A Race Without Jimmie Johnson—Now and Then

Due to his positive test for COVID-19, Jimmie Johnson will be forced to miss today’s running of the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400.  About the only thing more shocking than the race’s name (seriously?  Hand sanitizer?) is that this will be the first Cup race since the 2001 Kroger Supermarkets 300 that will not have Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel of the 48 Chevy.  Here’s how things have changed since the last time Jimmie Johnson missed a race:

NOW: Today’s race is one of the few to NOT be rescheduled due to the Coronavirus outbreak, being held on Fourth of July Weekend in Nascar’s latest attempt to scare away fans from non-ISC or SMI-owned tracks.

THEN: The Kroger 300 was held on “Black Friday” due to its original race weekend being cancelled due to the September 11th attacks.  Miraculously weather was pretty mild for a New England late-November afternoon, meaning that maybe Mother Nature DOES love Nascar, just not in 2020.

Jimmie's spot in the Hall of Fame is basically
guaranteed.  2001 race winner Robby Gordon's
spot in the Hall of Fame will be guaranteed when
he pays for an admission ticket.

NOW: Due to social distancing regulations, no qualifying was held and Joey Logano is on the pole today.  Joey was 11 years old in 2001 and MUCH less insufferable.

THEN: Due to a condensed schedule no qualifying was held and points leader Jeff Gordon was on the pole.  Jeff had already clinched the championship, but it would take a Roush Racing driver stinking up the show for Nascar to finally abandon its “consistency wins” points system.

NOW: Believe it or not the Playoffs are fast approaching, and Indy’s unique layout gives the opportunity for an upset win on the winding road co—WAIT, WAIT, no, that was Xfinity.  Expect three hours of follow-the-leader and either a JGR driver or Kevin Harvick to win.

THEN: The race was won by Robby Gordon after tangling with Jeff Gordon, who was penalized for retaliating against Robby under caution.  Today Robby concerns himself with his various business interests (including his Stadium Super Truck Series) while Jeff concerns himself with being dull on Nascar broadcasts.

NOW: As stated above, Kevin Harvick is a favorite to win today, while Matt Kenseth would need a win in order to have any chance to make the Playoffs.  Unless, that is, some other driver makes a complete idiot of himself online and he slides over into THAT driver’s ride.

THEN: Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth are the only two drivers from the 2001 Kroger 300 still active in Cup racing full-time.  My sincere apologies if that makes you feel old.

NOW: This race will be broadcast on NBC (their first race of the year) with two drivers who were active in that 2001 race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton, in the booth.

THEN: The 2001 New Hampshire race was the last of the first season of coverage by NBC.  Bizarrely, Wally Dallenbach Jr. is the only one still active in sports media, with a lengthy career as an outdoorsman.  Seriously.

NOW: Jimmie Johnson is currently on a lengthy winless streak, stretching all the way back to the middle of the 2017 season.

THEN: Jimmie Johnson was on an even LONGER winless streak after just three Cup Series starts, stretching all the way back to infinity.

NOW: Justin Allgaier will be running the 48 Ally Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports in place of Jimmie Johnson.

THEN: Justin Allgaier was fifteen in 2001, and the biggest substitute drivers at New Hampshire were brothers Kenny Wallace (in the DEI #1) and Mike Wallace (in the Penske Racing #12).  Ironically Mike Wallace made a comeback just yesterday in the Xfinity Series race, proving that everything comes full-circle, even if those funny Geico ads still haven’t been re-run.

Uncle Max vs. Last Year’s Winners: Indianapolis

I’ve enjoyed my nephew’s “Nascar for Newbies” series—I’m still relatively new to the sport and I’ve learned a bit about the history.  Here’s hoping he discusses why they just can’t race in the rain.

Seriously—there’s no other sports going on right now (never got into soccer for reasons too losing-my-high-school-girlfriend to get into) so I’ve really thrown myself into Nascar with gusto these past few months.  But it seems like every time I tune in, there’s rain, lightning, or a threat of one of them.  Oh well—at least with Darrell Waltrip no longer announcing we don’t have to hear about the “Vortex Theory” much anymore.

TRUCK SERIES  (1 win)—off

Saturday XFINITY SERIES Pennzoil 150 (2 wins) Austin Cindric—Penske driver wins at a Penske track sponsored by a Penske sponsor.

Sunday CUP SERIES Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400.  LAST YEAR’S WINNER (3 wins) Kevin Harvick  FAVORITE: (2 win) Denny Hamlin—hard to jump off this bandwagon.  NEXT FAVORITE: (1 win) Kyle Busch—the Candy Man can…get back on track at Indy.  DARK HORSE: (0 wins) Bubba Wallace—had a strong run last year, even though this year people would whine about a fix.

Nascar for Newbies Part 3--The Cup Series and Beyond (The Nascar Pyramid)

Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of Nascar!  If you’re a new fan of stock car racing, this is the place for you!  In this ten-part series we’ll take a look at what you should and could know about America’s #1 auto racing organization.  Let’s get started! 

3. THE CUP SERIES AND BEYOND—Nascar from top to bottom

Similar to baseball, Nascar has a pyramid or “ladder system” of series and divisions.  Here’s a quick rundown:

a.) Nascar Cup Series—this is the highest level of Nascar—and, by extension, stock car—racing in the world.  Here cars are the fastest, money is the biggest, and the spotlight is the brightest.  There’s a good chance that if you’re hearing about Nascar, what you’re hearing about is the Cup Series.

Red--Standard "Ladder" Series  Gray--Independent of the Ladder

b.) Nascar Xfinity Series—Nascar Cup’s support series.  Cars here are very similar to their Cup counterparts, albeit with slightly less-powerful engines.  Comparable to Triple-A baseball or AHL hockey, this series has a combination of future Cup stars, former Cup drivers rebuilding their careers, and journeyman drivers.  Most of the most-successful teams in the Xfinity Series are either owned by Cup teams or are directly affiliated with them.  However, several smaller teams compete in this series attracted by its lower operating costs.  Races are typically held the day before Cup races.

c.) Nascar Camping World Truck Series—frequently referred to simply as “The Truck Series”.  This series—slotted below the Xfinity Series—uses race car engines in pickup truck bodies.  While similar to the Xfinity Series in terms of driver makeup, most of the Truck Series teams are either loosely affiliated or completely independent of Cup Series teams.  Drivers will often start their national touring series careers in the Truck Series, or will finish out their careers there lured by its shorter schedule and lower costs.  While some races are held in conjunction with Cup and/or Xfinity races, several are held as stand-alone events.

d.) ARCA Division—three interlocking series make up this division, first introduced in 2020.  The formerly independent ARCA Series races on a wide variety of tracks, from short tracks to dirt tracks to super speedways.  To use a baseball analogy the ARCA Menards Series would be like “A-Advanced”, while the regional East and West Series would be like “Single A”.  The slightly-higher-ranked ARCA Series has historically been a home for so-called “hobby racers”—drivers who race more as a pastime than a profession.  Meanwhile, the East and West Series are typically the first true series (as opposed to single tracks) young drivers run at.  All three feature drivers graduating to the Truck Series as a goal.

x.i.) Nascar Whelen Modified Tour—more or less off on its own is the Modified Series, a regional touring series with its roots in the Northeast United States.  Driving heavily-modified stock cars (hence the name), the series is actually the oldest one sanctioned by Nascar, beating out the Cup Series by a single year.  Although some drivers have gone from racing Modifieds to the Cup Series, the tour is relatively self-contained with many drivers spending their whole careers there.

e.) Nascar Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series—better known as “Nascar Home Tracks”, “Nascar Roots”, or simply “The Weekly Series”, this is an umbrella organization for dozens of small, locally-known race tracks across the United States which host racing throughout the year.  Less a series than a division, a points formula based on competition level and performance determines a national champion.  Drivers typically make their stock car debuts here, moving up from go-kart racing.  While peppered with young racers looking to eventually make it to Cup, plenty of drivers compete for decades at their local tracks.

x.ii.) International Series—in the past few decades Nascar has tried to expand its brand globally, not only through international TV deals but also by sanctioning series in other countries.  Currently three exist: Canada’s Nascar Pinty’s Series, the PEAK Mexico Series, and Nascar Whelen Euro Series.  While all three have produced certain drivers who have advanced through the Nascar ladder (most-notably Cup driver Daniel Suarez), most series have been insular to their own regions so far.

f.) Online Racing—Nascar has started to sanction a number of series based around simulation and video games.  The most-visible of these is the eNascar Coca-Cola iRacing Series, based on the popular iRacing simulation platform.  Several current Cup drivers have used iRacing as a way to prepare for real racing while others such as Ty Majeski have used iRacing to propel their careers into actual cars and trucks.