Loose in Turn Three-peat

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

April 18, 2008 3:12 pm CDT 3 Comments

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So, you tell me which is right - the old “third time’s a charm” saying or is my Grandmother’s favorite - “bad things happen in threes” - more appropriate for our ” Loose in Turn Three” project?

Check out hosts, Bruce Simmons’ Bruce’s Bits & Pieces, Tim Zaegel’s Do You NASCAR, and me, Bench Racing Charlie to get caught up on the complete discussion on this week’s three topics and please leave plenty of feedback. Thanks and enjoy!

Should NASCAR go to a more structured drug testing policy?

Charlie: Aaron Fike admitted last week that he had raced his Craftsman Truck while under the influence of heroin. Kevin Harvick stated that he is convinced that at least one other driver had raced while under some substance’s influence. NASCAR currently tests when they become suspicious. That is just too loose a policy for a major league sport – especially one that features its performers driving potentially lethal weapons. It’s time to do something more structured.

Random testing for narcotics and alcohol would be a place to start. I know it’s not simple. But figure it out, you know.

TZ: Ya know, I can actually go either way on this one. In NASCAR’s defense, being a former service member, I can say that when done properly, random testing can be very effective. When I look at the crews and drivers in the garage, I also believe that this is still the “clean” sport that it’s always been perceived to be, and these strike me as the type of guys that are more than capable of policing their
own. The only potential issue I can really see with drug use in this sport is the fact that the field keeps getting younger and younger, so you may have a red flag there. Overall – more structured? Yes. Strictly enforcing mandatory weekly testing? No.

Bruce: I’m with Charlie on this one. I’d like to think that when I’m hurtling along at 120 to 180 mph going into a corner, that there is some semblance of calm knowing that the guy next to or behind me isn’t hopped up and seeing giant butterflies sitting on the deck lid of the car in front of him. But how far NASCAR wants to go with this is the big question. Do you tag first, fifth, fifteenth and twenty-fifth finishing spots every week or pull short straws? It’s going to be how
they deploy the process of random testing that’s going to catch heat, no matter what.

That’s what we think. What do you think?

If you haven’t already, click over to TZ’s post on:

Will Tony Stewart Still Be 100% Committed to Toyota in Cup Series in 2009?

Then check out Bruce’s bits on this one:

What Do You Guys Think of the Fox Coverage at the Beginning of the Phoenix Race?

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media , Inc.

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, It's Only Cheating if You Get Caught, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR officials, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Roush Racing, The Fast Lap, Turn 2 posts

Tagged with: Aaron Fike, blog, Craftsman Truck, Kevin Harvick, motorsports, NASCAR, NASCAR drug testing

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Johnson Finally Puts Hendrick in Victory Lane

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.

April 13, 2008 8:39 am CDT 3 Comments

Jimmy Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus used a fuel mileage strategy and guts to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Johnson may not have dominated the race in the truest sense, but he did lead the most laps and more importantly for him and Hendrick Motorsports ; he got the monkey off the team’s back before the off week. Mark Martin, pole sitter Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were the only other drivers to lead laps during this first trip to the desert for 2008.

Denny Hamlin’s third and Kyle Busch’s tenth place finish were the only Toyotas in the top ten, while you have to look to 12th place Bobby Labonte as the top finishing Dodge. Carl Edwards’ fourth place finish led the Ford contingent and saw another Roush-Fenway driver, Greg Biffle, land in the top ten.

In other NASCAR news; former Craftsman Truck Series driver, Aaron Fike admitted to using heroin on race days before getting into his race truck. This is a “Pete Rose type revelation” considering that Fike had previously denied using drugs during race events. And this leads us into…

…this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW is: