It is Mike joy and Mike joins us on the line this morning like its debut -- near buffalo -- are really great to talk to you this morning. Fantastic and you certainly and a fantastic last night on NASCAR on fox. A what a way to kick off the 2012 season with that exciting Budweiser shootout. Wolves -- -- I'm sure it's gonna be on every TV stations highlight real for the next they're. On but it that's a good thing for creating awareness for the sport. But for the car owners in all there's quite a pile of junk leaving here in -- small pieces after looked -- -- Yeah we heard comment from Richard Childress on the radio communication last night just how many race cars are getting -- and I think -- Your colleague Michael Waltrip tweeted that you only 1151000. Dollars of its gonna cost him 70000 dollars. To win to fix his torn up race car and that's kind of the trade off last night. With going from that to cart him back to the pack racing that we get these big ones as we like to call it and it -- several times last night. Well -- I don't think anyone. Really. Has a problem with pack racing or be the fact that you're gonna have a big 11 stories. But I have a four times the -- -- and have them what happened as a result of what looks like very incidental contact. I mean in no case did anybody ought to turn somebody around or even look like they got in. To them hard enough to turn the more. These are very very light contact that are set in these cars around. -- Yeah -- and and the consequences are devastating you know were fortunately. Whatever good safety procedures in place in the building of these cars and in the driver compartment so that nobody got hurt but or -- -- -- -- -- Do you think we'll see any changes between now in Thursday's duels -- Sunday's 500 that. NASCAR may. Make it changed to have react to this and so they're not so twitch he once somebody gets into the back yet they're so easy to go around NL there's a lot of talk about changing the spoiler height. Do you think we'll see a change like that between now and Thursday. I don't think so. And the reason I say that is because this was one of those no holds barred no points race. Bring back the trophy your of the steering wheel hop off. And I think everybody is a little. More on the edge in this race than they are in a regular point. I think. Thursday's stories races Gatorade duels will be much better barometer. But what we're going to see on Sunday. That the look at the race last night. Mike joy of fox sports joining us here on WGR fast track. Michael looking ahead now did today we've got pole qualifying which are becoming up on fox this afternoon O'Neill you'll leave the call on that. What are we be looking afforded -- today obviously some increase speeds over the last couple years. On who were we gonna be looking for maybe sitting on top of the speed -- one ones are all saddened on this afternoon. I would be surprised if we don't have a -- on the pole. Com. Better engine and cooling package. There are there aerodynamic of course are similar to everybody -- but the injured in the cooling package and drive line for some reason. Before that certain group have been quite fast in both practice sessions of -- -- of the top ten reports. Greg Biffle. In his two runs in the second session yesterday as both the two fastest runs of the day so that pretty much -- -- up as the favorite. I think the biggest surprise could well beat Trevor -- The Daytona 500 defending champion is. Not locked in the race because this team didn't run a full schedule when he doesn't have one of those 35 golden tickets but it sure qualifying exemption. So you have to qualify in either today. Or in the Thursday duel race in the wood Brothers like all the rest of the teams and that a fourteen teams in that circumstance. Would much rather get in -- today on speed. That that. Spain is a threat for the pole his practice speeds were quicken up the we end and it is quite breezy here right now. And -- has a much later draw because he's in that fourteen cargo oracle -- group. Did anybody who's in the top 35 so wouldn't surprise me go to see the defending champion of the straight up on the front row what do what do birthday present that -- -- Yet he turns 21 to day and -- it in enjoy adult beverage afterwards for the fifth time if he sits on the -- What what he talked but the -- like I was a little surprised though they really didn't flex their muscles last night in the shoot out it was kind of Hendrick boards -- is thick and it's the last night. While a lot of variety I think you saw just about every. Everybody have a chance to believe except that dodges are Kozlowski and Albany aircraft stayed out of out of sight out of trouble through. You know through most of the entire race AJ get caught up in the last one. -- it again I'm departure of the bud shootout is a great predictor of what's gonna happen for a speedway. All right well of course so. NASCAR Arafat getting geared up buffer their usual broadcast season. On all the changes that have happened all the driver changes crew chief changes electronic fuel injection. Like what are you looking forward to the most this season once we get out of Daytona. Hoping to have a -- and it as competitive as last year one yeah. You know you get Carlin we're looking for redemption here a lot of a lot of drivers in new situations. You have Jeff Gordon. In all working on his drive for five for that fifth championship got a lot storyline but I think a lot of drivers with new crew chief combinations that expect. To contend for the championship. Well last year with a dream season to end up the season with -- -- tied for the title is I think just more than anybody can hope for. But of course were hoping for more were hoping for more competitive. Year this year that we have last year. -- think all will be standing one it's all said and done in homestead who is your early favorite for the championship. What I do that I could make some money list. It took you about. It's way too soon to tell. Way too soon to tell because who would -- stood here. Last February. Or even last August at Michigan. Or going in the Labor Day and sit in a character going to be a champion. You know -- -- right after Tony or that you know we don't even the Serbian history. And many end up winning you know winning nearly running the table -- -- -- ten races winning championships so I think in February the great thing about this week you're right this minute. -- -- sport drivers who think they can win the 500 and think they can win the championship -- and that optimism is contagious. And that it makes up only to be here for sure. Like last thing before -- let you go -- you're not a long line of national broadcasters both radio and television that come out of the northeast. I'm starting -- Ken Squier and I'd like you inject your route and doctor Dick burger and in. Ellen bass slick Kyle recchi Dave -- Steve pulls all grew up calling short track racing and modified racing in the northeast and I hear all these national broadcasters and one of the things at least I noticed that you do it in when you call erases. Whenever one of those northeast guises is on the screen you is gonna give a shout out to the home -- it you know Jeff codeine from ocean on new Yorker. Joey MacDonald from Middletown Connecticut -- seems like you like to say. The America this guys from the northeast -- we grow some pretty good racers appear I always noticed and I appreciate that. All of that and a struggle in order and it's true. I. I've opened on overplay it you know. Because they're great short track racing all around the country. So we try to put the home it'll put hometown in and we try to personalize these drivers as much as possible. Because we want that the casual fan at all. -- connection. And if there's a driver there -- from his area or they they know the area where they're from you know they may take more of an interest in and and may watch more open so. Do like well for the north easterners because on -- on proud of the -- that area. Yeah I guess -- there and that'll probably won't stop. Well as someone who's been calling modified races at Lancaster speedway since I was fifteen I appreciated and -- clear and join join your ranks -- as well. Mike as always I love watching -- NASCAR and fox telecast have had a great show today with qualifying in the rest of the weekend. Look forward to talking again real soon.
