I Hate NASCAR (until next year)

Regardless of the title, I actually love NASCAR.  I got hooked in 1986 for some reason and 'the man' back then was Bill Elliott.  He was winning just about everything it seemed and I liked his easy going attitude and his Coors Thunderbird, so "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville" became my guy.  I followed him until he sort of retired from the #9 Dodge about 10 years ago.  His replacement was a young kid from some small town in Washington with mad open wheel skills and boyish good looks - Kasey Kahne.  Madison Avenue loved Kahne immediately, primarily because the ladies loved him, but he could drive too.  I became a Kahne fan and followed him like I had Elliott before. 

Kahne had a great first couple of years in spite of the fact that he was driving for one of the smaller, less funded teams in NASCAR.  Unfortunately his team folded into another small team, which folded altogether, and Kahne was stuck with inferior equipment and part time crews for the last few years.  Last year, I got an early Christmas present when Kahne signed with Hendrick Motorsports where he would team with Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhart Jr. on the most well funded and successful team in NASCAR.  Unfortunately, due to contracts with all drivers involved, he can't take over the #5 car for Hendrick until NEXT season.  He was stuck with one of the Red Bull Toyotas for this season - a team that won't exist after the season - as a temporary home.  It's been frustrating.  He can drive the heck out of the car, but the equipment is inferior and when he does get a good setup at a track something always goes wrong - usually in the pits.

That brings us to today and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.  Kahne qualified 2nd and led 48 of the first 52 laps and was pulling away.  Then came a caution and pit stops.  Kahne came in first and went out 14th because of a dropped lug nut on a tire change.  He never really recovered and finished outside the top 10.

That's been the story most of the year, so I HATE NASCAR....for the rest of the 2011 season.

Bring on 2012!!