July 25, 2008 - Pass The Jello

So, I’m watching the video of Danica Patrick once again marching down a pit lane at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and getting into it with another driver.

This time, it’s Milka Duno looking down Danica’s barrel, which amazingly never points at herself.

Why did I get a sudden craving for jello?

Here’s the thing. Duno is a moving chicane out there on ovals, but, according to her resume, she’s a fairly accomplished road racer. But her Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara wouldn’t be as fast as Patrick’s Andretti Green race car with a turbocharger and Tony Stewart behind the wheel.

So, if you’re Danica, why bother? After all, this all happened during a practice session.

I’ve always been ambivalent where Patrick was concerned. I gave her credit when she won in Japan and didn’t demean the victory like so many others did because it came due to a fuel-mileage strategy. Hey, that’s part of racing. Scott Speed did it last Saturday in ARCA. The Buschs and Johnsons and Gordons have all won races because they were good to the last drop.

I kind of chuckled when she went after Dan Wheldon. I rolled my eyes when she headed after Ryan Briscoe like a ticked off Jack Russell stalking a tennis ball.

But Milka Duno?

Patrick always said she was standing up for herself in a male-dominated sport, I shrugged, but said OK.

This time, Patrick was being a bully.

Then, she pulled the “it’s only news because I’m so popular” quote out of storage after a very short respite.

Well, if you know your every step is being photographed and/or videotaped, why go wandering down to Duno’s pit box? Why not just pull her aside later and say what you need to say? None of this happened during a race, after all. This was – in the immortal words of Allen Iverson — practice!

“We talking ’bout practice!”

But to the credit of Duno, a Venezuelan who could play the sex-appeal card as often as Danica if she wanted and who has two class wins in the

American Le Mans Series Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, she wouldn’t be bullied.

“She’s pushed guys before because she knows a guy can’t push back,” Duno said. “But with me, forget about it. If she wants to find my worst side, she is going to find it.”

And the muffled applause you may have heard was from the rest of the Indy Racing League.

July 11, 2008 - JGR Will Be Just Fine

If anyone in NASCAR understands team-building it would be Joe Gibbs. While other teams have developmental drivers in one series or the other, Joe Gibbs Racing has had true depth in its racing program for years.

It’s an approach to auto racing that found its roots in Joe Gibbs’ other hall-of-fame career as a football coach.

That’s why the loss of a Tony Stewart, which would cripple some organizations, is little more than a bummer for JGR.

No other organization has Joey Logano waiting in the wings, not even Hendrick Motorsports, who turned to 49-year-old Mark Martin to replace Casey Mears in the No. 5 for next season.

Other organizations search for sponsored or funded drivers as a prerequisite. JGR seems to find talent and go from there.

Logano is a legitimate phenom, having already won in just four starts in the Nationwide Series. And let’s not forget, JGR released Aric Almirola last year when he had a chance to drive for the now defunct Ginn Racing. Almirola, who has split time with Martin in DEI’s No. 8 this year and in the No. 01 last year, takes over the No. 8 fulltime in 2009. Another possible future star, Marc Davis, is also waiting in the developmental wings under the JGR banner. Before that, JGR had signed a kid named Denny Hamlin. It worked out OK.

Talk about depth at every position.

With most any other driver as young as Logano (18), racing pundits such as myself would have grave concerns about his ability to replace Stewart, a two-time Cup champion and arguably the best pure race-car driver of his generation, in the No. 20.

Logano has done a tremendous job of erasing doubts with his performance over the past couple of years.

He will be just fine. As a matter of fact, it's hard to find anyone who doesn't think he will be great for a long, long time.

JGR will be just fine in the post-Stewart era.

And that’s a tribute to Joe Gibbs and son J.D. Gibbs understanding the importance of team, from top to bottom.

July 4, 2008 - Independence Day

It’s Independence Day.

But that holiday has already been celebrated this week by Aric Almirola. It may not seem like it on the surface, but Casey Mears should consider a celebration, too.

Earlier this week, Almirola was officially installed as the full-time driver of the DEI’s Junior-free No. 8 after two years of waiting on Mark Martin to really, really retire.

Putting Martin in the No. 8 at the beginning of this year was understandable. With Dale, Jr. moving out of the No. 8 and his legion of fans so attached to the number, it made sense to go with Martin, who the fans would have trouble booing with the U.S. Army sponsorship attached to the car.

But all the talk about the No. 8 has gone away now. Junior Nation is happily behind the No. 88 with new t-shirts and tattoos. Almirola has been more than ready for this ride for a year. He’s a fresh, young face that sponsors — especially the Army, which isn’t attracting many recruits Martin’s age — likes.

It’s about time.

Now it appears that Martin will go after that elusive NASCAR Sprint Cup title, driving Mears’s soon-to-be former No. 5 fulltime in 2009.

I would feel bad for anyone else who got dumped out of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5. But it’s different for Mears — son of Roger, nephew of Rick.

He is also Casey Mears — teammate of two-time defending Cup champ Jimmie Johnson. And he is Casey Mears — teammate of four-time Cup champ Jeff Gordon. Oh, and he is Casey Mears — teammate of JUNIOR. For good measure, he is Mears — the guy Hendrick kept instead of Kyle Busch because everybody just likes Mears better.

I would like to see Mears, who is much more liked than Busch for such good reason, land someplace where he can grow into himself without qualification.

Wherever he lands — RCR, Penske, Bill Davis Racing — at this time next year, maybe he’ll just be Casey Mears.

And this will truly have been an Independence Day for both Mears and Almirola to remember.