Spinners And Winners ~ Phoenix, March 2014
3/05/2014
Jim Fitzgerald
Welcome back to Spinners and Winners! On Sunday Kevin Harvick showed the field and the fans who was boss, and did so convincingly in his win. So who else won, and who else spun?
Winner- That freakin’ bad-ass flyover! Best. Flyover. Ever.
Winner- Another great National Anthem. We are two for two this year!
Spinner- These ridiculous pre-race shows. Twenty years ago, I would have loved all of the human interest stories and back stories and such because access to the sport was limited. Now, with social media and more saturation, I don’t need it. Can we go back to just doing the intro, the prayer, The National Anthem, the Command to Start Engines, the roll off, the starting lineup during the pace laps and the race? Bring back Ned Jarrett and Bob Jenkins!
Winner- 50 Years of Phoenix, and a flashback to Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Hamilton: Four previous winners at Phoenix who all left us too soon…
Spinner- Michael Waltrip. Seriously, with that hat? And seriously, with the grid walk? I fee like we’ve found something that Michael Waltrip is worse at than his driving. Bong! Yep, I said it.
Winner- Paul Wolfe, crew chief for Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Sprint Cup Series team on the birth of a new baby!
Spinner- The position tables at the top of the FOX broadcast screen. I see what you’re trying to do, and the info is appreciated, but it still needs work. Additionally, it’s still too long of a gap to get back to the leaders. Maybe always show the top three?
Spinner- NASCAR…for always blowing off the track with less than 25% of the race remaining. Don’t you understand that those are precious laps and it’s “go” time?
Winner-Jimmy John’s: Not just for being a sponsor of a race car, but for making a darn tasty sub!
Spinner- Competition cautions. I don’t like them.
Winner- Bear Bond for being a weekly nameless “sponsor” at race tracks everywhere!
Winner- On top of that, I love that our sport has come so far, and continuously changes, and at the end of it all, a race car can still be fixed with…tape.
Spinner- Whoever has that annoying “hey you have a text” whistle on his or her phone. Really? REALLY?
Spinner- Brian Vickers into the wall….Come on, Man!
Spinner- Justin Allgaier, collecting Danica Patrick. Come On, Man!
Winner- It’s always neat to see folks sitting up on the hill overlooking turns Three and Four. Watch out for critters up there, though.
Winner- Kyle Busch for continuing to do what he wants to do as long as it is allowed. There’ is nothing wrong with having a part time job. I have no issues with Busch or anyone else running the lower series. It is good for the up and coming drivers to face tough competition, and it brings money into the sport. If I worked for JP Construction during the week, should I be not allowed to build a deck on someone’s house on the weekend for some side cash?
Spinner- Danica…again? Merp.
Winner- The Air Titan again. Even though the rain wasn’t willing to cooperate on Saturday, that system is still very nice to have and watching it work amazes me every time.
Spinner- Kurt Busch’s engine…kablooey.
Spinner- David Gilliland…oops.
Winner- So, there was only one parked car before the 200 lap mark of the race? Boom!
Spinner- The Trophy for winning the Profit on CNBC 500k. It looked like an accessory for a Mr. Potato Head playset.
The Checkered Flag Winner-Kevin Harvick, for becoming the driver to score the most career wins at Phoenix!
That's all for this week! Feel free to add in your own Spinners and Winners from last weekend as well! Until next time....