speed, around the track under lights Saturday Night.

~Featured Spotter Bio~

Name: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Mi.

Team Spotter Since: Spotting since 04, worked as spotter for Red bull three years

Favorite Sport (other than racing): football and college b ball

Favorite Food: just about anything Italian

Favorite Music/Song: 80's hair band and classic rock n roll. Song would be Stairway to heaven

Favorite Off Track Activity: time w/my family and deer hunting

Finding a Safer 'Dega: Are NASCAR's Efforts Enough?

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:11:06 -0400

We are all familiar with the statements by now. It was pre-race in California where Ryan Newman, driver of the No 39 Army Chevy, pointed out the flaws in the advances made to avoid another tragic event at Talladega.

“Ultimately, it’s not the answer,” said Newman when asked his feelings on the raised height of the Talladega catch fence. “Ultimately we have to keep the race cars on the ground.”

“The parts and pieces that flew through the fence, and hurt those people, no matter what the height is you are still going to have that.” Newman continued.

“I wish there would be more done to the race cars to keep them on the ground. There are things they could be testing like different style roof flaps and things like that. They might be for next year.”

While Newman applauded an effort being made, he made it very clear it was a band-aid solution.

It was very shortly after those comments that NASCAR issued its announcement that the size of the restrictor plate was being changed for the AMP energy 500 at Talladega in less than a month.

Kasey Kahne was asked Tuesday if he thought the restrictor plate change would change the racing at Talladega.

“I think it will be similar. I think it will slow it down a little bit would be what I would think. I'm not real sure. A lot of times we go to a race, Daytona or Talladega, or the teams have a chance to work on the cars and the engines, and they do that halfway through the weekend; the Daytona 500, they will do it and take a little bit of speed away because we are running too fast. You know, I don't think it will change the field or the racing action at all. It may just slow the speed down a little bit.” Kahne said.

Again, NASCAR was showing an effort, but would it be enough?

Logically speaking as long as cars are racing they’ll be wrecking. With the understanding that Talladega, being not only a fan and driver favorite, is also a time honored tradition; let us assume that NASCAR would never take it off the schedule.

Will the changes set forth make a difference? Well, no. They won’t.

In looking at the Carl Edward wreck from this spring, speed played a factor, but was not the ultimate cause of the devastating event.

The actual wreck would have been less intense had he not gotten a single tire off the ground.

The science behind the wreck shows that the initial impact caused an aerodynamic lift, the very event that the roof flaps are there to hinder. And looking at a mathematical formulated model of the event would show that excluding the secondary impact from the car behind him, the car would have fallen back on to its wheels.

The same could be said for accidents on other tracks. Take for example Joey Logano’s wreck at Dover.

At a track like Dover the speed is nowhere near comparable to those run at a superspeedway like Talladega. And yet, we had another car with its wheels of the ground and ultimately flipping seven and a half times.

So why then, is NASCAR not implementing changes to the roof flaps or other aerodynamic properties of the race car?

Instead of mandating a change, NASCAR is leaving teams the ability to add a wicker bill to the wing end plates allowed at all other tracks on the schedule as an option.

NASCAR may well be working on more mandatory aerodynamic technologies as we speak. However, none of them have been brought to light as of yet.

Spectator Vs Spotter: California Edition With Truex Jr.'s Wing Man

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:00:29 -0400

It’s time again to play in the California sun. NASCAR goes back, for its fourth week of the Chase, to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

For the first time NASCAR visits the west coast in October.

From a spectators standpoint Fontana is beautiful. From the other side of a television, it may be just another race. In person it’s a completely different experience.

In the past the midway was a wonderful place. The lines of merchandise haulers and other booths created a big county fair atmosphere and a great feeling, beautiful to see and lots of fun watching people. In recent years things have been redone and haulers and the main midway are in side of the “Fan Zone” the center point of which is Emeril’s restaurant.

This week’s guest spotter sat down with me on a wet Sunday morning a few weeks ago in Dover, to share his view of the Auto Club Speedway from the Spotter stand.

Joey Meier, spotter for the Earnhardt-Ganassi No. 1 team of Martin Truex Jr. spared no detail.

“It’s one of the largest tracks we go to; it’s well over two miles,” starts Joey Meier, about racing at the Auto Club Speedway in California.

“The unique thing about California, and especially the race we are going to, is it starts in the day and ends at night. It’s actually very taxing from our viewpoint because turns three and four are shadowed but we (the spotters) are staring into the sun. It creates this black hole that as the drivers are going down the backstretch there is this hole while you are trying to get your eyes to adapt. It obviously doesn’t happen for the whole race.”

Meier will be high above the speedway on Sunday; guiding the No.1 of Martin Truex Jr. as they team attempts to capture their first victory of the 2009 season. In order to do that, they’ll not only have to fight 42 other drivers, but the changing track conditions.

“But, where the race start in broad daylight and end at night so there is a transition period of about 35 to 45 minutes that we are looking at a dark hole because the sun is in our eyes but the track itself is shaded,” Meier said.

As a spotter he has a different viewpoint of the speedway than those sitting in the grandstands or watching at home. He needs to be able to make himself comfortable for long days, and nights work. The Auto Club Speedway has its good and bad sides.

“California has a decent spotter stand, it may not be one of ‘the best’, there are two or three tracks that have really good stands, but it is a good spotter stand,” he says.

“We have a lot of room to move around. Most of the guys will use binoculars because it’s one of the lower spotter stands. If you were to compare to Daytona or Talladega this is definitely one of the lower stands and the backstretch is farthest away from us. Because we are so low we have to look over the top of all the infield trailers to see the backstretch and it is very, cluttered and very narrow from our stand point. “

Having a spotter with obstructed vision is not something that will help the driver, who puts their trust in their eyes in the sky to guide them through anything in front of them. Meier explains how he goes about getting the job done when that happens.

“You have to air on the side of safety, especially when clearing cars or paying attention to wrecks. Most wrecks happen off of turn two and the cars sort of disappear as they spin off to the left and down to the inside,” he tells us. “We’re trying to look over the campers, and at the bottom of the backstretch it can be almost impossible to see them.”

This Sunday the two-mile oval plays host to the third race in the 2009 Chase. Cars can run around the speedway at two or three wide in great racing for the spectators. In February it was a day race but coming back for a second time this weekend will consist of 500 miles of going from day-time and ending under the lights.

Night race is a favorite among most spectators, enjoying how fast the cars look as they shine under the lights. For Meier he enjoys night racing for a different reason.

“Night racing, to me, is really an advantage. Because, then the smoke from a wreck shows up really fast (in the lights) and it gives you an indication of what’s going on,” he reveals.

“It’s obviously a very fast track. Most of the incidents happen of turns two and four. Great pit road. Getting on and off pit road is really a wonder. It’s not like Dover. At Fontana, you don’t have to worry about it as much as the other tracks we do.”

Last weekend in Kansas the race looked like it could be decided on fuel mileage. California this weekend might turn out to be who gets the most Sunoco fuel in their tank, spectators are used to seeing California races have long green flag runs, and something Meier wouldn’t be surprised to see again.

“The racing grove is so wide; you can count on doing a lot of green flag pit stops. You don’t have time to count on a caution flag like other tracks. At some other tracks the team can lay out ten or eleven sets of tires, counting on a certain number of cautions. At Fontana, they may lay out seven or eight sets and only use six or seven because of all the green flag stops.”

And because of that, “It’s another one of those gas mileage places, that you’ll start the race and run it backwards to see when you are done pitting,” he says.

Which means Meier and the No.1 team will want to position them at the end of the race to be contention for the win. “The track is so fast, and the cars are so equal, track position at Fontana is huge. If you are out front with clean air you are gonna run ten times better than if you are back in 20th or 25th.”

“Pit road is pretty irrelevant at this place, which is really unique. It’s one of the few (tracks) that pit road really doesn’t come into play. Whether you have pit stall number 43 or number one, they are all humongous boxes and pit road is really wide, so getting on or getting off there is really no advantage to any pit stall,” Meier added. This small fact too many, proves a great one on the race track. After all, it was only this past week in Kansas that a call on pit road decided the race.

Good and bad come with every race and every track. So I hit up Meier for his most and least favorite aspects of going to California.

“The travel time, you know, going out there Thursday morning on a normal schedule is not too bad there. But Sunday night into Monday morning, because it’s a night race, you just get home so late. That is probably the least favorite thing of mine for this track.”

“My most Favorite, the California area, the environment, the hotel, the food, everything else out there is really nice. I spend a lot of time at the race track, because I spot for other teams as well. So I’m there every day no matter what race is running. I get to do very little sightseeing.”

“So least favorite is the travel, going home rather than going out. We fly in fantastic air planes. (He should know he’s also the pilot.) EGR still operates two, 50 seat regional jets. We are one of the few race teams that still have regional jets. And we are probably one of the only teams that have two. So our guys travel in really good style. And, we’ll make it home in probably four hours. So it’s not that bad. Because it’s a night race however, four hours still means we’ll be getting home between four and six in the morning.”

“The weather is really good out there which is a plus. If you look back over this season for 2009, I’d be willing to bet there haven’t been five races we haven’t had rain on at least one of the days we’re on the track.”

“Normally at California you can count on the weather being pretty decent. I was born and raised in southern Florida, I love the heat. So, California is right up my alley.”

Featured Spotter Bio:

Full Name: Joseph Richard Meier, but nobody really knows my middle name and very few people know my last name. I’m either Joey “the pilot”, or Joey “the spotter”. Or “JTP” short for Joey the pilot.

Team spotter since: I’ve been spotting for Martin (Truex Jr.) since he came to DEI in late 2003.

Favorite Movie: Anything with Chris Farley in it.

Favorite Music: 80’s or 90’s favorite song um anything by Kiss.

Favorite Sport (other than racing): Bowling, and wake boarding.

Favorite off-track activity: I love to Bowl, Always said if anything ever happened to my Flying I would bowl full time to support my racing.

You can find Meier on Face book: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/joey.meier

NASCAR Races to Get Revving at Uniform Start Times in 2010

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:40:31 -0400

Wednesday afternoon Brian France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR held a teleconference with David Hill, Chairman of FOX Sports, David Levy, President of Turner Broadcasting Distribution, Sales and Sports, and John Skipper, Executive Vice President, Content, ESPN.

The not simple task of pooling the networks was undertaken to appease the core fan of race fans. It took efforts from NASCAR, the networks and each of the tracks involved.

East coast afternoon races will start at 1pm , west coast races at 3pm and night races will start consistently at 7:30 pm eastern standard time.

There are only eight races that will not meet the new standard, and that is due to length, and other major events that conflict with scheduling such as the Coke 600.

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule With Start Times (All Times Eastern)

Date Day Race Site Network Start Time

Feb. 14 Sun. Daytona 500 FOX 1:00 PM

Feb. 21 Sun. Auto Club Speedway FOX 3:00 PM

Feb. 28 Sun. Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX 3:00 PM

Mar. 7 Sun. Atlanta Motor Speedway FOX 1:00 PM

Mar. 21 Sun. Bristol Motor Speedway FOX 1:00 PM

Mar. 28 Sun. Martinsville Speedway FOX 1:00 PM

Apr. 10 Sat. Phoenix International Raceway FOX 7:30 PM

Apr. 18 Sun. Texas Motor Speedway FOX 1:00 PM

Apr. 25 Sun. Talladega Superspeedway FOX 1:00 PM

May 1 Sat. Richmond International Raceway FOX 7:30 PM

May 8 Sat. Darlington Raceway FOX 7:30 PM

May 16 Sun. Dover International Speedway FOX 1:00 PM

May 30 Sun. Lowe's Motor Speedway FOX 5:45 PM

Jun. 6 Sun. Pocono Raceway TNT 1:00 PM

Jun. 13 Sun. Michigan International Speedway TNT 1:00 PM

Jun. 20 Sun. Infineon Raceway TNT 3:00 PM

Jun. 27 Sun. New Hampshire Motor Speedway TNT 1:00 PM

Jul. 3 Sat. Daytona International Speedway TNT 7:30 PM

Jul. 10 Sat. Chicagoland Speedway TNT 7:30 PM

Jul. 25 Sun. Indianapolis Motor Speedway ESPN 1:00 PM

Aug. 1 Sun. Pocono Raceway ESPN 1:00 PM

Aug. 8 Sun. Watkins Glen International ESPN 1:00 PM

Aug. 15 Sun. Michigan International Speedway ESPN 1:00 PM

Aug. 21 Sat. Bristol Motor Speedway ESPN 7:30 PM

Sept. 5 Sun. Atlanta Motor Speedway ESPN 7:30 PM

Sept. 11 Sat. Richmond International Raceway ABC 7:30 PM

Sept. 19 Sun. New Hampshire Motor Speedway ABC 1:00 PM

Sept. 26 Sun. Dover International Speedway ABC 1:00 PM

Oct. 3 Sun. Kansas Speedway ABC 1:00 PM

Oct. 10 Sun. Auto Club Speedway ABC 3:00 PM

Oct. 16 Sat. Lowe's Motor Speedway ABC 7:30 PM

Oct. 24 Sun. Martinsville Speedway ABC 1:00 PM

Oct. 31 Sun. Talladega Superspeedway ABC 1:00 PM

Nov. 7 Sun. Texas Motor Speedway ABC 1:00 PM

Nov. 14 Sun. Phoenix International Raceway ABC 3:00 PM

Nov. 21 Sun. Homestead-Miami Speedway ABC 1:00 PM

Spectator vs. Spotter: Kansas Edition with AJ Allmendinger's Lookout Man

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:33:10 -0400

Fifteen miles west of downtown Kansas City sits the Kansas Speedway. A 1.5-mile D-shaped oval that captures the true love of the Midwest race fan.

From the entry and exit routes named after race tracks to the exciting fan-friendly activities, Kansas is a spectator's dream.

Fans can be found in the Blue Ox campground, or the Blue Ox RV/motor home lot grilling up a batch of beer brat race-day chili (recipe can be found in the back of the guest guide), waiting to see hometown favorites and the best in the business dual it out in race No. 3 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

For this week’s edition of SVS, I turn outside the Chase racers to a noteworthy team who has come alive.

The No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports team of driver AJ Allmendinger has had a banner year. After a scary finish in New Hampshire, they bounced back to a strong seventh-place finish last week in Dover.

This Sunday is Allmendinger’s second start at the facility, and you would think his chances at a good run would be slim. However, last season he surprised most by finishing a solid ninth.

So for a look at Kansas from a different viewpoint, I turn to the man keeping Allmendinger clear of trouble on track, Keith Barnwell, spotter for the No. 44.

“It’s a new track still in our eyes, because we haven’t been going there for 10 to 20 years,” said Barnwell, as he began to describe the track from a team standpoint.

“It’s eerily similar to Chicago. It’s a really good race track, because there’s lots of room to race on, and tremendous barbecue, and that’s really a very important thing to get there in time for dinner."

“It’s a neat place, with a very good facility. It’s one we definitely do need on the schedule. It’s one I think we could run twice, not that I’m saying we need too. But it is a really, really nice facility and they take good care of us. They have the things that really matter most to us spotters, the food and a really big nice spotter’s stand.”

On the unique challenges that face a spotter and the team at Kansas, Barnwell said, “It’s not a lot different from other places we go.”

“But it has, and you don’t realize this until you go to a spotter’s stand and hang out there, bad angles.

“When they come off turn four they are coming right at you, and when they go down into turn one they are going away from you. To put that into perspective, you probably need to ride down the interstate about a half a mile behind two cars in front of you that are in each lane and see if you can try to determine when which car is in front of the other one. Then you might begin to understand what it’s like for us when the cars are going into turn one or coming off of turn four side by side.

“If you have a good driver, like I do with AJ, you just tell him ‘Hey, it’s hard to see you there coming forward just be sure your clear,’ and he is really good with his mirrors checking all around and clearing other cars. Some guys are good at it and some guys aren’t, fortunately for me he’s one of the good ones.”

On his favorite and least favorite aspects on coming to Kansas Speedway, he really didn’t have much negatively to say.

"I really don’t have a least favorite," he said. "If there is a downfall at all it would be, could we be running North Wilkesboro which is 45 minutes from my house, as opposed to that we are going approximately half way across the country. So it’s another weekend away from home."

Barnwell, like most people in this business, recognizes the double-edged sword that is the amount of travel needed.

“Probably my most favorite thing,” Barnwell continued, “is, like I said, it’s a wonderful facility. It’s new. It’s not one of those places you go to, that the second you walk through the gate, you think ‘they have got to do something to get this place up to standard’. It is already up to standard and it is a great facility. They take excellent care of us and it’s a good track for the competitors.”

Barnwell will be guiding Allmendinger through his second start on this speedway this weekend in hopes of getting the No. 44 Dodge its second consecutive top-10 finish.

Featured Spotter Bio

Full Name: Keith Robert Barnwell

Hometown: Hudson, NC currently residing in Granite Falls, NC

Spotter Since: AJ’s spotter this season, but have been a spotter for 15-plus years

Favorite Music/song: "I like absolutely all music. Especially '70s."

Favorite Movie: Remember the Titans

Favorite Off-Track Activity: "I’m a News junkie, I never make it through a day without reading two or three newspapers, and yard work—I love to mow!"

Keep an eye here next week when SVS takes on Fontana with Joey “The Pilot” Meier, spotter for the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing No. 1 car of Martin Truex Jr.

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Monster Mile of Dover Edition

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:22:22 -0400

As a spectator, I’ve been going to Dover for years.

The sights, smells, and thrills of the Monster Mile make it one of the two tracks I am thrilled to call “Hometown.”

The RV lots' and parking spaces fill and overflow yearly with NASCAR fans tailgating early. Local businesses shut their doors and turn their parking lots into $5 and $10 parking zones for the track traffic.

And NASCAR Nation comes to play; loud and proud dressed in their driver’s colors and ready to turn the mile-long speedway into a bullring of absolute excitement.

The souvenir trailers, special events, and show cars line the main drive. The smell of pit-beef barbecue, grilled pork tenderloin, and grilled and barbecued chicken hit your senses long before the smell of rubber and high-octane race fuel.

The fans in Dover come twice-a-year every year with the hopes of hitting the casino and gambling on the track, wishing to hit it big before gambling on their driver to "master the monster."

For this weeks guest I turned to Mike Calinoff, spotter for Matt Kenseth in the No. 17 Ford for Roush-Fenway Racing.

Dover’s high banks and fast speed provide a lot of excitement; as a spotter, Calinoff has seen Dover from the roof for years.

When asked his views of the speedway he said, “Dover is one of my favorite tracks because Matt (Kenseth) runs well there. I love the fact that you carry so much speed into the corners and that there are three good grooves.”

“I think that the double-file restarts are going to be really interesting—particularly at the end of the race.”

Battles in the closing laps at Dover are customary, almost every race you can see the lead change hands over-and-over.

The Monster will, however, reach up and bite you.

The turns are treacherous, and the newly revamped pit road is easier to manage, but Calinoff can tell you it wasn’t always so.

“In 2004, Matt made a mistake entering the pit road and took out the water barrels. Nobody was very fond of that.”

Until this season, 42 pit boxes were shared among the 43 drivers. The renovations and care taken by speedway personnel made vast improvements.

Like most of the visitors to Dover, Calinoff enjoyed the areas that many came for: off-track excitement.

“My favorite thing is going to the casino to gamble,” Calinoff said. Then he quickly added, “My least favorite thing is losing money at the casino.”

You can keep an ear on your race day scanners and an eye on the track to watch as Calinoff guides Kenseth around the mayhem this weekend at Dover.

Featured Spotter Bio:

Name: Mike Calinoff

Hometown: Mooresville, NC

Team Spotter Since: With Matt from 2000-2005; David Stremme 2006-2007; Dario Franchitti through July of 2008; Tony Stewart for the 2008 Chase.

Favorite Sport (other than racing): Poker

Favorite Food: Anything I can pronounce; I’m not picky and I love Sushi

Favorite Music/Song: I like music from ABBA to Zappa; Big Blues fan and Billy Joel; favorite song is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey

Favorite Movie: Wizard of Oz

Favorite Off Track Activity: Spending time with my wife.

Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCalinoff

Spectator vs. Spotter: Let the Chase Begin: New Hampshire Edition

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:26:26 -0400

"Fans First", that is the motto of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The New England fans love racing and NASCAR loves its fans. Loudon, NH, is beautiful, spectator friendly, and home to some of the most magical and unexpected sights of NASCAR.

The track has been described as "Martinsville on steroids" and is considered by most drivers as one of the toughest ovals in motorsports. Fans love the side-by-side racing on the magic mile. As well as the knowledge that anyone could pull out a surprise upset here.

As the excitement builds for the first of the 10 chase races, I caught up with Shannon McGlamery, spotter for the No. 24 team of Jeff Gordon.

McGlamery has guided Gordon from atop the spotter stand since 2005. Under his watchful eye Gordon has not had a DNF at NHMS (last DNF at this track for Gordon was 1998).

"New Hampshire is a pretty easy track to spot at," said McGlamery.

"The spotters' stand is in the middle of the front stretch on the roof of the control tower." He continued, "I have a good view of whole track...I think one of the best things —especially for the fans—is that the track provides good side-by-side racing."

"Which, (in turn) could lead to what I like least about the visit, (and that is) because it's so flat, you can get in trouble pretty quick."

"It is a flat track, and the car must 'roll through the corners' in order to be successful," McGlamery added.

Fans and race teams have seen it time and time again, the set up just a little off, driver slides it in the corner a little too deep and bounces off the wall or his nearest competitor.

The "magic Mile" has a tendency to trick even the most accomplished of race teams.

Keep an eye on the No. 24 of Jeff Gordon as he looks to better his stats, and his points position in the first race of the 2009 Chase this Sunday.

Gordon (currently in sixth after the reset) has three career wins, 13 top fives, and 18 top ten finishes at New Hampshire. And with McGlamery high above, you can bet he’ll be doing all he can to see the No. 24 team rocket to the front.

Featured Spotter Bio

Name: Shannon McGlamery

Hometown: Winston-Salem, NC (now living in Troutman, NC)

Team Spotter Since: 2005

Favorite Sport (other than racing): motorcross, horseshoes

Favorite Food: seafood and home cooking

Favorite Music/Song: old rock 'n' roll

Favorite Movie: Smokey & The Bandit

Favorite Off Track Activity: spending time with my family

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Final Bid To Make the Chase: Richmond Edition

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:55:27 -0400

Perhaps the most exciting race in the season, Richmond ends the Race to the Chase with the Chevy Rock and Roll 400, a favorite among spectators. They watch from the edge of their seats, some never sitting at all to see who will wreck, who will win, and who will clench the remaining spots in the coveted top 12 in points.

Fans love Richmond. For years it has rivaled Bristol for the race hardest to get tickets for. It’s famous for the temper flaring, bumping and banging, plus wild racing that makes short track racing under the lights the fantastic site that it is.

And this year it has more life breathed into it as 11 drivers are going to be pulling for the eight remaining spots in the 2009 edition of the Chase for the Championship.

To shed a little light on this night of shear chaos, I spoke with T.J. Majors, spotter for the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I really can’t wait to get to Richmond. We usually run well there and it’s never a dull moment,” Majors said.

From the Spotters standpoint of racing at Richmond he added, “Lots of close racing but it’s a big enough track where you don’t want to beat the fenders in because aero still matters. I really feel like that track owes us something. (After) passing for the lead with a few laps to go; and then being taken out.”

Referring to the May 2008 race at Richmond where Kyle Busch spun the National Guard Chevy with just three laps remaining.

Majors also said, “I like night races in general. The atmosphere is different and you can just feel it’s different than a normal day race. We all have a list of car numbers we keep an eye on for crashing but it is really bad at Richmond. Over the years you kind of learn who puts themselves in bad situations and who doesn’t. Richmond isn’t very kind for people who choose to be in a bad spot.”

“I don’t think this track is any different of a challenge for our team than any other track,” he replied, pertaining to any unique issues posed at Richmond.

When it comes to the team chances he is optimistic.

“We have finally got some momentum and had a couple small things go our way for once. It seems like it’s been a year since we have had some good luck and it’s really nice to get a little back right now. Hopefully we can continue to put ourselves in positions to take advantage of things that happen during the race.”

Majors will be high above RIR, guiding Earnhardt Jr. through the mayhem. Keep an eye on the track this weekend as the No. 88 rocks and rolls through Richmond.

Featured Spotter Bio

Name: TJ Majors

Hometown: Born in New Castle PA, grew up in East Bethany NY, now live in Mooresville NC

Team Spotter Since: Been with Dale Jr. since the final 10 races of 2007

Favorite Sport (other than racing): Football of course

Favorite Food: Really enjoy Italian.

Favorite Music/Song: I like lot of music, everything from rap to some country.

Favorite Movie: I like Comedies and Horror movies!

Favorite off Track Activity: Sim racing of course. Possibly some Madden on the 360 as well.

Follow on twitter: Rob Dyrdek, TO, and a few others.

Follow him: @Tjmajors

Be sure to come back next week as the Chase to the Sprint Cup begins in New Hampshire. SVS Loudon Edition will Feature Shannon McGlamery, spotter for the No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Chase contender Jeff Gordon.

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Atlanta Edition

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:42:30 -0400

Not only do drivers love high speeds, spectators love high speeds and Atlanta Motor Speedway provides just that with its multi-grooved track that allows for side-by-side racing and fantastic finishes. It may be labeled as an intermediate track but it races like a superspeedway.

As the second to last race before the Chase, excitement for spectators and teams alike will be running wide open (much like the cars on the track this weekend). But, going full throttle seems to be a standing tradition for Atlanta.

Known as the fastest track on the circuit—yes, beating Daytona and Talladega—“Hot-lanta” provides fans with racing that will never be seen as follow the leader. Cars can go high while racing someone in the middle lane or someone who’s all the way at the bottom of the track.

This year the excitement will come from seeing the best drivers throw their cars around the track under the lights for the first time ever. And after a breathtaking 500 miles of racing, they’ll be holding their breath when it comes down to the finish. Atlanta is infamous for providing a photo finish or a chase to the checkered between two of the best in the business.

Carl Edwards beat Jimmie Johnson by half a car length in 2005 for his first career win. Kevin Harvick beat Jeff Gordon by a hair in 2001 for his first win and Dale Earnhardt beat Bobby Labonte by a nose in 2000. Atlanta has it all: speed, action, and fantastic finishes!

To give us a unique look at the track we turn high above the fans to the spotter’s stand, to Chris Lambert, spotter for the No. 83 team of Brian Vickers and Red Bull Racing.

Lambert, as well as many other spotters, loves the excitement Atlanta has to offer.

“Atlanta is one of the coolest places we go. The track is so fast but it also has many different grooves that allow you to move around a lot. Typically you can find a line that will work for you no matter what your car is doing. As a spotter, the different lines are great, especially if you're one of the lucky ones who your driver likes to run the top. It's so much easier on you to clear him while working the top verses the bottom. Trying to clear him from the bottom, while passing a guy running the top, is a very touchy deal.”

When it comes to side-by-side racing, a spotter needs to let his driver know where the fast lane is.

“You pretty much try to judge your driver’s momentum versus the other. You'll clear him but then the guy on the top will get such a big run and will be back outside your guy in a split second. It's always back and forth,” Lambert said.

“The speed and the raciness of the track are what I like best about Atlanta. It's one of the fastest tracks we go to, but also the pace falls off just enough that it allows the drivers to really race each other. You can run side by side all the way around and usually can do it lap after lap. Also it's been one of BV's (Brian Vickers) best tracks since I started with him in 2007. He's averaged like a ninth-place finish there the last four races,” he added.

But it’s the weather, not the racing that is cause for Lambert’s complaints in Atlanta.

“The cold weather is what I'd say I least like about the track. It's normally very windy and cold there for both races, and has even snowed on several occasions.”

When asked what challenges face him and the Red Bull team this weekend, Lambert was very forthcoming.

“The biggest challenge I see facing us this race will be it's going to be a night race, and that will be a different element to get a hold of. The races there are always day races, but now you've got to figure out what setup will work best,” Lambert said.

He continued saying, “It's also moved to Labor Day weekend instead of the October weekend so it'll be a little warmer also. The track will have more grip at night than it usually does during the day, but also being warmer it may still get slick and the cars will probably be sliding around too. As for me spotting, the night race will make it different. You have to get used to the shadows that the lights create. It all looks so much different than it does during the daylight.”

Coming off Vickers' win at Michigan, this team looks to back up that and perform here as it did in March, a fifth place finish, making Atlanta hold high hopes for this team. Keep one eye on the scoring pylon and the other on the No. 83 this weekend.

Featured Spotter Bio

Name: Chris Lambert

Hometown: Kannapolis, NC

Team Spotter Since: August '07

Favorite Sport (other than racing): Duke Basketball

Favorite Food: Mexican

Favorite Music/Song: 80's Rock

Favorite Movie: Top Gun

Favorite off Track Activity: Hanging out with my family. (Wife Angela and sons Hunter & Cameron)

Follow Him on Twitter: @3widemiddle

Be sure to check back in next week as the Race to the Chase finale roars into Richmond. SVS guest spotter T.J. Majors of the No. 88 of Dale Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports weighs in with his views of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Bristol Edition

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:59:48 -0400

Thunder Valley, it’s the great “Coliseum” of stock car short track excitement. It’s time for tempers, tantrums, and the testing of brakes, patience, and perseverance.

Every fan loves the excitement and adrenaline of short track racing under the lights. Spectators come from all walks of life, from states near and far to watch the beating, banging, bumping, and running that are sure to await them.

Ex-husbands and wives have been known to take season tickets to Bristol Motor Speedway instead of alimony.

But, Bristol is more than a chaotic favorite of the race fan. It is a track loved by fans and teams alike. The drivers either love it or they love to hate it. And for a spotter, Bristol is one track you need to bring your A-game.

To tell us more about NASCAR’s version of “Thunderdome,” I spoke with our guest spotter Rocky Ryan, of the No. 31 team of Jeff Burton for Richard Childress Racing.

On a spotter’s view on Bristol, Ryan said, “Bristol is everyone's favorite track. Fifteen seconds of chaos! Everyone in racing is brought up on short tracks. Bristol is the Madison Square Garden of short tracks, 160,000 people circled around a half-mile, very high-banked track. It's a coliseum!"

"It requires the drivers, the spotters and the crews to be totally ‘on their game.’ In racing, we always say that our favorite track is the last track that we won on. Bristol would be everyone's next favorite track. It doesn't matter how long you have been in this sport, Bristol will still take your breath away each time you walk in.”

Ryan continued by describing the unique challenges that face him and the team at this track.

“Bristol is loud, Bristol is small, and Bristol is FAST. A spotter must be on his game more at this track than anywhere else. Forty-three cars, running 15 second laps, on a half-mile track. There's NO time to rest, no time to look around, and certainly no time to think.

A spotter MUST anticipate and react. The only voice you usually hear on the radio at Bristol is that of the spotter. Things happen so fast, that if a crew chief or anyone else is talking on the radio, then the spotter can't help his driver steer around an accident at Bristol.”

When it comes to Bristol things are jam-packed and it doesn’t give drivers enough time to react when things are happening in front of them. That makes it important that the team has clear lines of communication to avoid being in an accident. “If someone is talking while the car is in turn two, and an accident happens in turn four, you have less than four seconds to tell your driver about the danger in front of him.”

But if an accident occurs Ryan explains what he must do for his driver. “You must always remember that Bristol is a ‘self cleaning’ track. The accident will always move down the track, due to the banking. So as a spotter, you must always remember to get your driver to go high to avoid it. You rarely even blink at Bristol, there's just no time. Five-hundred laps at Bristol seem like a long time, but you are so locked into what is happening, you usually don't even notice who the winner is at Bristol, if it's not your car.”

What are Ryan’s favorite things about coming to Bristol?

“The intensity of Bristol is only comparable to Talladega. It's a different mindset than any other track. To do what you love, in an arena of this size and in front of that many people, is just one of the many things that makes Bristol so special. The flyover before the race, seeing all the flashbulbs go off during the pace laps is just breathtaking. Then the intensity takes over. It's now time to put all of that away, and get down to business.

You try to forget that you are high above those 160,000 people, and you concentrate on helping your driver survive the chaos of the 500 laps your team is facing. If you are on your game, then there isn't a better feeling!”

But Ryan really wanted to talk about the carnage that can happen at Thunder Valley. “When you can anticipate an accident happening in front of you, and can steer your driver clear, the feeling of accomplishment is second to none. You feel like to have performed your job, and played a vital role in the finish of your team. But Bristol can also be very cruel.

“Even if you ARE on your game, Bristol is a track that can turn that feeling of accomplishment into bitter disappointment in seconds. It's so easy to get caught up in someone else's misfortune. An accident can happen a full straightaway ahead of you, but with the speeds being so fast, you might not get slowed down in time. Even if you do get slowed down, there's always the possibility that the guy behind you won't get slowed down as quickly as you, and shove you right into the accident.

A spotter can't just look ahead, but he MUST be aware of what's going on behind you as well. You can have a perfect night going on, but something completely not of your doing, can change everything.”

This Saturday night the track will be illuminated in lights and that’s something that Ryan enjoys. “It's the greatest track in the world on a good night, but it's the most frustrating track in the world on a bad night. But you ask ANY spotter what is their favorite track, and it will be Bristol. ‘To be the best, you must beat the best.’ And Bristol is the best!”

Ryan will be high above the track Saturday night, helping Burton keep his nose clean and back up the eighth place finish he recorded in March, and perhaps take him through the storm and wind up with a second win at Bristol to join his March of 2008 dramatic victory.

Featured Spotter Bio:

Name: Rocky Ryan

Hometown: Oak Ridge, NC

Team Spotter Since: 12 years total, six years at RCR, five years with Jeff Burton

Favorite Sport (other than racing): Ice Hockey

Favorite Food: Steak and Potatoes

Favorite Music/Song: Metal. Songs: The Day That Never Comes, Metallica. Your Song, Elton John. Hold On, Yes. The Last Song, Poison

Favorite Movie: Somewhere in Time, Pump up the Volume

Favorite off Track Activity: Spending time with my wife, riding motorcycles

Keep an eye open next week when SVS hits Atlanta with special guest spotter Chris Lambert from the No. 83 team of Brian Vickers, and RED BULL RACING!

Spectator Vs. Spotter, Michigan Edition: The House That Roush Built

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:13:45 -0400

On June 9, 2009 I called MIS, “home to records held by great NASCAR drivers, and bragging rights that echo throughout the halls of major manufacturers.”

I said “Only 67 miles southwest of Detroit, MIS has been a 'must win' on every team's lips for the last 40 years.”

Both of which are ever so true.

But there is so much more to Michigan International Speedway.

It’s a driver’s track and the fans love it.

From a spectator's standpoint, MIS is grand in both fan—friendly dealings and great side by side racing.

The fans that scream the hardest here are those of Roush-Fenway racing.

To honor those fans and Roush-Fenway’s drivers combined stats (among active drivers) of six wins, 23 top fives, and 36 top-10 finishes in the last 17 races at MIS, I introduce my guest spotter for this week; Joel Edmonds, spotter for the No. 16 team of Greg Biffle.

Edmonds was delighted to share his views on Michigan from a team standpoint.

“One of the best things of going to Michigan is that it is in Jack (Roush)’s and the automobile manufacturers’ backyards. Greg (Biffle) also runs well there, which makes it enjoyable as well,” Edmonds said.

From a spotter’s standpoint Edmonds had this to say:

“With Michigan being approximately two miles in length, you have to look through binoculars the entire day, which makes it tough to walk down the steps when the race is over.

One of the best things at the track in Michigan is the Spotters’ stand, which is the best on the circuit, and should be a pattern for all the racetracks.”

On the unique challenges at this track, Edmonds added:

“Michigan is a multi-groove race track which gives everyone an advantage. If you aren’t running well in one location you can run top, bottom, or the middle. Being able to run over the entire track is much better than a track which is just one groove.

“The least favorite is possibly the weather, because it seems like it always rains every time we are there,” Edmonds added.

“Another challenge here is that fuel mileage will always come into play. And, if you are a half of a lap short of gas, as we were the last time we were there.”

What does Edmonds like most about this racetrack?

“The most favorite thing is a chance to go to Cabela’s because there is not one near where I live. Also, I personally love the fishing in Michigan, which is fantastic. One of my favorite things regarding the track in Michigan is the fans, it is special in the fact that it seems it is always full and the fans are some of the most enthusiastic we encounter.”

Edmonds has seen Biffle through each of his 13 starts at MIS, and has contributed to the team’s DNF free record here. He has watched from high above as the team has claimed two wins, six top fives, and eight top-10 finishes since 2003.

This weekend, he looks to guide the No. 16 team to a third victory at this track.

Featured Spotter Bio:

Name: Joel Edmonds

Hometown: Dobson, NC

Team Spotter since: 2003

Favorite sport (other than racing): Baseball

Favorite food: Steak

Favorite music/song: Classic Rock and Classic Country

Favorite Movie: Grumpy Old Men

Favorite off track activity: Fishing or any activity outdoors

Find Him on: Facebook

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Watkins Glen Edition

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:10:15 -0400

Since NASCAR's inaugural race at Watkins Glen International in 1957, spectators have flocked to the rolling hills of the gorgeous Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.

At the southern tip of Seneca Lake, the largest of the five Finger Lakes, Watkins Glen International grants all its visitors access to several major metropolitan markets including Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, and Binghamton.

The NASCAR fan is in a small piece of heaven in its beautiful setting, its wealth of history, and the unique opportunity to witness the once a year visit to NASCAR's "other road course".

Sunday's Helluva Good Sour Cream Dips at the Glen is a great race for the fans to see the unique challenges that face their favorite teams.

Offering his insights about this weekend's track from a team perspective is Jason Jarrett, the spotter for Penske Racing's No. 12 team of David Stremme.

When asked his views as a spotter of Watkins Glen, Jarrett said,

"We actually will have two other spotters at the Glen since it is a road course.

I will be on the front where I can see the last turn, pit road, and turn 1. Also, I will be on the front where the NASCAR official is placed to assist with restarts, wave around cars, and lucky dog cars. Not that a spotter can help a car ever win, but at the road courses,

I feel that it is harder to give any useful feedback for the driver. The main focus will be watching for crashes in the areas that I can see."

He continued by describing unique challenges that face a spotter and his team at The Glen, by adding:

"The challenges at the Glen are normally things such as: getting your drop off points to your other spotters, more than one spotter on radio (can make it confusing for driver and crew), and just the lack of vision since the car goes out of sight."

When asked about his favorite and least favorite parts of coming to Watkins Glen, he echoed that the race fans that had been coming to the track since the late fifties:

"I like the area; it is always cool to go up to the Finger Lakes region."

"My least favorite thing," Jarrett continued, "is probably the fact that the spotter can't see the entire track.

As a spotter, I always get a little more anxious at the road races where it is harder to anticipate things that are happening on the track."

This week, Jarrett will have his hands full trying to keep David Stremme on course, so keep an eye on the No. 12 at the Glen!

Featured Spotter Bio:

Name: Jason A. Jarrett

Hometown: Hickory, NC

Team Spotter Since: Penske Racing 12 David Stremme since Feb 2009

Favorite sport (other than racing): NFL

Favorite food: Spaghetti

Favorite music/song: Kings of Leon (this week anyway)

Favorite Movie: Hoosiers

Favorite off track activity: Running/Workout

Follow him on twitter:

http://twitter.com/jasonajarrett

Next week the Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway, the home of manufacturer bragging rights.

Be sure to keep an eye here, for SvS: Michigan Edition with featured spotter Joel Edmonds, from Roush-Fenway's No. 16 of Greg Biffle.

Spectator Vs. Spotter: Premier Edition: Pocono

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:28:30 -0400

Allow me to introduce you to the new column Spectator vs. Spotter. A series dedicated to the shared and separate views of each track from both the fans in the bleachers and the Spotters stand.

Each week we will explore a different track with a featured Spotter from your favorite 43 teams.

This week we explore Pocono, with views from the spotters stand from Brett Griffin, spotter for the No. 19 Best Buy/Stanley Dodge of Richard Petty Motorsports driven by Elliott Sadler.

Most everyone’s standpoint of Pocono would be romantic, beautiful, and fan friendly. Nestled in a honeymoon hot spot, it’s the track couples love to visit.

As a spectator, the pre-race activities can be enticing. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery or an infield wedding vow or two.

But as for those of us who are true sport fanatics, we recognize Pocono as a truly unique test of a team’s togetherness.

Its one-of-a-kind design makes it not only a difficult track to drive on but also a nearly impossible facility to find a winning set up and navigate around each lap.

To shed some light from the spotter stand on the diverse nature of Long Pond, Pa.’s triangle track, I give you exclusive quotes from Brett Griffin.

Griffin has been Sadler’s spotter since 2000, and is versed in the trials and tribulations that face a team.

When asked his view on Pocono from a spotter’s standpoint, Griffin was most forth- coming.

“Pocono is a very unique track. It's a triangle. Turn 1 has banking, turn 2 (the tunnel turn) is super fast with not a lot of banking and turn 3 is very flat but very important because exiting turn 3 puts you on the longest straightaway in NASCAR.

"The grandstands are only located on the front stretch and the fans love stock car racing. The bleachers are always full.”

Griffin went on to say, “The spotters stand above the start finish line on the roof. We have a great view of the track and from the roof the track is all we see (no houses, no commercial property) pretty much just the race track and a bunch of trees. The track is gigantic.

"Lots of fans ask if we use two spotters at Pocono. No. We only use multiple spotters at the two road course races and Indy. Or, at least that's true for the 19 team. The less people on the radio, the better it is for the driver and for efficient communication.”

On the challenges that face a spotter most at this racetrack, Griffin tells us, “The cars are coming directly at us or going away from us half the time. That makes it very tough to clear the drivers. It changes depth perception.

"Going into turn 1, the cars are a half mile or more away from us so when they aren't in line it's really tough for us to make a call to help the driver. Thankfully, the drivers have their rear-view mirror and a left-side mirror to help them.”

“The other thing is the layout of the spotter's stand. We're all in long row, which means when we're trying to look toward turn 1 we have to lean way over the rail to do so to look around the guy on your right. 43 guys standing side by side, trying to see the exact same spot on the race track is tough,” Griffin explains about being able to watch his driver while other spotters attempting to do the same thing surround him.

As Griffin wrapped up his thoughts on Pocono he added one last point on the visibility. “The last thing is the humongous American Flag. God Bless America but where the flag is positioned makes it tough for us to see the end of Long Pond straightaway.

"We're pretty much used to it by now, though. It's kind of like the water tower that stands smack dab in the middle of the infield in Fontana, Calif.”

The weather in Long Pond, Pa., is almost ever present. With fog and rain often delaying on-track activities, one might wonder what keeps a spotter occupied?

“If I'm at the track and it's raining I'm either sleeping, hanging out with some of the crew guys, playing Xbox 360 or kickin' back watching TV,” Griffin says.

“There's not much else to do. If it starts raining once we're on the roof we all just hang out in the hallway and tell lies.”

Griffin will be high up on the roof this weekend hoping to keep Elliott Sadler’s streak of 21 consecutive races at Pocono without a DNF alive.

Featured Spotter Bio:

Name: Brett Griffin

Hometown: Pageland, S.C.

Favorite sport (other than racing): College Football, Go Cocks!!

Favorite food: Shrimp.

Favorite music/song: Changes by the day. Michael Jackson, Eminem, Blake Shelton, Nickelback, Lil Wayne, 3 Doors Down, Bon Jovi, Randy Travis...I could go on and on.

Favorite Movie: Wedding Crashers

Favorite off track activity: Motorcycles, Video Games, Hanging with friends, & Going to concerts.

Follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/19Spotter

Next week we move to the second road course of the cup season, be sure to catch Spectator vs. Spotter: Watkins Glen edition with Featured Spotter Jason Jarrett of the No.12 team for Penske Racing.

Which Romeo Will Take Joliet?: Five Drivers To Watch at Chicagoland

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:08:01 -0400

The intermediate tri-oval track at Joliet, known as Chicagoland, will be invaded by racers, chasers, and floods of fans thiis weekend. With the Race to the chase on everyone's lips, and double file restarts taking everyone's hearts; it's time to put Daytona behind us and wonder which racing "Romeo" has what it takes for Joliet. Before you place your fantasy picks take a look at the best of the best for this weekends race at Chicagoland Speedway. My top 5 based on statistics.

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Hornaday Claims Elvis with Two in a Row at Memphis

Rebecca Spence — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:40:44 -0400

The heat and humidity had fans and drivers alike drowning in sweat, and sticking to the track for action, as the Memphis Travel.com 200 got underway.

Ron Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 for Kevin Harvick Motorsports, pulled out another dominating performance from the pole to claim not only two wins in a row on the season; but two in a row on this track.

Crew chief Rick Ren, while celebrating on pit road told reporters, “We anticipated on the racetrack getting really hot and slick, imagine that, made some adjustments on it this morning trying to anticipate it. Looks like we guessed the right way.”

In victory lane the celebration continued.

Hornaday smiling and sweating after climbing out of the truck said, “I didn’t think we had anything for Brian Scott, but we got around him and with that green-white-checkered we just gave it all we got.”

Brian Scott, in the No. 16 came in second this week, battling a broken wrist for the second week in a row.

Scott, exhausted on pit road said, “We had a good truck, it could rotate the center. We had really good pit stops and pit strategy. Jeff (Hensley) can call a race really well. You know second, that’s really good I just got to thank everybody.”

He also congratulated Ron Hornaday and the KHI team saying, “The best truck won. We were a second place truck.”

Rounding out the top five finishers were David Starr in third, Aric Almirola in fourth and Matt Crafton in fifth.

Mike Skinner followed Crafton in sixth, Timothy Peters finished seventh, Johnny Sauter eighth, Colin Braun ninth and Todd Bodine rounded out the top 10.

The Camping World Truck series will take two weeks off before returning on July 18 to battle at Kentucky.

This article is also featured on Speedwaymedia.com.

Confessions from a NASCAR Sportswriter

Rebecca Spence — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:40:33 -0400

It’s a difficult business, sports writing. When you are a freelancer, it’s even harder.

Now that the "dot com" nation is beginning to get recognized as more than mere journalistic wannabes, the field of sports writing is becoming a sink or swim business. And to make it you had better be ready to fend of sharks, pacify piranha, and be prepared to defend your stance, your team, and your ability.

NASCAR is the topic I write about most. Why? You may ask. Well, truth is I love it. I love the sights, the sounds, even the smell of race day. When the engines fire in either series; my blood turns to high octane, my heart beats in tune with the high horsepower engines, and my mind races faster than the drivers around the track.

I love the thrill of a breaking story, I love the satisfaction of an article well written, and I smile with every change of the read counter.

Some are in heaven, putting their favorite driver in the headlines, for some it’s battling the clock to get their story out first, for others it is simply there love for the sport and the joy of writing even the simplest story about it.

For me, and many others, it’s a deeper connection. Sometimes spiritual, always addictive, but a deep desirable pull that we can not ignore.

Writing will always be my passion. NASCAR, with or without my favorite driver, will always be my inspiration. And the sites I frequent are my playgrounds.

You will rarely see, or hear, me pushing my drivers face and accomplishments around because first or 43rd, he will still be my driver.

I don’t follow every move of the "new NASCAR" poster children; although I can understand why many do. The names bring readers, the fans are many, and the latest rivalry will out trump a factual report any day.

I have no issues with those whom follow drivers I don’t like, as long as they accept the fact that I don’t have to like him as well.

I fight the sharks (those nasty writers) that down the sport, or bash the drivers, teams, articles, or even their fellow writers.

I pacify the piranha (those that comment with the wrong part of their anatomy) that leave hurtful, spiteful, vulgar, stereotypical or just down right idiotic feedback. I’m glad you took the time to read my article, thank you for your lack of opinion, go jump in a lake, bye.

I’m not saying you have to agree with my stance, but if you disagree do so with some sense of respect.

I acknowledge those like me and with respect return their courteous, yet constructive suggestions. After all I’m learning all the time, and their opinions are welcome because they are relevant and helpful.

I remain as active as I can in my writing community, because that's why it's there. I promote the work of others, because it's good, and because our sport deserves it.

We are here to promote not just a sport, not just a site, but ourselves and each other.

I here by confess…

I’m a NASCAR sports writer. I’m proud of my sport, and (for the most part) proud of my trade. I bleed high octane, sweat motor oil, and breathe smoking rubber.

I’m a business woman, a fierce friend, a strong competitor, and a creative artist.

I am a NASCAR sports writer. And this was my confession.

MIS: Speedway to Stardom

Rebecca Spence — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:47:20 -0400

This coming weekend NASCAR invades Michigan International Speedway, home to records held by great NASCAR drivers, and bragging rights that echo throughout the halls of major manufacturers.

Only 67 miles southwest of Detroit, MIS, has been a “must win” on every team's lips for the last 40 years.

Last year saw the winnings of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards. This year 43 teams will try to earn, along with their manufacturers, the glory of those that came before.

Some fun facts about MIS:

—On NASCAR weekends (twice a year).

—The population of Brooklyn, Michigan blooms from 1,200 to 170,000, thus making it the third largest city in the state for approximately six days a year.

—The sales of various items may shock you. They sell approximately 130,000 T-shirts, 100,000 hats, 80,000 earplugs, 64,000 credential holders, 30,000 seat cushions, and that’s not including food and drink sales during one event weekend!

—Track records at MIS include some of the greatest driving names ever, like Pearson, Petty, Jarrett, Rudd, Waltrip, Wallace, and Yarborough.

This year, they're sponsoring some special events as well. The Life Lock “Lock in 2 Win” contest should be amazing! Go to lifelock.com and register (no purchase necessary) then place your pick of the drivers you think will fall in first and second in the Life Lock 400. You could win up to two million dollars!

Another special event held at MIS is their annual September 11th blood drive. Each year on September 11th, Michigan International Speedway hosts the Spirit of America blood drive with all donations benefiting the Great Lakes Region of the American Red Cross.

Due to its overwhelming success, the Spirit of America blood drive caught the attention of the NASCAR Foundation in 2007, which has since created the NASCAR Foundation Blood and Marrow Drive, which took place at nearly 30 different race tracks around the country in 2008.

Truly MIS is a wonderful track to visit and fun for drivers and fans alike.

What will this years races hold? Will some one break Ryan Newman’s qualifying record of 194.232 mph/approx 37 sec? Will the driver holding both records for advancing his position (Tony Stewart) take the win?

The guesses are as good as yours my fellow fans, but it should be fun to watch.

*Facts from the 2009 MIS Media Guide

Chrysler Crisis May Mean Pulling Petty's Plug

Rebecca Spence — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:51:04 -0400

As a business owner, there is nothing scarier than loss of funding. When your business is Cup Series Racing, that fear magnifies.

The rumors are flying that the Chrysler bankruptcy, and pending asset sale (which the Appeals Court refused to block) to Fiat may find the Dodge teams slimmer if not non- existent next year.

The articles fly through out the NASCAR and Automotive Communities, of the "holding pattern" in payment caused by the legal procedures in bankruptcy.

Drivers remain hopeful that they can race on Sunday, and still have a ride come Monday; the undertone from team owner Richard Petty however is not so reassuring.

In an article released by Sporting News Wire (and found on NASCAR.com) Petty voiced his concerns by stating, "we have to figure...Where is Chrysler going to go? Where are we going to be next year? We have to start planning right now for how we come out February in Daytona."

The wondering mind has to question, should the worst happen; where will the crisis leave the fan favorite drivers in the Petty stable?

Kasey Kahne, without a doubt the forerunner in the Petty camp, is contracted through the 2010 season.

The fore runner in bonus points for the RPM teams, Elliott Sadler (with 20 bonus points for laps led the season followed by Kahne with 10) is already on unstable ground after the pre-season fight to keep his ride in the No. 19.

The teams of Allmendinger and Sorenson have surprised the ranks of more experienced drivers with their strong performances so far this season.

Each of the four have done all they can do to advance. With the new R6 engines being implemented, how will the funding being held affect the ultimate outcome?

Mike Accavitti (director of Marketing and Strategy for Chrysler) has been quoted on several articles as having acknowledged the cash flow issues being raised by the reorganizations.

Accavitti said in a statement to Sporting News, "The amount of engineering and technical services, along with supply of racing components we provide to the Dodge factory-backed teams has not changed. NASCAR remains a strategic part of our marketing plan and the Dodge brand...We have commitments to the sport and our teams and plan to continue our sponsorship into the foreseeable future."

But how long will that foreseeable future be? An estimated $125 million a year is spent by each manufacturer on NASCAR. Is Fiat planning to keep the cash flowing?

Ponder this, if you will:

NASCAR has limited the real R&D value that comes out of the Cup Series. In a sport that has changed so much that the make and model stickers on the cars have become little more than hood ornaments, why would a floundering manufacturer stretch it's means to continue their 6 figure support?

Detroit says that COT or not NASCAR is still a large factor in the sales of domestic cars sales! Peter Delorenzo, publisher of the autoextremist.com website, disagrees says USA Today.

Delorenzo was quoted in an article as saying, "Detroit is spending a lot of money to preach to the choir." NASCAR fans already buy domestic cars and trucks.

With all the news and rumors, what can a team like RPM really do? The King himself said it best, "we aren't giving up, by any means. With the new engine deals, we're going to really, really work hard to get ourselves into a better position for next year."

Hey NASCAR: Wake Up and Smell the Recession

Rebecca Spence — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:14:56 -0400

Economic hardship wipes the smiles of faces of the mightiest moguls. It’s time for the powers that be at NASCAR Inc. to face the facts and wake up!

The worried yet hushed undertones of most NASCAR vs. State of economy articles should have anybody under the impression that NASCAR is struggling (by their standards) no matter how much they try to hide it.

Ratings for the All-Star event fell over 10 percent from last year, ticket sales are down, even the faithful “sell-out” events are being run with empty seats in the stands.

Wake Up NASCAR! Changes need to be made to ensure the sport's survival.

With the major car manufacturers declaring bankruptcy left and right, and the waning number of fans in the stands, it’s no wonder that NASCAR has called for a, not mandatory but attendance strongly suggested, meeting at their research and development center on Tuesday.

While they haven’t said much about the meeting's actual topics, the informal hint to crews and drivers was that it will be to discuss the "state of the sport."

In other words, NASCAR is open to suggestions to make their numbers rise, along with their profits.

Here is a simple yet effective idea: Lower Your Costs!

Everything in the sport is too expensive, from the costs for NASCAR and its teams to the costs passed on to the fans. If they would first and foremost lose the car of tomorrow, and go back to, gee I don’t know, racing stock cars.

It would save massive amounts of money. Not to mention, boost the economy by giving back to the manufacturers.

Think about this:

If NASCAR went back to racing actual stock cars, the money being spent by the manufacturers for “r & d” would be cut in half. The teams could easily implement the safety innovations currently in use in the “C.O.T” and the fans would be able to recognize what the drivers are racing with out the aid of a camera man close up!

Second, lower the cost for fans to go to the races.

These days it’s all about high ticket prices or packages, arm and a leg souvenir prices, and outrageous bartering for everything from parking to snacks.

We are facing one of the largest economic crises in recent history. The fans are struggling to pay for the necessities, let alone the cost of entertainment.

Loosen up on the purse strings, guys, and realize you have to spend money to make money.

Third, appeal to the female demographic!

Women, me included, are your market NASCAR. In 90 percent of all households women handle the finances. We do the scrimping, the saving, and the shopping.

Women race fans are louder, prouder, and more willing to spend money on the things that please them and their families.

Your sport is no longer dominated by the 45 and older white males. Make the tracks and events more “family friendly” and you will witness the rise in women wanting to pay for the experience.

Lastly, at least for now, eliminate the “everything has a penalty” rule book.

NASCAR rules change so often I usually have to look them up at the beginning of every season just to understand what is going on. Write one rule book, and stick to it.

When you do so, please, omit some of the following:

Take out any rule that punishes a driver for what he/she says.
No more guesses. Keep a clear and concise policy on what action equals what punishment.
Driver “quarrels": If it’s on track, off track, in the parking lot or the garages don’t make a big stink over it! As long as it takes place in a manner where no “innocent” (and I use the term lightly) lives are at stake, by all means let them fight.
Chase away the Chase. The worst change NASCAR has made (with the exception of the COT) was going to a “chase” format. Originally, it was designed to make NASCAR similar to other sports by giving it a “play-off” kind of feel. News flash Gentlemen: NASCAR isn’t like other sports and that’s why we like it.
No more top 35. If a driver can’t race his way in on time alone, it shouldn’t matter how popular or how experienced he is, he should miss the race. Take it back to Old School qualifying!

There are numerous other changes that “we the fans” would like to see. And in economic times like these, the fans are who you need to be listening to.

The call for drivers, teams, and owners to assemble to aid in inspiration is noble. But it isn’t going to save you.

Drivers who truly belong in the sport would race for little to nothing. Bragging rights and enough money to insure they could race again next week would be enough for them.

If you want to find the funding needed to carry on, make NASCAR a true fan sport; A racing genre of the fans, by the fans, and for the fans. We are where your money is coming from!

Best of the Rest: My Top 10 All-Star Showdown Picks

Rebecca Spence — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:52:24 -0400

The All-Star Event is upon us! Tonight the Best of the Rest fight each other in a knock down, drag out, checker or wrecker battle to earn the right to challenge the Best of the Best! On these slides I have assembled my top ten Showdown picks. These Drivers will be the one's to watch to see who gets to brag, and who gets more than their fenders bent!

Begin Slideshow

Jeremy Mayfield Failed the Test—Who Cares?

Rebecca Spence — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:40:22 -0400

How many of us have had to take a drug test? I know I have. In the years since I entered the work force, I have been tested before getting a job, and randomly tested while on a job.

The truth of the matter is 90 percent of all drug testing facilities have the same process. Fill out a form, wait in line, pee in a cup, and have some blood drawn.

The most common question posed to anyone taking is, "Are you currently on any medications—prescription or otherwise?"

My point is that, even before the test was administered, Mayfield would have (or, at least, should have) disclosed any medications that could have been in his system.

Should any of those legal medications held an ingredient, or the mixture of those meds posed a chemical reaction concern; NASCAR and it's testing facility would have been aware that a false positive may arise.

Did he dope up? I can only sit back while the rest of the media and bloggers speculate. NASCAR has made it all too clear that it does not intend on releasing the actual drug that was involved.

It comes down to the fact that rules are rules!

If you fail a drug test mandated by NASCAR, then you are out—no exceptions!

Do you want your ride back, Jeremy? Then take the needed actions to acquire it back.

If NASCAR says to go through a rehabilitation class, then do it! Stop sitting around while your team and car are up in the air. Whimpering and complaining won't get Mayfield or any of the other offenders back, but action will!

The bottom line to drivers, crews, or any employee of a company that does drug testing is that, If you know the possibility is there, then do not tempt fate!

Any physician or pharmacist can advise you on what medications are narcotics, which meds counteract or don't mesh well, and what to do if you are prescribed a medication that may hinder a drug test result.

For goodness sake, people, have some common sense! And if you are an illegal substance user, then wise up!

I'm not going to lecture anyone on their choices, but I am going to tell you this: "When it cost you your job, your livelihood, your loved ones, or your future, it's your own fault!"