Chrysler Bankruptcy Not Expected To Affect Sprint Cup

Despite announcing that it would file for bankruptcy protection and its recent partnership with Fiat SpA, Chrylser said that it remains committed to the Sprint Cup series and NASCAR.

Mike Accavitti, an official with Dodge Motorsports, said:

The partnership not only will transform Chrysler into a new, stronger car company with many strategic advantages, it will enable the company to better serve our customers with a broader and more comprehensive lineup of vehicles. NASCAR is a strategic part of our marketing plan and the Dodge brand. We plan to continue our Dodge sponsorship and relationship into the foreseeable future.

The Treasury Department is planning on giving Chrysler as much as $3.5 billion, while the Canadian and Ontario governments are going to provide ths company without about $800 million in exchange for 2 percent equity.

Lead Lap Turns One Year Old

Last week, the Lead Lap quietly turned one year old. It’s hard to believe that it has been a year.

History

The concept for this blog started many years before in launched. I kicked the idea around for several years, but could never come up with a niche for my blog. Should I cover NASCAR news?  How will that be unique compared to all other NASCAR coverage?

Eventually, I settled on the idea that I would feature a synopsis and analysis of the media coverage of NASCAR. But, that idea quickly evolved into what the Lead Lap has become today: a mix of news, rumors, and opinions.

I wanted to create a blog that featured current NASCAR news interjected with my thoughts and opinions. I also wanted to bring in other types of stories that were tangentally related to NASCAR — for example the economic conditions and their affect on NASCAR, and the companies involved in NASCAR.

In one year’s time, I think I have acheived those goals. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Future

In the future, I hope to continue to grow this blog, and maybe eventually expand to a full-blown website. I’m still kicking around ideas for what the website would feature and how it would fit in with other sites like Jayski and SceneDaily.

A redesign may also be coming. I’m hoping to give the Lead Lap a better look and feel.

Stats

Looking back at the last year, I’ve put together some stats I would like to share. In April 2007, the Lead Lap generated 41 views — most of those coming from my girlfriend. Since then, the Lead Lap has grown to an average of 832 views per month, with a high of 1,500 views in July of 2007.

When this blog was launched, the hottest NASCAR story was the speculation surrounding Tony Stewart’s 2009 plans. As a matter of fact, my first posting was on this very subject. At that time, it was unclear whether or not Stewart would be released from his contract.

Coincidentally, the Lead Lap’s top post by page views was the official announcement that Tony Stewart would be driving the Old Spice, Office Depot Chevy for Stewart Haas Racing. The number 2 post? Army sponsoring Ryan Newman and SHR.

Last week’s story on fans injured during Carl Edwards Talladega wreck was the most viewed non-SHR story. But, the Car and Driver hoax article story is right behind it, and is still closing the gap.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has visited, and continues to visit, this blog and those of you who share your insights and opinions via comments. I do my best to respond to each one, and will continue to do so. Last but certainly not least, I would like to thank my girlfriend who helped me get this blog off the ground and, even though she is not a NASCAR fan, still continues to check it out daily. Thanks.

Teenage Fan Suffers Broken Jaw From Debris From Edwards Wreck

A seventeen year old girl was among those injured in the wreck that occured on the final lap of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Blake Bobbitt was hit by a piece of sheet metal that flew into the grandstands where she and her father were seated after Carl Edwards hit the catchfence and sent debris flying into the stands after making contact with Brad Keselowski and being sent airborne by contact with Ryan Newman.

Bobbitt suffered a broken jaw. She was stabilized, and taken to the infield care center. Shortly thereafter, she was transported to the a local hospital where she underwent reconstructive surgery and inserted two plates into her jaw.

Edwards called the hospital to check on her status, and make sure she was okay.

She is expected to make a full recovery, and is expected to be released from the hospital sometime today.

I, for one, am glad to hear that.

Teenage Fan Suffers Broken Jaw From Debris From Edwards Wreck

A seventeen year old girl was among those injured in the wreck that occured on the final lap of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Blake Bobbitt was hit by a piece of sheet metal that flew into the grandstands where she and her father were seated after Carl Edwards hit the catchfence and sent debris flying into the stands after making contact with Brad Keselowski and being sent airborne by contact with Ryan Newman.

Bobbitt suffered a broken jaw. She was stabilized, and taken to the infield care center. Shortly thereafter, she was transported to the a local hospital where she underwent reconstructive surgery and inserted two plates into her jaw.

Edwards called the hospital to check on her status, and make sure she was okay.

She is expected to make a full recovery, and is expected to be released from the hospital sometime today.

I, for one, am glad to hear that.

Yellow Line Rule Change Would Make Little Difference

Following last weekend’s wild last lap wreck during the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, a lot of attention has been given to safety — not only for drivers, but for fans as well.

By now, we’ve all heard the quotes. Edwards said:

Brad [Keselowski] did a great job. Congrats to him on the win, but [NASCAR] put us in this box and I guess we’ll race like this until we kill somebody. And then they’ll change it.

He also said:

I was very fortunate we hit the wall in a way that it didn’t crush my roll cage down on my neck because that would have been a lot worse. NASCAR just puts us in this box. I’m glad the car didn’t go up in the grandstands and hurt somebody.

Keselowski talked about the yellow line rule, saying:

The yellow line is there to prevent us from running underneath each other and prevent us from being crazy. But the bottom line is, that’s who we are. We are all crazy race car drivers and we are going to run into each other. The yellow line could be six feet high or six feet low and we would still run into each other. That’s what we do. It’s a give-and-take sport and as races go on, it’s a challenge of who is going to lift and who is not, and it’s testing each other every moment.

We all remember what happened last year when Regan Smith went below the yellow line, so there was no way Keselowski was going to make the same mistake.

And while I completely agree that it is a tragedy when fans get injured, I’m not sure that the yellow line rule should be changed.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think that yellow line rule triggered the accident. I also think it leads to more aggressive blocking. But, if NASCAR decided to get rid of the rule, drivers would go below it to pass, and other drivers would go below it to block.

Taking Sunday’s wreck into consideration, do you think that if Keselowski dipped below the yellow line (assuming there was no penatly for doing so) that Edwards would not have practically driven him into the grass to win? I’m willing to bet he would have.

If the two had made contact at the same place, at the same time and in the same way, below the yellow line, who’s to say Edwards’ car would not have made it to the catchfence?

Sunday’s wreck was a freak accident that was the result of many different circumstances. Keselowski got a huge run on Edwards and put a good double move on him. Edwards didn’t realize how far alongside him Keselowski got.

When he spun, Edwards’ rear tires came off the ground, but were on their way down when Ryan Newman hit him, sending him airborne. If Newman was not there, Edwards would have just spun out and it would have been the end of the story.

Again, it’s tragic that fans got hurt. But, in the grand scheme of things, it could have been worse. Edwards’ car could have made it to the stands if the fence had not held. But, it didn’t because the safety device did its job.

I’m all for making changes to improve safety, but let’s not change the rules in a knee-jerk fashion just because of a freak accident. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And the yellow line rule ain’t broke.