ESPN SportsNation NASCAR with Ryan McGee

Ryan McGee

What's up my mashed grape juice covered brothers and sisters and welcome to the Monday Motorsports Block Party. I have brats on the grill and it's time to talk racing. To the queries!

Michael (Flower Mound)

Hey McGee, told ya Piquet would win Saturday! How impressed were you by his performance?

Ryan McGee

You did indeed. And he was my pick too. I am continually impressed with the guy and I have really been surprised by his willingness to really work at this NASCAR thing. He has really taken to the Trucks and Nationwide and is thoroughly enjoying himself. There's been no "F1 attitude" from him at all.

Ryan McGee

In a realated note I was listening to my buds Pistone and Bagley the SiriusXM NASCAR channel this morning and was stunned at how many callers were complaining about Nelson flying the Brazilian flag after his win. Really? Aren't we a little past all that now? Wouldn't we applaud an American NASCAR driver for doing the same if he won a race in Montreal or Mexico City or Japan?

Ryan McGee

That reaction totally caught me off guard.

JR (Denver)

What's up with Logano spinning Truex on the last lap? He seems to be getting more aggressive since he moved Mark Martin a few weeks ago.

Ryan McGee

JoLo had a top 10, but he chose a helluva hard way to get there. He also turned his teammate Denny Hamlin, and nearly took out both of his teammates in the process!

Ryan McGee

I don't blame Joey for pushing the envelope. He's still fighting to keep his job. But it's a hard way to make a living having to go an apologize to a bunch of guys as soon as the race is over, which he says he did.

Tim (El Cajon, CA)

Ya know, as good as Danica was doing in Elkhart Lake, some team should pick her up as a "ringer" for their cup car in Watkins Glenn. She was doing real good until she got punched in the rear on the last lap. Thought she said she didn't like road courses.

Ryan McGee

It's funny how that changes, right? Road courses certainly weren't her strong suit in IndyCar. Not even close. But I thought it was really obvious just listening to her talk about her car at Elkhart Lake how much more comfortable she was communicating what her stock car was doing on a road course than she ever is on an oval.

Ryan McGee

Her background is in karts and the European lower level series, so she has a ton of road racing experience. I'm like you. I'd like to see her at The Glen to see what she can do. And the recent record of bigger name road course "ringers" certainly doesn't seem like they are worth the investment for team owners like they used to be.

Matt Clark (Ft. Lauderdale)

Hey McGee and enjoy your chats! (Good call on Bowyer-- I admire your restraint from picking DE Jr. ha)I was really impressed with how Bowyer and Kurt Busch raced each other-- Bowyer for running his line and Kurt not impatiently tearing up both of their cars. Next year aside, how do you like Kurt's chances finishing the season with the #51 program? Also, did Finch find Kurt's comments calling the a program a "third rate budget" offensive?

Ryan McGee

First, the comment was offensive because it's the truth. He's made no bones about that all year, which is in line with what James Finch and the team execs like Barkdoll have been saying all year. That's also a way to let any potential sponsors watching know they need help.

Ryan McGee

Second, I think he will finish the season with the 51. Clearly Finch is willing to put up with whatever Kurt might do and there's really nowhere else for him to go. There'd been speculation that he might leave for somewhere else before season's end, but I don't hear any of that now.

Rich (NYC) [via mobile]

Hey Ryan. I actually enjoy watching the road courses but I was disappointed in the race yesterday. Other then the battle between the 15 & 51 near the end it was rather boring. That long green-flag run to start the race was bad. Why was it so different with much less beating/banging then usual? Any thoughts on it? Thanks for the chat btw!

Ryan McGee

I think they just got strung out at the start. But there was more beating and banging just in the last few laps than we see at any other track not called Martinsville.

Ryan McGee

It reminded a lot of the Watkins Glen race last August. Because of the threat of rain everyone held tight for a while. But once we got near the end all hades broke loose.

Craig (San Jose, CA)

How much will the new sway bar rule affect teams? Sounds like it was a big reason why HMS cars have been on fire lately? Will they be the most affected?

Ryan McGee

Talking to some crew chiefs, they think there will be some changes, but nothing Earth-shattering. And yes, the non-Hendrick crew chiefs think it might help them close the gap a little.

Nick Rolando (Orlando)

Ryan all I have to say is Fernando Alonso is THE MAN. Would love to see him one day in NASCAR. Also, any update on the Stenhouse to the 6 in Cup or Kenseth's status with RFR next year?

Ryan McGee

He is pretty good, isn't he?! As for Kenseth, there are rumors out there, but he's got it on lockdown as far as giving any hints. I liken it to Carl's situation one year ago. He definitely needs to look around, but like Carl, it has to be next to impossible to think about leaving when you're having the kind of year that Matt is.

Ryan McGee

As for Stenhouse, if the money was there I think he'd be in that 6 car for sure. But RFR continues to stuggle to find sponsorship for all of its existing cars, let alone one that has been shelved.

Dave (Oh)

Am I crazy in thinking that 24 still has a shot to get in top 10 in points? Hes only 72pts away from 10th, and theres a lot of good tracks for him in these next 10.And hes capable of out running most of the guys ahead of him

Ryan McGee

You're not crazy, but I can tell you two things. 1. It's not so much about the points (basically a race and a half) it's about the guys ahead of him. It's a lot of people to have to leapfrog. Running better won't do it. He has to run perfect and hope those guys all have disasters.

Ryan McGee

Take Kyle Busch for example. Even with two blown engines and a wreck, Gordon hasn't made up much ground despite the fact that he's posted back-to-back top 10's. He has to win races. Multiple races. And he's the first to admit it.

Ryan McGee

2. Well, actually I think I just used up both of my points in #1...

Turk (Mich.)

Jimmie and Jeff used the set up Kurt gave them to score top 10's and I wondered if you knew why Kurt's setup notes didn't help Jr's#88?

Ryan McGee

Just handing someone a set-up doesn't mean it will automatically work. Jeff and Jimmie proved that when they working out of the same shop. You're talking about three guys who are proven winners on road courses vs. a guy who has never won a Cup race on a road course.

Ryan McGee

Keep in mind too that Dale Jr. was going to get out of there with a top 15 if not for that late issue.

Andy (Iowa)

Kurt never said third rate budget. He said one third budget. Big Difference.

Ryan McGee

Either way, he's been preaching "we're poor" all year. No matter how he phrased it, no one within Finch's shop would have taken offense.