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July 31, 2006
Photo of the Day - Red Rock Canyon
Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, NV. January, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)
Bill Davis Racing General Manager Talks About Steve Park
Claire B. Lang had Mike Brown, the general manager of Bill Davis Racing, on "Dialed In" on XM this afternoon to talk about how they've hired Tommy Baldwin, Jr., who worked for BDR previously from 1998-2002, as Competition Director, to oversee their transistion to Toyota . Besides talking about Baldwin, Brown also discussed BDR's future as it relates to their drivers. Which is when Claire took the opportunity to ask Brown about the rumors of BDR being the team that Steve Park has been talking to about a Truck ride. So Brown confirmed that yes, they were talking to Steve about a truck ride for the rest of this season and into next year, but that they hadn't been able to get it done. He said that sponsorship was a problem which has so far prevented it from happening. He said they would not just like to give Steve a truck ride, but that they would love to give him a ride! But it was made quite clear - no sponsorship, no ride. Although he said that it's not out of the question that it could still happen, they've not been able to put all the pieces together yet, so it didn't sound like Steve was going to end up in a BDR truck anytime soon unfortunately.
I had to listen twice to catch it, but Claire had asked him if they were looking at putting Steve into a 4th truck and Brown only confirmed that they had been talking to Steve about a truck ride, not whether it would have been for a 4th truck or if he would be replacing one of the current BDR drivers. Which is interesting considering there had been a lot of rumors that Steve would be replacing Bill Lester in the #22. Thing is that when Brown was talking about BDR's plan for the truck series in 2007, he said that they plan on fielding three trucks for the drivers they currently have and specifically mentioned Lester as being an asset to the organization. So it was very hard to get a handle on exactly what they were planning on doing with Steve, other than they would like to put him in a truck at some point.
After the interview Claire had an interesting comment which I'm almost hesitant to mention since I'm not 100% sure that it was regarding Steve and the deal with BDR that never happened. But she said that she had heard that the sponsorship problems related to a sponsor not getting approved. Unfortunately it was noisy where I was just as she started talking about this so I can't say for sure whether this was the sponsor issue that prevented Steve's deal from going through or whether it relates to BDR's second Cup car, which was also a topic of discussion with Brown. That opens up a whole host of questions, since Claire gave no other details, such as who didn't approve the sponsor - was it Nascar that wasn't down with the sponsor that they wanted to go with? Or did Steve bring a sponsor to the table that BDR wasn't comfortable with? Why wasn't that sponsor approved? Was the company too controversial? Was there a conflict with an "official" Nascar sponsor? The only reason why I'm uncertain as to whether this actually was the scenario with Steve's deal is that he said in his earlier interview with Claire, that they were talking to multiple sponsors, so it seems as if one sponsor not being approved shouldn't be enough to sink the entire deal, unless that was the only primary sponsor they were talking to and the rest were potential associate sponsors.
A lot of fans of Steve's have started dreaming of Steve in a BDR Cup ride now that Tommy Baldwin is over there since Steve and Tommy have a long history together dating back to their days on Long Island. But I don't think that's in the cards for Steve. Brown stopped just short of officially announcing that Dave Blaney would be retained as the driver of the #22 car and while there still is an opening for a driver for the second BDR Cup car, Brown seemed to indicate they have that driver almost locked up. From the way he was talking about wanting to put Steve in a truck, I don't think that driver they're close to signing for the Cup car is Steve. So I think if Steve ends up in a Cup car in 2007, and it's not such a crazy thought considering how many open Cup rides there may be next season, I think it will be for a different organization.
What occured to me is that Claire did a huge favor to Steve with both of these interviews. First she has him on to talk at length about how his deal fell through and how he's going to be looking for a new ride. A lot of people in the garage area listen to her show, so that interview makes it known to all that his services are available for consideration for a ride now and in the future. Then she discusses the deal with Mike Brown and he says that it's a no-go due to a lack of sponsorship. So that gets the word out to pontential sponsors that there's an organization that is ready to put a driver in a truck, if only they had the sponsorship to make it financially possible. All of this adds up to more exposure for Steve than he's had in quite some time, which is a very good thing for him, even if it's not for the reasons he would like it to be for. What I'm hoping is that by the time Claire talks to him again, which she said she was going to do in the next couple of weeks, something good will have been shook loose in terms of a potential ride for him.
ETA: Word over on Steve Park Central is that the sponsor that they had lined up for a truck for Steve was a fuel company that Nascar didn't approve because it conflicted with Sunoco, an official Nascar sponsor. That makes sense because Nascar has to protect the official sponsors who surely pay a huge amount of money or provide a significant amount of goods and services to be named an "official" sponsor of Nascar. I'm a litle surprised that they would go the route of pursuing a sponsor that might not get approved considering Nascar has made their feelings known on that issue in the past. But I guess they don't really know what's going to happen until they try to get Nascar to approve it.
Thing is that last week Steve claimed he didn't know the reasons why they couldn't finalize things with any of the sponors that they were talking to. But if others know the reason why at least one sponsor was a no-go, then Steve surely knew too and just didn't want to say, though I assume he was the one who tipped off Claire B. off-the-record. Unfortunately it makes me question other things that Steve said, and whether there was other important information that he might have left out or pretended not to know anything about. But it's par for the course in Nascar that it's very hard to ever know if you're getting the real story about anything that happens.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
Clay Andrews Racing Closes Shop; David Gilliland to the #38?
Just last month against all odds, the tiny part-time, unsponsored #84 car fielded by Clay Andrews Racing and driven by David Gilliland, ended up in Victory Lane in the Busch race at Kentucky. This month the team has closed up shop. Clay Andrews said,
“We put our heart, soul and resources into David Gilliland. Personally and financially we do not feel it is best to move forward at this time.”
Which I think esssentially means that Gilliland has left the team to "explore other opportunities" as they say, and it's impossible to continue not only without a primary sponsor, but without the driver they had been working with all this time. The Sporting News is reporting that Robert Yates Racing is expected to announce later this week that Gilliland will be in the #38 car next season and beyond. Unfortunately for Elliott Sadler, I wouldn't be surprised to see Gilliland in the car before 2007 since they've made Cully Barraclaugh, who he was working with at Clay Andrews Racing, the interim crew chief of the #38. And Gilliland certainly needs the seat time. Regardless of when he starts racing for RYR - and it might just be on the Busch level at first this season, the results might not be pretty once he gets into a car regularly at first. Not because he's a terrible driver, simply because it's tough for any young driver when they're first adjusting to being full-time in one of Nascar's three hightest levels. Perhaps more so for Gilliland, since he's such a hot property now and the expectations for him are high after his storybook win at Kentucky.
But this is a very unfortunate ending for Clay Andrews Racing and yet another sad commentary on how hard it is for small teams to survive. I hope that they will be able to make it back to the Busch series in a couple of years as Andrews indicated he would like to do.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)
Slugger Labbe and Tommy Baldwin, Jr. Out at Robert Yates Racing
Last week I heard an interview with Robert and Doug Yates on XM, in which they indicated that they wanted to become a more engineering oriented organization, because they felt that would make them more competitive since other organizations make engineering a larger focus of their programs than RYR does now. Claire B. Lang asked whether Slugger Labbe, the crew chief of the #88 driven by Dale Jarrett and Tommy Baldwin, Jr. crew chief of the #38, driven by Elliott Sadler, were engineering-oriented crew chiefs. The answer was "no" and I immediately knew that Labbe and Baldwin would likely be leaving RYR by the end of the season, voluntarily or not. However, I didn't expect that both would be released quite so soon but that's exactly what happened. Over the weekend Labbe was outright released and there was a mutual parting of the ways between Baldwin and RYR. Butch Hylton, who was recently at Michael Waltrip Racing, will be the interim crew chief for the #88, and Cully Bearclaw, another recent MWR crew chief is expected to take over crew chief duties for the #38.
RYR is in the midst of a major house-cleaning to turns their fortunes around, and while there's no doubt that major changes are needed at the organization, I'm not sure that its such a great idea to get rid of their crew chiefs so soon on top of everything else that they're struggling to deal with. It seems to me that the time to make changes as far as the crew chiefs go is when RYR has their new drivers in place. Otherwise the #38 and #88 teams are gelling and learning to work together as a team, only both drivers won't be around in 2007. I wonder if there is something to the rumors that RYR is thinking of releasing Sadler or Jarrett before the end of the season?
It's expected that Baldwin is going to go back to Bill Davis Racing, where he had success from 1998-2002. I had heard that Baldwin didn't leave BDR on great terms back then, but apparently that's not true if he's going to be making a return. BDR certainly needs all the help they can get as they prepare for next season with Toyota - actually, they can use all the help they can get right now since Dave Blaney and particularly Michael Waltrip aren't exactly having stellar seasons in BDR cars.
As for Labbe it's possible that he might end up at Red Bull Racing or back at DEI. I find it a little humorous that he might go back to DEI since he got sick of working there in 2004, which led to him leaving to work for Evernham. I guess he discovered that the issues at DEI weren't so bad afterall in comparision to what he had to deal with at other organizations.
My only question with both Baldwin and Labbe is that even though they are both talented crew chiefs - yes, even Labbe, in spite of his negative remarks about Michael - if they aren't engineering oriented crew chiefs and that's the direction the sport is heading in, then won't that be a problem for them with any team that they're affiliated with? It seems to me that both Baldwin and Labbe may have to adapt some of the new way of doing things that involved more reliance on engineering, rather than sticking with the old-school way of doing things.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
Disappointing Night for Steve Park and David Reutimann at Gateway
Both of the drivers I was cheering for on Saturday night in the Busch race at Gateway International Raceway had rather disappointing nights, though for vastly different reasons. On the surface, it would appear that David Reutimann had a decent night in the #99 Cottmann Transmissions car for Michael Waltrip Racing, but he saw a lilkely top ten or even top five finish be ruined by a mistake in the pits, not the first time that night that his crew had issues in the pits. On the other hand, Steve Park had a lousy car right from the beginning, and he finished the night 30th, six laps down, exactly what he didn't need when he's trying to find a new ride.
There was one big bright spot for me during this race and that was much to my, and everyone else's surprise, Michael Waltrip was in the booth for TNT with Alan Bestwick, who he worked so well with on Inside Nextel Cup for years until Speed decided to replace Alan with Dave Despain. Saturday night Michael and Alan were outstanding together again and I hope that TNT considers pairing them up again if there are other Busch races that Benny Parsons can't do because of his treatments and Michael isn't racing. One thing that I was impressed with was how objective Michael was, even regarding the #99, the car that he owns. I'm quite sure that Michael was seething inside when there were problems in the pits that set David back on the track, but he remained calm on the air. Very well done. I'm not always thrilled when those in the booth are commentating on cars or drivers they have a business or personal relationship with, such as when D.W. discusses Michael or if Jeff Hammond were to talk about the truck series, since he owns a truck team. There's a potential conflict of interest there, where one has to wonder whether opinions that are offered up are really objective or not. But I think Michael did a very good job of handling himself when attention was focused on his car.
David's night was particularly frustrating because the car itself was outstanding. At the beginning of the season it seemed as if the #99 team was struggling a little bit with bringing good cars to the track. But as the season has gone on, the cars have gotten significantly more competitive, whether David is behind the wheel or Michael is. On Saturday night, David was able to race up front and looked to be on his way to a very strong finish. However, it was an extremely poor night for his pit crew and that hurt him tremendously. Now, no one is perfect so there are always going to be times when the crews make mistakes, sometimes even costly ones. But when teams have as many issues in the pits as the #99 team did on Saturday, well, I'm guessing there's probably going to be a team meeting this week and it might not be pretty.
First, there was a lugnut problem while David was in the top 15 early in the race, which led to such a lengthy pit stop that he went back on the track in 26th. Losing that much track position is really bad, but because the car was so good, David was able to race his way up to the front, to as high as 4th at one point. Everything seemed like it was lining up for David to get his first top five in the Busch Series since 2003, when he had to pit because he was running out of gas. In fact, he was so badly out of gas that the car stalled in the pit. Even then it seemed as if David was going to be able to overcome that problem and finish in the top ten, but then Nascar penalized him because there were too many crew members over the wall during the stop. I guess in their rush to get him going again when he stalled someone forgot that there's a limit to how many can be over the wall. Having to come back in put David down two laps and meant that he could finish no better than 14th. Is it a terrible finish? No. But he should have finished much better so it has to be considered a disappointment. I don't know whether he or Michael will be in the #99 at Indy, but I hope they will have straightened out their issues in the pits by then.
As for Steve, it really pains me to see him have such a poor race. Even though he had been talking last week to Claire B. Lang on XM about trying to get as close to a top ten as he possibly could in the #31, I knew not to expect the results to be very good because it's very difficult for a part-time team with few resources to be competitive. Still, it shouldn't be too much to expect this team to be able to get some finishes in the top 25. Last season in nine races with Dave Blaney, they were able to finish 25th or better six times - surely they should be able to repeat the same this season with Steve. Of course some of their problems have been out of their hands - there's nothing that can be done when Steve gets wrecked by others. But even in those races he's not exactly had a stellar car. It's just very disheartening to see even when he has an incident-free race, he can't actually race any of the other cars on the track, he can only ride around in the back. If that's frustrating and disappointing, to me who is only a fan, it must be really difficult for Steve to deal with. What irks me is that since this team doesn't do any kind of pre- or post-race reports, and nothing is ever posted of that nature on Steve's site, unless someone turns up who was at the race, we'll lilkely never know what exactly when wrong to cause Steve to finish six laps down.
Worst of all to me is that while he's looking for another full-time ride, it's even more important for Steve to get good results in the few races he'll be racing. He needs to show potential owners and sponsors that he can get strong results. Only problem is that if the car's he given are barely good enough to qualify with, he had very little chance of even finishing in the top 30, let alone the top ten. What I'm really concerned about is next week when they go to Indy. If the entry list for the Busch race is anything like it's likely to be for the Cup race, there may be more than 50 cars entered which means it will be a very tall order for the #31 car to make the field, given how slow they sometimes are. I think Steve is a good qualifier so that's an asset, but he has to have a car good enough to beat a lot of teams, some of which may be backed by Cup organizations. I think going out there and then missing the race would be deadly for Steve. It's not just a matter of his job search, but also in terms o fhis mindset. Steve is very tough and has overcome a lot throughout the years, but it has to hurt that barring a last minute miracle, this deal that he had been working on for so long, fell through. I think it would only add insult to injury if they fail to make the race next week.
But hopefully both the #31 and #99 teams will have much better races next week.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:34 PM | Comments (0)
Yankees Trade for Bobby Abreu, Corey Lidle for Prospects
As widely rumored would happen over the past few days, the New York Yankees have made a trade for Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies, for four prospects, including shortstop C.J. Henry left-handed reliever Matt Smith. I wasn't crazy about this deal when I first heard about it, but gradually I warmed to it, particularly when I heard that Lidle was going to be included and that the Yankees wouldn't have to give up any players who are already making an impact on the major league level such as Scott Proctor, who was rumored to be included at one point. The Yankees will have to pay the entirety of Abreu's contract for 2007 - $17 million, but won't have to pick up his $15 million option for 2008, which was rumored to be one potential hang-up preventing the deal from going through.
While the Yankees have done an outstanding job of staying in the thick of the chase for the Division lead, and are also in contention for the Wild Card, in spite of the loss of Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield to injury, Abreu will be an asset to the lineup who should fit in very well. A lot of fans were thinking that the Yankees didn't need to trade for a bat because Matsui and Sheffield would be back soon and they would provide a boost to the lineup. But there's no guarantee how Matsui and Sheffield will hit when they return, or even if they will return on schedule. What I also like about this trade is that it pretty much assures that the Yankees won't be picking up Sheffield's option for next season, since while I appreciate everything Sheffield has done to help the Yankees win, he's become one of my least favorite players on the team.
I'm glad that the Yankees got some pitching in this deal. Lidle might not be a top pitcher, but he will probably be an upgrade over Sidney Ponson, the latest to be in the #5 spot in the rotation. I have no idea what the Yankees are going to do with Ponson, since one reason he was released by the St. Louis Cardinals was because he didn't work out well in the pullpen, but maybe they'll keep him around anyway, particularly since it's not unusual for the Yankees starting pitchers to struggle to go deep into games, despite Chien-Ming Wang's complete game the other day.
What this also means is that Bernie Williams's playing time is likely to be reduced. Williams has been playing well and has been more productive than I thought he would be this season. But he was signed to be a bench player, and the Yankees are a stronger team with him not being in the field. That he will likely only be occassionally at DH and when an outfielder needs a rest is sure to upset some fans, who feel that would be a sign of disloyalty to Willilams, but the Yankees have to make the moves they feel are in the best interest of the team, that will give them the best chance of getting back to the post-season. Their vision might very well be entirely different from that of the fans.
The Yankees have an off-day tomorrow but Abreu should be with the team on Tuesday - I'm looking forward to seeing him play!
Posted by silverdsl at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2006
In All Fairness to Robby Gordon...
Robby Gordon isn't very high on my list of drivers that I like right now... in fact I pretty strongly dislike him these days after his second run-in with Michael Waltrip at New Hampshire in less than a year. But in all fairness, I feel that I need to present his side of the story, as it is, regarding the lastest incident from a couple of weeks ago. What really irked me is that not a single person in the media bothered to follow-up on this incident, in spite of the fact that it led to several wrecked race cars and had an impact on the outcome of the race. Michael gave his side of the story on Inside Nextel Cup but I couldn't find a single comment by Robby anywhere that shed any light on his thinking and whether he actually deliberately meant to wreck Michael. I know a lot of people don't think that's a big deal, but I feel that it's really important to hear from all sides, even when I don't agree with what they might have to say, to gain as much of an understanding of what might have happened in an incident and what everyone's mindset might have been.
But Claire B. Lang took the time to call Robby yesterday to talk to him for "Dialed In" on XM about a few different things, including this particular incident. Naturally Robby denies brake-checking Michael. He says that he slowed while he was cleaning his tires and Michael must have looked down to check his tach or otherwise wasn't paying complete attention to what was going on in front of him. So Robby says that Michael didn't notice him slowing and that's why he ran into the back of him. Now, that has happened before - this season in fact when Sterling Marlin caused a wreck under caution because he looked down to check some gauges and didn't see cars stopped in front of him. And that was what Carl Edwards speculated had happened in an interview with Claire just after the race. But it seems to me that if Michael had made the mistake he would admit to it, since he had no problem admitting that he was at fault when he ran Ryan Newman over earlier in the same race because he didn't know that Ryan was checking up due to Dave Blaney slowing in front of him. So I'm kind of doubtful that Robby simply slowed while he was cleaning his tires and was a completely innocent bystander. Not that anyone can really prove for sure one way or another since only the two people who were actually in the cars - Robby and Michael - know what they did for sure.
I have to say that I'm not surprised that Claire B. Lang would be the one to finally get a comment from Robby. Often she's the only one who asks the hard questions and trys to talk to as many different people who were involved in an incident as possible. Now there are some others who do try to ask tough questions or do hard analysis, but I find that often those people interject their own opinions into it. What I like about Claire is that tries to be as objective as possible and rarely gives her own opinions about anything that happens. She simply asks the questions, plays the interviews and lets her listeners make up their own minds.
I also love the fact that she talks to so many drivers, crew members, sponsor representatives and all sorts of other people in the garage area that others in the motorsports media never talk to. No one ever talks to Steve Park, yet Claire had him on to give an update on what he's up to. Without her taking the time to call, probably because she's gotten emails and IMs asking about him from fans, no one would have any idea of what his status is. WIthout her taking the time to call Robby Gordon, no one would know his side of the story, and his fans wouldn't know what he was involved with either, since he doesn't get a tremendous amount of media attention either. I wouldn't know a thing about Joey Miller, the young truck rookie that she speaks to regularly, without hearing all those interviews that she's done with him. Listening to Joey talk, has really made me into a fan of his (and that he drives for DW). The list of people that she's interviewed and the amount of news and information that I otherwise wouldn't know anything about is endless.
Unfortunately there may be changes in store when Nascar moves to Sirius at the end of this year. I just hope that Claire can continue to do her show, either on XM or for Sirius.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)
This Story Makes Me Sad
On Monday night 18-year old Jennifer Moore went into Manhattan looking to have a good time and instead she ended up dead. Moore had gone to a Chelsea nightclub, Guest House, with a friend, a club they had no business being in since the age to enter was 21. But somehow not only did they get in but they ended up spending the entire night drinking. Not just a few drinks either. So many drinks that when they went to get their car from the impound lot to where it had been towed because it had been parked illegally, the attendent wouldn't give it back to them because they were too intoxicated. On top of that Moore's friend, Talia Keenan, passed out while they were at the lot, which resulted in the attendent calling an ambulance and the police. Perhaps afraid that she would get in trouble, Moore wandered away down the West Side Highway.
Unfortunately that's when Moore found trouble. At 5 a.m. she called her boyfriend saying that she was lost and someone was following her. The boyfriend told her to find a Taxi, but as it turned out Moore had no money. That phone call was the last time anyone heard from Moore. On Thursday morning, Moore's body was found in a dumpster, where it had been dumped by her alleged killer, a man with a lengthy criminal record who is also allegedly a drug addict. By all accounts Moore was someone who had never given her parents or anyone else any problems, someone who, to the best of her parents knowledge, had always followed the rules. A model student at her private high school in New Jersey, where she was captain of the soccer team, Moore was planning to attend the University of Hartford in the fall.
I guess it's the "if only's" that make it so sad to me. If only they hadn't been able to drink underage in the club. If only they didn't drink so much. If only their car hadn't been towed. If only they had a designated driver with them. If only she hadn't wandered away from teh impound lot. If only Moore had the cash with her to get a cab. If only she hadn't happened to run into the worst possible person to run into - a man with murder on his mind.
Of course Moore is in no way to blame for what happened to her - the blame rests entirely on the person who murdered her. However, a lot of young people feel that nothing will ever happen to them - well, bad things happen all the time, even to good people. There's nothing wrong with drinking, partying and having a good time. But it pays to be careful.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:05 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cactus
Aruba, September, 2005.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park Speaks and it's Not Good News
Claire B. Lang checked in with Steve Park this afternoon on "Dialed In" on XM, as she likes to do periodically and the news was not good. Apparently the deal Steve has been working on for a new full-time truck ride, that he thought was going to be done last month, has been unable to be finalized for reasons that are unknown to Steve. He had been talking to a number of sponsors but I guess things didn't go as planned there. He also said that "they're trying to do damage control," whatever that means, though phrasing things in that way is usually a sign that things have gone very wrong. Although Steve is going to give it a couple more weeks before he starts looking for another full-time ride, it sounded highly unlikely based on the way he was talking, and that he referred to himself more than once as being "unemployed," that this deal is going to actually happen.
I felt particularly bad listening to Steve because he talked about how much it bothers him sitting around watching the truck races and that it gets under his skin because of how much he wants to race. Apparently he was also very disappointed that he couldn't race in New Hampshire in the #31 car, which happened because he thought he was going to be racing a truck elsewhere that weekend. What was shocking to me, because Steve normally doesn't say things like this, is that he said that he's not enjoying himself and that he's been having a miserable season. I guess that's because not only have things not gone as planned regarding his truck ride, but also because the results on the track haven't been the greatest for the most part, particularly in Busch. That seemed like a lot more candid of an assessment of his season than I think Steve usually gives.
I'm sure that all of this has to be tremendously depressing for Steve, but he spoke about not giving up and that he felt that he has a lot more top fives, top tens, wins and maybe even Championships in him. He wants to race for a team that wants to win as badly as he does and he said that he knows deep in his heart that he can win races with the right opportunity. If not winning races, then they at least need to finish in the top ten as much as possible. He also said that he misses representing a sponsor, which was interesting because at times Steve has made reference to possibly having a sponsor locked up, but it sure didn't sound that way based on his comments.
One thing that Steve was very clear about is that he absolutely would consider taking a Cup ride. I was very happy to hear that because it had been said quite a few times over the past year or so that Steve had no interest in going back to Cup because he loved the Truck Series, with the more relaxed atmosphere and schedule, as well as how there were fewer obligations to sponsors and all. I understood why the Truck Series would appeal to him and other drives in that way, but it was always strange to me that he was so deadset against racing Cup again, even if it was a good ride. But Steve said that while he has turned down offers for Cup rides that were subpar, he would take a Cup ride that would give him the opportunity to race up front and win. I'm very happy to hear that! It's not that I'm desperate to see Steve race Cup again, it's just that I've always been under the impression that all racers want to race at the highest level possible against the best of their peers that they can. I would have been disappointed in Steve had he ruled out even considering a competitive Cup ride. Of course he will also be interested in offers for Busch or Truck rides as well, and I think it's more likely that is where he will end up if something happens for him.
I've mentioned previously how I've been a little disturbed that Steve's name hasn't come up in the silly season rumor mill at all so far, in spite of the fact that even drivers like Ward Burton, Bill Elliott or Ricky Rudd are being considered for full-time Cup rides. But not Steve. Claire brought up the very same issue to Steve and asked him whether he thought that he was being passed over for rides. He said that yes, he did feel that way, and that he felt like he was "cast out." As to what he attributes that to, he brought up something that I've long thought is a problem - that he may still be labeled as the guy that got hurt in relation to his accident. He also talked about something that's been a concern of mine every time the results aren't so great on the track, that it's a performance based sport and teams are looking at it as "what have you done for me lately?" Unfortunately there are many, and likely not just fans, who are unable to see beyond the hard, cold numbers of the stats to see how many good runs have been ruined by bad luck or that Steve has been in less than competitive cars and trucks the past few years. Based on what Steve said it sounded like after he won the truck race last season in California, he got some calls from teams, but the more time that passed and there weren't such great results, the less interest there was, which is to be expected.
One thing about Steve is that for the most part he usually has a positive attitude, at least publically. So it was a bit of a downer to hear this interview in which he was a lot more negative, or maybe realistic, about his situation. It's one thing for me, a fan, who is looking at things from the outside, not really knowing what's going on, to speculate that things might not work out for him in terms of a full-time ride this season. But it's something else entirely when it's Steve himself, talking about having a miserable season and being unemployed. That's just sad to hear. It makes things seem so "real." I want so much more for him. Through the years Steve has had to struggle with so many challenges. I had hoped that he was going to get a great new ride at Bill Davis Racing and that finally things were going to work out the way they should for him. But at least for now, it doesn't look like it's going to happen that way.
As I was driving home this evening after having listened to this, I started getting a little irked. Not by anything that Steve said per say, but rather about something that I've talked about before. When anonymous cowards show up on a message board, claiming to be "in-the-know" about what's going to definitely happen. Usually they rub it in people's faces that they know exactly how things are going to play out and how everyone else doesn't. Now to be clear, I have no problem with rumors. I read Jayski's daily and I enjoy speculating on the various possiblities about how things might play out. I also have no problem with someone repeating what they might have heard at a race from Steve, another driver or someone associated with a team, as long as it's put in the proper context and meant in good faith.
But what I do take issue with is when someone shows up and starts hinting at paint schemes or saying that Steve is definitely going to be taking Bill Lester's place in the #22 for sure, and then won't or can't provide any kind of sourcing or even basic information about who they are. I especially have a problem with it when they get obnoxious about it. Fact is, that at least for the moment, Steve has no idea about what his next full-time ride is going to be. So if he doesn't know for sure then there's NO WAY that anyone else knows for sure. What that means is that there's a lot that's been said as if it's fact that's absolute bullshit. Fact of the matter is that sometimes you can't even trust what the drivers themselves says as they will spin the truth to suit and agenda or say what they think fans or the sponsor want to hear, rather than what they actually think or what the truth might really be. I'm not saying Steve does this, simply that it pays to take everything with a grain of salt.
For now Steve's focus is going to be the #31 Whelen Busch car and he was very upbeat about the team and racing at Gateway on Saturday. Though the team is hard-working he knows that it's hard for a part-time team to compete, but he's going to do the best he can to try to get as close to a top ten, or even a win this weekend. I sure would like to see that happen!
Posted by silverdsl at 09:12 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2006
Harold Reynolds Fired From ESPN
When news first broke yesterday that Harold Reynolds had been fired suddenly after 11-years at ESPN, most people were shocked. After all, Reynolds had become extremely popular and well-respected for his baseball opinions on "Baseball Tonight" and elsewhere. More than a few New York Yankee fans wondered if there was any connection between his termination and how vocally supportive he was of Alex Rodriguez, since many feel that ESPN is biased against the Yankees. However, I thought it was unlikely that he was fired for anything he said and that it was more likely that something had happened behind the scenes that led to ESPN having to let him go. Unfortunately it appears that's the case.
Reynolds confirmed in an interview with the
Posted by silverdsl at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)
More Archeological Discoveries in Jamestown
Last week it was previously undiscovered archeological sites found in the waters off of Jamestown Island in Virginia, this week it's previously undiscovered artifacts found down a well on Jamestown Island itself. At the bottom of a 400-year old well, archeologists found a Scottish pistol, a man's shoe and a small lead plaque with someone's name on it. What's incredible is that other than Indian artifacts, these are some of the oldest things of this nature ever found in the United States, since it's estimated that they date all the way back to 1610.
Posted by silverdsl at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)
Boyd Gaming Sells South Coast Casino Back to Michael Gaughan
A while back, Michael Gaughan, who has long been involved in the casino business in Las Vegas, along with owning Orleans Racing in the Truck Series, merged his Coast Casinos properties with Boyd Gaming. Those properties included The Orleans, Barbary Coast, Suncoast, and South Coast casinos. The South Coast wasn't actually open when the two companies merged, as it only opened in December of 2005. As it turned out, although the casino opened with much fanfare, the performance of the South Coast has been less than expected. So as a result, Boyd Gaming is selling the South Coast back to Gaughan for an amount equal to the net proceeds from the sale of 15.8 million Boyd shares. As a result that will rid Gaughan of his entire stake in Boyd Gaming.
The casino was built for $583 million and the shares were worth $576.5 million at the close of business yesterday so I guess Gaughan got a good deal. He expects that South Coast will make $40 million this year and it says something about the profits that can be made in the casino business in Las Vegas if $40 million is considered disappointing. What I'm wondering about is whether Gaughan's sale of his stake in Boyd means that the Gaughan family will now have nothing to do with the other Coast Casino properties like The Orleans, or whether other family members have still retained shares in Boyd.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2006
Photo of the Day - Dead Fish
Jekyll Island, Georgia, July, 2006. I was perplexed by this. As I walked down to this beach, there were signs warning about how the water wasn't safe to swim in due to elevated bacteria levels, I think it was. In addition, there were a ton of dead fish just like this one all over the beach. Yet a lot of people were in the water fishing - I hope they weren't planning on eating anything they caught! Yuck!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
Changes to the #59 Team
In the past few weeks, HT Motorsports have had a lot of changes. A new driver - Chad Chaffin, a new crew chief - Danny Rollins, and a new sponsor for two races - Eaton Corporation. As a small team with limited resources it's hard for them to compete against some of larger, better-funded teams, particularly since they don't have a full-time primary sponsor or manufacturer support, but it is good to see them making some moves to try to improve rather than staying stagnant. Even that they've revamped their website over the past couple of months is a sign of a team that's doing all they can to survive and make their mark in the Truck Series.
I don't know what would have happened if Steve Park had stayed with the team. Maybe they would still have brought in a new crew chief now since this two-week break is a natural time for transistion. Maybe Eaton was always scheduled to sponsor the next two races in Indy and Nashville. However, it's unfortunate that none of this happened when Steve was a part of the team, because these are some of the kind of changes that can revitalize a team and lead to positive results on the track. Steve had some good runs in the #59, but since he had said that the team was one that was capable of winning, it would have been interesting to see what he could have done in the truck with more of the pieces for success in place. Of course they still have a long way to go and a lot of challenges to overcome before they get anywhere near Victory Lane, but they definitely seem like they're going to give it their all.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)
Tony Stewart Takes the Blame
I guess Tony's Stewart's PR people realized how much of a beating he was taking from fans for his actions in Sunday's race, as well as for his post-race comments, because a statement has been released in which Stewart takes responsibility for causing the wreck, something which he didn't do on Sunday, instead opting to shift the blame to as many other people as he could. But yesterday Stewart said,
"I'm taking 100 percent responsibility for the final incident that occurred on lap 32 between myself, the 07 [Bowyer] and the 99 [Edwards]. It was totally my fault."
Do I believe he means that? No, not after his post-race comments in which he complained bitterly about the way some of his fellow drivers, particularly the younger ones race him. He's made many similar comments in the past, sometimes on other occasions when he's trying to excuse his own actions. So I'm really doubting that he had a sudden change of heart in 24 hours. Of course that's assuming that Stewart actually even said the comments in that statement that are attributed to him and his PR people didn't write it for him. Either way it's likely just damage control.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:38 AM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2006
Photo of the Day - Aruba
Aruba, October, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
Michael Waltrip Still Looking For a Third Driver for #00
Or so he says. You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical that Michael Waltrip doesn't know who the driver of his third car is going to be next season considering he says that he hopes to make an announcement at Indy in two weeks. And he's talked more about Jeremy Mayfield the past two weeks than just about anyone else has, Evernham Motorsports included. From the article:
"He's somebody that we're definitely interested in and now that he's available," Waltrip said before smiling and saying, "Let me say that again: If he becomes available, then we definitely want to be the ones to have a chance to talk to him."
Michael doesn't slip up and say much accidentally so I'm pretty sure he knows that Jeremy is available. I'm also guessing that the talks with Jeremy might be of a little more substance than Michael has led everyone to believe. Especially in light of Michael's next comment from the article.
I guess Michael was asked about Elliott Sadler and how Elliott has said that he's talking to multiple teams now that he's been granted his release from Robert Yates Racing at the end of the season. Michael said,
"I think a lot of the deals probably are already done and people say stuff like that [they're looking] to lead y'all down [another] path. For sure, mine is not done. Hopefully soon."
There is no one else better, in my opinion, at manipulating the media and getting the message out that he wants than Michael. So I would say that it's a good bet that he's one of those people who are "looking to lead y'all down another path." Coincidentally back in April the headlines were "Waltrip: No Second Driver for MWR Yet" as he discussed having extended an offer to Dale Jarrett to drive for him. As it turned out the extent of the conversations between DJ and Michael were of a lot more substance than just a casaul "Will you consider driving for me?" And now the headlines are "Waltrip Still Looking for Third Driver" as Michael discusses Jeremy in every interview and on every TV show he's on. Hmm... It may not be a done, done deal, as I'm sure it's a complicated process getting Jeremy out of the remaining years on his contract with Evernham, but I'm kind of doubting that Michael would be this vocal about Jeremy unless he knew there was a very good chance that he was going to end up racing for him.
It should also be noted that other than a few vague comments in the weekly column that he and his wife do for Nascar.com about being in the rumor mill, Jeremy hasn't made a single public comment to clarify what his status is for 2007 and neither has Evernham Motorsports, as you think they might if there was no truth to the rumor that they were planning on replacing Jeremy with Elliott Sadler.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park Still Doesn't Have a Truck Ride
So the wait continues. It's been a month since it was accidentally posted on the HT Motorsports site that Steve Park would be leaving the #59 team because he got a ride at Bill Davis Racing. But at the moment there isn't even the smallest of credible rumors or hints to indicate this ride is actually going to happen anytime in the near future. Correction, there is someone at Steve Park Central who claims they heard that Steve will be in the #22 truck at Indy, but since their source is a Nascar chat room, you'll have to forgive me for not putting much weight into that. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for Steve to have a truck ride at Indy and I do think he is or was in the mix for a ride at BDR, otherwise that item on the HT Motorsports site would never have been posted, but I don't think it's a good sign for Steve that this much time has gone by from when he apparently thought it was a done deal to now without anything happening, at least to the point where an announcement that he would be racing at Indy could be made.
There's more than a few people who questioned the wisdom of Steve leaving the #59 team before he had a done deal with another team. Sometimes I find myself agreeing with those people because leaving the #59 team has left Steve sitting at home instead of racing the past few weeks. But on the other hand, Steve has to make the decisions that he feels are best for himself and at the time he must have thought that he had a done deal for a new ride. Of course as Steve has apparently found out, some deals are a lot more done than others, and until you have a signed contract (and I would guess sometimes even when you do) anything can happen and things can fall apart suddenly. I just feel bad for him that things haven't worked out the way he thought they would.
What really gets me is that Steve's name hasn't been mentioned, not once anywhere, ever, for any of the open Cup rides for next season. Not even for the second BDR Cup car! Now Steve has apparently said in the past that he's not keen on racing Cup again, but it really surprises me that his name hasn't even come up just in terms of wild speculation. It seems to me that if teams are trying to lure drivers like Ricky Craven off of Moosehead Lake, Ward Burton out of the depths of the woods of Virginia and Ricky Rudd away from his family, then Steve, who is still an active driver, who has some wins to his name in Cup should be in the mix as a possiblity for one of these rides. And maybe he is. For all I know, maybe some teams have been calling him and he's talking to one of them right this very moment. But there isn't too much that escapes mention in the rumor mill.
Steve is doing some racing this weekend though. He'll be in the #31 Whelen Busch car in St. Louis. You'll have to forgive me though for not exactly jumping up and down about that. Fact is, Steve's results this season in the Busch car have been... how shall I put it... less than what everyone would like, to be kind. His best finish was 29th at Las Vegas and he was involved in wrecks in three other races. Now it's completely out of his hands if a Sauter or two is going to run him over, but given that all four races haven't exactly been anything to write home about, you'll have to forgive me for not expecting much this weekend. Steve's luck is just so bad and the team he's with has so few resources in comparison to many of the others, that it seems likely that as usual anything that can go wrong, will go wrong for Steve. I guess I should look at it as at least he'll be racing, but it's kind of depressing that retired Darrell Waltrip, in his first Busch race in eleven years was on his way to a top 20 finish this past weekend in Martinsville before being spun by one of the Sauters and still ended up finishing better than Steve has all season (by one spot). I guess I should just be happy that Steve's going to be racing at all, but I think all my positive energy in that direction has been used up by just being happy that Michael Waltrip is able to qualify for races these days. I would really like to see some good things happen for both Michael and Steve this season on the track, but at least I know Michael has a very bright future starting next season with everything going on at Michael Waltrip Racing.
I'm trying to stay positive and hold out hope that this week or next we'll hear something about a truck ride for Steve for Indy. But I wouldn't be surprised if we don't.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
David Gilliland Being Courted by Yates?
In a sign of just exactly how thin the driver pool is to fill the Cup rides that are currently open, Robert Yates racing is not only looking at Ward Burton who has been retired from racing since 2004 and 19-year old Stephen Leicht who has just one Cup start under his belt, but they are also courting the suddenly very popular David Gilliland. I have no doubt that Gilliland is a talented driver, after all he won the Busch race in Kentucky earlier this season in an unsponored, part-time car. However the extent of Gilliland's experience in Nascar is limited to nine Busch starts, one Cup start and a truck start. Yet he might end up in the #38 car? If RYR ends up with Leicht and Gilliland in their cars I predict a lot of torn up sheet metal and poor finishes, not because they stink as drivers, but simply because I suspect that neither one has the experience they need to be competitive on the Cup level. On the plus side, from the limited amount of interviews that I've seen and heard from Gilliland, I do think he has some charisma so he would likely represent M&Ms well. In fact he showed up to an interview with Speed with a bag of M&Ms and said they were his favorite candy, perhaps trying to get on the good side of that candy's representatives.
Posted by silverdsl at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)
Driver by Driver: Pocono II
1. Denny Hamlin - Won Pocono I in June the hard way, had it much easier this time around. Denny was on the pole for this race and led 151 of 200 laps. Denny's second career Cup win, and I'm quite sure there will be many more to come, was certainly a dominating one.
2. Kurt Busch - Kurt is getting married during the upcoming off-weekend, but even some last minute problems that have caused changes to the wedding reception, didn't distract Kurt from racing his way into the runner's up spot yesterday. Other than when he finished 38th last week, Kurt hasn't finished outside the top ten since Dover on June 4. I think it will be difficult for him to make it into the Chase for the Championship but this team is certainly doing all they can to get in. A little bad luck for some of the other Chase contenders and some good luck for Kurt and it could happen.
3. Jeff Gordon - Sticks in 9th place in the standings with a top five. Had an issue in the pits with a lugnut that cost him track position, but he did a nice job of rebounding from that incident.
4. Brian Vickers - Also finished 4th in the June Pocono race. The results haven't been dreadful for Brian lately but they've not been spectacular either so this was a much needed strong finish.
5. Kevin Harvick - Great weekend for Kevin. Won the Busch race at Martinsville and then followed it up with a top five at Pocono. This is Kevin's third top five in a row, and his last finish outside the top ten was at Sonoma a month ago.
6. Jimmie Johnson - Actually hit an official on in his pit due to a miscommunication, but luckily the official wasn't injured. Jimmie isn't making as much noise as he was earlier in the season, but continues to reel off more good races than bad to hold on tight to the points lead. Has no DNFs so far this season. Just a really strong team that I think is going to be very hard to beat in the Chase.
7. Tony Stewart - Tony, Tony, Tony. As I discussed yesterday, I was less than thrilled with his behavior yesterday.He's very lucky that he was able to finish well enough to get back into Chase contention, because he could easily have wrecked himself and put his team in a deeper hole than they were in, if he had wrecked himself when he wrecked Bowyer and Edwards. But he promised his team that he would make it up to them and he did by finishing 7th. But given how good his car was, without the rough driving penalty, I have to wonder if he could have been battling his teammate for the win at the end.
8. Bobby Labonte - This is Bobby's best finish since all the way back in Pheonix in April. It was good to see that TV noticed how well he finished and interviewed him during the post-race show.
9. Jeff Burton - Further cements his 3rd place standing in the points with yet another top ten. I absolutely love seeing how well Jeff has been able to race this season! It shows that it's never really a good idea to write off any driver or team.
10. Martin Truex Jr. - Only his second top ten of the season, the only other one coming at Texas in the beginning of April. Given how underwhelming the results have been for this team so far this season, they should feel really good about this finish. Maybe they'll be able to use it to build some momentum and put together a string of solid finishes to give Truex some confidence.
11. J.J. Yeley - Good race for Yeley. Obviously Joe Gibbs Racing has this track figured out since not only did they field the race winner, but their other two cars also finished very well.
12. Kyle Busch - I believe this team also had a shock problem just like the #55 team. But somehow they only lost one lap instead of four, and were eventually able to make it up via the lucky dog to finish with a top 15.
13. Robby Gordon - Stayed out of trouble this week. This is actually Robby's best finish since May, when he also finished 13th at Darlington.
14. Matt Kenseth - Ran towards the front for most of the race, but was blocked in on a late pit stop by the #10 which caused Matt to lost track position and he was never really able to recover. The results haven't been horrible by any means, but this team seems to be scuffling a little in comparision to how well they were running earlier in the season.
15. Ken Schrader - Really good finish for this team considering how much they've struggled this season, everywhere except Daytona. Michael "Fatback" McSwain moved out of a shop role onto the pit box for this race and it might very well be what made the difference. It's always going to be difficult for single-car teams to compete with the multi-car teams but I do think that they should be capable of better results than what they've gotten this season. Though being with this team must seem wonderfu to Ken in comparsion to when he was with the #49.
16. Dave Blaney - Suddenly this team is looking much improved since this was their third top 20 finish in a row. I hope they share some of those improvements with the #55 team. I have no idea what Dave was thinking when he ran Junior over though.
17. Joe Nemechek - I wonder what the future of this team is. The results have been really putrid for the Army car this season. Not only does Joe not have a single top ten, he only has one top fifteen and that came back at Las Vegas in March. If they don't make any changes this season, I can't see them keeping the status quo with this team for next season.
18. Ryan Newman - Started from the pole and led eight laps but a penalty for speeding on pit road with only 50 laps to go, cost Ryan a lot of track position and he was never able to recover.
19. Mark Martin - Since Pocono I in June, this team has really started to trail off. Not to the point to where they've dropped out of the Chase, but Mark could certainly use a few strong finishes in a row to cement his place in the Chase.
20. Jamie McMurray - There was a pit road speeding penalty to contend with, but I'm not sure what else might have caused yet another mediocre race for Jamie. He will get to keep Bob Osbourne as his crew chief, but so far even he hasn't been able to work too much magic for Jamie.
21. Tony Raines - Again this team meets their goal of getting as many top 20 finishes as possible in their first season.
22. Scott Riggs
23. Casey Mears
24. Greg Biffle - A 24th place finish was not what Greg needed as it dropped him out of the top ten in points to 12th. This is a team that is strong enough to rebound and get back into the Chase, but given their early season struggles, there isn't much margin for error... or for ill-handling race cars which was the problem for Greg during this race.
25. Terry Labonte - I'm surprised that Terry was even able to finish 25th since the #44 is usually such a non-contender, probably because Hendrick Motorsports uses it mostly for R&D purposes, which often doesn't lead to good finishes.
26. Reed Sorenson
27. Travis Kvapil
28. Dale Jarrett - Stayed out when other teams pitted to lead a few laps, but it was mostly to give the sponsor some exposure since DJ had no chance of staying out front. I think this race is a sign of just how far Robert Yates Racing has fallen since DJ was the top finishing of all three RYR cars.
29. David Stremme - Couldn't follow up his best career finish in Cup from last week with another strong finish. I think Stremme definitely has shown some improvement from early in the season when he looked like he was completely over his head, but I'm still not convinced that he's going to be a success in Cup.
30. Sterling Marlin - Brake problems ruined his day.
31. Kasey Kahne - Kasey was having a fairly decent, if unspectacular day, but with ten laps to go something went amiss in the engine. Kasey's lucky that he was able to finish the race. Lost a spot in the points and with how many other good teams are looking to get into the Chase, this team needs to be sure that they don't lose any more ground in the points.
32. Elliott Sadler - Found a poorly handling car all race. Now that Elliott's officially out of the #38 at the end of this season, I'm not expecting the results for this team to be too stellar.
33. Stephen Leicht - The finish was poor, but really this has to be considered a success for Stephen since he stayed out of trouble in his first-ever Cup start.
34. Kevin Lepage - Hard to believe but the results are actually better for the #49 with Lepage in the car. Not that they're very good either, but that's to be expected from a one-car team with so few resources. They're just lucky when they can qualify for races and finish.
35. Jeff Green - I'm not sure what happened here but this is usually a top 25 team so they must have had some issue.
36. Jimmy Spencer - The #78 team thought they were going home after qualifying but it turned out the #61 car was too low and their time was disqualified. Since they weren't locked in by virtue of owner's points, that meant they were going home and Jimmy and the #78 team got to race. Made it to the end and was only one lap down.
37. Jeremy Mayfield - Made it to the end of the race but it was another putrid finish. The post-race report said that handling problems were the issue, but this team shouldn't out-run by the #78. Or by a driver making his first Cup start ever. It's a complete mystery to me why this team is this bad this season since they have full manufacturer support, a primary sponsor and are part of an organization that is otherwise pretty strong. Yeah, there's the whole crew swap to take into consideration, but that shouldn't have made them this bad. Also ran over potential future owner, Michael Waltrip on a restart. If it's true that he might race for Michael next season that was a pretty big oopsie.
38. Scott Wimmer - Blew a tire late in the race.
39. Carl Edwards - His car was damaged in the incident between Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart and matters were made worse after the rough driving penalty for retaliating against Tony on pit road. Inexcusable in my book to be going after another driver on pit road.
40. Michael Waltrip - I discussed the woes of this team at length yesterday, but needless to say a broken shock made an already bad day even worse.
41. Clint Bowyer - His day was pretty much done after Tony Stewart wrecked him. I'm sure he was no less angry with Tony than Carl was but instead of lashing out, Clint just kept on racing and kept his mouth shut after the race too when everyone would have understood if he had harsh words for Tony.
42. Kyle Petty - Wrecked.
43. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Wrecked by Dave Blaney and then the engine eventually went after his crew made repairs to get him back on the track. A very costly race for Junior because it dropped him to 11th in the points and out of the Chase. While this is a strong team that is capable of finishing extremely well on any track, as I've said before I'm not sure this is a Championship team for a variety of reasons so I don't think it's a lock they will be in the Chase when it's all said and done.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2006
Photo of the Day - Cool Clouds
Sea Island, Georgia. July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
The Old Tony Stewart Resurfaces
Tony Stewart is an outstanding race car driver, but he also has a terrible temper and it got him into trouble today. It was only because of his awesome talent behind the wheel and the fact that his cars are among the best in the garage that he didn't hurt his chances for making the Chase for the Championship. Stewart couldn't control his temper and lashed out at Clint Bowyer, who he felt wasn't giving him enough space, to the point where he might have wrecked. I can understand why he might be upset with aggressive driving, but the appropriate response is not to be overly aggressive himself and use his car as a weapon. Two wrongs, most certainly don't make a right, particularly when they're going over 150 miles per hour! That almost never turns out good and certainly didn't for Bowyer or Carl Edwards who both ended up getting wrecked. Completely inexcusable. Nascar gave Stewart a one-lap rough driving penalty, but he was easily able to make the lap up. As for as I'm concerned he should have been parked for far more than one lap.
As should Edwards have been when he deliberately spun Tony as they were entering pit road for pit stops under caution. It's bad enough to use a car as a weapon under any circumstances, but in my book a hundred times worse on pit road when it's not only the drivers who could be injured if something goes wrong, but any number of pit crew members and other bystanders in the pits. Edwards also recieved a rough driving penalty, but I hope that Nascar is seriously considering penalizing him further, because there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of behavior on pit road. What's even worse is that Edwards didn't even bother trying to deny it after the race. I guess he figured that as usual he could just smile big and everyone would forgive him. Edwards said that he was careful to spin Tony to the right away from the pits, but he shouldn't have spun him at all, no matter how angry he was!
What's also inexcusable are some of the post-race comments. Edwards for one threatened to beat Stewart up, saying,
"I've got to choose my words carefully -- if it weren't for the respect of the sport and the people watching and his team, he'd be out there bleeding right now. That's so frustrating. How can a person make it this far in life being such a jerk?''
Drivers can't be threatening to do physical harm to each other, no matter how entertaining the fans might find it. But I think I can answer Edwards's question as it relates to Stewart. When someone has as much talent as Stewart does they have many people around them who are willing to cover up for them and make excuses for their inappropriate behavior and personality faults.
Stewart also went on a major rant after the race, during which he took absolutely no responsibility for his actions, despite having caused several cars to wreck. Instead he tried to put the blame squarely on Bowyer.
"Four guys ended up having a bad day because one guy couldn't be a little patient and use a little give-and-take. There is only a handful of guys that don't get it but the problem that they are in good race cars and they don't run up front enough to learn from the rest of us how to race up front.''
Cry me a river. It takes two to tango, and Stewart was very much willing to not give any himself, which is exactly what happend last week with Ryan Newman. Instead of just giving Bowyer the finger and moving on, Stewart opted to wreck him and that can't be happening. It's particularly ridiculous in light of Stewart's comments prior to the first race of the season at Daytona, where he said that aggressive driving could potentially lead to injury or worse. Why isn't it okay for other drivers to be overly aggressive but it's perfectly fine for him?
Thing is that a lot of fans are going to excuse Stewart's behavior and say that it shows how competitive he is and how much he cares about racing. And they'll also point out how wonderful he is for being able to race his way back from the penalty to finish in the top ten. Meanwhile had Kurt or Kyle Busch done what Stewart did, fans would be calling for them to be banned for life from Cup.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:28 PM | Comments (0)
Is Michael Waltrip Ever Going to Catch a Break?
Week after week it's the same story - the #55 is such a piece of junk that Michael Waltrip is only just barely able to qualify for races, let alone actually race. Then on top of that there's usually some sort of mechanical gremlin, and then maybe even a tangle with another driver to ruin his day even further. And if that's all not bad enough listening to the team communciation over the radio is painful! All of it adds up to miserable race after miserable race. If I'm sick of this garbage week after week, I can only imagine how horribly frustrating and depressing it is for Michael! Of course this week was no different than any other.
Today at Pocono, it seemed as if the car wasn't quite as lousy as it has been at some races, but Jeremy Mayfield getting into Michael on a restart and particularly a broken shock late in the race took care of any hope that Michael might be able to get even a top 30 finish. By the time the race ended, Michael was in 40th place, five laps down. I guess I should be happy because he didn't DNF - that could easily have happened after he got into the wall after the Mayfield incident or when the shock went bad. Michael's team did a nice job of fixing the car and making sure that he could continue the race. But that was just about the only good thing from this race.
So far this season, there's been spark plug issues, multiple occassions in which Michael has lost his brakes, mysterious electrical problems, engine issues and now the broken shock. Every single team experiences mechanical issues, but why is this team having so many?Of course even if the cars weren't falling apart, the #55 is usually so slow that even a drunk tortoise could practically out run it! What's really bothering me is that the past few weeks the #22 team of Dave Blaney has been improving, why isn't the #55 team also improving? Presumably the cars that Michael is getting from Bill Davis Racing are the same as those that Blaney is getting... or are they? BDR doesn't own the #55 team, Michael does. There is a contractual agreement where BDR provides cars, engines, equipment and personnel, but the #55 isn't really a BDR team. But of that agreement, Michael is locked into using whatever BDR gives him, which to say the least appears to be some of the worst cars on the track. And his crew can't seem to do anything to improve them.
Oh, the crew. I'm quite sure that every member of the #55 team is hard-working. I can't imagine that anyone on pit road doesn't take pride in, and give a huge amount of effort towards, doing the best job that they possibly can. However, the members of the #55 crew know they won't be working with Michael in 2007 because he will be hiring his own crew members who work directly for Michael Waltrip Racing. So I think that may change the attitude and the way they view the #55 and Michael. It's not just that they won't be working with Michael, but the whole #55 team won't be affiliated with BDR next season. Does that mean that Michael's crew are sloppy or that the mechanical issues and lousy cars are their fault? No! But I don't think it helps because there isn't as much motivation to fix the problems that face this team, particularly since they are so far back in the points, without too much hope of advancing too much higher.
Another problem is that Michael is on his third crew chief, fourth, if one counts Larry Carter sitting on the pit box for a race or two. I don't see how the team can develop much momentum or develop a rapport which each other when there doesn't seem to be a permanent crew chief. I suppose Michael is trying out various crew chiefs who he might hire at MWR, but so far not a single one of them seems to be able to do a thing with the junk cars that Michael is getting from BDR. And all of them pale in comparison to Tony Eury, Jr., who not only gave Michael outstanding cars last year at DEI, but also had terrific communication with him. How I wish Tony, Jr. was still working with Michael! though I'm not even sure that he could work enough magic to give these horrible cars any speed.
I'm just about ready to lose my mind listening to the awful communciation over the radio! At times the communication has seemed better, but sooner or later the old problems seem to resurface, and needless to say it sounds very rocky over the radio. It was especially bad today because there was a new spotter, whose style clashed with what Michael wanted. I'm sorry, but there's a new spotter - was there any kind of meeting this weekend to discuss how things should go during the race? Maybe they just don't do things like that, but it was frustrating to listen to, and not pleasant to listen to Michael being so hard on his spotter.
The poor communication between Michael and his crew chiefs (and now his spotter) for virtually this entire season is one of the most aggrivating things to me because I think it's a one of the roadblocks to them getting better. How are they truely supposed to come up with a game plan for making the car better during races or addressing problems that crop up when they can't seem to communicate well with each other? With most teams the crew chief is the quarterback, with the driver giving input into the decisions that are made. But ultimately it's most often the crew chief making most of the final decisions. Not with the #55 team. It's often Michael driving, giving input, making calls and really trying to do it all, when he needs to just be able to trust his crew chief. The problem is that this is simply Michael's way - he has a strong personality and I'm not sure how easy it's going to be for him to be less dominating... unless he has Tony, Jr. back, which isn't going to happen. Of course there's also the problem that Michael isn't just the driver, but also the owner of the team, which makes things even more difficult because it probably prevents whoever his crew chief d'jour is from being too assertive, since Michael is the boss.
All of these issues, and likely a whole host of other things that the fans haven't been made privvy to, has made for an awful season for Michael and I see very little hope of it getting significantly better. This team struggles to finish 30th on a good day, how can I possibly expect them to get the top 15's and better that will help Michael get back into the top 35 in owner points? And a win? Maybe if the other 42 cars wreck! This isn't a reflection on Michael's abilities behind the wheel - I believe strongly in his ability to race up front and win if he has a competitive car - but the #55 has most certainly not been anything close to being competitive at any point this season.
One of the worst things is that a lot of people are just assuming that Michael sucks as a driver, rather than seeing the reality which is that the cars are crap, there have been a whole host of mechanical issues, and that's when asshats like Robby Gordon aren't brake-checking him, causing him to DNF. Michael is upbeat for the most part in interviews, but privately this has to be extremely difficult on him. Not just because of the poor results this season, but also because he was hoping to have a solid foundation for next season, when the results will be far more important. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of stress and pressure he's under, and how difficult all of this is to handle. I really feel so bad for him. All I can hope for is that somehow, someway, things will get better, even if it's only a little bit, not because it's frustrating for me as a fan, but because I dearly want things to get easier for Michael for his sake.
Posted by silverdsl at 05:51 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006
Robert Yates Responds and it's Not Pretty
Elliott Sadler had kind words for Robert Yates and everyone at Robert Yates Racing today when he addressed the media but he might be regretting that now after he reads what Yates said about him and others. I have to say that after reading this article on Nascar.com it's very clear why Dale Jarrett and Sadler are leaving RYR, as well as UPS. This is a sinking ship. Instead of taking the slightest bit of blame for the sad shape that his organization is in, Yates lists a laundry list of other people and entities who he feels are at fault.
He feels it's Michael Waltrip and Toyota's fault for offering Jarrett a deal too good to pass up. I have no doubt that they did give Jarrett an excellent deal. But perhaps if RYR was an organization where Jarrett felt he could finish his career on a good note, where he might add to his win total and possibly be in the Chase, maybe he would still be in the #88. Maybe if Yates had ensured that the #88 was a competitive ride this season, it would have given UPS hope for the future and they would have stuck with RYR instead of following Jarrett to MWR. That both Jarrett and UPS are willing to take a risk with a brand-new team and manufacturer, where there is no guarantee of success, rather than stay with an established organization where they got eight wins together, speaks volumes to me about the sad state of affairs at RYR. That is not Michael or Toyota's fault.
Yates went on to say that Sadler started thinking about leaving last season when he found out how much money Jamie McMurray got to change teams,
"When Jamie McMurray told him how much money he was going to make he's been strung out since then. It's got him so unfocused. That's just my opinion. I'm sure he doesn't feel that way, but that's when I noticed it."
Unbelievable! Yates is implying that Sadler is greedy and that the only reason that he's leaving is because he wants more money. Futhermore, he's accusing Sadler of being so distracted by dreams of how much money he might make, that he was unable to fully concentrate on racing. I think that Yates is entitled to his own opinions about the reasons why Sadler might be leaving, but to actually vocalize it to the media? Ridiculous and insulting. Show some respect to a driver who has been nothing but courteous towards you publically.
It stands in stark contrast to Sadler's comments this afternoon where he praised everyone at RYR, including Robert and Doug Yates, and spoke of his committment to working as hard as he can for the remainder of the season to get the best results possible in the #38. In addition, Sadler has spoke more than once earlier this season about how focused he was on the #38 and trying to turn their season around. Of course drivers say things they don't mean all the time, but given how strongly Sadler spoke at times, I have a hard time believing that he was as unfocused due to monetary concerns as Yates says he was. If Sadler was preoccupied with something, I'd guess it was how poor his season has been. Race car drivers are intensely competitive and this season has to have been incredibly frustrating for Sadler, to have not been able to get anywhere near the results that he knows he's capable of. That's more likely what's been on his mind.
Former general manager, Eddie D'Hondt, who was fired several months ago, doesn't escape Yates's ire either. Yates blames D'Hondt for the "out" clause that gave Sadler, and RYR, a way to break the contract if the team didn't perform. I suspect that many other driver's contracts also have similar clauses, but Yates says,
"I didn't like the contract. It wasn't written by a professional."
Hello! You are the owner - if you don't like the contract, then have it done differently! And it's amazing to me that in this day and age, when lawyers are involved in absolutely everything, that a contract can be signed by either party that is any way unprofessional. In fact, I have a hard time believing it.
Yates also refers to philisophical differences with D'Hondt, which he says led to D'Hondt being fired. What are those differences? Well, for one, D'Hondt, wanted to do what virtually every single other large organization does - develop young drivers in lower series! As if that's a bad thing! Yates says,
"He wanted to pretty much follow Jack Roush's deal. The difference between Jack and myself is he could do numbers. I'm a one-track mind and he's a multiple-track deal. I can't focus on so many different things."
If he can't focus on multiple things at the same time, then how is he an owner? He's got multiple teams, multiple drivers, multiple sponsors, etc... But more than that, it boggles my mind that he was against developing young talent. Particularly since one reason RYR is screwed right now is because they don't have young drivers who are ready to move up from a lower series seemlessly into the vacancies they now have. Oh sure, they have Stephen Leicht, but he's 19-years old and I highly doubt that he is anywhere ready to race Cup full-time in 2007. It is absolutely essential for organizations to have driver development programs and work with young drivers so they are prepared for the future and don't get caught with their pants down when a driver (or two) leaves for another organization. I would guess that is one of the differences as to how to achieve success for the organization that Sadler referred to this morning.
I'd guess that another difference is the lack of a large engineering program as compared to other organizations. RYR has only six engineers, as compared to 15-20 for other organizations. Jarrett noted that this was one concern he had, and I would agree that presents a problem. As much as some who are "old school" might be resistent, engineers are absolutely essential to success in this sport. With only six engineers, it doesn't seem like that area isn't a priority at RYR. I'm sure the engineers they do have work hard, but I doubt that they can do as much as organizations with twice as many engineers. Until RYR gets their engineering program up to speed with everyone else's, which in all fairness isn't always easy because it costs money, I think they will continue to struggle - increasingly teams are relying more and more on engineers to guide their efforts and there is no way of getting around that.
Darrell Waltrip agrees that RYR is in bad shape. He apparently said that losing Jarrett and Sadler means that RYR's Cup program is beyond repair, which may be a little extreme, but might not be all that far off the mark as losing two drivers and a primary sponsor is a major blow. Yates was not pleased with D.W. He said,
"He don't have to say that I'm never going to fix it. He can say I suck. He can report the facts. But he can bite my ass when he says I'll never get it fixed."
First of all, isn't saying that he sucks as bad or worse than saying that his program is beyond repair? Secondly, D.W., whether he's correct or not, has the right to his own opinions. And I have to agree with D.W. - until RYR gets with the times, realizes the value of driver development, why it's important for there to be an emphasis on engineering and addresses the other issues they have in a way that is in keeping with the way the sport has advanced, then I don't see how they can possibly get strong results. The fact of the matter is that other teams have passed them by and the longer they go without updating their organizational philosophy, the harder it may be for them to catch up.
What really gets me though is that Yates spent a lot of time blaming others for the failings of RYR. But he leaves out the one person who is ultimately responsible - himself. As owner, he allowed his organization to get to a place where two drivers and a sponsor walked out the door. the blame for those things falls on his shoulders. As owner, he needs to find a way to elevate RYR back into an organization that fields cars that can win races and compete for Championships. But I'm not sure that he's going to be able to do it.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:01 PM | Comments (0)
Michael to Spot for D.W. in Tomorrow's Busch Race?
I ask that as a question because I'm not quite sure if D.W. was joking or not when he said that Michael is going to be his spotter in tomorrow's Busch race at Martinsville. D.W. said,
"He's got to come back from Pocono and he's going to spot for me. If I get in trouble, you'll know why."
If D.W. was serious, I would love to know what Michael thinks about spotting for his brother and watching the race from that perspective. I wonder if it helps a driver at in terms of his communication with his spotter and in understanding what goes through a spotter's mind during a race, if he spots himself or at least sees a race from up where the spotters are?
Posted by silverdsl at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)
Elliott Sadler Speaks
Last night I was going to write an entry in jest with my predictions about what Elliott Sadler would say when he met with the media today. I never got around to it, but I wish I did because I would be looking a little like Nostradamous today! Since no team had an announcement scheduled for today, I figured that Elliott would say that he hadn't signed a deal for a new ride yet, regardless of what the reality is, and I was correct about that, although Elliott says that he is talking to multiple teams. I also figured that Elliott would bend over backwards to speak highly of Robert Yates Racing - and he did. Almost every driver speaks well of the organization that they're leaving, even if they think they are headed downhill fast, or in Elliott's case if they and their former team "disagree on the direction the sport is going in." The only thing that I would have guessed last night is that Elliott would talk about this being a mutual decision, whereas today his comments indicated that is was pretty much his decision to leave RYR. Of course making these kind of predictions is pretty easy for anyone, since often the drivers (and teams) say the same things whenever there's a personnel change.
I think what was most interesting to me about Elliott's comments was how much he kept going back to his reason for leaving, that he and Robert Yates had a difference of opinion about the direction the sport was heading in and what it was going to take to make the organization successful. He said,
“I just think it’s a difference of opinion. All of you are media, but you all do it different ways also. It’s like each race team – we’re all here racing but we all do it in different types of ways. It’s not that one way is bad and one way is good, it’s just that everybody has a difference of opinion. I’m not gonna sit here and say that my way is the right way and somebody else’s way is the wrong way. I think Doug and Robert are doing good things at their shop. They’re making a lot of commitments to a lot of people to turn their shop and their race teams around and get it back to the old Robert Yates Racing, but sometimes people just don’t agree on things. It doesn’t make one right or wrong. It doesn’t make this person a bad person or the other person a bad person, it’s just sometimes you don’t agree on which way you think the sport is heading. We just have a difference of opinion on that. We tried to work through it and it didn’t work out."
In some regards Elliott makes it sound very basic - we had a difference of opinion, so we parted ways. But I think a difference of opinion about the direction an organization is headed in is something pretty major, particularly in light of the fact that he's not the only one who had some concerns about where RYR was going in the future, given the recent departures of Dale Jarrett and UPS as well.
Elliott didn't detail just exactly what the differences between himself and Yates were. But I would guess that he must have had some questions about whether the moves they were planning on making were ones that would really improve the performance of the car to the point where he was going to regularly contend for wins and potentially win a Championship. Because that is what this sport is all about, particularly for a driver of Elliott's caliber. I'm guessing that Elliott won't have too much trouble finding a team that shares his philosphy about the direction the sport is headed in, but I have to wonder how easily RYR is going to find drivers, and a sponsor, who share their vision. It was bad enough when >Dale Jarrett left, but that could be chalked up to a veteran driver looking for one more challenge before he retired or that a Toyota team lured him away with a lot of money. But when Elliott leaves and says very clearly that it's because of the direction the organization is headed in, I think that sends a message, and not a very good one, about what's going on at RYR.
Of course there has been much said about Elliott going to the #19. But according to what he said today, he doesn't have a new ride and is still in the process of talking to teams. Elliott mentioned that once it became known that his services were going to be available for next season his phone was ringing off the hook with calls from interested teams and as it turns out there are going to be more seats available than anyone knows right now. My sense is that Elliott might have had a team in mind that he was going to sign with, but after getting all these phone calls from teams who he didn't know had openings, he decided that it might be a better idea to wait and listen to a few more offers. He said,
"I actually did not know that there were that many seats available for next year until this week, so now I’m kind of re-thinking my thought process and what I think I need to do to get in a really good race car."
That's smart because by talking to all of these teams he can ensure that he gets the best deal possible for the most competitive ride that's available. And make no mistake - unless a driver like Jimmie Johnson or Dale Earnhardt, Jr. becomes available, which isn't happening, Elliott is the hottest commodity in the garage area right now and will have his choice of some very good rides.
I think Elliott is in an excellent position in comparison to a lot of drivers who find themselves looking for a new ride. Some drivers have to worry about things like whether their performance is good enough in comparision to what the team is looking for, whether the sponsor thinks their marketable enough and so many other factors that are out of their control. But what team wouldn't want Elliott? He's young, he's extremely marketable, he's got a huge fanbase, he's got an engaging personality, he's extremely fan-friendly, he would represent any sponsor well, and most importantly he's shown he can get results when he has a good racecar. So the decision of where he ends up is very much in his hands, because he will likely end up with a number of good offers to choose from, as compared to some drivers who might end up with multiple offers, but they aren't always with great teams.
As for where Elliott is actually going to end up, well, I'd say that where there's smoke there's usually fire, so there's probably something to the rumors of him going to the #19. That doesn't mean he's going to ultimately end up there, but I'd guess that's one of the teams that Elliott is talking to. I still see him as a better fit for Red Bull Racing and I'd love to see him at Michael Waltrip Racing, but I suspect that he's going to end up with an established organization. Where ever he goes, I just hope he will get to race up front a lot more often than he's been able to do this season.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2006
Photo of the Day - Lake George
Lake George, New York, June, 2006. A couple of weekends ago, Jim and I visited Lake George for the day with Jim's mother who doesn't live too far away. It was fun to visit but I wasn't overly impressed. Maybe I'm just not as into lakes as I am the ocean but I can't see myself going there on vacation, though I know many people do and have a great time.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)
Nascar Says No to Split Screens
When fans watch IRL racing on TV they never miss a lap, even during commericals, because the TV networks that broadcast the races use split screen technology, where a small screen in one corner displays the race during the commerical breaks. This means that fans never miss lead changes, wrecks or any other important events. Contrast that with Nascar race coverage, where TV often doesn't even get back in time from a commercial break for the restart of a race after a caution, let alone lead changes or other incidents on the track. So most fans are very much in favor of split screen technology for Nascar races, so they too won't miss any action. However, Nascar has said in no uncertain terms, that ABC/ESPN is not to use it when they take over broadcasts in 2007. Why? Well, Nascar's spokesperson mentions that they don't feel that it would be in the best interests of the fans, but I think they are more concerned with how their advertisers feel about split screens than the fans.
I have mixed feelings about split screens. On one hand, I think it would be a good idea when there are commerical breaks during green flag racing. As much as Nascar says that TV does a good job of getting back quickly and not missing the action, the reality is that they do, way too often. Fans shouldn't miss restarts but it happens all the time. That's when a split screen could help, because there would never have to be any concerns about missing a restart, or any other important green flag action for that matter. But do I really think it's necessary to have a split screen during caution? Not really. There usually isn't much that goes on during a caution that can't wait until the commerical break is over.
In addition, most fans are saying that a split screen would keep them in front of the TV, even for the commericals, instead of getting up to do something else as they often do during commercial breaks. But would it really? Fans are going to want to use the bathroom, get things from the kitchen or just get up to stretch their legs. I'm guessing they would still opt to do that during commerical breaks, when the action on the track is reduced to just a small screen, rather than when the race broadcast itself is on.
Many fans are slamming Nascar for not caring about what the fans want. But the reality is that like it or not, sponsors, who are often the same companies advertising during races, are extremely important to the continued success of the sport. I can't imagine that there are going to be too many advertisers who are going to be overly thrilled with the idea of their commericals being smaller than full-size. So as much as Nascar needs to keep the needs of the fans in mind, they also need to make the sponsors/advertisers happy as well, maybe even more so in some cases.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
Elliott Sadler Will Drive For Another Team in 2007
There have been a lot of rumors floating around all season that Elliott Sadler was looking to find a new ride for 2007 and leave the #38 that he currently drives for Robert Yates Racing. Those rumors picked up speed last week when it was reported that Elliott had a deadline this weekend by which he had to tell RYR what his intentions were, all of which culminated in another rumor that indicated that he was going to take Jeremy Mayfield's place in the #19 at Evernham Motorsports. Apparently, in spite of Elliott's denials not long ago and his other comments that indicated that he was planning on staying at RYR, there was some truth to those rumors after all. It was announced today by RYR that Elliott had asked for, and was granted, his release at the end of the 2006 season. As of the writing of this post, there is no word on who Elliott will end up racing for in 2007, but I'd guess that there will likely be an annoucement soon.
I think this is going to be tremendously upsetting for many of Elliott's fans. A lot of fans in general have trouble with drivers changing organizations, because it seems that many view it as being disloyal, even if the organization they're currently with is in shambles, like RYR is and it's in the driver's best interest to leave. Fans also look at things from a practical standpoints - they've often invested a huge amount of money in clothing and other merchandise that is going to be outdated a lot sooner than they'd like. I don't buy a lot of driver clothing and merchandise to begin with, but when I do I'm more drawn to things that just have the driver's name on it or at most their number so if their are changes I don't feel silly continuing to wear the shirt or jacket. Of course the reality is that there is no shame in wearing clothes that are associated with a driver's old team because wearing clothing with an old number is still showing support to a favorite driver and it speaks to continued support. But everyone wants to feel "current."
There are other issues as well. At a recent fan club meeting that took place probably only two months ago at most, Elliott indicated that he would be staying at RYR. Of course no driver can openly say that they are talking to other teams when they are still under contract to their current team. But most fans believe that when a driver says something, that is the absolute, final truth, even though drivers are just as prone to spin things or say what fans want to hear, as much as anyone else in the garage area. I'd like to think that the drivers say the real deal more often than not, but I also understand that sometimes it's difficult to be completely upfront and honest. Some fans have difficulty with this. It's almost as if they feel betrayed when what a drivers says isn't what ends up happening. But in this sport things can change very quickly and it's not always possible for the drivers to speak their minds fully and openly.
That's not to say that Elliott wasn't telling the truth at the fan club meeting about staying at RYR - at that point in time he might have really thought he was going to stay. But I've noticed all along that Elliott has given himself a lot of wiggle room by saying that he intended on staying at RYR or that his focus was on the #38, rather than saying that he was definitely, absolutely staying at RYR. And when he said he hadn't talked to other teams, he might not have personally, but his business manager sure could have been doing a lot of listening and talking. The fact of that matter is that RYR is an organization in turmoil, and even if he was going to end up staying, I think it was in Elliott's best interests to listen to what other opportunities other teams were offering, especially if some of those teams might offer him a better chance of regularly getting to Victory Lane than RYR. Elliott needs to do what's best for himself, even if it might not be exactly what his fans want him to do.
I think this is a huge blow to RYR. Since Dale Jarrett has also announced he is leaving RYR at the end of the season to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing, RYR now has to find two new drivers for their Cup cars, plus a sponsor to replace UPS. Although RYR is an organization with more resources than PPI or Morgon-McClure Motorsports, losing two drivers, somewhat unexpectantly, plus a major sponsor, is pretty much a disaster. Especially when one considers that they also fired their general manager, Eddie D'Hondt, earlier this season. While RYR will surely do everything they can to get their organization back on it's feet and field competitive cars, I have to wonder how it's going to look to potential replacement sponsors, or drivers for that matter, that both of their drivers fled for other teams in the same year, one going so far as to use an "out" clause in his contract, rather than finish out the remainder of the contract. That Elliott used that "out" clause speaks to his lack of confidence that RYR could provide him with opportunities to succeed in comparision to other teams. It's impossible to predict what's going to happen, but I think it may be tough going for RYR for the rest of this season and into 2007.
At the moment, I don't know where Elliott is going to end up, but wherever it might be, I hope that he's happy and that he is able to race up front a lot more than he is now!
Posted by silverdsl at 11:50 AM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2006
Photo of the Day - Rainbow
Rainbow over houses in New Jersey. July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
I wish I had more to say but I've really not been feeling so good today. :(
Posted by silverdsl at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
Cape May's Washington Street Mall Creates Controversy
No visit to Cape May is complete without a visit to the downtown area's shopping district, the Washington Street Mall. But the three-block, outside pedestrian mall, is in need of some repairs to cracked concrete, improved drainage and some overall sprucing up. In a town that is so dependant on tourist dollars, it would seem a no-brainer that the repairs and upgrades be done, particularly since there have been numerous lawsuits against the town from people who tripped and fell on the sidewalks. In fact the city council approved bond ordanances of $7.5 million to fund the repairs, as well as other projects around the city, including a new fire truck. Sounds great right? Only problem is that local residents balked at the potential cost to them and an ensuing petition forced it to be placed on a ballot for a binding referendum, which means that if it doesn't pass, no improvements to the Washington Street Mall and no new fire truck. Which would be unfortunate, but that's often the way it goes - anything that might involve higher taxes is a hard sell.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2006
Photo of the Day - Sculpture
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ. May, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:22 PM | Comments (0)
Ricky Craven to Race for Fitz-Bradshaw Racing
When I heard that Ricky Craven was working on a deal to be in a Busch car for the race at Martinsville, somehow I had a feeling that it would end up being for Fitz-Bradshaw Racing, and it is. There's been a revolving door in their cars this season so it wasn't any stretch to imagine that they might try someone else. It's only for one race but Craven will be behind the wheel of the #14 Family Dollar Dodge, and I'm sure his many fans who have been waiting anxiously on pins and needles to hear some sort of announcement about a ride for him, are thrilled. It may be only one race but at least he will be back on the track and maybe it will open the door to something more regular for Craven.
Sometimes I think that Ricky Craven fans and Steve Park fans are in the same boat when it comes to their driver. There have been rumors for a long time and comments from Craven and Steve that indicate that there's the possiblity of a solid, full-time ride on the horizon. But so far nothing concrete has surfaced. Of course things have been even harder for Craven fans since he's not had any kind of ride until now this season, whereas Steve was in the #59 truck for ten races. Craven has said that he wanted to race at Martinsville as a possile stepping stone to a Cup ride for next season, and my guess is that with how thin the pool of available drivers are in comparison to rides, that may very well happen for him.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
New Archeological Sites Found in Waters off of Jamestown Island
I'm always intrigued by the discovery of previously unknown artifacts or archeological sites. One might think that everything that there is to be found has been found already, but that's not the case. So in the waters off of Jamestown Island in Virginia, a research team has found an incredible 70 new archeological sites, including 26 shipwrecks. Many of the sites were previously wharves and piers along the shoreline. Underwater archeologist Stephen Bilicki was even amazed by how much they found.
"That's the most shocking thing about this kind of work. So many times we look around and think our past is gone. But a lot of it is preserved underwater. Even archaeologists can be surprised by how much is still there once we start to find it."
Apparently even Bilicki was suprised by how much they've found and only since July 5. I guess it makes sense in a way that there was so much underwater there that was previously unknown because as it turns out there is no visibility in the waters around Jamestown Island so it's not like there's anyone going scuba diving in the area. It will probably be years before they fully explore what's down there but I hope I eventually hear about what they find.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:34 PM | Comments (0)
Michael Waltrip vs. Robby Gordon
About time I got around to saying something about this one, ay?
By now anyone watching Sunday's race at New Hampshire knows that it featured a rekindling of the bad blood between Michael Waltrip and Robby Gordon that first surfaced last fall at the very same track when they tangled and Robby threw a temper tantrum. This time Robby decided for some reason that he was going to brake-check Michael under caution and unfortunately Michael couldn't stop in time and he ended up out of the race. As did Travis Kvapil who slammed into Michael and it's likely that whoever was behind Travis, possibly Clint Bowyer, ended up with damage as well. Why? Robby was likely upset about the way Michael had been racing him hard earlier in the race and decided to mix it up with him.
What really bothers me is that essentially Robby was using his car as a weapon against another driver. Now, some will say - what about when Michael did it in this race or that? Or when other drivers do it? I hate it every single time any driver uses their car as a weapon to retaliate. This is a dangerous sport and the drivers know that all too well. There is always the danger, maybe even under caution, that something bad might happen because someone can't keep their emotions under control and is looking for revenge. I understand that it's a part of the sport, but just like I don't like when pitchers intentionally throw at hitters, I don't care for drivers using their cars as weapons. At the very least it often results in torn up race cars which results in wasted dollars and more work for those back at the shop. Of course it's unlikely that Nascar is going to do anything about it in terms of a penalty, because it might open a big can of worms where they will need to start doing something about quite a few more incidents of retaliation.
One reason I haven't said much about this incident previously was because I was trying to put all the pieces together instead of rushing to judgement. It's very easy to look at an incident and think that it looks one way or another, particularly through a fan's biased eyes if one of their favorite drivers were involved. So I didn't want to rip Robby if there was some reason that wasn't obvious as to why he slammed on his brakes or some other issue that might have played a role in that incident. The only problem was that the Nascar media as a whole really dropped the ball when it came to covering this incident - there were apparently zero questions asked to anyone involved in this incident after the race. And there was nothing in any of the race summaries that followed that talked about Michael being brake-checked or that it might have been the continuation of an old feud, simply a few mentions that Michael ran into the back of Robby under caution. So it was really impossible to know what exactly happened, particularly when there were a number of conflicting accounts surfacing via fans.
I really hate not knowing the full story. Especially since it leads to people forming inaccurate perceptions of what might have happened. And that's exactly what did occur, as many fans bashed Michael for running into the back of Robby. Some thought, particularly in light of the fact that he ran over Ryan Newman earlier in the race because he didn't know that Ryan was going to check up due to Dave Blaney checking up, that the incident with Robby was a poor reflection on Michael's driving skills. Others thought that Michael deliberately ran into Robby as retaliation for the way they had raced earlier, but also for the incident last season. Then there were people like me who wondered if Michael's bad brakes played a role in him not being able to get stopped in time.
So it wasn't until Michael gave an account of the incident on Inside Nextel Cup that it was confirmed in my mind that things did play out the way they seemed - that Robby had lost his head once again and decided to do something stupid. I really don't get Robby. I think he's got talent behind the wheel and he's always a threat to win on road courses. He's also done a terrific job of building Robby Gordon Motorsports. And he's extremely fan-friendly and does work for various charitable causes. Yet when he's on the track racing, he frequently gets himself into trouble with his fellow drivers and with Nascar. Like on Sunday when he got angry at Michael - again - and apparently decided to seek revenge. I say apparently because as of now, there still hasn't been one word of explanation heard from Robby. Maybe he realizes how bad it looked and that there's no believable excuse or plausable explanation he could give. But I sure would like to hear something from him because otherwise I have no other choice but to agree with Michael's summation from last night that Robby is an idiot. I just don't like loose ends and I feel like not knowing whether Robby felt Michael did him wrong earlier in the race, whether he was still upset over last season, or whether there was something else entirely going on, is a missing puzzle piece.
Michael had harsh words for Robby on INC last night, calling him a moron and saying that Nascar should park him for life for being an idiot. I completely understand why Michael is so upset because once again he finds himself in the midst of controversy with Robby and all he was doing during that caution was minding his own business and waiting to finish the last few laps of the race. Then suddenly he's wrecked, another insult heaped upon an already horrible season. But on the other hand I can't say that I'm completely comfortable, as much as I understand the way Michael is feeling, with him calling Robby a moron and an idiot on INC. I really don't like it when drivers call each other names, even when it's my favorite driver doing the name-calling. I think that only adds fuel to the fire and I worry that Robby is going to go looking to get Michael again this weekend at Pocono. Michael is certainly entitled to think Robby is an idiot - I'd have to say that I agree with him. But I'm not sure I agree with him saying it publically on INC. I think that even if they can't stand some of the people they race against - and I'm sure there are many in the garage area who don't like each other - I'd like to see the drivers keep the insults out of the public eye. Especially since in Michael's case it's not doing him any favors in the eyes of fans who were, rightly or wrongly, already not looking at him too kindly over this incident.
I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories but I have to admit that one has crossed my mind as I've been trying to puzzle out what Robby was thinking when he brake-checked Michael like that. What occured to me is how John Story, the GM at Robby Gordon Motorsports, said that the incident last season between Robby and Michael got the team more attention than they had all season. Not only that, their sponsors were thrilled. So I can't help but wonder if Robby was deliberately trying to start round two, hoping that he would get all that media attention again. Of course that would also be risking a penalty from Nascar but maybe that would be worth it to him. Unlikely? Probably. But in this business you never know what someone might do for some exposure.
So the only question now is whether this is going to escalate or not..
Posted by silverdsl at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2006
Dale Jarrett to Race #44 for Michael Waltrip Racing
Apparently Michael Waltrip/Michael Waltrip Racing is looking to aquire the #44 to use for the third car that Dale Jarrett will be driving. #44 would fit in very nicely with the other double numbers that MWR has - #55 and #00 on the Cup level and #99 on the Busch level. While Terry LaBonte has raced the #44 for Hendrick Motorsports on a part-time basis most recently, Petty Enterprises was the last time to use it full-time and apparently still have rights to it. So they have to agree to turn it over before MWR can use it. Since Michael is on good terms with the Petty's, I hope that means that they will be willing to let have it. However, if PE is thinking about expanding in the near future, they might want to hold onto the number. Michael also looked into getting #33 from Richard Childress Racing but he was apparently declined. I can understand why RCR might want to hold onto that number considering it is probably reminiscent to some of Dale Earnhardt's #3 which he raced for RCR.
Some have really strong feelings about the car numbers. There are some numbers I like more than others, which has nothing to do with the drivers, teams or sponsors they've been affiliated with, just that I have a fondness for certain numbers over others. However, in the end it doesn't really matter to me which number is on the race car (or truck). I'm more interested in how competitive those cars are going to be.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:07 PM | Comments (0)
Curt Schilling and "Getting It" as Far as the Fans Go
Last night pitcher Curt Schilling, of the Boston Red Sox, stopped by the forum at NYYFans.com. (Yes, it's really him.) This wasn't by request, Schilling, or Gehrig38 as he's known online, was reading an ongoing thread that exists on the site to discuss topics related to the Red Sox and decided to jump in on the discussion, as he's done in the past. But this time Schilling spoke much more at length on a variety of topics and responded to quite a number of questions and comments from fans. What makes this a bit unusual for those that don't know is that NYYFans is a site for New York Yankees fans. While we do not bar fans from other teams, including from the Red Sox, from participating, the site and forum always has and always will have a Bronx/Yankees bias. So essentially Schilling was in enemy territory, posting with fans who really don't care for him too much since he's a member of the hated division rivals. However, where the discussion could have gone in an ugly direction, it evolved into an outstanding discussion between a player and a bunch of baseball fans. I applaud all those who took part and Schilling for taking the time to respond at length to so many questions and comments. It's extremely rare for baseball players to interact with fans like that, particularly in such a casual and spontaneous setting. And it's probably pretty much unheard of for a player to engage the fans on a rival team.
My point in bringing this up isn't just because it was a great discussion. It's also because I think Schilling is an example of a sports figure who really gets it when it comes to the fans, but especially the fans online. Schilling seems to respect the right of fans to their opinions, even if they disagree with him, even if they are critical of him, even if they diss him, even if they don't like him. He understands the passion that fans have for their sport. He gets that how fans react, in a sometimes emotional way, is all a part of being a fan. Not only that but Schilling doesn't take the stance that whatever he says is gospel. Nor does he post with a superior attitude that one might expect from a MLB player. If Curt Schilling can have a civil discussion about baseball with fans, some of whom have been harsh in their criticism of him, then it seems to me that other players (and drivers) and those associated with them should be capable of the same.
Curt Schilling to my knowledge has never called fans "classless" as the representative of one Nascar driver did. He's never lectured fans about being critical like so many who claim to be "in-the-know" as supposed associates of players or drivers are sometimes fond of doing. He's never bashed fans for having opinions that are different than his or other players. Schilling seems to have a considerable amount of tolerance for the opinions of fans and others - I find that refreshing considering how many people seem to think that opposing opinions or anything the least bit critical of a player/team/driver should be avoided at all costs.
I'm open about saying what I think pretty much everywhere, without worrying too much about what the person/people I'm talking about might think if they read it. I try to post my thoughts with as much respect as possible so that I'm not insulting, nor do I engage in bashing or name-calling, but I call things as I see them. If that means that I'm critical of someone, so be it. Plenty of people are critical of me, why should someone be exempt from criticism because I'm a fan of their's? I certainly celebrate all the positive things that my players/team/drivers do, but I don't feel obligated to agree with everything that my favorite players/drivers say or do and I also don't shape my opinions based around what they think or say. I sometimes find it scary how many fans seem afraid to speak their minds or feel they need to base their opinions around what their favorites think lest they offend them should they come online and read something they don't like from a fan. I say if a player (or driver) truly respects the fans, then they have tolerance for fans stating their opinions openly, whether those opinions are negative or positive, like Schilling does.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
Driver by Driver: New Hampshire
1. Kyle Busch - I really dislike Kyle Busch, but one thing I can't deny is that he is an extremely talented driver. Some wonder why Hendrick Motorsports and his sponsors puts up with him, but this is why - he knows how to get a car into Victory Lane. Jumped four spots in the points to 4th.
2. Carl Edwards - Won the Busch race the day before so it's not surprising that he was racing up front on Sunday. Carl really needed a strong finish since his prior two races he had lost a little of the momentum he had gained since the beginning of the season. The first of three Roush cars in the top five.
3. Greg Biffle - Strong run by Greg puts him into 10th place in the championship standings and a tie in points with Jeff Gordon. Since Talladega in May, Greg has only finished outside of the top ten twice, both of those times coming in the two races prior to this one, where he finished 31st at Daytona and 11th at Chicago. I think that he has a better chance of sticking in the Chase then some other drivers who are in the mix. This team seems very, very strong and very consistent.
4. Mark Martin - Rebounded from a stretch of five races with only so-so results, with a solid top five yesterday. Moves up one spot in the points to 5th.
5. Kevin Harvick - Benefited from Elliott Sadler and Denny Hamlin running out of gas to get his 7th top five of the season.
6. Denny Hamlin - Thought he had a car good enough to contend for the win but had to conserve fuel at the end and actually did run out of gas on the final lap which lost him a couple of positions. First finish in the top ten since his win at Pocono.
7. Jeff Burton - Jeff's outstanding season continues. He's not finished outside the top 15 since Martinsville on April 2. In addition during that time, he's only finished outside the top ten three times. Really an incredible turn-around for this team that has struggled so much the past few years. What makes this finish so impressive is that Jeff rallied after having been penalized for speeding on pit road. But he knew he had a good car so he and his team did what they needed to do to get back up front.
8. Kasey Kahne - Kasey really struggled the last three races prior to New Hampshire, so I think some were thinking that his season might be headed South after such a hot start. But Kasey finished in the top ten this week and is 6th in the points. Given how tough the competition is for spots in the Chase, this team can't afford too many bad races but having won four races this season gives them a nice cushion in the points.
9. Jimmie Johnson - Continues to add to his points lead, much to many fan's dismay. Jimmie got caught on pit road when a caution came out and also got into the wall twice which necessitated repairs, but somehow he still managed to finish in the top ten.
10. Scott Riggs - The results for this team have been very up and down, but for this week Scott was able to finish in the top ten. The #10 team needs to develop some consistency and put together a string of strong races.
11. David Stremme - Best ever finish in Cup for David.
12. J.J. Yeley - A good call in the pits kept Yeley out during a late caution and gave him track position when he needed it to help him finish 12th.
13. Dave Blaney - Suddenly after struggling to finish in the top 25 each week for most of the season, the #22 is looking like a better team with a finish of 17th last week and 13th yesterday. With how badly they've struggled, finishing in the top 15 probably feels like a win to this team. That gives me some hope that if the #22 can do better, than so can the #55.
14. Matt Kenseth - Had overheating and brake problems to deal with but managed to finish in the top 15. Remains second in the overall points.
15. Jeff Gordon - Coincidentally finished just behind Matt Kenseth and the last time he was behind Matt, trouble ensued. I'm sure TV was hoping for a repeat but no such luck. Moves up a spot to 9th in the points.
16. Sterling Marlin - Battled a tight race car and ended up getting caught a lap down at one point due to being caught on pit road when a caution came out. But a call later in the race to stay out when others pitted gave Sterling good track position and he got his best finish since finishing 9th at Richmond in early May.
17. Brian Vickers - Led five times for a total of 34 laps but got caught in a wreck on lap 119 that ended his hopes of winning. He's probaby lucky to have finished this well.
18. Martin Truex Jr. - Started 8th so he had a decent car at least for part of the weekend, but only was able to finish 18th. Not terrible, but not so great either.
19. Robby Gordon - Mixed it up with a number of drivers, including Michael Waltrip and Jeff Gordon. I'll reserve most of my comments on Robby until after I hear more about the incident between he and Michael. Started 34th so he made a big improvement between where he started and where he finished.
20. Scott Wimmer - For a small team that struggles so much, finishing 20th is really a good finish for Scott and the #4 team.
21. Casey Mears
22. Tony Raines - Was involved in an incident with Ken Schrader, but still managed to finish 22nd.
23. Bobby Labonte - Finishing 23rd really isn't that bad considering he spun once which resulted in damage to the car. Here's something I'm wondering about - what happens when/if Erin Crocker comes to Cup for Evernham? Would Betty Crocker sponsor two different cars at two different organizations in the same series?
24. Reed Sorenson - An incident damaged the car and affected how it took fuel which apparently caused issues on pit stops.
25. Elliott Sadler - Poor Elliott. He was in 4th place and looked to be on his way to matching, or even bettering, his best finish of the season, which came at Daytona to start the season. It's been a hard go since then, with no other top five's, and this race was no different. The #38 had concerns about whether they would have enough fuel to go to the end to begin with but the late caution that led to a green-white-checkers sealed their fate as they ran out of gas. And the questions continue to swirl around Elliott as to whether he will stay at Robert Yates Racing or go elsewhere.
26. Jeff Green
27. Clint Bowyer - Was involved in an incident with Brian Vickers with just two laps to go that ruined his day.
28. Kyle Petty - I doubt results matter too much to Kyle, as much as just getting through the weekend, at this track where his son lost his life in 2000 during practice for a Busch race.
29. Jeremy Mayfield - Had a good run going but ran out of fuel.
30. Kevin Lepage
31. Dale Jarrett - Had a loose car, then got caught a lap down by being on pit road when a caution came out. Never was able to overcome those early problems. Seems like since DJ announced that he would be leaving Robert Yates Racing for Michael Waltrip Racing, DJ hasn't had a car capable of doing more than riding around at the back of the pack. With UPS also leaving, maybe Yates figures it's not worth putting in the effort to give DJ good cars. However, given that they need to find both a sponsor and a driver for that car, plus potentially the same for the #38 car, it seems to me that they would want to make sure both their cars get the best results possible so that they attract a big-time sponsor and a top driver.
32. Bill Elliott - Awful all weekend. Some seem to think that this car should be very competitive with Hendrick engines, but it seems to me that Hendrick isn't going to hand over their best engines to a team that will be affilated with Toyota next season. In addition, this is essentially an R&D car for next season, so I think the focus is working on things that can help them in the future rather than results. Still, it would be nice to see a little more speed out of this car.
33. Jamie McMurray - A practice crash when a tire got cut down forced Jamie to a back-up car for qualifying and the race. The car was ill-handling all race long and Jamie could finish no better than 33rd. By this point in the season, one would think that Jamie is adjusted to a new organization and working with new team members. So then the question becomes is the problem with this team Jamie or the cars? They already tried changing crew chiefs and that didn't work too well. Sure, there've been some good finishes, including a 2nd place finish at Dover but this team should be a lot more consistent and race up front a lot more.
34. Ken Schrader - Got caught in a wreck.
35. Travis Kvapil - I believe Travis spun once early on, but ended up with a DNF, thanks to the ugly incident under caution at the end of the race.
36. Michael Waltrip - This was not a pretty race for Michael. Not only did he have to battle mechanical issues, including his brakes going, he was involved in an incident with Ryan Newman and then there was the continuation of his feud with Robby Gordon.
37. Tony Stewart - A very costly race for Tony. Got spun by Ryan Newman. Of course Tony blamed Ryan, but it may just be that both were racing hard and each was unwilling to give an inch to the other. Often those type of situations don't end up working out very well and Tony ended up on the losing end. Other than winning at Daytona, the last month's worth of results for the #20 team have not been very good. As a result Tony dropped to 11th in the points and given how competitive it is to make the Chase that's not a very good place to be.
38. Kurt Busch - Got hit from behind and spun. The damage sent him behind the wall for repairs. He could still get into the Chase but dropping a spot in the points to 14th really hurt his chances.
39. Ryan Newman - Michael Waltrip got into him and spun him out, necessitating repairs in the garage. I think that the field was checking up and Michael couldn't get stopped in time, maybe because of the brake issues, but that won't make Ryan feel any better because this probably ends any hopes he had of making the Chase.
40. Stanton Barrett
41. Joe Nemechek - Got wrecked when Brian Vickers got into him.
42. Kenny Wallace - His day ended early due to a wreck.
43. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - DNF'd due to his engine blowing. Tony Eury Jr. had harsh words about DEI's engine program after the race. I've heard him say similar things in the past and I'd say if he's at all accurate then Junior may race his way into the Chase, but might not have enough to win the Championship. Dropped four positions in the standings to 7th.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2006
Photo of the Day - Somewhere Above Georgia
Taken from the plane on our way to the airport in Jacksonville, Florida. I think we were somewhere above Georgia at the time. July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)
Tony, Tony, Tony
Tony Stewart raced in the Whelen Modified New England 100 on Saturday and he wasn't very happy with the outcome, even though he finished in the top ten. After an incident on a re-start, Stewart had words for not just one modified driver, but two. He said to one,
"Nice left turn into me, man. But don't worry, I'll remember that when we come back. I guarantee it. ... You drive like that, that's why you're still here and I'm where I am."
I didn't see the race. I didn't see any replays or detailed descriptions of the incident. I don't have any idea who's at fault. But regardless of the specifics of the incident, I think that Stewart's comments are excessive for a race that he's essentially racing for fun. Some will say, well, those comments show how much Stewart cares about racing, that he takes every race very seriously. Maybe too seriously in this case. First of all, Stewart's words are very threatening, almost as if he's implying he might retaliate, if he races in another modified race, which I understand he might do in September. Retaliate against a driver in a series where he's racing as a guest? That seems like it's a bit much.
But I think that his words are also very insulting. Yes, driving a modified car isn't like racing in the Cup series, but I think the modified drivers still deserve just as much respect as anyone else. A comment about how that's why they're still racing Modifieds is a dig at someone's talent level, and whether there's any truth there or not, I think it's inappropriate. Stewart owns a dirt track and has raced in countless races in lower series. He is well aware of how hard each of these drivers works to put on a good show for the fans and race as well as they can. I think Stewart is entitled to his opinions, but again, I think he owes the modified drivers some measure of respect, even if he just got into an incident with a couple of them.
After the race Stewart said,
"It was fun. You learn real quick, they start leaning on you but they sure as hell don't like it when you lean back on them. ... It's amazing how guys will run into you and then get their feelings hurt when you run back into them. They sure complained a lot. It's like any other series. You go down and run at their level and if you beat them they get really upset about it and other drivers don't like it.
The other drivers complained a lot? Um, what does he think he's doing? If he can say what he thinks about the incident, then so can they! If it's such a pain in the rear to race the modified series, maybe he should consider not doing it in September.
Now that I've been critical of Stewart, there is something that I have to praise him for. This weekend Stewart announced that he has pledged to donate an additional $1 million over the next five years to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, on top of the $1 million that he's already donated. I don't care for Stewart's attitude at times, but there's one thing that I really like about him and that's his committment to charity. Stewart truly seems to care about helping others, whether it's the kids at the camp, greyhounds he has helped rescue or those he helps through the Habitat for Humanity and the other charitable causes he supports. As I've said before, one of the best things about Nascar is how much the drivers, teams and sponsors do for charitable causes.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)
Lousy Race for Michael Waltrip in New Hampshire
I could go do a huge entry about how crappy today's race was for Michael Waltrip, topped off with a big rant about Robby Gordon, but I'd rather wait until after Inside Nextel Cup tomorrow to hear what Michael's comments are about the end-of-the-race incident with Robby under caution. While many have come to the conclusion that Robby deliberately stopped in front of Michael to wreck him, I don't feel that I have enough information to know what Robby intended on doing. In addition, it was discussed over Michael's radio that he was losing his brakes to the point where it was said that he was having trouble getting "whoa'd up" earlier in the race. So that may have played a role in that incident as well. I would just like to hear from one, and preferrably both participants, in the incident before I rip anyone.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2006
Interesting Jayski Rumor
This one is definitely all rumor at the moment as it's one of Jayski's "I heard" items that's completely unsourced so there's no telling how much truth it holds. However, it's one scenario that I've thought of and it makes some sense. Jayski says,
Sadler to the #19? Mayfield to Toyota? hearing Elliott Sadler, current driver of the #38 M&M's Ford for RYR, will go to he #19 Evernham Motorsports Dodge with current driver there, Jeremy Mayfield going to one of the three Toyota Teams, most likely Michael Waltrip Racing and the #00 car.(7-14-2006)
At this point in time Evernham Motorsports is a stronger organization than Robert Yates Racing, so I can see why the idea of joining Evernham might appeal to Elliott Sadler. I can also see why Evernham might want him - Elliott is younger than Jeremy Mayfield, I think he has more of an engaging and dynamic personality than Mayfield does, he would represent any sponsors at Evernham extremely well and he's certainly capable of winning on the Cup level. Of course the results have been extremely poor for the #19 car this season, but it's a car that has been in the Chase twice before so it seems to me that with the right mix of people Evernham could get it back to where it was just last season, whether that's with Jeremy, Elliott or someone else.
As for Jeremy joining Michael Waltrip Racing, I think he's likely in the mix for the #00, even if he doesn't end up going there. That he was twice in the Chase probably holds a lot of appeal for both Michael and Burger King/Domino's because it shows that he knows what to do to get results. For whatever reason things are no longer working out for him at Evernham, but he very recently got good results there, so I'm quite sure he is capable of duplicating those results in the future. I think Jeremy's personality is a little more laidback than some other drivers, but he seems like a pretty good guy, who would fit in well at MWR as a teammate to Michael and Dale Jarrett. Of course Jeremy's hometown is Owensboro, Kentucky, the very same place where Michael is from so they also have that in common.
The only problem with the scenario of Jeremy leaving the #19 is that he is supposedly signed through 2008 so any team interested in his services for next season would have to negotiatie his release including, I would think, a potential buy out the remainder of his contract. However, Ray Evernham might not be all that thrilled with Jeremy anymore, particularly in light of some critical comments that Jeremy made publically last week. So he might be very willing to let Jeremy go early, particularly if he feels that a different driver would help turn the fortunes of the #19 team around.
ETA: Apparently it's been reported on Speed that M&Ms might follow Elliott to the #19 car. I think M&Ms and Elliott are a very good match for each other so it would be great news if they were to follow him to a new team!
Posted by silverdsl at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
Ricky Craven to Race Busch Race at Martinsville?
According the blog, "Scene and Heard" on Nascar.com, which means that it's a fairly reliable source, Ricky Craven has been circulating throughout the garage area at New Hampshire International Speedway. Apparently Craven told Dave Rodman that he will know by the end of the day today whether he has secured a Busch ride for next weekend's race at Martinsville. I can't think off-hand of any teams that have openings so maybe some team or another is going to field an extra car for him. But one thing is for sure, Busch racing is not the kind of racing that Craven really wants to do. He is determined to make a return to Cup racing, and as soon as possible. One person who Craven was seen talking to was Cal Wells, which isn't suprising since they've remained friendly since Craven left the #32. I wonder if Wells is considering putting Craven back into the #32 if things with Travis Kvapil don't work out and how seriously Craven would consider it?
Posted by silverdsl at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006
Photo of the Day - Georgia Coast
St. Simon's Island, Georgia. July, 2006. The trees look a lot like the divi-divi trees we saw on Aruba.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
Yankees Sign Sidney Ponson
I know the need some pitching help, particularly since Shawn Chacon hasn't been working out too well at the back of the rotation but Sidney Ponson? Oh yes, the Yankees signed Ponson and he will make his first start on Tuesday. Where to begin on Ponson? He was released by the St. Louis Cardinals this week after going 4-4 with a 5.24 ERA. Ponson had begun the season in the starting rotation for the Cardinals and eventually pitched his way to the bullpen. From there it was being designated for assignment last Friday. So Ponson isn't exactly Cy Young material. There's also the little matter of Ponson's weight which has sometimes seemed to balloon out of control, no small matter for a pitcher.
What really disappoints me about this signing is that Ponson has a very checkered life off the field. If it was just one incident, one might be able to chalk it up as a mistake that wouldn't be repeated. But Ponson was arrested for assaulting a judge in his native Aruba, an offense he spent 11 days in jail for, allegedly got into a fight during Spring Training last season, and has been charged with DUI, not once, not twice, but three times in less than a year. Supposedly he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since last August but that Ponson's first two DUI's, one of which he apparently tried to hide, contributed to him being released by the Baltimore Orioles, should say something not very good. That he didn't learn from the first two DUI and was charged a third time is especially troubling. Usually I can excuse a lot by saying that just like everyone else, the players aren't perfect. But I really have a hard time ignoring multiple DUI charges. That has always been an offense that has really bothered me.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park Won't Be Racing This Weekend
When it got this late in the week and nothing had been announced about a new ride for Steve Park, I pretty much figured that he wouldn't be racing this weekend in Memphis. This evening that was made official, as Steve's site was updated to reflect that he won't be in a truck this weekend. So Steve's deal for a new ride is still on hold. Considering their past history, if he really is negotiating with Bill Davis Racing, this really isn't all that surprising. Steve is good friends with Gail and Bill Davis so presumably they will do right by him eventually, but who knows when that might be? The trucks have the next two weeks off so that might be a good time to get a new deal in place, but if there are outside factors that effect whether Steve's deal get finalized or not, there's no guarantee that it will be done in two weeks either, especially in light of all the delays that there have already been.
For quite some time I've wanted to see Steve in a Toyota truck. They are the class of the truck series right now and I have no doubt that he would race up front and contend for wins in a Toyota. However, I'm starting to hope that he has a backup plan and that he might be talking to muliple teams, even some that aren't Toyota backed teams. Steve has said that he has a sponsor so there should be a lot of interest from various teams, considering how many teams are unsponsored right now. Of course given their issues with their lack of full sponsorship for all their trucks, BDR themselves should be anxious to get a deal done with Steve, but perhaps they have a bigger fish on the hook that has to take priority right now.
One reason why I hope Steve is talking to multiple teams is because at this point I'm concerned that the deal might fall apart all together. Steve has certainly talked optimistically and hinted around that a new ride is most definitely in the works for months now, but I really don't think it's a good thing that it keeps getting delayed. And especially when things get screwed up so close to when he thought it was a done deal, considering he left the #59 team and all. I wonder if he regrets that decision now? I wonder if there's any chance that he might get back into the #59 if he continues to be rideless? If the #59 team is only going race-by-race with Chad Chaffin, then maybe there is that possiblity.
In the meantime, Steve still has the #31 Whelen Busch ride. His next race in that car is at the end of July at Gateway in St. Louis. At least we will we see him racing once this month which is a good thing. So far in the #31 Steve has DNF'd in three out of the four races he's raced for that team and in the fourth race he finished 29th. What I'm hoping is that things will finally go right for Steve and the #31 team in that race at Gateway so that they will be able to get a really awesome finish to take some of the sting away from things not going as planned on the truck side of things. Maybe by then Steve's deal for a new truck ride will even be done... or not.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:43 PM | Comments (0)
In the News: Michael Waltrip (7/13)
There was plenty of Michael Waltrip related news articles last week while I was gone due to UPS joining Michael Waltrip Racing, but this week not so much. That won't stop me from writing plenty in this entry!
Michael and Bill Elliott participated in testing this week at Indianapolis Motorspeedway in preparation for the Brickyard 400, but the results were not impressive to say the least. Some seem pretty disappointed about those results, and it's definitely nothing to cheer about, but I'm not disappointed because I wasn't expecting them to be at the top of the speed charts. There has been nothing to show me that the #55 team is going to make huge improvements in the near future in terms of speed. That doesn't mean that they won't eventually get some good results this season, but since they struggle to even finish in the top 25 for most races, I think it's a stretch to think that suddenly they're going to find the magic potion that will make the cars as competitive as they need to be to be near the top of the speed charts. As far as the #00 goes, I don't think that car is on the track to try to win races, but rather so that Bill can help MWR work on things for 2007. Of course no one is going to complain about strong finishes and all parties are going to work hard to field the best car possible, it's just that the goals for the #00 are a bit different from that of the #55. So there's no telling what they might be experimenting with that might effect the performance of the car. I just hope that Michael finds enough speed for qualifying for the Brickyard since there will surely be a lengthy entry list for that race given that it is one of the biggest in terms of attention and prestige all season.
This weekend the Cup and Busch series will be racing at New Hampshire International Speedway. Michael will be racing both races, which I always enjoy, and even more so now since I suspect he won't be racing in many, if any, Busch races next season, so I need to enjoy as many of the double-race weekends as I can. On the Cup side, the pre-race report tells us that Michael has raced well at NHIS in the past, his best finish being 6th in 2004. He has two additional top tens at the track as well. Apparently Michael is one of only nine active drivers who have raced in all 22 races at NHIS - I always love neat little facts like that. Bill Elliott will also be in the #00 for MWR this weekend in the Cup race. His best finish is 4th in 2003, but he also has won the pole once at NHIS. While Michael and Bill are racing in New Hampshire, future MWR Busch driver David Reutimann will be racing in the truck series race in Memphis, where he finished 2nd last year. Sure would be awesome to see him get his first win of the year this weekend!
In other Waltrip related news apparently Buffy Waltrip, Michael's wife, will be the subject of the next episode of 7 Days, airing on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on Speed. 7 Days is really a cool show because they follow around various people in the garage area to show what their lives are like during the week leading up to and including a race weekend. The one on Ty Norris was fascinating because it really gave a peek into the inner workings of MWR, as well as a look at the person that Ty is. I'm sure the episode on Buffy will be pretty interesting as well. So far this season, 7 Days has featured Darrell Waltrip, Ty Norris and now Buffy. I really hope that means that there will eventually be an episode on Michael as well, since they've featured so many Waltrip associated people!
There was one article from last week that I want to discuss because it highlights a side of Michael that often doesn't get much attention and that's Michael the intelligent and savvy business-man. As the article points out, Michael is often thought of as no more than a clown by a lot of fans who think that he is no more than a goofball who will do anything to plug his sponors as many times as he can. But Michael is far more than that. That side of him that is so forward thinking in terms of his vision for making Michael Waltrip Racing into a powerhouse organization and how he is so gifted when it comes to attracting outstanding people and sponsors to work with him is something that I've long admired. I'm glad that there are others who recognize it as well.
Dale Jarrett said,
"I've known Michael forever, and everybody sees that side of him that has a lot of fun and gets the sponsors' names out there. But now I've seen him in action on the business side in a lot of talks we've had since last September, and once he gets in that mode, sometimes you want to check to make sure you're with the same guy. And he can go from that to the funny guy again in a hurry. Just how he put the whole Toyota thing together and how it was a couple of years in the making, it's very impressive. You've got to give him a lot of credit for looking down the road to make it happen. He surrounded himself with very good people."
I suspect that a lot more people are going to be seeing the serious side of Michael who is so good on the business side as MWR continues to grow. And he is a force to reckon with.
Ty Norris said,
"Michael is funny, engaging and all those great things to sponsors. "But you close that door, and he's as hard-nosed a business-driven person as anyone I've been around. I don't know if he really likes to show that side of his world. I've always seen that side. He gets more for his dollar than anyone I've ever been around. He puts people at ease whether they're race fans, NASCAR, the sponsors. They all feel Michael is their best friend, somebody who is going to make you laugh. People are attracted to those types of personalities."
That last sentence is a good summary of what I believe is one of Michael's biggest assets off-the-track. He can win people over in a heartbeat and he has a magnetic personality that draws people to him. In person, as I've discovered, he is a presence and not just because he's 6'5". In addition, even the fans who complain about how annoying he is, seem to watch INC every week to listen to what he has to say. Like him or hate him, he commands attention. If he wasn't a Nascar driver I think Michael would still have been someone of power and importance - he just knows how to make things happen.
Michael's brother also pointed out something that many fans fail to realize - the way Michael is on TV or in interviews isn't the complete picture of who he really is. DW said,
"What you see on TV with Michael is an act. He and I both have that ability to act like we ain't got a clue. But we do."
Unfortunately, a lot of fans have trouble understanding that concept, that the goofy way that Michael is on Inside Nextel Cup is an act. They make ridiculous judgements about him as a person or about his intelligence level based on the way he acts, literally, on that show or others. In some ways it's a shame that some people are so hard on him because of that act and underestimate his knowledge level about racing, which is in reality quite considerable. But on the other hand, maybe it's sometimes an asset when people don't take him seriously, because they aren't on their guard when they deal with him. Michael is going to surprise the people who think that they shouldn't take MWR and their chances for success seriously because he's just a "joke." He's far from it.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
Ridiculous Comment by IRL Driver Ed Carpenter on Danica Patrick
I'm all for people speaking their minds, joking around and basically saying what they want. But I also think that people need to recognize when it might be best to choose their words carefully or keep certain things to themselves if they don't want to offend. That's particularly true when one is in the public eye and one's words are going to be heard by a very large audience. IRL driver Ed Carpenter sure stuck his foot in his mouth when he made a rather bad joke about Danica Patrick's "time of the month" possibly being an asset to her if she were to make the move to Nascar. He said,
"I mean, you know especially if you catch her at the right time of the month, she might be trading plenty of paint out there. But I think she'll hold her own. Who's she's going to drive for is hard to say. I don't think she's leaving, so we'll see."
Carpenter, either realizing his mistake or having it pointed out to him by his "people," who were surely horrified when they heard a comment they knew might land him in a lot of hot water, claimed that he was trying to stick up for Patrick. He also offered to apologize to Patrick and to other women that he might have offended. To her credit Patrick laughed it off, but what other choice did she have really? If she makes a big deal about it, it gives the story legs and I kind of doubt Patrick wants her "time of the month" to be a subject for discussion.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
Rockstar: Supernova
I watched Rock Star: Supernova last night and I have to say I was extremely disappointed. No, let's change "I was disappointed" to I cringed in horror at how horrible the show was. Maybe I was watching on an off night because I had heard so many raves about this show. How can a show featuring Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Gilby Clarke (formerly of Guns-n-Roses), Jason Newsted (formerly of Metallica) and Dave Navarro (formerly of Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) be bad? Well, to me it was the stiffness of host Brooke Burke, the fact that it seemed like information was repeated over and over again, maybe to fill time, the performers were awful to my ears and the format itself left something to be desired. All this show seems like is like a rock version of American Idol, and to me that's not a very good way for a band to find a new lead singer, though it seems to have worked fairly well for INXS. Maybe it just needs to grow on me.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2006
Photo of the Day - Branch
St. Simon's Island, Georgia. July, 2006. Something about this tree branch really caught my eye and I had to take a picture of it.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
If Steve Park is to Race at Memphis...
... it likely won't be in a Bill Davis Racing truck. Why? Because I'd think we would have heard about them fielding a fourth truck for him already and the pre-race reports for Memphis are out for Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner and Bill Lester. I'm kind of doubting that they'd do a pre-race report if there was going to be a driver change for one of those trucks, especially since all three talk about how each of them is participating in two autograph sessions this weekend. Of course there's the chance that Steve will end up racing for another team this weekend in Memphis but time is growing very short for that to happen.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
How Much Would You Pay For a Diecast?
If you're a Steve Park fan you can pick up a limited edition diecast of one of his 2005 trucks from when he was with Orleans Racing for $199.95. One features the Jasper paint scheme which was on the #62 when Steve won at California. The other is the familiar paint scheme of The Orleans. Why are they so much? That's because Steve Park Motorsports produced only 25 of each. I would guess in spite of the high price they will likely sell out since many have said that they would have liked a diecast of the #62 truck when he was in it. Personally, I don't like spending just $50 on a diecast or even $40 on a driver t-shirt, so I doubt I'll be getting one. It's kind of hard for me to want to spend that kind of money on a diecast when my monthly car payment is about that amount. But I'm sure there are plenty of things that I spend money on that others think is ridiculous.
What interests me, because I'm always intrigued by things that fall under the business end of things, is something related to the liscensing of these diecasts. Usually when diecasts are made it's when the driver is currently with a team and I would imagine that usually the team is involved very closely in the process. In this case it's not Orleans Racing which is producing the diecast, it's Steve himself. I wonder if Orleans Racing gets a cut of the revenue generated by the sale of these diecasts? Though with what the costs might have been with making so few of them, there might not be such a big profit to be made on these.
I would guess that the majority of fans will pick up these diecasts just to add to their collection of Steve related memorabilia. I'm not sure that too many people will get one thinking that the value will eventually go up one day. One might usually think that with a diecast or any other kind of memorablia that is produced in such limited quantities that the price might gain a significant amount of value over the years. However, Steve's last name isn't Earnhardt, so unless he goes on a major run and wins a bunch of Championships or does something very significant, I'm not sure how much the value of one of these diecasts is going to rise. I guess it all depends on how much another Steve Park fan who didn't get one when they were available might pay. Diecasts of some of the cars that Steve drove way back when must go for more than they were worth when they were first purchased since they aren't available anymore.
As I mentioned it's very unlikely that I'll be getting one of these diecasts. Aside from the cost issue, I've never really been much for collecting a lot of driver memorabilia. I like to get photos I've taken or artwork I've drawn signed, and I do have a couple of diecasts I like, so there's the possibility that if a driver I like sports a cool paint scheme in the future and there's a diecast of it, that I might get it. But for the most part I just buy a couple of t-shirts, sometimes grudgingly, since I think they are often overpriced and are usually too big for me, even in a small. I don't know why I never got into collecting driver memorabilia. I like collecting other things like rocks and minerals, Swarovski Crystal and ocean-related items. But having a lot of Nascar "stuff" has never held much appeal for me.
ETA: Apparently some fans were told that all the proceeds from the sale of these diecasts go directly to Steve so I guess OR/The Orleans/Jasper/etc... don't get any kind of a cut. That was nice of them to let Steve use their trademarks/images/paint schemes gratis.
Posted by silverdsl at 03:09 PM | Comments (0)
Just Let 'Em Race!
I was listening to the replay of "Dialed In" on XM this morning and that's what one caller said in reference to the Jeff Gordon/Matt Kenseth controversy, in which some fans feel that Jeff Gordon should have been black-flagged and penalized for spinning Matt Kenseth to win this past weekend. I have to agree. While I think there are some circumstances under which Nascar should intervene and hand out penalties for rough driving, I'm not a huge fan of how Nascar has been forced to increase how much they police the drivers for aggressive driving. The drivers need to be able to race each other hard, and sometimes when they bump and bang each other, ugly things are going to happen. While I don't want it to be a free-for-all where drivers wreck each other constantly and Nascar looks the other way, I also don't want them to interfere in every situation. If that happens suddenly all the drivers are afraid to race hard and the races are even more boring than they often are already. As much as I dislike the drivers using their cars as weapons against each other, these things usually sort themselves out among the drivers on the track eventually.
Posted by silverdsl at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
I'm a huge fan of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, so I was eagerly looking forward to the sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. So last week, my husband and I went to see the movie on the day it opened, which worked out very well because it gave us something to do on the one day that it rained during our vacation.
Maybe my expectations were too high considering how awesome the first movie was because I came away disappointed with Dead Man's Chest. The problem certainly isn't the acting - Johnny Depp does a masterful job as Captain Jack Sparrow and all the other actors and actresses are wonderful as well. The special effects and stunts are also terrific. However, the movie suffers from a convoluted plotline in which nothing is resolved in the end so viewers are set up for the third movie. That makes the ending very unsatisfiying. I'm also not a big fan of how suddenly there is a potential Elizabeth and Jack romance in the works, when a key part of the first movie was the love between Will and Elizabeth. In addition, the movie drags on at points, which is almost incredible considering how many good action scenes there are. I think the movie would have been better had they been able to make it a half hour shorter, but given how much plot they were trying to cover, that was impossible. Overall, I liked the movie, but I didn't love it like I did the first one. I'm sure that won't stop me from going to see the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie though as soon as it opens!
Posted by silverdsl at 08:01 AM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2006
Photo of the Day - Clouds
Clouds from the Plane. July, 2006.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
Burney Lamar Out, Jeff Burton In... At Least for One Race
Busch rookie Burney Lamar started out the season hot, finishing 2nd at Daytona, but since then the Kevin Harvick, Inc. driver has cooled off considerably to the point where he has only finished in the top fifteen once in his last ten races. In spite of those struggles, Lamar continues to lead in the Busch Series Rookie of the Year standings and is 15th in driver points. But that's not good enough for KHI. Lamar will be replaced in the #77 by Kevin Harvick's Richard Childress Racing teammate, Jeff Burton, for the Busch race in New Hampshire.
Apparently for now they are just taking Lamar out and putting Burton in for "evaluation" purposes. They are also saying that Lamar will be back in the car after that. Which may very well be the case since I believe there are some Busch races up-coming that don't take place at the same track that the Cup race is at so Burton wouldn't be able to race the #77 in those races. However, I can't imagine that KHI is committed to Lamar long-term if they're taking him out of the car even for one race. That's no way to help a rookie driver develop and it sure can't do much for his confidence level. I can understand why KHI would like to see better results but I also think they need to show some more patience to allow Lamar to grow and learn as a driver.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:08 PM | Comments (0)
Tide Gone?
Jayski's has an unsourced item that indicates that he has heard that Tide has not only decided to discontinue their sponsorship of PPI's #32 car, currently driven by Travis Kvapil, but that they will opt not to be a primary sponsor on the Cup level for any team. Of course unsourced items have to be taken with a very large grain of salt, but if true it would hardly be surprising considering the mostly putrid performance of the #32 car for the last few years. Of course those performance issues really aren't the fault of the drivers who have been behind the wheel - PPI obviously has a lot of work to do to get their cars to a point where they are anywhere near competitive. Tide has been involved with Nascar for a very long time so I wonder if they are going to leave the sport completely if they leave PPI. Perhaps they will become an associate sponsor on a Cup car or move to the Busch or Truck Series.
The question is what will happen to Kvapil? When he signed with PPI it was apparently only a one-year deal. Cal Wells has expressed interest in re-signing Kvapil for next season but I'm sure Kvapil is listening to offers from other teams. If Tide leaves the #32 team, PPI will likely have a hard time finding another primary sponsor to replace them, which would put the team in even more dire straights than they're in now. I'd guess that there might even be a chance that the #32 team could fold all together if Tide leaves. I would think that Kvapil would be getting calls from a lot of teams given that he's a fairly young driver and he's a former Truck Series Champion, who surely is capable of racing better than the #32 car has allowed him to. So it surprises me that his name hasn't come up at all in relation to some of the rides that are currently open.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Mark Martin Might Not be Done Cup Racing After All
First Mark Martin put his Cup retirement plans on hold to race for one more season in the #6 as a favor to Jack Roush, now he says that he might be interested in racing a limited Cup schedule next season. Previously it had been thought that Martin was going to go to the truck series full-time for sure in 2007, however, Roush Racing hasn't yet given him a contract to do that so those plans apparently aren't set in stone. Martin said,
"I haven't made the final determination on what [the] 2007 race schedule is going to look like for me. Roush Racing hasn't presented me with the truck contract yet, although if they would have I would have signed it and that would be done. I know what they're doing and so I would consider doing a limited Cup schedule if it was with the right team and if I did so, to answer your question, the Brickyard would be on that, the Daytona 500 would be on that, races like Michigan and Dover and some of those races that might be in conjunction with the truck racing or whatever."
It seems inconcievable to even imagine Martin anywhere but at Roush but I'm wondering if it's possible that he would entertain offers from other teams? Would he consider racing for a non-Ford affiliated team? I'm sure Roush will do everything they can to keep him in the fold, and more than likely that's where he will stay, but it sure does sound like Martin is making it known that his services might be available.
Posted by silverdsl at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
Just Thought I'd Mention
The entry list for the truck race at Memphis is out and Steve Park's not on it. Nor are there any trucks with TBA (to be announced) listed instead of a driver's name. Of course changes can be made - an additional truck can be entered post-entry, though it would receive no owner points and the driver no driver points, or a driver can be released and Steve could take his place. But just like when the Kentucky entry list came out and Steve wasn't on it, I can't say I feel too positive about his chances for being at Memphis this weekend, no matter what he might have said last week about "intending" to be there.
Another item of note is Peyton Sellers, a Richard Childress Racing development driver, will be in the #31 Whelen car fo the Busch race in New Hampshire, so if nothing turns up for Steve in the truck series he most likely won't be racing at all this weekend.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:48 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2006
Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach
Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia. July, 2006. We had an outstanding vacation overall but walking around on Driftwood Beach was definitely one of the highlights! The driftwood trees were twisted in all sorts of cool ways, almost like sculpture.
Posted by silverdsl at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)
UPS to Follow Dale Jarrett to Michael Waltrip Racing
A piece of outstanding news that I missed last week was that UPS has decided to follow Dale Jarrett to Michael Waltrip Racing. Friday, it was announced that UPS has agreed to continue as Jarrett's primary sponsor for the next two years on a car whose number is yet to be determined for MWR. I had a feeling that unless they were going to be able to become the primary sponsor of a driver like Kasey Kahne, as was rumored they might have some interest in doing, that they would likely end up staying with DJ. Over the time that they've been associated with him, UPS has poured a tremendous amount of time, money and effort into making him a key part of their marketing, advertising and promotions and I think it's really paid off well for them. There aren't many Nascar fans who aren't aware of their brand thanks to the "Race the Truck" campaign.
This of course is wonderful and exciting news for Michael Waltrip Racing. I think it's quite an accomplishment that even before they've put a Toyota on the track, MWR has been able to lure so many big-name primary sponsors into becoming a part of the organization. That really shows how impressed UPS and the other sponsors are with the program that Michael, Ty Norris and everyone else at MWR has put together and that they believe that MWR will ultimately be successful in Cup racing. What this also means is that it's definite that MWR will be fielding three Cup cars next season, something which will ultimately be for the best, as much as I have some reservations about them taking on the task of having three full-time Cup teams so soon.
Of course the speculation has started fast and furious about who the driver for that third car will be. Michael made a comment at the press conference announcing the deal with UPS that the driver of the Burger King/Domino's car will be someone who is young in comparision to himself and DJ. I might be reading into that too much, but my guess is that they are looking at a driver who is in his mid-thirties so that he will potentially be around as the veteran at MWR when Michael and DJ retires. That takes a lot of the names that have been tossed around out of the mix like Johnny Benson, Joe Nemechek, Steve Park, Bill Elliott, and Mike Skinner since I believe all of those drivers are around the same age as Michael.
One driver who comes to mind as a possiblity is Jeremy Mayfield, who is obviously unhappy at Evernham, but he is still under contract to that organization though next season if not longer. Elliott Sadler would be a great fit for the third team, and he certainly works well with DJ. But since Michael has said that a driver announcement might be made in the next two weeks I'm thinking that it won't be Elliott since he's stated his committment to Yates in no uncertain terms recently. I wouldn't be surprised to see Elliott move to another team next season but I'm not sure that he would do so this early. Brendan Gaughan might be another good fit, but he's said that he won't race Cup again unless it's for his family, and I would tend to think that even with Michael's offbeat way of looking at some things, when it comes to business he will likely want Brendan to conform in ways that he had trouble doing so previously in Cup. The other name that comes to mind is that of Travis Kvapil because there's no telling if the #32 car is going to exist next season, let alone if he will be racing it. But in the end Michael may end up surprising everyone and going with a driver that no one has even considered.
Even though things have turned out so poorly for Michael in terms of the on-track performance of the #55 this season, I think the future is looking exceptionally bright on the business side for MWR. It's really incredible how Michael and everyone who is working with him at MWR have built the organization the way that they have. I think a lot of people didn't take Michael very seriously when it was announced that he would be fielding teams for Toyota next season. Many seemed to think that he was brought on board simply because Toyota knew how well he could promote their brand - no doubt he will do that well, but there is clearly far more to MWR than just a way for Michael to plug more sponsors. While I'm not sure that MWR and the other Toyota backed Cup teams are going to have immediate success, I do think that MWR is an organization that might eventually give some of the powerhouse organizations a run for their money.
Posted by silverdsl at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park and Unanswered Questions
When I left for vacation I had assumed that some time while I was gone Steve Park would make an announcement about a new ride in time for him to race at Kentucky. In the back of my mind given how bizarre the situation with him leaving the #59 was, I was thinking that he might end up sitting out the race in Kentucky, but I figured that was just me being a worry-wart. Well, as it turns out, not only did Steve not race in Kentucky, he told someone (registration required to view) that he doesn't (as of last week) have a signed deal with any team as of yet. Of course by now that might have changed but it sure does make things even more puzzling than they already were.
For months now, Steve has been hinting around about having a deal for a full-time, new ride in the works. (Cat in the bag, anyone?) And oh, have there been rumors, leading up to HT Motorsports somehow posting on their site that Steve was leaving their team for a ride with Bill Davis Racing, something that has yet to materialize. The question at this point is whether that is ever actually going to happen or is Steve going to be left where he was back in January, when he was kept dangling by BDR or another team, and he ended up missing the first couple of races of the season because the deal he thought he had never went though. I'm sure someone is going to read this and say, there she goes again, doubting Steve. I don't doubt Steve. I believe in his ability behind the wheel 100% to race up front and win when he's given a competitive car or truck. I also think that as with every driver, he knows best when it comes to the choices that he makes - right or wrong, his career and his life are in his own hands and he has to do what he thinks will give him the best opportunity to be successful and happy. That said, for as much as I believe in Steve, I don't really trust a lot of the teams and the business side of the sport gives me pause. In addition, I find the entire situation extremely puzzling and there are a number of things that don't really make sense to me.
For example, why did Steve leave the #59 team if he doesn't actually have a done deal for a new ride? Essentially, as of last week at least, Steve had no ride at all - Chad Chaffin is in the #59 and Steve is in limbo. I assume that he has a hand-shake deal with BDR or another team, or has gotten some solid assurances that everything will work out which led him to leave the #59. But in this sport, where things change so quickly, and one's word doesn't mean as much as it used to, it's a bit of a head-scratcher to me that Steve would leave the #59 team, a team that he's said could be a winning team, without a definite, signed deal with another team. Of course there's always the possibility that the #59 team caught wind that Steve was negotiating with another team, if they didn't know about it, and suggested to him that there be a parting of the ways sooner rather than later, so they could move on with another driver. That's definitely not the way it's been publically portrayed, but things aren't always what they seem. It just seems to me that Steve didn't intend on being rideless for Kentucky, or at any other point for the rest of this season, yet he is.
Apparently Steve also said that he has a sponsor. That makes things even stranger to me. Teams are usually falling all over themselves to sign drivers who bring sponsorship with them. So it seems to me that if Steve has a sponsor to bring to the table, he would be able to pick and choose from multiple teams vieing for his services, and should have a signed deal long ago. Bill Davis himself has said that when he has a choice between a "young gun" and a veteran driver with sponorship, the driver who brings sponsorship will win out. Not so far for Steve.
In addition, if Steve has a sponsor in his pocket, and he had a team that he was working with who he felt could potentially win races, why did he not bring that sponsor to the #59 team? HT Motorsports could certainly have used the extra money that would have come from an outside sponsor and it would surely have helped them develop into the winning team that Steve through they could be. I suppose it means that Steve knew that he wouldn't be with the #59 team long-term, and maybe when it came down to it, didn't really want to be with them long-term, so that's why he didn't hook the sponsor up with them. But I wonder considering how much effort HT Motorsports put into giving Steve the best trucks they possibly could, in spite of their limitations as a small team with few resources, how they did a t-shirt with Steve on it, and how they took the time to update their website to reflect his presence with the team, whether they anticipated that Steve would be leaving them quite so soon and how they might feel to know he had a lead on sponsorship and didn't bring it their way? Jim Harris and everyone from HT Motorsports has spoken very highly about Steve and how happy they were to work with him, but I can't help but wonder if they wish he was still around to help them build the team into what it could be, rather than having to start over again with a new driver?
Steve has said in the past that fans should only listen to news that comes from him, rather than putting any stock into what other sources are reporting. That was repeated last week and maybe I'm reading into things but the implication was that fans shouldn't pay any attention to what was posted on the HT Motorsports site. I don't think that means he's not going to BDR, simply that the only source of news about Steve, should be Steve himself. Of course that's hard when there isn't much news or information coming from him or his website, unless he's forced to do an update like last week, but that's a whole other story. But if fans shouldn't pay attention to what other sources are reporting, presumably because it might not be accurate, then is he saying that HT Motorsports reported something that was false? Did he not personally tell them why he was leaving the team? I can't imagine they would make up out of thin air that he was leaving the team because he was going to BDR? And if they didn't get it from him, who told them that?
One interesting thing that might or might not be related to the limbo that Steve is in at the moment is that apparently Checkers/Rally's is in talks with two different Cup teams to possibly be a full-time sponsor in 2007. Of course Checkers currently sponsors Bill Lester on a part-time basis for BDR, and Checkers vice president of marketing Rich Turer speaks very highly of him, going so far as to say that Lester is "near and dear" to his heart. How does that relate to Steve? Speculation has been that Lester is going to be released by BDR due to his lack of performance in that ride, and that Steve would take his place in the #22 truck. However, there's no way that BDR is going to release Lester, if that was even in the cards in the first place, if they are talking to his sponsor about going full-time as a Cup sponsor with Lester potentially in the car. BDR needs a full-time sponsor and driver for their second car - I had figured it would likely be Johnny Benson since he's been doing some testing for Toyota of the Cup cars that they are trying to get approval for from Nascar - but maybe BDR will go in a different direction if putting Lester in a Cup car will mean that they have a sponsor. Even though BDR's fortunes will probably improve next season when they have manufacturer support from Toyota, it might be a hard sell to get sponsors to sign on for 2007 when the performance of their Cup cars this season has been so dreadful. Of course it's possible that Steve was slated for a fourth BDR truck, rather than replacing a current driver, if BDR is where Steve is even going to end up, but I'm not sure how likely it is for BDR to field an additional team right now. And they certainly aren't going to get rid of Benson when he's in the running for the Championship in the truck series and it's not likely that Mike Skinner is going to get released either since his issues this season seem like bad luck more than anything.
So where does all of this leave Steve? Who knows? Maybe there will be some news, as early as today, that will clear up a lot of the confusion.
Posted by silverdsl at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2006
Photo of the Day - Sunset
Aruba, October, 2005.
I'll be on vacation for the rest of this week so it's unlikely that there will be any updates to this space before Sunday or next Monday at the earliest. I will have access to a computer though so it's possible that I might get inspired to post something if there's news of Steve Park's new ride or something else big happens. We will also be checking in regularly on NYYFans.com.
I hope everyone has a very happy , fun and safe 4th of July!
Posted by silverdsl at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)
Steve Park Not on Preliminary Entry List for Kentucky
It's only a preliminary entry list and things can change, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not nervous that Steve Park isn't listed on the entry list for the truck race at Kentucky Speedway at the moment. Right now Chad Chaffin is listed in the #59 truck for HT Motorsports and Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner and Bill Lester are still listed as driving the same Bill Davis Racing trucks that they have all season. In addition, there is no additional entry listed for BDR or any other team with a TBA driver. Of course driver changes can be made without penalty to the team. So a driver could be released and Steve could take his place. But it's unlikely that a team is going to suddenly enter a truck for Steve because it would be a post-entry and thus wouldn't receive any owner's points.
I guess what concerns me is that this is a holiday week. It's really unlikely that any kind of announcement is going to be made tomorrow on July 4th. So that leaves Wednesday or Thursday for an announcement to be made, which I think cuts it a little close to when the trucks are on the track on Friday. It just seems like a holiday week is a bad week for an annoucement because often people are on vacation, not just fans, but those who might be key players in Steve's new deal. Things are a little different in the truck series, where not as much attention is given to what goes on, but when it comes to announcements, particularly if this one happens to involve sponsorship, generally all parties want the maximum amount of people to be around to be involved in the announcement being made and to hear it.
What does give me hope is that Steve's website indicates that his next race will be at Kentucky and asks for a roll call on his visitor's log of those who will be at the race. Surely, those that run Steve's site must know what races he will or won't be at... right? The only problem is that just last weekend they added the #59 to the top of the front page of the site, even though it had already been announced that he wouldn't be in that ride after Kansas. So it makes me wonder if they are as in the loop as one would think they are.
There's no question that there's something in the works for Steve involving a new ride. I am hoping really hard that there will be an announcement this week and that he will be at Kentucky. Steve doesn't seem to like to disappoint people and he is aware that a large group of his fans will be traveling to Kentucky to see him race, so for that alone he may work extra hard to make this deal happen in time for this weekend. It's just that everything is so unpredicatable in this sport. I've said a million times, and I'll say it again - what seems like a done deal one day can fall apart the next. There certainly has been plenty of delays in regards to this deal. So I really hope that everything works out the way Steve wants it to, and the sooner the better.
Posted by silverdsl at 06:50 PM | Comments (0)
Is That Good Enough?
Alex Rodriguez had seven RBI last night, including a grand slam, as the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets 16-7 in interleague play. That's on top of a 12th inning two-run, walkoff homerun, last Thursday, which allowed the Yankees to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3. Yes, A-Rod hasn't had a lot of big hits this season until now, but for all those who have said that he's not ever capable of coming up big in key moments - obviously you are wrong. Stats are great, they can predict what a player is likely to do. However, they aren't the be all, end all. Just because a player hasn't often come through in the clutch or had big hits, doesn't mean that it will never happen. A-Rod has shown that in a very big way over the past week.
The best part of all of this is that A-Rod got his big hits at Yankee Stadium where he's been booed so terribly. I hope that sends a message to those fans who were sometimes booing him before his at-bats were even completely over - A-Rod can and will get the job done at the plate, however, he is a human being who is going to fail at times. Unfortunately some fans will probably be convinced that their booing is what caused him to break out of his slump and might be inclined to boo him even harder the next time he goes into a slump. Which he will, because all players do.
Posted by silverdsl at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2006
Random Thoughts on Racing at Kansas and Daytona
Since I was away for most of the weekend I didn't get to watch too much of any of the races this weekend. Correction - I did get to watch some of the Pepsi 400, but it was on mute and I was more occupied with talking to people than watching. So a lot of my thoughts on the races this weekend are based on what I've read after the fact.
*Steve Park finished 14th in what was likely his finale in the #59 truck. Any finish in the top 15 is something to be very happy about for the Harris Trucking team since they are so short on resources in comparision to other teams. It's still an unknown as to exactly when Steve will be joining his new team, but I'm happy for Steve and the #59 team that he is ending his time in the #59 on a good note if this actually was his last race in the truck. It sure would be nice to know sooner rather than later exactly what's going on with Steve and his new ride. I have to admit that since I know that Steve's time in the #59 is coming to an end, it's been hard for me to really care too much about what his results are in that truck for the remainder of his time he's in it. Yes, I want him to finish as well as possible, and yes, I'm very happy that he finished 14th yesterday, but had he not finished well yesterday I don't think I would have been too upset.
*A very hard wreck in the truck race has left Kelly Sutton with a broken arm and a broken rib. She will miss the next two races at least, possibly more. Lately there have been several hard wrecks across all three of Nascar's highest series, including a few that have left drivers with injuries. Tony Stewart had the broken shoulder blade, Jeff Fuller broke his wrist, Mark McFarland dislocated his shoulder, Dale Jarrett broke his hand last week at Sonoma and now Sutton is injured as well. I'm sure there are likely other drivers who are racing with minor aches and injuries. I think the recent rash of injuries is a reminder that racing remains a dangerous sport even in spite of all the safety advances. Some fans wish for drivers they don't like to wreck or look forward to big wrecks because of the excitement factor. I always cringe when I see a wreck - the last thing I want to see is a driver injured, even if it's a driver I don't like.
*Carl Edwards ruined what could have been a strong finish for Michael Waltrip in the Busch race. All drivers make mistakes but sometimes it seems as if Carl makes quite a few mistakes because he has a tendency to be overly aggressive when it would be wiser to tone it down a notch. Then he smiles big, shows all those teeth and goes into that "Aw shucks, I didn't mean it" routine which wins him instant forgiveness because he's just so darn nice. It's great that Edwards apologizes for his mistakes, but I think he needs to do a better job of avoiding making them in the first place. If his last name was Busch he would be raked over the coals right now. Michael gave a very classy interview in which he said he wasn't angry at Carl at all because he understood that Carl just made a mistake, which is part of racing. That's very true - wrecks are going to happen all the time, but when a driver repeatedly seems to create problems on the track, I think they might need to re-evaluate things. I also think that a one-lap rough driving penalty isn't really enough when it results in completely wrecked cars. Edwards ended up getting his lap back very quickly and went on to finish 5th so it didn't cost him a thing to have been busted for rough driving.
*Michael qualified very well for the Pepsi 400 but unapproved changes meant that he had to start the race from the back because it was an impound weekend. Things went downhill from there. There was a tire problem and later Michael smacked the wall hard, which resulted in him finishing the race three laps down. Apparently Michael was very upset over the radio and lashed out at his team. That's not surprising since it had to be a terrible disappointment for him to have things go so wrong at what is probably his best track. During a qualifying interview Michael had said that he thought he might be able to race up front if they qualified for the race so I think his hopes were pretty high that he was going to be able to get a much-needed strong result last night. Unfortunately that wasn't to be, and it cost the team in the owner's points as they slipped to 38th. If Michael has a decent car he is capable of finishing well at any other track, but I'm not so sure that he will get many decent cars from Bill Davis Racing the rest of the season.
*Another top ten for David Reutimann in the truck series. He is having a truly outstanding season and doesn't have a single finish outside the top 15 in 12 races so far. I am so impressed with how strong this team is! I have to wonder if finding out that Michael selected him to race one of his Busch cars has given Reutimann an extra boost of confidence that's now showing up in his results on the track. Reutimann was a solid driver last season, but this season has been incredible for him - I'm quite sure we'll be seeing him in Victory Lane sooner rather than later.
*Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Busch race on Friday night but during the Cup race he never seemed to be a huge factor to win. Junior said afterwards that he had trouble finding people who were willing to draft with him, but I also have to wonder if the car just wasn't that great. Junior didn't qualify well, which doesn't always mean anything, but I think if he had a good car he would eventually have found people to work with him because they would know that working with him would help them get up front. 13th isn't a terrible finish, but to the team it's surely a disappointment.
*Outstanding weekend for Boris Said. He shocked everyone by winning the pole and surprised people even more by leading this race at the end. Tony Stewart ultimately passed him for the win, but finishing 4th is an incredible finish for a driver with not much experience in Cup racing at non-road course tracks, who is racing for a part-time team. Of course his team is affilated with Roush Racing, so that gives him an advantage over other part-time teams, but it sure is nice to see a driver like Said have this kind of success. The only problem for Said, is that due to Nascar's new rules regarding how teams may be affilated with each other to cut down on ways that owners can get around the rule about how many teams they can own, he may not be able to be affiliated with Roush forever. But by then, Said might have his own program established enough to the point where he might not have to be too dependant on Roush for much.
*Elliott Sadler finished 6th, which is his second top ten in a row. I hope this is a sign that the #38 team is turning things around because their recent struggles are definitely not a good reflection of Elliott's talent behind the wheel. What's incredible is that as well as Elliott finished, he was unable to move up even a single spot in the points. Poor Elliott. That has to be incredibly frustrating to finish so well and not have much to show for it in the points.
*Jeff Gordon took a major hit in the points when he was swept up in a late-race wreck. For most of the race Gordon was up front and it seemed like he might be able to captialize on his momentum from winning in Sonoma. But instead Gordon dropped four positions to 12th in the points. Greg Biffle also dropped out of the top ten in points due to the same wreck. As much as I like Gordon, my feeling is that Biffle may stand a better chance of being in the Chase than Gordon. Both are supremely talented, but it seems to me that besides bad luck like last night, the #24 team is not as consistent as they need to be, but perhaps that will change as the season goes along.
*How long can the #19 team keep having bad race after bad race before Ray Evernham makes some changes to the team? That team should be getting much better results than they are. This team has full manufacturer support unlike the #55, has teammates unlike the #32 and doesn't have a rookie behind the wheel like the #40. Yet Jeremy Mayfield's results have barely been better than that of those teams. Switching crews has probably hurt the team but by now, they should have had enough time to get used to working together. Usually the first person to go is the crew chief when a change needs to be made, but I'm thinking that Jeremy Mayfield might not be in the #19 by the end of this season, let alone next.
*I was very happy to see that there was no "Big One." I think that some felt that the racing last night was boring and part of that might have been because there wasn't a lot of wrecking. It was hard for me to tell because I wasn't able to pay complete attention to the race, but I was thrilled that there wasn't a huge wreck. To me it's ridiculous when 20 cars are destroyed or damaged in one wreck.
Posted by silverdsl at 07:51 PM | Comments (0)