Race Weekend Central

4 Burning Questions: Stewart-Haas Dominance & Easter Plans

Was the anger against David Reutimann justified?

As the designated Tweet ‘n’ Greet writer of the site, I sort through all of the post-race tweets after every checkered flag falls. As such, last week I read all of the angry tweets aimed at an unlikely NASCAR villain, David Reutimann. As much as I understood the frustration from those involved in the final caution, even competitors from teams who had nothing to do with it were calling him out.

Again, the frustration from drivers like Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson is understood, and you would expect them to chime in. While I understand their irritability in the heat of the moment, while listening to their interviews and reading tweets, I couldn’t help but wonder why they were blaming Reutimann for the caution that ruined the days of the best cars.

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Yes, I understand that his reaction (or lack thereof) was what brought out the caution, thus setting up the next-to-last restart that caused said caution. But who is to say that, had Reutimann just pulled off the track like he was supposed to, there wouldn’t have been a debris caution or another on-track incident? It’s not unlikely that the exact same thing wouldn’t have happened.

Bottom line: Take responsibility for your own actions. Yes, Reutimann should have gotten out of the way, but seeing other competitors blame him for the later caution is asinine.

How big of a PR nightmare would ARCA face with Jeremy Mayfield in the field?

In case you hadn’t heard the news and now your jaw is on the floor, ARCA team owner Roger Carter has expressed interest in putting the former NASCAR driver into a car as soon as the Pocono race in June. While he hasn’t applied for a license in the series yet, and his ongoing legal battles will probably deter him from being able to return to racing anyway, ARCA would be crazy to approve him if by some miracle he were able to give it another go.

While I’m a big believer in second chances, Jeremy Mayfield has so many ongoing issues that need to be resolved before he should be allowed anywhere near a track again.

I hope Mayfield gets his act together sooner rather than later, but racing in the next-closest series to the one that suspended him for substance abuse is not the way to go about it.

Has Stewart-Haas Racing established itself as a NASCAR powerhouse?

Between Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, the two have won a good chunk of the last several races dating back to last season and are more dominant than Hendrick Motorsports at this point. I don’t always consider Newman to be a threat every week, but one look at his record shows that I might be underestimating his abilities.

Counter that with Stewart’s recent dominance and these two are proving to be the ones to beat rather than the Johnson/Gordon duo everyone has become so accustomed to. Heck, even Carl Edwards has mostly gone unnoticed this far into the season.

I’m not saying it will stay that way through the rest of the season. I’ve made a point in a previous column in expressing my disdain for making unnecessary, early predictions. However, you can’t deny the momentum this team has on their side, and I’ll be curious to see how long it lasts before (or if) another competitor decides to rain on their parade.

What are the teams doing over Easter?

Johnson is flying somewhere in the South, Brad Keselowski is losing his mind and everyone else is either getting ready for Texas, getting work done around the house/shop, or on vacation.

More importantly, what are you doing for Easter? Hopefully, you are spending some time with your friends and family and enjoying the weekend off as much as the drivers and crew members are.

Happy Easter!

About the author

The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.

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