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Boris Vs. The Field
Aug 16th, 2011 by T.C.

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Often times when drivers get one off rides there becomes this serious sense of urgency.  They have to do whatever it takes to get a good result now, because they may not get another chance.  I believe what we saw today out of Boris Said could somewhat be explained this way.  He came in as a ringer for James Finch’s #51, and after winning the Montreal NNS race last season from a similar position, maybe thought he could win again.  Instead, he ended up driving over his head, made a lot of enemies, and finished a mediocre 22nd.

After being involved in the horrific crash with David Ragan and David Reutimann, and apparently a dust up earlier in the race, Said and Greg Biffle had a scuffle in the garage area post-race.  Said later threatened Biffle in his post scuffle interview, and Biffle responded via Twitter.  But Biffle wasn’t the only driver to take exception to Said’s racing.  Regan Smith, Jeff Burton, and David Ragan all weighed in post-race against Said.  And when guys like that are speaking out against you, something is clearly wrong.

No matter what side of the fence you are on, Said’s move on Ragan was dirty.  Hitting a guy in the rear quarter panel like that is about as a low as it gets.  With one lap to go, I really question the judgement of flat wrecking a guy so you can finish 22nd instead of 23rd.

I have to say though, Said deserves some props for his comments in the interview following the race.  At least he was honest and isn’t afraid to stand up for himself (did anyone else notice the RCR #27 guys enjoying a front row seat to the skirmish?).

Going forward, don’t expect Said to get a lot of respect from his fellow competitors.  He used to be a guy other drivers went to for road racing advice, but now he’s going to become the driver they root up 0ut of the way so they can finish 22nd instead of 23rd.  What goes around, comes around, and guys like Biffle aren’t going to forget this any time soon.

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Boris Said Beats Max Papis in Montreal Photo Finish
Aug 29th, 2010 by FanHouse Newswire

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MONTREAL (AP) -- Boris Said has made a living helping NASCAR drivers master road courses with the expertise he's accumulated racing around the world. With his 48th birthday looming in three weeks, he finally helped himself.

Said came back from an early spin and won the Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, edging Max Papis by a nose on a green-white-checkered finish.

Papis passed Said entering the final chicane for a split second, but Said never lost momentum and sped back by and outraced Papis to the line. The margin of victory was .012 seconds, fifth-lowest all-time and closest since 1998 at Homestead.

It was the first Nationwide victory for Said and his second in NASCAR. He also won a truck race at Sonoma in 1998.

"I can't believe it!" Said shouted over the radio of his 09 Ford to team owner Robby Benton. "I'm going to keep trying until I win a Cup race."

 

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Road-Course Ringers No Sure Bet in NASCAR
Jun 17th, 2010 by Holly Cain

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There was a time when conventional wisdom said a team's odds to win increased exponentially by putting a road-course expert -- a 'ringer' -- in the car when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made its two annual stops on ambidextrous road circuits.

Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart -- for starters -- have proven that wisdom wrong.

When it comes to NASCAR's marquee Cup series, a team's chances to win don't improve markedly with a traditional road course racer-for-hire. In fact, they don't improve at all.

No ringer has ever won at either this weekend's stop Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. or at the historic Watkins Glen, N.Y. course

In fact, favorite road course sons Boris Said, Ron Fellows and Scott Pruett have only led 72 laps in a combined 47 starts at the tracks since 2000.

NASCAR regular Kyle Busch led 78 laps in one race, winning the 2008 race at Infineon -- the first half of his road course sweep that season.

 

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Ask The Insiders Wednesday #74
May 12th, 2010 by T.C.

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With the track “Too Tough To Tame” in the rearview, all three NASCAR series head to the “Monster Mile” for another weekend of tough racing.  As we wait for Friday to arrive, here’s the 74th edition of ATIW.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here.  So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us.  On to the questions…

1. From Bob:

Wondering what is up with Boris Said? I know they brought David Stremme in because of his experience at certain tracks. Other than the road courses do think he’ll do much racing this year?

I wouldn’t expect to see Boris run any more races for the #26 team, except maybe the road courses.  His experience and ability on ovals is pretty limited, and a team that needs to qualify in the shows each week needs a more experienced driver.  I think the team realized after the first few races that they needed to run better then they did with Boris. – T.C.

2. From Steve:

How do you feel about the new G/W/C rule ? Personally, I’d like to see them go back to one. With three it just turns into a crashfest,crap shoot. Not to mention trying to figure gas and all the carnage that has to be repaired afterwards. That’s got to be awfully tough on the lower budget teams.

In the beginning I was a critic of the move, and felt exactly the same way you did. In practice though I have to admit I’m being won over by the rule change. I appreciate races that end with a definitive winner and the carnage hasn’t been quite as bad as I expected. It can be a bad thing for lower budget teams, but it’s incentive to not get caught up in wrecks. – Journo

3. From Sue:

Now that the crew chiefs for the 24 and 5 team have been re-signed any educated guesses as to the amount they will make? Do they get the same incentives % such as winning a race or winning a championship that drivers get?

My best guess would be high six figures or very low seven figures. Crew chiefs, just like crew members are certainly eligible for and receive bonuses. If you’re a crew chief for a good team, you can make a very good living. – Journo

4. From Cinde:

Are the pit crew members allowed to have tattoos that are visible while on duty? I have never seen any, but do see alot of crew members that wear the partial sleeve. Where I work, we have to cover them up as well.

There are quite a few crew guys who have tattoos, as do some officials.  I’ve never heard of a team requiring guys to cover them.  In this picture, you can see a bit of Mike Houston’s ink (Jeff Gordon’s front carrier).  Remember too that when you normally see crew members and officials on TV, they are in firesuits, gloves, and helmets.  Ink is hard to spot that way. – T.C.

5. From Kyle:

Have you heard anything else on the John Wes Townley situation? Is Zaxbys upset at the situation? There have been some rumors that he no longer wants to drive. Ironically both he and Clint both have driven 5 races in the 21 and John Wes has more points than Clint (484-478 respectively)

It’s funny, John Wes actually has a better average finish in the car, and one less DNF (22.4 to Clint Bowyer’s 22.8 and 1 to Bowyer’s 2). We’ve heard John Wes doesn’t want to do it anymore too (I’m honestly not sure how true that is). We also know Childress is actively seeking drivers to fill the seat in the non-companion events. I can’t imagine the Townleys are thrilled with the way this has gone, but legally they may have no recourse. It’s just all around a bad situation. – Journo

6. From Deb:

Why isn’t michael Waltrip racing today?

Michael is pretty much retired from racing.  In the future, you may see him run a few races here and there, but don’t expect any more full seasons.  He decided at the end of last season that he was finished, but that he would run a partial schedule in 2010. – T.C.

7. From Neon:

Do either of you have any insight on Ford’s FR9 engine? It was mentioned Sat that AJ’s car was the only FR9 running Darlington. I figured starting w/ Talladega that all Ford’s would be sporting the better cooling FR9 pkg. AJ qualified and ran as strongest Ford till his wreck. Ford teams need to get going!

As I understand it, the FR9 will be fully deployed starting at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July.  I believe it’s taken Roush Yates and Ford Racing a little longer to get the engine implemented then they’d hoped, but they’ve now had plenty of time to track test and work out any bugs. – T.C.

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

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Bristol Last Race For 2009 Locked In Drivers
Mar 15th, 2010 by T.C.

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When the Cup Series heads to Bristol this weekend, it marks the fifth race on the 2010 schedule.  It will be the final race that the top 35 in the owners standings from 2009 will have a guaranteed starting spot.  The following weekend at Martinsville, the 2010 owners points will decide who is in and who is out.  Bristol will be crucial for those who are floating right around that 35th spot in the standings.

Those who are on the outside looking in right now include Kevin Conway, Boris Said, Robby Gordon, and Max Papis.  A good run at Bristol for any of these drivers could mean the difference between racing and going home at Martinsville and beyond.  For Said, Gordon, and Papis who all have limited sponsorship, the idea of not having a guaranteed starting spot could drastically affect the health of their race teams and their ability to continue competing.

The drivers who are in currently, but are dangerously close to being out, include Mike Bliss, Travis Kvapil, Brad Keselowski, David Gilliland, Sam Hornish, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, and Marcos Ambrose.  A bad finish at Bristol, combined with some good runs by the competition, could knock any of these drivers out of the top 35 and that vital guaranteed starting position.

Two drivers who stand to benefit following Bristol are Mike Bliss and Scott Speed.  Speed is very solidly in the top 35 (currently 12th) after a difficult 2009 season left him having to race his way in to the first five of 2010.  But his team has rose to the occasion this season, and their performance has improved markedly.  Bliss currently sits in the final guaranteed spot in 35th, which, if he could keep it would be a huge boost to his Tommy Baldwin Racing team.  This team continues to run severely underfunded, but a locked in spot in every race could help this team secure more sponsorship.

Bristol is always an exciting race anyway, filled with drama from start to finish.  And this season’s spring stop in Thunder Valley will be no different.  But if the usual story lines don’t grab you, take a look down the leaderboard a ways.  You will definitely find a tension filled race for many teams./

Where NASCAR and IndyCar Drivers Go to Have Fun
Jan 30th, 2010 by Holly Cain

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The autograph line wound from the garage to Daytona International Speedway's famous victory lane, at least a full football field away.

One man took a vacation day from his job to drive three hours from Valdosta, Ga., to wait six more hours in line just to get NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson to sign a photo and a shirt. A family waited nearly as long to have former Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya sign 10 miniature replicas of the No. 42 Chevy he drives in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"This is one of the cheapest races we can go to,'' said Fernando Zapata, 42, who brings his wife and two young children to the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona sports car race every year.

To see their favorite NASCAR drivers.

It's enough to make sports car purists cringe, but for the Grand-Am Series - NASCAR's sports car sibling - it doesn't matter why fans are coming through the gates or watching on television. As long as they're paying attention.

 

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