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Said Heads Rejoice Joe Gibbs Frets and Jimmie Johnson Jams it

by Charlie Turner

I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

January 29, 2010 9:18 pm CST 2 Comments

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So happy to see that On Pit Row favorite Boris Said will get another shot at making this NASCAR thing work. Foxsports.com’s Lee Spencer has Boris back in a Sprint Cup car for at least the first five races of 2010. Sponsor to be announced before the Daytona 500. We’ll see if we can’t get the head of the Said Heads for an upcoming show.

Just before the 2008 Darlington race, Denny Hamlin came up lame after a pick-up basketball game. We suggested back then that Joe Gibbs should ban Hamlin from any sport that required less than two balls (see question number 6). Did the coach listen? Uh, sadly, for JGR fans, nope. Denny tore an ACL and will have to deal with the injury for the duration of 2010. Hamlin says - no problem. But it won’t help.

Finally, Jimmie Johnson crashed. Unfortunately for all you Johnson haters, J J was driving his Grand Am car and not his Sprint Cup ride when he stuffed it in a wall. You all can only hope that this is an omen. I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you though.

Filed under: Boris Said, Denny Hamlin, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Rolex 24

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NASCAR’s Top 10 at the Glen

by Charlie Turner

August 8, 2009 1:02 am CDT No Comments

Three time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson seeks first road course win.

When I read that, I thought it must be a mistake. I mean, J J has won the last three Cup championships and, nearly, the last five. He had to have won at the Glen or Infineon at leat once - right?

But, no he hasn’t. Not yet. But the no. 48 sits on the pole for the Heluva Good at the Glen on Sunday, and I like his chances.

Sharing the front row with the Champ is the Blue Deuce of Kurt Busch. Kurt and Johnson had a pretty serious run-in the last time they raced on a road course at Sonoma. They are both pretty solid in the Race to the Chase standings with five races to go. Maybe Kurt will make Jimmie’s day miserable this time.
Starting third is red hot Pocono winner Denny Hamlin. Hamlin has a roadie win in his quiver. Contender.
Next to the Fed Ex no. 11 is Marcos Ambrose, who made Infineon really interesting with a strong third after starting at the back of the field. He’ll be tough all day from the front.
David Stremme emerged from the NASCAR trailer and his dust-up with Robby Gordon at Pocono to take fifth fastest. Nice work under pressure.
Ryan Newman is the Stewart-Haas top ten qualifier this time. People don’t think of the Rocket Man on road courses, but they should. He’s good.
Greg Biffle is seventh and another underrated road racer. The Biff needs a good finish here to keep his narrow hold in the Chase.
Outside row four is the enigma. Kyle, the Shrub Busch. Is this a win week or another bust. Big pressure is building to make the Chase and he’s 100 points out.
Talk about pressure. Race twice a year. Have to qualify every time. Then expect to win. Welcome back Boris Said!
Starting tenth, maybe the hottest man in the series for the last month. Juan Pablo Montoya. Won here in Nationwide cars. Could have won the two races leading into this race, on tracks that have similar characteristics to the roadies.

Gentleman. Start. Your. Engines!

Photo credit: Round girl Jen by BethAnne Heisler for OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Boris Said, Chase for the Cup, NASCAR, jimmie johnson

Tagged with: Heluva Good, Watkins Glen

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Boris Said on Passing at Infineon: No Problem

by Charlie Turner

June 19, 2009 11:04 am CDT No Comments

How many times have you heard - or will you hear yet this weekend - that “there’s no passing at Sonoma“?

I put the over-under on the Sunday broadcast at, oh… ten.

Veteran road racer and good guy, Boris Said was a guest On Pit Row this week. And Boris says “bull” to the no-passing notion.

Steve asked him is he would be going all-out for the pole, since it is, presumably so hard to move through the field. But Boris said, no - he had to make sure that he got the car into the field first. And he then went on to say that there are plenty of places to pass at Infineon. You just have to pick your spots. It was a good interview. You can listen to the show- click here.

We have another new feature that we are debuting this weekend, specially for you fantasy racers out there. We’ll be hosting a live fantasy racing advice chat/blog (I don’t know exactly what to call it yet) after qualifying tonight at 8PM ET. It will be hosted by one of our fantasy racing experts - Ryan Rantz. Go to our Live Page - click here - and check it out. We’ll even send you a reminder if you want one.

Photo credit: Round girl Jen by BethAnne Heisler - OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Boris Said, Infineon Raceway, NASCAR, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio

Tagged with: Boris Said, fantasy racing live chat, road course ringers, Toyota/Save Mart 350

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The Gatorade Duels are a NASCAR Prop Bet Spectacular

by Charlie Turner

February 13, 2009 12:02 am CST 1 Comment

So, what did you bet on - or whom - in the Gatorade Duels at Daytona today?

Did you pick the four drivers to transfer into the Daytona 500? Or were did you have lunch - a late one - wagered on a Dale Junior repeat, Jeff Gordon streak-stopper or a Boris Said upset?

I was looking for some old fashioned, NASCAR serendipity. I called for Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman to sweep the races we used to call The Twins for the new Stewart-Haas Racing team. Smoke gave me hope in the opener, and ran a hell of a race. Newman ended his day with a wrecked car and bad temper after David Reutimann dumped him in the second Duel.

Cost me a beer too. But I had fun watching one of the best days of racing NASCAR hosts any year. Can’t wait for the Camping World Truck Series race Friday night.

But don’t listen to us about betting on races. If you are thinking of doing any actual NASCAR betting you may be better served by finding actual NASCAR odds at a service that is involved in online wagering or something. We, most assuredly, are not.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Boris Said, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Reutimann, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: betting, Budweiser Shootout, Camping World Truck Series, commissioner service, Duels, fantasy picks, Fantasy racing, Gatorade Duel 150, NASCAR betting, NASCAR fantasy games, NASCAR odds, NASCAR wagering

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“The Daytona Seventeen” Fight for Four Spots in 500

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

February 12, 2009 10:40 am CST 9 Comments

Seventeen racers are vying for just four spots in The Great American Race.

The Daytona Seventeen are for the most part are all start up teams with limited or no outside sponsorships. The first Duel on Thursday will have seven drivers looking for the two openings available in the 500. Joe Nemechek, Scott Riggs and Brad Keselowski look to be the favorites to fight for the pair of move ups. Also in that first race are longer shots; Kirk Shelmerdine, Tony Raines, Mike Skinner and Carl Long. The three favorites all have the advantage of owners with some sort of success in that role.

Nemechek has fielded cars in the Cup series before, full time with himself behind the wheel in 1995 and 1996, but many times using ringers at Watkins Glen with sporadic success. Riggs is driving for Tommy Baldwin who has had success not only as a Cup crew chief but also as the founder of a Nationwide team in 2004 that he later sold to Ray Evernham that formed the foundation for Evernham Motorsports. Meanwhile Keseloski will be in the James Finch ride that has one hundred starts on the Cup circuit on a part time basis since Jeff Purvis first jumped into one of his cars in 1990.

The second Duel has ten cars looking to make the 43 car field for Sunday’s race. Again only two will move up. Half of those ten have to be consider as legitimate contenders to make the 500. Regan Smith, Boris Said, AJ Allmendinger, Jeremy Mayfield and Mike Wallace show the most promise. Smith is driving a part time schedule for Front Row Motorsports, an organization that has run through drivers at a prolific rate.

Said will be looking to make the race that seems to allude him. His No Fear Racing team has merged with Rick Clark Motorsports, a minority owner who to the best of recollections has never put a car on a NASCAR track. Said does have a way of being fast at Daytona however. His biggest nemesis over the years has been the weather. Allmendinger is running the fourth car for Richard Petty Racing and has been fast in cars from that stable since he got into them at the end of last year.

Jeremy Mayfield put together his race team in early January and plans on a full season with All Sport energy drink returning to big time auto racing as co-owner and sponsor. Mayfield seems to have gotten the fire back in his belly. Wallace will be in a TRG Chevy. TRG has been successful in sports cars and have been making appearances on the stock car circuits to gain some experience. Wallace is another driver who seems to find ways to make the field if given any kind of decent equipment.

Those with little chance of making the big jump into Sunday’s race are Mike Garvey, Derrike Cope, Kelly Bires, Geoff Bodine and Norm Benning. Bodine’s attempt is interesting because his car is owned by Phil Parsons, but probably lacks the resources to make the race.

photo credits: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Boris Said, Brad Kesolowski, Daytona 500, Diversity and NASCAR, Evernham Motorsports, Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Nemechek, NASCAR, NASCAR Bidness, Phil Parsons, Tommy Baldwin Racing

Tagged with: AJ Almendinger, Boris Said, Brad Keselowski, Carl Long, Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Nemecheck, Kirk Shelmerdine, Mike Skinner, Mike Wallace, Regan Smith, Rick Clark Motorsports, scott riggs, Tony Raines

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Rain Allows Goodyear to Move Some Inventory

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

August 6, 2008 6:02 am CDT 1 Comment

NASCAR told the Nationwide Series owners that the tour stop at Montreal would go on “rain or shine”.

And rain it did. Teams were given three minutes to change over from dry setups to wets. Unfortunately it was almost an hour before the cars returned to the track after installing tail lights, defrosters, wipers and six year old Goodyear rain tires.

We asked Boris Said on last nights ON PIT ROW what he thought of the wet racing. This is a guy that has raced in all kinds of weather conditions in all kinds of cars. He said that it was no big deal until the rain became so intense that it began to pool on the race track, causing some real hydroplaning problems.

This brings us to this week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Now that NASCAR has had the debut of its wet weather program at Montreal, should they continue to race in the rain at all road courses in all divisions including Cup?

Let us know what you think. Listen to ON PIT ROW live from 5-7pm ET here. Then check out INSIDE ARCA available immediately after ON PIT ROW or at www.arcaracing.com

Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Filed under: Boris Said, Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR Bidness, Nationwide Series, Nextel Cup Series, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart, road course ringers

Tagged with: Boris Said, Buzz ON PIT ROW, Montreal, Nationwide Series

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