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Sprint Cup
VODA: Answers To Chase, Martinsville And Hornaday
SPEED on-air personality answers a few questions...
Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday failed to win in 2012. (Photo: Getty Images)
KRISTA VODA TALKS THE CHASE, MARTINSVILLE AND RON HORNADAY
SPEED host Krista Voda has covered her share of racing lately, popping back and forth between hosting duties on Trackside, NCWTS Setup, Wind Tunnel and SPEED Center. However, she has planted her feet in Martinsville this weekend for her Trackside and NCWTS Setup hosting duties. The longtime SPEED on-air personality took a minute to answer a few questions below:
Q: Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the track this weekend after sitting out two races due to a concussion. Would you like to see some form of mandatory testing in NASCAR to medically clear drivers who may have sustained a concussion?
“I think NASCAR is looking at this. Some other professional sports have policies in place because of the types of hits the players sustain. With NASCAR and the g-forces drivers absorb, some sort of policy needs to be in place. However, with anything comes consequences, and those repercussions could alter the landscape of some races. If a driver cannot be cleared to compete, it could affect his chances of winning a championship, so I’m sure NASCAR is cognizant of that in this thought process. But when it comes to safety and to the betterment of the drivers, something has to be done.”
Q: Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team averted a potential points disaster last week and staged a remarkable comeback. What kind of statement did that effort make?
“The competition has to wonder what they must do to take Johnson out of the title picture. He can basically run his car into the wall, semi-destroy it and his team will not only repair it but do so in a manner in which he can compete. That’s demoralizing to the rest of the field and completely rejuvenating to Johnson and his team. What they did made a championship statement, not just for the No. 48 team but for everyone else. That’s almost ‘Mind Games 101.’”
Q: Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have 10 wins combined at Martinsville and points leader Brad Keselowski has none. Is this the best weekend for Johnson and Hamlin to gain points on him?
“I would say so, but you could argue that every week because you can never count anybody out. History gives the upper hand to Johnson and Hamlin, but Keselowski this week said that the next track always is his biggest concern. He also will say the same thing for Texas next week. Hamlin and Johnson could be viewed as the favorites, but history has proven you can’t count anybody out at any point.”
Q: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicks off its four final, consecutive races of the season this weekend at Martinsville. Four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. still is searching for his first win of the year. Looking at the four races remaining, do you consider Martinsville his best chance at a win?
“Anything can happen at Martinsville at any given moment, and that’s what makes this race so appealing. It’s such a short distance for the Truck Series that teams can gamble or do something different to keep themselves in contention. If a driver still is in the mix at the end of the race, he has a legitimate shot at the win. Ron was always so good on short tracks, and although Martinsville wasn’t necessarily his best, he grabbed the victory there two years ago. Since he got that monkey off of his back, I can imagine he’s looking at this weekend as his best chance at Victory Lane, and we all hope he gets there.”
Q: Hornaday joined a relatively new team and quite inexperienced team this year at Joe Denette Motorsports. To what degree do you think he has led and mentored that team?
“Ron definitely has carried his team this year. That’s just the Ron Hornaday mentality. He is such a great leader, whether he wants to be or not, by virtue of his experience level. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for Ron to bear the weight of it all, but he probably welcomes the role regardless of its difficulty and challenges.”
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
SPEED host Krista Voda has covered her share of racing lately, popping back and forth between hosting duties on Trackside, NCWTS Setup, Wind Tunnel and SPEED Center. However, she has planted her feet in Martinsville this weekend for her Trackside and NCWTS Setup hosting duties. The longtime SPEED on-air personality took a minute to answer a few questions below:
Q: Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the track this weekend after sitting out two races due to a concussion. Would you like to see some form of mandatory testing in NASCAR to medically clear drivers who may have sustained a concussion?
“I think NASCAR is looking at this. Some other professional sports have policies in place because of the types of hits the players sustain. With NASCAR and the g-forces drivers absorb, some sort of policy needs to be in place. However, with anything comes consequences, and those repercussions could alter the landscape of some races. If a driver cannot be cleared to compete, it could affect his chances of winning a championship, so I’m sure NASCAR is cognizant of that in this thought process. But when it comes to safety and to the betterment of the drivers, something has to be done.”
Q: Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team averted a potential points disaster last week and staged a remarkable comeback. What kind of statement did that effort make?
“The competition has to wonder what they must do to take Johnson out of the title picture. He can basically run his car into the wall, semi-destroy it and his team will not only repair it but do so in a manner in which he can compete. That’s demoralizing to the rest of the field and completely rejuvenating to Johnson and his team. What they did made a championship statement, not just for the No. 48 team but for everyone else. That’s almost ‘Mind Games 101.’”
Q: Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have 10 wins combined at Martinsville and points leader Brad Keselowski has none. Is this the best weekend for Johnson and Hamlin to gain points on him?
“I would say so, but you could argue that every week because you can never count anybody out. History gives the upper hand to Johnson and Hamlin, but Keselowski this week said that the next track always is his biggest concern. He also will say the same thing for Texas next week. Hamlin and Johnson could be viewed as the favorites, but history has proven you can’t count anybody out at any point.”
Q: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicks off its four final, consecutive races of the season this weekend at Martinsville. Four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. still is searching for his first win of the year. Looking at the four races remaining, do you consider Martinsville his best chance at a win?
“Anything can happen at Martinsville at any given moment, and that’s what makes this race so appealing. It’s such a short distance for the Truck Series that teams can gamble or do something different to keep themselves in contention. If a driver still is in the mix at the end of the race, he has a legitimate shot at the win. Ron was always so good on short tracks, and although Martinsville wasn’t necessarily his best, he grabbed the victory there two years ago. Since he got that monkey off of his back, I can imagine he’s looking at this weekend as his best chance at Victory Lane, and we all hope he gets there.”
Q: Hornaday joined a relatively new team and quite inexperienced team this year at Joe Denette Motorsports. To what degree do you think he has led and mentored that team?
“Ron definitely has carried his team this year. That’s just the Ron Hornaday mentality. He is such a great leader, whether he wants to be or not, by virtue of his experience level. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for Ron to bear the weight of it all, but he probably welcomes the role regardless of its difficulty and challenges.”
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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