I'm Just Sayin'...
By Matthew Scott

FLIPPING OUT!
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Raise your hand if you saw this coming.

It's no surprise one of Nascar's super teams is dominating the early portion of the schedule, including back to back wins, and placing three cars in the top seven at the series' most recent stop, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is a surprise that team's name does not rhyme with Shmendrick.

If not for a little late-race contact that sent Jeff Gordon bouncing off the inside wall and Matt Kenseth to the middle of the pack, The Fords of Roush-Fenway would have likely claimed three of the top five positions, with David Ragan also adding a top 10. As it is, the Cat in the Hat will have to be satisfied with a first, third, and seventh. The fifth Roushketeer, Jamie McMurray, finished one lap down in 26th (what are the odds Nascar's impending 4-team rule is causing Jamie Mac to lose some sleep?).

This is what makes sports in general, and racing, in particular, so much fun. You may think you know what's going to happen, you may even go so far as to guarantee what will happen, but in the end, pre-season predictions and prognostications are nothing more than time-killers. The Hendrick Juggernaut was going to make a mockery of Nascar, they (we) said. Shoot, they won half the races last year, and that was before adding Wonder Junior to the crew. Good old D.W. himself matter-of-factly predicted Dale, Jr. would win Daytona. We all figured Casey Mears for another win or two. And no matter which Hendrick car won the title, either Jeff Gordon would enhance his Hall-of-Fame resume with a 5th title, or Jimmie Johnson would tie the legendary Cale Yarborough with the threepeat.

Not.

Okay, it would be both stupid and wrong to call those predictions misguided after only three races (D.W.'s call on Daytona notwithstanding). But even though the mass of so-called experts might not exactly be "wrong" just yet, as a group, they sure as hell weren't "right," either.

In truth, despite the lack of love for Roush-Fenway entering the season, no one should be surprised what that group of teams has accomplished in the early stages of the new car era. Sure, they were behind last year. A lot of teams were, but none with the experience, track record, and resources of Jack Roush and his gang. And Roush's complaints about unfair advantages and misinterpretations of rules certainly could have been perceived as a simple case of sour grapes. But it's not like the Cat to say 'que sera' and go on his way. Roush and the boys did what good teams do…they hunkered down, put in the time and sweat, and lo and behold, we've got ourselves a new "team to beat;" or more accurately, a new 'team to beat' again. It may seem like eons ago, but it was just a few years back that Matt Kenseth ('03) and Kurt Busch ('04) claimed back to back Cup titles for the artist formerly known as Roush Racing.

So, as the 'Flip returns to Nascar, the Biff returns to relevance, and Matt Kenseth continues to do his impression of a modern day David Pearson, a very intriguing story begins to emerge. Who's the top dog in the land of the Cat? Yeah, I hear you; "Every team gets treated equally." Uh-huh. Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy stopped by the other day, too. I don't believe it. This may not be Formula One, where the McLaren duo set a new standard last year for team turmoil, but it's no secret Edwards and Kenseth haven't been the best of friends. If Edwards continues to roll along, and to garner more and more of Mr. Roush's affection, is it that big a stretch to see one Matt Kenseth becoming a little uncomfortable in the Roush-Fenway family? Stay tuned, folks. This story could just be getting started.

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