NASCAR is probably my biggest interest right now. Here are my opinions about some of the drivers.
The Favorites
Brian Vickers (#83)
When I first heard of Brian Vickers, it was when he was making his first starts in the cup series at the end of 2003. Everyone kept talking about how impressive he was for a 19 year old. I looked up info on him and watched him as he finished out the 2003 season. Then he won the Busch Series championship. I couldn't help it, I was impressed. Some people have picked on me for being a Vickers fan, because I stuck with him even when his rookie season wasn't going so well and I continued to stick with him even when he was missing races after joining Team Red Bull. I know what he is capable of doing in the Cup series and it's only a matter of time before those people who picked on me can start eating their words. :)
AJ Allmendinger (#44)
I first supported AJ because he was a teammate to Brian Vickers at Team Red Bull. As I started paying more attention to AJ, I started to realize how much I liked his personality. He is hilarious! He is such a fun guy. He never really got a chance at TRB, though. They hired a rookie into a brand new operation and somehow expected that everything would work. Just as AJ was getting the hang of things, he and TRB parted ways. I was worried about AJ, but he was picked up to sub in the #10 for what was at the time Gillett Evernham Motorsports. He started getting great finishes and eventually earned himself a full time ride. I was able to meet AJ in 2008 and he seems like a great guy. I hope things will go well for him in the future.
Kasey Kahne (#9)
I didn't really know who Kasey was until the 2004 season started. I looked up some info on him on nascar.com. But when the season started, he finished 41st. I made some joke to my mom about guys named Casey (such as Mears) not being able to drive. The next week, I watched Kasey nearly win in only his second start. I was blown away. I started paying more attention to him and realized just how amazingly talented he is. It doesn't hurt that he's hot too. :)
Jamie McMurray (#26)
I started watching NASCAR regularly in 2003. That was Jamie's rookie season. He caught my attention right away. He could pull off great finishes and he didn't have to be a jerk to do it. He wasn't winning or always getting really high finishes, but he was still impressive for a rookie. I started referring to him as my favorite (replacing then favorite Jeff Gordon).
Matt Kenseth (#17)
I have always sort of liked Matt. He's a very talented driver. I hated all the crap that everyone was saying about him not deserving his championship. I met Matt in January of 2007 and he was a very nice guy. It was then that I promoted him from "almost favorite" to favorite.
Casey Mears (#07)
I sort of supported Casey throughout the years, mostly because he was a teammate of one of my favorites (McMurray) but I really didn't know much about him and he hadn't really proven what he could do. As the years went by, I started to like Casey more and more. Then I met him in 2005 and he was incredibly sweet. That was all it took for me. I became a Casey Mears fan. After that, his season picked up and he started showing that he's a talented driver.
The Disliked
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (#3) The "Intimidator"...
I mean no disrespect, but I never liked Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Unlike many other people, I'm not changing my mind just because he died. I recognize that fateful day in 2001 as a day that forever changed NASCAR, but I'm not going to start idolizing the man now. I preferred Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was, in my opinion, his biggest competition.
Carl Edwards (#99) The fake one...
Carl Edwards actually scares me because of how fake he is. He will intentionally knock someone into the wall and then play innocent like he didn't mean for it to happen. For some reason, a lot of people buy into this act. I think it hit me that this is what he was doing when he said, after he "innocently" bumped Elliott Sadler in a Busch race, that he was worried that Sadler would retaliate in the Cup race. This is Elliott Sadler we're talking about. He probably doesn't get bothered enough by this stuff to even consider hurting his Cup car. Then he "accidentally" took Kasey Kahne out of a race. "I feel so bad for Kasey." Carl said... Yeah, that's why you turned your car into him and knocked him into the wall. I don't buy it.
Kurt Busch (#2) The man that uses too many big words...
Kurt Busch annoys the hell out of me. He seems to think way too highly of himself... He likes to use big words where small words will work just fine. It's like he's trying way too hard to prove that he has some ounce of intelligence. His "trophy wife" is pretty creepy too.
Kyle Busch (#18) The kid...
Kyle has a lot of learning to do in the Cup Series yet, but it seems that he doesn't realize this. He's arrogant. He likes to treat veterans like he's on their level when he clearly is not. He's reckless and inconsiderate.
Jimmie Johnson (#48) The selfish teammate...
The main reason that I don't like Jimmie is that he is a terrible teammate. Everytime Brian Vickers had an opportunity to win a restrictor plate race, Jimmie flew past him, left him hanging, etc. and stole the win. Yes, I know that to an extent Jimmie should look out for himself, but he goes overboard using Brian to get to the front and then ditching him and passing for the win. He is all take and no give.
Mark Martin (# Doesn't matter. RETIRE!) The old fart...
Mark should have retired in 2005 like he planned. Instead, he stuck around for another season in a car that Jack Roush shouldn't even be running based on NASCAR's plans to limit ownership. They should've let the #6 team be the team that faded out instead of planning new sponsorships and a new driver. Mark felt an obligation to stay since the #6 team needed him but now he acts like it's some big inconvenience to him. My biggest issue with Mark comes from the All-Star race. He spun Jamie McMurray and Scott Riggs creating two separate cautions. Then when Kasey Kahne lost grip (Had it one second, lost it the next as Kasey explains it) Mark acted like Kasey should have been more in control, should've "let off the gas." He creates 2 cautions and then acts like Kasey is the problem driver. He's a grumpy old man and he needs to retire.
Jeff Gordon (#24) The girly man...
First of all, what man really knows "Who he is wearing" when he's at an event? Jeff Gordon does. And that is creepy. The real reason I don't like him is because he thinks he's the best thing since sliced cheese. Yes, he has a LOT of wins and 4 championships, but he's very arrogant about it. I also HATE the way he and his wife treat their daughter like a photo opportunity. He label outs his daughter like a bottle of Pepsi.
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