A Wild Weekend Of Racing

This weekend has people buzzing about different things for different race series. In NASCAR, everything seems to be revolving around Joey Logano and the different situations that he is involved in and over in Formula 1 series, we have turmoil inside of different teams after the second race of the series.



For once, I am going to argue in support of Logano. I am going to use a saying that I highly dislike but feel that says it all, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This feud with Denny Hamlin has been simmering for a couple of years. They were teammmates that didn't get along and since Logano switched teams in the offseason, their disagreements have become public knowledge and they participants themselves have commented on it. Anyways, look back after Bristol and see what Hamlin was saying about Logano.

"I just, you know, I meant to run into him," Hamlin said. "I didn't mean to spin him out, but his day was fine. He still had a bad day anyway for whatever reason. You know, just, we finished bad and he finished bad. It's even."

That's funny. You wreck someone and then you say that everything is even? Not even close. And the best thing that Hamlin said after Bristol:

"He said he was coming for me," Hamlin said. "I usually don't see him, so it's usually not a factor."

Nothing like poking a bear. So here is what Logano said about Bristol:

"OK, sure," Logano shrugged. "If he didn't mean to wreck me, I think he would've said he's sorry. But he didn't say that."

"I feel like I race him clean all the time, and he's going to do that. I understand the way he races now that he's not my teammate, and I will race him the same way he races me."

"If we didn't (have a problem), we do now," Logano said. "Send that message. Tweet that!"

So for all the Hamlin fans up in arms saying that Logano took a cheap shot during Fontana and that Logano hadn't said anything to Hamlin about the wreck yet are apologizing, I say shut the hell up. Hamlin decided that he didn't need to apologize to Logano after wrecking him. So why should Logano apologize for wrecking Hamlin? And don't tell me that Hamlin was injured is the reason. Really? The first thing that I don't want to hear from somebody that I was injured from is an apology. I would rather that the person stay away and let me calm down for a couple of days. Anyways, it wasn't Logano that continued putting his foot on the gas when the 11 car was sliding sideways nose pointed down towards the inside wall and didn't stop until a collision with said wall was imminent. Hamlin needs to take responsibility for part of this. And for the wreck itself, you had seen throughout the race that the bottom car always started to drift up the track at that point or else they would lose lots of positions. So, for people to say that Logano was trying to wreck Hamlin are at best disingenuous.

Logano was racing for the win, it just so happened that Hamlin was involved in the wreck with Logano. Get off Joey's back about this. He will learn from it and be a better race car driver the next time a situation like this comes about. Oh, now it is even between the two drivers.

Now on to Tony Stewart. I like Stewart and his racing style. I usually agree with things that he says. But the Logano rant that he had after Fontana was wrong. Stewart has blocked people before at Talladega, and at non-Super speedways. So for him to become physical over the fact that Logano blocked him was just wrong.

And for Stewart to rant about Logano being handed a ride and not coming up through the ranks, smacks of hypocrisy. All you have to do is look at the person in the #10 Go Daddy car that Stewart-Haas racing owns. Danica Patrick is the poster child of someone that hasn't proven anything in the field of NASCAR racing. She is an endorsement magnet, but tell me what she has won in NASCAR. Shame on Stewart for allowing his anger to override straight thinking on Sunday.

Off to Formula 1. Team Red Bull has internal strife, Mercedes team orders has their second driver fuming, Team Force India has design problems and Ferrari is questioning the responsibility of their lead driver. You think that NASCAR has intrigue, there is nothing like F!.

Malaysia has caused the simmering feud between Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel to explode. Red Bull had team orders to stay in position with Webber in first and Vettel in second. Well, when those orders came down, Webber dialed back on the engine and Vettel decided to pass and win the race. That didn't sit well with Webber. The team is fractured right now and the fact that there are reports that some team advisors favor Vettel over Webber, will make this year one to see if the two drivers can continue to make this work for the betterment of their team.

Nico Rosberg was visibly upset after the Malaysian Grand Prix. He finished in fourth but was clearly quicker than his teammate Louis Hamilton who finished in third. Rosberg was pressing his team to allow him to pass Hamilton and try to catch up with the Red Bulls, but the team said no. According to reports, Rosberg told the Team Manager, that "you will remember what I did today." Hamilton did say that Rosberg had the better car and should have probably been in third. Another situation worth watching.

Team Force India had both of their cars retire after Left rear Wheel Nut problems. That shows that there is something wrong structurally with the design. If Force India is going to become a team that can race with the name teams in the series, they need to stop shooting themselves in the foot.

Finally, Fernando Alonso tried to pressure Webber at the start and ran into the back of him which ruined the front wing. Well, Alonso decided to try and ride the weather out with a front wing that was held on with two tethers. It didn't work. The tethers failed and Alonso's race ended in a display of sparks. I understand that he thought that he had a shot at winning the race, but the prudent thing would be to fix the car and get the points for the drivers and manufacturers standings. A former World Champion that didn't think things through.