The Frontstretch: Making the Grade : Bud Shootout by Dennis Michelsen -- Tuesday February 14, 2006

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Making the Grade : Bud Shootout

Dennis Michelsen · Tuesday February 14, 2006

 

Pace Laps

Once again, the NASCAR rain curse is back to work"¦but sure beats all that snow on the east coast!

OK, just one time, can we please have a decent singer for the National Anthem? (And I own that guy’s CD!) My dogs started howling when he was singing!

How long will it take for the SHRUB Kyle Busch to get trimmed if he continues his reckless ways?

F for NASCAR’s Penalty Against Carl Edwards

The first rule in calling any sport is to not make a close call unless you are sure! Carl Edwards helped avoid a disaster and got penalized for it. Come on, NASCAR, don’t throw the flag unless you are SURE!

D for Kyle Busch’s Reckless Driving

There is no doubt Kyle has amazing talent behind the wheel"¦but sometimes showing some patience is a good thing! If not for an amazing save by Mark Martin, Kyle Busch would have caused the "Big One." There were a few other occasions where his blocking was getting out of hand, too! Settle down, Kyle…it is a long season!

C for Kenny Schrader

Leading 18 of the first 20 laps showed this team is going in the right direction! Not being much of a factor when it counted is why this team deserves a "C" this week.

B for Tony Stewart

Smoke showed both on and off the track why he is a champion! On the track, he showed a great sense of teamwork, helping rookie Denny Hamlin win when he realized he couldn’t. Off the track, Tony spoke for a lot of the drivers when he slammed the bump drafting! Five years after the death of legend Dale Earnhardt, someone needs to remind these guys how fragile their existence can be, and speak out against this lousy restrictor plate package that is in place before it’s too late…again.

A for Denny Hamlin

The kid took over a lifeless team late last year and pumped life back into it! Now, he comes out of the box and wins in his first effort at Daytona. Not only did Denny Hamlin win, he did it in style! Not once all race did Hamlin cause a problem on the track, which is something most of the young drivers in the race could not say! It is also refreshing to see a kid that came up the hard way do good and show some real emotion.

DON’T LET THE FINAL WEEKEND OF SILLY SEASON PASS YOU BY!

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Sabrina
02/14/2006 12:26 PM
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Kyle’s driving “style” should be one of the reasons there is a higher minimum age for drivers in Cup competition. Clearly, he’s not patient and not mature enough to handle driving at the Cup level, although being older is no guarantee that he’ll ever become more patient or mature. I just think that if drivers are actually given the chance to gain experience and maturity at lower levels with less pressure, some of these problems could be headed off at the pass.

M. B. Voelker
02/15/2006 08:46 AM
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Carl and Jamie were just as hyped up as Kyle was and they’re a good deal older.

With all the hype about the go-for-it, nothing-to-lose atmosphere of the non-points events like the Shootout and the All-Star is it any wonder that some of the younger, less-experienced drivers get too charged up, leave their brains in their other helmet, and drive like they’re going for it with nothing to lose?

Even in a series composed only of over-40’s you’d see drivers getting hyped up and overdoing it. Remember DJ at Richmond in 2004?

 

Dennis no longer contributes to the Frontstretch, but you can Dennis's commentary at his website bio and archive page.