From the Crossville Chronicle-Crossville, TN Wed. Nov. 12, 2008
By Joe Dunn / joe@onpitroad.com
With one race to go Jimmie Johnson left Phoenix with another win and a 141 point lead over Carl Edwards, so he needs a 36th place finish at Homestead to win a third title in a row. At this point all other teams are eliminated from the title chase, which leaves them time to ponder 2009.
The economic downfall that has hit this country has not escaped Nascar’s teams as massive layoffs appear to be certain after the final race at Homestead, Florida. It was only a year ago that the big influx of investors brought unlikely folks to Nascar, such as the Fenway group who joined Roush racing. As the signs of the economic woes became apparent earlier in the year, many teams scrambled to seek investors, but their moves were too late.
The expense of racing in the Nascar serious is staggering, and without major sponsors it is an insurmountable expense. We all saw that last year when Bobby Ginn realized that it took more to run an operation than just his personal wealth. As investor groups moved in, the model changed more from a sport, to that of big business. Ray Evernham learned that when he brought in the owner of the Montreal Canadians NHL team, George Gillette as a partner. According to sources at Phoenix over the weekend, Ray will be gone from GEM next year.
Gene Haas, owner of Haas CNC Racing saw the effects of under funding earlier in year as their two teams struggled. In a daring move, they reached out to two time Champion Tony Stewart and offered a partial ownership to lure his talent away from Joe Gibbs racing . Stewarts star power easily drew sponsors such as Office Depot and Old Spice, his long friendship with Ryan Newman secured a second top shelf driver and the ability to draw the US Army sponsorship. But Stewart Haas Racing is more the exception that the rule and of course their success will depend on their ability to be competitive, which Haas CNC never has been.
Bill Davis Racing has been a long standing familiar name in the sport, but efforts to draw investors or partners during the season have failed. The future of the organization has looked dim since Caterpillar announced early in the year that they would not return to BDR in 2009, but instead move to Richard Childress Racing and the 31 car of Jeff Burton. Michael Waltrip Racing, which was formed in 2007 as the flagship team for Toyota’s introduction into the Nascar Sprint Cup Series is cutting back for 2009, from 3 teams to 2. After a dismiss showing in it’s first year, Robert Kauffman, founder and managing partner of Fortress Investment Groups was brought in as a 50% partner of MWR. With the loss of UPS as a major sponsor of the 44 car of David Reutimann, David will move back to the 00 car with partial sponsorship from Aarons Rentals for 2009, taking the 44 points with him.
The economic woes among team owners is serious enough that even Nascar is looking at cutbacks to help the teams. Earlier in the year, talks of expanding testing for the teams was a hot topic in the garage and as late as August Nascar was ready to add several additional dates and tracks for 2009. But since October, those plans seem to have been put on the back burner for further discussion in the off season. It appears likely that no expansion of testing dates will now take place.
So what’s in store for Nascar in 2009? That’s the question that will linger for another 4 to 6 months to see how all the changes roll out. We have a good idea on some of the changes coming, but there are bound to be many more than we can see now. I wouldn’t look for a lot of new faces in the garage area at Daytona in February, but I sure would expect to see a lot of faces in different uniforms. I would also expect to see less faces overall as many of the teams will cut back on personnel, especially at the track.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
It’s Time for David Gilliland to Exit Nascar
From the Crossville Chronicle-Crossville, TN Wed. Nov. 5, 2008
By Joe Dunn / joe@onpitroad.com
Carl Edwards claimed a fuel mileage win at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday and took a big chunk out of Jimmie Johnson’s lead, reducing it to 106 points. But that lead would have been cut even further had it not been for the actions of David Gilliland, who pulled what was undoubtedly the biggest boneheaded move of the season.
Juan Pablo Montoya was at Texas with a brand new car that Chip Ganassi Racing had built ‘in house’ and this new car had shown major improvements for the team. Starting 26th on the field, Montoya charged ahead early and managed to spend most of the day running in the top 10. That is, until he began having some problems late in the race with the ‘laps down’ car of David Gilliland in the #38 Yates racing Ford.
Montoya was attempting to get buy David and claimed that David had forced him into the wall. “I had a good run off the corner and he runs me to the wall. I did all I could, but I still hit the wall. So I went into one and just hit him a little bit to say, ‘Hey, I was there.’ Know what I mean?
As expected Gilliland saw the exchange quite differently from his vantage point. “My spotter said I was clear, I kind of slid up in front of him and he jacked my rear wheels off the ground going down the back straightaway and then got into me again going into turn 1 and 2 and jacked me way up the track.”
After a couple laps of the bumping, the big one came on lap 263, coming out of turn four, Montoya was low and Gilliland was high. Montoya slid up the track and while doing so, Gilliland started moving down low, clipping the left rear of the 42 car with his right front. The result of course was Montoya’s car being turned head-on into the outside wall.
The force of the crash destroyed the 42 car and of course ended the day for the Texaco Havoline team. Fortunately Juan Montoya was able to walk away uninjured, but that could have easily been a career ending crash. Gilliland’s car suffered some damage but was still in one piece. The race was further delayed as Montoya’s car got stuck on Pit Road and took extra time to clear.
Gilliland was called to the pits and given a 5 lap penalty, but the Nascar officials in the tower decided to park him for the remained of the race. With both drivers out of the race, they were both summoned to the Nascar Hauler to speak with Nascar Sprint Cup Officials. It was announced after the race by Nascar Sprint Cup Series Director, John Darby that no further penalties will be assessed.
I was one who cheered for David when he claimed his first victory in the Nationwide Series at Kentucky in 2006. The kid with no sponsorship and a part time team mastered all those big money teams like Roush, Gibbs, Hendrick and DEI to pull of the big surprise. That win catapulted him to the Nascar Sprint Cup Series as Yates racing was suddenly short a drive with the defection of Elliott Sadler. Gilliland was the ’diamond in the ruff’ suddenly discovered at Kentucky. Winning the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2007 set this kid up to be the next ’darling’ of racing. I had high hoped for David, but after Daytona, that light has barely flickered over the past two seasons.
After watching Sundays race, add me to the list of folks who felt that Gilliland’s actions were so egregious that it called for his suspension for at least the final two race of 2008, and possibly much longer. Having been a race fan for over 40 years, there should be no place in the sport for such a reckless act. With these cars traveling at close to 200 mph, David may as well have aimed a gun at Juan, the potential danger would have been equal.
By Joe Dunn / joe@onpitroad.com
Carl Edwards claimed a fuel mileage win at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday and took a big chunk out of Jimmie Johnson’s lead, reducing it to 106 points. But that lead would have been cut even further had it not been for the actions of David Gilliland, who pulled what was undoubtedly the biggest boneheaded move of the season.
Juan Pablo Montoya was at Texas with a brand new car that Chip Ganassi Racing had built ‘in house’ and this new car had shown major improvements for the team. Starting 26th on the field, Montoya charged ahead early and managed to spend most of the day running in the top 10. That is, until he began having some problems late in the race with the ‘laps down’ car of David Gilliland in the #38 Yates racing Ford.
Montoya was attempting to get buy David and claimed that David had forced him into the wall. “I had a good run off the corner and he runs me to the wall. I did all I could, but I still hit the wall. So I went into one and just hit him a little bit to say, ‘Hey, I was there.’ Know what I mean?
As expected Gilliland saw the exchange quite differently from his vantage point. “My spotter said I was clear, I kind of slid up in front of him and he jacked my rear wheels off the ground going down the back straightaway and then got into me again going into turn 1 and 2 and jacked me way up the track.”
After a couple laps of the bumping, the big one came on lap 263, coming out of turn four, Montoya was low and Gilliland was high. Montoya slid up the track and while doing so, Gilliland started moving down low, clipping the left rear of the 42 car with his right front. The result of course was Montoya’s car being turned head-on into the outside wall.
The force of the crash destroyed the 42 car and of course ended the day for the Texaco Havoline team. Fortunately Juan Montoya was able to walk away uninjured, but that could have easily been a career ending crash. Gilliland’s car suffered some damage but was still in one piece. The race was further delayed as Montoya’s car got stuck on Pit Road and took extra time to clear.
Gilliland was called to the pits and given a 5 lap penalty, but the Nascar officials in the tower decided to park him for the remained of the race. With both drivers out of the race, they were both summoned to the Nascar Hauler to speak with Nascar Sprint Cup Officials. It was announced after the race by Nascar Sprint Cup Series Director, John Darby that no further penalties will be assessed.
I was one who cheered for David when he claimed his first victory in the Nationwide Series at Kentucky in 2006. The kid with no sponsorship and a part time team mastered all those big money teams like Roush, Gibbs, Hendrick and DEI to pull of the big surprise. That win catapulted him to the Nascar Sprint Cup Series as Yates racing was suddenly short a drive with the defection of Elliott Sadler. Gilliland was the ’diamond in the ruff’ suddenly discovered at Kentucky. Winning the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2007 set this kid up to be the next ’darling’ of racing. I had high hoped for David, but after Daytona, that light has barely flickered over the past two seasons.
After watching Sundays race, add me to the list of folks who felt that Gilliland’s actions were so egregious that it called for his suspension for at least the final two race of 2008, and possibly much longer. Having been a race fan for over 40 years, there should be no place in the sport for such a reckless act. With these cars traveling at close to 200 mph, David may as well have aimed a gun at Juan, the potential danger would have been equal.
2009 - Nascar Camping World Truck Series
From the crossville Chronicle - Crossville, TN Wed. Oct. 29,2008
By Joe Dunn / joe@onpitroad.com
A big sigh of relief fell across Nascar and the Truck Series teams last week as it was announced that Camping World has agreed to sponsor the series starting in 2009 and continue for seven years.
In 1995 Nascar added a third series to their top tier of racing called the Super Truck Series. This was the first major racing series in America featuring full size pick up trucks. The new series began with a lot of help and support of many of Nascar’s top teams as Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress entered teams in this new series. Those owners were joined by drivers Dale Earnhardt, Geoff Bodine and Ernie Irvan who also fielded teams.
In 1996 Craftsman Tools joined as the series sponsor and the name changed to the Nascar Craftsman Truck series. The series went through several rules and format changes over the first ten years and now falls in line with most of the same rules as the other two series. The truck series has served as a training and proving grounds for numerous young drivers looking for a future in big time racing. Some of today’s top names in Nascar got their start in the CTS. Names like Scott Riggs, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and the Busch brothers.
The CTS became the proving grounds for some of Nascar’s new rules, as the green/white/checker finish was established and proven viable in the truck series before moving up to the other two. The 18 year old age rule was forced on the truck series before it was a Nascar rule, when the series joined the CART series in 2001 at Fontana California as a companion race to the Marlboro 500. Kyle Busch, who was 16 at the time was thrown out because tobacco sponsorship rules prohibited competitors under 18 during the program. That situation led Nascar to establish the 18 year old minimum age in 2002, which parked young Busch until Memorial Day weekend in 2003.
On December 3, 2007 it was announced that 2008 would be the final year of sponsorship of the series by Craftsman. As the 2008 season progressed rumors of who would emerge as the ‘New’ sponsor covered nearly every major sponsor already involved with Nascar. But as the season wore on, those names dwindled as one big corporate name after another announced that they were not interested. Talks of Nascar having to reduce and again further reduce the price tag filled the racing pages across the country leading to doubts about the series future. Adding to the woes of the series Dodge announced last month that they will no longer support any teams in the series in 2009, and a week ago, Ford announced that it will be pulling it’s financial support for the truck series at the end of this year.
Just last week, some of the sports top writers and even competitors were predicting the end of the series at the end of the 2008 season. This major announcement means that one of the most exciting series in Nascar is alive and well and looks to continue for at least another seven years. Hopefully with news of this new sponsor, Dodge and Ford will rethink their bailing out of the series. I for one hope that they reverse their decisions. As someone having been involved in racing since 1964, I find the Truck Series to be some the best and most exciting racing Nascar has to offer.
By Joe Dunn / joe@onpitroad.com
A big sigh of relief fell across Nascar and the Truck Series teams last week as it was announced that Camping World has agreed to sponsor the series starting in 2009 and continue for seven years.
In 1995 Nascar added a third series to their top tier of racing called the Super Truck Series. This was the first major racing series in America featuring full size pick up trucks. The new series began with a lot of help and support of many of Nascar’s top teams as Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress entered teams in this new series. Those owners were joined by drivers Dale Earnhardt, Geoff Bodine and Ernie Irvan who also fielded teams.
In 1996 Craftsman Tools joined as the series sponsor and the name changed to the Nascar Craftsman Truck series. The series went through several rules and format changes over the first ten years and now falls in line with most of the same rules as the other two series. The truck series has served as a training and proving grounds for numerous young drivers looking for a future in big time racing. Some of today’s top names in Nascar got their start in the CTS. Names like Scott Riggs, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and the Busch brothers.
The CTS became the proving grounds for some of Nascar’s new rules, as the green/white/checker finish was established and proven viable in the truck series before moving up to the other two. The 18 year old age rule was forced on the truck series before it was a Nascar rule, when the series joined the CART series in 2001 at Fontana California as a companion race to the Marlboro 500. Kyle Busch, who was 16 at the time was thrown out because tobacco sponsorship rules prohibited competitors under 18 during the program. That situation led Nascar to establish the 18 year old minimum age in 2002, which parked young Busch until Memorial Day weekend in 2003.
On December 3, 2007 it was announced that 2008 would be the final year of sponsorship of the series by Craftsman. As the 2008 season progressed rumors of who would emerge as the ‘New’ sponsor covered nearly every major sponsor already involved with Nascar. But as the season wore on, those names dwindled as one big corporate name after another announced that they were not interested. Talks of Nascar having to reduce and again further reduce the price tag filled the racing pages across the country leading to doubts about the series future. Adding to the woes of the series Dodge announced last month that they will no longer support any teams in the series in 2009, and a week ago, Ford announced that it will be pulling it’s financial support for the truck series at the end of this year.
Just last week, some of the sports top writers and even competitors were predicting the end of the series at the end of the 2008 season. This major announcement means that one of the most exciting series in Nascar is alive and well and looks to continue for at least another seven years. Hopefully with news of this new sponsor, Dodge and Ford will rethink their bailing out of the series. I for one hope that they reverse their decisions. As someone having been involved in racing since 1964, I find the Truck Series to be some the best and most exciting racing Nascar has to offer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)