Was that really Pocono?

Hey, it's me! I'm still alive! Well, I couldn't help but put in my two cents about all the drama at...Pocono. Hmm, "drama" and "Pocono" in the same sentence? Hey, works for me. I've always thought it was one of the more scenic tracks there is and wouldn't mind going there if the races were a little more exciting. Well, yesterday's race would've been a perfect one to be at!

First things first, the 48 finished 5th, which is a nice comeback from the last couple of weeks. I think it's funny how Jimmie has a bad couple of races, and everybody starts saying, "Oh, it's not Hendrick's year this year, looks like JGR's rising to the top," etc. Well, it's true that JGR is having a good year so far, and I like those guys for the most part, so that's a good thing. However, those who say HMS is losing its dominance aren't taking the past 4 years into consideration. As a Tony Stewart fan, I know exactly who was at the top of the standings this time of year last year: Tony. Not Jimmie. Funny how things change by the end of the year, eh? All I'm going to say is that we still have a long way to go.

Ah yes, now on to the Grudge Match 500. This involves two drivers I actually like (well, at least until now), so for once, no previously existing bias here. I'll make it short: I think it was Harvick's fault. Yes, they were going for the same piece of track, but since Logano was half a car length out in front of Harvick and could only see what was happening by his limited view from the mirrors, I feel that it was up to Harvick, who had a much clearer line of vision right out the windshield, to watch where he was going. Thanks, Harvick. You ruined Joey's top 5 finish and took a spot away from Tony, who had worked so darn hard to get to 2nd. Usually I wouldn't care about one measly spot, but that was an incredibly hard-fought 2nd place, and to give Kyle a chance to just breeze by Tony on the restart when he wasn't able to pass him before under green really sucked, at least for me.

I liked Joey's reaction at the end of the race. I thought it was really, really lame of Kevin's crew to surround him like that and not let Joey talk to Kevin...come on, it's not like Joey was going to start throwing punches or something. As for the post-race interview, well, I liked his sarcasm last year when he got into it with Robby Gordon after the Nationwide race at...Watkins Glen, I think? And I liked it again yesterday. Maybe it wasn't totally above-board to bring Delana into it, but it's not like he insulted her, so I don't think it was that big a deal. I think he did the right thing, all in all, and maybe Harvick will get a clue in the future. I like Harvick's aggressive driving style, but there's a difference between aggressive and reckless. If you're going to drive like that, you have to drive smart at the same time. Lord knows everybody's veered across the line from "up on the wheel" to "I-don't-give-a-darn-right-now" at some point, but it seems like Harvick has a hard time accepting blame and learning from his mistakes.