Tag Archives: James Hylton

*10.* Inadvertently brought a CoY instead of a CoT. *9.* Forgot to put Stabil in the tank last year. *8.* At 74 years old, damned if he could remember where he put those keys!

*Saturday's Budweiser Shootout featured several multi-car crashes that took out some top contenders -- including rookie sensation Joey Logano and Cup champions Bobby Labonte and Jimmie Johnson. Was this to be expected in a non-points race, or is it an ominous result of the testing ban — and is there more to come as the ban continues?* Beth: I think it was a little bit of both, actually. Amy: I think it's a sign of things to come for the 500; but after that, not so much. Teams need the track time, but they'll get that the first few weeks.

Considering the fact that a points-paying race has not yet taken place, gauging the true momentum of drivers and teams is a bit more of a daunting task than it is between races. So much flux and change has occurred in the garages of all three of NASCAR’s top series this offseason, mainly because of the changes teams had to make because of the economy. That constant team and driver upheaval in the garage has left many organizations with a completely different makeup than last year, also opening up new spots for some new startup teams to try and entrench themselves as parts of the weekly NASCAR circus. While their presence is welcomed, it makes the ability to pinpoint their progress more difficult than ever. Following Saturday’s Bud Shootout and Sunday’s qualifying session, some drivers and teams have already begun to stand out as possible contenders and definite holders of momentum -- while others already have chinks in their armor before they can even get a donut on the driver’s side door. Here is this week’s list of Hot, Warm and Cold drivers...

Kevin Harvick assumed the lead milliseconds before the caution flag flew, signaling the end of the race. With the convoluted new format and dearth of attendance and excitement Saturday night, is it time to just call this Shootout silliness off?

With that, on the eve of the 50th Daytona 500 the NASCAR brass finds itself in the midst of pondering a change in direction, working on a future that's based on history they only recently chose to rewrite. The path to reconnect the two won't be easy - now without the guiding hand of Bill France Jr. to lean on for advice and support, the powers that be will have a far more difficult time figuring out just what those "basics" really are. After all, Brian France has made so many adjustments to the format of how the series works, it's hard to even tell the NASCAR of 2002 from the one we have just six years later. Sometimes, even the most hardcore of longtime fans forget what that was like, how the sport worked then compared to how it functions now. That's why it's important to take a breath, think back, and remember what exactly "getting back to basics" means on the eve of a season critical to halting NASCAR's decline.