Doug Kalitta featured in this week's Inside Motorsports

Doug Kalitta (right) talks to Doug Herbert at the 2007 inaugural NHRA Full Throttle Series race at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

This week's Inside Motorsports will focus on Doug Kalitta, a 31-time NHRA Top Fuel winner and the 1994 USAC Sprint Car champion. That's right: Kalitta, the runner-up in Monday's 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, is a former USAC champ in addition to being one of the top straightline racers in the sport today. Inside Motorsports runs every Thursday (unless I miss deadline which has been known to happen) in the More Sports section at Globe-Democrat.com.

NHRA Drags Street Legal Style Returns to GIR Tonight

The 2010 racing season kicks off at Gateway International Raceway tonight with the NHRA Drags Street Legal Style which encompasses the Street Car Shootout Series, the Quick Street Bike Series, and the Tuesday night test and tune where everyday folks can run their everyday cars down GIR's drag strip. The weather is expected to be perfect with cloudless skies and temps near 70. It's $20 to race and $10 to watch. For more info, visit GatewayRaceway.com, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway, and Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway.

Deal With It, or Learn How to Love Jimmie Johnson and History in the Making

(Jimmie Johnson returns to the garage after signing autographs for fans during a 2007 test session at Gateway International Raceway. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson won his first race at the half-mile bullring. His third of the 2010 season. His 22nd of the COT Era. His 50th overall.

Enough already.

Not of him winning; enough of fans complaining about his winning. NASCAR fans are getting to see history in the making and should sit back and enjoy the show because Johnson isn't going to stop anytime soon. And he sure as heck isn't going to stop because fans and competitors are tired of seeing him in Victory Lane.

I'm not going to make the analogies comparing Johnson and his No. 48 team to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, or Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees, or Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers. It's apples and oranges; racing ain't stick-and-ball.

What I will compare his run to is Jeff Gordon and Ray Evernham, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress, Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson, Cale Yarbrough and Junior Johnson, Richard Petty and Dale Inman. If you look really carefully, you'll recognize that each of those pairings pretty much covers every generation of NASCAR racing going back to the mid-1960s. What Jimmie and Chad are doing isn't new, they're just doing it more than those guys did and they're doing it right now.

We as sports fans tend to romanticize the past. The NASCAR faithful talk about Earnhardt now and how great it was to see him dominate the tracks and the drivers back in the day. But what some of them aren't saying is how much they absolutely hated him in the late 80s, early 90s. Want the truth? Go ask some Rusty Wallace fans their thoughts on the Intimidator. Their view isn't quite as skewed.

Richard Petty is one of the most beloved figures in the sport as well he should be. You won't find a nicer man in the NASCAR garage or in any sport for that matter. He'll never turn down a fan or blow off media or have a rude word for anyone. Most fans talk about his 200 wins, his seven Daytona 500 victories, and his seven Cup Series titles with reverance and respect. But if you find a Bobby Allison fan or David Pearson fan from back in the late 60s through the 70s, you're going to hear a different story. And most of today's fans remember when Gordon and Evernham dominated, winning titles three out of four seasons between 1995-1998. So as you can see, it's been done. Johnson's just the latest to do it.

Another complaint about Johnson is that he's boring. He's vanilla. He's too goody-goody. Since when is having a respectable champion and representative of the sport you love a bad thing? Do you want Tiger Woods? Do you want Michael Jordan and his fidelity issues and gambling issues? Do you want T.O. or Barry Bonds?

Johnson does his talking in his car which leads to doing some more talking in Victory Lane, where he held court for the 50th time on Sunday. You think he's going to back down because fans and other drivers are tired of seeing his rear bumper? His comments after the race don't indicate that.

"Well, we have a lot of racing left, there is no doubt about it," he said immediately following the race. "But when we are winning at tracks we aren't supposed to, the boys better look. Even that No. 2 car (Kurt Busch) that doesn't want the No. 48 to win."

Finally, what's wrong with having a fan-friendly driver as a champion? In October of 2007, Johnson tested at Gateway International Raceway in preparation for the fall race at Phoenix (where he won). We had media scheduled for that day and he was fine with it. He just asked that photographers give them a little space in the garage area. His media availability was only supposed to be 10 minutes. He did 30 without a complaint. He even asked if anyone else needed anything from him.

His final act at GIR, though, is the one that will always stick with me. Fans were able to watch him turn laps around the track that day, a cold and rainy one. When Johnson and his team finally shut it down around 6:30 that evening, he started to walk towards the start-finish line where fans had gathered on the other side of the fence taking pictures. One of his crewmembers said they need to hurry up and go because they had a team meeting scheduled.

Johnson looked at him and said, "Man, those guys have been sitting there all day in the cold just watching me driving in circles. I can't let them just stand there. They deserve to have something signed if they want."

So Johnson, who already had a title under his belt and would go on to win three more, hopped across the pit wall and spent another 20 minutes signing items for the fans, talking with them, and allowing them to take pictures. For those fans, it was a day they'll never forget. For Johnson, it was taking a page out of Petty's playbook and giving back to the people who watch him on Sundays and support his sponsors.

So you really don't want this guy to represent your sport? If nothing else, bear through it so in 20 years, you can say that you saw one of the best ever. Your grandkids don't have to know you complained about it every Sunday while you were watching him.

It'll be our little secret.

Allgaier Wins First NNS Race

(Photo by Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images)

Congratulations to Riverton, Ill.-native and former MB Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier on his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. I believed his first win would be Phoenix, but Bristol isn't a bad place to get your first. Allgaier and his family are some of the nicest people in the business and it's great to see him in Victory Lane for the first of many race wins.

Brad Keselowski Comments on NASCAR Meeting re: Incident with Carl Edwards

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger) Qualified 1st

“It was s a good qualifying effort. We have a great race car here. Our Nationwide cars are exceptionally strong. We’ve had a bad-fast Discount Tire Dodge here at Bristol since we’ve unloaded. Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) and the guys have given me a great race car and it’s really fun to drive. It just powers through the corners and picks up the throttle really fast down the straightaways. We’ve got some momentum here and it really feels good.”

THIS IS YOUR THIRD CAREER POLE AT BRISTOL. WHAT MAKES YOU SO GOOD HERE IN QUALIFYING?

“Bristol is just one of the places that comes naturally to me and I’ve been fortunate to have good cars. Sometimes tracks just come to you and Bristol is one of those tracks. Having a fast car always makes the driver look good. I’ve been lucky to feel good inside a fast car and that’s the key.”

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING WITH NASCAR THIS MORNING?

“I don’t know how Carl feels about it, but I don’t think it’s cool to say everything that was said in there. Hopefully, it will be productive to where we can move forward and continue to race each other hard and not have any more incidents like we had at Atlanta.”

“We hadn’t talked before. I wouldn’t say there was anything said that surprised me. You have to understand, Carl and I have a mutual respect for each other in a sense we’re almost the same people. We come from similar backgrounds. We drive the same way. I have a lot of respect for him before and after the accident. Hopefully, that will stay the same.”

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE WAY YOU WILL BE RACING?

“Carl and I have talked before about leaving each other more room, but it seems like when it came down to it, it just never worked out. It’s racing. The biggest thing to me, you know, is incidents are going to happen because we race against each other more than 60 times. We’re going to run by (beside) each other. We just each have to build up a tolerance for that.”

WHAT ROLE DID JACK ROUSH AND ROGER PENSKE HAVE IN THE MEETING?

“Jack and Roger are two different people for sure, but they are both extremely supportive of us. Carl and I both put a lot of emphasis and trust into our car owners, where we listen to them and talk to them. I think we both see the same things in them. They’re kind of mentors to us.”

WAS IT DIFFICULT TO STEP INTO THE CAR (TO QUALIFY) AFTER THE MEETING?

“If you’re going to be successful in this sport, it’s really important to separate your emotions from trying to get the job done. I feel good that I was able to do that.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR. HAS BEEN QUOTES AT SAYING YOU HAVE A TON OF TALENT, NO CONFIDENCE. WHAT’S YOUR REPSONSE?

“To me, confidence means that you’ve proved yourself. I don’t ever feel like I’ve proved myself. I always feel like every time I get in the race car is a new opportunity to prove myself and, not only that, that I’ve reset from whatever past accomplishments I have that they mean absolutely nothing. So, if that means lack of confidence, then yes, by that definition, yes.”

Roger Penske Comments on Meeting with NASCAR re: Keselowski/Edwards Issues

ROGER PENSKE (Chairman & CEO Penske Racing) WHAT CAME OUT OF THE MEETING WITH NASCAR THIS MORNING?

“Obviously it was important that we all got together from the standpoint of just having open conversation – the drivers, Jack (Roush) and myself. I think it was good conversation. I think Carl (Edwards) realized that what had happened last week wasn’t what he expected – the car flying. To me, it was just good, open communication. The guys agreed that they’re going to race hard. They’re going to race fair and give themselves some room on the race track so that we don’t become the poster boys every weekend on what’s happening. I said, ‘Hey, at the end of the races, if we’re racing for the lead and there’s a lap or two to go, you guys are gonna have to run hard, but try and stay out of each other’s way during the race.’ It was a good conversation. They’re both good guys. To me, it’s just great that we have an environment where we can sit down.”

HAVE YOU EVER TOLD BRAD TO BACK DOWN?

“Brad has only driven for us for this year. He’s a terrific talent. I don’t tell my drivers to run hard or to run soft. I think he knows what he has to do on the race track with his peers and quite honestly, he’s not making any statements about what he’s gonna do or not do. I think the media has taken some of that and moved it further and made him with a bigger circle around him. What I want him to do is run fair on the race track and be competitive. But he’s got to respect the other drivers. They have to respect him.”

BRAD HAS SAID THAT HE’S NOT GOING TO BACK DOWN, CHANGE HIS STYLE:

“He hasn’t said that to me as far as I’m concerned. He wants to race. He wants to have his car in the race at the end. Consequently, if you’re not keeping your car underneath you, you’re gonna get yourself in trouble and not be there in the end. As far as I’m concerned, it’s behind us. It’s an issue that was between the two drivers. I think it mounted because of accidents that had happened. Maybe it was their fault, maybe it wasn’t. At the end of the day, nobody got hurt last week. We’re here to have a good race.”

WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU SEE YOUR DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT LIKE THAT?

“I heard on the radio from the spotter that said, ‘Look like he’s trying to wreck you back over in (Turn) 3.’ I looked over in 3 because Kurt (Busch) was leading the race at that point and I saw that there was no contact. And then I was watching Kurt going into Turn 1 and I heard them say “yellow” on my radio and I looked down and saw the car barrel rolling. Obviously, I was concerned for Brad and his safety and anybody else’s. Brad on the radio – the first thing he said to me was, ‘Did anybody get hurt in the stand?’ That was the first thing that came out of Brad’s mouth. And then he said, ‘I’m fine.’ At that point I was worried about Kurt winning the race after that.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT BRAD IS FITTING IN THE GARGAGE?

“I’m not taking a poll in the garage area about what driver personalities are and what other people feel about them. He’s a competitor out there. He drives for Penske Racing and I’m going to support him.”

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF KURT’S WIN IN ATLANTA?

“I think it was a great win. There’s lots of conversation about the crew chief change last year. I think (Steve) Addington jumping on board has stepped us up. I think Kurt has a lot of respect for him. We’ve run well. We’ve run well and I think at the end of the day, we’re going to have a great season.”

DO YOU THINK BRAD NEEDS SOME “FRESHMAN HAZING” TO BE ABLE TO RUN WITH HIS PEERS?

“I think Brad has raced with his peers on the Nationwide Series, with many of these people. I think he knows how to race. I’ve got all the respect for him. He’ll earn his respect in the garage area by winning and finishing strong. To me, we need to put this behind us.”

John Force Racing Now Officially on Facebook

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

John Force Racing has been one of the leading teams in promoting itself over the internet and through social media, mainly Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. Today they launched an official JFR team Facebook page that will feature behind the scenes photos, videos and updates on the 16-time Funny Car Full Throttle championship organization. Fans of all three Funny Car drivers John Force, Ashley Force Hood, and Robert Hight will get all the up to date info on the team. Alcohol Dragster pilots Brittany and Courtney Force will also be featured as well as many of the behind the scenes crew members.

To help celebrate the launch John Force Racing fans can see a video from Ashley Force Hood making a special offer and invitation regarding the upcoming Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at ZMax Dragway, the “Bellagio of Drag Racing,” March 26-28. Fans are invited to take advantage of the special offer and pass it along to their friends, fans and followers across the internet.

The JFR fan pages can be located by searching for John Force Racing at www.facebook.com in the pages section.

Edwards, Roush Comments on Meeting With NASCAR re: Keselowski

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski met with NASCAR this morning at Bristol regarding their incident two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Here are Carl's comments on the meeting as well as the comments of Carl's team owner, Jack Roush:

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – HOW DID THINGS GO IN THE MEETING?

“Everything went really well. I think the biggest thing coming out of that meeting is that now, I think, Brad and I understand one another a little better. I think we’re gonna be able to just go forward and go racing, and that’s what this is all about. It was really cool to be able to talk with Jack and Roger and Brad all at once. We laughed. We cried. In the end, I think it’s gonna be good.”

WHAT HAS THIS WEEK BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?

“This last week was really good, actually, for me. I got to spend a lot of time at home, but I guess this is just part of life and part of the way things go, especially with the way the media works. Sometimes people don’t understand everything that’s going on. It’s interesting, I’ll say that.”

WHAT DON’T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND?

“Well, for instance, with what happened at Atlanta. It’s very hard for people to understand that the result is far different from the intent. Things can be presented in a lot of ways, but I guess that’s just part of it. What’s most interesting to me is that sometimes it’s about selling ad time or newspapers and it’s not about explaining the story.”

YOU HAVE SORT OF BEEN PORTRAYED AS AN ANGRY GUY WHO GETS UPSET. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?

“I addressed that a little bit yesterday. I think some people would like that to be the case, but let me put it this way – it’s real easy to stand back and throw stones at someone and make little chirps and say things that make you feel better about yourself, but, in the end, what I said yesterday holds true. The people who know me know that I’m a very fair person. I guess if my biggest fault is standing up for myself, I’ll take it. They can fault me all day for that.”

JACK ROUSH, Owner – No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion – WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT INSIDE?

“The ultimate responsibility that we all have – that NASCAR has, the owners have and the drivers have – to keep everybody safe in this business. It’s a sport that needs to be contentious, but it needs to be safe too and we’ve got to be careful to respect that line.”

DO YOU FEEL THIS IS BEHIND BOTH DRIVERS?

“Carl and Brad both said things that would indicate that they’re willing to put it behind them and let bygones be bygones, to give one another racing room, and that’s what’s needed. They need to give one another a little extra room for awhile.”

DO YOU AND ROGER SEE EYE TO EYE ON THIS?

“Oh, yeah. Roger and I are on the same page.”

WHAT DID YOU SAY TO CARL REGARDING THIS SITUATION?

“I told him I did not condone what he did, but I did understand it.”

DO YOU THINK BRAD AND CARL SEE EYE TO EYE?

“No, but I think that they will give one another enough respect that we won’t see another occurrence like that. I think Carl is not likely to have incidental contact with Brad and cause a wreck, and I think Brad is not like to have incidental contact with Carl and cause a wreck in the foreseeable future.”

WHAT ABOUT CARL AND KEVIN HARVICK?

“I don’t know about that. I didn’t read the things that they said about one another and I’ve had no contact with either one.”

Inside Motorsports: Dan Wilkerson

(Daniel Wilkerson prepares for the round that would change his life. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Dan Wilkerson, a Springfield, Ill. native and son of NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car racer Tim Wilkerson, made headlines last year after he not only survived a horrific crash at Memphis Motorsports Park, but walked away from the wreckage unharmed. Check out Globe-Democrat.com Friday for this week's Inside Motorsports, which talks about that day, how he got started in the sport, and what he has planned next.

Gateway Kicks Off 2010 Season Saturday

Gateway International Raceway is kicking off its 2010 season this Saturday with their annual Icebreaker. GIR's regular racers will have the opportunity to shake the dust of their cars and race fans will be able to run their street cars down the NHRA-sanctioned track. For more information, click HERE.

Blast From the Past

(Photo by Charles Krall)

Here's me interviewing Brad Keselowski following the 2005 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona. It was his first-ever Truck Series top-ten driving for his father, former ARCA champion Bob Keselowski. The story, Brad's first piece of national coverage, ran in the Sporting News and was about him and Deborah Renshaw and the differences between a family-owned team (Keselowski) and a well-funded corporate team (Renshaw, Bobby Hamilton Racing/Dodge). I would say Brad's come a long way since then.

NASCAR Got It Right...Sorta

(Carl Edwards waves to the crowd during driver introductions at Nashville Superspeedway in 2009. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

"Have at it, boys."

That was NASCAR's directive to its racers prior to the season in response to fans and critics saying the racing had become boring and its drivers too "vanilla." Instead of NASCAR stepping in to constantly fine and punish the drivers for every on-track incident, the racers were asked to police themselves, harkening back to the old days when the drivers either took care of slights, real or imagined, either on the track or behind the garage.

One of the drivers responsible for this new way of thinking was involved in the first real example of NASCAR's new unofficial policy. Brad Keselowski is one of the more exciting drivers in the sport right now and is providing double the thrills, racing in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series fulltime. His rivalry with Denny Hamlin last season brought back the days of Richard Petty vs. Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt vs. Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip vs. well, everyone.

Last year at Phoenix International Raceway, Keselowski was involved with an on-track incident with Hamlin during the NNS race there. Following the race, Hamlin called his shot, saying he would get even the next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And he did. And NASCAR stood by and let it happen, much to the satisfaction of fans, media, and the other drivers.

This past weekend in the Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards felt he was taken out by Keselowski and near the end of the race, more than 150 laps down, "Cousin" Carl exacted his revenge. Keselowski was looking at a top-five; instead, he ended up looking at the track upside down as his No. 12 Dodge flipped as a result of Edwards tapping him.

Speculation was immediate that Edwards would be suspended for this weekend's race in Bristol. At the very least, he would be fined and docked points. None of those things happened. NASCAR put Edwards on a three-race probation. This was the right move for a couple reasons. The sanction would have a hard time telling them "have at it" and then the first time the drivers did what was suggested, levying a heavy fine. Fans and media still remember when NASCAR CEO Brian France said a few years ago that he wanted drivers to be more vocal. Within a few months, two-time champion Tony Stewart was called on the carpet for comparing NASCAR to WWE, suggesting some aspects of the races were scripted.

Another implied message may have been to Keselowski directly, basically saying when you make your bed, you have to lie in it. When a driver, regardless of how good he may be, continues to race aggressively and wreck other drivers, he pretty much has it coming if another driver decides he's had enough.

NASCAR has, however, put themselves in a unenviable position as many knew they would with this new attitude. Whoever got the first free pass, as Edwards seemingly has, would be the target of drivers, fans, and media. Twitter has become the voice of several drivers and teams and it was alive with support and condemnation of NASCAR's decision today. For example:

DeLana Harvick (Wife of Kevin Harvick and co-owner of Kevin Harvick Inc.) "my head is spinning. i can't understand what a 3-race probation actually does. maybe @kevinharvick should aw shucks more"

Scott Speed: "Yo go #nascar!!! 3 race probation for Edwards! Awsome I love it!!! I bet Keslowski is scared now lol"

Michael Waltrip: "Good call #nascar. You can't ask the driver to take their gloves off one week and then tell em to put em back on the next."

Kasey Kahne (responding to ESPN's Marty Smith): "doesn't sound like favorites to me. Airborne is biggest and only issue. I like Helton's call."

At the end of the day, the thing to remember in all this is that the fans have been asking for NASCAR to be less strict for years. Much of the fan reaction (seemingly split down the middle) would be much different if the drivers in this drama were different. If it were Dale Earnhardt Jr. being flipped by Kyle Busch, the attitude would be markedly to the contrary by most of the fans. NASCAR did walk a fine line, however, because of Keselowski's car going airborne. Had Carl simply spun Brad, there would be much discussion, but since there were safety issues involved, there was more thought and investigation put into the situation and rightly so.

I don't think for a second Edwards meant for the 12 to take to the air and Carl's most hardcore detractors would have to admit the same. However, when looking into these types of situations, it's not always intent that needs to be looked at, but the result. Regardless of how popular a decision may or may not be, safety has to be the priority. In this instance, I think NASCAR made the right call, but it has set a precedent that may come back to haunt them later this season.

By the way, anyone need to be reminded that Bristol is the next venue? And that both Keselowski and Edwards are racing in both the Nationwide and Cup Series race there? I'm sure the folks at BMS are enjoying the boost in ticket sales right about now.

Gateway to Success: Sanzottera Ready for the Big Time

(Photo by Bret Kepner, BretKepnerPhotos.com)

Eric Sanzottera, the three-time reigning Quick Street Bike Series champion at Gateway International Raceway, is the focus of a piece I did at CompetitionPlus.com. Eric and his brother, Rudy, are two of the classiest racers in the game and deserve any and all success they acheive. You can read the story by clicking HERE. Be sure to check out the rest of the site; Bobby Bennett and his staff do an awesome job covering drag racing.