Random Thoughts: September 2007 Archives

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September 30, 2007

No Penalty for Tony Stewart

Although Tony Stewart cursed on live TV yesterday during a practice carried by ESPN2 live he won't be penalized for it. After finishing a conversation with Robby Gordon near Robby's car, Tony was approached by two ESPN camera people who was shooting video. Instead of waving them off or asking them politely to leave him alone, Tony said to one of them "Get the f*ck away from me," an outburst which was carried live on-air, though it couldn't be heard clearly. Jim Hunter from Nascar explained that since it couldn't be heard clearly and because it didn't take place in the context of an interview then Tony won't be penalized for it. So why was Juan Pablo Montoya fined $10,000 for jokingly giving the finger to a Speed camera person during a practice session in April? In both cases neither driver was aware that the camera was live, and neither was giving an interview.

I'm tired of all the ways that Tony's behavior is excused away. It's okay for him to curse at a camera person according to Nascar because it wasn't an interview. It's okay to Tony that he was rude to the camera person because in his words,

“It’s just proof that you never know where there’s a microphone hanging around somewhere. We didn’t know there was a microphone around there. Those guys were in an area they weren’t even supposed to be in. The next eight weeks are stressful and every day that you’re at that track there’s a lot of pressure on us to do what we do. It’s not going to be an easy eight weeks.”

That excuse by Tony is lame. If the camera person is properly credentialed then there's not many places in the garage area or on pit road where they're not allowed. Since this incident took place on pit road the camera people had every right to approach Tony and film him whether he wanted them to or not. And even if they over-stepped and approached when they shouldn't have, that doesn't make it okay that Tony was rude. Every other driver in the garage area somehow manages to deal with the stress of each race weekend and conduct themselves in a professional manner with the media, why can't Tony? When I was in the garage area at Pocono, we spent a lot of time in the vicinity of JPM's hauler. Members of the media, including camera people, approached him constantly for interviews during each of the practices and at other times. Instead of rudely telling them to shove off, JPM politely declined their requests and told them to schedule something through his PR person. If JPM who is just as hot-headed as Tony can do that then so can Tony.

Naturally many fans are blaming the media, but the reality is that the media has a job to do when they're at the track. They need to approach the drivers for video or for interviews. While I'd like to see there be a 15 minute cooldown period where the drivers have some time to collect their thoughts after they get out of the car, it likely wouldn't have made a difference in this case since Tony was already out of his car for a while talking to Robby. Of course a 15 minute cooldown period would never be accepted by the drivers either since that would mean they would be obligated to stay extra time after practice or after the race ended when they're always in such a rush to go elsewhere. Tony simply needs to deal with the media's presence (or fans, or photographers, or whoever else he's being rude to) around him because it's something that comes with being one of the sport's most popular and talented drivers. Unfortunately if he's not able to deal with it after all these years, he probably never will, so it's unlikely this will be the last time there's an incident like this.

It's in Tony's own best interest to keep his emotions under control, be polite and not lash out at anyone - no controversy, no possible penalty. Instead he puts himself in a position where at the minimum it's a distraction in the midst of the Chase, but could have been very costly if there was a penalty that involved points being taken away. I think what bothers me the most is that this kind of thing is constantly happening with Tony. It's great that he's so friendly to fans at appearances, does so much for charity and is one of the best drivers in Nascar, but that doesn't mean that it's acceptable for him to treat people with a lack of common decency. If he were Tony Smith, a nobody who worked in a warehouse, Tony wouldn't be able to get away with routinely being rude to people in his workplace, so why is it okay for Tony Stewart?

Posted by silverdsl at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

Dale Jarrett May Not Race Full-Time Next Season

Turns out there was some truth to the rumors - which were denied - that circulated a number of months ago that Dale Jarrett was going to retire at the end of this season instead of waiting until next season as originally planned. DJ said today that he approached his sponsor UPS a few months ago with a number of options for what they wanted him to do next season - race full-time, race part-time or even step out of the car completely. From the sounds of it, DJ will be in the car for at least one race, but it definitely sounds like there's a strong possibility that he may not race the entire season.

DJ said he wasn't being pressured to step out of the car, instead that he wanted to do what was best for Michael Waltrip Racing and for UPS.

"The only thing I can tell you, it can be anywhere from one to 36 races. The biggest factor, obviously we want to make Michael Waltrip Racing better, [but] the biggest thing, mainly, is what's best for UPS. It would be totally unfair to say they're forcing me to do something because that's not the case whatsoever. I want them to be able to do what's best, and they want me to do what's best. I have a tremendous relationship there. I feel fortunate to have the best sponsor in the business at the end of my career, and I want to do and give them what is best for them and what they deserve."

It seems to me that what would be best for Michael Waltrip Racing is for DJ to stay in the car through the end of next season to give Josh Wise or Ken Butler III enough time to gain the necessary experience so they could replace DJ in the #44. Otherwise, it's a scenario where either MWR would have to put one of those drivers in the car before they're ready, sign a driver like David Stremme or Jeremy Mayfield temporarily or if sponsorship can't be nailed down for the #00, put David Reutimann in the #44. I can't see UPS wanting a revolving door of drivers in the car since they've built a major marketing, advertising and promotional campaign around one driver - DJ - for so long. For that reason I can't see them wanting to drop DJ so suddenly either. Perhaps there will be a situation where DJ and Josh or Ken split time in the #44, similar to how Mark Martin will be sharing the #8 with Aric Almirola. I also have to wonder how DJ's Champion's provisional will effect things - if there's no changes to that rule, I can't imagine MWR and UPS not wanting to take advantage of his provisional to ensure that they make the first eight races of next season.

What really gets me is that DJ sounds like it doesn't really matter to him either way whether he races next season or not. He said,

"Obviously having some time because we've missed some races, I've realized that at this point in my life that it wouldn't be devastating if that was the situation, that I had more weekends off. I didn't enjoy not being in the races, but since I was at home, I enjoyed being with my wife and my kids, I enjoyed going to the golf course on Sunday mornings and seeing guys I haven't golfed with in a long time. It wasn't total devastation. It was hard at first. That's why I feel I can accept either role at this point in time.

"I have a whole different outlook on things now, I think my mindset is if they tell me that running the Daytona 500 and we do something different from that point, I'd be perfectly happy with that. If they say our program is built around you and our people really want you to run all 36 races, I can do that again, too. I'm happy with all of that."

Talk about a different mindset from Michael and other drivers who have missed races this season! I think it hurts Michael to DNQ at this point in the season just as much as it did to start the season - the shots of him with his head in his hands as he was being driven away on the cart after DNQ'ing a couple of weeks ago, as well as the way he talked about how miserable he was when he woke up race day morning in New Hampshire when he wasn't going to be racing tell the tale on that. Michael continues to talk about his passion about racing and Nascar, and unlike DJ he still seems devastated when he misses races. It seems to me when a driver is perfectly fine with not racing then it's time for him to step out of the car. That's not to say that DJ isn't giving 100% effort when he's behind the wheel or doesn't enjoy racing anymore at all, but that the drive, determination and passion to race wasn't what it once was. And I have to wonder how that effects the results for the #44 team. When I was at Pocono a couple of months ago I sensed that there was something up with DJ's team. Things just seemed strange about his team, as if the attitude and approach was somehow different than the others in the garage area, yet they were there doing all the same things that every other team was. I have to wonder if his team senses that DJ's might not be as fully committed to racing as he once was? It seems to me it makes it hard on his team to perform as well as they might be capable of if they know that their driver isn't heartbroken if he doesn't race on Sunday.

What I don't understand is why DJ wasn't more upfront about some of this when he addressed the rumors that were circulating earlier in the season. He made a point of addressing the media and insisting that the rumors were false. Michael also denied that there was any truth to the rumors. Now they both look silly - and some will think they were lying - because it turns out that all along DJ has been entertaining thoughts of getting out of the car. I suppose DJ might not have been completely sure about what he wanted to do or whether UPS was going to be okay with him not racing full-time next season, and he might not have fully conveyed all of what he was thinking to Michael. And neither of them might have wanted to address what was going on least some jump to conclusions that DJ's reasons were due to his dissatisfaction with MWR. While strong results on the track would probably make DJ more willing to stick around, I suspect that regardless of what organization DJ was racing for he might still be thinking of taking a step back. From the sounds of it, DJ feels differently about racing than he once did and he's ready to move into another chapter in his life, that might include some racing, but he'd be okay if it didn't.

I have to admit that I won't be terribly upset if DJ isn't the driver of the #44 next season. I've never been able to warm up to DJ like one might think I would since he's one of Michael's close friends and races for him. Even after meeting him in person last season I didn't find myself liking him anymore than I had previously - in fact the opposite happened. I found DJ to be nice but kind of standoffish. I thought that maybe it was just a bad day for him, but I've since heard that's just his way, he's simply not one of the more fan-friendly drivers unless he has to be. So I wouldn't mind seeing DJ replaced with another driver - Josh Wise is going to be awesome for MWR some day but I don't think he's ready to get in a Cup car yet, at least not full-time. I'm not crazy about David Stremme - while I think he's very marketable, I'm not sold on him as a Cup driver. However, it seems to me that Jeremy Mayfield would be a good choice for the #44 for a year or two if DJ were to step aside early. He's a veteran driver who is familiar with Toyotas and also with the difficulties in being with a team outside the top 35 in owner's points. He's talked with MWR about a ride before and he knows how to race up front and win. I can't see him being a long-term solution since MWR needs to get some youth in the mix, but I think he'd work out well in the short-term, especially since he's probably going to be in the mindset where he's going to want to prove to the garage area that he's not done yet.

It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Posted by silverdsl at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2007

Michael Will Race on Sunday!

Qualifying's not over yet but I'm thrilled because Michael Waltrip will race on Sunday at Kansas! Not only will he race but he's currently 2nd in qualifying out of 26 cars. Of course there are plenty of good cars left to go so odds are he won't start 2nd when it's all said and done, but so far he's out-qualified drivers like Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, Carl Edwards, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton. Wow! I was worried after practice because it seemed like they were borderline on speed even though Michael only had to beat four other go-or-go-homers to make the show. Well, he definitely did that and more! Outstanding! Of course that might not translate into a good run on Sunday, but I'm feeling optimistic considering how good his car was last weekend at Dover.

David Reutimann also locked himself in with a solid qualifying run. Right now he's 11th out of 28 cars that have gone so far. Now all that needs to happen is for Dale Jarrett to put down a strong qualifying run and all three Michael Waltrip Racing cars will be in the show for the second race in a row. That would be awesome! DJ is one of the last cars going out so I probably won't know for sure whether he made it or not until I get home. I sure hope I'm able to update this entry with good news about DJ later on!

Posted by silverdsl at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)

Random Nascar Thoughts

*Jacques Villeneuve will try to make his Cup debut at Talladega. At first I didn't really understand why Bill Davis Racing was going to make Talladega be his first Cup race. After all, restrictor plate races can be challenging for even drivers who have experience in Nascar. Plus, BDR hasn't been very successful in getting their cars into the show for every race this season - both missed last week's race at Dover - so it seemed to me at a track where there will likely be a large amount of extra cars showing up to attempt to qualify fielding three cars that weekend might not be the way to go. However, someone on one of the Jeremy Mayfield forums pointed out that it's the only opportunity for BDR to try to get Villeneuve some experience on a restrictor plate track before the Daytona 500, which might be why they Villeneuve will also be racing the truck and ARCA races at Talladega. It makes sense that they'd want to try to get him as much experience as possible on that kind of track since he's going to have to race his way in during qualifying for the Daytona 500, which might not be easy.

*It appears that 360OTC/TXST/Three Sixty, Inc. or whatever they've been calling themselves is no more. What a surprise. The company's been bought and will become an aviation company. Yes, that's right, they'll be going from manufacturing pharmaceuticals to somehow being involved in the aviation industry. Michelle Shearer is out as President and CEO, and Peter Van Dyke is in. I have no clue what this means for any of the various lawsuits that are pending against 36O OTC for alleged beach of contract and non-payment, or whether the 360OTC logos are going to come off of #36 car. Right from the start I was skeptical about this sponsor and I'm not shocked at all that they didn't last more than a year as a company or as a sponsor. While I don't think Bill Davis could have known that things would turn out in quite this way, I wonder as I have before how he got involved with this company?

*Rumor has it that Jeff Green might be replaced in the #66 by Scott Riggs. Since the source is Cup Scene Daily which isn't known for it's accuracy, I'm taking this rumor with a major grain of salt, particularly since I'm not sure Riggs is much of an upgrade, at least when it comes to performance. Their average finish over their career is about the same - around 25th. However, Riggs is 36 and Green, 45, so the sponsor, Best Buy may view Riggs as being more marketable, especially if they're trying to appeal to a younger audience who might be apt to buy electronics. But if they're going that route, maybe they also have interest in David Stremme who has an average finish of 26th and is only 30.

*Nascar Now reported this week that Dave Blaney has been re-signed to remain in the #22, for at least one more season, with provisions to stay beyond that. I can't say that Blaney is one of my favorites. He's a decent driver, but I wasn't very impressed with him when I met him over the summer. While his fans rave about what a great guy Dave is, he didn't come across as being very interested in doing more than the bare minimum when it came to dealing with fans, and he didn't seem too happy about even that. And it wasn't like he was in a bad mood or anything. After he got done with the four of us who were standing there, he proceeded to joke around and carry on with his PR person and others from BDR. However, while I might not be crazy about Blaney, he has done a decent job in the #22 this season and got Toyota their first pole.

*Jayski has an "I heard" rumor that Billy Ballew Motorsports will switch manufacturers to Toyota next season because Kyle Busch will be racing Toyotas in Cup for Joe Gibbs Racing next season as well. One the surface it doesn't seem to make sense that they'd switch to Toyota just for Kyle since he usually only races a handful of races for them each season, but a previous rumor had it that Kyle might get more involved on the business or ownership side at some points so if there's any truth to that it makes more sense that they'd make the switch.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:47 PM | Comments (0)

What's Out There For Steve Park?

Recently Steve Park has reaffirmed that he'll only consider rides where he can race in the top ten consistently and contend for wins. I've been thinking that means it's unlikely he'll be back on the track full-time in the near future because I doubted that there were all that many of those rides available. But then I figured I should take a look and see how many of those rides actually exist and what their status is for next season.

Steve's preference seems to be to race in the Truck Series, so I'll start there. Here's the list of the trucks and their respective drivers which most often run in the top ten, and as a result make up the top ten in points:

#5 - Mike Skinner - Mike just signed a new three-year deal with Bill Davis Racing prior to the start of this season.

#33 - Ron Hornaday, Jr. - Ron's contending for the Championship so it's doubtful that Kevin Harvick, Inc. will look to make a change, and Ron was recently on Michael Waltrip's show talking about how much he still loves racing, as well as how happy he is in the truck series, so I doubt he's going anywhere.

#6 - Travis Kvapil - Assuming everything works out with sponsorship, there will be an opening in this ride, however, I have to wonder if Roush-Fenway might just eliminate this truck next season. The sponsor K&N initially weren't planning on sponsoring Travis for the full season, and I have to wonder if they'll stick around for another season if he's not in the truck.

#30 - Todd Bodine - Todd won't be back for sure in the #30 since he's going to race the Busch Series full-time with Germain Racing next season. However, it's been said that Germain plans on putting Sean Caisse in this truck, as they'd like to try and develop some young talent.

#23 - Johnny Benson - Since Johnny has three wins, I don't see BDR looking to make any changes here.

#14 Rick Crawford - Rick doesn't have any wins but he has raced fairly well this season. I haven't heard a word about this ride being available.

#9 - Ted Musgrave - Another ride that might have an opening or might disappear entirely. Ted has said that he doesn't know what his status for 2008 is with this team, and Germain has said that they're not sure if they're going to field one truck or two next season.

#99 - Erik Darnell - I believe it's been said by Roush-Fenway that Erik will be back in this ride next season.

#88 - Matt Crafton - Haven't heard anything about Thorsport Racing looking to make changes.

#60 - Jack Sprague - This team has been in the top ten or better in less than half of the races so far this season, but I'm including them since Steve has spoken with Wyler Racing about a ride in the past, and Jack won a race this season so it's a solid team. Although Jack isn't likely to be going anywhere, Wyler Racing has expressed interest in trying to field a second team should they find sponsorship. However, where's the sponsorship going to come from? And some companies may hesitate about spending $2-5 million to sponsor a driver who hasn't raced a truck or much of anything else in a year?

it does appear that there's a few possibilities for Steve in the Truck Series... assuming some of the teams that might have openings would consider him. The other thing is that if Roush and Germain eliminate one of their trucks each, some of the rides which may seem less desirable now because they're only top 15 or top 20 rides, would have the opportunity to improve their position in the standings next season since that would be two less elite trucks they'd be racing against.

Moving on to the Busch Series...

#60 - Carl Edwards - I have no idea what Carl's plans are in relation to the Busch Series for next season but I'd think that once he wins the Championship he might not be inclined not to race this series full-time. Odds are whatever happens with this car will be determined by how much Carl wants to race it in 2008.

#29 - Various - A variety of drivers were behind the wheel of the #29 this season and it's likely that will continue in 2008. Even if RCR wanted to put one driver behind the wheel since Steve didn't appear to part ways with RCR on such good terms I'm not sure they would consider him for this ride anyway.

#20 - Various - Rockwell automation won't be back on the #20 next season so sponsorship is an issue, but my guess is we'll continue to see Denny Hamlin in this car for the most part, maybe Kyle Busch as well.

#21 - Various - See the #29.

#99 - David Reutimann - David would like to race this car again next season but Michael Waltrip Racing would like to put Josh Wise or another young driver behind the wheel. If there's a second MWR Busch car next season it will likely be for David.

#9 - Various - It's likely that this will continue to be a Buschwacking ride for Gillett-Evernham's Cup drivers and Boris Said.

#33 - Various - Odds are Kevin will continue to race this car when RCR doesn't have a Busch car for him and he wants to race in the Busch Series. I would guess we might see Tony Raines in this car more regularly if he doesn't find a Cup ride.

#22 - Various - Fitz isn't considered one of the elite teams in the Busch Series but they do appear to be capable of fielding a car capable of racing in the top ten at times. Fitz hasn't had a full-time driver in this car for a while now and they may plan to do the same for next season. However, this could be a team with potential for Steve, as long as he was willing to deal with the times when the car is less than a top ten car, as the performance of the #22 appears to be inconsistent.

#38 - Jason Leffler - Although he's racing some races for Red Horse Racing at the end of this season, I would think that Jason will be back in this car next season.

#10 - Various - I'd guess this will be used next year by Toyota's Cup drivers who want to Buschwack same as this season. if it should become an open full-time ride it would be a decent ride though, and it could open other doors for Steve since once a driver races for one Toyota team they seem to end up racing for other Toyota teams.

As for the Cup Series, don't make me laugh. There is no chance that Steve will race in Cup again if he's determined that it will only be for a top ten team. Aside from the fact that aren't any openings with those teams for next season, it's really unlikely that Steve would be considered to replace Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, or even Kurt Busch.

Seems to me the pickings are kind of slim if Steve won't consider a non-top ten team, particularly since some of the teams that might have openings might not be interested in him. As I said in a previous entry, I wish that Steve would be open to racing for a top 15-top 20 team. Sure he might not be in contention for wins that often or finish in the top ten as much as he's like but some of those teams probably have potential to improve into top ten teams, particularly if they had a driver behind the wheel that was as talent and driven as Steve is.

Of course all of this might be wasted effort anyway. Steve did indicate an interest in racing the #88 for JR Motorsports and they've only got 7 top tens in 29 races, though I'd expect that to improve next season given the alliance with Hendrick Motorsports and with Brad Keselowski behind the wheel full-time. So perhaps in selected cases Steve will consider a less than elite team - at least I hope so for his sake if his desire to race is as strong as he says it is.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2007

Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach

Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, Georgia. July, 2007.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

Random Nascar Thoughts

*Richard Childress said today that it's unlikely that Richard Childress Racing will field a 4th car next season, and that he's rather wait until 2009 to find the "right combination" that makes it a "good fit" for their organization. From the sounds of it, sponsorship might be a problem, which isn't surprising since a 4th team wouldn't be locked into the races each week due to a lack of owner's points so some sponsors might be leery of that situation, particularly if RCR didn't have a marquee driver lined up to be behind the wheel.

*Speaking of David and him re-signing with MWR, he says that a sticking point that's keeping him from re-signing is that he wants to stay in the #99 Busch car next season but MWR wants to put a young driver in. It would be great if MWR were able to field two Busch cars next season but as an organization that is still trying to get a solid foundation in place to be successful, I'm not sure they have the resources to field two full-time Busch cars, particularly two competitive cars. Dale Jarrett is going to be retiring at the end of next season so there will need to be a replacement for him, and Michael will eventually step out of the #55 as well, so I can understand why MWR wants to put a young driver in the Busch car in the hopes of being able to advance him to Cup in 2009.

*However, David also indicated in he same article that he would probably re-sign with MWR. that's definitely great news and not a surprise. For one thing David had expressed interest in returning to MWR all along. But beyond that since RCR likely won't have a 4th team next season, David probably doesn't have many other options other than staying with MWR. I'm really happy that David will likely be back at MWR next season since I think he's a huge asset to MWR - he's a very talented driver and a terrific person. I'll be even happier when an official announcement that they have a signed deal with David is made.

*Ever since Aaron Fike was busted for allegedly being in possession of heroin, David Green has been behind the wheel of the #1 truck for Red Horse Racing. But he'll be replaced for five of the last six races this season by Jason Leffler, with Brandon Whitt racing at Atlanta so Leffler can race in the Busch series at Memphis that weekend. I wonder what that means for this truck for next season? Leffler's the top non-Cup driver in the Busch Series right now so I can't see him leaving that ride unless something were to open up for him in Cup, which doesn't seem likely considering how poorly things worked out for him the last time he was in Cup. Would they put Whitt behind the wheel? Could it be a potential ride for Steve Park? The #1 would be a solid ride and the team has shown that they can finish in the top ten and top 15. However, they don't race up front regularly or contend for wins, so Steve probably wouldn't even be interested in this ride even if they were interested in him.

*Tony Stewart wasn't penalized or even reprimanded by Nascar for twice bumping Paul Menard on pit road during Sunday's race at Dover to express his displeasure at the way Paul pitted in front of him. Why? It seems to me that one driver using their car as a weapon against another on pit road is a safety issue and something that's even more serious than Carl Edward's car being too low, something he got points taken away for.

*Peter Sospenzo has officially been hired as Robby Gordon's crew chief. Sospenzo is a talented and experienced crew chief but it seems like Robby goes through crew chiefs very quickly. I wonder how long Sospenzo will last? Hopefully Robby will be able to develop a good rapport with Peter and he'll stick around long-term - the survival of Robby's Cup team might depend on having someone on top of the box consistently who can help the team improve. Being 27th in points isn't very impressive.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:25 PM | Comments (0)

Park Still Has Desire to Race

Mark Aumann caught up with Steve Park at Dover and wrote a nice article about his desire to continue racing for Nascar.com. As always Steve has a great attitude. He said after finishing 8th in the Busch East race,

"I feel great. I feel like I've got a lot of things left in me and just to get the opportunity [to race at Dover] shows a lot of people that we've still got what it takes to run up front and win races. Now, we need to keep plugging and look for the next deal and try to capitalize on it."

He does have a lot left in him! Drivers like Steve don't forget how to race, and race well. There's no question that given a competitive car or truck he can race up front and win. Which is what he's looking for - as he's said before, a ride with a team that will give him the opportunity to contend for wins. He said,

"The opportunities haven't presented themselves to be with a team that can run up front. We're constantly looking to put ourselves in a position, whether that's a car or a truck, with a team that can run up front."

And if it's not with a top ten team Steve won't consider it. He said,

"We took the year off not to get involved in any teams that can't run up front, run in the top 10 and win races."

and

"If I put myself with a team that runs 20th every week, it's not going to do Steve Park any good. I've got to position myself with a team that can run up front to still show that I've got the youth, I've got the talent and I've got the ability to take the car or truck up to the front and race with these guys."

I wonder how long it's going to be before Steve realizes that maybe accepting one an offer with one of those teams that races 20th every week might actually do him some good? Fact is, a car or truck that finishes top 20 most times that has a solid foundation with good personnel, a supportive sponsor and an owner committed to improving could become a top ten team with his help. It also gets keeps him visible - Steve not only needs to show he can still race competitively, but also that he still has the desire to race that he speaks of and that he's willing to do whatever it takes to continue to race. It's great that Steve has been going to the track this season, but other than this past weekend at Dover it's been as a spectator. I feel like a broken record in this space but getting involved with a team even if it's just as a consultant, or better yet getting behind the wheel when a team is in need of a driver, maybe not even to open any eyes about what he's still capable of, but instead to lend a team a helping hand might end up opening some doors for him down the road.

I also have to wonder if Steve is constantly turning down offers from teams that he feels aren't good enough and won't benefit him, if one day his phone is going to stop ringing because all the teams that are willing to consider giving him a ride will think he's not interested because he's said "no" so many times. Not to mention some of the teams who have approached him about a ride probably are none too happy to find out that in his eyes they're subpar. I've always thought that eventually the desire to race will become so bad that it will over-ride Steve's insistence that the ride he takes has to be absolutely perfect. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Of course Steve has to do what makes him happy. It's his life and he needs to make the choices that he feels are best for himself and his career. But I believe those choices may led to his fans not seeing him on the track very often, if at all, in any of Nascar's three highest series anytime in the near future.

The article concluded with Steve saying,

"I got desire, I've got the drive, I've got the motivation and keep myself in great shape. Now I'm ready to go racing. We just need the opportunity."

Sometimes opportunity is what you make of it but I hope the opportunity that Steve is looking for comes his way soon.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)

Carl Edwards Penalized; Roush-Fenway Racing Cries

Yesterday Nascar announced that Carl Edwards would be penalized 25 driver points, Jack Roush 25 owner's points and Bob Osbourne fined $25,000 and placed on probation as a result of the #99 failing post-race inspection on Sunday because the right rear was too low. I think that penalty is fair considering other teams have been penalized the same for similar infractions recently. However, with the way Geoff Smith, president of Roush-Fenway Racing is carrying on, one would think that Edwards had 100 points taken away. Smith said,

"[the team had]...the misfortune of violating a rule which makes no sense. It was promulgated to address restrictor-plate races, not downforce races. I say misfortune because we are being penalized for a violation that actually impaired the car's performance."

A rule is a rule. Nascar can't say that it's okay for a car to be too low if it doesn't help performance. For all they know a team will figure out a way to help performance by making the car low at a track where it traditionally wouldn't be a benefit.

He continued,

"We intend to appeal the unfair assessment of the points penalty. What is unfair is that Carl is receiving a penalty that is 250 percent greater in its effect than a similarly assessed penalty against a non-Chase driver. Chase drivers are competing for a total of 1,950 points. All drivers competed for 5,070 points in the first 26 races. Do the math. The net effect is that a 25-point penalty falls unfairly hard on a Chase contender. That's simply not right. To equalize the penalty impact on all competitors not more than 10 points should have been taken from a Chase contender."

What Smith seems to be advocating is that there should be different - and lessor - penalties for Chase driver than there are for non-Chase drivers. Ridiculous. If anything, some might say that the Chase drivers should be penalized worse because they're racing for the Championship, the highest honor that can be given to a team. I don't agree with that either. The rules need to be applied the same across the board to all teams. If Carl's team is really a Championship team they should be able to race well enough to rebound from the points loss to remain in contention for the Championship, particularly when there are so many races left to go.

However, perhaps Nascar could still have handled this situation better. Michael Waltrip, who some seem to think always praises Nascar, was critical of Nascar, saying that when they announced that there was a rules violation that the #99 team might be penalized for they should have made it clear that there was no performance advantage so that Carl's win wasn't tainted. Although I think Michael has a valid point, the only reason I can think of that Nascar might not do that is because what if they later determined that there was in fact some sort of advantage? Michael did go on to say that that the teams need to stay within the rules they're given otherwise be penalized for it as is what happened to Carl's team.

I'm pretty doubtful that Roush is going to win their appeal.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2007

Ken Schrader to Race the #21 at Kansas

Seems like there's a wee bit of confusion over at the Wood Brothers about who will be racing for them and in which car this weekend at Kansas. First it was said that Jon Wood would be behind the wheel of the #21 and that they would field the #47 for Bill Elliott. That made a lot of sense because Bill's champion's provisional would guarantee that the #47 would make the field, and now that the #21 is locked in, for now at least, there wouldn't be a lot of pressure on Jon regarding qualifying. Then it was announced that it was the reverse - Bill would be in the #21 and Jon would be in the #47. I didn't really understand why they would subject Jon to so much pressure and stress considering his problems this season but I figured they wanted Bill in the #21 because of his veteran experience in an effort to try to get the best result possible to help the team solidify their hold on 35th in the owner's points. Then today it was announced that due to a "last minute schedule change" it wouldn't be Bill in the #21, but Ken Schrader. Now I'm not at all disappointed that Ken will be back behind the wheel, especially since it appears possible that Ken's time in Cup is rapidly coming to an end unless he re-connects with BAM Racing at some point. But it seems to me that if this team can't figure out who is going to be driving their car in Kansas they might be disorganized on some other areas as well. Which isn't a good thing for a team fighting for their survival.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:01 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2007

Driver by Driver: Dover II

After a race that a snoozer last week in New Hampshire, I was very happy that the race at Dover was a lot better. Some will say that's because there were a lot more wrecks and cautions, but I think it was because there was a lot more actual racing and lead changes than at New Hampshire.

1. Carl Edwards - Won his third race of the season and first of the Chase, but his car failed a post-race inspection when the right rear was found to be too low. However, those who are expecting a major penalty that could end Carl's Championship hopes might be disappointed. Nascar officials said that they don't consider the violation to be a COT violation because the structure of the COT wasn't messed with. It could even end up that there's no penalty at all if Nascar decides that the problems occurred as a result of contact during the race.

2. Greg Biffle - Greg's best finish of the season is also just his third top five this season. He has the talent to finish this well every week but he hasn't had the cars to enable him to do so recently.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Solid all day, Junior has three top fives in his last six races.

4. Mark Martin - For a while it looked like Mark would be able to seriously challenge for the win but he faded a little. Still, it's his best finish since Texas in April.

5. Kyle Busch - So far in his first two races in the Chase Kyle has two top fives and overall it's his third top five in four races. Some fans believe that Kyle will never be a serious threat to win a Championship because he'll eventually lose control of his emotions and get himself into trouble but if he continues to race like this throughout the Chase some fans may get a big surprise.

6. Casey Mears - Much like how Greg Biffle was told to move over for Carl Edwards last week, Casey was given team orders to move over so Kyle could take 5th. I hate the concept of team orders. Every driver should be out there racing their hardest to finish the best they can and they shouldn't have to sacrifice a better finish for themselves so a teammate can finish ahead of them, Chase or no Chase. Not only is it not fair to Casey but it's not fair to Casey's sponsor either.

7. Jeff Burton - A strong finish for Jeff moves him three spots up in the Chase standings.

8. Jamie McMurray - This is Jamie's first top ten and best finish since he won at Daytona in July. what's impressive is that Jamie was able to finish this well even after he got into the wall.

9. Tony Stewart - Early in the race Tony was displeased with Paul Menard, who he felt was blocking him in his pits. So Tony's solution was to hit Paul from behind as they were exiting pit road. What boggled my mind is that to my knowledge nothing was said to Tony by Nascar and this incident overall got very little attention. What I want to know is why not? Kurt Busch was penalized for bumping Tony on pit road at this race in the Spring, and while what Kurt did was much more serious, it seems to me that there should be zero tolerance for drivers deliberately getting into each other on pit road since if things were to get out of hand it could create a safety issue for pit crew members.

10. Juan Montoya - Many fans predicted disaster with JPM starting on the inside of the front row. Instead JPM got his best finish since he finished second at Indy in late July. It's a little amazing to me how many fans continue to underestimate JPM's talent behind the wheel. Yes, he's made some mistakes and his driving style can be overly aggressive, but he's definitely capable of finishing well.

11. Jeff Gordon - Jeff "only" finished 11th but it was enough to move him into the lead in the Chase standings by just a few points. I'd guess he and his team won't give up the lead easily.

12. Clint Bowyer - Considering he qualified poorly so he had to start from the back and was involved in a wreck this was a good finish for Clint but I'm sure he was disappointed about not having finished better since he won last week.

13. Martin Truex Jr. - Pretty amazing that Martin was able to finish this well after having got caught in the huge wreck on lap 386. The #1 team did an outstanding job of getting Martin back on the track to finish the race without losing laps in spite of some major damage.

14. Jimmie Johnson - Got a flat on lap 187 which necessitated a pit stop under green but never stopped racing hard inspite of being a few laps down which allowed him to race his way into the top 15 when bad luck befell other teams.

15. Michael Waltrip - As noted in a previous entry, before his power steering went Michael was racing as high as 11th. Had he not had mechanical issues to deal with I think there's a good chance Michael could have finished in the top ten because the car appeared to be one of the best he's had all season. That's a good sign since MWR has seemed to struggled with their COT program at times, as have all the Toyota teams.

16. Brian Vickers - Had a loose car all race but was able to benefit from other cars getting wrecked out like an number of others did.

17. Elliott Sadler - This is Elliott's best finish since Watkins Glen where he also finished 17th. What must be maddening for Elliott is that he seems to be able to qualify very well but that doesn't translate into success on race day.

18. David Reutimann - Spent a lot of the day racing around 27th so this is good finish considering that.

19. Robby Gordon - Qualified poorly, didn't have a real crew chief and spun once, but still managed a top 20.

20. Kevin Harvick - Had bad luck twice in this race, once in the form of a loose wheel and then got a flat tire later in the race. Still, with other Chase contenders experiencing even worse problems, finishing 20th was enough to move Kevin up one spot in the Chase standings to 9th.

21. Paul Menard

22. Joe Nemechek - This is Joe's best finish since Pocono in early June when he finished 15th in the #13 car. I don't think Joe was mentioned a single time during yesterday's race.

23. Kenny Wallace - Another team that was never mentioned. This is actually Kenny's second best finish this season.

24. David Gilliland - Got into Dale, Jr. on pit road which caused damage that needed to be repaired putting him several laps down.

25. David Ragan - Never had a good car.

26. Ken Schrader - Got a cut tire and spun. We might or might not see Ken back in this car. If not, it's too bad he wasn't able to get a better finish.

27. Bobby Labonte - Got wrecked in the big one on lap 386.

28. Kurt Busch - Was the cause of the big wreck on lap 386 when he bounced off the wall and into traffic after something broke on the car.

29. Ryan Newman - Got swept up in the wreck caused by Kurt.

30. Reed Sorenson - Was racing in 11th and was on his way to a possible top ten which would have been his best finish in quite some time when he got caught in the lap 386 wreck.

31. Jeff Green - Also a victim of the lap 386 wreck.

32. Kasey Kahne - Didn't have a very good car, then got wrecked along with everyone else in "The Big One."

33. J.J. Yeley - Yet another driver who got swept up in the lap 386 mess.

34. Scott Riggs - Him too.

35. Matt Kenseth - Looked to be on his way to a win until he developed engine issues which ultimately led to the engine blowing.

36. Tony Raines - Tangled with John Andretti on lap 364.

37. John Andretti - Sustained a hard hit into the wall as a result of the wreck with Tony Raines.

38. Denny Hamlin - As I discussed in a previous entry had Denny shown a little more patience perhaps he wouldn't have wrecked himself and Kyle Petty.

39. David Stremme - A broken timing belt took David out of the race.

40. Kyle Petty - Got wrecked by Denny.

41. Dale Jarrett - Turns out in addition to engine woes, DJ also had power steering issues like his teammate and owner, Michael Waltrip did.

42. Johnny Sauter - Spun and wrecked early in the race.

43. A.J. Allmendinger - Poor A.J. He makes the race but doesn't even get to race five laps due his second blown engine of the weekend.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)

Kyle Petty vs. Denny Hamlin

Some of the excitement in yesterday's race was provided by Kyle Petty and Denny Hamlin who almost came to blows in the garage area after they were involved in a wreck with each other. On lap 204, Denny got into Kyle from behind and spun him into the wall, which resulted in significant damage to both cars. As Denny waited in his car in the garage to see if his team could make repairs, Kyle came up to his car, pulled down his window net, began yelling at him and ultimately tapped him on the helmet. When Denny got out of his car to "discuss" things with Kyle face-to-face, crew members and Nascar officials separated the two.

Under no circumstances should Kyle have gone over to Denny in the garage, and he especially shouldn't have touched Denny in anger, whether it was on the helmet or not. No matter how upset he is, Kyle needs to keep control of his emotions, and particularly since he's not just a driver but an owner as well. That said, I have to admit I liked seeing that kind of fire from Kyle. Much like the way some fans view Michael Waltrip, a lot of fans think that Kyle doesn't care about racing anymore, but a driver who gets that upset at another driver most definitely still cares. I can understand Kyle's frustration. For one thing had Denny shown a little more patience he could have passed Kyle cleanly in a few laps. In addition, while some think that only the drivers in the Chase are racing for something, Kyle is trying to stay in the top 35 in owner's points, and he's only one point out of 35th, 106 points out of 36th. Not a very large margin by any means. So getting wrecked makes things even stickier for Kyle in relation to the owner's points than they already were.

What bothers me is Denny's overall attitude these days. He has a tremendous amount of talent behind the wheel and I have no doubt that he's going to win many races - likely more than Kyle has over the course of his career - and contend for more than a few Championships. However, these days he sometimes radiates arrogance and a over inflated sense of entitlement. Denny said,

"I think a lot of it was his frustration over this whole top-35 thing, but we're racing for bigger and better things. Hopefully, one day, if they get it turned around, I can exchange the favor. But right now, we're the guys racing for the championship, so you know, heed a little bit."

It may come as a surprise to Denny but there's 30 other drivers on the track besides those in the top 20, and those drivers have just as much of a right to race as Denny does. In addition, while none of them are racing for a Championship, I'd say that to Kyle and Petty Enterprises staying in the top 35 in owner's points is just as important to them as trying to win a Championship. While Denny says he understands that Kyle was frustrated over the "top-35 thing" I don't think he really understands the position that Kyle's in. For one thing the overall results haven't been very good for Petty Enterprises for a while now, something which may cause them to have to merge with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. Beyond that there's been sponsorship issues for Kyle's team and dropping out of the top 35 in owner's points could make that situation worse. Not to mention not being locked in would put Kyle in danger of missing races. Denny has never been in Kyle's position during his time in Nascar and likely never will where he has to worry about sponsorship, owner's points and possibly the survival of his entire organization. Denny never has to deal with the frustrations of having to race slow cars week after week either.

While I can understand why Denny was frustrated with Kyle while they were racing each other, Denny could have avoided all of this by simply using a little more patience and being a little less aggressive. By wrecking Kyle he ended up doing major damage to his own car which ruined the race for him and cost him in the Chase standings as he's now in 12th - last place. Of course Denny probably blames Kyle for that but he should look in the mirror - racing Kyle differently would have likely meant a significantly better finish for Denny.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

Michael Waltrip Finishes 15th at Dover!

Dover ended up being mostly good to Michael Waltrip and his teams other than a very scary incident on lap 80 of yesterday's race when Art Harris, gasman for the #55 was hit in the back of the head by a tire that bounced into the #55's pit box during pit stops. Although it looked pretty bad at first, Harris was alert by the time he was taken to the in-field care center, and later treated and released at an area hospital. Harris will likely be pretty sore for a while, but he's okay, which is a very good thing! What likely saved Harris from serious injury is that pit crew members are required to wear helmets if they go over the wall - a very wise move by Nascar to make those helmets mandatory. A weird twist of fate in this incident was that the errant tire came from another MWR car. A tire rolled away from the #44 and into traffic on pit road, and David Ragan hit it, which bounced the tire into the #55's pit. It was incredible how fast it happened and how much force the tire had - after seeing that it's clear why Nascar penalizes the teams when they let tires get away on pit road.

Otherwise the race weekend started off on a very good note for Michael Waltrip Racing as all three of their cars qualified for the Cup race, for just the third time this season. I was absolutely thrilled that Michael made this race! I had a good feeling he would even though he had missed the previous two races and there were a lot of cars entered since the last time the series was at Dover Michael broke a string of eleven DNQs by qualifying for the Autism Speaks 400. So I had a feeling he and his team were going to rebound again at Dover, a track that's been good to them in the past. I wasn't quite as confident that MWR would end up with all three cars in the show though. I didn't have too many doubts that David Reutimann would make the race, after all he's shown that he's an outstanding qualifier. But Dale Jarrett and his team haven't seemed to make many improvements since the start of the season so the necessary speed to make races often isn't there for DJ. But right from the start of practice DJ and his teammates were fast and backed it up in qualifying. Well done! Kudos to all three MWR teams for beating some solid teams to make the show!

I'm really impressed that Michael was able to finish 15th in this race! Granted one reason for that was the big wreck towards the end of the race that tore up a lot of cars. However, prior to when Michael lost power steering he had been racing in the top 15, at one point racing as high as 11th. So he definitely had a pretty good car yesterday. In addition, Michael finished 15th after starting 43rd, a gain of 28 spots. But what was most impressive is that Michael finished that well in spite of losing his power steering which not only made it difficult for him to race, but also caused his arms to go numb and cramp up. I don't see how anyone can doubt Michael's abilities as a driver and an athlete, or question his desire to race and determination knowing that he drove the car for probably half the race without power steering. By finishing 15th Michael was also the highest finishing Toyota.

David also had a good day. Although he didn't seem to have as good of a car as Michael did, David was able to finish 18th which has to be considered a solid finish since mechanical and set-up issues sometimes make it hard for David to finish in the top 30, let alone the top 20. But his team has really come along since the beginning of the season, and as they continue to gel as a team and the competitiveness of the cars improves, David will likely race up front a lot more often. If he stays with MWR next season that is.

Although Michael has said he has a verbal agreement with David that he will be back in the #00, and David indicated to a fan at New Hampshire that he would likely be back at MWR next season, David still needs to sign a contract to make it definite. Apparently MWR gave David a rather lengthy contract this weekend to look over that would keep him behind the wheel of the #00 for several years to come and all that's left is for David to make up his mind as to whether he's going to sign it or not. Seeing as how the 4th team at Richard Childress Racing is still up in the air, it seems to me that David is likely to stick with #00. The only hang-up is the sponsorship issue - MWR is still waiting to hear back from Burger King and Domino's about whether they'll be back on the #00 next season. However, Michael did indicate there was sponsorship for the #00, and I don't see how they could offer David a multi-year deal to race that car if there's no sponsorship. So there must be a back-up plan if Burger King and Domino's leave.

Unfortunately things didn't go so well for DJ yesterday. Yet another engine issue ended his day early. It has to be frustrating for DJ and his entire team that when they actually do make races there's often mechanical issues that plague them. Some of DJ's fans are angry with MWR, thinking that they're deliberately giving DJ inferior equipment. However, the engine are built by Toyota, not MWR. So if there's some fingers to be pointed, they should be pointed in the direction of Toyota. MWR has no idea when they get the engines from Toyota which ones are stout and which ones won't last an entire race. Overall, Toyota's engine program continues to need work. A.J. Allmendinger lost an engine on Friday morning during practice, then another engine during the first five laps of yesterday's race - Red Bull Racing also receives their engines directly from Toyota. Both of Bill Davis Racing's teams didn't even make the race, something that could be extremely costly for the #22 because it might end any hopes of them getting back into the top 35 in owner's points.

There was some other good news for MWR this weekend besides all three of their cars making the Cup race and two of them finishing well. While everyone has focused on MWR's woes in the Cup series, they've missed how well David has raced the #99 in the Busch Series this season. On Saturday David got his 11th top ten of the season in the Roadloans.com 200, and he's second in championship points. Some fans are convinced that MWR is incapable of success, but it seems to me that if they can field such a strong Busch team eventually they'll be able to do the same in Cup as well. MWR development driver Josh Wise also had a good weekend, getting his second top ten of the season in the #00 truck in Las Vegas. In seven truck races Josh has two top tens and has only finished outside the top 20 once. That's pretty good for a young driver with so little experience in the series. I don't know what their plans are for Josh next season but I'd like to see him race the truck on a more regular basis, or maybe even the Busch car.

I'm happy that I had some good things to discuss in relation to Michael and his teams! I used to do so many more entries about Michael, but this season it seems like often the news wasn't very good and I didn't feel like talking about him missing races over and over. So I'm glad that things went pretty well for Michael at Dover. Next weekend the trucks are off but the Busch and Cup series goes to Kansas. Hopefully there will be no scary incidents on pit road and the results for all the MWR teams will be even better than they were this weekend!

Posted by silverdsl at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2007

Photo of the Day - Cape May Flowers

Cape May, New Jersey, July, 2007

Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2007

An Eventful Day for Robby Gordon

In the prior entry I detailed the issues that Robby Gordon has related to Gene Nead leaving which has left him without a crew chief this weekend, but he's had other problems to deal with too. He's racing the Busch race for Brewco Motorsports - or I should say was racing since he just wrecked and is headed to the garage area. So first he missed the Busch driver's meeting for unknown reasons so he had to start the race from the back, which didn't end up being too much of a problem because Robby was able to race his way into the top ten.

But the race suddenly got quite eventful for Robby. While racing Reed Sorenson, Robby got into Tony Raines who ended up wrecked in the wall. Not pleased with this turn of events, and probably feeling some pent-up frustration from losing his Cup ride, Tony gave Robby a little taste of his own medicine. Few fans can forget what happened at New Hampshire in 2005 when Robby threw his helmet at Michael Waltrip after the two of them tangled and Robby ended up the worse for it. Well, Tony just did the exact same thing to Robby, plus gave him the finger, both of which will surely result in Tony having to hand over some money in the form of a big fine to Nascar. I think the drivers need to have control over their emotions and act like adults so I really don't like seeing drivers throw helmets at each other, but on the other hand I have to admit I laughed at the irony of Robby getting a helmet tossed at him.

The excitement wasn't over for Robby though. A few laps ago he lost it and got into the inside wall which sent him to the garage for repairs. In his interview just now on ESPN, Robby took full responsibility for Tony getting wrecked, saying it was completely his fault and that he misjudged things which resulted into him getting into Tony. I have to commend Robby for taking responsibility there. He dodged responding to a question about the helmet throw, but if anyone should understand what Tony was thinking in that spot it's Robby.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts

*Jon Wood will return to the #21 in next week's Kansas race, and will be one of three drivers behind the wheel of the #21 next season. Marcos Ambrose and possibly Bill Elliott would be the other two drivers. The Wood Brothers will also field a second car for Elliott in the Kansas race. I can't say I fully understand the Wood Brothers thinking in relation to putting Jon back in the car. Jon missed time earlier in the season due to mysterious headaches, possibly caused by being prescribed medication incorrectly, and spent time in rehab for reasons that have never been fully clarified. Once he started racing again he wisely took things slow by racing in the Truck Series where there's less pressure and attention. I have to wonder how throwing him back in Cup, particularly into a situation where there's going to be a revolving door when it comes to the driver behind the wheel, is actually going to work out. From the sounds of it, Ken Schrader is out of the picture for the #21 for 2008, but it's good for Bill Elliott, who I think did a good job for this team, that he might get to continue racing some races for them. It'll also be interesting to see how Marcus Ambrose does in Cup.

*The Associated Press is reporting that Joe Gibbs Racing is close to finalizing a deal that would make M&M's the primary sponsor for Kyle Busch and the #18 next season. That would give JGR more financial resources for the #18 team since Interstate Batteries, who are currently on the car has a more limited budget than M&M's. If M&M's were to leave Robert Yates Racing, where they sponsor the #38, that might mean the end of the Snickers sponsorship on the current #88 car, since Masterfoods is the parent company of both. It's going to be hard enough for Yates to find sponsorship for one car given their lack of strong results recently for either car, and it might be an impossible task if they have to find sponsorship for both cars. I have to wonder what the future of this organization is going to be. Without sponsorship it will be very difficult to field competitive cars, something they already struggle doing, and financially it would be very hard to field two cars all season without sponsorship.

*Yet again Red Bull Racing has had to deny rumors that they're leaving Toyota for Chevy. While it seems to me that it's possible that there's a grain of truth to those rumors since they've persisted for so long, in that perhaps there was some feelers put out by either RBR or Chevy, it seems to me that it doesn't really make sense for RBR to switch manufacturers after just one season. For one thing odds are that RBR has a multi-year deal with Toyota, so they'd have to find some way of breaking it. But beyond that RBR had to anticipate going into this season that they might struggle. Perhaps they didn't think it would be this hard, but they had to be prepared that their first season in Cup might be rocky. I'd think they have a long-term plan and that they're not just thinking about their results this season but also what they might be down the road. Odds are all the Toyota teams are going to make continual improvement each season as Toyota and their teams get used to racing Cup.

*On one forum I'm on a few people are convinced that Nascar fixed races in that they pre-determine the outcome to create drama and make for better storylines, thus ensuring more media and fan attention. It's not just they think that Nascar might manipulate races like Tony Stewart once accused them of doing, but that the sport is apparently as fake as professional wrestling. As Jeff Burton once said when asked about that possibility - ludicrous. I've yet to hear any explanation from anyone who believe that Nascar fixes races how they could get 43 owners, teams, drivers and sponsors to go along with fixing races. Or how they could script races without anyone knowing about it. One would think if Nascar was really doing something like that, someone who didn't care about losing their job would step forward to blow the whistle. But no one has. Even Tony was unable to provide one shred of evidence to support his claims, and there's nothing to support the idea that Nascar fixes races either. Burton even said that he would quit racing if he thought that anything like that was going on, and thus far he's still racing.

*Less than six months after joining JR Motorsports as a development driver, Jeremy McGrath has parted ways with the team. The reason that was cited by JR Motorsports was McGrath's desire to remain close to his family on the West Coast and not travel. While that might be a factor, I suspect the bigger reason is probably what was cited by Nascar Scene, that there was a conflict between McGrath's sponsor, Monster Energy Drinks, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s new sponsor, AMP Energy Drinks. Odds are when McGrath expressed interest in racing in Nascar he realized that he was going to have to do a lot of traveling and spend a lot of time on the East Coast.

*Although Robby Gordon claims he parted ways amicably with his most recent crew chief, Gene Nead, that doesn't seem to be an accurate depiction of how Gene came to leave Robby Gordon Motorsports. Based on reports from a Robby fan forum, Nead got so fed-up with taking abuse from Robby that he actually left the pit box with ten laps still to go in the race at New Hampshire. Maybe it's happened in the past and I've just never heard about it, but I can't remember another instance in which a crew chief voluntarily got down from the pit box and abandoned his team when there wasn't an emergency of some sort, so that speaks to just how bad things were between Robby and Gene. And Gene's unhappiness with the way Robby treated him might not be an isolated instance if what's being said on that same forum can be believed. Message boards are notoriously unreliable sources of accurate information, but if only a fraction of what's being said there by Robby's own fans is accurate RGM has some real problems that need to be addressed.

It's well known that Robby has a volatile personality, and virtually every driver has their moments when they have a meltdown over the radio or with their teams out of frustration, it's important to an organization's success that an owner treat their employees well and make them feel respected and appreciated. Personnel and sponsorship issues that have lingered for RGM since the start of the season could very well present a major roadblock for this organization in terms of achieving success and in terms of growth. Which is unfortunate because I think RGM being successful would be good for Nascar because it would show that small, independent teams can make it in Cup. What's ironic is that a lot of Robby's fans rip Michael Waltrip Racing for their short-comings and predict that organization is going to fold sooner rather than later, but perhaps they should be more concerned with what's going on with their own favorite driver and his team.

Posted by silverdsl at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

Steve Park FInishes 8th in Sunoco 150

Although I'm sure Steve was hoping to finish even better, I was happy to see when I got home from work that Steve Park finished 8th in the Busch East race yesterday. That's really good considering the car wasn't great in either practice and only qualified mid-pack. However, Steve was able to make the most of the car he was given and finish well with it. I think it's awesome that Steve was able to race this well after having not raced for a year! Granted it was only a Busch East race so the level of competition might not be quite the same as in Busch, Trucks or Cup, but there are still some very talented young drivers in the Busch Series who are backed by Cup organizations, so it's great for Steve that he was able to race well against them.

I'd love to see Steve race regularly in Busch East or ARCA if he can't find anything in one of Nascar's three highest series. Although the money isn't great, and there's not much attention given to either of those series, the racing seems pretty good in both of those series and I think Steve could have some fun. Unfortunately, to this point Steve has expressed no interest in considering a ride in either Busch East or ARCA so I don't think it's going to happen. From everything he's said he's still focused on finding a truck or Busch ride. (I wonder how long it will take when Steve sees his fans at the ride-a-long on Monday before he's talking about how he's working on a two-year deal with a good team for a truck or Busch ride?) But there's no shame in racing in other series, even if it's not as prestigious as truck, Busch or Cup - Ken Schrader does it all the time and loves it. Only time will tell, but if Steve isn't going to be open to a wider variety of opportunities, the next time we might see him racing is a year from now at the next Busch East race at Dover.

Posted by silverdsl at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Steve Park Finishes 8th in Sunoco 150

Posted by silverdsl at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

Steve Park Finishes 8th in Sunoco 150

Posted by silverdsl at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2007

Junior to Drive #88

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s new number at Hendrick Motorsports will be #88 and his sponsors will be Mountain Dew, AMP Energy Drink and the National Guard. That's only a surprise to those who haven't visited Jayski's, ESPN or any other media outlet that covers Nascar recently. That Junior would be sponsored by a Pepsi product has been rumored since virtually the day he signed with Hendrick, and that it would specifically be Mountain Dew and AMP, as well as the National Guard has been heavily rumored for quite some time. Word that Junior would get the #88 also leaked out in the last week or so. Which is why it was so humorous to me that the folks from Hendrick were proudly crowing about how they had leaked incorrect information and did all sorts of things, including registering trademarks for multiple numbers to throw people off and keep everything a secret. Well, just exactly what did they keep a secret? Not Junior's new number, not his sponsors, and not even the paint schemes on the cars since Kevin King, the designer was telling at least one fan information that was posted in detail on the Junior pit board. Even this morning someone from Hendrick accidentally let a few pages of new Junior merchandise go live in their online store well before the press conference took place.

What I'm wondering about is what prompted Yates Racing to agree to hand over the #88 to Hendrick? Just a few weeks ago Doug Yates expressed outrage about being approached by Hendrick about the #38, and at that time he indicated they planned to use the #38 and #88 next season. When it was announced that Travis Kvapil would be replacing Ricky Rudd at Yates, it was said he would race the #88. So what happened in just a few weeks to change Yates outlook on giving the #88 up? Also, I have to wonder how Dale Jarrett feels. Supposedly when he left Yates for Michael Waltrip Racing he wanted to take the #88 with him but Yates wouldn't let him. Now Yates is perfectly willing to hand it over to another driver who has never even raced it.

In addition, it seems to me that the kerfuffle over Junior not being allowed to take the #8 from DEI was extremely overblown now that he's got the #88. Isn't two 8's better than just one? Not only is the #88 two of his current number, but Junior uses the #88 in the Busch Series for JR Motorsports. It's a very appropriate number and other than those who aren't too happy about having to buy all new merchandise, there shouldn't be too much disappointment over Junior's new number.

So can we get back to our lives now that the burning questions about Junior's new number and sponsor have finally been answered?

Posted by silverdsl at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)

Kasey Kahne to be Sponsored by Budweiser

What's long been rumored was finally made official yesterday - Budweiser will be the primary sponsor of Kasey Kahne's #9 car at Gillett-Evernham Motorsports starting next season. Although fans have had months to get used to the idea of Kasey becoming the new face of Budweiser in Nascar, it's not going to be easy for some fans to accept Kasey being paired with Bud. For one thing, a significant amount of fans feel that Kasey isn't a good fit for Bud. Although I agree with those who think Kasey's teammate Elliott Sadler would have been a better choice to be sponsored by Budweiser, I think ultimately Kasey will work well with Budweiser. Some fans seem to think the idea of Kasey drinking beer is crazy - after all he's shy, delicate looking and doesn't have as much of a presence as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who Budweiser sponsored since he started racing in Cup. But don't quiet people drink beer too? I suppose it's because I've seen Kasey drinking beer before but it doesn't seem as outlandish to me that Budweiser wants to sponsor Kasey as it seems to a lot of other fans.

Odds are that during the off-season Budweiser will tweak Kasey's image to make it more suitable for their brand, much like how Brian Vickers whole look changed when he went from Hendrick Motorsports to Red Bull Racing. That doesn't mean Budweiser is going to make Kasey into a different person, just that they're going to accentuate parts of his personality and some of his interests that fit with their sponsorship program, as well as possibly encouraging him to change his look a little. If Budweiser didn't think Kasey was a good fit for their marketing/advertising/promotional goals, they wouldn't have opted to sponsor him.

Some fans, mostly Junior fans, are predicting that this will be a disastrous partnership and that Budweiser will regret signing on to be Kasey's sponsor. I don't think so. For one thing Budweiser isn't going to enter into a major sponsorship deal unless they think it's going to be successful. But beyond that do people realize just how popular Kasey is? Sure he's not the sport's most popular driver like Junior is, and he's not going to move as much merchandise as Junior, but there's no doubt that he's tremendously popular with fans in his own right. If Budweiser couldn't go with Junior to Hendrick they were going to want to align themselves with another extremely popular driver, and since Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are never going to be available, Kasey was an extremely good option. Kasey may be quiet but he's personable and very good with the fans. He never shies away from signing autographs and has a smile for everyone, even if he's not always as outgoing as some other drivers. Kasey's also extremely marketable and his TV commercials are very well-received. But beyond that, Kasey is an extremely talented driver. Although the results this season have been poor for Kasey and his teammates, Kasey knows how to win. A winner of multiple races in each of Nascar's three highest levels, Kasey won six races in Cup last season. Once Evernham gets their overall Cup program back on track there's no doubt Kasey will be back in Victory Lane. That he has a pole, two top tens and a second place finish in his last four races is an indication that he's still capable of strong results on the track.

It's incredible how offended some fans are that Budweiser is going to be sponsoring another driver next season, almost like some feel that Budweiser should have left the sport completely after it was announced that they were parting ways with Junior. It wasn't going to work for Bud to follow Junior to Hendrick because of the conflict with Pepsi, so from there they needed to do what they felt was best for their company, which is to continue their involvement in Cup, only with a different driver. What some fans seem to forget is that Budweiser sponsored other drivers before they sponsored Junior, and they'll probably sponsor other drivers after Kasey. Very few things stay the same forever and sometimes change is good. I think Budweiser, GEM and Kasey will all benefit from their association with each other.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2007

It Works Both Ways

The writers who cover Nascar for Yahoo! have a blog in which one of them posted an exchange he observed at Loudon, between Tony Stewart and a fan:

During the driver's meeting prior to the race, a female fan asked Tony Stewart for his autograph. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, as virtually all drivers, some crew chiefs and even NASCAR president Mike Helton were asked for autographs on the way to the meeting Sunday morning – and most obliged, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.

As for Stewart, instead of simply saying "no" or just walking on by, he stopped, turned to the fan in question and said, "I don't know if you've heard about it, but there's a little event called a race today and I gotta be in it."

In the time he spent proving his point, he easily could have signed several autographs.

From what I've heard Tony doesn't often sign autographs at the track, and isn't too willing to sign any autographs outside of organized appearances at Home Depots. It's something that's always bothered me a little because I've been less than impressed with some of the stories I've heard about how Tony turns fans away. Much like he did with this woman, he doesn't have any problems being rude or sarcastic. Of course we have no idea how this woman acted towards Tony either. Perhaps she was rude when she asked him for an autograph. Perhaps it wasn't an appropriate time. Maybe Tony was in danger of being late to the driver's meeting. But would it be so terrible if Tony signed a few more autographs for fans at the track?

There's no question that some fans don't understand that when a driver is at the track their priority is with their team and secondarily with any sponsor and media obligations they might have. While I think the drivers should make an effort to acknowledge the fans, even if it's just with a smile and a wave, and sign autographs when they can, the fact is that the drivers are there to race. A driver can't always stop to sign autographs, especially in light of how much a driver has on their schedule when they're at the track. Some fans don't understand that when a driver walks by without stopping to sign it might be because they have somewhere they have to be - a meeting with their crew chief, an interview to give, a sponsor to entertain or a hundred other things. Not to mention the drivers are human beings, not robots. They might not be feeling good, have personal problems or other things on their mind that put them in a bad mood or not in the right frame of mind to interact with fans.

In the four times that I've been lucky enough to be in the garage area I've never once asked for an autograph from any of the drivers. In fact this last time at Pocono I was so used to never asking for autographs that when I was lucky enough to meet with Michael Waltrip I forgot to pull out the photos that I had with me for him to sign. Now I understand that not every fan is like me - to some fans autographs are very important and they have a lot of fun collecting as many as they can. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it's done appropriately. But unfortunately not every fan knows how to act appropriately. I've been shocked by some of what I've seen. Fans screaming at drivers, not just to get their attention to get them to come over to sign, but to curse them out for not signing. Fans who chase or stalk drivers. Fans who approach the drivers when they're getting in or out of their cars in the garage. Fans who try to sneak into the garage area or motorcoach lot.

What I'm always amazed by is what happens before (and after) the driver's meeting, which is when Tony had that exchange with the fan who wanted his autograph. An hour or more before the meeting is scheduled to start countless fans start gathering behind barricades where the meeting is to take place. Every driver and crew chief is required to attend the driver's meeting so it's a good time to spot all the drivers. However, many fans aren't satisfied with just a glimpse of their favorite drivers, they will chase, push, shove, yell and generally do whatever they can to get close to the drivers and get their autographs. The drivers have to run - and many of them just about literally run so they don't get swarmed - a gauntlet of fans waving things at them. Why Nascar doesn't make the garage "hot" at that time to reduce the number of people in the garage at that time is beyond me, though perhaps they feel that allowing fans to stand around outside the driver's meeting is one way of making the drivers accessible to the fans. But getting to and from the driver's meeting can't be a pleasant experience for the drivers. Twice I was with Michael and his "people" as Michael went to the driver's meeting. This most recent time at Pocono we had to push and shove our way through fans who were so insistent on trying to get a piece of Michael or another driver that they didn't care that other people were trying to get through as well. Not fun.

It's really hard for me to relate to the mania that overcomes some fans when they're around the drivers. I'm a huge fan of Michael's, and there's a lot of other drivers that I like but I'm not willing to go to the lengths that some other fans will go. I refuse to stalk or follow my driver around - don't get me wrong, I'll hang out and take lots of photos when I spot Michael, but once he goes elsewhere I won't follow. Once I've taken photos or on the rare times that I'm getting an autograph, I've gotten something signed, I move back and let others get a chance to get something signed. I don't jump up and down, scream and yell or otherwise cause a commotion, though on the inside I'm just as excited as anyone else. So I'm a lot more laid-back than many other fans, not because I'm less of a fan - though I think some think that's the case - but simply because that's just my way.

What irks me about some fans is when they complain about how this driver or that doesn't sign for fans, which is usually accompanied by a remark about how their favorite driver is the best ever with the fans, so much better than the other driver. Let's get real. All the drivers sign for fans. Most of the drivers understand that they have an obligation to be at least minimally friendly to fans. Odds are that even if a driver isn't signing at that particular time, they've signed for fans at another time during the weekend. Someone didn't sign on pit road during qualifying? (Heaven forbid a driver focus on trying to qualify well!) That driver might have just finished signing for fans as they walked out to pit road, or they might have signed during practice in the garage area. Maybe they signed at their souvenir rig or at a fan club meeting. Maybe they even signed at the other end of pit road!

One time I was on pit road at Pocono during qualifying and a woman complained bitterly for probably a half hour about what a jerk Jeff Gordon was because he didn't come over to sign autographs and how it was obvious he didn't care about the fans. Meanwhile, it's likely that Jeff signed autographs for fans in "autograph alley" on the way back to the garage because I've seen him do that before, and I know for a fact later that particular day Jeff took part in a two hour meeting with members of his fan club in which he not only signed autographs and posed for photos, but he did a Q&A session. Yet to this woman, Jeff was a horrible person because he didn't sign for her! Robby Gordon fans are fond of ripping other drivers for not being as fan-friendly as Robby is. It's true that Robby is great with the fans and signs at his souvenir hauler just about every race weekend. But so do a lot of other drivers. One time a Robby fan got on Michael for not being at his souvenir hauler on a Sunday morning when he hadn't made a race - in this fan's mind that made Michael a bad person and far inferior to Robby, who was at his hauler that morning. Meanwhile this fan had no clue that the day before Michael had spent over two hours signing for fans at his hauler! Another time a fan praised Robby to the high heavens for interacting with fans at a time when the race was postponed due to rain. No other driver would do that this fan said. Well, this fan would probably be shocked to learn that Michael and other drivers did the same! This past time at Pocono I saw or heard about almost every driver signing at one time or another (other than Tony), yet I'm sure there were still fans who complained that the drivers these days don't care about their fans because they didn't see certain drivers signing when they were around.

Of course there are also some fans who are demanding and rude. They think they're entitled to an autograph and they're not going to take "no" for an answer. Most drivers learn how to handle those kinds of fans without letting it bother them and there are usually PR reps around to step in if things really go bad. But unfortunately what happens is that fans who don't know how to act appropriately ruin things for the majority of fans who do. If some fans wonder why some drivers don't seem to enjoy interacting with fans or why they hesitate to sign autographs maybe it's because they don't want to deal with people's rudeness which can include name-calling and invading the driver's personal space.

After having said all that, I think that the drivers need to keep in mind that without the fans they wouldn't be where they are. Fan support is essential. Without the fans there's no one to support the sponsors, buy the merchandise, buy tickets to races or cheer the drivers. Taking 30 seconds to sign an autograph can create a memory for a fan that lasts a lifetime. Even just a smile and a wave can make a fan's day. As great as Tony might be when he's at an organized signing at a Home Depot, it bothers me that he sees no problem with brushing off fans in sometimes some not very nice ways, even when they're approached him in an appropriate way. I suppose that with how popular Tony is, no one's very concerned if a few fans turn against him because they had a bad experience with him. But I think every fan is important. A few fans here and there adds up and one day Tony could find himself needing all the fan support he can get. It seems unlikely now but things happen and situations change. No one is on top forever.

As I've said in this space before I used to think that drivers don't owe fans anything but over the past couple of years I've changed my outlook on that. I still don't think the drivers owe fans autographs or that they have to accommodate every whim that every fan has. However, I do think that drivers owe it to the fans who spend so much time and money supporting them some respect and common courtesy. I don't think it's too much to ask that drivers should be polite. That at appearances instead of talking on a cell phone while they're signing (unless it's something urgent) like some have taken to doing, that the driver looks up, smiles and makes eye contact with the person they're signing for. That they remember that just because one fan acted inappropriately doesn't mean that all fans are going to act that way. That they treat their female fans as more than a brainless sex object, and be as nice to their male fans as they are to their female fans. There's a driver (not Michael) who is considered to be very fan-friendly who was pretty rude once to my husband and not very friendly a second time, not because of anything my husband did, but because he was more interested in admiring my rear end, looking down my shirt and giving me (and the other females around) extra attention. This driver was very nice to me and it was amusing, but I lost a little of my admiration for that driver because of the way he was to my husband and the other male fans who were around. Basically, I think that the drivers owe it to their fans to treat them like they'd want to be treated.

So to answer my question - no, I don't think it would be so terrible if Tony signed a little more often at the track. Sure there's a race and that should be his priority, but the fans are pretty important too.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2007

Photo of the Day - Steve Park

Tom Baldwin Memorial Golf Outing, Bellport, NY, June, 2007. It's Steve!!

Posted by silverdsl at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)

Steve Park to Race in Busch East Race at Dover!

A few weeks ago I had heard that Steve Park was going to be at Dover and I was hoping so hard that he'd end up racing the Busch East race there like he did last year. As time when on and nothing was announced I started to think it wasn't going to happen, but tonight Steve announced on his website that he will in fact be racing the #53 Busch East car for NDS Motorsports again! Last season Steve finished 2nd in this race, so it would be awesome if he could finish at least that well this time, or even better end up in Victory Lane!! I'm so excited for Steve that he's finally going to get to race again. It's been over a year since he's been on the track racing anything so he must be very anxious to get out there and have some fun!

The only problem is that it's going to be very difficult to know how Steve is doing in the race while it's being raced. Very few households get HDnet, the channel that's broadcasting the race live (I don't) and while there's a Busch East website it seems to be updated very sporadically. Unless something significant happens there's not much other coverage of the series elsewhere either. So unless Steve duplicates his fine finish last year - or betters it - we might not hear much about it. At least Speed will show the race but that won't be until October 10. After a year of waiting to see Steve race again, it'll be very hard to have to wait even longer to see the race! Unfortunately what this also means is that Steve won't get a lot of exposure for being in this race, unless he really does something newsworthy like when he finished 2nd and took part in that great battle for the lead with Tim Andrews, the son of his former crew chief, Paul Andrews. Still, it's great that Steve is going to be racing and I hope he has an awesome race and a lot of fun!

Posted by silverdsl at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)

In the News: Michael Waltrip Racing (9/17)

It's been a while since there's been enough news of note to do one of these entries, but today Michael Waltrip announced that he hired Dr. Eric Warren as Technical Director at Michael Waltrip Racing. Michael said,

"It was a job we wanted to fill when we first started, but we didn't feel like the right person was available to choose from. Eric is a special dude. He'll help us out immensely."

I'm really glad that Michael hired a technical director and I think it will help them tremendously on the competition side. Dr. Warren spent the last five years at Gillett-Evernham Motorsports, also as their technical director. During his time at GEM, he oversaw the building of some very fast race cars including ones that Kasey Kahne was behind the wheel of when he won six races last season. With a degree in Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University, he's also very knowledgeable, and he'll surely be an asset to MWR. Michael has spoken very highly of Dr. Warren the past few months, and it made me think that he was considering hiring him, which turns out to be the case.

As with a lot of things there is a caveat to Dr. Warren being hired. When Dr. Warren left GEM, it wasn't on good terms. In fact, GEM essentially blamed him for how non-competitive they've been this season, claiming that he made a big and costly error with some data that led to them having to pretty much start from scratch with the cars once they fired him. Of course there's no telling how much truth there is to the idea that GEM's poor season is his fault since GEM might be looking for a scapegoat for their issues this season. I find it hard to believe with how much goes into making teams successful, one person could be solely responsible for the organization's lack of success this season. However, people do make mistakes, and it's possible he made a big one. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't be given another chance though - for the first five years he worked at GEM, he helped them to have strong results on the track and hopefully he will help MWR achieve a lot of success as well.

Like just about every other organization in the garage area, Michael has considered a merger or partnership with others to strengthen MWR. However, it's only something he would consider if he would retain majority ownership and at least an equal amount of control. He said,

"I've certainly had a lot of people come to me saying, 'We want to invest in you. But it ends up sounding like they want to take over. That doesn't interest me. A true partner would interest me - half you, half me. You have your responsibility and I have mine. There's a lot of people that are interested in our sport, and I'll just hopefully keep improving our product and if someone is interested in being part of it, I'll listen. But for me, today, right now, the right deal hasn't come along."

Under the right circumstances I think a partnership or merger would help make MWR a better and stronger organization. Like we've seen with John Henry buying into Roush Racing or George Gillett with Evernham, it can work out well. Someone from the outside can bring new ideas, a fresh outlook, and most importantly added resources, both financial and otherwise. However, for it to work for MWR, I think that it would have to be a situation in which Michael would remain in control, as he indicated is what he would want. Michael is strong-willed and has a lot of ideas about the way he wants to do things. As I was once told, "Michael does what he wants." At this point after getting a taste of being an owner and being in control of his own destiny, I think he would have a hard time going back to a situation where he no longer had that control, particularly when it came to his own organization.

Supposedly David Reutimann is getting a contract offer from MWR this week, and Michael indicated in the interview with Jenna Fryer that he has a verbal commitment from David to return to the #00 next season. That's essentially what Michael said on his XM show last week, that he had spoken with David at Richmond, told him that he wanted him back in the #00 and that David indicated that was what he wanted as well. All that remained according to Michael was working out the details of a contract, not just for next season but for several years into the future. As I've said before I think David is a tremendous asset to MWR and I'm really happy that it sounds like there's a very good chance that he'll be back next season!

Speaking of David, he'll be doing something pretty cool next month. On October 10, customers who order a Domino's pizza in the Charlotte area might be lucky enough to have it delivered by David himself! I love the promotions that Domino's does as I think they're extremely creative and really do a great job of making the most of their involvement in the sport. From pizza making contests between Michael and David to having them deliver pizzas, they do some fun things and usually end up getting some publicity for it too. I think I would be speechless if I opened to the door to find David with a pizza, that would be so awesome! But even better if it was Michael delivering my pizza! Somehow I think that's unlikely to happen!

Dover is coming up this weekend and that was the track where Michael broke his string of DNQs to start the season. So it's a good place for him to rebound from the last two races that he failed to qualify for. ESPN showed a heart-breaking clip of Michael after he spun his car during qualifying at Loudon in which he was being driven away on a cart with his head in his hands. It really makes my heart hurt to see Michael so upset. As I say in this space all the time, I know that racing, and racing well, is extremely important to Michael, contrary to what some think. I also know that he's capable of far more than he's been able to show this season, and I feel terrible for him when things don't go well, especially since I know how much effort he's putting in to try to improve his teams. Hopefully Dover will be much better for Michael and his teams than Loudon was!

Posted by silverdsl at 07:44 PM | Comments (0)

New Hampshire Observations

Normally I do a driver-by-driver rundown about how each week's race went for each particular driver and team but I don't think I have it in me this week. I found yesterday's race to be so excruciatingly boring that there really isn't much for me to say about a lot of the drivers. So I think I'll just go with some observations and random thoughts about the race instead.

*Heading into the Chase I didn't think that Clint Bowyer would be much of a factor at all, and I think I also expressed some doubt about whether he would contend for any wins over the last ten races. Well, he certainly proved me wrong yesterday, and I'm happy about it! I figured that sooner or later Clint would win a race but I thought it wouldn't be until next season - it sure was great to see a fresh face end up in Victory Lane! I'm still not convinced that Clint will win the Championship this season but it appears he might have put himself in a position to make a run at it, maybe even more so than his other Richard Childress Racing teammates.

*It wasn't a good weekend for Michael Waltrip Racing. Once again Michael spun in qualifying, but even if he hadn't I don't think he would have made the race. Both he and Dale Jarrett, who also missed the race, had lousy cars. At California Michael was able to make up for some of the shortcomings of his car with a herculean effort during qualifying to make the show, his all-out, balls to the wall, foot to the floorboard effort wasn't enough this week. It was nice to hear Rusty Wallace be complimentary towards Michael and say that Michael is a great driver who is trying his hardest to build his teams and make races, and that spinning was him trying to hard to do too much with a car that wasn't very good. I think there's a lot of truth to that, but unfortunately a lot of people think that it's a lack of driving talent that's causing Michael and DJ to miss races. It was great that David Reutimann qualified for the race, as he almost always does, but he was only able to finish 26th during the actual race due to being caught a lap down and not having a very good car. Although MWR has improved since earlier in the season, they definitely still have a lot of work to do - they need to be able to consistently field cars with enough speed that all three cars can make races regularly and then race competitively during the actual races. Hopefully we'll see some of that next season.

*Kurt Busch and his team did an excellent job racing their way into the Chase but things didn't get off to a very good start for them. A 25th place finish caused by an engine issue dropped Kurt down 7 places in the Chase standings from 5th to 12th. One bad race doesn't mean that Kurt isn't a Championship contender anymore but he probably doesn't have much margin for error the rest of the way.

*In his return to the #21, Ken Schrader was able to finish no better than 30th but it was good enough to keep the #21 in 35th in owner's points due to all the problems the #22 team experienced. What I'm wondering about is why nothing has been announced yet about Dave Blaney returning to the #22 next season. Supposedly he was a lock to be re-signed but I'm starting to wonder if Bill Davis Racing is waiting to see how things play out with the owner's points situation.

*Boris Said had a slow car in qualifying and a slow as molasses car during the race, which adds insult to injury to the plight of the #49 team who thought they were going to race only to have their qualifying time thrown out due to the car failing a post-race inspection due to being too low. Since the #49 is outside the top 35 in owner's points they've not guaranteed a spot to race so no qualifying time, means no race. Although the #49 is far from one of the elite teams in the garage area with how slow Boris was, somehow I suspect they might have been able to manage a better finish than Boris barring any mechanical issues.

*One thing that I'm hoping gets discussed on Inside Nextel Cup tonight is what happened to Brian Vickers during this race. Fairly early in the race he got told to go back to the pits to serve a penalty for running a stop sign at the end of pit road, then got blackflagged when he refused to come in, then wasn't scored for a lap when he ignored the blackflag. What happened there? Brian doesn't seem like the type to ignore a Nascar directive so he must have been pretty upset. Also, Brian ended up finishing the race 35 laps down - was he held in the pits for a bunch of laps as a penalty or did he have mechanical issues too?

Posted by silverdsl at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2007

Photo of the Day

Posted by silverdsl at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts

*Tony Stewart's said that he's not going to discuss a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing while he's still contending in the Chase because it would be a distraction. Stewart is signed though 2009 but Gibbs hopes to lock him up even further into the future, but I'm not sure if that's as certain to happen as some think. I have to wonder if Stewart has other reasons for trying to put off contract discussions, like maybe because he wants to give GM an opportunity to woo him back into the fold after 2009, something GM has said they have every intention of doing everything they can to make happen. Stewart is loyal to Gibbs and he's had a lot of success there so he has a lot of motivation to stay even if he might not be entirely comfortable with their switch to Toyota, but I could see him declining to sign an extension until his current contract is about to expire to give himself the opportunity to explore other options - like with a Chevy team should Gibbs not be as competitive as he would like after they switch to Toyota.

*About two weeks ago Travis Kvapil was named driver of the #88 for Yates Racing to replace Ricky Rudd who is retiring at the end of this season. It seemed like such a great opportunity for Kvapil to get another chance in the Cup series after such a successful season in the Truck Series this season. But it might turn out that Travis's third stint in Cup is as bumpy as the other two. When the announcement was made I thought that the only thing that could be a problem for Kvapil was sponsorship and Speed-TV is reporting that Yates has to find a replacement sponsor not just for the #88 but also for the #38 because Masterfoods won't be returning next season. If that's true I have to wonder what the future holds for Yates. There's no way that organization can field two cars for an entire season without sponsorship, and even if they can manage for the short-term it would likely be impossible to be competitive without any outside financial resources. Roush-Fenway Racing is surely working hard to help Yates find sponsorship for next season, but without a name driver in either car and a lot of recent success it might be a hard sell.

*All season most have assumed that it's a done deal that Richard Childress Racing was going to field a 4th Cup team next season with drivers such as Scott Wimmer, David Reutimann, Dario Franchitti and Jeremy Mayfield rumored to be in the mix. I've wondered whether this team was actually going to happen because while plenty of drivers have been rumored to be under consideration for the ride, no one at RCR has confirmed there would actually be a 4th team next season, and there's not been much to suggest that RCR even has sponsorship lined up. It seems to me that time is growing short for RCR to put the pieces in place for that 4th team and in fact Speed-TV is reporting that RCR doesn't have a driver signed and that there might not be a 4th team. Seems to me that unless they have sponsorship completely in place and they're 100% sure they will be able to field a competitive car now might not be the time to start a new team, given how difficult it's been for new teams recently, even those that are well-funded to be successful. Reutimann has been heavily rumored for the 4th car at RCR, but if that team doesn't happen, it's probably almost certain he'll re-sign with Michael Waltrip Racing since it would seem that there wouldn't be much else left in Cup other than the #00 at that point. I have to wonder what Wimmer thinks of all of this - he's done everything asked of him at RCR and it seems to me that he should be heavily considered for the 4th RCR Cup team when and if it happens.

*Brewco Motorsports, who field two Busch cars, has a new owner who has indicated that they might try to race four or five Cup races next season. With financial issues due to the expense of racing in the Busch Series being cited as one reason for the change in ownership, I have to wonder why they're going to put a lot of financial resources into trying to make Cup races given that it's even more expensive on that level and when a team isn't in the top 35 in owner's points they wouldn't be guaranteed a spot to race so all that time, money and effort might go to waste. Seems to me that focusing on improving things with their existing teams first might be a good idea before they look to expand.

*Nascar is considering rewarding the winner of the regular season points race in the form of additional points in the Chase, bonus money or a trophy. I think this is an excellent idea. Jeff Gordon's had an outstanding regular season in which he led the points almost the entire season only to enter the Chase second behind Jimmie Johnson because Johnson had more wins than he did. In Major League Baseball teams that win their Division get during the regular season get some acknowledgment for it and likewise, I think a driver should be rewarded for being the best during the regular season in Nascar. Gordon should benefit or have his excellence in the regular season recognized.

*There's a couple of announcements slated for next week - Kasey Kahne's new sponsor, long rumored to be Budweiser, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr's new sponsor rumored to be a Pepsi product, as well as his new car number. I just want them to make the announcement of Junior's new number and get it over with already. I'm really tired of the constant speculation and debate over his car number for next season. While I understand why the number will have importance to Junior and his fans, it seems to me that there's more important things to worry about - such as how Junior is going to deal with adjusting to racing for a new organization for the first time in his career.

*In his last truck race for Bill Davis Racing, Ryan Mathews finished 13th. In 12 races Mathews has three top 15s, two top tens, a top five and a pole, which I think is pretty good considering that he had zero experience in any of Nascar's three highest levels prior to when he got into the truck. However, BDR needed a truck for Jacques Villeneuve to race in preparation for next season, and there's apparently no sponsorship for that truck for next season. I hope some other team takes a chance on Mathews because he seems to have a lot of potential but many other teams are in the same position as BDR in that sponsorship is key to whether or not a team can work with a particular driver.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2007

Bobby Ginn Responds

Not surprisingly, Bobby Ginn claims that the lawsuits that were filed against Ginn Racing and DEI for breach of contract are without merit. In fact, he says contrary to what the lawsuits allege, he's paid his driver and crew chiefs. He said,

"Sterling and Joe's contracts ran through the end of the year, and I have paid them through August -- all of their winnings and salary, per the contract. And I intend to pay through the end of the year. I always have. This totally surprised me, and it looks to me like they are trying to ask for something over and above and they are just not entitled to."

Sterling said in interviews recently on both Sirius and XM that he and Joe hadn't been paid since May. In the time since he gave those interviews maybe Ginn has paid Sterling, but why would he then file a lawsuit saying that he's not been paid? Both can't be true - either the drivers and crew chiefs were paid or they weren't.

What I'm wondering about is Mark Martin. We've not heard a peep from him regarding whether he was paid by Ginn Racing during the time he was there or whether he's owed any money. Of course now that he's racing for DEI they're paying him, but is he owed anything from Ginn? I also have to wonder if there's some sort of language in either the contracts that Ginn had with the drivers and crew chiefs or with the merger with DEI that will allow Ginn to wiggle out of paying money he might owe.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)

Predictions for the Chase

Everyone else is making their Chase predictions, so I might as well too. Thing is with the Chase the strongest team could see their Chase hopes dashed by bad luck, while everything could fall into place for a dark-horse team to race strong over the last ten races and surprise everyone to win it all. That's the great thing about racing - and most sports - on paper things can look like they'll go one way, but the unexpected could happen. That said, I think there are definitely some drivers that have a better chance than others to win the Championship.

1. Jimmie Johnson - Now that the points have been reset for the Chase drivers, Jimmie has the most points and I think he also has the most momentum heading into the Chase having won the last two races. I think Jimmie and the #48 team could easily repeat as Champions. This team almost always comes to the track with a competitive car and they've shown that they're outstanding when it comes to overcoming problems.

2. Jeff Gordon - Jeff's had an unbelievably good season but trailed off a little towards the end of the season. Contrary to what some believe, I think Jeff is just as determined and focused as ever - the desire is definitely there to win another Championship. The question in my mind is whether this team is going to race like they did for the first 3/4 of the season or like they have over the last month or so when it's been more of a mixed bag.

3. Tony Stewart - Is a threat to win at just about any track and since he won at Chicago in July Tony's only finished out of the top 15 once. I expect to see a lot of Tony up front over these last ten races. But did he peak too soon with those three wins?

4. Carl Edwards - Carl's having a much better second half of the season since he won at Michigan. But I'd be surprised if he wins the Championship this season. I do think Carl will be a perpetual presence in the Chase, but I think he and his team have a little ways to go before they're Championship material.

5. Kurt Busch - I think Kurt has a good chance at repeating as Champion. That Kurt raced his way into the Chase when some thought he wouldn't, and overcame a 100 points penalty after he acted out at Dover is an indication that he and his team are extremely determined. This team has gotten stronger as the season has gone on and if that trend continues over the last ten races the other Championship contenders could be in trouble.

6. Denny Hamlin - Denny's an extremely talented driver but much like Carl Edwards I think he has a ways to go before he'll win a Championship.

7. Martin Truex Jr. - Probably unlikely to do much in the Chase, but he could surprise. This team is vastly improved over last season but are they Championship material? The big concern for this team is whether the engine woes of the #8 team might be contagious.

8. Matt Kenseth - We never hear much about Matt but it seems like he's always racing up front. That should continue in the Chase, but he'll likely need to win some races to win the Championship.

9. Kyle Busch - There's no doubt in my mind that one day Kyle will win a Championship. He's that good of a driver. However, I think he needs to mature as a driver and as a person first.

10. Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer - And then we come to the three RCR teams. It's outstanding that RCR got all three of their Cup teams into the Chase, but over the past month or two while the results have been good enough to get them in the Chase, they haven't been all that impressive either. I think Kevin's team has the potential to be the strongest in the Chase but I don't think it's a good sign that all three teams have seemed to drop off a little as the season has gone on.

So I think Jimmie, Jeff, Tony and Kurt have the best chance of winning the Championship, something that all of them are very familiar with. But who I think will win is different from who I'd like to see win the Championship. I'd love to see Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton or Martin Truex, Jr. win. Kevin has long been one of my favorite drivers - I think he's a tremendously talented driver, I think he's outstanding with the fans, and although I don't always agree with the things he says, particularly when he's ripping another driver, I like how he's not afraid to speak his mind. I'd like to see Jeff Burton win the Championship to prove to the doubters that a driver 40 and over can still be successful in Cup. Martin I'd like to see win because he's from New Jersey where I live. Beyond that the more success Martin has, the more the Junior Nation freaks out which is interesting to observe.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2007

Photo of the Day - Oregon

Posted by silverdsl at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)

Random Thoughts on Nascar Happenings

*Interesting item that's been missed by many and dismissed by some that have seen it because it doesn't fit their conspiracy theories, that John Story from DEI said that Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s blown engine at Richmond was caused by a broken oil pump belt and that it could have been caused by debris. Of course that could just be an excuse offered up by DEI so it doesn't seem like there was another failure on the part of their engine department, which is why some Junior fans are dismissing what Story said. But if there's truth there it means that the blown engine might not have been something that anyone could have prevented - not DEI, not Tony Eury, Jr. and not DEI. Another thing that's been conveniently forgotten by many of Junior's fans still upset over this past weekend is that even if Junior's motor had held together until the end of the race he still wouldn't have made the Chase. For that to happen Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick would have had to have finished very poorly, and neither one did.

*Although I'm not quite as negative about Inside Nextel Cup as the writer of this blog, I can't say I enjoy it all that much anymore. It used to be that I looked forward to watching INC every week. Almost every show I laughed at the antics of Michael Waltrip and Kenny Schrader, I learned something about the race that from that past weekend and I was entertained. Those days are long over. Ever since the format change that led to Alan Bestwick being replaced by Dave Despain, the show has become stiff and much less fun. It's little more than a recap of each week's Cup race and there's countless other shows and websites where I could go if that's what I wanted. Whether they were told to stop their antics and be more serious or whether it's each of their difficult seasons wearing on them, the banter and joking between Michael and Kenny which made the show so much fun has been toned down significantly and that's unfortunate.

At this point the only reason I'm still watching is for Michael, who made two of the most interesting comments of last night's show, neither of which had anything to do with the racing at Richmond. Michael said that he talked to some representatives from FedEx about how both shipping companies, FedEx and UPS were now going to be sponsor of Toyota entries in the Cup Series. They told him that they'd like to see MWR get more competitive so that the #11 could race more competitively against the #44 and essentially how that would make the rivalry between the two sponsors in Cup better. I agree. Of course the topic of Junior's blown engines and the conspiracy theories came up and once again Michael defended Teresa Earnhardt, saying that she's a "good person." Would anyone else dare speak well of Teresa who seems to be one of the most hated people in the garage area these days?

*The other thing that was mentioned last night was that Ken will be back in the #21 this weekend at Loudon. After the team fell out of the top 35 in owner's points, Ken had been replaced with Bill Elliott due to Bill having a Champion's provisional that guaranteed the team a spot in each week's race that Bill was behind the wheel for. At the time I didn't think it was likely that Ken would ever race the #21 again though he remained under contract to the team but now that they're back in the top 35, though only by a small margin, Ken's getting another opportunity in the #21. It will likely also be for more than just this race since he tested with the team at Talladega yesterday and today. Although I'm happy that Ken will be back racing Cup again, I'm not expecting the results will be much better than the last time he was in this car. The car really hasn't been very good all season, and has seemed particularly bad the last few races which might be why Bill might have opted out of racing this weekend. The only reason they've made it back into the top 35 is due to the bad luck that the #33 team's had.

*Sam Hornish, Jr. participated in testing at Talladega this week and will also try to make his Cup debut this weekend at Loudon. He will also attempt to qualify for another six races. It's likely that this is all in preparation for Hornish racing Cup full-time next season. Racing no more than seven Cup races this season will ensure that he's still eligible to race for Rookie of the Year in Cup next season. What this means is that Penske Racing will field three teams next season. Since several other teams are rumored to be adding teams, including Richard Childress Racing and Evernham Motorsports, it appears that the number of cars attempting to make races next season could be even greater than this year when on average 50-52 teams were showing up each week. It's possible that some teams will fold in the off-season, but unless Nascar changes the qualifying rules, it appears that things are going to be just as difficult for teams outside the top 35 in points as they were last season.

*Boris Said will attempt to qualify a fourth Cup car for Evernham Motorsports into the show at Loudon this weekend. While I like Said a lot and I wish that a team would take a chance on him and give him a full-time ride, I'm not sure I understand Evernham's thinking with fielding a fourth car this weekend. For one thing they've struggled mightily this season with just three teams. But beyond that since the #10 car is outside the top 35 in owner's points it means that two Evernham cars will be battling each other for a spot in the race. It seems to me that their resources might be better served trying to get the #10 in the race than trying to get two separate cars in.

*There's been a number of changes in the Truck Series. Dennis Setzer is out of the #75, at least for this weekend and he'll reportedly be replaced by Clay Rogers. I can't say I understand why Spears Racing is opting to make that change, particularly since Setzer won for them earlier in the season. Otherwise the results haven't been spectacular but they haven't been terrible either. Is Rogers really going to be more successful? Stetzer won't be idle this weekend as he will race for Green Light Racing in the #08 truck. Also, the revolving door continues at Key Motorsports - Chad Chaffin is back in the #40, supposedly for the rest of the season and Brandon Miller is out. Considering how this team seems to make changes on a weekly basis, I wouldn't be surprised if Chaffin didn't last long in his return to Key. In addition, Xpress Motorsports has been sold and the driver of the #16 for seven of the eight remaining races will be Brian Scott, who is just 19-years old.

*Germain Racing will field a third truck this week for Sean Caisse, a regular in the Busch East Series. I suspect this is a tryout for next season since Germain had expressed interest in replacing Todd Bodine, who is moving to the Busch Series with Germain, in the #9 with a young driver. Apparently Ted Musgrave's status for next season is up in the air as Germain hasn't approached him with a new deal. That might be because it's been said they're unsure if they're going to have more than one truck next season and instead might field one truck and two Busch cars, instead of one Busch car and two trucks. If they go with two Busch cars it'll be interesting to see whether they give Musgrave a shot or use a different driver.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)

Lawsuits Filed Against Ginn Racing, DEI

In the past month, Sterling Marlin has given several interviews in which he expressed his extreme displeasure with the way things had turned out with Ginn Racing, and particularly that they owed him money as per the terms of his contract. Turns out Marlin's not the only one to whom Ginn in in debt to. Marlin, Joe Nemechek, Slugger Labbe and Peter Sospenzo have filed lawsuits against Ginn Racing and DEI (with whom Ginn merged) alleging breach of contract. DEI has essentially washed their hands of all of it with DEI Vice President John Story saying,

"While we were named as a party to the lawsuit, we were never any party to those contracts; therefore, this is an obligation that Ginn will be addressing."

That's a very interesting comment because my understanding is that if the merger between Ginn and DEI actually goes through, DEI would take on all of Ginn's debt. But Story's comment seems to indicate that Ginn and DEI are still two separate entities. What will also be interesting is whether others file lawsuits against Ginn and/or DEI looking to be paid money owed to them. There were many employees who lose their jobs when Ginn closed, and based on how Marlin said in an interview that he once had to give his team cash so they could pay an outstanding tire bill so that the team could get tires and race, there might be some companies who were never paid for goods or services.

When these lawsuits were filed, the contracts that each driver or crew chief signed was presented as evidence and it's pretty interesting to see how much each was paid. Although each has had success in Cup, particularly Marlin, neither Marlin nor Nemechek are considered elite drivers at this point in their career. However, both were earning a substantial salary. Nascar.com did the math, and for example, after a base salary of $1.1 million, and 54% of prize money, Nemechek earned $2,944,961.30 in 2006, which doesn't include 33% of merchandise sales, and any bonuses or money from his sponsors. Plus both received a $500 a race travel allowance, a seat on the team plane, a hotel room and a personal car. If that's the kind of contract that those two had, I can only just imagine the money and perks involved with the contract of drivers like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart or Dale Earnhardt, Jr.!

Both drivers had a morals clause in their contract which said that they,

"shall not associate with gamblers or other notorious characters; shall not use illegal drugs; and shall not consume alcoholic beverages except in moderation but in no event within eight hours prior to driving in a race or practice."

Most, if not all drivers have morals clauses of some sort in their contracts. I'd be curious to know how many include something about associating with gamblers. If a lot of them do it's one reason why we've not see Brendan Gaughan return to Cup. His family has long made their living by associating with known gamblers via their casinos in Las Vegas. I knew that some in the garage area didn't approve of the Gaughan family business, but I didn't know that some contracts actually contain language that references gambling.

I suspect there's going to be more revealed about the business dealings of Bobby Ginn and Ginn Racing in the next few months, particularly if these lawsuits proceed, and it might not be pretty.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:42 PM | Comments (0)

Some Steve Park News

Steve Park still hasn't found himself a ride but he'll be giving fans rides on Monday, September 24 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Fans can sign up through the Richard Petty Driving Experience for a ride-a-long experience with Steve to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. This idea came about because a fan asked Steve through his website whether he would consider doing a ride-a-long for her for a milestone birthday, and from there things evolved to where more fans are involved and the VJGC will benefit. Kurt Busch is also doing something similar this fall and in both cases I think it's outstanding. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans with their favorite driver, but it also benefits a great charitable cause and I'm always in favor of good works.

One thing I'm a little disappointed about it that while Steve indicated on his website that he'll be at New Hampshire and Dover the next two weekends, from the sounds of it he'll only be there as a spectator, not to race. I had heard a couple of weeks ago that Steve planned on going to Dover and I had gotten excited because I thought that meant that maybe he was going to race in the Busch East race there as well as at New Hampshire but that doesn't appears to be the case. I have to say that if Steve can't find even a Busch East ride, either because no teams are willing to field a car for him or because he's not interested in racing in that series again, I think the chances of seeing him race anything in the future aren't very good. There was some driver movement leading up to the truck race this weekend and that Steve didn't get any of the rides that became open isn't a good sign either.

I know that Steve will only consider racing something competitive which is a big reason why we haven't seen him make a return to the track since a ride like that doesn't appear to be available to him, but at this point I'd be happy to see him race anything even if it's not an very competitive car or truck as long as it's not a start and park deal and the team is able to pay it's tire bill. Just making laps around the track and not being able to do much racing because the car or truck isn't very good isn't any fun but at least he would be on the track. I completely understand why Steve doesn't want to go that route, but on the other hand the longer he sits out the harder I think it's going to be to find a ride.

Someone wondered on SPC about how Steve stays sharp after not racing so long and I think it's a legitimate question considering Michael Waltrip talked about how taxing it was to race full races when he first started qualifying for races after missing so many to start the season. Michael said that he got very worn out by the end of the first couple of races he raced this season because he had only raced a limited number of laps in testing, practice and qualifying up to that point. And this is someone who works out regularly and has actively raced a lot more than Steve has the past couple of years. It's not just a question of physical endurance either but also the ability to focus as hard as is needed for an entire race - that's can be tiring as well. I also think that there's the issue of needing to keep up on the changes in the sport as well whether it's different set-ups in the car and trucks, rule changes, changes to tracks, etc... I just think it would benefit Steve to get in a car or truck occasionally and make the most of it even if it wasn't an ideal situation. Or if he doesn't want to do that maybe he'll eventually consider working with a team as a consultant or to mentor a young driver. Anything to keep him more involved. I think it's great that he's been going to the track regularly to network and be visible, but so far that doesn't seem to have led to anything.

So I had gotten my hopes up a little that we might see him race this month but unless something happens last minute that it doesn't appear that's going to happen. Disappointing. And I just don't have a good feeling for the future either. But hopefully I'll be wrong and sometime in the near future Steve will be on the track racing a great car or truck.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:17 AM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007

Photo of the Day

Outer Banks, North Carolina, July, 2003.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)

Britney Spears a Train Wreck at MTV Video Awards

I tuned into the first few minutes of the MTV Video Music Awards to see if Britney Spears could reverse the major freefall her career's been in with a blockbuster performance of her new single, but it's safe to say if that was her goal she failed miserably. What a lame and lackluster performance. Horrible lip-syncing to the point where it seemed as if she wasn't sure of what the words to her own song were or when she should be singing. Britney's dancing was so unenthusiastic and devoid of energy that it seemed as if she hadn't bothered to rehearse or didn't care how it turned out. And as much as I hate to criticize someone for their appearance Britney made a poor choice in costume. It's not a crime to not be in shape, but with that in mind choosing something to wear that exposed a little less flesh might have been a wise idea. She simply didn't look good and it had nothing to do with that she wasn't as thin as a rail. A complete disaster of a performance and it's a shame because I think the song is actually pretty good for those that like pop-dance. Sarah Silverstein followed with what I guess was supposed to be a stand-up comedy routine, but I didn't find it funny in the least. As bad as Britney was and as wacky as she's behaved in the past few years, I think it's over-the-line to "joke" about her kids being mistakes.

After I turned the show off, apparently there was a fight between Kid Rock and Tommy Lee, both of whom are ex-husbands of Pamela Anderson, who was also in attendance. Why those two were fighting is unknown but I think it's safe to say that their ex-wife likely had something to do with it. Reports are that while Kid Rock threw the first punch, it was Tommy that instigated things. No surprise there. Hard to believe that these two can't act like adults, but MTV probably didn't mind since this incident is going to bring their show some extra publicity.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)

A Nation Weeps

The Junior Nation that is. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. failed to make the Chase for the Championship, and it's a bitter pill for his fans to swallow. Don't get me wrong, I understand completely how disappointed Junior's fans are that he didn't make the Chase, but the earth is still rotating on it's axis and there will still be racing next weekend at New Hampshire even though Junior didn't make the Chase contrary to what some Junior fans seem to think. There's no conspiracy against Junior either, simply a season full of bad luck.

There's no doubt that DEI's engine program was a major achillies heel for the #8 team this season, but that shouldn't be a surprise since the engine program has been DEI's weakness for a few years now. Those five blown engines were definitely a big reason why Junior didn't make the Chase but I don't think it's a lock that Junior would have made the Chase if he hadn't had those engine issues. For one thing he could have had five DNFs due to wrecks or other mechanical issues. Maybe he wouldn't have raced as well if the season had played out differently. And there was still Tony Eury, Jr.'s boo-boo that cost Junior 100 points. One thing that's likely is that Junior's blown engines weren't sabatoge on the part of DEI or Teresa Earnhardt. DEI has more to gain from Junior being in the Chase and being successful than from keeping him out of the Chase.

The other thing that gets me is that in 2005 Michael Waltrip had four or five blown engines, including two to start the season, and a number of other mechanical and other issues out of his hands that ruined good runs in a number of races, particularly after he announced that he'd be leaving DEI. At the time some of Junior's fans blamed Michael saying that he must be doing something wrong because of how bad of a driver he is to cause all those blown engines since DEI is the bestest organization in Nascar. Yet now that it's Junior who has to deal with all the blown engines, it's poor Junior, DEI sucks, it must be a conspiracy by DEI to keep him out of the Chase. The reality is that the blown engines are neither driver's fault - it's something that needs to be resolved in DEI's engine department.

As expected many Junior fans are also turning on target="_blank"Martin Truex, Jr. Even though Junior continues to be close friends with Martin, that's not stopping many of Junior's fans from viewing Martin as the enemy. I suppose some of it is rooted in jealousy - Martin's having a better season than Junior and he made the Chase. They're also resentful that DEI is turning their focus from Junior towards doing everything they can to help Martin win the Championship. To that end Steve Hmiel is going to stop spotting for Junior so he can concentrate on his responsibilities as technical director, something that has gone over very poorly with Junior's fans. But the fact is that Junior is leaving DEI, Martin is staying and he has a chance to win a Championship. I don't blame DEI for doing everything they feel they need to do to improve Martin's ability to succeed in the Chase, particularly in light of the overall engine issues at DEI - seems to me they need some additional oversight on the technical end.

So what does Junior do now? Contrary to what some fans think Junior is still racing for something - wins. I've seen a few fans suggest that Junior should deliberately tank the rest of the races. Doing something like that will only hurt Junior's reputation and create ill-will with his team, DEI and others in the garage area, and I think Junior is too competitive as a driver to do anything like that. If he's out there racing, he wants to get the best possible finish he can. Not to mention he knows he has a good team that's capable of winning. They've certainly raced in the top five frequently this season. So I think we'll be seeing Junior race even harder than ever over these last ten races, looking to play spoiler in the Chase.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:48 AM | Comments (0)

Driver by Driver: Richmond II

Sometimes I think I'm watching a different race than other fans. I thought there was some pretty good racing during last night's race at Richmond, particularly the three-way battle for second between Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. I was out walking the dog at the time but from what I understand there was also a heated battle for the lead between Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin that resulted in Clint going for a spin. It also seemed like there was good racing for position through much of the field during the race and several drivers were able to race from the back to the front. However, some fans are still complaining about how boring the race was. What makes a good and exciting race to these fans? It's true that there wasn't a battle for the lead on the last lap with the victory still up for grabs heading to the finish line but that's not going to happen every race.

What was terrible about this race was the coverage by ABC - they missed just about every restart and that's unacceptable. I can accept that sometimes the timing works out in such a way that a restart here or there is going to be missed, but just about every one? Plus, I don't care for the way those in the booth call the race. Rusty Wallace in particular gets on my nerves.

1. Jimmie Johnson - Won his 6th race of the season which will give him 60 bonus points in the Chase, tops among all Chase drivers. At one point this season, the #48 team was in a bit of a slump, but there's no question that they've really found their mojo heading into the Chase and they have to be considered a big threat to repeat as Champions.

2. Tony Stewart - As I mentioned above there was some outstanding racing between Tony, Jeff and Junior for 2nd, with Tony ultimately prevailing. When the racing's that good, it must be just as fun for the drivers involved as it is for the fans.

3. David Ragan - David's taken a lot of heat from fans who think he's over his head in Cup, but this finish, as well as his 5th place finish to start the season at Daytona, should show a few of his critics that he's capable of holding his own in Cup. Although David hasn't done much of note this season, this top five follows a top fifteen last weekend at Fontana so it appears he's capable of racing well on a variety of different tracks, something we may see a lot more of once he gains more experience in Cup.

4. Jeff Gordon - Some had been questioning Jeff's focus and determination, as well as whether there was anything wrong with him after three poor finishes in a row in the midst of a season in which he had only finished outside the top ten twice in the 22 prior races. Other than perhaps some sleep deprivation from late nights with his new baby, I don't think there's anything wrong with Jeff. The #24 team will likely be a big factor in the Chase.

5. Johnny Sauter - Both Johnny and David Ragan picked a bad race to have their best career Cup finishes since no one was going to notice in the midst of all the hoopla about the Chase and whether Junior was going to make it. Although I don't care for Johnny's attitude a lot of times I do think he has talent behind the wheel.

6. Denny Hamlin - Denny probably wanted to win this race badly since he's from Virginia but 6th is nothing to be ashamed of.

7. Kevin Harvick - Kevin needed to finish 32nd or better to ensure himself a place in the Chase, and for a while it looked hairy when his engine started to overheat due to grass in the grill during a red flag. However, when the race restarted, Kevin's team got rid of the grass and he raced his way back up front. I'd love to see Kevin win the Championship but I don't feel like the #29 is a Championship team at the moment.

8. Kasey Kahne - I don't know what's changed for this team but after a mostly putrid season, suddenly in his last three races Kasey has a pole, a top five and two top tens. I like Kasey and I'd like to see him be successful so hopefully this is a sign that Evernham has found the key to turning things around - hopefully not just for Kasey but for his teammates as well.

9. Kurt Busch Another driver who wasn't yet locked into the Chase who got a scare when he was involved in a wreck but luckily the damage was cosmetic and I don't think Kurt even pitted to get it fixed. Kurt and his team have done an outstanding job of racing their way into the Chase.

10. J.J. Yeley - Good race for J.J., particularly considering he started 36th so he had to race his way through the field to finish this well. This is the first time since Charlotte that all three Gibbs teams finished in the top ten. I'd guess with Kyle Busch coming over to take J.J.'s place at Gibbs that's something that may happen with more frequency next season.

11. Ryan Newman - Ryan's spin is what led to damage to his teammate, Kurt Busch's car, but both Ryan and Kurt were able to overcome the incident and race their way to solid finishes.

12. Clint Bowyer - Another driver who overcame a spin to finish well.

13. David Reutimann - A career best finish for David! I really liked what I saw and heard (via David's radio on Trackpass) from David and his team. At one point they dropped back through the field after using a different tire strategy than other teams but they didn't get discouraged and David was able to race his way back into the top 15. After the race David was a little disappointed that he didn't finish in the top ten but I think that will come soon enough. Although a lot of his finishes have been ruined by factors out of his hands like getting wrecked and mechanical issues, David has definitely shown this season that he's capable of racing up front.

14. Matt Kenseth

15. Martin Truex Jr. - Because he's only won one race Martin won't be seeded very high in the Chase, but hopefully he'll be a factor. He's another driver I'd like to see win a Championship since he's a fellow New Jersey-ian. Already many Junior fans have turned on Martin now that Junior is leaving DEI, despite Martin and Junior remaining close friends, so The Junior Nation would really go nuts if Martin were to win the Championship or even do well in the Chase.

16. Bobby Labonte - Although Bobby didn't finish up-front, this is still a pretty good finish for this team considering how most of the rest of the season has gone for them. This team has definitely found something over the last month as this is Bobby's worst finish in his last four races.

17. Casey Mears

18. Jeff Burton - Richard Childress Racing has three drivers in the Chase but unfortunately I don't have a good feeling about any of them becoming Champion. It sure would be awesome if Jeff became Champion though and showed doubters that a 40+ driver was still capable of success in Cup.

19. David Stremme - I think he really needs to pick up the pace over the last ten races to show what he's really capable of if he wants to stick around in Cup next season... if he's given cars that are good enough to allow him to do it.

20. Kyle Busch - It's going to be very interesting to see what Kyle does in the Chase. No doubt that even more so than his brother Kurt or Jimmie Johnson, Kyle would be a very disliked Champion.

21. Mark Martin

22. David Gilliland - This is David's best finish since Indy. I have a feeling he and his teammate-to-be for next season, Travis Kvapil will work well together as they both seem pretty easy-going. However, will the cars be competitive enough for the results to improve?

23. A.J. Allmendinger - He's not racing up front or anything but suddenly A.J. is looking like he might be a decent Cup racer after all. Is it that his team found something in the past couple of weeks or is it that racing in Busch is helping him?

24. Brian Vickers - After two top tens in the last two races that Brian had qualified for it was probably a little disappointing to finish 24th. Most are thinking that one of the Gibbs drivers will give Toyota their first win next season, but if his team is improved next season I wouldn't be surprised to see Brian do it.

25. Kyle Petty - Although the results haven't been as good for Kyle as they've been for Bobby, it appears that this team might be making some strides as well. Prior to Kyle's hand injury his finishes had been in the 30's since he finished 3rd at Charlotte, but in his last two races Kyle's finished 28th and 25th. That's not a huge improvement, but it's an improvement all the same.

26. Paul Menard - Spun once and never recovered after that.

27. Elliott Sadler - Had a loose car for most of the race and his team was never able to make it much better for him.

28. Kenny Wallace - Kenny probably wanted to make a good impression filling in for Ricky so he'd be considered for a full-time ride with some team or another. And in spite of getting spun by David Stremme he actually finished a few positions better than Ricky's been able to finish in his last few races, but 28th isn't going to impress anyone.

29. Bill Elliott - Not a very good race for Bill, but another week of bad luck for Dave Blaney and the #22 team means that the #21 remains 35th in owner's points.

30. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - I'll have more to say about what happened to Junior in a separate entry, but Junior saw a top five go up in smoke - literally - when his engine gave up the ghost in the last seven laps of the race.

31. Dale Jarrett - DJ was racing fairly well, at least in comparison to the way he's been able to race in most other races and it seemed like he was on his way to a top 25 or maybe even a top 20 until he got swept up in a wreck not of his own making.

32. Reed Sorenson - Spun after tangling with David Gilliland.

33. Jeff Green - His wreck with Tony Raines brought out the first caution of the race.

34. Dave Blaney - Got swept up in the same wreck on lap 294 that caused damage to the #44. Was also involved in an earlier incident with Juan Pablo Montoya so it just wasn't a good night for Dave.

35. Tony Raines - Got into a wreck with Jeff Green on lap nine.

36. Robby Gordon - Tough night for Robby. Had problems with an alternator then blew a tire which sent him into the wall. But even before that his car wasn't very good.

37. John Andretti - Was having a decent race until his engine blew.

38. Jamie McMurray - Took a hard hit in the lap 296 wreck to the point where he got the wind knocked out of him.

39. Greg Biffle - Was the innocent victim of the lap 9 tangle between Jeff Green and Tony Raines.

40. Scott Riggs - A blown tire sent him into the wall.

41. Juan Montoya - Another race, another firey wreck, but this time JPM had a much easier time getting out of his car than Michael Waltrip did.

42. Carl Edwards - Had a strong car and looked like he might contend for the win until his engine blew.

43. Joe Nemechek - Another blown tire, another encounter with the wall.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2007

Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach

Driftwood Beach, Jeykll Island, Georgia, July, 2006.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2007

Travis Kvapil to the #88; Other Changes at Yates

Yesterday big changes were announced for Robert Yates Racing starting next season. Although it had been rumored recently that Kenny Wallace was the leading candidate for the #88 (something I didn't think was likely to happen), in a surprise to most everyone since his name hadn't come up at all in the silly season rumor mill, Travis Kvapil will take over for Ricky Rudd in that car in 2008. In addition, Robert Yates will retire and sell all of Robert Yates Racing's assets to his son Doug, who was a co-owner of RYR. The new company will be named Yates Racing and will receive significant support from Roush-Fenway Racing, though the announcement made it clear that neither Jack Roush nor John Henry will have any ownership in Yates Racing. That partnership with Roush means that the deal for RYR to merge with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing that had just been announced a few weeks ago is now off.

I'm really happy for Travis that he's going to get another opportunity in Cup. When I was at Pocono in early August, I saw Travis watching the Cup race from the #16 pit (he had raced in the ARCA race the day before) and I had a feeling that he might end up back in Cup sooner rather than later. It seemed to me that if he stuck around for the Cup race, and with how intently Travis was checking out the tires that had come off of the #16 after one pit stop in spite of Pocono not being a track that the trucks race on, might mean something. Whether Travis knew then or not that there might be a possibility that he would be racing Cup next season, it'll be good to see him back in Cup. While the #88 isn't an ultra-competitive ride, it's likely better than the #77 or the #32. At the very least unlike with the #32, Travis will be locked in for at least the first five races next season so he won't have to worry about missing races like he did with the #32. Travis has had a lot of success in the truck series this season, and while it might be a tall order to expect him to be able to race that well in the #88 given that team's so-so results the past few seasons, Travis will surely get the most out of the cars that he's given and do everything he can to get the best possible results.

However, there's still a few things for Yates to work out before next season rolls around. Most importantly is that they might be in need of not just one primary sponsor but two as Masterfoods, which sponsors both the #38 and #88 cars via their Snickers and M&M brands might not be back. Yates must be confident that they'll have some sponsorship for next season otherwise they probably wouldn't have been able to sign Travis, but it does beg the question as to what they would do in a worst case scenario where they don't have sponsorship for either of their Cup cars? I can't see them being able to race without sponsorship for long and certainly not competitively. Problem is that since the results haven't been very good for that organization not just this season but for a few years, it's makes it hard for them to attract sponsors. Hopefully Doug Yates has a very convincing plan that he can present to sponsors about how they're going to improve the results on the track. Travis has already dealt with Bang Racing going under due to Alex Meshkin's issues, Kodak deciding to pull their sponsorship of the #77 due to poor results and PPI Motorsports closing due to sponsorship and other issues. When he signed with Roush to race in the truck series, although there were some initial sponsorship issues, it appeared that he had finally found a stable organization to race for - hopefully that will continue with Yates after they either re-sign Masterfoods or find replacement sponsors.

One thing that I'm wondering about is how Newman/Haas/Lanigan feels about the merger being called off? Particularly since there was a press event and the announcement was made with a lot of hoopla at Indy. Maybe they're understanding but if I were them I wouldn't be too pleased about it. Since the merger never went through officially, they probably don't have grounds to take legal action but it seems to me that they might have been duped a little. I doubt that this plan to form a closer partnership with Roush and for Robert to sell the company to his son came up just this week.

This announcement answers one other question that's been debated by fans recently - would Dale Earnhardt, Jr. be able to get the #38 from Yates to race at Hendrick Motorsports next season? The answer is clearly "no." Doug Yates had already expressed his displeasure with Hendrick making overtures about a number that Yates planned on using and now that he's in complete control it doesn't seem likely that he'll be willing to turn it over to Hendrick. However, he did say that Hendrick could ask Nascar for the #28 as that would be a number Yates wouldn't be using so perhaps that's a possibility for Junior.

Yates seems to have their long-term plans other than sponsorship settled, but in the short-term they need to figure out who's going to be behind the wheel of the #88 while Ricky Rudd's recovering from his shoulder injury. Kenny's in the car this week but Travis could get behind the wheel next week at New Hampshire since the trucks will also be racing there and presumably he would be available on other race weekends as well depending on the Truck Series schedule.

Posted by silverdsl at 05:27 PM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2007

Random Thoughts on Nascar Happenings

*David Stremme is out at Chip Ganassi Racing and I can't say I'm surprised. While he has show some improvement between last season and this, and it's possible that David wasn't given cars that were very competitive, his results in the two seasons he's been in Cup haven't been impressive. When it was announced that Coors Light wouldn't be returning to the #40, I figured David's time behind the wheel of that car was likely coming to an end soon. The question is whether another team will be willing to take a chance on David? He's young and marketable given that he's attractive and media savvy, but he's really not shown much in Cup to date. David's replacement could be Dario Francitti, who is the current points leader in IRL. Francitti is from Scotland so that may bother those fans who feel that Nascar is an American sport that should stay that way, who are already angry about Toyota's presence in Nascar.

*David Reutimann's name continues to circulate in the silly season rumor mill since Michael Waltrip Racing hasn't yet re-signed him. Based on Michael Waltrip's comments over the past couple of months, it's clear he wants to re-sign David, however sponsorship is an issue since Burger King and Domino's were only signed for one year, just like David. Although David has been connected to a few other teams with open rides, he's expressed a desire to return to MWR, so given that both sides seem like they want to make something happen, I think it's likely that David will end up coming back in the #00. Michael even said in Inside Nextel Cup last week that David would be back, and David said on Sirius yesterday that Michael assured him that there's a spot for him next season at MWR. Problem is, and I probably sound like a broken record I say this so often in this space, in this sport deals that seem like a sure thing one day can fall apart the next. So while most of the signs are pointing towards David returning to MWR next season, I'd feel better if they got the sponsorship set and David signed sooner rather than later. David is very nervous by nature, and I don't think he likes being in limbo so if MWR waits to long they might lose him which wouldn't be very good since he's a big asset to the organization.

*Apparently Nascar/Sprint and AT&T have settled their lawsuit as the #31 team put AT&T logos back on the car with Nascar's approval. I figured that they'd settle and work something out eventually, which is one reason why I haven't bothered to keep up with all the legal wrangling, nor have I gotten outraged like a lot of other fans. It doesn't benefit anyone involved for there to be an extended court case that could take months, if not years, after all the appeals. Apparently AT&T will be allowed to remain on the car through next season, but Richard Childress Racing will have to find a new sponsor for 2009 and beyond. That seems pretty fair considering Sprint wanted the AT&T logos removed from the car immediately.

*DEI announced their driver line-up for 2008 and there were no surprises. As previously reported, Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will share the #8 with the U.S. Army as the sponsor, Regan Smith will race a Cup car with a sponsor and number to be announced at a later date, Martin Truex, Jr. will remain in the #1 and Paul Menard will continue to race the #15. As I said in an earlier entry, I think DEI is making a good decision by putting Mark in the #8 with the Army as the sponsor, and I'm glad that things are turning out well for Regan. Should Regan be underwhelming next season, there should be a number of solid drivers who will be available who DEI could sign to take his place, or if Regan works out they could end up with a young driver who could be very successful for years to come.

*Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will open a bar/nightclub/music venue in Charlotte in December. Called Whiskey River, named after the bar at his house, it won't be Nascar-themed, and will be casual. I think it's interesting that Junior is opting to open a car considering a while back he had tried to distance himself from his hard partying image of his younger years, though photos that have circulated online have indicated that Junior enjoys having a good time just as much as ever. I don't think there's anything wrong with owning a bar or going out and having a good time as long as it's done responsibly, but there's a segment of fans who seem to think that all the drivers should be sitting at home every night playing board games with their families and drinking milk and cookies. Regardless, I expect Junior's bar to be a popular destination for Nascar fans, even if there's not much about it that's Nascar related.

*Trip Bruce, who is normally Johnny Benson's crew chief in the Truck Series, will take Joe Lax's place on the pit box for Jeremy Mayfield, after Lax was suspended for two races as a result of the #36 car failing pre-race inspection at California. In addition, Jeremy was penalized 25 driver points, and Bill Davis 25 owner points. But what overshadows the penalties and anything else that's going on with the team is that Jeremy's father passed away at the age of 56 this week, so Jeremy will be racing with a heavy heart this weekend. It's always difficult to lose a parent, but even harder when it's someone so young.

*Modified driver Donny Lia will be racing a fourth Bill Davis Racing truck at New Hampshire next week. Although some of my fellow Steve Park fans are probably upset that Donny is getting a BDR truck ride and not Steve, I'm happy that a Northeastern driver - in fact a Long Islander like Steve - is getting an opportunity. It's likely that Tommy Baldwin, Jr., another Long Islander had a lot to do with Donny getting this chance, another thing that some of Steve's fans may resent given that the hope has always been that Steve and Tommy, who are longtime friends, would work together in Cup. The BDR trucks are very competitive so I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing a good run for Donny in New Hampshire.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2007

Photo of the Day - Ogunquit

Ogunquit, Maine, July, 2004.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)

Joe Gibbs Racing Makes the Switch to Toyota Official

Joe Gibbs Racing made it official today that they'll be switch from Chevy to Toyota starting in 2008 and the press conference was anti-climactic to say the least, so much so that not a tremendous amount of media showed up for the announcement. But that's what happens when everyone already knows what's being announced already. I listened to most of the press conference and I can't say there was much that was said that was particularly interesting. It was like a typical press conference in which a new partnership of some sort is being announced - everyone was falling all over themselves to say the right things and everyone were very complimentary of each other. Essentially as many have speculated, a big reason JGR is making this move is because they could "take a leadership role" at Toyota, meaning they will be the #1 organization for that manufacturer which wouldn't be the case if they stayed with Chevy.

It was also mentioned at the press conference and in a press release that Toyota would continue to provide support to the three teams they started the season with - Michael Waltrip Racing, Red Bull Racing and Bill Davis Racing contrary to some rumors that Toyota would drop MWR when they added JGR. One of the Toyota representatives at the press conference explained that they always planned to add teams and expand in the Cup Series and that they had the resources to provide plenty of support to all of their teams. I suspect some will be surprised that Toyota is sticking with MWR, but it would be a terrible PR move to drop MWR or any of their other teams after just one season when they have multi-year contracts with those organizations.

A big question for many was what was going to happen with Tony Stewart, whether he'd find a way out of racing for Toyota and whether they would end up supporting his dirt track and open wheel efforts outside of Nascar. Well, for now at least Tony's sticking with JGR, but he's also staying with Chevy in regards to what he does outside of Nascar. Tony said all the right things about trusting the leadership at JGR and about how a contract extension is being worked on, but I have to wonder, in light of some of Tony's past comments that weren't entirely complimentary about Toyota, and that he's keeping his connection to Chevy, whether he will do the unthinkable and leave JGR at some point down the road so he can race for a Chevy team in Cup again? As I pointed out in another entry Tony did steer Josh Wise towards MWR instead of a Chevy team so he can't be completely anti-Toyota, but I still have to wonder if Tony is as fine with JGR aligning themselves with Toyota as he's making it seem.

Of course there are many fans who still can't get over their anti-Toyota sentiment and are saying that they're going to stop supporting Tony and JGR. I think that's one of the most interesting things to me is how that's going to evolve - will Tony and the other JGR drivers get booed and how will they respond? How is Toyota and JGR going to try to win fans over - I don't think they've been very successful this season in making those fans who were against Toyota's presence in Cup feel any better about it. Toyota might think that adding Tony Stewart will make things better since he's so popular but I think it's going to take quite some time before they gain the acceptance they want.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

Brad Keselowski Signed by JR Motorsports for Remainder of 2007

As expected Brad Keselowski has been signed by JR Motorsports to race the #88 in the Busch Series for the remainder of the season. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. has to be happy with the way Brad has raced for him since he chose him to replace Shane Huffman. In just six races Brad has two top tens and two top fifteens, and I have a strong feeling the results will get even better for him as time goes along. I've been very impressed with Brad since his great run in the #9 truck at Memphis, and I'm glad that he's getting such a good opportunity with a solid race team that will likely be more competitive next season given their alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. Junior seems to have made a very wise choice in signing Brad, and I hope Brad will be able to continue racing for JR Motorsports or another good organization next season as well.

Last night Michael Waltrip had Brad on his XM show to discuss Brad's scary wreck in the Busch race at California. What was interesting was that it turns out that Michael was talking to Brad about a ride at Michael Waltrip Racing back in April and really wanted to sign him, but as it turned out they couldn't find a spot for Brad at MWR. Probably a wise move because it might have stretched their already thin resources even further to field an additional truck or Busch car full-time for Brad. Those discussions took place a few months before Brad filled in for Ted Musgrave in the #9, so it's an indication that Brad's been on the radar for more than a few in the garage area for a while now. Based on how complimentary Michael was towards Brad, I think that should he part ways with JR Motorsports and there's an opening at MWR, Michael won't hesitate in revisiting their discussions from earlier this season about a ride. As much as I like MWR's current drivers I would love to see Michael add Brad into the mix, though I would guess that Junior will be sure to hang onto him.

One of the things that Michael said last night was that it was great to see a deserving driver like Brad get an opportunity to race for JR Motorsports. When I heard that I couldn't help but think back a few months ago to when Shane had lost his ride in the #88 and Steve Park had expressed interest in being considered for that ride. So much interest that he said that fans should email JR Motorsports on his behalf and ask them to put him in the car. This was said to a fan in a phone conversation and when it was posted on Steve Park Central, Steve's request was immediately followed by a comment about how JR Motorsports needs a "real" driver. At the time I didn't know whether that was something that fan thought, or whether it was something that Steve himself had said, and I still don't know. However, should that be something that Steve actually said, well, it really makes me cringe. Brad had just been selected to race the #88 at least on a short-term basis, something Steve might or might not have been aware of, so there's no telling if he was referring to Brad (if he actually even made that comment). But if he did and he was referring to Brad, it seems to me that Steve's really out of the loop and out of touch with some of what's going on in the garage area.

In the past Steve has made comments about young drivers getting rides without having to pay their dues, and there's plenty of Steve's fans who believe that most young drivers are getting opportunities because of factors other than their talent behind the wheel. Well, with Brad it's all about talent. He didn't buy a ride in the #88, he didn't bring sponsorship with him, he's not "cute" and no one handed him a ride with a Cup backed team because they thought he could attract sponsors. Unlike some young drivers these days who don't know how to work on the cars they race, Brad knows how to build a race car from top to bottom, which probably came from racing for his family's race team, a team that was funded by his family's automotive business, not some huge corporate entity. He raced for small underfunded teams and made the most of the opportunities that were given to him, particularly the opportunity to race the #9 truck, which he said was the best car or truck he's ever raced. In short Brad is a "real" driver, and anyone who's paying the slightest bit of attention should recognize that. Not only do I hope that Steve never made that remark in the first place, I hope that no one of importance saw that remark on SPC or the couple of other places I saw it repeated. I would like to think that like Michael, Steve can also recognize and appreciate a young driver with talent.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:45 PM | Comments (0)

Coors Light Won't Return to the #40

After seven years as a primary sponsor of the #40 at Chip Ganassi Racing, Coors Light will not return next season. Which means that Ganassi needs to find a new sponsor for David Stremme. It had been rumored that Stremme and Ganassi might part ways at the end of this season, something that was denied, but I have to wonder if that might happen after all. Both parties could cite sponsorship woes as opposed to Stremme not living up to expectations which would likely be at the root of him leaving Ganassi. Of course Stremme could end up staying at Ganassi - he is young and could still develop into a better Cup driver, and he's also fairly marketable so he would probably appeal to whatever sponsors Ganassi might be courting to replace Coors Light.

Jayski is reporting that he "heard" that Coors Light might end up at DEI, and they do need a sponsor to replace Budweiser. What's interesting is that it was rumored a while ago that Stremme might be a candidate for the #8, but maybe it's just his sponsor that's going to go to DEI.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2007

J.J. Yeley to Replace Tony Raines in the #96 in 2008

Many fans seemed shocked by today's announcement that J.J. Yeley is going to race for Hall of Fame Racing in the #96 next season but it makes a lot of sense to me. For one thing Joe Gibbs Racing, Yeley's current organization provides cars and other resources to HoF, so Yeley is staying in the "family" in a way. He's pretty much just shifting from racing for Gibbs directly to racing for one of their satellite organizations. In addition, Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad of the Arizona Diamondbacks, just gained a majority interest in Hof, and Yeley is from the Phoenix area, so I can see where they would be in favor of having a driver from Arizona racing for their team. Also, since HoF has said that they will also switch to Toyota if Gibbs does, as someone pointed out elsewhere, Toyota will add a young, marketable driver to their stable of drivers. Apparently Yeley also has worked with the sponsor of the #96, DLP in the past so that probably helped him get the ride as well. I also think that Yeley might do better with an organization where he the expectations might not be as high for him and where he might be able to race out of the spotlight a little.

Of course Yeley being named the driver of the #96 means that Tony Raines is out of a ride. Some fans are outraged and think that Raines is getting screwed, but I don't agree. If some think that Yeley has been underwhelming this season, then what about Raines? At least Yeley has a 2nd place finish at Charlotte and a pole at Michigan whereas Raines's best finish is 13th at Fort Worth in April. When the best that can be said about a driver is that they've kept the car in the top 35 in owner's points, then it shouldn't be surprise if their team looks to make a change. Although Raines has appeared in some commercials for DLP, he's not that marketable, he's 43 and in six years in Cup his best finishes are two top tens, so I think he's going to have a hard time finding another decent full-time Cup ride.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

Casey Mears to the #5; Tony Eury, Jr. will go to HMS with Junior

Hendrick Motorsports announced today that Casey Mears will move from the #25 team to the #5 team starting next season. Kellogg's and Carquest will remain the primary sponsors, and Alan Gustafson will continue in his role as crew chief for the #5 team. Darian Grubb will finish the season as crew chief of the #25, then will move into a "senior competition position" at HMS, though I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave the organization at some point since an announcement that a crew chief is moving into a competition position sometimes seems to precede them taking a crew chief role with another team if they're not giving up crew chiefing voluntarily. Grubb's new position leaves a crew chief vacancy for 2008, which will be filled by Tony Eury, Jr. who will leave DEI as expected to continue working with Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Some of Casey's fans are extremely upset about him changing teams, because it means that he'll have a new sponsor, crew chief and car number. To a degree I can understand why they're upset because Casey has had quite a few different sponsors and car numbers the past few years so every season his fans have to buy new and updated merchandise. In addition, it's hard for a driver to be as successful as they're capable of if there's no consistency in terms of personnel and especially with the crew chief from year to year because it makes it hard to develop good communication and work well together as a team. However, Casey won't be working with just any team and crew chief, he'll be working with a group that has gotten four wins and 25 top fives since Gustafson came aboard as crew chief. In the past some of Casey's fans have complained that he's gotten the short end of the stick in comparison to teammates in terms of personnel, cars and resources - it appears that next season he'll be inheriting an excellent team that should give him every opportunity to race as well as he's capable of.

As for Tony Eury, Jr., that he opted to continue working with Junior is no surprise. However, I have to wonder if Junior might not have been better off with a different crew chief. Although things didn't work out so well when the two Juniors split up in 2005, that doesn't mean that there's not another top crew chief out there - such as Darian Grubb - who Junior might have clicked with. And obviously Tony, Jr. can work well with other drivers considering Michael Waltrip got some of the best results of his career on non-restrictor plate tracks when Tony, Jr. was his crew chief. It'll be interesting to see how this works out, how many others from target="_blank"DEI the Juniors bring with them to HMS, and how long it takes both Juniors to adapt to being at a new organization that isn't run by family members.

All the remains to be announced for next season is what Junior's sponsor and number will be. Rumor has it that the National Guard will split time on the car with Mountain Dew and AMP, an energy drink. Hopefully it'll be announced soon because I'm getting a little tired of hearing the same speculation about what his number might be or what someone "in-the-know" claims is the absolute truth about who Junior's sponsors will be.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)

Driver by Driver: California II

It's popular to rip everything about racing in California from the track to the fans because some fans are still angry over the Southern 500 being replaced by a race in California. But I thought Sunday night's race featured some pretty good racing. There continues to be a lot of criticism about how unsupportive fans in California are of Nascar, how low the turnout was for the race, and how undeserving fans in California are to have this race. But let's get real. For one thing while it might not have been a complete sellout supposedly more than 80,000 tickets were sold for this race - those fans don't count as supporting Nascar? If it seemed like there were a lot of unused tickets and empty seats, perhaps the scorching heat with temperatures around 110 degrees had a little something to do with that? The attitudes towards racing and Nascar in California (and New York) might be different than the attitudes of fans in the South but that doesn't mean that they're bad or lesser fans. Only the track and Nascar knows if this race was really as successful as they wanted it to be but it seemed like it was a pretty good race to me.

1. Jimmie Johnson - This team hit a rough patch for a while, but they're definitely rebounded at exactly the right time - heading into the Chase. Jimmie has now won more races than Jeff Gordon, so barring a win next weekend by Jeff, Jimmie will start the Chase with the lead in points based on how many races he's won.

2. Carl Edwards - Carl came up just short of winning two weeks in a row. He hasn't finish outside the top ten in four races and it appears this team is stepping it up at the right time as well.

3. Kyle Busch - All the controversy over Kyle confirming Joe Gibbs Racings's switch to Toyota wasn't a distraction for Kyle as he got his best finish of the season since Daytona in July when he finished second.

4. Jeff Burton - This is Jeff's best finish since he finished 3rd at Sonoma in June.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - A solid race for Junior, and he was definitely doing all he could to get as many points as he could in an effort to make the Chase, but it's probably still not too likely he's going to make it.

6. Martin Truex Jr. - Another driver who solidified his place in the Chase. DEI has gotten a lot of criticism for engine problems and other performance issues, but two of their cars in the top six is pretty good.

7. Matt Kenseth - Rebounds from a 39th place finish at Bristol with a solid top ten.

8. Brian Vickers - A great race for Brian and for Red Bull Racing overall since both their cars were in the race and finished in the top 20. This is the second race in a row that not only has Brian finished 8th but he's also led some laps. Most are assuming that once Gibbs joins Toyota their drivers will be the best for that manufacturer in 2008, but I think Brian has shown that he's capable of racing up front just as much as the Gibbs drivers when he has a competitive car.

9. Kurt Busch - Started from the pole and finished in the top ten - a solid day for the #2 team. Hasn't finished worse than 11th in his last eight races.

10. Kasey Kahne - After a strong weekend at Bristol where he won the pole and finished second in the Cup race, plus won the Busch race the day before, Kasey said he was prepared for this weekend to go as well as most of the rest of the season had - poorly. So Kasey must be pretty happy with a 10th place finish.

11. Bobby Labonte - Has anyone noticed that after struggling for good results for most of the season over his last three races Bobby has gotten two top tens and came up just short of another top ten in this race? Those improved results coincide with Paul Andrews being replaced as crew chief with Doug Randolph so it appears that change might have revitalized Bobby and his team as well as resulted in more competitive cars.

12. David Ragan - Best finish for David since Daytona in July when he also finished 12th.

13. Tony Stewart - Although many teams would be happy with a 13th place finish, this was probably a disappointing finish for Tony and his team considering the last time they finished outside the top ten was in early July. Tony battled handling issues all race long and the team was never able to get the car right no matter what changes they made.

14. Kevin Harvick - Another driver who had an ill-handling car that hurt his ability to race well. Given how precarious his position is in the Chase, that's exactly what Kevin didn't need. Nor did he need the multi-car wreck on lap 181 that he just barely missed getting caught up in - had he been wrecked he likely would have gotten knocked out of the Chase. But Kevin finished well enough to hang on to the last spot in the Chase, and if he has an incident free race next weekend and finishes well he should make it in.

15. Casey Mears

16. Jamie McMurray - Hard to believe but this 16th place finish is Jamie's best finish since he won at Daytona in early July. Not a very good second half for this team.

17. Greg Biffle - Another mediocre finish for a team that should be much better than this. Greg made it clear on INC last night that he's very unhappy with the way this season has gone for him and I don't blame him.

18. A.J. Allmendinger - A career best finish for A.J. and in light of how he's struggled just to make races it must have felt like a win to him. I have to wonder if racing the Busch race the night before helped him in this race?

19. Denny Hamlin - I can't find a post-race report for Denny either on his site or the Gibbs site but since the other two Gibbs cars battled handling issues in this race I suspect that might have been an issue for Denny as well.

20. Clint Bowyer - Robby Gordon got into him fairly early in the race which caused some damage to Clint's car.

21. Reed Sorenson - A bad car made for a difficult race for Reed.

22. Jeff Gordon - Jeff was on his way to a fairly decent finish when he got loose, got into Jeremy Mayfield and that touched off a major multi-car wreck which left Ricky Rudd with an injured shoulder. Unlike some other drivers who might try to shift blame elsewhere, Jeff immediately took responsibility for having caused the wreck over his radio. After the race Jeff had some interesting comments about how tough it is to race these races knowing that the results don't really matter for him since he's locked into the Chase and all the point he's amassed to this point will be erased once the Chase starts. Some have wondered if this team is in a slump that could be a problem for them in the Chase but Jeff indicated that once the Chase starts the team will have a renewed focus and will be racing as well as they did in the first part of the season.

23. Jeff Green - Unless he's involved in an incident it seems like there's never much to say about Jeff.

24. Paul Menard - A tough night for Paul and his team. Not only was the car not handling very well, but on a pit stop their jackman was hit on pit road during a pit stop by Reed Sorenson. T.J. Ford had to be transported to a local hospital for x-rays but no word on whether that was just a precaution or not.

25. David Gilliland - Was having a decent race until he got swept up in the same lap 181 wreck that injured his teammate.

26. Bill Elliott - Thanks to the woes of the #22 team, Bill's finish in this race was good enough to get the #21 back into the top 35 in owner's points but just a few points. It's looking like the battle between those two teams for the last spot in the top 35 could go back and forth until the end of the season unless one team finds a way to get good results on a weekly basis.

27. Tony Raines - Given that the Arizona Diamondbacks owners just bought part ownership in Hall of Fame Racing, I suspect that a change in driver for this team is coming soon. Maybe I'll be surprised but I suspect they might want either a higher profile driver or a young driver.

28. Kyle Petty - After missing a couple of races due to a self-inflicted broken bone in his hand, Kyle got his best finish since Charlotte in May.

29. J.J. Yeley - Had an ill-handling car. Given that J.J. is on his way out with this team I doubt the results will be very impressive for the rest of the season.

30. Johnny Sauter - Like his teammate we don't ever hear much about Johnny unless he's involved in an incident.

31. Aric Almirola - Had to start at the back due to an engine change. An unimpressive race for Almirola but given how little Cup experience he has that's probably to be expected.

32. David Reutimann - Until he got wrecked by Jeff Gordon, it looked like David was on his way to a top ten or top fifteen finish in this race. It sure was great to see that #00 be competitive and I look to see a lot more of David racing up front in the future!

33. Juan Montoya - Got the worst of a run-in with Carl Edwards on pit road.

34. David Stremme - Was involved in the lap 181 wreck that ruined the race for a lot of teams.

35. Elliott Sadler - Spun, got a flat, had an ill-handling car, an all-around bad race - what else is new for this team?

36. Jeremy Mayfield - Jeff Gordon getting into him touched off the lap 181 wreck but I don't think it was a very good race for this team even before that.

37. John Andretti - Nascar's results lists this team having been in a wreck, but I don't remember that happening. Based on the conversation on his fan forum it appears there was a variety of mechanical issues and blown tires that were the problem.

38. Dave Blaney - Dave was racing well until his engine gave up the ghost which was pretty costly since it knocked his team out of the top 35 in owner's points meaning he'll have to qualify for Richmond next weekend on time.

39. Ryan Newman - Engine problems eliminated any chance Ryan had of making the Chase.

40. Ricky Rudd - Ricky suffered a separated shoulder in the lap 181 wreck which may result in him not racing at Richmond.

41. Robby Gordon - Robby spun after getting into Clint Bowyer, something Robby immediately blamed on his spotter, not only over his radio but also in an interview. Robby's not only the driver, he's also the owner and if he thinks one of his employees made a mistake the way to handle it is by speaking with that person privately, not ripping him to the media. There was an interesting discussion on INC last night about spotters and how some drivers depend on their spotters more than others. Since Michael Waltrip started racing before there were spotters he doesn't rely on his spotter as much as some of the younger drivers do.

42. Michael Waltrip - I detailed Michael's wreck in a prior entry but it was certainly scary to see his car in flames like that. I'm glad that they'll be using the COT all next season that should make it easier for Michael to get out of his car in a hurry if it's on flames again like it was on Sunday.

43. Joe Nemechek - Joe was able to get this car into the race but then it barely lasted ten laps. This team needs to make massive improvements otherwise I have to wonder if they'll be able to continue racing.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2007

Photo of the Day - Mr. Seagull

Chatham, MA, August, 2007.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:50 PM | Comments (0)

Scary Wrecks for Michael Waltrip, Ricky Rudd and Brad Keselowski

Although Nascar has made many safety advances in the past few years, racing remains a dangerous sport. We're used to seeing vicious wrecks in which the drivers walk away unscathed, and I think some fans don't take wrecks, even very hard wrecks very seriously. However, the potential for injury is still there. This weekend at California, there was at least one, and possibly two, drivers injured, plus another bad looking wreck.

Because I'm a fan of his of course Michael Waltrip's wreck is the one that sticks with me the most. Luckily, I wasn't watching this race live, so by the time I saw my recording I knew that Michael was fine. Otherwise I would have been freaking out as much as other fans were when they saw the #55 in flames - that's a scary sight no matter how much protection the drivers have from fire. Michael's lap 40 wreck due to a blown tire from when Ricky Rudd got into him earlier looked very bad due to how much fire was involved and the length of time it took Michael to get out of the car, but thankfully he was fine. I think what bothered a lot of fans is that it seemed like the emergency personnel who responded were extremely slow to use their fire extinguishers to put out the fire. That's not the first time that this season that it's seemed to me that the emergency personnel have watched a car burn and seemed to hesitate before putting out the flames, but based on what was said tonight on Inside Nextel Cuphttp://www.sadlerfanclub.com as I suspected might be the case the chemicals in the extinguishers aren't good for the drivers if they breathe it in, so they likely give the drivers some extra time to get out before they get to spraying those chemicals.

Some fans have also been critical of how long it took the emergency personnel to help Michael out of the car, but it appeared that one of them leaned into the car when he first arrived to check on Michael, so it's possible that Michael waved him off - something he kind of alluded to on INC. Michael is much bigger than the other drivers and it takes longer for him to get out of the car quickly. Unlike other drivers who can get out with their helmets on, he needs to take his off first, and although he's practiced getting out of the car quickly, it still takes him extra time - something that's a definite problem when the car's in flames. However, that might be something that Michael wants to or needs to do himself - sometimes extra hands can get in the way. When Michael got hung up a little as he was getting out of the car, the emergency personnel were there to assist him. Instead of being critical of the emergency response personnel, Michael talked on INC about how he felt better knowing they were there so it doesn't sound like he had any major issues with what they did as opposed to the time at Talladega I think it was where he ended up planted upside down in the grass, trapped in his car, and was openly displeased about the way the emergency response personnel handled that situation. After he got out of the in-field care center last night Michael said that it probably looked worse on TV than it actually was since his crew does a good job of sealing up the interior so not a lot of flames or heat got into the cockpit.

There was some further discussion on INC about Michael's difficulties in getting out of the cars and they played some footage I had never seen before from 2001 from the practice wreck at Michigan in which Michael's car ended up in flames with the driver's side against the wall forcing Michael to try to squirm out the other side of the car - no easy feat. It was pointed out that would be even harder now with the extra padding and increased safety devices which led to the subject of the roof hatch, a safety feature Michael is very much in favor of but was only briefly used on the cars of Michael and Elliott Sadler. Apparently it adds weight to the car and takes a lot of time to install so since Nascar doesn't mandate it, something Michael thinks they should do - and I agree - the teams opt not to use it. I think Nascar, the teams and the drivers should do everything they can to make sure the drivers are as safe as possible, which may mean extra things for the taller drivers like Michael, at extra cost and effort. I have to wonder why if Michael feels so strongly that Nascar should mandate it he doesn't have it installed on his own car, now that he owns it.

One driver who wasn't quite as lucky to walk away uninjured last night was Ricky Rudd. A lap 181 multi-car wreck led to Ricky being knocked unconscious briefly and he was later diagnosed with a separated shoulder, an injury that may require surgery depending on how severe the damage is to the ligaments and tendons. Ricky was in so much pain after the race that he was unable to raise his arm very high, and he feels he may not be able to race next weekend at Richmond. Although it's possible that it will turn out that Ricky will be recovered enough to race next weekend, I have to wonder whether there's the possibility that the shoulder injury could keep him out for more than one race - definitely not how Ricky wanted the end of his full-time Cup career to go. The question then becomes - who would replace Ricky in the #88 for those races he's not able to race? Kenny Wallace is the go-to-guy when it comes to filling-in for injured drivers and he is apparently under consideration to race the #88 next season, so I wouldn't be surprised if he raced the car at Richmond.

Saturday night's Busch race also featured a scary wreck. A.J. Allmendinger and J.J. Yeley got together and the resulting chaos included Brad Keselowski going airborne, sideways and on fire. Initially it appeared that Brad might have injured his foot and his chest but x-rays at the hospital were negative, so it's likely that he'll be recovered in time to race next weekend. What kind of irked me a little was that Rusty Wallace, who should know better as a former driver himself, started talking about how wonderful it was that Brad was able to walk away from that wreck. First of all, Brad wasn't able to walk away - he had to be taken away on a backboard and stretcher. Second, as Jeff Burton pointed out, the drivers never want to let on that they're hurt so they make every effort to hide it when they're in pain or injured. There's no telling for sure if a driver is really okay or not based on TV footage when they first get out of the car. In addition, as much as safer barriers and HANS devices and all the other safety advances help, a hard hit in a wreck is still a hard hit - it hurts and the drivers likely have a variety of aches, pains and bruises after wrecks.

Maybe it was just coincidence that there were so many bad wrecks this weekend, but it seems like there's been a lot of ugly wrecks at this track, particularly when one remembers David Reutimann's nasty wreck at this track earlier this season. Michael's wreck had nothing to do with the track, but with the others, I really didn't like what I saw, and I'm glad we're done with racing at California for this season.

Posted by silverdsl at 05:44 PM | Comments (0)

#36 Team Fails Pre-Qualifying Inspection; Expects Major Penalties

Good thing for Jeremy Mayfield that his team was caught with an illegal weight in pre-qualifying inspection, not post-qualifying inspection, otherwise his qualifying time would have been thrown out and he wouldn't have gotten to race since the #36 team is outside the top 35 in owner's points. Although they did get to race last night, the team expects major penalties for being caught trying to fix a weight problem by putting a piece of lead inside a water bottle in the car, something that's considered tampering with the car - a major no-no. Crew Chief Joe Lax said,

"We did something stupid, you know? I've got some young guys that need a little more experience and that was just a deal where we did something that was a bit immature. We got our hand slapped for that deal, and I went and had a little talk with Darby, and he said he'll call me Tuesday and let me know how much it's going to cost."

I can't say I'm surprised that a crew member from Bill Davis Racing did something "immature." Without getting into details, I know of another instance of immaturity on the part of a BDR crew member that didn't reflect very well on the organization. While I'm sure everyone at BDR works very hard, this is an organization that needs improvement in all areas on the Cup level, including as it seems their ability to handle problems in an appropriate way.

As Lax said,

"It's not a matter of finger-pointing, it's just a matter of sitting the whole bunch down and saying, 'Let's be a little bit smarter with some of our decision-making with some of the things we do when we get in a pinch like that.'"

Good teams are able to calmly handle problems and issues without making things worse for themselves. With a new driver next season for whom there will be high expectations - Jacques Villeneuve - they will need to make sure there aren't any issues like plug wires that aren't attached or illegal weights, otherwise Jacques's Nascar career will be over quickly.

Of course this is just one of the problems that the #36 team has had to deal with this season. Jeremy said of his team's struggles,

"There's no reason at all to be in the position we're in. We don't have enough people. We're an underfunded deal here that's struggling. These guys here are working their guts out, but that's all we can do. That's not fair."

Some see Jeremy's comment as one more example of Jeremy whining and complaining about yet another team he's with, but I think Jeremy has legitimate grievances. This team probably is extremely underfunded since it's unlikely there's much, if any, cash coming in from the primary sponsor, 360OTC. So that means there isn't much financial resources besides whatever Bill Davis is willing to put in out of his own pocket for personnel or anything else to make the team more competitive. There's no driver that's going to be happy with that kind of a situation.

Posted by silverdsl at 05:01 PM | Comments (0)

Kyle Busch Confirms Gibbs Switch to Toyota; Gibbs Says Not so Fast

On Friday Kyle Busch was asked during a media session about his feelings on Joe Gibbs Racing's rumored switch to Toyota, since he'll be racing for that organization, and thus Toyota, starting next season. Instead of dancing around the question like many drivers would do, Kyle confirmed the switch, saying that not only had he been told that the switch was definitely going to happen, but he had met with Mark Cronquist, Gibbs's head engine builder, to discuss the reliability issues and other questions Kyle had about the Toyota engines which have seemed to be a weakness for them this season. I used to work in Public Relations, and if I were in the shoes of the PR staff at Gibbs, not to mention J.D. and Joe Gibbs, I would be furious that Kyle essentially made the official announcement moot by announcing it himself. Which might be why J.D. Gibbs said the following day that they hadn't yet signed a contract with Toyota and refused to confirm that there would be a press conference on Wednesday to make the official announcement. But even if the contract isn't signed yet, if Gibbs wasn't going to sign with Toyota and Kyle was completely wrong they would have denied what he said, but didn't, so it's pretty safe to say that Gibbs to Toyota is almost certainly a done deal.

On one hand I don't know what Kyle was thinking by speaking as openly as he did about Gibbs going to Toyota. Kyle's not stupid, he knows the way things work, and that major announcements are made at press conferences. But on the other hand, Kyle was asked a question and he answered it the way he always does - by being outspoken and honest. One can't expect him to be any different than he has been in the past. Still, a lot of time and effort goes into putting press conferences together and ensuring the maximum amount of media coverage for a major announcement. I would suspect that some of the rumors about when the press conference has been scheduled for have come from Gibbs and/or Toyota to build anticipation for the announcement, but when someone involved openly confirms what's going on, it serves to take something away from the press conference - some media may opt not to cover it quite as heavily as they would have before Kyle's comments because the feeling is that there won't be much said at the press conference that Kyle hasn't already confirmed. I imagine that by now Kyle has gotten his first talking to by those at Gibbs about what their expectations for him are regarding what he says to the media.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)

Random Thoughts

...on Nascar, Michael Waltrip and anything else that gets my attention.

September 30, 2007

No Penalty for Tony Stewart

Dale Jarrett May Not Race Full-Time Next Season

September 28, 2007

Michael Will Race on Sunday!

Random Nascar Thoughts

What's Out There For Steve Park?

September 26, 2007

Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach

Random Nascar Thoughts

Park Still Has Desire to Race

Carl Edwards Penalized; Roush-Fenway Racing Cries

September 25, 2007

Ken Schrader to Race the #21 at Kansas

September 24, 2007

Driver by Driver: Dover II

Kyle Petty vs. Denny Hamlin

Michael Waltrip Finishes 15th at Dover!

September 23, 2007

Photo of the Day - Cape May Flowers

September 22, 2007

An Eventful Day for Robby Gordon

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts

Steve Park FInishes 8th in Sunoco 150

Steve Park Finishes 8th in Sunoco 150

Steve Park Finishes 8th in Sunoco 150

September 19, 2007

Junior to Drive #88

Kasey Kahne to be Sponsored by Budweiser

September 18, 2007

It Works Both Ways

September 17, 2007

Photo of the Day - Steve Park

Steve Park to Race in Busch East Race at Dover!

In the News: Michael Waltrip Racing (9/17)

New Hampshire Observations

September 16, 2007

Photo of the Day

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts

September 12, 2007

Bobby Ginn Responds

Predictions for the Chase

September 11, 2007

Photo of the Day - Oregon

Random Thoughts on Nascar Happenings

Lawsuits Filed Against Ginn Racing, DEI

Some Steve Park News

September 10, 2007

Photo of the Day

Britney Spears a Train Wreck at MTV Video Awards

A Nation Weeps

Driver by Driver: Richmond II

September 09, 2007

Photo of the Day - Driftwood Beach

September 08, 2007

Travis Kvapil to the #88; Other Changes at Yates

September 07, 2007

Random Thoughts on Nascar Happenings

September 05, 2007

Photo of the Day - Ogunquit

Joe Gibbs Racing Makes the Switch to Toyota Official

Brad Keselowski Signed by JR Motorsports for Remainder of 2007

Coors Light Won't Return to the #40

September 04, 2007

J.J. Yeley to Replace Tony Raines in the #96 in 2008

Casey Mears to the #5; Tony Eury, Jr. will go to HMS with Junior

Driver by Driver: California II

September 03, 2007

Photo of the Day - Mr. Seagull

Scary Wrecks for Michael Waltrip, Ricky Rudd and Brad Keselowski

#36 Team Fails Pre-Qualifying Inspection; Expects Major Penalties

Kyle Busch Confirms Gibbs Switch to Toyota; Gibbs Says Not so Fast