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We saw it at both Road America and Infineon.  Bent sheet metal and angry drivers filled the garage area after the races.  You would have thought we had just raced at Martinsville or the old Bristol.  Papis was angry with Villeneuve, Stewart and Vickers were at odds, and no NASCAR clash is complete without a JPM and Brad K. sighting.  And wait, was that Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick shaking hands post race?!

Road course racing at the Nationwide and Cup level always seems to be a very tough proposition.  The level of ability from the front of the field to the back varies wildly, and it always leads to a lot of on track action.  Even for those who have a ton of road racing experience and talent, these races are no walk in the park.

The varied experience levels coupled with race tracks that can be very difficult to pass on means madness could ensue.  Drivers often decide it’s easier to move a competitor than it is to set him up and make a clean pass.  And as we saw today, often the “moved” driver gets angry, and then gets even.

There are also plenty of cases where guys end up wrecked simply because another driver ran out of talent.  Trying to fit race cars into holes where there really isn’t a hole, or charging corners way too hard is usually a recipe for disaster.

All things considered, I thought both the NNS and Cup races from this weekend were wildly entertaining.  There was plenty of action, drama, strategy, and “boys have at it” to satisfy any race fan.  And because of the great racing we continue to see at these tracks, it’s about time NASCAR finally added a road race to the Chase.  Our champion should be well rounded, and there are plenty of top flight tracks in this country that would serve NASCAR well.

Finally, I’ve heard some of you were less than pleased with TNT’s coverage on Sunday.  It’s definitely a shame that the networks continue to struggle with what exactly the right formula is for covering NASCAR events.  Things like RaceBuddy are a big step in the right direction, but they need to keep working.  Let’s hope they work out some of the kinks before we head to Daytona this weekend.

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The struggles for the Ford teams have been well documented this season.  There is even a tidbit on Jayski’s Cup Series page right now about how this is Ford’s longest winless drought to start a season since 1983.  And those struggles haven’t just been on the Cup side.  Roush Fenway’s Nationwide Series program hasn’t been as strong this season as they’ve been in past years.  Carl Edwards has led the way, but for a time, two of the other RFR teams were outside the top 30 in points.  The #16 team has since raced their way back in, but the #6 team remains 102 points out of a guaranteed starting spot.  The one Ford team that did have a moderate amount of success over the first part of the season, especially with limited resources, was Baker Curb Racing’s #27 team with Greg Biffle.

After Eddie Pardue was dismissed as crew chief of RFR’s #16 a few weeks back, Ben Leslie took over as the interim boss.  It was announced this week however, that starting at Road America the #16 team would have a new leader; none other then Baker Curb’s Ricky Viers.

With Red Man tobacco on the hood, Greg Biffle behind the wheel, and Viers calling the shots, Baker Curb’s #27 was the best running Ford in several races this season.  They managed to finish second twice, just missing wins at Las Vegas and Richmond. 

A new FDA regulation that basically ends tobacco advertisements curtailed Red Man’s sponsorship, and with the team’s future in jeopardy, Roush took the opportunity to bring Viers on board.  Who better to help turn around your company’s NNS program then the guy who’s been beating you all season?

Viers joins Drew Blickensderfer, Matt Puccia, and Mike Kelley as crew chiefs at Roush Fenway, and the pressure is on these four to slow down Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance of the series.

Besides hopefully helping the whole program, Viers is tasked with making contenders out of Roush prospects Colin Braun and Brian Ickler.  Braun and fellow Roush young gun Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have both struggled mightily in their first full seasons, and those struggles have led to their schedules being cut.  Ickler was brought in from Kyle Busch Motorsports to strengthen Roush’s driver development program and fill those holes in the schedule.

The NNS teams tested at Road America today in advance of Saturday’s race, and things may already be looking up for RFR.  Ford drivers were first and second fastest in both sessions, and the combo of Viers and Braun was good for fourth quick.  With Braun’s road racing background, this might be just what this team needs to turn the season around.

We’ve all heard the saying “if you can’t beat them, join them.”  In the ultra competitive world of NASCAR, it becomes “if you can’t beat them, steal what makes them better then you.”

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