Al Johnson's Blog

What can you say? it's been a year and here we are again. The Irish Hills in June are a NASCAR tradition that never grows old! 

Just a quick note to say hello and we are watching Sprint Cup pactice as we blog.

Ryan Newman is in the garage right now making adjustments and Jimmie Johnson is on the track.

There is so much going on you can't keep up with everything.

Check the blog a little later for track/driver impressions from two members of the "Fox 2 Pit Crew", Tony Vettraino and Keven Cavanaugh. we'll post some pictures, too.

In the meaqntime here is the starting line-up for Sunday's Lifelock 400.

Row 1     Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton

Row 2     Dale Earnhart Jr., Carl Edwards

Row 3     Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson

Row 4     Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon

Row 5     Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick

Row 6     Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart

Row 7     David Ragan, Ryan Newman

Row 8     Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth

Row 9     Martin Truex Jr., Brian Vickers

Row 10   Travis Kvapil, Bobby Labonte

Row 11   Juan Pablo Montoya, Kurt Busch

Row 12   Jamie McMurray, David Gilliland

Row 13   Casey Mears, Paul Menard

Row 14   Elliott Sadler, David Reutimann

Row 15   Dave Blaney, Robby Gordon
Row 16   Regan Smith, Reed Sorenson

Row 17   Michael McDowell, Scott Riggs

Row 18   Sam Hornish Jr., Terry Labonte

Row 19   Bill Elliott, Michael Waltrip

Row 20   AJ Allmendinger, JJ Yeley

Row 21   Dario Franchitti, Joe Nemechek

Row 22   Patrick Carpentier

Happy Racing! Al 

We met a lot of nice people at MIS...you always do. One particularly friendly group was led by a guy named Jesse who was there with a #8 Budweiser bus full of friends, food and - of course - Budweiser. Just want to leave a note to them saying "Thank You."

Hopefully, Jesse will see this and contact me. I've got something for him but don't know how to get in touch.

AJ

MDOT and MIS said that with the new traffic plan in place, getting out of the area and back on our way home would be a brand new experience. well, iIgotta tell you - they were right. it was amazing. I've never gotten home from Mis so quickly (except the yearIi stayed overnight 'cause the traffic was so crazy. Great job MIS and MDOT!

I want to share below a press release sent to me by the folks at MIS. Remember to keep this info in mind the next time you head to the track.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 18, 2007) – Just because NASCAR drivers battle race traffic doesn’t mean fans should.

Race fans at Michigan International Speedway for this past weekend’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Citizens Bank 400 event should have noticed some significant improvements to their race-day traffic. Track President Roger Curtis said changes in the traffic patterns and road improvements around the track dramatically reduced egress time out of the facility.

Curtis estimates parking lots for the 1,400-acre facility were moving freely or cleared in about two hours following the Citizens Bank 400 on Sunday — a significant change from the four to five hours it has been known to take.

“I’m proud to say that we made huge strides to improve the total race experience for our fans — from the moment they left their homes to the moment they returned after the race and everything in between,” Curtis said. “I knew, having been to MIS many times as a race fan, the track had a reputation for traffic. Along with the Michigan Department of Transportation and the surroundings townships, we have made improving that element of the fans’ experience a priority.”

About 150,000 guests in nearly 40,000 vehicles traveled to MIS for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Citizens Bank 400. MIS staff worked closely with Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Transportation; POCO, Inc., a traffic control device company; and area county and township law enforcement to manage race-day traffic and parking for the race. The track’s parking supervisors and operations staff coordinated it all with the help of countless volunteer groups.

Curtis also credits the State of Michigan and its 2006 allocation of $18.5 million in safety and access improvements along U.S. 127 and U.S. 12, the key corridors that surround MIS. The state’s three-year plan includes directional signage to MIS along the state highways and interstates near the track, enabling race fans to navigate their way safely to the speedway.

Curtis and guest services staff at Michigan International speedway have already received e-mails and phone messages from ticket holders shortly following the race who were surprised by how well traffic moved.

“The improved traffic pattern made leaving the track a lot easier, especially after the NEXTEL Cup Citizens Bank 400 race on Sunday,” Aaron Ludwiczak, an MIS season-ticket holder since 1996, said. “That was one of the shortest timeframes to leave the parking lot I’ve experienced.  Once we go on the freeway, traffic moved very smoothly and we were able to return home very quickly. Everyone at MIS should be proud of the great job they did this weekend, and my family looks forward to returning the speedway for the August events.”

Fans should have also noticed the other improvements that were made, including the improved grandstand seating in Turn One, paved tram routes and new trams for guests with disabilities. The new grandstands in Turn One offered race fans last weekend premium seating and amazing sightlines of MIS’ two-mile oval.

Tickets are available for the IndyCar Series Firestone Indy 400 on August 5, the NASCAR Busch Series CARFAX 250 on August 18 and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series 3M Performance 400 on August 19 by calling the official MIS ticket hotline at 800-354-1010 or by visiting MISpeedway.com. Michigan International Speedway, It’s Your Speed!

# # #

AJ

Long story short...Carl Edwards wins a pretty clean Citizens Bank 400. A member of his pit crew, the motor coach driver, had vowed not to shave 'til they got a victory. Well, more than 50 races later...Carl took the scissors to his face. The top finishers behinds Edwards were:

Martin Truex, Jr

Tony Stewart

Casey Mears

Dale Earnhart, Jr

Kyle Busch

Kevin Harvick

Jaime McMurray

Jeff Gordon

and Michael Waltrip

AJ

Gotta make this quick...missing the race. Jimmie Johnson took the lead away from Yealey early. That didn't last long as the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, driven by Martin Trues, Jr. snatched first place away from Jimmie.

AJ 

YEAH! it's race day and the fans are filing in at a steady clip. The race is less than an hour and a half away.

In the infield, the cleanup has begun...at least for the folks that didn't party the whole night away. There are lots of places that show no signs of life, but, you can be sure that they will be up and at 'em come 2pm.

Stay tuned for  more on the race later, and more pictures. I'm still learning how to upload and it's a slow process. For all of the latest news and sports, be sure to watch Fox2 News at 6pm and 10pm  today and come back here later...I'l give you the news from pit road as the race begins.

AJ 

Unofficially, these are the top 10 finishers in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Travis Kvapil

Kyle Busch

Brendan Gaughan

Mike Skinner

Ted Musgrave

Rick Crawford

Todd Bodine

Kevin Harvick

Johnny Benson

Ron Hornada, Jr.

AJ

The alarm clock on Saturday morning sounds like a rumble of thunder...turns out it isn't a dream, but the thunder comes from under the hood of one of the Nextell cup cars getting ready to get the final practice under their belts.

Hot shower, breakfast and the garage...not necessarily in that order. lots going on and lots to see. Great images as NASCAR wakes up and the fans get to hit the pits and garage area. They're here for the race, but being alowed to get up close and personal with their favorite drivers right in the garage is a major bonus.  That's part of the attraction of this sport...you can really feel like you're a part of the action, right there where it all happens.

As practice ends, Tony Stewart drives back behind the wall and into the garage with right side front damage...wonder how he did that?

Enough Nextell Cup for today...time for the Craftsman Truck race to get going.

AJ

Got a chance to get up close and personal with the driver of the number 24 Dupont Chevrolet for a few minutes.

I gotta tell you, it was crazy...everyone is wondering what Jeff thinks of the newly announced aquisition of Dale Jr.as a team mate in the Hendrick Motorsports stable. Jeff was direct and to the point. What struck me as the bottom line?

Jeff acknowledged the long time competitive nature of his relationship with Jr. When asked how they will co-exist as team mates he said that while they raced for the same owner, their competitiveness would not diminish and he looks forward to that.

When asked if Jr's. presence would, maybe, get fans off his back, he said he didn't think so. he figures they'll cheer Jr. and continue to boo him.

The top 10 in the ARCA race were:

Erik Darnell in the number 99

Sam Hornish (27)

Erin Crocker (98)

Tim McCreadie (6)

Jeremy Clements (3)

Phillip McGilton (47)

Ken Butler (22)

Michael McDowell (2)

Damon Lusk (25)

and  Brian Keselowski (29)

AJ

Eastbound I-94 at 5:30 in the morning. My traditional Father's Day weekend pilgrimage to the Irish Hills has begun.

My "Pit Crew", Kevin and Tony are about as excited to be on the road as I am. We've been thinking about this road trip for quite a few ekks now...who am I fooling? We've been thinking about it since we left here last year. We're so ready for this thaqt no one even needs coffee.

Approaching the exit for highway 127, the anticipation ramps up. after heading south, we see a sign letting us know that Napoleon is just down the road and Brooklyn isn't far away. 2 hours after we pulled out, we're here. First stop, the credentials office. We have to get the RV across the track before it "goes hot" at 9:30am, but we've got plenty of time.

While I'm on the subject, a little info on going to and leaving MIS. As any fan who has ever come here knows, getting here is a lot easier than leaving. Last August, MDOT tried an experiment without telling the folks at MIS about it. I guess they figured if it didn't work, no one would know...leaving here has always been a nightmare.

Well it worked, even track workers and management noticed that the lots got empty quicker.What MDOT did was adjust the traffic flow. Starting this weekend, there will be two lanes of outbound traffic on northbound M-50 from MIS to Napoleon and also on eastbound US-12 from MIS to M-52. This new plan goes into effect with 50 laps remaing in the Citizens Bank 400 on Sunday.

OK, back to the fun stuff...next stop, Paddock parking so that we can stretch our legs, eat and head to the garage area.  After finding the same spot we had last year we bail out of the Rv and stretch our legs.

We have a good hour before heading to the garage area and press rooms for opportunities to talk to the drivers and get some photos (more on that later). Breakfast, yeah! We meet the neighbors and then head to the press room, encountering Jack Roush (The Cat In The Hat), on the way. After a quick stop, we hit the garage and start taking it all in.

Is there anything like the smell of that rubber, that noise, those fumes? Man, this is FANtastic, to coin a phrase.

Wandering through the garage area, I come across all of the cars and drivers that I can't wait to see on Sunday afternoons in the "man Room" downstairs, at home. Jeff Gordon; David Gilliland; The "King" - Richard Petty; Martin Truex, Jr.; Jeff Burton; Jeremy Mayfield...well, you get the idea.

i"m in NASCAR heaven, and I get to do what I love, share my experiences with others. I was able to get all kinds of pictures...come back later and they should be posted here for you to check out.    

Gotta run...the ARCA series race starts in 5 minutes. I'll send pics later and come back to tell you more

AJ

If you missed the Bob Seger concert on Saturday, March 17th at Cobo, you missed a great evening of music and memories. the show began with a lively, energetic and fairly brief set by Uncle Kracker. Kracker gave us just enough to get us warmed up for the main event. Seger took the stage right around 9am and my wife and I never sat back down in our seats. The show was absolutely one of the best concerts i've been to in years. Seger was on from the beginning. The crowd ranged from young rockers to Seger fans from way back (like me). By the time Kid Rock came out to join Bob for a duet, we were in Rock n' Roll heaven. After a short intermission and a run to the concession stand. it was time for part 2 - and it was just as fantastic as part 1. the only bad thing about the night was that it had to come to an end. Check out the pictures i took from my seat in row 10! A great night that will evoke great memories for a long time to come.