Uncle Max vs. Last Year’s Winners: Auto Club (Fontana)

Feels like last year—I’m dominating in the lower series but I’m sucking wind in the Cup Series!  Competing against last year is looking harder than I anticipated, but I’m always up for a challenge.

Speaking of challenges, I won the monthly sales challenge at work!  That gets me a free paid day off in March AND the preferred employee parking spot.  Plus I also got a nice commemorative pen, which is thoughtful.  Just goes to show you that you never know when an unexpected victory is coming your way.  Granted, I’m a little worried that I won a contest I didn’t even know was going on, but a win is a win.

CUP SERIES Auto Club 400: 2019 Winner (2 WINS) is Kyle Busch.  FAVORITE: Joey Logano—two straight for Joey gets me into the win column.  NEXT FAVORITE: Denny Hamlin—or maybe two out of three? DARK HORSE: Kyle Larson—the king of the two-milers defends his crown.

XFINITY SERIES (2 WINS) PAG 300: Austin Cindric—his team owner DID build this track.

TRUCK SERIES (1 WIN)—off

Fred Lorenzen: Nascar Hall of Famer Retirements—Who Hung On Too Long?

Unlike other sports, Nascar can see drivers compete well into their 50’s.  While this allows for some pretty cool stories and added fan memories, it also can lend itself to some drivers staying active well past their prime.

With Jimmie Johnson being just the latest driver to announce his retirement from Nascar (effective the end of the 2020 season), I wanted to take a look at drivers who voluntarily retired from the sport to see if they hung on too long or left at just the right time (or maybe even a little too soon).  By “voluntary retirement” that means I’m not including anyone who was killed or seriously injured while driving.

Instead of looking at EVERY driver (even though interest in an analysis of Brett Bodine’s latter years could be quite high) I’m limiting it to Hall of Fame inductees—for now.

(Drivers listed in order of their Hall of Fame induction)

NOTE: Those inducted primarily or exclusively for achievements outside of driving (team ownership, crew chiefing, etc.) will not be considered.  Cup performance is all that’s considered for this piece.  Also, the more modern term “Cup Series” will be used instead of Grand National, Winston Cup, etc.

Fred Lorenzen

DRIVING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: “The Golden Boy”.  26 Cup Series wins despite never running a full schedule.  1965 Daytona 500 champion.  First driver to win over $100,000 in a single season.

LAST HURRAH: “The Elmhurst Express” returned to Nascar after a two-year hiatus in late 1970.  In 1971 Lorenzen posted six top-five race finishes in only fourteen starts.

FINAL YEAR(S): In 1972 Lorenzen again showed speed, posting three top-five race finishes in just eight Cup Series starts.  He would leave the sport after that season.

DID HE HANG ON TOO LONG?: No.  Lorenzen’s career is a bit tougher to judge since he never ran a full-season, but while he didn’t post any wins in his comeback, his excellent race finishes showed that he hadn’t lost much of anything.

Bounty—The Quicker Rowdy Wrecker-Upper

On the one hand, Nascar isn’t like pro wrestling.

On the other hand…

SCENE: A dimly-lit office.  A solitary figure sits behind a desk.  The desk is sparse with only a suitcase and a Jimmy John’s sub on it.

The lights brighten slightly revealing Kevin Harvick in a business suit behind the desk.

Harvick: (ominously, with barely contained anger) “Greetings fellow Cup drivers.  We all know why we’re here, but you don’t know why I’M here, now do you?  You see, I had a little talk with one of the money men, Marcus Lemonis. We pooled our resources, and we put together a little reward for all of you.”

Harvick picks up the briefcase, spins the numbers to unlock it, and it clicks open, revealing stacks of $100 bills.

“In this briefcase is $100,000.  All cash, tax-free, and you don’t even have to pay a licensing fee to Fanatics on it.  But if you want it, here’s what you’ll have to do.”

Harvick gets up and picks up the briefcase, holding it so the cash is visible.

“Our ‘good friend’ Kyle Busch is entering four more Truck races this year.  Think you can beat him?  All you need to do it win one of those four Truck races fair and square—no wrecks, no collusion, we don’t want the cops involved, or, worse, Chad Little *shudder*.”

Harvick quickly closes the briefcase.

“But if none of you can do it, Marcus gets his money back, and my half of the bounty goes to charity.  So—think you can do it?  Think you can beat Kyle Buschhhhhhhhhhhh—sorry, force of habit.”