Jeff Gordon vs Jimmie Johnson: Who's Better In Their Prime?

Yesterday night, Jimmie Johnson achieved something that hasn't been done since 1982: sweep the races at Daytona. To many people's frustrations, Johnson's car seemed to have about 50 more horsepower than everyone else's. His car wasn't nearly as strong in the Daytona 500, but it was evident that they worked very hard on their race package, and it paid big dividends. With this dominating victory, one fellow nascar fan on Twitter called Jimmie Johnson the greatest of all time.

The greatest of all time? It's certainly possible, but let's compare his absolute best years so far (2006-2010) to his mentor Jeff Gordon's greatest years (1995-1999).

Consistency:

Throughout the 5 straight years that Jimmie Johnson won the championship, his average finish was 10.86. He also managed to record 35 victories, 81 top 5s, and 117 top 10s in 180 races. Winning over 19 percent of the races in a 5 season stretch is certainly nothing to laugh at, but Gordon's numbers may be even more impressive. From '95 to '99, Gordon's average finish was an astounding 9.44, and he was victorious 47 times. He also managed to get 104 top 5s and 119 top 10s in 161 races, giving him a win percentage of 29 percent in that 5 year stretch. Even if you take their single greatest year so far (1998 for Gordon, 2007 for Johnson) Jeff would still have the edge, recording an unbelievable 26 top 5s in 33 starts. No matter which way you slice it, Wonder Boy has the edge on this one.

Advantage: Gordon

Championships: 

Jeff Gordon did manage to win the championship three times in the 5-year span we have established. He accomplished that feat in 1995, 1997 and 1998. In 1996, he finished 2nd behind teammate Terry Labonte and in 1999 he finished 6th. That is certainly very impressive, but the driver of the number 48 Chevrolet had 5 consecutive championships between 2006-2010, becoming the only driver in history to win more than 3 consecutive championships. Say what you want about how the Chase Era has affected things, but you can't argue with 5 straight championships.

Advantage: Johnson

Clutch Factor: 

In order to determine a driver's clutch factor, I decided to look at their statistics for the final 10 races of each season. Within the final 10 races of 1995 to 1999, Jeff Gordon recorded 14 victories. Johnson had 13 in the final 10 races of 2006 through 2010. Both drivers have managed to win 4 of the last 10 races twice in that span: Jeff in 1996 and 1998, and Johnson in 2007 and 2009. However, in the Chase Era, clutch factor is of the utmost importance in the recipe for a championship. Therefore, one could conclude that despite winning less races than Gordon, Jimmie was the strongest down the stretch when all the points were reset. This one is pretty much a toss up, depending on how you look at it.

Advantage: Tie

Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400: 

The Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 are two races that, If won, you gain immense recognition (unless you're Paul Menard). Between '95 and '99, Jeff Gordon won the Daytona 500 twice and the Brickyard 400 once. Johnson managed to win 1 Daytona 500 and 3 Brickyard 400s between '06 and '10. Although Gordon won more 500s, 5-time has the edge here.

Advantage: Johnson

Overall Winner: 

Based on the fact that Jimmie Johnson has won 2 out of the 3 categories, it's natural to assume that he was better in his best 5-year run. But it's not that simple. I still find it incredible that Gordon won 12 more times than Johnson in 19 less starts. That being said, if you're simply going by wins, top 5s, and top 10s, Gordon clearly has an advantage. Obviously, Johnson has an advantage on the number of championships he's won, but many naysayers have argued that he only won because of the Chase. Then throw in the fact that in Gordon's era, the rules weren't nearly as strict as they were in Johnson's championship years. Picking a clear winner is not easy, so I'm just going to leave it up to you guys. Comment below and tell me who you think was better in their prime.

NASCAR: Kentucky Preview and Predictions

   

THIS...IS...SPARTA!!!! Sparta, Kentucky that is. Yes, NASCAR's best travel to the blue grass state to engage in battle at 180 miles per hour. Kentucky Speedway is certainly very new to the Sprint Cup series, having only 2 races, but the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series have been racing there since the dawn of the new millennium. Given the fact that there have only been two races with two different winners, it's hard to accurately predict a winner, but here's a small list of drivers you should look out for:

Jimmie Johnson:

While five-time has never won a race at Kentucky, his track record is pretty stellar. His average finish of 4.5 is second only to Brad Keselowski, and he has 2 top 10s in both races. Also consider that he has 10 top 10s in 16 races this season, the most out of any driver, and he is tied with Kyle Busch for the most top 5s with 7. Love him or hate him, don't act surprised when the 48 Chevrolet SS is the one in Victory Lane.

Kyle Busch:

Last year, Brad Keselowski would have been in this position, but the fact of the matter is, that team has some work to do. Therefore, I have chosen Kyle Busch to be another solid contender for the trophy on race day. Like Johnson, Busch has a very solid average finish at 5.5, and he has finished both races in the top 10. He's also led the most laps at Kentucky Speedway by far, 243 out of the 534 that have been run. Couple that with a solid 2013 season (2 wins, 7 top 5, 9 top 10s) and you're looking at a very solid contender for the trophy.

Matt Kenseth:

I know, Matt Kenseth has never led a single lap at Kentucky Speedway, but don't let that fool you. He does have an average finish of 6.5 there, and like the two aforementioned drivers, he also scored in the top 10 in both races. But the real success lies within the current season. If both drivers play their cards right, Johnson and Kenseth will have an epic battle for the title during the chase. The driver of the number 20 Toyota Camry has 3 wins under his belt in 2013, and he has the potential for a 4th win this weekend.

Picking a Winner:

The three drivers I have listed above should all run very well during the race, but obviously only one can be victorious. As much as we all love to hate the guy, I just cannot see why Jimmie Johnson cannot win this race. The momentum this guy has is unprecedented, and we all know how good the five time champion is on 1.5 mile tracks. I believe Kenseth will be a strong rival, since he won at Kansas, a similar track with 4 degrees more banking. But overall, Jimmie Johnson is the man to beat.

NASCAR: Why A Sport Once So Popular Is Falling Quickly. What Would You Change?

               

There is a saying that goes, “Don’t fix it unless it’s broke.” While the grammar of the statement may be well off the message behind remains strong today. The last seven years in NASCAR have had a really dormant appearance on growth. The sport simply isn’t attracting new fans to the race track and the people running the sport don’t either which is really making the situation consistently poor.

            The first two generations of NASCAR race cars combined were on the race track for over 31 years. The first generation was on the track from 1948-1966, and the second generation was on the track from 1967-1980. The third generation lasted until 1991 and the best car ever made (in my opinion) started in 1992 and officially left the sport at the end of the 2007 season.

            NASCAR made the decision that both the 4^th generation car and the COT would split the schedule in 2007 with the COT taking over the entire schedule in 2008. Initially, NASCAR wanted to wait until 2009 for the entire schedule to be taken over by the new car. Now, do you notice one of the problems with this? We now run the Gen-6. While the Car of Tomorrow certainly made the racing lackluster, I think that the rush to get the Gen-6 on the race track will end up hurting NASCAR. We didn’t give the Car of Tomorrow the same amount of time like the previous generations of race cars. Maybe the product was such a complete bomb that the change needed to be made. I know that many drivers were very unhappy with the Gen-5, but learning an entirely new product takes time and that takes time away from actually racing.

            The move to the Generation 5 car has changed NASCAR racing forever and in a very bad way. I will continue to love and cherish this sport the same way because I just love racing, but this isn’t the same racing that I grew up with. NASCAR wants to make the competition as tight as possible to level the playing field. NASCAR shouldn’t have to do that if they had a good racing product. The Generation 6 car is an improvement from the Generation 5 doesn’t get me wrong. We are seeing faster speeds than ever before, but that doesn’t define good races from bad ones. We have seen Camping World Truck Series races that were much more exciting than what the Sprint Cup Series has to offer and they don’t go as fast. Sometimes, I watch Indy Car and they have boring races. They go really fast.

            The past is done, but we can learn from our mistakes. What would I do if I ran NASCAR? There is going to be a whole list of things here that include: 1. Do what you have to do to make your car go fasts. Do whatever you want to the car and see what happens. 2. Race back to the caution unless track conditions are deemed too dangerous by NASCAR, then the field will be frozen. 3. No more lucky dog or wave around rule. 4. Restarts will be single file unless there are lapped cars, then you will have lapped cars starting on the inside lane. 5. No more yellow line rule. If you think it’ll help you, then race there. 6. No more Chase. The man or woman with the most points will be crowned champion. 7. Boys Have At It!! TV conduct will be regulated though. Drivers will be fined for cursing. We have children that tune into the broadcasts and that to me is detrimental to the sport. We are adults and we need to at like it.

            Do I like the Generation 6 car? I do. There are pros and cons about this new car and it will take a while to get used to the car and determine what changes need to be made, but we need to use this car for at least 10 years. We can’t be switching designs every 5 years, but there are some things to the car that I would welcome a change to. Imagine if Ford wanted to change from the Fusion to the Escape design. I would allow that. If Dodge were to come back into the sport and wanted the Avenger instead of the Charger, then I would accommodate that change as well. What would you change to NASCAR?

Jason Leffler Dies in Tragic Accident

NASCAR driver Jason Leffler perished after an accident this evening at a dirt car event at the Bridgeport Speedway in Bridgeport, New Jersey.

Leffler was just 37. A two-time winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Leffler was pronounced dead at appoximately 9:02 PM ET., New Jersey police said.

Leffler was an incredibly gifted driver who as fearless as they could come. He was a fierce driver who always put out 110% when he got behind the wheel of the race car. I grew up watching Jason Leffler and I was certainly a huge fan. There are certainly many people across this nation that are feeling pain and right now and we share that pain with you.

Nothing we can do can replace Jason Leffler's life, but the fighting and the insensitive comments need to stop. Leffler has left behind a small boy and the fact that many people in our field are arguing and saying derogatory comments to one another over this tragic event disgusts me. We are better than this.

In the racing community, we are not just fans, drivers, crew chiefs, or even car owners. We are all a family and it is important that we stick together. That is what the entire racing family should be doing right now. If you are out today, go hug someone in your family, or a hug a friend because it could all be gone in the blink of an eye.

The one we really need to be here for in this time is Charlie Dean. He was Leffler's 5-year old son. When we look at Leffler's instagram page, his love for his son was undeniable. Just three short weeks ago, Charlie graduated from kindergarten. It puts my stomach to knots when I think of what must be going through Charlie's mind right now. His father was a tremendous individual. He loved racing, but his son was his blood. He loved his son.

Life is a precious gift and we unfortunately take it for granted often times and it's a sad thing. I took time off from covering the Blackhawks-Bruins game to cover what would indeed be the passing of Jason Leffler. As we reflect, the family will stay together, but Jason Leffler will never be forgotten.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Leffler family, his friends, and relatives tonight. The best thing we can do as a community is to stick together and pray. That is really all we can do. We are all a family and that is what families do. Tomorrow will be different for many people, but Jason Leffler wouldn't want us to stop. He is now an angel in Heaven watching over us as we continue to go about our daily lives. We'll miss you on the track, Jason. Till we meet again, may God bless us all.

Quicken Loans 400 Preview: Who Will Prevail in the Irish Hills?

Coming off perhaps the most vapid race of the 2013 season, NASCAR heads to the Irish Hills at the Michigan International Speedway for the Quicken Loans 400.

Last season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke his 4-year winless streak, leading 95 of the 200 laps and picking up his 19th career win. Will he be a contender on Sunday? He absolutely will be. Earnhardt and Steve Letarte are on a roll after finishing 3rd in Pocono this past Sunday, but I do not see Earnhardt Jr. visiting victory lane for the second consecutive year here. Letarte knows how to get the car in position for a possible win, but the 88 team has problems finishing the job. We saw this with Jeff Gordon back in 2010 as well despite their very successful 2007 season, but Gordon went winless in two of those seasons and won just one race in 2009.

I know I have been very critical of this race team this entire season, but Tony Stewart is my pick for Sunday. That team is officially on a roll. Stewart finished fourth at Pocono to make that their 3rd consecutive top 10 finish after their horrendous start to the season, but also keep in mind that Stewart won at Dover. His last win there before that event was in 2000. We are heading to Michigan. Stewart has not won here since 2000. I think Stewart will visit victory lane for the second time in 2013 at the Quicken Loans 400. And with that second win, Stewart will make it into the Chase either as a wild card, or he'll make it safely into the top 10 in points.

What should the drivers be on the look out for on Sunday? Watch your engine. Last year, there were 4 engine failures in this event and another 5 in the fall event. Both of the events are 400 miles, but the RPMS that we push here at Michigan do put the engines at risk of blowing up. Getting in and out of pit road in a timely manner will also be key. Clint Bowyer had 1 extra stop than most of the lead pack, yet he still spent the least amount of time on pit road compared to the rest of the field. Bowyer ended up finishing in 7th spot. If he didn't have those quality pit stops, Bowyer could have easily finished outside the top 10.

Who are you picking? Please comment and tell me why you think the driver you pick will win the Quicken Loans 400 on Sunday! We certainly will see amazing speeds coming this weekend. I hope the actual racing can mix into that as well.

Edward Snowden Is a Hero

The former CIA employee who leaked information about the NSA's snooping of phone records and other data-mining activities, spoke to the South China Morning Post earlier today.

Snowden told the newspaper that he's "neither a traitor nor hero. I'm an American."

Snowden has no immediate plans to leave Hong Kong unless he is asked to leave, but it is his intention to fight the United States government in the courts there because he has faith in Hong Kong's rule of law. As long as Snowden doesn't get in any sort of trouble criminally over there, he should be okay. As of today, Hong Kong has yet to comment on the case.

There are many people that are going to disagree with me on this issue, but I see Edward Snowden as a hero. He did the right thing. What the NSA has done is a blatant violation of the 4th amendment. How many of you seriously believe that this spying program actually prevented a terrorist attack? Keep in mind, this has been going on for a while and the White House has provided no examples of how this program foiled a terrorist attack. I can think of a couple of examples of foiled terrorist, but do we know if it was because of this program? No. However; I do have plenty of examples of how terrorists could have potentially killed hundreds of people here in the United States, but we were lucky to get away unscathed. What would those be? The Boston Marathon, the Underwear Bomber, and the Times Square bomber.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes that Snowden should be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." What about James Clapper? He lied under oath. Should we prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law? Eric Holder clearly lied and yet he's still our Attorney General. And yet, we have politicians like McConnell who want to prosecute a man who revealed the truth about what our government has been doing for the past several years.

President Obama was just flat out insulting in his last speech. "Lets have a national debate on this issue." Okay, no. There isn't going to be a "national" debate. I have no intention in taking part in such rubbish. This so-called "national debate" wouldn't have even come to light if someone didn't leak out the information. No one was put in danger from this leak. The United States government put their own people in danger and the politicians currently in office who supported this data mining operation are in "danger" of losing their jobs. That is all they care about.

Isn't this just ironic? Do you remember the Democrats that were just outraged by The Patriot Act? President Obama was one of those Democrats. What does he do? Not only does he extend The Patriot Act, but he adds even more to it. That's not change. That's more of the same with extra cream and sugar. Government programs try to put a happy face on everything, but it's a mirage. In reality
that cream and sugar is not cream and sugar. It's a rotten onion. Remove one stinking layer and there is an even smellier one beneath.

Immigration Bill Will Not Solve Problem. Is Rubio In Trouble?

The Senate passed preliminary votes today in its march for immigration reform, but final passage has remained uncertain as Republicans continue to push for tighter border-security provisions and tougher rules for those seeking legal status.

As a Conservative, I'm continuously frustrated with the GOP. This is a reason why I'm a registered independent. Many Republican supporters of this so-called "Gang of Eight" legislation are putting politics before party when it comes to this issue. Republicans are letting their desire to win over Hispanic voters completely blind them to what is actually in this bill. This bill has some serious flaws.

The ironic fact about all of this is that the only requirement for creating a pathway to citizenship for immigrants that are here illegally is that DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano is required to submit a plan to "achieve and maintain effective control in high risk border sectors along the Southern Border?" Are you kidding me?

I have been a resident of Arizona for the past 15 years and in 6 of those years, Janet Napolitano was the Governor of Arizona. Under her tutelage, we had more illegals come across our border than at any point in history. How in the world could President Obama appoint Napolitano as the head of such a department?

The bill also says there would be a 90% apprehension rate at three out of nine total border sectors, but Secretary Napolitano said that determining the apprehension rate is not possible because there is no reliable way to measure the total number of illegal border crossings. Napolitano said that they would focus more on the "trend" of illegal border crossings. That is just utter garbage.

What also really gets me is the fact that this bill allows the secretary to develop a fencing strategy for border security.  However; there is nothing in the bill that requires the actual construction of any new fencing, so instead they will use drone surveillance.

If the initial DHS plan does not work, then there is a Plan B. Plan B is the creation of the "Southern Border Security Commission." The only thing this commission can do is make recommendations. In other words, this bill gives Napolitano sole discretion to determine whether this legislation has been successfully implemented and completed. This bill is a joke.

The bill would also give Napolitano a major say on how strictly we should enforce the law in the future. She had that job! Napolitano had that job for 6 years as Governor of Arizona and she was terrible at it. This bill needs to be rejected and if it isn't voted down, then the illegal immigration problem is going to be worse than ever.

I have a question. Who gets to decide who gets legal status? What kind of impact will this have on the taxpayers? It's going to have a horrendous impact. Most of these illegals will become dependent on the government. The bill states explicitly section 212(a), paragraph (4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act "shall not apply." This is regarding the first step on the pathway to citizenship. Ladies and gentleman, this bill is not about securing the border. This bill is amnesty for 11 million illegals currently in the United States. It is simple as that.

What this bill says is basically, "We should let the 11 million illegals who are here already stay in the country, then lets put this new law in place." I don't think so. This bill will come back and bite the taxpayers. MARK MY WORDS. If this bill is passed and it does not work, Democrats like Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Chuck Schumer are going to point the finger right at Rubio and he will never be able to run successfully again. His Conservative support is going down as we speak and Democrats don't like him either way. This is why we have lost the past two elections. We put up people to run for office who have no chance of winning. What happened to Chris Cox? He was the former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under President Bush. Barney Frank threw him under the bus and we haven't heard from him since. Will this happen to Marco Rubio?

Why Are Fords So Slow?

     

In 2011, Ford drivers posted 7 victories, 41 top 5s, and 55 top 10s. Last year, Ford Racing posted 6 wins, 28 top 5s, and 48 top 10s. So, how are they fairing so far in 2013? Not too well, actually. Sure, Carl Edwards may be 2nd in points, but his place in the standings isn't an accurate representation of Ford's struggle to find speed this year. Edward's Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle sits 10th in the standings with only 2 top 5s in 14 starts. Defending Sprint Cup Champion switched to Ford as a result of Dodge leaving the team, and he too has been struggling just a little bit. 

     What's even more of a disappointment is Ford's qualifying efforts this year. Last year, Ford had 8 Coors Light Poles. This year? Their best starting spot is 2nd at Auto Club Speedway. So, my question is, what's wrong with Ford? I couldn't possibly tell you that Robert Yates Engines don't make great horsepower and keep a straight face, so what else could be wrong? My opinion is that it isn't just one thing, but a multitude of problems (aerodynamics, chassis, etc) that are setting back the performance of Fords. Whatever the issue is, I know for a fact that Ford teams will eventually overcome the predicament. It just takes time.

     However, their is hope just beyond the horizon. At the Party in the Poconos 400, Greg Biffle finished 2nd. That's wonderful, and it will aid in their momentum going into Michigan International Speedway. Ford has won more races than any manufacturer at Michigan, but it's going to take some digging in the Research and Development centers at Penske, Roush Fenway, and Richard Petty Motorsports to get these amazing looking stock cars back to victory lane again and again.