Whew. What an automobile race! Right? Right?
Honestly, it was fine. Really. Pocono usually gives us some decent NASCAR racing, and I thought yesterday was par for the course. You got wild restarts, some fuel strategy, drafting – which is always fun to see at places outside Daytona/Talladega/Atlanta – and a few angry drivers.
Kyle Busch is angry. Beyond angry, actually. That cat is ready to rip someone's noggin off. Like, he's done. Done with it all. You'll see.
We'll get to Rowdy today, obviously. I think we'll also get to Bubba Wallace! Just kidding. We're taking a Bubba break this week. A detox. You need it. I need it. So, we're getting it.
Instead, we're gonna FIRE up the fellas back in the garage with this message from Brad Keselowski after Donald Trump was nearly assassinated. How does that sound? That was nuts, huh?
Brad is, in my opinion, the smartest person in the entire sport. When he talks, every single NASCAR fan should listen. Trust me. Dude gets it.
What else? I've also got a bunch of pissed off race fans who were basically stranded on the highway outside Pocono, a Dale Earnhardt Jr. story involving his daddy, a WILD IndyCar wreck, and Hooters Gianna was at the ESPYS!
Ryan Blaney, of course, didn't win, because ESPN is insanely woke and gave the award to a pansy F1 driver, but whatever. He won yesterday at Pocono, and he's winning every single day with Gianna Tulio.
Take that, ESPN.
Four tires, some Sunoco racing fuel, and maybe a vacation for Kyle Busch … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘I’d Like To Murder This Guy, But Instead I'll Just Thank My Sponsors' edition – is LIVE!
Kyle Busch is beyond done with this NASCAR season
Seriously, he's had it. The sport is taking a two-week break after next week for the Olympics. Does Kyle even bother coming back after? I wouldn't.
Here's our weekly Copy & Paste Kyle's sh*tty Stats segment … In the last nine races, Kyle Busch has finished 15th or worse seven times, with six finishes outside the top-20 and five DNFs. Five!
That, of course, includes yesterday at Pocono after Corey LaJoie decided to send him into next week for literally no reason at all:
Yeah, I'm with Kyle Busch on this one
I just don't know how anyone can watch those replays and side with Corey LaJoie – and I like Corey LaJoie! I think the guy is good. But damn, he does cause a lot of wrecks.
This one has to be on him, right? I'm just not seeing the "second" block that caused Corey to dump him. Ain't seeing it. I see him turn up the track and send Kyle's ass spinning into what looks like the California 405. Yuck.
Anyway, I was waiting on the edge of my seat last night for Kyle to come out and drop his nuts on LaJoie in the post-crash presser, and he instead gave us stone-faced, passive-aggressive, maybe soon-to-be serial killer Kyle.
Maybe that's worse? I dunno. Not what I was expecting, but I think Kyle's just so done with this sh*t season that he doesn't care anymore. He clearly wants out of RCR, hates his stupid team, and the only thing left going for him is Samantha Busch.
Coming home to this after another awful day the track ain't awful, by the way. But it ain't a win, and it ain't getting your ass in the playoffs:
Brad Keselowski had a good Sunday at Pocono, but an even better Saturday
Welcome back, Sam Busch! Thanks for stopping by. Hang in there. I know things aren't what they used to be, but the NASCAR world needs you now more than ever.
If we can't have a prime Kyle Busch anymore, we at least need prime Samantha Busch. Once again, our girl delivered.
OK, let's get serious for just a second – which I don't do often around here.
The Trump deal on Saturday was just insane. Disgusting. Sick. Sadly, predictable. But, insane. I'm 31. Didn't live through Reagan or JFK. Lord knows nobody here lived through Lincoln (… right?).
So, sitting through my first attempted presidential assassination was certainly something. One of those you'll remember where you were moments. For me, it's always been 9/11. I can now add this to that list.
Anyway, you guys are getting enough Trump coverage (rightfully so) elsewhere today, so I won't harp on it too much. I did come across this below message from Brad Keselowski – again, he's probably the smartest dude in the Cup garage – and thought it was perfect:
A couple other … not-so-subtle Trump/NASCAR reactions
Look, it may not be hardcore enough for some of you, and I get it. I can tell you that Brad is very much on the right side of things. Trust me. Again, he's smart, so that shouldn't surprise anyone. But I thought it was a pretty solid message from a current NASCAR champion who is in the midst of his best season in years. That's all.
PS: Brad finished 7th yesterday. Solid work!
PPS: how can we talk about Brad Keselowski and not bring this video back to the surface?
How in the hell Miller Lite could leave NASCAR after that, I'll never, ever know. Sad. That has to be the greatest four minutes of marketing they've ever received. Wild.
Anyway, Brad's a good dude. Always has been. Smart. Thoughtful. Calculated, yet genuine. Good stuff.
Now, for those of you looking for a little more piss and vinegar … I present to you two of my favorite NASCAR follows on social media: veteran spotters Joel Edmonds and Brett Griffin:
Pocono traffic, Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Hooters Gianna
I haven't stayed up this long since Big Dale died made me laugh.
I also agree. I watched more news Saturday night than I have in probably four years. Let me say that again … I watched THE NEWS on a Saturday night for like, five hours. Wild.
Anyway, which response is your favorite? You like down-the-middle Brad, or pissed off Joel? Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.
OK, let's somehow find fifth gear on this third Monday of July and get this thing going before we head into a big week.
Speaking of finding another gear … plenty of NASCAR fans in and around Pocono yesterday … did not:
I'll be honest … if my GPS was telling me it was gonna take over an hour to drive five miles, I'd turn my ass around so quick heads would spin. No shot I'm waiting in that sort of traffic. None. Zero.
And it seems like it was equally bad on the way OUT, which sort of negates Pocono's BS tweet about the weather playing a role. Whoooooooof.
Between Pocono and the sh*tshow in Miami Gardens last night, I truly don't know why anyone would go to a sporting event anymore.
Just sounds – and looks – awful.
For those wondering how Dale Earnhardt Jr. would navigate the traffic, let's go ahead and ask old crew chief, Gary Nelson! Gary stopped by Dale's download last week, and talked about the one time Junior door-slammed his daddy at Bristol during his rookie season.
(starts around the 2:24 mark)
Hilarious. Could you imagine what would have happened if a rookie not named Dale Jr. would've door-slammed Dale Earnhardt? It would've been chaos. Raise hell, Praise Dale!
Wonder how he would've dealt with Trump's assassin? I have a couple of guesses.
PS: if you aren't listening to these Dale Earnhardt Jr. interviews, you're missing out. He's the best. They also go insanely viral, like that above story. This one is at over 100,000 views on YouTube. 100K! Let's quickly get a pulse from the comments section:
These interviews from the "older generation" in the NASCAR early years are amazing!
The Hall of Fame is great but the Download will be the video archives of what’s going to preserve the sport and document the history.
One of the best interviews yet!!!! A truly humble man.
I love how Dale get these guys who are totally unknown to me and somehow I end up listening too and enjoying the whole conversation. The people behind the scenes really made the sport what it was/is.
You get the picture, right? Moving on …
Before we end the day with Hooters Gianna at Pocono – and in Victory Lane! – let's quickly check in on the IndyCar fellas:
Goodness gracious. What a wreck. I've never understood the science behind guys surviving stuff like this when it's an open co*ckpit, but I'm glad it seems to always work out. I'll stick to NASCAR, personally.
And to Hooters Gianna! Take us to Indy, will ya?
