The Phillies: Award Categories

Here are the award categories for the first annual ‘Phillies’. Results will be announced sometime over the weekend. Each category will have a winner and I will also give a brief word on why I believe they deserve said award. There will be two sets of results, one for Formula One, the other for NASCAR.

Like I said, this will be the first annual awards. Next year I’ll try to add more categories and hopefully for more sports if I can get the time to cover them adequately in 2009. If any readers have any thoughts on how to improve this concept, feel free to contact with your ideas!

Driver of the Year:
Awarded to the driver who, throughout the year, has shown the most skill.

Most Improved Driver of the Year:
Awarded to the driver who has shown the greatest amount of improvement since last year.

Rookie of the Year:
Awarded to the driver, who in his first season has shown the most promise.

Flop of the Year:
Awarded to the driver who failed to live up to standard.

Underrated Driver of the Year:
Awarded to the driver who got canned more than he deserved.

Team of the Year:
Awarded to the team who preformed to the highest standard throughout the season.

Most Improved Team of the Year:
Awarded to the team who has shown the greatest amount of improvement since last year.

Race of the Year:
Awarded to the venue which produced the best race of the season.

Surprise of the Year:
Awarded to the person/team/moment that caused the biggest ‘what the?’ moment of the year.

Overtaking Move of the Year:
Awarded for the most interesting passing move of the year.

Controversy of the Year:
Awarded for the moment that had everyone talking.

The ‘James Allen’ Award:
Awarded to the person/team/moment for the most botched moment of the year.

Gimmicks'R'Us

Medals?

Seriously?

Have we come to the point in the sport where we have to rely on gimmicks to spice things up? I sincerely hope that this isn’t as well received as is believed. We don’t need, nor want gimmicks. Instead of working on the aforementioned, maybe spend more time on making the cars more competitive in that department.

You give a driver a decent chance to overtake, he will take it. Heck, give some drivers a sniff of it and they will have a go, even if it ends up going awry. Why can’t people overtake more? Because after years of attaching slopes and other pieces of trinkets found on the side of the road to go quicker, another car can’t get within the aforementioned sniffing distance.

We can only hope that the new regulations promote better racing.

Bernie Ecclestone believes that medals would spice things up and promote more attacking driving. I said this earlier in the year and I will say it again – where is the incentive for a driver to take a chance for two more points?

Back in the day (man, that makes me sound old), during the 10-6-4-3-2-1 points scoring era, there was clear incentive to hunt down the leader. A four point gain on your nearest opponent on the track ensured that giving up if there was even the smallest of chances for victory, it was explored.

Unfortunately, it is so easy for someone to be content with a position, given the minimal point gain made on them. So please, Bernie, no medals. The sport has gone this long without needing them. No reason to start now.

Red Bull Acquire Toro Rosso.... Again

In a somewhat unexpected move, Red Bull has re-acquired the 50% stake in the Toro Rosso team owned by Gerhard Berger.

A surprising move to say the least, given that Red Bull supremo, Dietrich Mateschitz, stated earlier in the season of his intention to sell his half. At the time of that announcement, the situation regarding customer car usage was against their usage.

Of course, that was back in March. A lot has happened in the sport and the world since then. With the economic downturn and the desire of everyone to tighten their belts, there have been rumours in the media about revisiting the topic. A situation like that would definitely entice Red Bull to continue their investment in the team that they use to groom their future talent.

With that in mind though, why upset the status quo? There is nothing wrong with how the Toro Rosso team ran this year. As the old adage goes, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

In fact, one wonders if they ran too well. In the second half of the season, the junior Red Bull squad easily out-raced their sister team. Perhaps, and this is simply just my own personal thought on it, that they plan to merge the two teams in the future to get to improve the overall Red Bull package.

Honestly, that is the only thing that comes to mind with the deal. Unless of course that a decision on customer cars is further up the road than we are led to believe. Naturally, I could be completely off the ball on this. But I wouldn’t be surprised if more on this deal comes to light in the future.

Off-Season Plan

With the Formula One and the Nascar season both over, one would think there wouldn’t be too much to do other than hibernate until the season starts up again.

Don’t fret though, as I will be following the important news and moves that happen over the winter months. I contemplated doing season reviews, but let’s be fair – you don’t really want me to regurgitate everything that has happened. There are already enough season reviews going around that the market is flooded with them.

So instead, I’ll have what will be the first annual awards here on the Chequered Flag. These will be called ‘The Phillie Awards’. Yeah, ingenuous ain’t it? You’ll just have to imagine in your mind all the pomp, ceremony, glitz and girls in your mind. I figure if I sent out invitations to everyone for it, I’d be classified as a nut.

I’ll be posting the categories in the coming days, before announcing the winners at the weekend.

Brundle to the Beeb

Martin Brundle has confirmed he will be a part of the BBC F1 coverage next season.

This is news I am fairly happy about. For me, he was the only member of the ITV Sport team who came out with any sort of creditability from the last few years. What makes me happier is that none of the other members of the team seem to be on their way. No word about James Allen or Mark Blundell. I would do a little dance if my leg wasn’t sore.

There were rumours floating around about attempts by the FIA to put the kibosh on the move, but nothing really ever came of it. BBC have captured an experienced and well respected commentator – an impressive notch on their belt. It will be interesting to see how the new team builds up in the coming months and what else we learn about the new coverage.

Three-ific

Jimmie Johnson wrote his name into the history books on Sunday, notching up a hat-trick of titles.

The odds were heavily in favour of the California native at Homestead, but credit to Carl Edwards for making a race of it. Edwards knew it was mission impossible. But that didn’t stop him giving his be-all and end-all. He did everything he could, leading the most laps and securing victory. All he needed was for Johnson to have bad luck.

None came, but that was hardly a surprise.

Arguments rage in the Nascar community about where Johnson’s achievements stand in the sports history. Some have pointed to Johnson taking advantage of the Chase format to collect titles that otherwise he may not have earned.

It is a fair point. For those interested, Edwards would have taken the title by 16 points under the pre-Chase format. But, this is the era of the Chase. Looking back at how points would look under the old system is pointless nostalgia. Not every season of the Chase can be brilliant, like the first year of the concept.

Every driver starts the year knowing what they have to do to be champion. While Johnson didn’t have a stellar regular season compared to the likes of Edwards or Kyle Busch, he did the job when it mattered. Everyone else is afforded the same opportunity as the #48 team. It is up to them to take it.

Honestly, I hate when people start comparing achievements from different eras. Keyword here is different. When Cale Yarborough achieved his three-peat, it was a different time, different cars, and different competition – different. It reminds me back to when Schumacher achieved his fifth F1 title and the comparisons with Fangio. You can’t just look plainly at the statistics and compare one person’s title rack up to another.

His achievements should be respected on merit. Like I said above, every single one of the drivers started the season knowing what they had to do to win the title. At the end of the season, Johnson achieved those goals. Chase or no Chase, that is what should really be remembered.

A Bad Decision

It may be more than a formality that Jimmie Johnson will make history this weekend at Homestead. A result better than 36th position on Sunday will see him crowned champion for the third time in a row. But up and down the standings, a number of smaller battles will be fought out. Most enticing of which, will be the battle to remain in the top-35 points.

A few months ago, Red Bull looked like they would easily have both cars in the top-35 going into the 2009. Given how difficult their début season was, an amazing accomplishment for the energy drinks giant. Then they decided to drop AJ Allmendinger.

According to media sources, he was offered only a one year extension to say, you can’t fault AJ for wanting to look for more, even in this difficult economy environment. A driver at his age, he needs stability. A one year deal would see him stuck in the same situation this time next year.

Regardless of whether he took the deal or not, Scott Speed was always going to be in the frame. Maybe signing a one year deal would only delay the inevitable for Allmendinger. Former F1 driver Speed, has spent the year in the ARCA series and raced a number of events in the Truck series, finding success in both.

Still, you can’t help but feel Red Bull are rushing him. You would think they would have learned from Allmendinger’s experience. Thrust straight into a debut team, it was always going to be an uphill climb for him. Even experienced team mate Vickers struggled to make races last year.

The start of year was also a struggle for the likable Californian. After a failure to qualify in the opening races, he was replaced by Mike Skinner, as Red Bull revaluated the program. When he returned at Talladega, it was a different AJ behind the wheel. From there on out, his stock rose by the race. By the time the Nascar circuit left Watkins Glen, he had gotten the #84 within the top-35.

Despite this, Red Bull decided to speed up their plans for 2009. AJ finished his time with Red Bull with a career best 9th at Kansas. He was replaced again by Skinner, before Scott Speed took over. The #84 went from a car capable of running top-20, to scrapping near the back of the pack. With a race to go, the team slid outside the top-35.

As a result, the team has switched their drivers, placing Vickers in the #84 in the hope he can get the car back into the coveted spot. Teams within the top-35 are guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races of 2009, including the showpiece event, the Daytona 500. I’m not much of a fan of the move, but business and racing go hand in hand together in this day and age.

It would be a sore pill to swallow of Marcus Ambrose and the JTG Daugherty Racing team, whom will take over the control of the #47 (formerly the #00) at the end of the year. They currently occupy the 35th position after some sterling performances by the Aussie.

As for Allmendinger, he continues to prove why he was one of the most improved drivers of the year. Finishing out the year driving the #10 for Gillett Evernham, he has consistently been the most competitive driver at the team. Not bad, given that he is not only new to the team, but also adjusting from driving a Toyota all year.

It would be a crying shame for Allmendinger to be on the sidelines next year. A driver of his talent is worthy of any seat.

Top-35 Battle:
33rd - Haas CNC Racing - #66 - 2765pts
34th - Robby Gordon Motorsports - #7 - 2685pts
35th - Michael Waltrip Racing - #47 - 2655pts
36th - Team Red Bull - #84 - 2638pts
37th - Penske Racing - #77 - 2554pts
38th - Gillett Evernham Motorsports - #10 - 2495pts

More of the Same for Renault

Renault will retain their current driver line-up for the 2009 season.

The re-signing of Alonso is no surprise. After the surprise re-signing of Raikkonen by Ferrari for additional year and with BMW wanting a longer term commitment from the Spaniard, sticking with Renault was the easy option. Let’s be fair, Honda was nothing but a joke option, even if they think they will be competitive next year.

Alonso has resigned for two years, which of course, when all the cards fall in 2010, will make him nicely available for a Ferrari seat the end of Raikkonen’s contract. So will end what will be one of the longest courting dances in recent years.

The decision to retain Piquet is a bigger eye-brow raiser. The Brazilian looked completely out of his depth at the start of year, prompting suggestions he may not survive the year. He started his turnaround at France, picking up his first points for the team and went on to pick up a podium in Germany. His best race however would come in Japan, where came home in fourth position.

Regardless, Piquet’s results were still erratic through the end of the season. It was still up in the air whether he would be kept on. Renault are in no shortage of young talent looking to get into the seat. In an era where second chances are few and far between, Piquet finds himself with an early Christmas present. Next year, there is no excuses for him.

Buh-Bye!

With the end of the Formula One season, we now say goodbye to the ITV Sport coverage of the sport.

I for one am quite happy to see them go. I have made no secret of my annoyance towards the coverage over the past few years. There is very little good that can be said about the coverage. After starting out on such a high in the early days, to finish off in such a way is disappointing. As they always say, you are always remembered by what you last did. For ITV, in the eyes of many including myself, that will be painful.

Why am I harsh on the coverage? Well, in college I was taught that the role of a journalist is to be impartial and to produce the facts. What ITV have done over the past few years is to pepper these facts that made Hamilton out to be some sort of racing messiah. Don’t get me wrong, they are fully entitled to support Hamilton. But their job, as journalists, is to give fair, unbiast commentary and I honestly don’t believe they have given that.

Heck, I remember back in late 2006, when Allen couldn’t keep quiet about Hamilton – even before he had ever signed a contract to run the next year. This all going on when he should be following the race at hand. The off mention, fine – but his constant shoving it down our throats, it is easy to see why people had a dislike to Hamilton even before arrived.

Their final broadcast was no better. To paraphrase what Allen claimed Raikkonen’s job on the day was, he said something along the lines that Raikkonen had to get between Raikkonen and Hamilton. Gee, James, there are two Raikkonen’s in F1 now?

Even more glaring was Jenson Button’s release from the pit-lane. Remember only a few races ago that they were all over it like flies onto shit when Massa was involved in such incident. Was a single word said? Of course not! It is that sort of double-standards that I am glad to see the back of ITV coverage from the sport.

Is it so hard to ask for impartiality once you live? Britain is a proud nation; they don’t need you guys trying to cajole support around Hamilton. His driving skill alone would’ve garnered the fan base he now has. Actually I’m sure a lot more people might find Hamilton a tad bit more likeable if you didn’t insist of shoving it upon us.

Of course, there is a chance the BBC could be just as bad if not worse than ITV. Believe me, that thought has crossed my mind. Maybe this time next year, I will be saying that perhaps we were better with the devil that we knew. But if it comes to that point, I don’t think I’d be watching the sport in 2011.

The funny thing is, or maybe, the sad thing is, that they actually get paid quite well for this. And I find myself hoarse from shouting at the television every grand prix weekend as I correct their obvious errors.

Happy days.

Eco-Warrior

In a daring game of Texas Hold ‘Em with his fuel gauge, Carl Edwards defied the odds and ran sixty-nine laps on his final tank of fuel on his way to victory lane.

Edwards was an unstoppable force at a track where Roush Fenway cars have won six times previously. After making his way through the field, he set a blistering pace that at one point, with the aid of a limited number of yellow flags, saw only a dozen cars on the lead lap.

The #99 found himself out of position late on when a number of cars took only two ties. But, Edwards surprised everyone with a fuel mileage run to victory lane. He completed the clean sweep with five additional bonus points for leading a lap and for most laps lead.

Edwards was followed home once again by a Hendricks Chevy, but this time it was Jeff Gordon, who also played the fuel game. Title rival Jimmie Johnson suffered another difficult start to the day and again found himself one lap down. Unlike last week at Atlanta, the #48 struggled to make the same rebound. The searing pace of Edwards kept him from the coveted Lucky Dog position. In the end, Johnson came home in 15th position.

The result moves Edwards to within 106 points with only two races remaining in the Chase. Greg Biffle remains within striking distance, only 143 back after a strong run to fifth. It was a great day for Roush Fenway as a whole. All five cars spent practically the entire day in the top-15.

With two to go, that foregone conclusion that many considered to be Johnson’s three-peat doesn’t seem so certain. There is still allot of work to do for Cousin Carl to haul the #48 in, but perhaps the last few weeks are the springboard Edwards needs to dethrone Johnson.

Five Point Four Seconds

Could you have asked for a better season finale? I doubt it. After a coma-inducing bore of China, two showers of rain at either end of the grand prix produced chaos, that nearly decided the world championship.

With only the final uphill run to go, a struggling Glock, on dry ties, slithered from left to right as Hamilton snuck by to take fifth position, securing his first world championship. Felipe Massa, who dominated the race was left to think what might have been, losing the title by a single point.

I honestly thought this race was going to be a bore, worthy of about thirty minutes of watching. All Hamilton had to do was finish fifth. Pretty easy. But, the Brit made it difficult for himself with an uncharacteristically tepid race. It was this pace that put him in the situation that almost cost him his championship.

With just a handful to go, it looked like the Massa’s fairytale was about to have its happy ending. Kubica’s rashness to unlap himself, first saw Vettel disadvantaged. But as Hamilton gave the Pole room to pass, Vettel slid by. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of people taking a swipe at Kubica for it, even more if Glock hadn’t of lost so much time on the last lap.

Against the odds he was in contention for the title that on a good day, Hamilton should’ve sown up easily. Still, the right calls had to be made and Massa had a drive worthy of a world champion. While Hamilton’s drive was less so, he is no less deserving of his accomplishment. The raw skill behind the wheel of a Formula One car from day one told us that it was only a matter of when he would pick up his first world championship. His year has been erratic, with silly mistakes and earning penalties like a rookie should. But he capitalized on the mistakes by Ferrari, aided by his bullet proof McLaren.

Fernando Alonso continued his strong finish to the season in second, holding off Raikkonen. The Finn was about as useful as a bad cold in Massa's title charge today, or about as useful as Kovalainen. Vettel finished an excellent fourth with the second McLaren in seventh; Jarno Trulli rounded out the points finishers.

Hats off to Hamilton. Like him or loathe him, he is a worthy world champion.

PC’s Driver of the Day: Felipe Massa. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain, Massa has earned a lot of respect and broken down many walls this year.