AnnMarie Strawhand: First I want to say how proud I was of my former marketing student, Alex Bowman for getting the pole at Texas and he also ran a great race for RAB in the #99. I was at Vegas when Kyle came up to him and told him he did a good job after that race and the kid was beaming and honored. He races respectfully and smooth and he will win soon.
Lori Tyler: Kyle has been amazingly focused this year, and his performance on the track shows it. Talk about domination! I am really impressed at the talent we are seeing from the Nationwide Series this year and its making it a blast to watch!
• Kyle Larson spun during the race, came to pit road for damage control. Went back out on the track and the tire exploded which nearly sent an uncontrollable car into the back of a safety truck. Talk about the near-disaster in your opinion?
Erin Crocker: It was a bit of a scary moment after seeing what happened with Juan Pablo at Daytona a while back. Not sure how you could prevent such events from happening when a driver loses control of their car under caution.
Chris Knight: The incident shows you, just when you think we’ve seen it all in NASCAR competition, something else happens. Kudos to Kyle Larson for thinking quick. Looking at the replay, it looked like Larson may have turned his car into the wall to fully assure himself of avoiding contact with the safety truck. I could be wrong, but that’s just my opinion.
An incident like that and the Juan Pablo Montoya entanglement with the jet dryer may be something we may never see again for several if not for many years if ever. Anything can happen in racing – and it usually does, even things like this.
Adam Niemeyer: That was a case of a bad scenario coupling with a smart quick move by the young Larson to swing his car left of the truck. I don’t think the impact would have been as hard as Montoya’s wreck last year at Daytona and Larson missed what looked to be a sweeper truck of some kind, not a jet dryer, so the situation would have been far less dangerous. But thankfully everyone avoided any collisions.
AnnMarie Strawhand: There is something very strange going on with Larson in the NNS division and it’s almost like someone put the mojo on him. He is on a winning streak everywhere else, but when he gets in the Nationwide car all this attrition seems to be honing in on him in big dramatic ways. I hope it gets better for him soon, very scary and I do not want him or anyone else to get hurt.
Lori Tyler: This was a scary looking near-miss. Thankfully, everyone was ok. I do believe that NASCAR does everything they can to make this sport as safe as possible. However, given the nature of what we do, there will be times where we can’t prevent every single incident. Thankfully, this wasn’t one of them.
IZOD IndyCar Series:
• Chip Ganassi Racing announced last week that they have signed a one-race deal for Ryan Briscoe for the Indianapolis 500. How important is this ride for Briscoe?
Ross Bynum: I wouldn’t say this deal is a make-or-break situation for Briscoe. Ryan is a proven winner on all kinds of circuits and would have a ride in IndyCar full-time if he had more funding to provide to a team. His talent is not questioned. However, in a situation not that dissimilar to Dan Wheldon in 2011, a win or a strong run would certainly improve his odds of racing later in the season.
Erin Crocker: This is huge for Ryan especially if his heart is set on continuing to run in the IndyCar Series. Ganassi has an incredible record in Indy. Ryan was last year’s pole sitter. I believe the combination will be more than capable of winning the Indy 500.
Chris Knight: I’m stoked to see Ryan Briscoe back in IZOD IndyCar Series competition competing for Chip Ganassi Racing. I think he is an absolute asset to not only the organization, but the series as well. He is a former pole sitter at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so in my eyes that automatically makes him a factor.
I believe Ryan is competing full-time in a road racing series, but if Briscoe is able to score the win in one of the greatest spectacles in all of Motorsports, it very well could convince Chip Ganassi and his new sponsor to expand his schedule. Not seeing him on the IndyCar grid right now is very painful for his fans, I’m sure.
Briscoe is one of my early favorites to contend for the win in the 500.
• IZOD IndyCar Series officials have yet to respond to a request about Milka Duno. Many have inquired whether the Venezuelan can or will be approved to return to the series again, if she so chooses? She endured a rough 2010 season which was filled of controversy which included probation. Should Duno be allowed to the series? And with what stipulations, if any.
Ross Bynum: For a time, Duno was essentially the black sheep of the series. It was obvious she was simply a ride buyer that appeared out of her league and, by 2010, faced vocal criticism from her fellow competitors and series officials. However, Duno was never with a team that was considered competitive. She ran for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as well as Dale Coyne Racing, which has always seen its 2nd car bring up the rear of the field no matter who was behind the wheel. If Duno proved she could run competitively and adhered to series rules, I wouldn’t see any reason she couldn’t race. Her biggest obstacle would be overcoming the negative perception held by most of the other drivers, some officials, and a lot of fans. That said, she was known through the paddock for being a very friendly, likable person that was great with fans despite the criticism.
Erin Crocker: If she can maintain a set minimum speed, I think she should be allowed to race.
Chris Knight: If Milka Duno chooses to come back to the IZOD IndyCar Series, I think she should be allowed too, granted she passes all of the tests she completed and successfully passed several years ago.
I think Duno’s last few years in stock cars may help her on ovals in IndyCar if she is able to find a home with a consistent and well-funded race team. I’ve watched her compete with some good teams in the ARCA Racing Series and if she is giving the equipment and personnel, I think she can get the job done. She deserves a second-chance.
At one time, she was rumored to be testing for Rahal-Letterman Racing. Had that worked out, we might not be talking about this. She may not have even left IndyCar, we just don’t know.
The real question remains though will IndyCar allow her to return and will Milka ever taken them up on that offer should it ever arise. That remains to be seen.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the races this weekend!
