Fit'n Fast Driver of the week: Denny Hamlin

"Photo used with permission: Debbie Ross/Skirts and Scuffs"

Denny Hamlin has been in the spotlight for two weeks now- with the $25,000 fine that NASCAR issued after comments he made about the Gen 6 car after the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix, Arizona. Hamlin's immediate reaction was that he wouldn't pay the fine, and after careful consideration, Hamlin tweeted that he would not appeal the fine, but to stand by his original decision.

NASCAR issued a statement immediately,

" The $25,000 fine assessed to driver Denny Hamlin on March 7 will be settled per Section 12-3 of the 2013 NASCAR rule book after being informed by Hamlin that he will not appeal the penalty."

So the matter is now closed. I do have an opinion about this, yet, I've kept it to myself. Not in fear of people disagreeing, but more so because I don't have all the fine details surrounding the situation. I have a lot of respect for Hamlin, and raise my glass to him for standing his ground on such a hot topic.

On to racing: Hamlin started the Food City 500 race in Bristol in third spot. The No. 11 FedEx Toyota was a fast car- holding strong in the lead for the majority of the race. An incident between he and former teammate Joey Lagano changed the outcome of the race. While Logano tried to maintain a lead position, he drove the highline in front of Hamlin. There was room between them, but not enough. Hamlin 'tapped' the left rear bumper of the No. 22 Ford, and Logano spun out of control, hit the wall and damaged the rear of the car. Though Logano was able to finish the race in 17th position, and Hamlin finished in 23rd, Logano had some unresolved anger left after the race. After climbing out of his car, Logano approached Hamlin's car, was able to get close but he was held off by Hamlin's team. A fight started between crew members, but it was broken up before it turned into a UFC match of its own.
A reporter asked Logano what he said to Hamlin, but the 22 year old declined to comment, saying instead, "that's for me to know, and him to know." However, he sent some comments to Hamlin via twitter. Their accounts are: @dennyhamlin and @joeylogano.

It's Bristol. It's a short track with high banking- and it's very common that there's a lot of beating and banging between drivers. A fight is inevitable -and it's fair to say Logano and Hamlin are rivals. How long it lasts between the two is the question, and I'm sure fans will pay close attention.

J.D. Gibbs, Hamlin, Darian Grubb
at Bristol Motor Speedway August 2012
Photo taken by: Genevieve

Hamlin has yet to join Kasey Kahne, or  Jimmie Johnson in 5Ks, half-marathons, or triathlons but that doesn't make him any less of an athlete. The new-father has played basketball, baseball, and golf; and has
 is quiet about his choice of exercise as of a late. It's safe to assume the back injury he had last summer has kept him on the sidelines for awhile now. He tweets often about racing karts at the Moorseville Karting track with other drivers in the NASCAR series.

NASCAR drivers to appear on cartoon comedy: The Cleveland Show

Be sure to tune on Sunday night (March 17) at 7:30 PM ET to watch 'The Cleveland Show' on FOX at 7:30 PM. Your favorite NASCAR drivers will make a cameo appearance as a voice over on the show.

'Donna' is running for the schoolboard and tries to keep Cleveland out of the campaign- but that doesn't work when the clever Cleveland keeps her out drinking all hours of the night; she recruits Kahne, Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart to rush her back to 'Stoolbend' in time for the final debate.



Tony Stewart

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Kasey Kahne










** PHOTO CREDIT for all three pictures: NASCAR Media Group**

My 2013 season predictions

It's that time of year again when many people in the NASCAR community pick a Championship winner for the end of the season. My first reaction to this is, "That's ridiculous! It's too early!" However, it's always fun to see how your first pick plays out throughout the year.

I've decided to pre-write articles two weeks ahead of the race schedule this year, in other words, my mind is on the Daytona 500 - not the Championship finale. Yet, I know it's smarter to post my Championship pick before the first race of the season - the Sprint Unlimited.

It's anyone's guess, I could be wrong, but I could be right. In the last three years I picked Kevin Harvick, and obviously, he never won. When NASCAR made it to the 2012 Chase season, I re-evaluated my options and decided to pick Kasey Kahne to win more races, including the Cup title. With that being said, I've decided to stick with Kahne to win the 2013 Cup. He ended the season strong- and finished fourth in points.  Now, he is ready to get back into his seat to race. Amazing things are in store for the 32 year old Washington native. He's yet to win the Great American race, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard- and there's no doubt that he can win all three -someday. (Side note, I did pick him to win all three of these races this year- so don't be surprised to see  my pre-race reports about Kahne when we visit those tracks!)

I'm not putting pressure on Kahne, he's capable of exceeding expectations he sets for his-self, as well as the ones his boss, team, and fans do.

Kahne had more luck winning poles in 2012 than he did winning races. His first season with the powerful Hendrick Motorsports team started with a few disappointments, but ended in celebrating what is Kahne's best season finish, fourth in points. He locked in four poles: Las Vegas, Martinsville, Talladega, and Kansas and scored two wins: one at his best track, Charlotte, with the second win, his first at New Hampshire. At the spring break, Kahne was sitting uncomfortably in 31st point- the turnaround he made when he returned to racing in Texas was phenomenal, he finished in the top 10 seven consecutive weeks- by the last race in November, he had 19 top tens, and 12 top fives.

For 2013, Kahne is settled and comfortable at Hendrick Motorsports. He also looks forward to racing for a new team in the Nationwide series. Long time sponsor Great Clips, and long time World of Outlaws driver for Kasey Kahne Racing Brad Sweet will share a seat for 27 races. Kahne will kick the season off in JR Motorsports No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet with the newest paint scheme, at Daytona on Saturday February 23rd, at 1:15 PM.

My second pick for the Championship title would be Kahne's teammate (and new boss) Dale Earnhardt Jr., but history proves that every time Earnhardt has a leg-up to winning, he falls short. Last season was his best season since he chose to race at Hendrick. With the new Gen 6 car that Earnhardt Jr. loves this could be the year Earnhardt wipes the slate clean, and move toward more success and races his way to the Championship title. The one race I'd like to see him win is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He's strong there, but a win at the Magic Mile has yet to happen. 

At this time last year, no one predicted that Brad Keselowski would win the title. That leads me to say that the driver I believe has potential to surprise the NASCAR community with an over-all first place finish would be Aric Almirola. Going in to his second season in the No. 43 Smithfield Field Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, Almirola has talent that's about to shine. He'll debut in his first shoot-out in Saturday's Sprint Unlimited after winning the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, and finishing the race in 16th position. Almirola and teammate Marcos Ambrose made some big moves in racing last season, and they are the next team to push forward and finish surprisingly strong - much like Michael Waltrip Racing success last season.

In conclusion, I believe Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be named Rookie of the year in the Cup series. Sitting comfortably in the No. 17 Ford for Roush-Fenway, Stenhouse Jr. may surprise us with top ten and top finishes, and maybe a win.

Kicking off NASCAR season with the "Sprint Unlimited"

It's time for new beginnings and NASCAR is kicking off the 2013 season with an all new Gen 6 car, and the infamous non points race, which is now called the "Sprint Unlimited!" A lot of changes have been made, the unpredictability of it all adds to the excitement of what is to come.

First, the line-up was chosen by the one who won a pole last season. Interestingly enough, that means the 2012 Champion Brad Keselowski, and second place finisher Clint Bowyer will not be in the race this year. Although AJ Allmendinger did win a pole last season, is eligible, and is presumed to race the No. 51 Chevy SS for Phoenix Racing this season, he is not expected be in the event (at the time this post went to print). Former event winner, Ken Schrader is scheduled to race, but Terry LeBonte and Bill Elliott, whom are eligible  are not entered (as of yet).

There are 19 drivers on the roster for Saturday night's race (February 16th), it will air live on FOX at 8 PM eastern standard time. Keselowski will be in the "Hollywood Hotel" live with the news reporters to comment on the turn of events.

The second change, fans got to vote for the format of the race. Voting concluded on Wednesday February 13, 2013 and the result for the segment split is:

First segment:  30 laps
Second segment:  25 laps
Third segment:  20 laps

Fans have until the drop of the green flag to vote on the type of pit stop:

Pit Stops - should drivers pit after the first segment?
a. No Pit stops b. Yes, 2 tires or c. Yes, 4 tires

Finally, fans have until the start of the second segment to vote whether or not drivers will be eliminated for the final segment of the race.

Elimination - should any car be eliminated for the final segment of the race?
a. None b. 2 cars c. 4 cars d. 6 cars

The third change, fans who attend the race in Daytona will get to vote for the starting line up of the race. The three choices they get to pick from are as follows:

A.  Line up of career wins
B.  By the 2012 season driver standings
C.  On the date of pole win

This weeks pre-race report, I've decided to highlight the drivers whom are facing new beginnings this season.

Aric Almirola will be racing in the shoot-out for the first time in his career. He won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 last spring, and finished that race in 16th position.
Almirola has been making progress in stock-car racing with Richard Petty Motorsports, he is looking forward to his second full-time season in the No. 43 Ford.

Kurt Busch is starting his first full-time season in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy SS. Last season was a wild roller-coaster ride, he finished the season 25th in points.. In 10 starts in the Shoot-out, Busch has started on the pole twice, and has one win  from 2011. He finished in the top ten three other times. Now in a car that is built at Hendrick Motorsports, Busch has the equipment to succeed once again.

Matt Kenseth surprised NASCAR Nation last July when he announced he was leaving Roush-Fenway Racing. After sitting in the No. 17 Ford for 12 seasons, many fans felt deceived to see their driver leave for Joe Gibbs - to race a Toyota none-the-less. That didn't stop the Champion from winning poles, and races. One win was the Daytona 500, another milestone was Martinsville in October.  Believe it or not, Kenseth only has six career starts in the shoot-out. His first was in 2003, and finished in 3rd. Last year, he finished 21st. In testing his new ride in Charlotte and Daytona, Kenseth looked like he fit right in with his teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.

Joey Logano won his fifth career pole last spring at Pocono, he went on to win that race. It marked his second career victory in the Cup series. At 22 years of age,  the Connecticut native starts his fourth season in Cup in a new car, No. 22 Ford. New team Penske, and with a new sponsor, Shell/Pennzoi.   Logano finished 17th in 2012, and is now comfortable in his new home at Penske.