So, feuds and racing are bad now?

INSIDE MOTORSPORTS

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

My two cents

Some things in NASCAR just don't make sense to me.

All season long I've heard race fans complain about the lack of good competition – perceived or otherwise. Add to that complaints the drivers are too "vanilla" and NASCAR polices the sport too much.

"Remember the past," they yell. Let the drivers decide the issues on the track, they say.

But then when exactly that scenario unfolds, they change tunes.

Case in point: The feud between Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.

Over the past several weeks, Hamlin and Keselowski have had run-ins on the track, with Hamlin usually complaining Keselowski is overly aggressive. Keselowski has also had run-ins with other drivers, but none as public as with Hamlin.

Keselowski, 25, already has a Sprint Cup Series win, could finish second in points in the Nationwide Series and has earned four wins in that series this season and six in his two years of full-time competition.

Yet, with Hamlin acting almost as a cheerleader for the cause, fans seem taken aback by Keselowski's actions on the track: racing hard every lap, nudging and rooting people out of the way to gain positions that put him sight of race wins.

Complaints about Keselowski range include "he needs to pay his dues," or "he needs to earn respect," or "he needs to remember who he's racing."

Huh?

This is racing. The object is to go as fast as you can and get to the finish before everybody else. If that's not the objective, this isn't the place for you.

If a driver knocks people out of the way, doesn't respect those around him and drives with reckless abandon, let the driver deal with the consequences – from either NASCAR or competitors.

Good feuds and hard racing are what led to NASCAR's success. Anybody remember the name Earnhardt?

No

A spot in top 35 on the line

The race to claim a spot in the top 35 of car owner points, which guarantees a starting position in the 2010 Daytona 500, is down to one position – 35th.

The No. 34 team owned by Teresa Earnhardt ranks 35th with 2,667 points. The only team with a shot at taking that spot away is Red Bull Racing's No. 82, driven by rookie Scott Speed.

Speed trails by 114 points and would have to match his best performance of the year (fifth) to have a shot at overcoming the deficit.

Bires to make JR Motorsports debut

Kelly Bires, hired by JR Motorsports to replace Brad Keselowski in its No. 88 Chevrolets in the Nationwide Series next season, is getting an early start.

Bires will drive the No. 5 in this weekend's season finale at Homestead as a teammate to Keselowski, who moves to Penske Racing next season.

"We wanted to get Kelly in one of our cars before the season was out," said team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. "It's important that Kelly hit the ground running at Daytona next year, and this certainly helps."

Kligerman gets another start

Penske development driver Parker Kligerman, who was runner-up in the Automobile Racing Club of America series this season, will make his second Nationwide start this weekend.

Kligerman will drive the No. 22 Dodge. He won the pole and finished 16th in his season debut Oct. 3 at Kansas.

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