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September 30, 2008

Michael McDowell Out, Kenny Wallace in the #00 at Talladega

Michael Waltrip Racing announced today that Michael McDowell will be replaced this weekend at Talladega by Kenny Wallace in an effort to help get the #00 back into the top 35 in owner's points. I'm very happy that Kenny is going to get the chance to race the #00 and I'm really looking forward to seeing how he does! At the same time it's kind of sad though - McD may very have raced his last race for MWR since a determination will be made prior to each of the remaining races this season about who the driver will be based on who MWR thinks can help them achieve their goal of being in the top 35 at season's end. Michael Waltrip said,

"We have a singular focus with the #00 team now and that is to get it in the top 35 in owner’s points when the checkered flag falls at Homestead-Miami. This is not about an individual, it is about an organization. Kenny has a lot of experience restrictor plate racing and a lot of friends who trust him, which is critical at that race. He has a great record at Talladega and we felt like he was our best shot at scoring maximum points. We’re going to make the same evaluation for the remaining 2008 Sprint Cup races. That could include multiple drivers based on their experiences at particular tracks. Teams have done this at road course events and we have the flexibility to do this with the remaining oval races."

I can't say I'm surprised. I was very disappointed when McD failed to qualify for the race at Kansas when he had only two cars he needed to beat to make the show, and if I was unhappy, I'm sure those at MWR were ten times as upset considering until this weekend all three MWR cars had made every single race this season and the organization overall had come so far since the start of the season. Beyond that, getting the #00 into the top 35 is extremely important and still very much do-able since there is only 29 points separating the #00 from the #7. Some fans may think that putting Kenny behind the wheel is a poor decision but I think it's a wise choice. For one thing Kenny showed his skill at restrictor plate tracks when he raced his way into the Daytona 500 earlier this season. Although MWR would surely love it if Kenny were able to finish up front at Talladega in the #00, their expectations are probably simply that Kenny qualifies for the race, stays out of trouble and gets a solid finish to help get the car back into the top 35, and helps Michael and David when it comes to drafting. As a veteran driver Kenny can do all of those things. McD? Based on what we've seen, maybe not.

The other thing about Kenny is that he's a good friend of Michael's. In the past when MWR was run out of Michael's backyard he used to put his friends, including Kenny, in his cars routinely but as MWR grew decisions needed to be made on the basis of what was best for the business and competition sides, so it became less likely that Michael would be able to give a ride to a driver solely out of friendship. But I'm glad that Michael had a situation in which he was able to ask Kenny to race for him. Getting these kinds of opportunities seems to mean a lot to Kenny and Michael surely knows that. One thing about both Michael and Kenny is that a lot of fans assume that because they both joke around and act goofy a lot, that they aren't serious about racing but the reality is that both are very serious and passionate about racing. I've seen Kenny and Michael both be dead-serious and focused completely on their cars and what they have to do on the track. Kenny has also continued to be a good friend to Michael the past couple of years and based on what Michael has said the same can't be said for everyone. I saw for myself a way in which Kenny, his wife Kim and brother Mike, stepped up for Michael and helped him out in a way that Michael may not even be aware of. And I saw Michael help Kenny out with something as well. So I'm happy that Kenny is in one of Michael's cars, even if it's just for one race.

While MWR is saying that McD could race the #00 again, I wouldn't be surprised if he was out of the car for good. MWR said all the right things when he was taken out of the car the first time for Mike Skinner about how they were committed to having McD race the car for the remaining races once he got back behind the wheel but I had a feeling that might not be what actually happened. McD seems to be a very nice person with a lot of personality and he's very media savvy. He's also got talent behind the wheel, no question of that. However, as I've said before in this space his attitude has bothered me at times and I think he can be overly aggressive behind the wheel which has gotten him in trouble at times. It's a very good thing to race hard, but as a rookie he also needs to learn when to dial it down, and I've gotten the sense that he's not all that open to learning. Given his lack of experience in Cup and Nascar overall, MWR couldn't have been expecting him to race up front all the time. But they probably expected that he would be able to race well enough to keep the car in the top 35, and that he would be able to race competitively at road course races since those are his specialty. But he wasn't able to do either of those two things In fact, the highlights of McD's Cup career to date are his spectacular practice wreck at Texas and the huge wreck he helped cause at Watkins Glen - not good. McD. may very well develop into a successful Cup driver one day but it may have to be with another organization where there are no pressures about racing to stay in the top 35 and where he might be able to get some experience on the Nationwide level before being thrown into Cup.

Sure hope Kenny - as well as Michael and David - have a great race weekend at Talladega!

Posted by silverdsl at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

Robby Gordon Says He's Not Merging With DEI or Anyone Else

There's been a lot of rumors about Robby Gordon and what he's going to do next season with Robby Gordon Motorsports. He's been rumored to be selling or merging his team or otherwise developing a partnership with another organization, and has seemingly been connected to just about every organization in the garage area. However, Claire B. Lang just played a brief interview with Robby from this weekend and from the sound of it Robby will be in exactly the same situation next season as he is this - a single car, independent organization trying to somehow add a second car. Robby said there's absolutely no truth to the rumors he might be buying into, merging with or racing for DEI, that someone likely saw him with John Story who used to work for him and read into things. For right now he's getting engines from Penske Racing but Robby gave no indication as to whether that arrangement would continue into next season. When asked about sponsors since it's been said that none of Robby's current sponsors are definitely confirmed to be coming back next season and whether they're going to be okay, Robby said "Of course we're going to be okay." He also said that they're doing good, that they're in the top 35 and moving forward.

Let's do a reality check - Robby is barely in the top 35. In fact he's likely only in the top 35 right now because other teams have been worse since his best finish in the last six races is 31st at Bristol in August. Robby has just one top ten, two top fifteens, an average start of 31.2 and an average finish of 29.5. It's hard to see how Robby is moving forward since his finishes have been pretty much consistently bad all season including at tracks where he traditionally finishes well like the road course tracks.

Fact of the matter is that things might not be okay for Robby. Back when the lawsuit with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports came to light I thought that Robby might actually come out of it okay because I had heard a number of rumors about him talking with various organizations from Yates Racing to Michael Waltrip Racing to DEI to Bill Davis Racing about a merger or partnership. However, it appears that there's no truth to any of those rumors or things didn't work out with any of them and Robby will still be on his own next season. During the interview with Claire, Robby said that he won while racing for other people and now he wants to win while racing for himself. That just isn't going to happen. Not with how competitive the Cup Series is right now, how great the costs are to race, and how difficult it is for a single-car team to have any kind of success. Robby will be lucky if he's in the top 35 next season, let alone contend for any wins.

Another reality check needs to be done in relation to adding a second Cup car for next season. Robby doesn't even have full sponsorship for his existing team, just exactly how is he going to be able to add a second team? There's been some rumors that maybe Scott Riggs would bring State Water Heaters to RGM next season but given that State Water Heaters probably has a lot less to spend than other sponsors do, I'm not sure how much help that sponsorship would be. If Robby really doesn't want to merge with another organization he really needs to develop a partnership with another organization that goes beyond getting engines and some technical assistance from them. It's great that he wants to have control and that he wants to do things his way and on his own but he also needs to recognize when he needs help and he definitely needs help now if he wants RGM to be around long-term in Nascar.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:16 PM | Comments (2)

Allmendinger Out at Red Bull Racing, Skinner and Speed In

As expected, Red Bull Racing made it official today - A.J. Allmendinger's last race in the #84 was this past weekend at Kansas where he finished 9th. Allmendinger will be replaced at Talladega and Charlotte with Mike Skinner, and then Scott Speed will take over the car for the final five races of the season. Jay Frye, RBR's general manager said,

"The schedule we put together is in the best interest of both Red Bull Racing Team and AJ's plans for the future. Allowing Mike Skinner and Scott Speed to share the No. 84 for the balance of the season helps our team continue developing our program for the future."

I wonder if that means that Allmendinger is going to end up in the #41 or whatever car he's going to end up racing next season prior to the end of this season? That would seem to make some sense so that Allmendinger can develop a relationship with his new team and start working towards next season, just like RBR is doing. While I don't entirely understand why RBR didn't want to keep Allmendinger long-term, now that the decision has been made to part ways with him, I can understand why they didn't keep in in the car for the last seven races of the season even though he's been racing very competitively lately. If the plan really is to put Speed in the #84 next season it would be a good thing for him if he gets some Cup experience so he doesn't end up making his Cup debut at the Daytona 500 at the start of next season. It will also give him a chance to get to know his team and develop a relationship with his crew chief, though there's been some talk that he will continue to work with Slugger Labbe who has been his crew chief in the Truck Series this season.

Although it's a good idea for RBR to get Speed some Cup experience, there is some risk in putting Speed in the car since the #84 is in 33rd in owner's points and if Speed (or Skinner) struggles and other drivers around them in the owner's points don't, there is a chance that the #84 could end up outside the top 35 again. That wouldn't be a good thing for Speed for next season since that would put him in the position of having to qualify for the first five races of the season on speed as a rookie with limited Cup experience. Speed has done well so far in ARCA and the Truck Series but as Michael McDowell can attest to having success in ARCA doesn't guarantee success in the Cup Series.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2008

Paul Menard Leaving DEI for Yates Racing

Yet another rumor turns out to have some truth to it - Thatsracin.com is reporting that there will be an announcement tomorrow that Paul Menard - and his father, aka the Menard's sponsorship - will move from DEI to Yates Racing at the end of the season. On the surface that might not seem so good for DEI since that leaves them with three drivers for four teams and only one full time primary sponsor, but is it really as bad as it seems? For one thing this is a performance based business and Menard hasn't performed in Cup - with only one top ten and zero top fives let alone any wins, he's been unimpressive to say the least, though in all fairness Menard is only in his second season in Cup. Maybe it's the cars he's been given to race...or maybe it's the driver. The other thing with Menard is that he's quiet, doesn't show much personality and rarely does any interviews or other media other than his appearances on Claire B. Lang's show on XM so he doesn't exactly get a lot of exposure for Menard's or DEI. If not for his father's sponsorship money, Menard may not have lasted through the end of this season, nor would he likely be in demand by other teams.

Which brings us to those sponsorship dollars. Of course it hurts to lose a primary sponsor and especially in this economy, but it's not like the Menard's sponsorship could ever go to another driver even if there was a better one available. In addition, I think some sponsor contracts, if not all, contain language which would prohibit their money from being diverted from the team they sponsor for use for another team. So how much is DEI really losing by not having to field a car for a driver who isn't performing and might never perform? Partnerships and mergers are all the rage these days and it seems to me that it might give DEI a little more flexibility if they have one less driver and potentially one less team, but some top 35 owner's points to work with that could be shifted to another team. I could also see them dropping Regan Smith and his team if sponsorship can't be found and if it might help with a merger or partnership.

What I wonder about is whether Yates is going to field three cars next season or whether Menard will take the place of one of the current Yates drivers? Even though he's raced well, Travis Kvapil could be the odd man out since I don't think he's signed for next season, and I have a feeling both Menards, father and son, won't want to deal with being a new team without owners points. In addition, Kvapil has talent behind the wheel but he's not cute, young and very marketable which presents a problem when it comes to finding sponsors which his team is in need of. So Menard could end up in Kvapil's #28, or even David Gilliland's #38. It wouldn't be too good for either of those two drivers to have to look for another ride now since most Cup teams, at least those that are competitive, are set for next season.

It'll certainly be interesting to see how Menard performs at Yates. Maybe the results will be better for him at a different organization, or maybe they won't be much better. But either way he's certainly got job security.

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

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts (9/29)

*I have to admit that when Tony Stewart spun through the grass in yesterday's race after bumping Brian Vickers in what might have been an attempt to retaliate against Vickers for whatever it was that happened on pit road between the two and their teams, I laughed my arse off. It's a good example of why drivers need to keep control of their emotions because instead of sending a message to whoever they're angry with, it could result in a ruined race for themselves. Stewart ended up with a broken splitter as a result of his trip through the grass and he finished the race in 40th, seven laps down after having to spend time on pit road under green while his team made repairs. Stewart's chances of winning the Championship already weren't that great heading into this weekend, and yesterday's poor finish probably eliminated him from contention.

*Stewart's teammate, Kyle Busch had yet another disastrous race due to mechanical issues. I have to feel bad for Kyle and his team. They had an incredible regular season in which they won eight races but the Chase has been a horror show for them - in the past three races Kyle's finishes are 34th, 43rd and 28th . It has to be incredibly frustrating for Kyle to be eliminated from Chase contention for reasons out of his control. There are more than a few fans celebrating that Kyle won't win the Championship this season but I think it's a real shame that all the hard work that Kyle and his team put in during the regular season to be one of the best teams in the garage isn't going to result in more. It's really puzzling how Joe Gibbs Racing and particular this team was so strong in the regular season but as soon as the Chase started the entire organization has all but fallen off a cliff.

*Another driver with Chase woes is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He started the Chase well with a 4th place finish at Loudon but in his last two races Junior has finished 24th and 13th. Michael Waltrip said on his XM show that a problem for Junior and his team has been that they'll often start a race strong and race up front at first but as the race goes on they often fade, and that they needed to put together a strong race at Kansas where they raced up front the entire race. I agree with Michael, but I'm not surprised that Junior wasn't able to finish better in this race. Problems with sealing the deal and racing up front all race long aren't a new problem for Junior and his crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr. - this is something that has carried over from when they were at DEI. When Junior was at DEI fans blamed lousy cars that fell apart, well now Junior's at Hendrick Motorsports where the cars are some of the most competitive in the garage area and they don't have many mechanical failures. Most fans are blaming Eury, Jr. for the #88 team's woes but Eury, Jr. is one of the better crew chiefs in the garage area. Some seem to think there might be a crew chief change for Junior for next season (please let it happen and may Eury, Jr. end up at Michael Waltrip Racing!) - I suspect the results might not be that different for Junior with a different crew chief.

*There was some great racing in yesterday's race, particularly at the end of the race during the last lap battle between Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, which makes the second race in a row in which there was an exciting battle to the finish for the win. Incredibly some fans are still complaining that yesterday's race stunk. I have no idea what else these fans want. Sure, the racing isn't exciting on every single lap but there was actual racing, including up front during yesterday's race. Maybe some fans are disappointed that there weren't more cautions for wrecks or they feel a race is boring if there isn't edge-of-your-seat, thrilling racing action on every single lap but it seems to me that these races are showing that it's definitely possible for there to be good racing with the COT. That doesn't mean the COT is perfect or there are no issues with unexciting racing - we've definitely seem some races that were total snoozers and I wouldn't mind if there were tweaks to the COT, the tires or the tracks in an effort to produce better racing on a more consistent basis. But I liked what I saw yesterday and at Dover for sure.

*There's been rumors for a while that JTG-Daugherty Racing and MWR might either partner in 2009 or merge completely which would result in Marcos Ambrose racing either directly or indirectly for MWR, something I would be very happy to see happen. There were several rather large clues this weekend that there's truth to those rumors - JTG used a MWR hauler and other equipment at the track, a JTG official went on the record to acknowledge that they have a "relationship" with MWR, there was talk over the #55 radio about asking the #47 for help during the race and perhaps the biggest thing that said "Oh hai, we are racing for MWR" is that the #47 was sporting MWR chrome wheels during the race. Somehow I don't see Michael handing over some of his prized chrome wheels to a team unless there was some sort of close of affiliation. It was said prior to the race on Raceday that there might be an official announcement this week and I can't wait to hear the details about what might be planned for JTG and MWR for next season!

*Last week Ted Musgrave and HT Motorsports parted ways rather suddenly between practice and the truck race (on the same day) at Las Vegas. Turns out according to what Musgrave reportedly said on Sirius a few days ago the reason they dissolved their partnership so abruptly (Musgrave says he quit) is because a team official accused him of deliberately wrecking the truck in practice. I can understand why Musgrave was so upset. That's probably one of the most insulting accusations that can be hurled at a driver other than "you suck!" and I think it's very disrespectful and unprofessional for HT Motorsports for them to make that accusation about Musgrave. It's very hard for me to believe that any driver would deliberately wreck their car or truck and particularly a former Champion of the series. Did they think the same about Stacy Compton, who raced the #59 in the race for them and wrecked on lap 37?

*There's a number of Steve Park fans who are hoping that Steve ends up back in the #59, a truck he raced for ten races in 2006. As much as I don't think Steve can be fussy about what rides he considers, I hope this is one ride he takes a pass on if it's offered to him. Steve has enough problems with the way that some perceive him without risking that they'll accuse him of something like what they accused Musgrave of. Back when Steve left the #59 it was under strange circumstances in that HT Motorsports announced that it was because he was getting a ride with Bill Davis Racing, a ride that it turns out didn't exist. Most excused that as being a misunderstanding or miscommunication, but I always thought that never felt right since the team a driver is leaving usually doesn't make an announcement for that driver of what their next ride is. So in light of some funny business with Musgrave, I have to wonder what went on with that team and Steve.

*A.J. Allmendinger finished 9th in yesterday's race in what could be his last race for Red Bull Racing. Somehow I suspect that neither Mike Skinner nor Scott Speed, who are both rumored to be racing the #84 in place of A.J. for the rest of the season will race up front or finish as well as A.J. has lately.

*Claire B. Lang just said on her XM show that she's heard that BDR will be focused on the Truck Series next season, and her guest, Brian Scott, who will be racing a truck for BDR next season said he's heard they'll also have a Nationwide team. So it's sounding more and more like BDR won't have any Cup teams next season, which goes along with some of the recent rumors that they might sell their Cup assets, including the points from the #22 team to Gillett Evernham Motorsports. One has to wonder if BDR doesn't have a truck program next season what happens to Dave Blaney, not to mention Tommy Baldwin, Jr.?

Posted by silverdsl at 03:35 PM | Comments (3)

UPS Ended Up Sponsoring David Ragan Because They Didn't Have the Budget for an Elite Driver

One thing that struck me as strange in relation to UPS's search for a new driver to sponsor was that they were rumored to be going with just about every available driver in the garage area (other than the one they were with) and that it was taking so long for them to finalize their plans. Since UPS is a major sponsor who has been in the sport for a long time and has shown a willingness to spend money not only on sponsoring a car but also on advertising, marketing and promotions, I would have thought a lot of teams would be interested in trying to bring them on-board. I also found it curious that after saying that they wanted to sponsor a "rock star" type driver they ended up with David Ragan, who is a talented driver, but a rock star? I don't think so. Turns out the reason UPS didn't end up with a higher profile driver is that they didn't enough money in their budget to get an elite driver like they wanted.

Apparently one of their top choices as rumored was Carl Edwards but with only about $17-19 million to spend on sponsorship, that wasn't enough to get Carl who will be sponsored next season by AFLAC for $26 million. Apparently it wasn't enough for Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer or Jeff Burton either, and UPS even apparently considered leaving the sport. Ultimately they ended up with David Ragan, because of his "potential." One thing UPS didn't consider was staying at Michael Waltrip Racing to sponsor David Reutimann, but maybe they should have. For less money UPS would have gotten a driver who is showing that he may be just as capable of contending for the Chase as the other David is.

It's not been said publically why UPS didn't want to stay at MWR but speculation has been that they are unhappy with the poor results at MWR the past two years. Now that I know that they're "only" paying $15 million to sponsor the #44, I can't help but wonder if part of the reason for the poor performance is how comparatively small the amount of money UPS is paying MWR as compared to the amount other sponsors are paying to sponsor more competitive cars. Being competitive and racing up front takes money - lots of it - and the costs are continuing to rise. At one time $15 million might have been a top dollar amount to sponsor an elite car and driver but I would guess these days it takes at least $17-19 million to field a competitive Cup car and $20 -25 million for a car that races up front on a consistent basis. Then you add in that MWR is a new organization, that they're fielding three Cup cars without sponsorship for one of them and the other issues that MWR has had to deal with the past two years and it seems to me that it's going to be really hard for them to get the results that UPS was looking for, though things have definitely started to turn around at MWR.

Something tells me that UPS is going to have a hard time getting the same amount of exposure and brand awareness with Ragan that they did with Dale Jarrett. Maybe one day they'll even regret not having stuck with David Reutimann at MWR.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

Mike Mussina Wins His 20th... Future Uncertain

Although I don't talk about the New York Yankees too much anymore in this space, I continue to be just as much as a fan as ever. One thing I can't let go by without comment is Mike Mussina winning his 20th game of the season yesterday against the Boston Red Sox. I'm thrilled for Mussina that after 18-years in the majors that he was finally able to win 20! Mussina was outstanding for the Yankees this season, one of the lone bright spots of the season, and he pitched far better than I think anyone expected he would. Mussina is the oldest at 39 to ever win 20 for the first time.

Mussina's 20th win could end up being his last game ever since he's not signed for next season and he may opt to spend more time with his family instead of continuing to pitch. I would understand if he made that decision and as sad as it would make me if Mussina retired I think it would be a good time to do so since he would be going out on a high note instead of trying to hang on and struggling as has happened to so many others. However, with as competitive as athletes are, it's very difficult to walk away for good, so I would also understand if Mussina wanted to keep pitching, particularly since a good season next year would make 300 wins be in reach.

Since joining the Yankees in 2001, Mussina has been one of my favorite Yankees. Aside from the fact that he's an extremely talented pitcher, Mussina is a quirky and intelligent man, who really "gets it" when it comes to the fans. I don't know of any other MLB players who does what Mussina does when it comes to the fans. He has two meet and greets (pitching schedule permitting) with members of his fan club, one in New York and one in Baltimore, where he used to play. In addition, he also has a fan club dinner every January. I went to the dinner a couple of years ago and it was outstanding - Mussina did a Q&A session for about an hour, posed for photos for every person who attended (at least 75-100 people), and signed any two items for every person as well. It was a really well-done event and more like something you see in Nascar than in MLB. Although Mussina has been known to be prickly with the media, the sport needs more players like him, not less. He will definitely be very much missed by this fan if he retires.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

Was Kansas Kyle Petty's Last Race for Petty Enterprises?

Although there's been no official announcement, Patti Petty is telling the media that yesterday's Cup race at Kansas was the last for her husband for Petty Enterprises. If that's true I think it's ridiculous, not that PE made the decision to take Kyle out of the car, but that they made no announcement about it. Maybe Kyle himself didn't want a fuss made or PE wanted to avoid a controversy or they felt that no one would care since Kyle hasn't raced competitively for quite sometime. But since it might not be easy for Kyle to find another Cup ride for next season, at least not a full-time ride, given how much he's done for the sport I think he deserved to be saluted by the fans and his peers in the garage area. At one time Kyle raced up front and won races, but he's also contributed to the sport in other ways. His charitable efforts with the Victory Junction Gang Camp are well known, and Kyle is also extremely fan-friendly. In addition, he's outspoken and a good ambassador for the sport. On top of all of that, the #45 has great personal meaning to Kyle, and he's also racing for the organization that bears his family name. I think more respect should be shown than to just try to shove Kyle out the door and under the rug as if he doesn't matter.

According to Patti, Kyle still wants to race Cup and Wells Fargo is willing to sponsor Kyle for twelve races next season at another organization. Given how hard it is for teams to find sponsors these days, there may be some interest from other teams. Although Patti mentioned Chip Ganassi Racing specifically I can't help but think of Michael Waltrip Racing since Cal Wells has talked about possibly fielding a fourth team on a part-time basis. Michael and Kyle are long-time friends and Michael lived with the Pettys when he was just starting out in racing so I can see Michael maybe wanting to help Kyle out now, not to mention more sponsorship money would be a good thing for MWR. All of that said, it may still be difficult for Kyle to find another Cup ride, even with a sponsor in his pocket, particularly a Cup ride, given how poor the results have been for him for so long. I hope this wasn't his last race though - Kyle has plenty to keep him involved in the sport even after he's retired from racing from the TV work he does to fund raising for the VJGC, but there's been a Petty on the track for so long, he will be missed when he does stop racing for good.

The question becomes, who takes over the #45 from Kyle? It's been thought for quite some time that Chad McCumbee was a sure thing for the #45, and he has made some starts in place of Kyle. However, there are rumors that PE is talking to other drivers including A.J. Allmendinger and Michael McDowell. I can't see Allmendinger going to PE if the #41 at Ganassi is an option for him. But I can see McD ending up in the #45. He's a young driver who is media savvy and has some talent behind the wheel so he's someone they may feel they can develop into a successful Cup driver. However, part of the problem for McD at MWR has been the top 35 situation for the #00, a lack of sponsorship, and that the cars he has to race aren't always that competitive. He would likely have similar challenges at PE which might not be such a great thing when it comes to his development as a driver. Still, it could be one of McD's only options if there's nothing for him at MWR next season.

When Boston Ventures bought into PE, some, including myself, thought that it would make a big difference in terms of making the organization back into a successful one. That may still happen. However, I don't have a good feeling based on the way they're treating Kyle and the relatively silence - that doesn't necessarily mean anything - regarding not only next season but what they have planned to try to improve long-term. Bobby Labonte still needs a sponsor for his car and if Wells Fargo leaves, they will likely need sponsorship for the #45 as well. No matter how well-funded Boston Ventures might be it's essential they have outside sponsorship because it would be close to impossible to field two Cup cars full-time next season almost entirely out of their own pocket and expect them to be competitive.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:34 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2008

Photo of the Day - Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod National Seashore, MA, 2008.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

Tough Weekend for Michael Waltrip Racing

Things didn't go quite as well for Michael Waltrip and his drivers at Kansas as they did at Dover but there were still signs that Michael Waltrip Racing has come a long way since the start of the season. For one thing, even though Michael struggled in practice and didn't qualify up front, on race day he had a competitive car and was able to race his way into the top twenty. For a while it was looking like he might be able to contend for a top fifteen, or even better, another top ten, until he got spun by David Ragan and then a number of laps later, had a blown tire which caused extensive damage to the right front. It's unfortunate because Michael's 35th place finish doesn't reflect how well he raced for quite a bit of the race. So while I'm disappointed that Michael wasn't able to finish well, I'm still happy that he had a competitive car again.

I was also happy to see David Reutimann and the #44 team rally to finish in the top twenty. David and his team also struggled all weekend and spent the first part of the race mired in the back. But even after losing a lap they kept digging and on a re-start David was able to race his way in front of the leader which allowed him to get back on the lead lap when the caution came out. David ended up finishing 19th and while I'm sure he would have liked to have finished a lot better, that's still pretty good considering he started the race in 40th. I continue to be impressed with David and his team and I think next season there's a good chance that he'll be a Chase contender.

Although MWR is probably pretty unhappy that the #00 team missed the race (particularly since this was the race when some winners of a Champion Mortgage contest were slated to be guests of the #00 team), things could have played out a lot worse than they did. Thanks to Robby Gordon and Sam Hornish, Jr. having poor finishes today, the #00 is still in 36th in the owner's points, just 30 points behind Robby in 35th. So it's definitely still possible for the #00 to get back into the top 35, though I don't think it's going to be easy. Robby is pretty good at restrictor plate races so it could be tough to finish ahead of him. Of course Michael McDowell will still have to qualify for the race but MWR has shown that they can field very good cars at restrictor plate tracks so hopefully he won't have any problems making the race.

Of course any fan of Michael's gets excited for Talladega since it's one of Michael's best tracks. In fact with some help from Jimmie Johnson with the laps winding down at the Spring race at Talladega it looked like Michael might visit Victory Lane there again. So with MWR racing so much more competitively right now I think there's a very real chance that an MWR car could contend for the win next weekend! I would love to see Michael win but I would be almost as happy if he ended up in Victory Lane as an owner. Anything can happen at Talladega but I sure do hope to see the MWR cars in the mix at the end of the race!

Posted by silverdsl at 07:52 PM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2008

Michael Mcdowell DNQ's at Kansas

Michael McDowell failed to qualify for Sunday's race at Kansas, which is a major disappointment to say the least. I knew he was in trouble when there was only one car slower in practice, but with how much progress Michael Waltrip Racing has made that they'd somehow figure out some adjustments to get him the speed he needed to make the race but in qualifying he was still among the slowest on the track. It's so unfortunate because to this point all three MWR cars had made every race. It just goes to show as Michael (Waltrip) said on his XM show how quickly momentum can disappear - in a fraction of a second since that's probably about how much McD missed the race by.

Getting back into the top 35 in owner's points was extremely important, both for MWR who is still looking for sponsorship for their third team and McD, who is likely racing for a ride either at MWR or with another organization. I think what bothers me is that McD only needed to beat two cars to make the race and he didn't even have enough speed to do that. MWR as a whole wasn't impressive today - Michael was okay in practice and so-so in qualifying but David Reutimann was also lacking in speed in qualifying. Maybe Michael and David will be better on Sunday but it's not great that all three teams seemed to struggle from the start today. I'm probably the most understanding and quickest to make excuses for MWR - as a still young team there are going to be bumps in the road and things that are more challenging for them than for other teams - but I don't think it should be too much for them to show up a car with enough speed to beat two cars to make the race and particularly when they've shown recently they can field competitive cars.

What also bothers me is that Juan Pablo Montoya's pole-winning time was disallowed because of an issue with the rear shocks. However, he's still going to be able to race on Sunday. Thanks to being in the top 35, he'll still make the race, though he'll have to start 43rd. This in spite of having qualified with a car that was in violation of Nascar's rule book. Meanwhile, McD (and Johnny Sauter) had cars that were completely within the rules and both are going home. That just doesn't sit quite right with me, but it certainly shows the importance of being in the top 35.

I suppose there's still a chance that McD can race his way back into the top 35 if some of the other drivers who are in the danger zone finish poorly this weekend. But his chances are certainly a lot less now and especially since his finishes haven't exactly been up front not just recently but at any time this season. I'm hopeful that somehow he can do it as I think it's important for MWR that they have three cars in the top 35 at the end of the season, but I'm certainly not going to be surprised if McD isn't able to do it.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)

Michael Waltrip Out Loud (9/25)

Michael Waltrip Outloud

The opening song was one by Chicago which they played for Phil Parsons who is the biggest Chicago fan ever, so much so that he doesn't like when people sing along to Chicago - must be hard for Michael to keep from singing along if he's around Phil when a Chicago song comes on since Michael seems to like to burst into song at the drop of a hat!

There was a picnic theme to the show according to Michael and Tony. Apparently Michael was running late so to make up for it he stopped at Steak and Shake to get everyone burgers. Seems Michael loves Steak and Shake and he's very happy to get a double portabello mushroom cheeseburger with fries and a diet coke. I hadn't yet had dinner when I was listening to the show last night so I was drooling - those burgers sounded very yummy! Hmm, maybe Steak and Shake wants to sponsor Michael?

Of course one of the first things they talked about was Dover and how well Michael finished, as well as how good the race was overall. Michael said he was so into beating Jeff Burton for position that he was totally oblivious to what else was going on in the race. So he saw the highlights on TWiN and saw that the racing at the end was "over the top." As for Michael Waltrip Racing, they've made progress. Michael had a couple of top tens in 2007 but they got off in a bad direction this season. So the whole organization had to come together and they came up with the new cars which is what has led to better results.

Michael made an interesting comment in that he said that when they came up with the third generation COT, They put out for fans and the sponsors that the new cars would make them run better and luckily that's exactly what's happened, but based on what he was saying maybe they weren't quite as sure internally that the new COTs would bring better results as they said publically. Of course all teams spin things in as positive as a direction as they can and put the best face on everything. I think it was particularly important for MWR back when they first started using the generation three COTs because at that time there were a lot of rumors that all of MWR's sponsors were going to leave, that the organization was going to fold and fans were extremely nervous about what was going to happen. So I think sponsors and fans definitely needed to hear that MWR was working hard towards making progress and moving in a positive direction. I'm not sure that everyone necessarily believed that the results were going to come as quickly as they have but hearing Michael and others at MWR speaking positively and confidently about the future settles people down somewhat and alleviates some of the concern.

Tony asked about something that I always wonder about in relation to how these days Michael often struggles in practice and qualifying but in the race he's able to race competitively and why they aren't good right off the truck. Unfortunately Michael didn't really answer or maybe I just didn't understand what he was trying to say. I think he was saying that it's a learning process and they try to learn and get smarter between the first time they go to a track and the next time but he didn't really seem to have a complete answer as to why that happens. During The After Show Tony said that maybe with how many engineers all the teams have that sometimes they outthink themselves and make all these changes, then have to make more changes to revert back to where they were. I think there's probably a lot of truth to that. I think qualifying better is something that the #55 team needs to work on. Maybe the results could be even better if they started up front more often and didn't have to spend a lot of the race gaining track position and worrying about getting caught up in a mess at the back of the field as so often happens since everyone else is trying to race their way up front as quickly as possible too.

At Dover during qualifying and practice Michael couldn't get it, the car was too tight in qualifying so he ended up 40th. However, during the last 10 minutes of the second practice on Saturday he had a time that wasn't much off the leader's time so he knew the car was right. Sometimes what you see on the monitor tells the story, but sometimes it doesn't. That's something pretty important for fans to understand. Sometimes fans look at the practice results and freak out if a driver is at the bottom in practice. But there might be more to the story than what is shown by what position a driver finished practice in. At Dover Michael felt confident going to bed on Saturday. Last year at Dover he started last and finished 15th, but when they went back in June of this year his was the worst car there. But this past Sunday he made one lap and passed three cars. He told Bobby Kennedy that's more cars than he passed the whole race back in June!

Michael then got distracted by his burger and gave a summary of the exact instructions regarding tomatoes and mayo he gave when he ordered the burgers to make sure he would be able to taste the mushrooms. I wondered whether Rich did some editing there and just how long Michael talked about the wonders of his Steak and Shake burger!

There was some discussion about the various Chase drivers and how they were faring. Michael was very complimentary of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his team. He thought Junior and his team did a good job of rallying and coming back from adversity after blowing the tire and wrecking. He was proud of Tony, Jr. and that group for still being able to finish in the top 25. I think the team that ultimately wins the Championship is going to be one that has that quality - we've certainly seen it from Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team in the past. Tony brought up how Junior blamed the track at Dover for his issues, but Tony saw others racing where Junior was without a problem and wondered whether their set-up was the issue. Michael said it might have been. Michael said they pitted 5-7 laps earlier than their fuel window because they weren't sure how long the tires would last.

At times Bobby was telling Michael during the race that he was the fastest car on the track. Turns out Michael has often been skeptical when he's told that through the years, reason being that he wonders if he's the fastest car why he isn't catching those ahead of him or why he's getting passed. But at Dover he could tell he really did have one of the fastest cars because he was gaining on everyone and they weren't catching him. 9 of the top 11 drivers were Chase drivers, and it was only him (he referred to himself in the third person like he said Jeff Green does) and Mark Martin who were among those not in the Chase. It was an honor to get to mix it up with those guys.

With Steve Hallam, he's won championships with a variety of drivers. They heard rumblings through their Toyota connections that he was interesting in Nascar. It'll be a steep learning curve for him and they'll have to implement him into the system but he'll act as a liaison, pick things up and see how to contribute. Tony asked what about MWR convinced Hallam to want to work there. Michael said it was their relationship with Toyota, that he knew how they approach racing, he felt good about the foundation of MWR, their facility and (as I suspected) he knows Rob Kauffman. It's really a testament to how far MWR has come that they were able to hire Hallam! There is no amount of money that would convince him to come work for MWR if he didn't think they had potential. While the results may not be immediate, I think down the road he's going to turn out to be a big asset for MWR!

Tony asked whether Michael was surprised by Red Bull Racing's decision to release A.J. Allmendinger and Michael said no, he had heard all the rumors that were out there. Michael spoke well of both A.J. and Scott Speed, but pointed out in relation to Scott that it's a razor thin margin between being the next greatest thing and a has-been. Michael made a good point in that maybe the decision about AJ was actually made months ago before he started racing so well. That makes a lot of sense considering how far in advance teams and sponsors plan for the following season. It may not be as much of a concern for RBR since they don't have outside sponsors but for those teams that aren't self-sponsored, particularly if those sponsors do a lot of advertising and promotions, they may need to start working on those things well in advance, and once those things are underway it's not so easy to scrap everything and go in another direction, particularly if there's a lot of money invested.

Michael mentioned that he's never had a Red Bull before and Tony commented that he doesn't need one - personally I would love to see the effects of a Red Bull or two on Michael! I love sugar-free Red Bull and it definitely kicks things up a notch for me - of course Michael seems to have plenty of pent up energy without having an energy drink! I also like the way Red Bull helps me focus but that's a whole other story.

There was some discussion about Kansas and how Michael feels that cookie-cutter tracks get a bad rap. As they mature and get their own characteristics. However, he wonders what happens when it comes time to pave those tracks - he would like to see them put in progressive banking like was done at Las Vegas. Since he has a bulldozer he would be happy to help with that! I would love to see Michael on his bulldozer knocking a few things over ! Michael doesn't think Biffle will win his third. He thinks Junior needs to step it up, put the car up front and finish up front which is very true - the #88 team always seems to have a competitive car but they often seem to fade or experience problems. As Michael pointed out they've shown the ability to overcome challenges, they need to put together a few races in which they finish really well without having any issues.

Tony will be on Kyle Busch's Hotpass channel this weekend. Michael reminded everyone of Tony's "slimy show" that can be found on his website. Tony mentioned on his "slimy" show that apparently Michael listens to it and since it's them talking about him perhaps that's why he refers to it that way. I think "The After Show" is great and I love hearing the perspective of insiders on Michael, MWR and the sport as a whole, but sometimes when they get to talking about Michael I wonder how he feels about what they say about him - Michael seems to have a very good sense of humor and take everything in stride, plus he likes Tony and Traci, but I might feel a little funny if I were him, particularly when they poke fun at him or bring up some of his quirks.

The show closed with a comment that made me sad - "Kind of like Yankee Stadium, they're all done." Sunday was the last game at the current Yankee Stadium and the team will be in a new stadium next season. There's a lot of history and for me, memories in the current stadium. My husband and I met outside the stadium and our first date was at that stadium. I've been to many games there and while I'm sure the new stadium will be great, I'll very much miss the old one.

The After Show

As usual there were a lot of interesting things said on "The After Show" target="_blank" as well. Tony said that at one point MWR was kind of considered the laughing stock of the Cup Series but now the tides are shifting. I was very happy to hear that MWR is being regarding in a more positive light and that they're being taken more seriously in the garage area. Traci said that now she's able to get publications like USA Today to do stories on Michael that they wouldn't have done in the past. Thing is while the perception of those in the garage area and some in the media may be changing, there are still quite a few fans who can't seem to acknowledge the progress MWR is making. There are some who are so caught up in disliking Michael or Toyota and want the organization to fail so badly that they can't admit when Michael or MWR does something good or that they've moving in a positive direction. Of course there are some fans who once they make up their minds about something there's nothing that can convince them - even facts - to see things differently, but the more positive press that Michael and MWR gets the better to help continue to change the way MWR is perceived.

There are also fans who seem to get more enjoyment out of complaining about what's going wrong and focusing on the negative than they do from being happy about what's going right and cheering for the good things. There's always a lot of people, even on Michael's own forum, who have a lot to stay when there's bad things happening or when there's something to complain about but there's sometimes far less discussion about positive news articles or good results. I'm not really sure why that is. Maybe people have a hard time believing it will last or that it's for real, or they don't think that there's any reason to acknowledge the positives because that's the way things should be.

UPS leaving for Roush Fenway Racing came up and how maybe they'll regret leaving MWR. Apparently Traci worked with Roush with Citgo and she made a very interesting comment about how UPS won't get customer service at Roush so they have to hope the performance is going to be there. I have to wonder if that partially explains why sponsors like Office Depot and AAA have left Roush. The way that sponsors (and fans) are treated most definitely matters. Tony said that David would have been great for UPS to continue to sponsor and especially now that the performance is there it would probably be a great value for their money as compared to what they're probably going to pay to sponsor David Ragan at Roush. Thing is, as friendly and as wonderful as David is, he's a lot older than Ragan, he's not considered "cute," he sometimes comes across as nervous or shy, and a lot of fans seem to think he's pretty goofy and not in a hilarious way like they do Michael but in a dorky way. I happen to adore David and think he would represent any sponsor exceptionally well but I can see where he might not fit what every sponsor is looking for.

There was some discussion about the way Junior was racing at Dover and how he was diving down low to make things three wide all the time, something Traci didn't like because at times he was impeding Michael. They joked that he was "Michael McDowelling" which is a sign to me that McD needs to re-evaluate his racing style, though he seems to think there's nothing wrong with it.

Traci said that Clint Bowyer reached out to Michael on pit road to make amends in relation to calling him the worst driver in Nascar. I honestly rolled my eyes when I heard that. It's hard for me to believe that Clint was sincere given what he said to Bob Pockrass recently. It's important for Clint that there be no issues between himself and Michael that could end up cropping up on the track, particularly since he's in the Chase so I can understand why he would reach out to Michael. However, I think it's also important that when given the opportunity he publically says something to indicate that he doesn't truly believe that Michael is the worst driver in the sport and he hasn't done that. There are fans who continue to use that comment as their proof that Michael is a horrible driver and owner because they feel that as a fellow competitor, Clint knows what he's talking about. I think it's very unfortunate that comment continues to linger and I suspect it will for a long time to come. Luckily, there are also a lot of us fans who know how ridiculous and inaccurate Clint's comment was. Hopefully the results will continue to be good for Michael and MWR to show all the doubters how wrong they are!

Posted by silverdsl at 01:28 PM | Comments (2)

September 25, 2008

Photo of the Day

Cape Cod National Seashore, 2008. This was something pretty neat - the wind was pushing around this tiny piece of seaweed in a circular motion and it made that circle in the sand. I wonder how long it had been doing that and how long it will continue?

Posted by silverdsl at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts (9/25)

Catching up on a bunch of things from when I was otherwise occupied...

*Matt Kobyluck clinched the Camping World East Series Championship this past weekend at Dover - yay Matt! Sure is great to see a veteran driver like Matt have so much success in the East Series this season! Steve Park finished 4th which is pretty impressive considering he had some sort of issue with the power steering to contend with. Steve is now 6th in the points and maybe a strong finish at Stafford this weekend will allow him to finish the season in the top five in points. Maybe the final race of the season will be the one in which all the pieces come together for him so that he gets to Victory Lane. And if not, oh well, it'll be disappointing but at least Steve has been able to race up front in the East Series this season, the first time in years that he's been able to do that. I suspect more was expected both by the team and by Steve but from a fan's point-of-view I'm just glad he was racing because I wasn't sure prior to this season whether that was ever going to happen again.

*In other East Series news, Aric Almirola replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt in the #8 won the race at Dover. It's hard to understand why some are continuing to complain about Earnhardt's removal from the car when Arlmirola goes out and wins the race in his first time in the car. This is a performance-based sport where having the right attitude can also matter. DEI can't keep Earnhardt in the car just because of his last name if he's not getting the results they want and if as rumored it's true that his attitude has been a problem. Reportedly Kerry, Jeffrey's father, was the one who made the decision, and if that's true I see even less of a reason for fans to take issue with it. He'll be out of the car for the season finale as well - Ryan Truex, Martin's younger brother will be in the car instead.

*Over the weekend Nascar announced the changes to their drug policy which will include every driver and pit crew member being tested at the start of the season and then subject to random tests (along with Nascar officials) during the season. It's a good start, particularly the random testing, but I agree with those who question whether the policy goes far enough. I find it problematic that Nascar isn't releasing a list of banned substances because they believe a list is "restrictive." I think everyone from competitors to pit crew members to fans to the media should know exactly which substances are on the banned list. There should be no question and no confusion in anyone's mind. In addition, I also think that there should be specific penalties for testing positive. It shouldn't be subject to Nascar's discretion as to what venalities are given to which drivers. I'd like to see there be zero tolerance in that a driver who tests positive is automatically suspended from competition for the remainder of that particular season at least, and if there is any evidence they were on the track while under the influence of a banned substance, a driver shouldn't be allowed back on the track - ever. There are always going to be excuses and extenuating circumstances but having set penalties for positive tests means that everyone knows what to expect if they test positive. Strict drug testing in other sports hasn't completely eliminated the use of performance enhancers in other sports so it will be interesting to see if there are any positive drug tests next season.

*Two drivers who won't be with their current teams next season were replaced during this week's test sessions at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Jeremy Mayfield was behind the wheel of the #41 in place of Reed Sorenson and Mike Skinner was behind the wheel of the #84 instead of A.J. Allmendinger. There's been rumors that both Sorenson and Allmendinger might be released before the end of the season, though both will be racing this weekend at Kansas. However, whether they make it through the end of the season in their current rides may not have anything to do with why they didn't test this week - it may be that both teams didn't want drivers who wouldn't be part of their organizations next year to be privvy to information that they could take with them to their next team that might be useful on the competition side. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Allmendinger didn't race for Red Bull Racing much longer. Scott Speed is waiting in the wings and they probably want to get him some Cup experience prior to him taking over the car full-time, assuming that's the plan for next season, but there may also be some concern as to whether Allmendinger will put full effort in on the track which is needed given the #84's precarious position in relation to the top 35.

*Speaking of Mayfield, I think he's very smart to be helping out Ganassi with this test. It could get him consideration for the #41 for next season but even if he's just helping them out this season (which is what it sounds like based on his interview on XM yesterday) it's still a good idea. After sitting out most of the season, and not having very good results in his past two rides (though that wasn't any fault of his own given the non-competitiveness of the cars he was racing), it's going to be hard for him to find another Cup ride, particularly a competitive ride. But he's making sure that he remains visible in the garage area and he's also showing a willingness to help a team almost in a consultant's role like Mike Skinner has done. Some fans think that Mayfield isn't very good but the reality is that he's a driver who knows how to win and he made the Chase twice so I think there's definitely a lot of good feedback that he'd be able to give. I'd like to see Mayfield get another chance in Nascar, if not in the #41, then maybe in a truck.

*According to Rick Hendrick, Brad Keselowski is the future of Hendrick Motorsports. He'll be making two Cup starts this season, and most believe that if he continues to race as well as he has, he will end up in the #5 in 2010 at least on a part-time basis. Some are convinced that the only drivers who get rides are those that bring sponsorship with them, who are young and "cute" and that talent doesn't factor in much. Keselowski is an example of how inaccurate that belief is. He doesn't have a sponsor in his back pocket, he's young but not "cute" and he's tremendously talented. Keselowski is considered the future of HMS because he's shown he can race up front and because there's a good chance he'll win a lot of races in the future.

Posted by silverdsl at 04:10 PM | Comments (3)

Oh Hai!

I'm a big fan of LOLcats, aka icanhascheezburger so I was pretty happy so see that someone created LOLdrivers with photos from each race weekend with funny captions in LOLspeak. Just like with LOLcats some are lame but some are hysterical! I suspect some might not find some of these quite as funny as I do, it seems like those that run LOLdrivers take great pains not to bash or make fun of the drivers in a malicious way, it's really just light-hearted poking fun at the drivers, but sometimes it seems like some misplace their sense of humor and take things very seriously. I think the site is very funny though!

Posted by silverdsl at 03:58 PM | Comments (3)

September 24, 2008

Clay Aiken Comes Out of the Closet

In a People magazine article just hitting newstands (and their website) Clay Aiken has confirmed what has long been rumored - he's gay. The reason Aiken came out of the closet now is because of his infant son Parker, whom he had via in-vitro fertilization with a long-time friend. Aiken said,

"It was the first decision I made as a father. I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

The reaction of the "Claymates," aka, the Clay Aiken fans is interesting. While there are many who are completely accepting and just as supportive as ever of Aiken now that he's out of the closet, there are many who are upset, feel betrayed and even some who feel they can no longer be a fan of his. For some the issue is a religious or moral one, but for many it's what Aiken cited as his reason for coming out of the closet - there is a segment of fans who feel that they've been lied to for years and they don't like it.

I've never been a fan of Aiken or his music and to me someone's sexual orientation is like most things in their personal lives - none of my business. Nor does it matter to me one way or another whether someone is gay or straight. So perhaps it's hard for me to truly understand why some of Aiken's fans are so upset. I don't think Aiken owed it to his fans to share with them the details of his sexual preferences or anything else about his personal life for that matter. Some fans feel personally betrayed by Aiken but the reality is that no matter how much it may seem like a fan knows a celebrity or athlete through interviews, appearances on TV or the radio or even when they see them in person at appearances, the reality is that unless you spend time with them regularly and/or are a friend or relative, then fans don't truly know those they admire. All they know is what that person chooses to share with them and that may only be a part of who they really are.

There are also a lot of fans of Aiken who are judging him based on their own beliefs, morals and values, which may not be his own. Aiken is entitled to his own opinions and beliefs, and has the right to live his life the way he chooses even if it's in a way that some of his fans don't approve of. Aiken has to make the decisions that are right for himself, at the time that's right for him, not those decisions that are right for his fans, when they want him to. It's striking to me how selfish some of the reactions are. How some feel that hearing "I told you so" from friends or family is worse than what Aiken has had to deal with and will have to deal with in relation to being a gay man when there is quite a bit of homophobia. That's kind of amazing to me. So what if someone says "I told you so?"

I try to be accepting of those that I'm a fan of - there are very definitely things that my favorite drivers and baseball players have done or said that I don't agree with, and I've been disappointed at times with some things. There are things that they might do that I wouldn't do and decisions that they've made at times that I don't think are wise. I accept that they are human just like anyone else and have faults, and make mistakes. They experience the full range of emotions, good and bad, and will sometimes act out or behave in ways that I don't like. As accepting and as understanding as I try to be, yes, there are times that the way I view certain athletes that I've been a fan of has changed, so I can understand why some fans of Aiken may feel different about him. However, I try to be tolerant of the right of those that I'm a fan of to do as they please and live their lives as they choose. Even those who I may be less of a fan of now as compared to the past I still wish them well and nothing but happiness - seems like some fans of Aiken are having a hard time even wishing Aiken well with his new baby.

The reality is that Aiken will likely lose some fans, maybe even a lot of fans. There's always going to be a segment of fans for every celebrity or athlete who can only accept them the way they think they are or the way they think they should be, as opposed to the way they really are.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:38 PM | Comments (4)

Michael Waltrip on "The Morning Drive" on Sirius

A lot of times I stop listening to the "The Morning Drive" on Sirius after the first hour or two but I sure am glad that I kept listening this morning because they interviewed Michael Waltrip in the last hour! The usual hosts are David Poole from The Charlotte Observer and Thatsracin.com and Mike Bagley from MRN, but this morning Nate Ryan (who I really like) from USA Today was filling in for Bagley.

David Poole started out by being very complimentary of Michael in relation to Dover. Michael said it only took him one lap to know he had a good car. Within a couple of laps he passed Kasey Kahne and a few other cars and he knew he had a better than average car and something he could race with. He had been sitting on pit road lined up 40th and at Dover there’s a lot of stuff that can go wrong so it’s a tall order to get up front. You’re just trying to see if you can survive. Well, Michael definitely did survive and a whole lot more! I loved that Michael got a top ten at Dover but what really made it even more awesome to me is that he got that top ten even though he started so far in the back!

Michael continued by talking about how everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing really believes in their new car (the 3rd generation COT). It’s lighter and has a lower CG (center of gravity). It’s led to a lot of improvement. They got a little proud of themselves with it so they were setting themselves up for a fall if they couldn’t back it up. They’re moving forward in a very positive area, building a better product and making themselves a real part of the story like David at Richmond. Thing is if the gen 3 COT is working out this well for them, imagine how great the gen 4 COT is going to be? That's the thing with these teams is that they don't ever stand pat, they can't - they're constantly doing research and development. So as soon as MWR finished the gen 4, they probably started thinking about and working on the gen 4 COT.

Perhaps the most significant thing to me that Michael said in the whole interview was that the Steve Hallam hire was in the works for months. The reason I think that was such an important comment is that at times it seems as if some fans think that because a team isn't mentioned all the time on Jayski's or otherwise in the rumor mill then it means they aren't doing anything. However, even though at times it seems as if there are no secrets in the garage area, the reality is that teams are always looking at ways to get better, whether it's hiring personnel on the competition side, looking for additional sponsors or thinking about making changes to their driver line-up. So there's no telling what teams may have up their sleeves like the Steve Hallam hire which seemed to surprise a lot of people. The way the Hallam hire came about is through their connections at Toyota they heard that he might be interested in moving to Nascar and it went from there. They plan on introducing him in a more formal way with the Toyota engineers. He’s going to watch and learn, at first it might be a slow process since he’s new to Nascar but he’s going to take his knowledge from F1 and apply it. Nate pointed out that Hallam’s hire is huge for the team.

MWR is confident in their future direction. Hiring Hallam should send a signal that they’re in it for the long haul. They’re working in different areas, in different parts of the world to improve. Every move that MWR makes to secure sponsorship, add personnel or equipment, etc... should be a signal that MWR is in it for the long-haul. It's amazing to me that there are still some who are convinced that MWR is on the verge of folding next week even though they have plans in place for 2009 and beyond. Of course this is a difficult sport to survive in and there's no telling what the future might hold for MWR, but they definitely plan on being around for a long time to come!

Poole asked about the talk that MWR might have as many as four cars next season. Michael said that from the business side it’s more economical to operate four cars than three cars. The costs are spread out more, and there’s money that can be reinvested in other parts and pieces. Michael is comfortable where MWR is. He likes what Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing are doing with their three teams, how they all race up front. You can do it with three or even two but you need to do what makes the most sense and what will help you be the most competitive. The more teams you have the better chance you have to be successful. They’re listening, talking and seeing what will happen. He’s okay with three teams but will go with four if it won’t take away from the other three teams. There's been some rumors circulating via Jayski that Marcus Ambrose could end up bringing the Little Debbie sponsorship to MWR next season. I suspect that's where the third team will come from - Marcus might not even race directly for MWR but via a partnership between JTG Daugherty Racing and MWR. There's no telling how things will actually play out but I would be very happy if those rumors were true and Marcus ended up racing for MWR!

They asked him about Tony Stewart and what Michael might have done differently when he was first starting out as an owner, and how that might apply to Tony’s situation at Stewart Haas Racing. Michael said that obviously there were some stumbles and one right out of the gate, that being what happened at Daytona that could have been the knockout blow. That set MWR back in terms of morale, money and reputation. He gave directions that weren’t followed. So it’s difficult to say what he would do differently (since his directives weren’t followed).

It’s a hundred times easier to make races this year. Last year there were a lot of circumstances that Michael couldn’t control. Tony is partnering with an existing team, whereas MWR didn’t even have a copier or a coffee machine when they started out. Tony has the parts and pieces so it’s more realistic to think that he might be able to be competitive right away. I think that's something that a lot of people don't seem to realize - MWR was a completely new organization to racing full-time in Cup and even now they've still only been doing it for less than two years! The Cup Series is Nascar's most competitive series and it's difficult for teams that have been around for years to race up front let alone an organization just starting out.

As far as sponsorship and details for 2009, Michael had thought they might be able to lay out a rough idea this weekend at Kansas but that’s not going to happen. He thinks that in the next week or so they might have all the details set. Part of it is that they need to know what’s going on (I think with other teams, how other things like mergers and all will play out) so they make sure they don’t leave any stone unturned. Which I suspect may be what a few other organizations may be waiting for as well since no one wants to miss out on an opportunity to improve. I'm really excited to find out what MWR has in store for 2009!

Posted by silverdsl at 11:36 AM | Comments (2)

September 23, 2008

Photo of the Day - Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Cod, MA. 2008. That's where I was this weekend and I sure wish I was still there! Truly a beautiful place! I could walk along the ocean, watching the waves, taking photos and picking up wave-smoothed stones all day! During the summer the beaches are packed with people but in September we almost had the beach to ourselves. It was wonderful!

Posted by silverdsl at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)

A.J. Allmendinger, Red Bull Racing to Part Ways

Despite having vastly improved as a Cup driver and having worked extremely hard with good results to race the #84 into the top 35 in owner's points, Red Bull Racing has decided that they don't want to re-sign A.J. Allmendinger for 2009, they might not want to use him in the car after this weekend at Kansas. Of course teams have to make the decisions they feel are best for their organization and it's possible that there are things going on behind the scenes that aren't publically known, but on the surface at least it seems like A.J. is getting a raw deal. Rumors have circulated for months that RBR was going to replace A.J. with Scott Speed next season but instead of making a quick decision, they strung A.J. along. So now he's in a position of looking for a ride when there isn't much available, and certainly not an elite ride unless another driver gets released.

The one ride that's still open is the #41 at Chip Ganassi Racing. While that car isn't the best of the best in the garage area, it's hardly the worst either. It may even be a better situation for A.J. if he were to race the #41 than being at RBR since it appears the #41 will almost certainly be in the top 35 at the start of next season, and that's still not guaranteed for the #84. So in the #41 A.J. would be able to race, for the first five races of 2009 at least, without quite as much pressure in relation to the top 35 hanging over his head. Problem is there's likely other candidates for the #41 such as Patrick Carpentier and Jeremy Mayfield.

A.J. has done everything that's been asked of him by RBR including get out of the car for multiple races, something that's never easy for a driver, and did so without any complaints. When he got back behind the wheel he raced well - and often up front - just about every week. So it seems to me that no matter what A.J. did, no matter how well he raced, and no matter what the results were or if he got the car into the top 35 he was likely out. Out of respect to a driver who worked hard for them, I think it would have been nice if A.J. had been informed sooner of the decision.

Hopefully A.J. will get another chance in Cup because he was showing signs that he could be a successful driver if he had competitive cars to race.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2008

Michael Waltrip Finishes 10th at Dover!

Outstanding race for Micheal Waltrip - he finished 10th today at Dover! Although the results haven't always shown it due to issues in the pits and other bad luck, just as the #44 team has improved as the season has gone along, so has the #55 team. Michael has been able to race competitively almost every week and I knew it was just a matter of time before he was racing up front like David Reutimann. I'm so happy that happened today! Michael's previous best finish this season was 2nd at Loudon which came because of pit strategy but today's awesome finish came because Michael had a great car and was able to race up front all day. Michael was one of only two non-Chase drivers to finish in the top ten and I think it really says something about how far Michael Waltrip Racing has come that Michael and David were able to race alongside some of the most elite teams in Cup up front all day today! I think there's going to be many more races like this for MWR in the future - and even better!

For a while it looked like David was going to finish in the top ten himself but during the last pit stop the right front was outside the box and he was penalized by being held a lap in the pits. David was the first car a lap down in 17th and because there were no more cautions he wasn't able to get back on the lead lap so that's where he finished. Had to be really disappointing for him and his team given how strong of a car David had to race. However, it's another sign of how far MWR has come that there's disappointment about a 17th place finish - last season, and maybe even earlier this season, a top twenty finish would be something to be happy about.

Michael McDowell ended up finishing 29th and I'm not sure exactly why but there were apparently issues that prevented him from racing as well as Michael and David. I'm not sure how finishing 29th will effect the top 35 points situation but it's likely going to be close between he and Robby Gordon who finished 22nd - I would guess that Robby is up on McD. Sure would be great if somehow McD could put together a few strong races to end the season and make sure the #00 is in the top 35!

Otherwise Greg Biffle won for the second week in a row and I'm happy about that too - Greg doesn't always get that much attention but he's a great driver and I would be thrilled if he surprised everyone and won the Championship! For all the complaints about how bad the racing is with the COT, there sure was some awesome racing for the lead between Greg and his teammates, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards at the end of the race!

Anyway, a terrific race for Michael and his team - I'm really thrilled for Michael!

Posted by silverdsl at 05:49 PM | Comments (2)

September 20, 2008

F1's Steve Hallam to Join Michael Waltrip Racing as Director of Racing Engineering

I'm a little busy this weekend and into the beginning of next week but I couldn't let this bit of news go without comment - Michael Waltrip Racing has hired F1's Steve Hallam, who is currently McLaren Racing's head of racing operations, as director of racing engineering. Hallam, who has worked in F1 for nearly thirty years will join MWR in the off-season. When it was first rumored that Hallam was going to be heading to Nascar there was speculation it would be to join an elite or high-profile organization. I saw Stewart-Haas Racing named as one possibility. So it must be a surprise to some that Hallam is joining MWR. Since the start of the season MWR has continued to make steady progress and improvement, and this is another sign that they're heading in the right direction if they're able to lure someone like Hallam from F1.

In addition, it shows how committed Michael Waltrip and all at MWR are towards making their teams as good as possible. Michael said,

"Steve is a remarkable asset for any organization and I'm proud that he is joining ours. He will be in a key position that will both allow him to learn about the NASCAR world while implementing the knowledge he has gained over the past 30 years in Formula One. This is another step that shows our employees, sponsors and all of NASCAR that MWR is serious about our desire to elevate our organization to an elite status in the Sprint Cup garage."

It's laughable to me when some question Michael or MWR's commitment to being competitive, as if struggling to race well is okay. Michael has every bit as much desire to win and competitive fire as any other driver on the track, and that's true as owner as well. Everyone else at MWR are very determined to field competitive cars that contend for wins too. We may not see the impact that Hallam has immediately since as Michael points out he'll need to learn about Nascar at first, but he brings so much racing and engineering knowledge that he will surely help MWR improve even more.

Hallam said,

"Having participated in over 430 Grand Prix, winning five World Championships, I was ready for a change. What attracted me to Michael Waltrip Racing was the opportunity to work with a young team and, in particular, to be part of the continued development and growth of the multi-car Cup operation as they strive to provide the best equipment and support for their teams. This is a great opportunity to join a closely knit team who are looking to build success by harnessing Toyota engines and technical support to build cars at a level where we can improve upon the tremendous foundation that has already been built."

It's that challenge that I think appeals to more than a few people at MWR and in the garage area overall. Challenge and having to work hard to achieve success makes that success even sweeter when it happens. Some are convinced that the collapse of MWR is going to happen any day even though all the signs indicate that even though the road may still be bumpy they are committed to being around for the long haul. I have a feeling that Hallam might not be the last new addition to MWR between now and next season, and that they'll continue to make changes as MWR continues to grow and build for the future. I for one am very excited about what the future will hold for Michael, his drivers and all of MWR!

Posted by silverdsl at 05:37 PM | Comments (1)

September 18, 2008

In the News: Michael Waltrip (9/18)

Too often this season there's been articles writing that predict failure or are otherwise negative when it comes to Michael Waltrip and Michael Waltrip Racing. So it was great to read an article from USA Today that recognizes the progress MWR is making and acknowledges how hard Michael works at trying to make his teams successful. Of course a lot of the work that Michael puts in relates to sponsors - there really isn't anyone else in the garage area that's better than Michael when it comes to getting his sponsors exposure. Ty Norris said,

"We would not have a fraction of what we have if this were ABC Racing. Michael has made a career of over-performing away from the racetrack. He is a Chase guy when it comes to marketability."

The organization wouldn't exist without Michael. I've seen some fans say that Michael should not only stop racing but stop being involved at MWR completely and that the organization would be better off. But it's because of Michael (and David Reutimann) that NAPA Auto Parts, Aaron's and other sponsors have stuck around. In the current economic climate where it's difficult to find and keep sponsors, the importance of Michael's ability to keep his sponsors happy can't be overstated.

Michael said,

"If you say, 'You get sponsors because you're good to people, you care, you sign autographs,' I'm like, 'What's your point?' If you have a problem with that, you're an idiot. I'm working my (butt) off for this race team that I have invested everything I have. I have nothing left."

There are many who are quick to be critical of Michael for seeming to put more emphasis on getting his sponsors exposure than on getting results on the track. Of course the reality is that Michael has just as much competitive fire and desire as any other driver, but the way he takes care of his sponsors and the fans is as important as anything he does in the car. Fans are essential for a team to have success because they're the ones who buy tickets to races, buy merchandise, spend money with sponsors and cheer on the drivers. Sponsors are even more important because without the millions they spend organizations like MWR can't field cars or be competitive. Do people think it's easy to figure out ways to get exposure for his sponsors? To do everything for his sponsors, all the signings and appearances he does, the media obligations including a weekly TV show, a show for XM and the Truck races, while at the same time co-owning a multi-car organization, driving a Cup car full-time and somehow having a life away from racing?

It bothers me how often Michael doesn't get much respect from some fans, some in the media and even sometimes from his fellow competitors (Clint Bowyer). Yet he works just as hard as any other owner to do what is necessary to try to make his organization successful. And the signs are definitely there that they're making progress - all three cars are in the top 35 in owner's points, David has finished in the top 15 in three straight races including at Richmond where he led the most laps, and all three teams have been a lot more competitive.

In other sponsor related news, there's going to be a Michael Waltrip Racing line of rims sold at Rimco, a company associated with Aaron's. According to someone whose husband works for Aaron's (I think) they will be unveiled at Raceworld during the weekend of the Charlotte race in October. I can't say I'm into rims at all but it should be interesting to see what they look like.

David will have an XM paint scheme on his #99 Nationwide car at Dover this weekend. Someone who went to Raceworld this week posted photos of it on the forum on Michael's site and it looks really awesome! Being bright yellow and black it definitely will be easy to spot - hopefully up front!

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

Three Engines Stolen From Roush-Yates Engine Shop

I haven't seen much about this so far anywhere but it seems to me this is a major story - sometime on Monday, three engines were stolen from the engine shop at Roush-Yates. The thieves stole a cargo van from Penske Racing, presumably one they knew they could use to transport three 500 pound engines, cut a hole into the side of the building the engine shop is housed in so they could open the door to the shop and then rolled the engines into the cargo van. The van was later found abandoned. There's talk in the article about the thieves potentially using the engines in their street vehicles but I find it hard to believe that anyone would put that much effort and probably planning into this kind of heist solely for the purpose of trying to fit these engines in their street cars. One has to wonder where these engines are going to turn up - if anyone ever finds them.

Jack Roush did quite a bit of whining and complaining about a misplaced swaybar earlier this season, so it'll be interesting to see what he has to say - if anything - in relation to this. Seems to me if there's an occasion to be upset having three of your engines stolen would most definitely be it.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

East Series News: Earnhardt Out, Carmichael Moves Up and What About Steve Park?

As the Camping World East Series goes to Dover to race this weekend there's some big news out of the series.

Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford Courant is reporting that Jeffrey Earnhardt will be replaced this weekend with Aric Almirola, possibly because DEI is looking to get Almirola more seat time at a track that the Cup Series races on, which makes sense since Almirola will be taking over the #8 in Cup full-time next season. However, in some ways I don't understand why they wouldn't just field an additional car for Almirola. Earnhardt is 11th in points and a good finish at Dover and Stafford could allow him to finish the season in the top ten in points. I had also thought that Earnhardt was being developed by DEI to race for them on higher levels in the future - usually organizations that think highly of their development drivers don't remove them from their rides.

Of course there's also the issue that Earnhardt is well, an Earnhardt. I'm sure some will make a big issue of how inappropriate it is for DEI to take the founder's grandson out of his ride but the reality is that DEI has to make the decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the organization regardless of what the last name of the driver is. Maybe DEI just isn't as high on Earnhardt as one would think. I'm sure they would really like to develop him into a successful driver since it would be good for the organization but maybe they aren't sure that's going to happen. Earnhardt has six top tens and four top fives this season but his teammates are 3rd and 4th in points with Trevor Bayne having won two races. So perhaps they feel this season has been a disappointment for him. It'll be interesting to see whether he's back in the car at Stafford and what his future is at DEI.

Jayski has an "I heard' rumor that Jack Sprague is going to be replaced at Kevin Harvick, Inc. with Ricky Carmichael, who is currently 8th in East Series points. There's apparently some truth to the story since Carmichael is going to race an ARCA race for KHI at Talladega. It wouldn't surprise me if Sprague was replaced at KHI. Kevin and Delana want their drivers to win and they let Matt Crafton go when he didn't win for them even though he raced competitively. The other thing is that presumably Monster Energy Drinks would sponsor Carmichael in a truck as they are in the East Series so he would bring financial backing with him. I really like Carmichael so I'd be very happy if he raced in the Truck Series next season and particularly if it were for an organization like KHI that fields competitive trucks. I'm sure someone, somewhere is going to complain that Carmichael doesn't deserve to move up because he doesn't have that much Nascar experience but he's not called the G.O.A.T. - greatest of all time - for nothing. It's like Juan Pablo Montoya in the Cup Series - some drivers are going to get opportunities that others might not because of their accomplishments in other series or other forms of racing.

One driver whose future is unknown is Steve Park. Apparently Steve's deal with the #35 team was only for this season and given that rumors circulated not too long ago that his team was working with another driver I have a feeling he won't be back with the #35 in 2009. I think that's unfortunate because Steve has been able to race competitively with this team and contend for wins but on some levels it's probably a disappointment that he's not been able to seal the deal on a win or even more top five's. The expectations for a driver with as much experience as Steve has in Cup and Nascar's other higher levels racing against mostly young, inexperienced development drivers are probably greater than what he's been able to achieve. That's both on Steve's part and his team's part. I would hope that Steve has had fun racing in the East Series but given all the talk about all the "squirrels" he feels he races against, one has to wonder.

Of course the question becomes then, where does Steve end up? Probably without a ride is my guess. Maybe he'll find something else in the East Series but even in that series with so many teams doing driver development work for Cup organizations I'm not sure how many opportunities there's going to be unless the #35 decides they'd like him back. Which leaves Steve looking for a ride in the Nationwide, Truck or Cup Series. Given that there isn't likely to be a ride available to him as competitive as he would like - if there are any rides available to him at all - I'm not anticipating we'll be seeing him on any of Nascar's three highest levels. Which could mean that we won't see him racing next season at all.

I suppose voicing that kind of negativity about Steve's future could lead to another round of some telling me how much I suck, but things are what they are. Someone on a forum I post at encountered Steve recently in North Carolina and I don't think this person's encounter bodes well. Since I wasn't there and it's possible this person's perceptions were off, I'm not going to get into details other than to say it didn't give me a good feeling. I'm just glad that Steve got to race again this season and race competitively. There's only two races left this season and maybe Steve can end the season on a high note with a win!

Posted by silverdsl at 09:27 AM | Comments (0)

Penalties Announced for Truck Series Brawl

Yesterday Nascar announced penalties against various members of the #30, #11 and #9 truck teams in relation to the brawl on pit road that followed the truck race at Loudon. Although three crew members, Mike Hillman Jr., the crew of the # 30, Mark Hillman, another crew member from the #30 and William Divel, a crew member from the #11 team were all suspended for a race, and a variety of fines and probations were handed out, I was surprised that the penalties weren't more severe. David Starr was fined $10,000 which I suppose is a lot of money in the Truck Series but given that he threw some punches, I had thought that Nascar might sit him for a race or at least take some points away. It seemed to me that there were quite a few Nascar officials getting pushed and shoved during the fight so I had thought that Nascar might penalize some crew members for putting their hands on an official or disregarding the directive of an official but apparently they decided not to.

One issue as to why Starr wasn't penalized more may relate to the apparent breech of protocol that occurred when the Germain Racing crew member took down Starr's window net and reached into his truck to confront him. Claire B. Lang from XM wrote in her blog:

My understanding has always been that the cockpit of a guy’s race machine, car or truck, is his sanctuary and it’s his area. For another driver to come up and pull him out would be setting up for a fight - and I think all drivers would agree to that. For a crew member from another team to go to a driver’s vehicle and grab or confront him- is beyond an unwritten rule - it’s fighting time. In an argument about racing - the crew member and driver are not on the same level. It’s driver to driver and even then there are set areas of acceptable confrontation.

She went on to say that in speaking with members of other teams and Joe Nemechek that crew members know that they are never to confront a driver and that going as far as this particular Germain Racing crew member did might result in them getting fired. So Nascar might have understood that Starr reacted with his fists because of the way he was confronted and how much of a no-no it was in the garage area. I think it's interesting that there's that kind of an unwritten rule in that drivers can confront each other (though it might still lead to a fight) and crew members can confront each other but a crew member isn't supposed to confront a driver from another team, as if they're untouchable or on a different level.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2008

Photo of the Day - Fountain Show

Las Vegas, NV, 2005. Sure would love to go back to Las Vegas to see the fountains outside the Bellagio again! Actually, there's a lot I'd like to do in Las Vegas - definitely one of my best vacations ever!

Posted by silverdsl at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts (9/16)

*Lee Spencer is reporting on Foxsports.com that Gillett-Evernham Motorsports is interested in buying Bill Davis Racing, or at least their Cup operation and engine shop. It's a little unclear as to whether GEM is also interested in becoming affiliated with Toyota but it appears they're very interested in the owner's points that would come with the #22 since that team is currently in the top 35 in owner's points. In addition, some sort of merger or buyout with BDR could give GEM an affiliation with a very successful truck operation. Suddenly it makes a lot more sense why GEM filed suit against Robby Gordon - they might have found a better opportunity when it comes to adding a team. As for BDR if not GEM then they need to find another organization or outside investor to partner with next season since right now they don't have any sponsorship for the #22 let alone the second Cup car they've said they want to field. The big loser in all of this stands to be Dave Blaney since there probably wouldn't be a place for him at GEM if this were to happen and he might have a hard time finding another Cup ride, at least with a competitive team.

*Jay Frye was heavily rumored to be going to Stewart-Haas Racing to be the general manager there but ultimately Frye decided to remain at Red Bull Racing. That's a good thing for RBR since the organization has made a lot of improvement since he joined. Of course that's why SHR wanted him too. One had to wonder who SHR is going to look to be their GM since Frye turned them down. Who they hire for that position could end up being a big factor in whether and how quickly SHR is competitive next season.

*There's a lot of fans who have deemed Joey Logano's Cup debut to be a spectacular failure because he didn't live up to the hype and only finished 32nd. Apparently because he didn't race up front and contend for the win means to some fans that he will never have any success in Cup ever. Ridiculous. A driver's potential can't be judged on the basis of just one race. Even if Logano races all of the remaining Cup races this season it still might not be a clear indicator of how well he's going to do in Cup. I think Logano's debut was actually a success. I'm sure he and his team were hoping that the finish would be better but Logano wasn't involved in any incidents, stayed out of everyone's way and brought the car home in one piece. How can that be considered a failure for an 18-year old driver in his first Cup race? The Cup Series is Nascar's most elite and competitive series with the quality of the drivers and teams being the best in all of Nascar. To expect greatness out of a young driver with no Cup experience regardless of how well he's done in other series is expecting too much. Logano has talent and if Joe Gibbs Racing gives him good cars to race, has a solid support system in place for him to help him adjust to the pressures of the Cup Series, and has patience with him, I think he will likely develop into a very good Cup driver - but it may not happen immediately.

*On a similar note, there are some who are writing off Kyle Busch's chances for winning the Championship because he finished 34th at Loudon. Sure he's behind but there's a long way to go in the Chase. Busch finished 34h this past weekend because of a broken bolt on the swaybar of his car. There's no reason to think Busch won't go back to doing what he's done so much of next weekend at Dover - race up front. If he has a couple more bad races, then the Championship likely is out of reach, but one bad race can be overcome. I think it's wishful thinking on a lot of people's parts that they're being so quick to write Busch off since he's the last driver a lot of people would want to see win a Championship.

*Some are questioning ESPN's decision to make a story out of Rick Hendrick getting on the #88's team's radio during the race at Loudon to settle down Dale Earnhardt, Jr. after he got upset over a bad set of tires. Hendrick later also commented to the media about how Junior needs to treat Tony Eury, Jr., his cousin and crew chief better. Some have actually gone so far as to say that ESPN is engaging in a vendetta against Junior because they don't like that he was critical of them last week. There's no vendetta. ESPN is simply doing their job, which is covering the news of the race and the sport. There have been times when ESPN has sensationalized things but in this case, a team owner feeling the need to get on one of his driver's radio's during the first race of the Chase to settle him down is news.

In my mind the question is whether a piece of audio ESPN or another media outlet is using gives some insight into what's going on with a team or adds something to the story of the race. When ESPN played the audio of Clint Bowyer saying that Michael Waltrip is the worst driver in Nascar, Clint was mistaken in his belief that Michael caused the wreck and as a result playing that clip only served to make Michael and Clint look bad as opposed to giving some insight into the race. However, I think that ESPN's coverage of Junior's audio from this race most definitely gives some insight into what was going on with the #88 team during this race. In addition, numerous other media outlets including XM, Sirius, Nascar.com, Nascar Scene, The Sporting News and others gave the exact same coverage to the issue of Hendrick getting on Junior's radio. Why is it acceptable for those media outlets to cover the story but not ESPN? Why is ESPN expected to ignore stories and/or Rick Hendrick addressing the media? They shouldn't since it would be doing their viewers a disservice.

*Speaking of what Bowyer said about Michael, Bob Packrass from Nascar Scene was on Sirius this morning and he said he asked Bowyer last week whether he meant what he said about Michael being the worst driver in Nascar. Bowyer apparently referred to Michael wrecking while racing Ron Capps during a piece they were taping for Nascar Now and said "I'll let you be the judge." A lot of people, including Michael, have dismissed Bowyer's comments as having been said in the heat of the moment out of emotion, but I've thought from the start even if he said it out of emotion it likely reflected what he thought to some degree. Based on what Bowyer said to Pockrass it appears he really doesn't think much of Michael.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:42 AM | Comments (2)

Full Moon

It's clearly a full moon...

Posted by silverdsl at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2008

In the News: Michael Waltrip Racing (9/15)

Michael Waltrip Racing fans were thrilled recently when it was announced that not only would NAPA Auto Parts be returning in 2009 to sponsor Michael Waltrip and the #55 car again, but also that Aaron's Rent and Lease would be sponsoring David Reutimann in the #00 for half a season in 2009! However, as happy as they are about the positive sponsorship news, fans remain nervous about the remaining sponsorship that MWR needs to find for the other half of a season for David and for the full season for the third car. But according to Ty Norris there's reason to be optimistic. MWR is talking with three sponsors about next season, one that is already in the sport and two others that would be new to Nascar. He said,

"Two things are happening at the same time. Some of the people that we've been talking to are starting to get into some serious conversations with us, saying we're starting to run better. Interest always seems to be heightened when you're performing better on the racetrack, because we always have been able to perform for sponsors off the track. Now that we're getting some on-track performance -- David Reutimann and that team has been terrific lately, and Michael McDowell, for the second straight weekend, has come here loaded for bear -- we feel like we're getting very competitive. So actually there is a tremendous amount of momentum going forward, especially with groups we've been talking to. There is optimism."

I'm very happy to hear that there are sponsors that have noticed how well David has been racing and the overall progress that MWR has been making lately!

However, that doesn't mean that things are easy when it comes to finding sponsorship, particularly given the difficult economy. Which is why Ty would like to see new categories of sponsors come into the sport. He said,

"The sport needs new blood; it needs new money, no question. What I would love to see is new categories, because if a new category comes into the sport, it seems to open it up for all the other companies in that same category. So it will be interesting to see if there are any new categories coming in that can penetrate the sport. For instance, when Pennzoil does something on the primary level, then it almost in a defensive mechanism makes Valvoline and Mobil and some of these other companies look at it -- because if they're going to be here, then they figure they need to be here. Red Bull came in as an energy drink. So Pepsi countered it with Amp. And that's new money."

Ty is absolutely correct. I think some have their heads in the sand a little in terms of the sponsorship situation in the sport. They say contrary to what some believe the sponsorship situation isn't that bad because a lot of sponsors are choosing to stay in the sport. Sure, there are sponsors who are staying but many of the large sponsors that have the most money to spend are consolidating themselves with a small group of elite teams. Without new sponsors, what are the rest of the teams supposed to do for sponsorship? New categories opening up would definitely help some of the teams in need of sponsorship since competing companies would sponsor a variety of different teams.

In possibly related news, Bob Margolis from Yahoo! Sports wrote in his Observations from Loudon:

The hottest rumor floating around the Cup garage this weekend is that Chip Ganassi still is trying to make a deal with another team to keep himself in NASCAR. This week it was supposedly an arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing, which would expand to four cars and put Montoya in a Toyota.

I take everything that Margolis writes with a grain of salt since he was the one who reported that it was an absolute certainty and a done deal that Bobby Labonte was going to race for Richard Childress Racing in 2009 and that was completely false. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have accurate information so maybe there is some truth to the persistent rumors that have been circulating for a few months that MWR and Ganassi are going to merge. At first I thought some were reading into the breakfast meeting between Rob Kauffman, Cal Wells, Felix Sabates and Chip Ganassi a little too much - and that still might be the case - but it seems like there's been so much talk about something going on between the two organizations that maybe there is. And the more I've thought about it, the more I like the idea.

Both MWR and Ganassi have issues on the competition side that likely have a lot to do with the financial and sponsorship side. They might be stronger together as a four-car organization than if they were separate, each as a two-car organization. NAPA, Aaron's, and Target are all long-time Nascar sponsors, and Wrigley's has been involved in the sport for a few years as well, so they're all committed to the sport. Some of my fellow MWR fans are horrified by the thought of Juan Pablo Montoya racing for Ganassi but I would love to see him race for MWR - he's got a huge amount of talent and I don't think we've seen anywhere near the best of him in Cup so far. I don't always like the way he races but I do like that he seems to be fan-friendly and he's certainly not afraid to speak his mind. As for the 4th car, if not Michael McDowell I would love to see A.J. Allmendinger in that car if Red Bull Racing decided not to keep him.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2008

Photo of the Day - Infrafred Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens, PA, 2008.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)

Another Solid Race Weekend for Michael Waltrip Racing

Yes, there were some issues but overall it was a solid weekend for Michael Waltrip Racing at Loudon, particularly since all three teams leave New Hampshire in the top 35 in owner's points. I really love what I'm seeing from the MWR teams right now and it makes me really optimistic for the future! David Reutimann and the #44 team continue to lead the way with a 15th place finish today. David has now finished in the top 15 or better in four of his last five races and hasn't finished outside the top 25 in that stretch I'm sure he'd love to be racing even better but I think it's really outstanding the way that team has come along, particularly considering they were outside the top 35 to start the season and had their share of struggles to contend with just like the other MWR teams. There's been a lot of talk about how drivers like David Ragan or Brian Vickers who just missed the Chase could be in it next season and if David continues racing as well as he had and carries that momentum over into next season, I think he'll be right there in the mix for Chase contention.

Michael Waltrip had a trying day but it ended on a positive note with a top 25 finish. He and the #55 team struggled to get the car right all weekend and were extremely slow in practice which really worried me for this race. However, it soon became clear that Michael actually had a pretty good car. That really made me happy because at times this season when the car has been bad in practice they've struggled to make the right changes to make it right for the race, but they've seemed to make some improvements lately in relation to that. Michael even seemed poised to race his way into the top 20 with David but a slow pit stop cost Michael a significant amount of track position on a track where it can be hard to pass. Michael eventually went a lap down but that actually happened on pit road due a second slow pit stop. Prior to that he did an outstanding job of outracing the leader at the time, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., to stay on the lead lap. Michael actually was as fast as Junior at that point which is why he was able to hold him off for so long - it really was great to see Michael be able to race Junior so hard so successfully for so long! Michael wasn't happy about the slow pit stops and I can't blame him - he really did an excellent job of racing his way through the field and I'm sure he had high hopes of coming close to repeating his second place finish at this track earlier in the season. It wasn't to be but I think Michael and his team did a good job of overcoming the pit road issues to get the top 25 finish. Not what they wanted but it keeps them in the top 35 in owner's points. Michael should feel good - although there are still issues to work out such as with the pit crew and in terms of getting the handling on his cars right, there is a big improvement between now and the start of the season in terms of the competitiveness of the cars he's racing.

Although Michael McDowell was able to race well enough to keep the #00 in the top 35 in owner's points and that's a good thing I really didn't like what I saw from him today. I try to give McD the benefit of the doubt since by all accounts he's an extremely nice person, a talent race car driver and he's in a very difficult situation in that he has very little experience in Cup and he's racing for a team that likely has less resources due to financial reasons in comparison to the other two MWR teams. However, McD isn't new to racing and I didn't think he raced very smart at times today, particularly since at one point it appeared he was also going to finish in the top 25. McD's first mistake was wrecking A.J. Allmendinger - maybe McD didn't realize that he was there but it seemed like he didn't let off and A.J. ended up wrecked, which looked bad since A.J. is also fighting for a spot in the top 35. In fact, thanks to McD wrecking him A.J. is back out of the top 35 so McD is taking some heat from some fans who think maybe he deliberately wrecked A.J. to ensure that he (McD) stayed in the top 35. I don't think that's the case - McD said recently he planned on racing extra aggressively and that's likely what he was doing, which isn't always the best course of action.

McD's other issue came on restarts. During a late restart McD was just behind Michael. Ty Norris, Michael's spotter said to him something along the lines of "just so you know McDiddle has been going down on the apron on restarts" to which Michael responded something along the lines of "just so he knows what will happen to him if he hits me" in a rather threatening tone of voice. Just like at Sonoma, McD shouldn't need to be reminded not to get into his owner! But McD saved his best for last - on a late restart when he seemed poised to finish in the top 25, he passed on the left on a restart which isn't allowed, got black-flagged, and had to serve a pass through penalty. Luckily he only lost a handful of positions, but every position and point count when fighting for a spot in the top 35. McD is racing for a sponsor, a spot in the top top 35, and his career since he doesn't have a guaranteed ride for next season - as a rookie he's going to make mistakes but it seemed like he made a lot of them in this race and he can't really afford that given the position he's in.

But aside from some of the issues with McD it really was a positive weekend for MWR! The next race is next weekend at Dover and I'm optimistic that it's going to be another very good weekend for all three teams! David is racing so well right now, Michael has always liked racing at Dover and hopefully McD will learn a few things from this race that will keep him out of trouble next weekend. Maybe next weekend we'll see all three teams finish in the top 20 - I know most organizations are aiming to have all their teams finish in the top 15 or better, but for such a young organization that has had to deal with so many struggles they need to keep their expectations a little lower - but I sure would love to see all three of those MWR cars racing up front!

Posted by silverdsl at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)

Big Fight Most Memorable Moment From the Truck Race at Loudon

Ron Hornaday won yesterday's truck race at Loudon but the most excitement came post-race when David Starr and his team were involved in a huge brawl with crew members from Germain Racing. This was no minor scuffle either - some post-race dust-ups are nothing more than some pushing and shoving but this time there was actual fists that flew. Odds are that there will be some penalties handed out by Nascar next week, some of which may go to Starr, who was one of the main combatants. The fight started because Todd Bodine tapped Starr heading to pit road after the race to express his displeasure about Starr wrecking him and then a number of Germain Racing crew members came over to "chat" with Starr. One of them took down Starr's window net and allegedly spit on him which caused Starr to get out of his truck swinging and it was on.

I really can't stand when the drivers or teams get to fighting - no matter how high the emotions are I think adults need to keep themselves under control. However, I can't blame Germain Racing for being upset. Starr wrecked three trucks yesterday the exact same way, including both Germain trucks. Once it's a mistake, twice it's bad luck, three times I think Starr needs to be reevaluating how he was driving. Every driver has bad days when it seems like they're involved in multiple incidents. A lot of times it's just bad luck or things out of their control, but in this case it seemed like David needed to be driving differently. One would think that after the second wreck he caused he would have thought about the way he was racing when he was on the inside of another truck.

It should be noted that Bodine wisely stayed out of the fight completely so he shouldn't end up being penalized, though since his crew chief and members of his crew were fighting, he could be penalized if they have to serve suspensions.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2008

Steve Park Finishes 2nd at Loudon!

Great race weekend for Steve Park! Not only did Steve qualify second for the Heluva Good! Fall 125, he also finished second! I suppose it might be a bit of a heart-breaker for Steve because he was actually leading the race heading into the final lap but apparently had to conserve gas and was unable to race hard enough to hold off eventual winner Eddie Macdonald. Points leader Matt Kobyluck finished third. It has to be really disappointing to come so close to Victory Lane and not get there, especially when it's for reasons out of his control, that the car was low on gas. Still a second place finish is something to be happy about and it should move Steve up a few spots in the points. For Macdonald this win completed a sweep of both East Series races at Loudon and came after a lap 93 stop for right side tires and fuel. Macdonald restarted 15th and had to work his way through the field.

After the race Macdonald was complimentary of the way Steve raced him.

"Running with Steve Park’s awesome, because you know he’s a clean driver and when you pull up beside him, you know you’re not going to get slammed into. He holds his line. You want to run him as clean as he runs you, so it makes it nice knowing you can pull up beside him on the last lap."

Always great to hear nice things said about Steve from his fellow competitors!

Six of the top ten finishers were teams that weren't affiliated with Cup programs which says something about how hard-working and talented those independent teams are they were able to do so much better than those teams that are surely better funded. It was the same story in qualifying where Peyton Sellars won the pole, Steve qualified second and Macdonald third. Steve said yesterday,

"We're kind of independent people who do the best we can with what we've got, and we're sitting up here talking to you guys. So it's a credit to all of our teams (and owners)."

Very true both about qualifying and the race!

However, what's interesting to note is that the situation is apparently getting harder for the independent teams. Two teams, including that of Sellars, are in danger of folding at the end of this season. Both Andy Santerre and Mike Olsen say that there's only a 50% chance that they'll field a team next season and both cite financial reasons as why they might withdraw from the series. Santerre, who is discussing taking a management position with a truck team next season, said that the economy and lack of TV exposure for the East Series makes it a hard sell presumably when it comes to sponsors. A team could opt to enter into an agreement with a Cup organization which is what Santerre did earlier in the season when he was fielding a car for Austin Dillon but Dillon left Andy Santerre Motorsports before the season was over and that's apparently a route that Santerre doesn't want to go down again.

I've complained multiple times all season about how hard it is to follow this series due to the TV situation. I don't have HDNet and the replays on Speed come weeks after the races are run when the results are already known. So really the only way that I'm following these races is online which means that the sponsors in this series aren't being exposed to me at all. The same is probably true for many other fans - if they even bother to follow the series at all. If not for Steve racing in this series I probably wouldn't have the slightest clue what was going on. I'm sure sponsors and other who might look to put money into the series are aware of that.

I'm sure some feel that it's the Cup backed organizations that have ruined this series and it's true that they've caused the costs to go up since it takes more money to keep up with the Cup backed teams to be competitive. However, these organizations need to develop their young drivers somewhere. Most fans aren't in favor of 18-year olds being thrown into a Nationwide or Cup car without experience, and I think they probably wouldn't be too crazy about them in a truck either, so it's basically this series and maybe the ARCA series for them to get experience before they move on to a higher series.

At any rate it was a great race for Steve today and hopefully he'll have an even better race at Dover!

Posted by silverdsl at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2008

Ron Hornaday in the Clear With Nascar

Nascar has determined that Ron Hornaday's use of testosterone is just fine because he used it for health reasons and not to enhance his performance and it didn't impair his judgment behind the wheel. Hornaday is lucky he's a Nascar driver and not in another sport. While might not get penalized for past use of performance enhancers, it's unlikely that Hornaday would be excused as easily as some seem willing to do in Nascar. Most seem to focus on Hornaday having Grave's disease but that condition wasn't diagnosed until after he stopped using performance enhancers (remind any Yankee fans of how Jason Giambi was diagnosed with a putitary gland tumor after he stopped using performance enhancers?). It's hard for me to understand why Hornaday went to an anti-aging clinic on the advice of a weightlifter friend of his for treatment of his illness, used a drug he didn't know what was in without having actually seen a doctor, and most of all his wife's possession of HGH that was delivered in his name really raises some questions as well. His wife admitted that she wasn't using the HGH for medical reasons, but for anti-aging reasons. So she goes to the clinic for anti-aging reasons but not her husband? The author of the original ESPN article, Shawn Assael has posed an number of those questions and others a lot better than I can in a follow-up article. Since the matter is closed to Nascar and I believe most would rather it gets swept under the carpet, we'll likely never get all the answers to the questions that remain.

The other thing is that Nascar's own consultant, Dr. David Black, from Aegis Sciences Corporation, said that a driver taking testosterone without it being prescribed to treat a medical condition could have their judgment impaired because it could cause increased aggression and that it could lead to increased endurance which would benefit a driver. He said,

“The drugs do, in addition to enhancing muscle and strength, they do lead to enhanced endurance. We usually think of endurance in an event like a track and field event, but certainly NASCAR competition is an endurance event also. These drivers have to engage in their sport in a very challenging environment. So one might argue that there’s perhaps a motivating reason to use steroids. You would also have concern about the use of steroids perhaps among the pit crew in regard to muscle mass and strength.”

Hornaday's testosterone was prescribed by a doctor, but not one he actually saw and not for a condition that was diagnosed until much later. Black said that Nascar has to evaluate whether when a driver is taking testosterone it's being used in an appropriate way, something that didn't happen in Hornaday's case since he didn't tell anyone he was using it.

There are more than a few who think that ESPN was just trying to smear Hornaday's good name and that they shouldn't have done the story. I don't agree. When the name of the defending Truck Series champion is connected to a fraudulent anti-aging clinic that has been connected to the use of performance enhancers in other sports then it's a story. I think ESPN would have done a disservice to it's audience had they ignored it. I didn't like their decision to use the comment Clint Bowyer said about Michael Waltrip over his radio because it didn't add anything to the story of the race, however this is very different - it's most definitely news and it's something that ESPN should report even if their listeners and readers don't want to know about it.

I also think it should be mentioned that regardless of whether Hornaday was truly using this stuff in an effort to get relief from his medical condition or looking to get an anti-aging benefit, none of this makes him a bad person. It simply makes him someone who might have used poor judgment.

Posted by silverdsl at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)

UPS Will Sponsor David Ragan in 2009

No surprise here - it was made official today that UPS will move from Michael Waltrip Racing to Roush-Fenway Racing to become David Ragan's sponsor. I'd be disappointed that MWR was losing a major sponsor but the writing has been on the wall for quite some time that they had no intention of sticking around regardless of how well David Reutimann raced for them since they didn't feature him or any of the MWR drivers in the last series of ads they did in tribute to Dale Jarrett. Ragan is a young driver who has shown that he can be a Chase contender but I think they're going to have a hard time duplicating the amount of success and exposure that they got with DJ. Reutimann has also raced extremely well of late so if his results are like this next season he could very well be a Chase contender himself.

Ron Rogowski, UPS's Director of sponsorship said,

"When Dale announced his retirement, it gave us an opportunity as an organization to really sit down and take a look at our whole program. This gives us an opportunity with Roush Fenway Racing, with (crew chief) Jimmy Fennig, not only to be back in victory lane but to be able to develop the rock star driver we're looking to develop."

Ragan a rock star? They may very well have an image and personality makeover in mind for him during the off-season but at the moment it's hard to see Ragan, who is kind of on the quiet side, as a "rock star." Usually he just fades into the background, particularly in comparison to his other teammates at Roush. I'd think that UPS would have wanted to go with a driver who shows a lot more personality but maybe they think that's something they can bring out in him.

What's troubling to me is "partgate" back in March when Jack Roush made a big issue of the swaybar off of one of his cars that ended up at MWR for a time. Some thought he was making a big deal out of nothing back then and wondered why he was even making it a public issue. I have to wonder with how early the teams and sponsors start trying to get their plans together for the following season, particularly when it comes to sponsorship, whether they were already making overtures to UPS at that point and "partgate" was an attempt to make MWR look bad and lessen the chances that they'd remain. Odds are that's likely just a crazy conspiracy theory that has no merit but you never know what some might do when it comes to multi-million dollar sponsorships with major companies like UPS. Just doesn't sit quite right with me.

I also wonder what DJ thinks of all of this. He's a long-time good friend of Michael Waltrip, he thinks highly of David and he raced for MWR himself. So while I'm sure he understands that UPS needs to do what they feel will offer them the most exposure for their money, maybe there's a part of him that isn't so happy with the direction that UPS went in. After all, he hand selected David to replace him in the #44.

It will certainly be interesting to see what UPS has planned for Ragan.

Posted by silverdsl at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)

No New Michael Waltrip Out Loud This Week

Although I know that a Michael Waltrip Out Loud was apparently taped this week, the previous week's show was played instead of the new one. So I don't know if there was a problem with what they taped or a screw-up on XM's end but everyone who tuned in missed out on hearing what Michael had to say about Michael Waltrip Racing's great weekend at Richmond. Disappointing!

There's also still the question of what happens to the show, as well as Dale Junior's Unrestricted (and other programming) once Mad Dog Radio starts next week.

There's a new "After Show" posted on Tony's site and at some point I'll listen to that and maybe do a recap of that since there was no Out Loud this week.

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

September 11, 2008

Ron Hornaday Admits Using Testosterone, Obtaining HGH

And so Nascar becomes the latest sport to be hit with allegations that one of their athletes used performance enhancers. Only in this case Ron Hornaday, Jr. isn't denying anything - he openly admits that he took testosterone for 13 months and received shipments of HGH, though he says he never actually used the HGH, that it was for his wife. Hornaday says he was seeking treatment for an unknown at that time medical aliment that turned out to be a hyperactive thyroid, and that the steroids were prescribed to him as treatment (even though at the time no one actually had diagnosed what the problem was). For some reason Hornaday ended up going to the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center, an anti-aging center in Florida, that has been linked to performance enhancer scandals in MLB and the NFL. Of course like so many other athletes busted using performance enhancers, Hornaday claims he didn't know the testosterone is a steroid. Funny how they never seem concerned with finding out just exactly what they're injecting, swallowing or smearing on.

Hornaday is in some trouble here, if not with Nascar, then possibly with fans and the media. No matter the reason it doesn't look good that he admits to taking steroids and receiving HGH. I think some will dismiss all of this as much ado about nothing since some believe that performance enhancers can't help drivers but I don't think that's the case. Performance enhancers don't just help give the user added muscle mass and strength, but they also help with endurance and when it comes to healing from injury. All of those things might help a driver, particularly an older driver who was 46 when he first started receiving shipments of these drugs in December of 2004. The older a driver is the more pressure they face to produce results or be replaced since the trend in this sport is towards youth. So one has to wonder if it wasn't just that Hornaday was looking to get treatment for his medical condition but also to try to keep the aging process at bay.

In addition, aside from the fact that Nascar added steroids and HGH to their banned list this season, it was illegal for Hornaday to be using steroids without being examined by a doctor (they were prescribed after he saw a nurse) and having the HGH would be illegal as well. His wife claims it was for her use but you have to wonder. Apparently Hornaday won't face charges since the investigation into Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center focused on the owners and doctors there. I doubt Nascar will be inclined to punish Hornaday either for past use. But it could put his truck owner, Kevin Harvick, in a difficult position since Harvick has been one of the most outspoken advocates for increased drug testing in the sport (Hornaday passed two drug tests he was given at Kevin Harvick, Inc.).

I have to wonder if there are any other drivers who may have used performance enhancers. I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is yet. I definitely think that performance enhancers have been and probably still are being used on pit road where they would definitely benefit members of the pit crews where every extra bit of strength and speed would help. Although Nascar plans on changing their drug testing policy, right now they only test if there's reasonable suspicion meaning that they have no idea who might be using what. The firestorm this could set off - though it may be somewhat muted since Hornaday is a Truck Series driver as opposed to a Cup driver - could force Nascar to address their drug testing policy and the issue of the use of performance enhancers in the sport sooner rather than later.

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

Truck Series in Trouble?

That this is a Mike Mulhern article means that it needs to be taken with a grain of salt since he's not all that reliable when it comes to the accuracy of what he reports. However, in an article about how the future of the Truck Series may be bleak, Mulhern includes some actual quotes so that gives it some added weight that's lacking from some of his other columns that often don't include quotes or any indication of what the sources are of the information he's reporting. At any rate, Mulhern wrote that due to a variety of factors from Nascar purchasing the Grand-Am Series to Dodge pulling out to the poor economy, the Truck Series may not be around for much longer. I love the Truck Series - the racing is outstanding and that Michael Waltrip is part of the Speed team in the booth makes it even better so I would be very disappointed if the Truck Series went away. Sad to say but I can see it happening.

For one thing Dodge pulling out is a bad sign. They had already cut back their support gradually over the past few years to where the only organization they still had was Bobby Hamilton Racing. But now they don't even want to continue with that. One has to wonder if other manufacturers will also follow suit if they don't feel they're getting enough out of their involvement in the series. J.D. Gibbs said,

"Dodge pulling out of Trucks, that's not good. We had a Truck team for a while, and lost our shirts. Trucks have always been a hard sell."

Which speaks to several problems the series has. Costs have escalated to where it might cost as much as $5 million to sponsor a top truck that races consistently on a regular basis. However, in spite of all the fans who love the Truck Series the reality is that the exposure that series gets pales in comparison to what a sponsor could get even as an associate sponsor with a Nationwide team affiliated with a Cup driver or in the Cup Series. So it's likely hard to convince sponsors that a Truck Series sponsorship is a good value.

Jack Roush, who owns multiple truck teams feels that the series may go away as soon as in 2010. He said,

"I think there is a distinct possibility that in the foreseeable future, based on the economy and what the manufacturers have done, there is a reasonable chance that the Truck series will go away. Not in 2009, but maybe in 2010 or 2011.

Of course Roush has a tendency to exaggerate and talk about the worst-case scenario but it's kind of scary to think that the series might vanish as soon as 2010. The warning signs are certainly there that the series is in a lot of trouble with only 30 trucks on the preliminary entry list for Loudon, more talk about teams folding or scaling back than there are about teams expanding, manufacturers (Dodge) and long-time sponsors (Team ASE) are pulling out, and Nascar still hasn't found a title sponsor for the series yet. Nascar's other series are facing many of those issues as well but I think the more popular series like Nationwide and particularly Cup can more easily absorb some of these blows. I'm not so sure the Truck Series can.

I'm not so sure any of these issues can easily be addressed either. The reality is that the poor economy is having a big effect on everything inside and outside of Nascar. The governing body of the sport can't do much about that. In addition, the time to find ways to get more exposure for the series, it's teams and drivers is long past. At this point it may be too late, and particularly when they need to worry about issues related to manufacturers and sponsors in all the series.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

9/11

Never forget.

Posted by silverdsl at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2008

David Reutimann to do Double Duty at Loudon...

...but he won't be in a Nationwide car. In addition to racing the #44 Cup car as he usually does, David Reutuimann will also be racing in another race this weekend but not the Nationwide race - instead he'll be in the #9 truck for Germain Racing in the Truck race! How awesome is that? Apparently the usual driver of the truck, Justin Marks, is going to be busy working with the team on putting together a schedule of races for him for the Nationwide and ARCA series for the remainder of the season. I can't exactly understand how putting a schedule together means that Justin can't race at Loudon but I'm not complaining since it's going to put David in a truck!I love the Truck Series to begin with because the racing in that series is outstanding, and it's even better when Michael Waltrip is in the booth for Speed, but now it's really going to be a terrific race to watch with David in it too!

When he races the #9 truck David will be reuniting with his former crew chief Jason Overstreet who was his crew chief at Darrell Waltrip Motorsports. Together they got a Truck Series win at Nashville in 2005 and they had a lot of success together otherwise. It should be fun for them to work together and since Germain Racing fields competitive trucks hopefully it will result into a great finish for David at Loudon!

Posted by silverdsl at 03:38 PM | Comments (2)

Not a Pumpkin!

Seems like there's a few media members and fans who are rushing to try to make it seem like David Reutimann leading the most laps at Richmond really isn't that impressive and isn't a sign that Michael Waltrip Racing is on the right track. Bob Margolis from Yahoo Sports! wrote in his observations from Richmond:

• Note to David Reutimann: Your 15 minutes of fame along with your 104 laps led are over. I'm sure it was great fun for you. It was fun to watch, too. Your Toyota turns back into a pumpkin at midnight.

• Reutimann's 100-plus laps at the front of the field only reinforces the theory that once you get to the front of the field in this new car you can easily pull away from everyone and stay there. For someone like Reutimann, it was entertaining to watch as the field – and more specifically Tony Stewart – worked to reel the leader in. When it's someone like Kyle Busch, Edwards or Johnson out front, it spells lights out for the rest of the field.

Huh? Does Margolis realize that David started 27th and then raced his way into the top ten before taking the lead via coming out of the pits first? He didn't drop back all that far in the field when he lost the lead either - he finished 9th, his second 9th place finish in a row, and at Bristol he qualified 2nd. If it was just smoke and mirrors and his car wasn't really that good just exactly how did he finish in the top ten? In addition, there have been other times when drivers other than an elite driver have taken the lead after a pit stop and haven't been able to drive away and keep the lead for over a hundred laps like David was. The fact of the matter is that the #44 team has been racing competitively the past few weeks and if they continue in this direction it probably won't be the last time David leads some laps.

There's also been some fans who say that leading all those laps somehow don't count because David didn't race his way up front to take the lead, he got the lead after a round of pit stops. Again, I say, huh? Does Jimmie Johnson's win not count because he came out of the pits with the lead after the last round of pit stops? Ridiculous. The success a driver has, whether it's leading laps, a win or a good finish otherwise, matters no matter how they got that success. It seems that's the way it goes these days - anything positive for a team or driver there are always some who have to find ways to rip it apart and say why it's not really as good as it seems.

I certainly hope this kind of attitude isn't shared by those with the teams. The #44 team and all at MWR should be very happy about Richmond and it should give them confidence for the future. If everyone looked at things from the perspective of why accomplishments weren't as good as they seemed all the time I'd think it would be very hard to stay motivated and optimistic about the future.

Posted by silverdsl at 11:31 AM | Comments (2)

September 08, 2008

Things Continue to Get Worse for Robby Gordon

Not only is Robby Gordon facing a lawsuit filed by Gillett-Evernham Motorsports in relation to selling his team, after a 42nd place finish yesterday, not only did Robby drop out of the top 35 in owner's points but his crew chief, Walter Giles quit. Robby should be alright this weekend at Loudon since there are only 45 entries so far so he'll only have to beat two cars to make the race but if there are any races where there are more entries and he's still outside the top 35 he could be in trouble since qualifying isn't one of his strengths. Losing his crew chief is going to hurt though. Granted the results have continued to get worse and worse with Giles, but somehow I suspect another crew chief wouldn't have made much of a difference - GEM certainly isn't going to be providing much in the way of support or good equipment right now and Robby Gordon Motorsports doesn't have the financial resources like larger teams do to improve the competitiveness of the cars.

Over the weekend there's been quite a bit of speculation and conspiracy theories regarding what the lawsuit is really about and whether it's actually Robby (who has said he still wants to sell to GEM) or GEM who wants out of their agreement. I can understand that some of Robby's fans (at least the ones who aren't bashing him) want to put the best spin on things but some of the rumors are pretty unlikely to happen. If Robby is in such dire straights that it's hard for him to field a competitive car, and he's in a position where he might sell his team, just exactly how is he going to be able to afford to purchase a large organization like Yates Racing or DEI even with help from John Menard? What's really ridiculous is the wide-spread talk that Robby is deliberately tanking races to ensure that he falls out of the top 35 - it's hard for me to believe that any driver would deliberately race like junk to sabotage their own team's effort, particularly when dropping out of the top 35 would cause his team to lose value.

What's amazing is how many of Robby's fans have turned on him. It's totally understandable that fans are disappointed, pessimistic and unhappy. I also think there's plenty of things to be critical of Robby about. But I think some of the things that are being said about Robby are excessive. Yes, things are going about as bad as an be but I don't think that means that Robby deserves to be bashed, insulted or called names, and especially not by his own fans. It may very well be that Robby has a plan, things will work out for him and he'll continue racing in Cup for years to come, but there's also a chance that things aren't going to work out. Given that there's also some stresses for Robby in his personal life it seems to me that he could use support from his fans. That doesn't mean that his fans shouldn't be critical - there's clearly a lot that isn't going right and it would be ridiculous for fans to stick their heads in the sand about the realities of the situation that Robby's in. However, it's got to be really discouraging to not only Robby but his team to know that many of his fans are so negative right now. With all of this going on I can understand why the Uprising got shut down a few months ago.

I've never really liked Robby much - there's been some things that make it hard for me to like him. However, after seeing what Michael Waltrip went though and all his struggles as an owner-driver the past few years it's hard for me to be anything but sympathetic towards Robby. Some fans seem to think that ownership and racing overall is easy but it's really not. The Cup Series is extremely competitive and it's very hard for smaller, newer and less funded teams to have success when the elite team have an endless amount of money and resources to pour into their teams. I think a lack of funding due to Dakar being canceled and his team not being fully sponsored this season really handcuffed Robby. It's difficult on any racer when no matter what they do and how hard they work things don't go well on the track and the results aren't very good week after week. But I think all of this has to be even harder on Robby because it's also his dreams of being a successful, independent Cup owner that slowly seem to be getting destroyed.

Posted by silverdsl at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)

Tony Stewart's a Poor Loser

Tony Stewart finished 2nd yesterday but after the race he acted like it was a disaster of a race in which he finished 42nd. I can certainly understand why he's frustrated about winning since he had a good car and hasn't been to Victory Lane yet this season but what I find hard to excuse is when he blames his team for coming up short. Over the radio at the conclusion of the race he said something along the lines of "Good job guys, we gave that one away" to which Greg Zippadelli, his crew chief responded by saying something like "We win and lose as a team, you stalled a few times on pit road, that's enough of that crap!" I might be more understanding if Tony's team had slow pit stops or otherwise made mistakes on pit road, but Tony's team did their job on pit road. In fact, I think Tony should have been thanking his team for their hard work which enabled him to be battling for the win at the end of the race!

Tony didn't stop with blaming his team for "only" finishing second, he was also sarcastic and rude to the media in post-race interviews. It's a regular thing with Tony that he is disrespectful to the media but often it gets dismissed as Tony speaking out of emotion when he doesn't want to be bothered when he's just gotten out of the car. What makes this so bad is that Tony was nasty to the media in the post-race media session in the media room after he was given a chance to cool off. Every driver knows that if they're one of the top finishers (or at this race a Chase driver) they have obligations to the media and the rest of the drivers somehow managed to conduct themselves in a professional manner. I'm quite sure David Ragan and Kasey Kahne were extremely disappointed about missing the Chase, particularly in David's case since he came so close to making it, but neither one was anything but polite even when they had just gotten out of their cars.

Sometimes I wonder, if Tony acts like this to his team, the media and at times fans when they approach him for autographs when he's not in the mood to sign, who else does he lash out at? Maybe Joe Gibbs Racing isn't so disappointed to about Tony leaving as one might think. I'm sure they'll miss the way he's always raced competitively for them, but will they miss the hassle of dealing with him when he's in the midst of a temper tantrum or otherwise acting out? I'm quite sure they won't miss having to cover and make excuses for his behavior. That said, Tony's behavior was tolerated at JGR, and is tolerated by others because he's one of the best drivers in Cup, and not only has he won a lot of races, but he's also made a lot of people a significant amount of money. However, I think Tony is going to have to get a handle on his temper now that he's an owner - he simply can't treat people poorly at Stewart-Haas Racing and expect that they're going to perform to the best of their abilities.

Often people excuse away the way Tony treats people by pointing out how nice he can be when he want or how much charity work he does. But I don't think donating $1 million to the Victory Junction Gang Camp makes it acceptable for him to treat others with a lack of respect. Although I think he's a tremendously talented driver who can clearly be a lot of fun to be around when he's in a good mood, the ways in which he acts out makes it very hard for me to like him.

Posted by silverdsl at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)

Outstanding Race for David Reutiamnn at Richmond!

For the second week in a row David Reutimann finished 9th in Cup! Two top tens would be reason enough to celebrate but it gets better - David not only finished 9th at Richmond but for a while it looked like he might even win the race! David led 104 laps, the most of any driver, and at one point was ahead by four second! The results for David and his team have continued to get better and better every week - maybe it's the generation three COT that the Michael Waltrip Racing teams are using, maybe it's that it took until now for David and his crew chief, Ryan Pemberton, to fully gel, or maybe it's just the comfort for David and his team that comes from knowing that they'll racing together for the next three years. Whatever the reason it's awesome to see David not only race competitively up front but contend for the win! I wouldn't be surprised if David won a race before the season's over!

Richmond was pretty good to the other MWR teams as well. I admit I had my doubts about what was going to happen at Richmond after Michael McDowell said that he was going to take a page from Juan Pablo Montoya and race extra-aggressively, but McD raced a clean race and finished 20th, which put him back in the top 35 in owner's points! That has to be a big relief since having to qualify into races adds an extra level of stress and McD is already under a lot of pressure since he's racing to attract sponsorship for the third MWR car for next season and also for his career. McD actually raced even better for a good portion of the day and looked like he was going to finish in the top 15 before losing some ground over the last few laps of the race.

McD may have felt victim to the same issue that caused Michael Waltrip to lose positions over the last 30 laps of the race - based on what was said over the radio, the set of tires they put on the car during the last pit stop didn't work out very well. Michael's 28th place finish in no way reflects how well he raced for quite a bit of the race. It looked like Michael was on his way to a top 15 or top 20 until he lost a lot of ground. Michael had really done an excellent job of battling a loose handling car - often when the car is loose Michael is racing not to wreck instead of racing for position - but at Richmond Michael was able to hold his own and actually race. That had to be a lot of fun for him to be racing up front among the Chase contenders! At the end of the race Michael was extremely frustrated with his finish and I don't blame him - he and his team worked really hard all day and for much of the race everything went their way. It's unfortunate that the finish isn't as good as it looked like it was going to be. However, Michael's finish was not only good enough to keep him in the top 35 in owner's points, but he also moved up a few spots. That's definitely a good thing!

Overall, MWR has to be very happy with the way all three teams raced at Richmond and particularly with David and his team! Seeing the #44 be so competitive is a sign that MWR is making progress and moving in the right direction! Everyone at MWR has to feel encouraged and optimistic about the future - I know I do! I can't wait for the day when Michael or one of his drivers wins a Cup race - what David did at Richmond shows that it's possible! It will be awesome to see Michael celebrating in Victory Lane!

ETA - Just saw Michael's post-race notes. Apparently why he lost so many positions at the end of the race wasn't a bad set of tires, but because a right rear tire was going down and that effected the handling of his car. Michael's probably very lucky that tire didn't blow completely!

Posted by silverdsl at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)

September 06, 2008

Nascar Made the Right Decision

I've seen more than a few fans complaining that Nascar shouldn't have postponed the Cup race that was supposed to be run tonight in Richmond until tomorrow because it mostly stopped raining in Richmond and they might have been able to dry the track by race time. Get real! When Nascar and the track decided yesterday to post-pone the race they had no idea that Tropical Storm Hanna might be mostly through the area by race time. There is no way that they could risk having thousands of fans be on the roads trying to get to and from the race potentially in the middle of a huge storm. In addition, law enforcement and other authorities in the area are going to have enough to worry about without adding a race and a bunch of race fans into the mix. And postponing the race until tomorrow will give track employees time to clean up the track, the grandstands, parking lots and other areas that might have a lot of mud and/or standing water. It really boggles my mind that some fans are unable to see the big picture. Just like most other fans I was also looking forward to seeing an exciting night race at Richmond but I realize there are some things that are more important than a race. I think Nascar made the right decision in postponing - better to be safe than sorry.

Posted by silverdsl at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2008

Michael Waltrip Out Loud on XM (9/4)

Before I get into talking about Michael Waltrip Out Loud I have to comment on Chris "Mad Dog" Russo's show which preempted Dialed In and will eventually take over it's timeslot permanently. In all fairness, I'm biased because I couldn't stand listening to Mad Dog when he was on WFAN, but I thought what I heard of his show yesterday was horrible. I never liked Mad Dog because of how much he yelled and how negative he was about everything when he was on WFAN and his show on XM/Sirius seems to be more of the same. He spent the last ten minutes of the show screaming and yelling about tennis - just about unbearable to listen to.

Anyway, I was thrilled to discover that there was an additional person in the studio with Michael, Tony and the usual suspects who are there when the show is taped - Rick Allen! Rick does the truck broadcasts with Michael and Phil Parsons and I love him! I think Rick has an awesome voice and he, Michael and Phil make an outstanding team in the booth for truck broadcasts! So I was really happy that they had him on the show! I don't really know how he ended up doing the show with them but I'm guessing that maybe he and Michael were golfing together earlier in the day. Rick teased Michael about how high his voice got at one point, which is something that happens with Michael a lot when he gets going, and Michael joked that when he came into the studio, he sat down on something!

Naturally they talked about Fontana first and Michael repeated some of his comments from TWiN that he's also made earlier in the season about how they should make the track into a restrictor plate track. I agree with what he's been saying about how the track needs to make sure that they show on the track is as good as the show they put on in the infield and around the track with all the events and activities they have that surround the race. That's not just for the fans in the stands but also for the fans watching at home on TV. Michael hates it when people say that a race was boring but the fact of the matter is that at least on TV that's exactly what the race at Fontana was. That's a problem for a track in a major market - ticket sales are going to continue to suffer and ratings will continue to drop unless fans see a better "show" when they watch a race at Fontana.

They were all excited about having Olympic medalist Dara Torres as the guest on the show. I had been wondering how she ended up as a guest on the show but someone on Michael's forum said that Michael and Dara did a spread in Golf Digest a while back so I guess they knew each other before the Olympics in China. That they knew each other didn't come across in the interview at all, and I hate to say it but it wasn't a very interesting interview if I'm being honest since they pretty much asked the same questions that everyone else has asked and got the expected answers. In listening to "The After Show" on Tony's site, it turns out that Michael was nervous about the interview and Tony shied away from asking about doping or anything else that might have made Michael mad because he made it clear that he wanted them to be nice to her.

Dara she felt more pressure at the trials than at the games. At the trails she was freaking out because she felt like there were a lot of eyes on her. Her training has changed a lot from when she was younger. She doesn't workout nine times a week anymore, now it's just five times a week. She does weight work with someone from the Florida Panthers and a lot of stretching as well. She had shoulder surgery last week. She's used to people referring to her age and that she's a mother - she knows she can't lie about her age. Dara thinks China did a fabulous job with the games. There was zero discussion of racing in this segment and I wondered whether Dara knows anything about racing or watches Nascar at all - I wish they had asked her.

In the last segment they talked about Richmond. Michael thinks Clint Bowyer is the favorite to get a slot in the Chase because he won at Richmond in the spring and he's good on these types of tracks. However, David Ragan is lurking - I'm really pulling for him to make it in! Michael was complimentary about how much improvement he's shown after starting his Cup career with lots of criticism. Kasey could also make the Chase - Tony wondered if Michael thought it would be a big deal if no Dodge teams made the Chase and whether Nascar would want to look at doing something about that. Michael said no, it would be unfortunate but not anything that Nascar should do something about. Dodge won the Daytona 500 and the All-Star race this season but they haven't put anything together on a consistent basis. Michael loves the mix of tracks in the Chase from Talladega to Loudon. One thing I noticed unless I missed it or it was edited out, Michael never talked about Michael McDowell's return to the #00. Hmm...

Tony will be on Denny Hamlin's Hotpass channel at Richmond. He reminded everyone to listen to The After Show on his website. Michael complained that "The After Show" sounds dirty and that they should change it. Tony said they would if he came up with a better name. That cracked me up that Michael wants them to change the name of a show that he's not even on!

Speaking of "The After Show" I have to admit that while I always enjoy listening to Michael Waltrip Out Loud - it truly is one of my favorite shows on radio or TV - I found "The After Show" to be more interesting this week.

As noted above, Michael was very concerned that they be nice to her so Tony didn't ask her about the doping issue. I kind of wish he had because I think it would have made for a more interesting interview. I can see why it might have upset Michael though since his show isn't exactly a hard news show but meant to entertain, plus he probably doesn't want any of his guests to get offended, particularly one who he considers to be such a big-name guest.

I had come across this photo which shows Michael getting a dancing lesson from one of the women from Dancing With the Stars:

So I had sent an email into the XM show about that because I was wondering if it meant that Michael was going to be on DWtS. Luckily for me they talked about this on "The After Show." Apparently Michael was kind of embarrassed by this (which you can kind of tell in the photo - he looks uncomfortable to me), partially because according to Traci he doesn't like to be touched. That comment got a few people's attention because Michael has never seemed to shy away from hugging fans and all, but it may be that he doesn't like being touched by strangers of which there are many pulling at him all the time, whereas there are some fans who are familiar faces to him that he's comfortable around. Traci didn't care that Michael wasn't too keen on getting a dance lesson because E Entertainment was there to film him learning the cha-cha so that made for some good exposure for him and NAPA. Traci said they would love to get him on the show but his schedule wouldn't allow it. ABC asked DW to be on the show for season two but FOX said no.

Turns out CBS asked for Michael to be on Circus of the Stars(?) and he couldn't do it due to his schedule. He wanted to be one of the ringmasters apparently. I think he would be great on a show like that but maybe it's for the best that it wouldn't work out with his schedule. As Tony brought up on "The After Show" last week there are many who think that everything is a goof to Michael and that he doesn't take racing seriously and an appearance on a show like that might add to that perception.

They talked some more about Fontana and how they need to make some changes. Apparently NAPA's getting rid of their suite at California because they can't get anyone to go to the race and they're going to take a suite at Las Vegas instead. Presumably NAPA pays a significant amount of money for their suite, as do other sponsors, and that they're going to spend their money elsewhere should be a huge wake-up call to the track - and maybe to Nascar as well.

There's been some emails about Michael texting while in the car like he did this past weekend while being held on pit road during a practice because the team was late to inspection the week before. Back at Daytona apparently he was shown on the in-car texting while he was being pushed around the track too. I got the sense some of these emails must be kind of negative because Traci was quick to say that he's got a lot going on because he's an owner now so that's why he does it, I guess so it doesn't sound like he's texting his buddies and goofing off or something. It's unfortunate that some would question why a driver would be texting. Whether he's sending a text for business or social reasons I think Michael and every other driver has the right to text whomever they choose - they have so little time. Of course you don't want a driver texting when they should be focusing on the race or something but just exactly what else was Michael supposed to do while he was sitting in the car being held for those 15 minutes?

In a discussion about Michael's struggles this weekend Tony brought up something that comes up on Michael's forum a lot. Seems like after every practice or race in which Michael struggles and David Reutimann does well, fans say that the #55 team needs to switch to the set-up for the #44. But Tony said just because something works for David in terms of the set-up of the car doesn't mean it's going to work for Michael. If it was that simple, just change to David's set-up, then Michael would never have any problems but it's really not that simple. Different drivers have different driving styles and different ways that they want the cars to feel. I'm quite sure that if and when Bobby Kennedy thinks that going with David's set-up is going to help that he will or does do exactly that.

According to Traci, Michael and Casey Mears had a good discussion in the motorcoach lot and if I heard correctly, threw a football around, which was a good bonding experience so there are no lingering issues between them stemming from the wreck at Bristol or from the earlier incident. That was good to hear. I know that there are a number of fans of Michael who are also fans of Casey and it's never easy when two drivers you like are have issues with each other. However, to Traci's knowledge Clint Bowyer never approached Michael to apologize or anything. As I said last week, I agree with what they said on the last after show that just to smooth things over and make sure there were no hard feelings even if he thought there was nothing to apologize for, Clint should have made the effort to seek Michael out.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2008

Gillett-Evernham Motorsports Files Suit Against Robby Gordon

During a Directv Hotpass broadcast from Watkins Glen in which he was one of the featured drivers, Robby Gordon was highly critical of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and the engines they were providing him. As it turns out it was not a wise choice to make those comments publically as they became past of a lawsuit GEM filed against Robby. The lawsuit alleges that Robby violated terms of a tentative $23 million deal that Robby had agreed to in January to sell his team to GEM. As part of the deal, which contained an exclusivity clause, Robby would have gotten a four year contract to drive for GEM for $3 million a year (plus 45% of winnings), would have been made a part of GEM's board of directors and would have also sold his shop to GEM. Robby then entered into an arrangement with GEM in which they would provide support to Robby's team this season as they do their primary teams. Apparently in May Robby had a change of heart and asked out of the deal, and requested only that they provide him engines.

From a Nascar Scene article, GEM alleges the following in the lawsuit:

The exclusivity clause is the primary basis for the lawsuit, filed Aug. 25 in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte. GEM claims in court documents that Gordon has talked to other teams about merging. It also claims that Gordon made disparaging remarks that he wasn’t getting comparable engines to the other GEM drivers during a DirecTV telecast last month at Watkins Glen. The lawsuit also claims that Gordon ignored the advice of GEM and terminated his previous deal with Ford prematurely, before GEM could get a sponsorship deal from Dodge for Gordon’s car. Dodge and GEM couldn’t agree on a manufacturer’s deal for Gordon’s car.

GEM is seeking damages and to get out of the deal with Robby/Robby Gordon Motorsports. Of course Robby denies all the allegations of the suit but otherwise declined further comment so it's impossible to know what his side of the story is. When I saw this my first reaction was "wow!" and that's still how I feel - just "wow!"

Although I know that Robby likes to be independent and in control, it boggles my mind that he backed out of this deal. RGM is literally racing to survive right now as the organization isn't in good shape financially, is in dire need of sponsorship for next season (Jim Beam isn't even confirmed to be returning) and is sinking like a lead weight in the owner's points to where Robby is on the verge of dropping out of the top 35 because the cars are completely non-competitive even on road course tracks which are Robby's specialty. This deal would have provided Robby with a way to continue racing Cup for the next four years, something which helps him be able to do off-road racing, and would have landed him much needed sponsorship from Dodge for his car. Now the situation with his team is so bad that there's quite a bit of doubt as to whether his team will exist next season.

This lawsuit could very well be the death keel for Robby Gordon Motorsports. For one thing he was already having a hard time nailing down sponsorship for next season and given this is the third lawsuit that Robby's been involved with this season that could scare some potential sponsors away. In addition, if there's any truth to the allegation that Robby has been negotiating to merge with other teams in violation of the exclusivity clause in his deal with GEM, that could also scare those teams he's been talking with away. Not to mention, though it's undisclosed how much damages GEM is looking to get, if it's in the millions, I have to wonder if Robby would be able to pay considering how he's said himself how little money RGM has. It hurts terribly in the short-term as well in terms of competition since Robby won't get much more than the bare minimum from GEM for the rest of the season which will make it extremely hard for him to stay in the top 35, which will complicate things further for next season.

One thing's for sure - Robby needs help to continue fielding his team next season. He needs financial help from sponsors and possibly even an outside investor and he needs engines and other equipment from another team and manufacturer. Maybe he also needs a big dose of luck and prayer because right now the odds that his team will survive past this season aren't looking too good.

I suppose some of my fellow Michael Waltrip fans will take great joy in the news of this lawsuit, as well as if his team folds. Not me. Even though I don't care for Robby all that much, I've always hoped that RGM would be successful in Cup because I think it's good for the sport for there to be one-car teams and drivers like Robby who do things their own way to do well. Unfortunately the more time that passes the more it looks like RGM may not be around for too much longer, at least not as an independent one-car team.

ETA: In thinking about this some more it occurs to me that maybe the reason why Robby pulled out of the deal with GEM is because one of the other organizations he was talking with offered him a more favorable deal, maybe even something where he could continue to operate his team more independently. A while back supposedly someone said that Michael Waltrip said in an interview that he had talks with Robby about working together, that would certainly be interesting for a variety of reasons... Maybe things will work out for Robby afterall, but he'll need to hope those he's been talking with don't get scared off by this lawsuit and that he stays in the top 35.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)

Michael McDowell Returns to the #00 at Richmond

After being out of the #00 for three races so that Mike Skinner could race it as a consultant and offer Michael Waltrip Racing some feedback in an effort to help performance not only for the team but for MWR overall, Michael McDowell will be getting back behind the wheel this weekend at Richmond. While I like McD and think that he's got a lot more talent than he's been able to show so far, I wasn't entirely convinced that he would be back after the three races were over, so I'm glad that he's going to be back racing this weekend!

McD's been making the rounds and over the past two days he was interviewed on both XM and Sirius. Luckily, I was able to catch both interviews since he had some interesting things to say. One thing that's been of concern to a lot of fans is whether MWR is going to field a third car next season, particularly since the odds are if there is no third car there is no McD at MWR. This morning on Sirius McD said that Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman have put a lot of their own money into fielding the third car this season and that they can't do it again next season. Apparently Michael told McD straight out "no sponsor, no car." Although I would be sad if McD left MWR, and for the most part organizations have a better chance of success with more teams, not less, I'm glad that MWR won't be fielding a third car out of their own pocket again. Having to spend millions on an unsponsored car means they can't spend money in other areas, and that car could end up being a drain on resources, financial and otherwise, that are needed for cars that do have sponsorship. It's really important for MWR to improve performance and maybe just being able to focus their efforts on just two teams would help them do that. Don't get me wrong - I would be thrilled if they found sponsorship for a third car but I won't be as broken hearted as some if they scale back to two teams.

As much as I like McD I continue to be a little concerned about his attitude. For one thing when he was asked by Claire B. Lang on XM yesterday about what he had learned from Mike (Skinner), McD didn't really come up with much of anything other than that it reaffirmed to him that it was the cars that were the problem, not him. Let me get this straight - a 23-year old rookie with less than a year's experience in Nascar, let alone Cup didn't learn anything to help him improve from a 20-year veteran of the sport who is a former Truck Series Champion? Mike didn't have that much success in Cup but that didn't stop A.J. Allmendinger from sticking to him like glue and trying to absorb as much as possible that might help him improve as a driver.

To his credit when asked about learning from other drivers McD did say that he spent time listening to Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team and that he learned a lot about communication from listening to them. It's true that Jimmie, Chad and the rest of the #48 team not only communicate very well but also work well together as a cohesive unit. As McD mentioned, he's not had a lot of time to gel with Peter Sospenso, the new crew chief of the #00, but maybe listening to the #48 team gave McD some insights that he can bring back to his team and use to develop good communication with Peter.

It's not just the #48 team that McD was paying close attention to. Apparently he also spent a lot of time watching Juan Pablo Montoya and plans to emulate his hard racing style, even if it upsets people. He talked about it on XM but also in his pre-race notes for Richmond in which he said,

"I got a valuable lesson from watching Juan Pablo Montoya at Bristol. I know everyone was upset with how hard he raced the leaders. He raced everybody as hard as he could every single lap. He ended up getting a top-20 finish and he probably had a 35th-place car. I think that's something that you've got to look at. There is a balance and you probably are going to upset some people, but at the same time you are trying to get into the top-35. You are trying to keep your job and improve your finishes."

McD was even more blunt about it on XM. No talk of finding a balance - he plans on racing hard on every single lap of every single race from start to finish no matter how many other drivers might get upset because he's racing to get back into the top 35 and for his career. I'm all for drivers racing hard, particularly as the laps wind down in a race but I also think that drivers need to use good judgment and know when to dial it down. Being aggressive has already been an issue for McD several times this season. Early on he upset Jeff Burton with how hard he raced him, his aggressive style meant that he had to be warned not to run over his own owner during a re-start at Sonoma, and most recently at Watkins Glen he played a role in starting a huge wreck by the way he was racing David Gilliland. Now he says he's going to race even harder?

I have to wonder how well being even more aggressive is going to work out for him. JPM might be in only his second season in the Cup Series but he's a veteran racer who has been tremendously successful in other series. I think he's earned the right to race his fellow competitors as hard as he wants, but is it such a good idea for a rookie? It hasn't always worked out well for JPM since it's led to conflicts with his fellow competitors and many fans don't really like him too much either. In addition, McD needs to keep in mind the car he's racing. He says that he'll be racing a new generation three COT like the #44 and #55 teams have been using so maybe he'll have a more competitive car to race from here on out, but previously I don't think his cars were good enough for him to race all of his fellow competitors super-hard on every lap. That doesn't mean that he needs to pull over for them - far from it - but I think he needs to be mindful of what his car is capable of and make sure he's not overdriving.

I just want everything to work out for McD and for MWR overall. The last thing he or MWR needs is to be embroiled with any more controversy and sometimes aggressive racing can led to incidents. Of course some say there's no such thing as bad publicity and the exposure could help find a sponsor and thus secure him a ride next season with MWR, but I just hope that McD is mindful of that balance he talked about in his pre-race notes.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2008

Photo of the Day - Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, 2006. It was a sunny day... except on that side of Crater Lake.

Posted by silverdsl at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

David Stremme Will Race the #12 for Penske Racing in 2009

Today it was made official that as had been long rumored (can anyone keep anything secret in Nascar anymore?) David Stremme will make a return to the Cup Series in 2009, racing the #12 for Penske Racing. I've been scratching my head ever since I heard that Stremme would likely be named the driver of the #12. Maybe it says something about the depth of the available driver pool but it's a little puzzling to me why Penske would replace Ryan Newman, a driver with 13 Cup wins, 63 top fives, 103 top tens, and 43 poles over the course of his time in the #12, with a driver who has zero wins, zero top fives, zero poles and just three top tens during his time in Cup.

It's quite possible that we never saw the best of Stremme when he was at Chip Ganassi Racing since a driver can only make the best of the cars that they're given to race and Ganassi isn't among the most competitive in the garage area. Still, although Stremme has raced well for Rusty Wallace, Inc. in the Nationwide Series this season, he has yet to win on any of Nascar's three highest levels. Newman hasn't exactly been among the most successful drivers in the garage area the past few years, but he did win the Daytona 500, one of Nascar's most prestigious races this season. So I have to wonder - is Stremme really going to get the same kind of results that Newman did or anywhere close?

What's interesting is that Alltel is apparently still going to be on the car next season... at least so far. The sale of Alltel to Verizon which hasn't been completed yet might put that in jeopardy since Sprint/Nextel has exclusivity when it comes to cell phone carriers as the title sponsor. Alltel was grandfathered in and supposedly would have to keep that name if they wanted to stay on the car after Verizon buys them out. However, AT&T did win the right to be on the #31 for a period of time after they bought out Cingular but they had to file a lawsuit to do so. Maybe Verizon/Alltel plans on doing the same thing.

If Alltel/Verizon can't remain as sponsor of the #12 then Penske would have to find a new primary sponsor, something that isn't so easy right now. While Stremme is young, attractive, media-savvy and marketable, in the past it's never seemed like he's been one to get a tremendous amount of exposure for his sponsors so that in combination with his not-so-impressive results in Cup to this point in his career might make it difficult to find sponsorship for the #12 if that's what needs to happen.

All of that said, I wish Stremme well and I hope that he proves that he's a good choice to replace Newman. It's not that often that a driver leaves Cup to race on a lower level and then makes a return to Cup in a decent ride. So I'd like to see this work out for Stremme. I don't have the confidence that Penske must have in Stremme that he's going to race well enough for them to return the #12 to the Chase but I don't doubt that he must have some talent behind the wheel - good looks can only get a driver so far. There were some who made some harsh comments about Stremme and what they perceived to be a lack of talent so I'd like to see him prove all the doubters wrong and show that he belongs in Cup. Only time will tell if that happens or not.

Posted by silverdsl at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)

September 02, 2008

Random Nascar Thoughts on Random Thoughts (9/2)

*There had been speculation that Dario Franchitti might end up in the #41 now that Reed Sorenson signed with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. But today it was announced that after less than 20 races Franchitti's flirtation with Nascar is over - he'll be returning to the IRL in a Chip Ganassi Racing car as the replacement for Dan Wheldon. Should be interesting to see who ends up in the #41 since it won't be Franchitti. I would think that Target will want a high-profile driver but unless someone gets released or a deal is made to buy someone out of their contract, there aren't really any high-profile drivers available anymore.

*Tropical Storm Hannah may wreck havoc on both the Nationwide and Cup races this weekend at Richmond since it could bring tremendous rains. There's a lot of hand-wringing over what might happen, not because it's a major storm with potentially damaging high winds and heavy rains that could cause flooding but because it might cause the field for the last race heading into the Chase to be set by points and the race might be delayed for a few days. The reality is that even if there wasn't a tropical storm due to hit the East Coast there's the possiblity of rain at Richmond or any other tracks. It's a challenge for the teams but they'll deal with it like they do anything else that comes their way. I feel bad for the fans who have tickets for Richmond because it's not always possible for fans to attend postponed races and they don't get their money back if they can't go.

*According to a report by Marty Smith on ESPN.com, sources say that Jay Frye, who is currently the general manager of Red Bull Racing, may leave that organization before the end of the season to become the general manager and vice president of Stewart-Haas Racing. Losing Frye, who has been credited by Brian Vickers for turning the organization around, would be a major blow to RBR. Gaining Frye would immediately make SHR significantly better on the management side. There is speculation that Frye might want to leave RBR even though he has only been there a short time because he may not have as much say in decision-making independent from Red Bull higher-ups who are based in Austria and therefore are very much distanced from Nascar and the Cup garage. If I were Frye, I would be particularly unhappy with the A.J. Allmendinger situation - RBR should be in a hurry to re-sign him before another team does, and if they don't intend on having him as a part of their organization in 2009 they should just let him know.

*Today Bill Davis Racing announced that 20-year old Brian Scott, who currently drives for Xpress Motorsports in the Truck Series will race a truck for them full time next season. Scott has just one top ten this season but BDR must feel he has some promise as a driver... or at least that he promises to bring some money with him in terms of sponsorship. Xpress has entered into a partnership with BDR for the remainder of the season which will result in them converting their trucks to Toyotas with BDR's help. I have to wonder if this is a sign that Scott Speed won't be racing any more truck races for BDR in 2009 since I don't think BDR would field four trucks on a regular basis, which could mean that he's in line for a Cup ride at RBR. One also has to wonder what that means for Michael Annett, who has also raced a handful of races for BDR this season and is well-thought of.

Posted by silverdsl at 03:49 PM | Comments (0)

David Reutimann Finishes 9th in Fontana!

Although Sunday's race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana was pretty forgettable for the most part, there was one major highlight - David Reutimann finished a career best 9th! The past few weeks David and the #44 team have really started to come on strong - at Michigan David qualified 7th and finished 14th, at Bristol he qualified 2nd but only was able to finish 25th and this past weekend he qualified 12th and finished 9th. Maybe it's because they've started to use the new generation three COTs that Michael Waltrip Racing has been working with, maybe it's because David and his team have really come together as a solid team or maybe it's because any uncertainties about David and the future of the team have been resolved now that David and Aaron's have been signed for the next three years. Whatever the reason may be David is showing that he is an outstanding driver who can race up front when he has a competitive car. If things continue in this direction I think we'll be seeing him contend for wins before too long!

Unfortunately the result wasn't as good for Michael Waltrip - he had to race hard just to finish 33rd due to how loose the car was. Based on the radio communication during the the race, the team made some adjustments after practice on Saturday that didn't really work out for the race on Sunday. Seems like that's not the first time that's happened - they gamble with changes that don't end up turning out the way they'd like and then they have to spend the race trying to make more changes to get the car right. To the team's credit they often make changes that make the car better but by the time the car is faster and more competitive Michael is often stuck a lap down or otherwise has poor track position. It may be difficult for Bobby Kennedy and the rest of the team because I think Michael likes his cars to feel a very specific way so it might be hard to get the cars perfectly the way they want them but I think they need to work on showing up to the track with the car being closer to right because it seems like they're almost always playing catch up right from the start. Obviously MWR is moving in the right direction with the cars they're building since David's results have been good recently, but there's still a ways to go - Michael complains almost every week about his cars being so loose that he's racing just to not spin out as opposed to racing for position. He also often complains about the right front not feeling right. They need to work on resolving those issues for him so that he can race up front like he's capable of like David has been.

Mike Skinner raced his last race for MWR at Fontana. Hopefully MWR learned something from the three races that Mike was in the #00 for that will help them for next season and beyond, but I have to admit that I'm scratching my head a little over just how much value the feedback he's providing to the team is going to be considering he apparently was racing an older version of the COT, as opposed to the gen three version that the #44 and #55 teams are going to be using moving forward. At the very least hopefully he helped with team communication and provided some valuable advice to Michael McDowell which will not only help him when he gets back in the #00 this weekend at Richmond but in the future. I like McD a lot but part of me wonders why they're putting him back in the car. There's still a chance that the #00 could get back into the top 35 which would make it more likely that MWR field three Cup cars next season and I think another veteran driver with more experience would have a better chance of achieving that. I suppose they want to try to showcase him for potential sponsors if he's the driver they intend on using in a third car next season but I'm not that optimistic that he's going to pull an A.J. Allmendinger and suddenly start racing up front once he gets back into the car.

Like I said above, the race overall was pretty boring. This time I don't think it was just the TV coverage that made it that way either since some who were at the race in person also talked about how unexciting it was. Last night on This Week in Nascar Michael brought up his idea to turn the track into a restrictor plate track, and while I'm not sure that's feasible, I think he's correct when he says that the track needs to be sure that they're giving fans the best possible show, something they aren't now. Michael said that the track does a great job with everything that surrounds the race in terms of making it very fan friendly and it gets everyone all hyped up but once the race actually starts there's a let-down. That's something that needs to be addressed particularly now that fans are being more picky about what races they buy tickets for. In light of the uninteresting racing at this track it's hard to believe that this track got a Chase race for next season.

Posted by silverdsl at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)