Pain becomes rage, rage becomes more pain

 Well... that, by a mile and a half, was the worst officiating call of the season. Holy crap, was that a terrible ending to a terrific race. Denny Hamlin gets credit for the win, Matt DiBenedetto gets penalized for forcing William Byron below the yellow line. And Chase Elliott got forced below the line by Chris Buescher, who got penalized (thank God). Buescher got shoved by Erik Jones, resulting in Hamlin going below the line. When Jones and Buescher gave Hamlin room to come back up the track, he didn't. Initially, DiBenedetto and Elliott were penalized, however, nascar realized that Elliott did nothing wrong, and rescinded the penalty. That was an awful call. It's not as bad as the 2015 pile of trash 500, but it's close as hell. Ty Dillon won this race. Get rid of the yellow line rule. Worst finish of the year by a long shot.

My opinion on every Darlington throwback: 2020 edition

 00- Quin Houff: It's not much of a throwback, it just has a retro picture on the side. Final Score: 4/10

2- Brad Keselowski: Most people say that this has little effort put into it, but I disagree. It's a nice looking paint scheme and a really good throwback. Final Score: 9/10

3- Austin Dillon: FINALLY! A throwback for the 3 that isn't RCR! And it's a good looking paint scheme too. Cheers to the man who wrote half of the NASCAR rulebook, the Last American Hero... Junior Johnson. Final Score: 9/10

4- Kevin Harvick: In last years throwback post, I said I hated these kinds of throwbacks, but this is too beautiful to hate. Final Score: 8/10

6- Ryan Newman: I think this is a cool throwback, I like the meaning behind it too. Plus I'm a sucker for orange schemes. Final Score: 9/10

7- *Checks Notes* Josh Bilicki: Tommy Baldwin Racing is always paying tribute to the late "Tiger" Tom Baldwin and this is another good one. Even the number font changed! Final Score: 9/10

8- Tyler Reddick: This one is great, it's about time we got a Jeff Burton throwback (besides the one everybody seems to love). I love how colorful this is. Final score: 10/10

9- Chase Elliott: This is a masterpiece, just as the original scheme was. Final Score 10/10

10- Aric Almirola: This is a very good looking throwback. I'm glad to see a paint scheme honoring NASCAR's first superstar. Final Score: 10/10

11- Denny Hamlin: Purple + Orange = beautiful. It doesn't resemble Cale's car that much but it looks amazing! Final Score: 10/10

12- Ryan Blaney: This is beautifully colorful. Menard's usually provides good throwbacks. Final Score: 10/10

13- Ty Dillon: I like it. I like black and red schemes. Final Score: 7/10

14- Clint Bowyer: Eh, it's a little inaccurate, but pretty cool. Final Score: 6/10

15- Brennan Poole: I love it! We don't get a lot of Ricky Rudd throwbacks. Final Score: 9/10

18- Kyle Busch: This is beautiful. Like the Brad K throwback, most will say this isn't much of a throwback, but once again, I disagree. Final Score: 9/10

19- Martin Truex Jr: They didn't try, did they? It's nearly the same as last year! And for that, I have to dock creativity points. Final Score: 3/10

20- Erik Jones: I like it, but at the same time, I'm disappointed. It's a good looking scheme, but the paint scheme it's throwing back to isn't well known like most of these others. Final Score: 5/10

21- Matt DiBenedetto: This is a classic that everyone knows and everyone loves. And that obviously includes me. Final Score: 8/10

22- Joey Logano: This could've been good, but it's probably the biggest disappointment so far. Final Score: 3/10

24- William Byron: The newest Cup Series winner has a pretty good paint scheme, but it has the same problem That Jones Boy's does, but to a lesser extent. Final Score: 6/10

27- *checks notes again* JJ Yeley: They went above and beyond with this. It screams 90s and I love it! Final Score: 10/10

38- John Hunter Nemechek: Not gonna lie, this is kinda lame. Plus it's pretty inaccurate. Final Score: 3/10

41- Cole Custer: Something something elitist weeb/sports troll from upstate South Carolina, something something seizing the means of production, something something good throwback. Final Score: 9/10

43- Bubba Wallace: this is a neat throwback paying tribute to one of the King's oddest paint schemes. Final Score: 9/10

48- Jimmie Johnson: I wish this scheme was 1/3 King, 1/3 Dale, and 1/3 Jimmie, instead of only honoring the two, but otherwise, this is good. Final Score: 7/10

51- *Checks Notes for a third time* Joey Gase: The hood logo could've been changed to look more like the Coca-Cola logo, but other than that, this is solid. Final Score: 6/10

53- *Checks notes one last time* James Davison: What exactly is this a throwback to? Final Score: 5/10

66- Timmy Hill: Remember when Phil Parsons drove race cars? Yeah me neither. But the Skoal Bandit always looks cool. Final Score: 10/10

77- Ross Chastain: This thing is amazing! I love the gold numbers! Final Score: 10/10

88- Alex Bowman: This is a really good one. The 06-08 Lowe's scheme was probably my third favorite Lowe's 48 car. Final Score: 8/10

95- Christopher Bell: Seriously? A rookie throwing back to himself? We saw this paint scheme three years ago! What a joke! Final Score: 1/10

96- Daniel Suarez: OH COME THE F*CK ON! WE SAW THIS ONE TWO YEARS AGO! As Kurt Busch said about Martinsville; this is a J-O-K-E *Team interference*. Final Score: 0/10

Party poopers this year: 1- Kurt Busch, 17- Chris Buescher, 32- Corey Lajoie, 34- Michael McDowell, 37- Ryan Preece, 42- Matt Kenseth, 47- Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 

2020 NASCAR Playoff Predictions

 It's that time of year again, when leaves begin to fall, children return to school, Wal-Mart starts putting up Christmas decorations, and the Chase for the NASCAR Cup Championship is on. This year's contenders include: Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Matt DiBenedetto. I predict that Denny Hamlin will win on sweep the Round of 16, winning Darlington, Richmond, and Bristol. Also moving on will be Harvick, Beavis and Butthead, Elliott, Truex Jr, Blaney, Bowman, Byron, Busch, Busch Light, and Matty D. After that is Las Vegas, which Harvick will win, then Talladega which will be won by a non-playoff driver, your guess is as good as mine. And that will be followed by the Charlotte Roval, which I think Chase Elliott will win for the second year in a row. Also moving on will be Hamlin, Beavis and Butthead, Blaney, Busch, and Busch Light barely making it in. The Round of 8 features Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville and the first two will be won by Harvick, while Hamlin wins Martinsville. Joining them in the Final 4 at Phoenix will be Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. And at Phoenix, in storybook fashion, Jimmie Johnson will get his 84th career win in his final start as a full-time driver. And finally, Denny Hamlin will hold off Kevin Harvick in a thrilling late race duel to win the championship. On Friday, I will post my opinions on every Southern 500 throwback scheme. But until then, Have an awesome night everybody!

2021 schedule proposal: take 2

 Well... I think I went a little overkill with the previous proposal, so this time I'll be a little more relaxed. So here's take 2.

NP. Busch Clash

Daytona "Battle at the Beach" Circuit

February 6, 2021

Saturday night

NP. Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona

Daytona International Speedway

February 11, 2021

Thursday night

1. Daytona 500

Daytona International Speedway

February 14, 2021

Sunday evening

2. South Point 400

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

February 22, 2021

Monday night

3. Subway Fresh 500

Phoenix Raceway

February 28, 2021

Saturday night

4. Napa Auto Parts 400

Auto Club Speedway

March 7, 2021

Sunday evening

5. Toyota/Save Mart 350

Sonoma Raceway

March 14, 2021

Sunday afternoon

6. O'Reilly Auto Parts 500

Texas Motor Speedway

March 21st, 2021

Saturday night

7. Dixie Vodka 400

Homestead Miami Speedway

March 28, 2021

Monday night

X. Easter- OFF WEEK

April 4, 2021

X. OFF Week

April 12, 2021

8. Starbucks Grand Prix of Portland

Portland International Raceway

April 18, 2021

Sunday afternoon

9. Wendy's 200

Mid Ohio Sports Car Course

April 25, 2021

Sunday afternoon

10. Federated Auto Parts 400

Richmond Raceway

May 2, 2021

Saturday night

11. Blu Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500

Martinsville Speedway

May 8, 2021

Saturday night

12. AAA 400 benefiting Autism Speaks

Dover International Speedway

May 16, 2021

Sunday afternoon

NP. All-Star Open

Charlotte Dirt Track

May 22, 2021

Friday night

NP. All-Star Race

Charlotte Dirt Track

May 23, 2021

Saturday night

13. History Channel 400 at the Madhouse

Bowman Gray Stadium

May 26, 2021

Wednesday night

14. Coca-Cola World 600

Charlotte Motor Speedway

May 30, 2021

Sunday night

15. KC Masterpiece 400

Kansas Speedway

June 5, 2021

Saturday night

XX. OFF Week

June 13, 2021

16. Ford Ecoboost 400

Michigan International Speedway

June 20, 2021

Sunday afternoon

17. Popeye's Grand Prix du Mardis Gras

New Orleans Street Course

June 27, 2021

Saturday night

18. Pepsi Firecracker 400

Daytona International Speedway

July 4, 2021

Sunday night

19. RC Cola 400

Chicagoland Speedway

July 10, 2021

Saturday night

20. Quaker State 400

Kentucky Speedway

July 18, 2021

Sunday afternoon

XX. Olympics- OFF WEEK

July 25, 2021

XX. Olympics- OFF WEEK

August 1, 2021

21. Kroger 400

Indianapolis Raceway Park

August 4, 2021

22. Brickyard 400

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

August 8, 2021

Sunday afternoon

23. Sharpie Night Race @ the Coliseum

Bristol Motor Speedway

August 11, 2021

24. Hershey's 400

Pocono Raceway

August 14, 2021

25. Reese's 350

Pocono Raceway Roval

August 15, 2021

26. Budweiser 400

World Wide Technology Raceway

August 21, 2021 

Saturday night

XX. Chase for the Cup Media Week- OFF

August 28, 2021

----------------- Chase Cut-off -----------------

27. Cookout Southern 500

Darlington Raceway

September 5, 2021

Sunday night

28. Chevrolet Camaro 400

Richmond Raceway

September 11, 2021

Saturday night

29. Cheez-it 355 @ the Glen

Watkins Glen International

September 19, 2021

Sunday afternoon

30. New England 300

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

September 26, 2021

Sunday afternoon

31. Bank of America Roval 400

Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval

October 3, 2021

Sunday afternoon

32. Casey's General Store 400

Knoxville Raceway

October 6, 2021

Wednesday night

33. John Deere 400

Iowa Speedway,

October 10, 2021

Saturday night

XX. OFF Week

October 17, 2021

34. Sam Bass Memorial 400 presented by MTN Dew

Nashville Superspeedway

October 24, 2021

35. 704Games Talladega 500

Talladega Superspeedway

October 31, 2021

Sunday afternoon

36. Hooters 500

Atlanta Motor Speedway

November 7, 2021

Sunday evening

I've decided to finally start posting regularly again, so expect weekly race reviews, and other random posts over the course of these last few weeks of the season. Until then, as the late great Steve Byrnes always said "Have an awesome night everybody!"

Proposal for a Revised NASCAR Schedule

NASCAR, like all sports, has been put on hold due to the Coronavirus/COVID-19/Whateveryoucallit outbreak, and NASCAR has been trying to decide what the schedule will be when it comes back. Well, I have an idea. It's nothing like the most recent post about the 2021 schedule, which I already have changed my opinions on and will be revising soon. First off, I'm scrapping the playoffs for this season. It'll be easier to get every race in without extending the season past it's scheduled end date. Secondly, I'll make every track that has two races have both races on the same weekend as double-headers except for one, which is Bristol. And lastly, the season picks back up in June, the All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600 have also been postponed.

5 & 6. Michigan International Speedway
June 6th & 7th
7. Sonoma Raceway
June 14th
8. Chicagoland Speedway
June 21st
9 & 10. Pocono Raceway
June 27th & 28th
11. Brickyard 400
July 5th
12. Kentucky Speedway
July 11th
13. New Hampshire Motor Speedway
July 19th
14. Atlanta Motor Speedway
July 26th (former off weekend)
15. Homestead Miami Speedway
August 2nd (former off weekend)
16. Bristol Motor Speedway (night race)
August 12th (midweek prime time race)
17 & 18. Dover International Speedway
August 12th and 13th (formerly Michigan 2)
19. Watkins Glen International
August 16th
NP. All-Star Open & All-Star Race
August 20th and 21st
20. Coca-Cola 600
August 23rd (formerly Dover 2)
21. Daytona International Speedway
August 29th
22. Southern 500
September 6th
23 & 24. Richmond Raceway
September 12th and 13th
25. Bristol Motor Speedway (day race)
September 20th
26. Las Vegas Motor Speedway
September 27th
27 & 28. Talladega Superspeedway
October 3rd and 4th
29. Charlotte Roval
October 11th
30 & 31. Kansas Speedway
October 17th and 18th
32 & 33. Texas Motor Speedway
October 24th and 25th
34 & 35. Martinsville Speedway
Halloween Night and November 1st
36. Phoenix Raceway
November 8th

I moved the Bristol night race back to August, because keeping it in September as a double-header with the day race would devalue both races, and believe me, the day race has lost enough value. And think about the other option: putting a daytime race at a Tennessee track on a Wednesday in August when it's hot as hell and all the potential fans that would show up/watch on TV are working... is a recipe for failure. I'm thinking about keeping this change for the revised 2021 schedule, except I'd get rid of the day race altogether. I don't even have a schedule anymore, I just post when I feel like it. And that's when I'll put up the revised 2021 schedule, when I feel like it. I'm gonna end it off by saying: Happy Easter, unless you don't celebrate, then ignore this last sentence.

NASCAR Cup Series schedule proposal

Alright, I've been putting this off long enough, it's about damn time I finally posted this. This is what I think the NASCAR Cup schedule should be. I'm still working on the other schedules, so bear with me. I decided to do this with my own version of the tiered sponsorship model NASCAR is going with, where different companies sponsor "segments" of the season. The race name sponsors are just placeholders.

•Daytona Speedweeks presented by Busch
0. Busch Clash
1/31/21
Daytona International Speedway (Roval)
Daytime event
X. Off Week
2/7/21
X. Off Week #2
2/14/21
0. Gatorade Duels at Daytona
2/18/21
Daytona International Speedway
Nighttime events
1. Daytona 500
2/21/21
Daytona International Speedway
Starts at Day, ends at Night
•West Coast Swing Presented by Toyota
2. Napa Auto Parts 400
2/27/21
Kern County Raceway Park
Nighttime event
3. Auto Club 400
2/28/21
Auto Club Speedway
Daytime event
4. Toyota/Save Mart 350
3/7/21
Sonoma Raceway
Daytime event
5. South Point 400
3/14/21
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Starts at Day, ends at Night
6. Subway Fresh 500
3/21/21
Phoenix Raceway
Nighttime event
7. Ticket Guardian 500
3/28/21
El Dorado Speedway
Starts at Day, ends at Night
X. Off Week
4/4/21
8. O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
4/10/21
Texas Motor Speedway
Nighttime event
•Southeastern Swing Presented by Coca-Cola
9. Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
4/18/21
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Daytime event
10. Food City 500
4/21/21
Nashville Superspeedway
Starts at Day, ends at Night
11. Hellman's 500
4/24/21
Talladega Superspeedway
Nighttime event (I can dream damnit)
12. Bojangles Carolina 500
5/2/21
Rockingham Speedway
Daytime event
XX. Off Week
5/9/21
13. STP 500
5/16/21
Martinsville Speedway
•Carolina Speedweeks presented by Bank of America
14. Mello Yello 500
5/19/21
Bowman Gray Stadium
Nighttime event
15. Quaker Steak and Lube 400
5/23/21
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Daytime event
16. Coca-Cola 600
5/30/21
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Nighttime event
•Northwest Swing Presented by Microsoft
17. Toyota Owner's 400
6/6/21
Portland International Raceway
Daytime event
•Pocono Double-header presented by Gander Outdoors
18. Gander Outdoors 350
6/12/21
Pocono Raceway
Daytime event
19. Gander RV 350
6/13/21
Pocono Raceway
Daytime event
XX. Off Week
6/20/21
•Summer Southeastern Stretch presented by Popeye's
20. Popeye's Grand Prix du Mardi Gras
6/27/21
NOLA Motorsports Park
Daytime event
21. Pepsi Firecracker 400
7/3/21
Daytona International Speedway
Nighttime event
•Midwestern Swing Presented by Xfinity
22. Overton's 400
7/11/21
Chicagoland Speedway
Daytime event
23. Honda Accord 350
7/18/21
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Daytime event
24. Brickyard 400
7/24/21
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Nighttime event (I can dream damnit)
25. Heluva Good 400
7/28/21
Iowa Speedway
Nighttime event
26. Ford Ecoboost 400
8/1/21
Michigan International Speedway
Daytime event
•Short Track Swing Presented by FedEx
27. AAA 400 Drive for Autism
8/8/21
Dover International Speedway
Starts at Day, ends at Night
28. Sharpie 500 Night Race at the Coliseum
8/14/21
Bristol Motor Speedway
Nighttime event
29. Budweiser 500
8/18/21
World Wide Technology Raceway
Nighttime event
30. Coors Light 400
8/22/21
Pikes Peak International Raceway
Daytime event
31. Miller Genuine Draft 400
8/29/21
The Milwaukee Mile
Daytime event
32. MTN Dew Southern 500
9/5/21
Darlington Raceway
Nighttime event
33. Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400 w/ the Toons
9/11/21
Road Course Swing Presented by Cheez-it
34. Cheez-it 355 @ the Glen
9/19/21
Watkins Glen International
Daytime event
35. Bank of America Roval 400
9/26/21
Charlotte Motor Speedway (Roval)
Daytime event
•Race to the Championship presented by Monster Energy
36. Digital Ally 400
10/2/21
Kansas Speedway
Nighttime event
37. Dixie Vodka 400
10/10/21
Homestead Miami Speedway
Starts at Day, ends at Night
XX. Off Week
10/17/21
Xx. Off Week
10/24/21
38. 704Games 500
10/31/21
Talladega Superspeedway
Daytime event
39. Music City 420 presented by Dodge
11/3/21
Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway
Nighttime event
00. All-Star Race
12/18/21
Rotation of Tracks

I know that it might be worse because I'm shoving in extra races, but I think it would work out due to the fact that the season ends the week after Halloween. Again, bear with me. I added more off weeks.

2020 Season Predictions

The Daytona 500 is less than a month away, and NASCAR fans like myself are making predictions for how the season will go. I've done this since 2018, but never on this blog. That changes today. I present to you, my 25 NASCAR predictions for this season.

1. The new Camaro will be much more competitive than the old one.
2. Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Cole Custer will win 3 races combined.
3. Corey Lajoie will have more than 5 top tens.
4. A backmarker will get a top ten at a non plate track.
5. Chris Buescher will make the playoffs, but Ryan Newman will not.
6. Jimmie Johnson will win 3 races (Chicagoland, Kentucky, and Watkins Glen), and not only will make the playoffs, but will make the final 4. He will not win the championship.
7. William Byron gets his first win at one of the Pocono races.
8. Joey Logano will make the Championship 4, continuing a pattern of him making it in even years.
9. It will rain during the Watkins Glen cup race, and it will be fun to watch.
10. Kurt Busch will win multiple races, and one of them will be the Bristol night race.
11. Matt DiBenedetto will win the Daytona 500.
12. Erik Jones will have his breakout season.
13. Tony Stewart and Hailie Deegan will run the Eldora truck race.
14. Jeff Gordon will run the Martinsville truck race.
15. Chase Elliott will again miss the Championship 4.
16. Kyle Busch will end the season with more wins than anyone else.
17. Bubba Wallace wins Daytona in August. (Still getting used to that.)
18. The Brickyard 400 will actually be a good race.
19. The fall Talladega race winner will be disqualified, and Brendan Gaughan will be declared the new winner.
20. We will get another memeable quote from Dale Jr.
21. A driver will win their first race in a unique "Buescher cousins" like way.
22. Chase Elliott will win 3 races... again.
23. Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, or Ryan Newman will announce retirement at the end of the 2021 season. My bet is it's Newman.
24. The Final 4 will be Joey Logano, Jimmie, Johnson Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr.
25. Joey Logano will win the championship.