By Joe Dunn
How many of you have watched that Carfax commercial and chuckled when the girl ask for the carfax, and the salesman pulls out a note from the previous owner? Look, it says, “this is a really god car ……I Promise!” I didn’t think that guy looked like Mike Helton or John Darby, until last week.
Does anybody know how many times NASCAR has requested teams to come to the R&D center so that they can show them just how ‘Legal’ the car is? I think it would be a really small number. What are the chances that if this happened in May, and not during the Chase, we would be hearing a different outcome?
OK, I thought about writing about the ‘call’ last week, but decided that by the time my mid-week column hit the website it would already be all over the media. To my surprise it did not get much coverage at all, perhaps because NASCAR ‘Promised’ that it was not an issue. After all, everybody moved onto Kansas, and most folks accepted the NASCAR call on the deal.
Hey, Tony Stewart won the race with Jeff Gordon closing in at the end, but neither the No.5 or the No.48 finished in the top 5. Surely the Cup officials were relieved of that and hoped for this ’close call’ to die a quite death. After the post-race inspections, the normal procedures were followed as NASCAR ordered the winning car No.14 and a random car, the No.2 to be loaded up for the R&D center. Then came the twist, they ordered both the No.5 and the No.48 to go too.
Just what kind of a signal does that send to the teams, the media, and the fans? If those two cars were so ’Legal’ last week, why are they pulling them again? I think the inference that many folks will take from this call goes like this. One of both of these cars were actually ’out of tolerance’ last week, but not wanting to effect the championship, the rules violations were allowed to slide with a warning not to do it again. So, NASCAR not actually trusting the two HMS teams to comply, (especially the 48 team, based on their record) they are going to check them again. The big question will be, if they are the same as last week, will the call be the same?
This whole thing is turning into a public relations problem for NASCAR and it could escalate even further. Should they find the No.5 and No.48 to be illegal this week and call for penalties, it will call into question WHY the penalties didn’t occur last week. And if they are ‘so close’ again this week ‘but legal’, will the HMS teams claim they are being picked on? Why did NASCAR not comment on just what the measurements in question were? They normally do.
One of NASCAR’s explanations last week was that they wanted HMS to see how close the cars were because the teams equipment showed that they were OK. If that comment came about a call on a Stewart-Haas Racing car (yes SHR hangs their own bodies), or a Tommy Baldwin Racing car, it would be understood as they do not have all the resources of a Hendrick or Roush-Fenway team. But HMS has the most advanced shops in NASCAR with equipment far better than NASCAR’s own. If a measurement at NASCAR R&D is off, it would be off at HMS. So the pulling of these cars again this week just makes last weeks call an issue all over again.
Perhaps with the attendance and TV rating continuing to fall, Brian France is looking for a Conspiracy controversy, like the Wrestling shows use, to get those frustrated fans in California to actually show up at Fontana now that they have a Chase race.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Kansas, make or break for Chase Contenders
By Joe Dunn
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway this week for the third of ten races for the Championship. Ordinarily the points after 3 races out of 10 races might not be such a big concern, but there are now 8 drivers more than 100 points behind the leader, and that could spell concern for some of them.
Tony Stewart sits 5th right now, 106 points out of first, and that would not be a concern for a driver of Stewarts caliber, but the last few weeks have not been kind to the driver who led the points for most of the regular season. Still, Tony has been a constant threat and even through equipment problems, he has managed to battle back for respectable finishes. Not time to count out the No 14 Chevy team, I look for at least one more win for him.
Denny Hamlin had a horrible finish at Dover, but even that 22nd place didn’t hurt him too badly. Like Stewart, Denny has the ability and the team behind him to get the No 11 Toyota back up front and cut into that 108 point deficit.
Ryan Newman, even though he has been winless this season has been a consistent driver. The team continues to struggle to get and keep the setup needed for the No 39 Chevy to run up front, but Ryan is as persistent as any driver in the series. Being 110 points back makes a run for first difficult, but look for him to continue to be up front for the next 8 races.
Jeff Gordon sits 8th in the points, 122 behind teammate Mark Martin. Jeff has had an off year, with a single win at this point. Many observers point to his ever present back pains. Most other drivers this far back would be considered doubtful to challenge for the number one spot, but don’t count out Gordon just yet, there is still time for a driver with his skill and patience to rebound. A bad finish at Kansas however would signal a real problem for the No 24 Chevy.
Greg Biffle heads to Kansas 138 points out. Another winless driver with a rather erratic season Greg needs a top 3 finish at Kansas to bring the No 16 Ford back to life and contend for a top 5 points finish.
Brian Vickers is the real wild card in the Chase. His time behind the wheel of the No 83 Red Bull Toyota was all over the place last year. It was only really in the latter half of this season that he and his team have come to life. On a wing and a prayer the No 83 team managed to make the chase. But at 151 points back, this team will be fighting hard just to make it onto the stage at Las Vegas.
Carl Edwards is one of the most twisted stories so far this year. The driver of the No 99 Ford has been a hot foot for Roush Fenway Racing since he took over for Jeff Burton in 2004. So to see the year he has experienced, winless so far has to be a hard reality to accept. But like Jeff Gordon, even at 153 points back, Carl still has the ability to turn this Chase around. Remember folks, this is the guy who pulled that Bonsai move on the last lap at Kansas last year. Granted, he hit the wall and finished second, but it is finish that you will all see a lot of replays of this week. A top 3 finish here could propel Carl back up front, a bad finish will probably have him thinking about next year.
At 12 place, 189 points back, Casey Kahne will be forced to settle for making the stage , at Las Vegas. His DNF at New Hampshire, combined with an 8th place at Dover has left him heading to Kansas with a full race deficit. Barring DNF’s by the top 3 teams, the No 9 Dodge will be fighting for positions other than Champion.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway this week for the third of ten races for the Championship. Ordinarily the points after 3 races out of 10 races might not be such a big concern, but there are now 8 drivers more than 100 points behind the leader, and that could spell concern for some of them.
Tony Stewart sits 5th right now, 106 points out of first, and that would not be a concern for a driver of Stewarts caliber, but the last few weeks have not been kind to the driver who led the points for most of the regular season. Still, Tony has been a constant threat and even through equipment problems, he has managed to battle back for respectable finishes. Not time to count out the No 14 Chevy team, I look for at least one more win for him.
Denny Hamlin had a horrible finish at Dover, but even that 22nd place didn’t hurt him too badly. Like Stewart, Denny has the ability and the team behind him to get the No 11 Toyota back up front and cut into that 108 point deficit.
Ryan Newman, even though he has been winless this season has been a consistent driver. The team continues to struggle to get and keep the setup needed for the No 39 Chevy to run up front, but Ryan is as persistent as any driver in the series. Being 110 points back makes a run for first difficult, but look for him to continue to be up front for the next 8 races.
Jeff Gordon sits 8th in the points, 122 behind teammate Mark Martin. Jeff has had an off year, with a single win at this point. Many observers point to his ever present back pains. Most other drivers this far back would be considered doubtful to challenge for the number one spot, but don’t count out Gordon just yet, there is still time for a driver with his skill and patience to rebound. A bad finish at Kansas however would signal a real problem for the No 24 Chevy.
Greg Biffle heads to Kansas 138 points out. Another winless driver with a rather erratic season Greg needs a top 3 finish at Kansas to bring the No 16 Ford back to life and contend for a top 5 points finish.
Brian Vickers is the real wild card in the Chase. His time behind the wheel of the No 83 Red Bull Toyota was all over the place last year. It was only really in the latter half of this season that he and his team have come to life. On a wing and a prayer the No 83 team managed to make the chase. But at 151 points back, this team will be fighting hard just to make it onto the stage at Las Vegas.
Carl Edwards is one of the most twisted stories so far this year. The driver of the No 99 Ford has been a hot foot for Roush Fenway Racing since he took over for Jeff Burton in 2004. So to see the year he has experienced, winless so far has to be a hard reality to accept. But like Jeff Gordon, even at 153 points back, Carl still has the ability to turn this Chase around. Remember folks, this is the guy who pulled that Bonsai move on the last lap at Kansas last year. Granted, he hit the wall and finished second, but it is finish that you will all see a lot of replays of this week. A top 3 finish here could propel Carl back up front, a bad finish will probably have him thinking about next year.
At 12 place, 189 points back, Casey Kahne will be forced to settle for making the stage , at Las Vegas. His DNF at New Hampshire, combined with an 8th place at Dover has left him heading to Kansas with a full race deficit. Barring DNF’s by the top 3 teams, the No 9 Dodge will be fighting for positions other than Champion.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Pressure gets to Dale Jr.
By Joe Dunn
On Sunday, a dejected Dale Earnhardt Jr displayed a side of himself that NASCAR fans are not used to. After his front running car was destroyed in a late race crash involving David Reutimann Junior lashed out at David, using the term “out of talent” to describe the driver of the 00 Toyota.
I have been around this sport for a long time and I’m accustomed to drivers shooting off after a wreck, but Junior is a lot like Mark Martin, you rarely ever hear him bad mouthing someone. Even in the lead up to his departure from DEI, junior left the bad mouthing to others. Junior Nation, his fans were loud and clear with their displeasure with Teresa Earnhardt and DEI, but Junior was always the Class Act, choosing not to make it personal.
Since Tony Eury Sr stepped down as his crew chief, Junior’s performance on the track has been inconsistent. He struggled through a handful of crew chiefs before settling in with Tony Jr, but that spot light to the championship continued to flicker. As his on track problems continued, he remained the ‘cool cat’, always showing respect and composure. With his move to HMS, hopes were high for that big change, but it did not come. When his fans began blaming Tony Jr. Dale stood up and defended his cousin/crew chief. It was finally Rick Hendrick’s decision to split them up. Still Dale kept his composure. He has spent the last few months learning to work with Lance McGrew, and it is paying off. Sunday was an example of that improvement.
So what happened Sunday? There are a lot of opinions out there about who was at fault and to what extent. Reutimann took the blame for the wreck, but was it as blatant as Junior called it? Trying to watch the replays, from nearly every angle, this wreck was just outside the frame. The only camera shot that really tells the story was from the 88 in car camera. You could see the 00 car along side the 88 all the way down the straightaway, heading for the turn Reutimann actually nosed ahead of Earnhardt. But as they started the approach to the turn, both cars moved down the track. You could see the smoke coming from the 11 car, and then Reutimann moved down just a bit and then moved up hitting the 88. It was not a hit in the rear as some people called it, it was a hit near the front, but because David was on the brakes, Dale moved past him and he started sliding up the track. This was unfortunately a racing incident.
Junior’s comments that “ the 00 can’t hold his line … went down in the bottom of the corner an lost it, hit me in the side and spun me out…David just run out of talent.” was a bit of an exaggeration at best. The 00 never went to the bottom, the replays show that Montoya was down there. As I said earlier, this was simply a racing incident. I feel bad for Junior, this looked like a real strong turning point for the 88 team, and to end the day like that is disheartening. These are two very talented drivers that are also very genuine Gentlemen.
This is not a slam at Junior for his reaction, simply my observation that the stress that is on him at this point in his career is so much, that he reacted in a manner that is so contrary to his character. I am sure that these two will talk this over, and not make it something that it is not. I wish junior all the luck and success that he and the team can muster for these last 9 races. This season cannot end soon enough for him, and I hope that the off season allows him to ‘chill out’ and get back to being the Junior the fans all know and love. With a fresh start in 2010, I anticipate a return to the front for Dale Jr and the 88 team. But until then, it’s off to the Monster Mile at Dover.
On Sunday, a dejected Dale Earnhardt Jr displayed a side of himself that NASCAR fans are not used to. After his front running car was destroyed in a late race crash involving David Reutimann Junior lashed out at David, using the term “out of talent” to describe the driver of the 00 Toyota.
I have been around this sport for a long time and I’m accustomed to drivers shooting off after a wreck, but Junior is a lot like Mark Martin, you rarely ever hear him bad mouthing someone. Even in the lead up to his departure from DEI, junior left the bad mouthing to others. Junior Nation, his fans were loud and clear with their displeasure with Teresa Earnhardt and DEI, but Junior was always the Class Act, choosing not to make it personal.
Since Tony Eury Sr stepped down as his crew chief, Junior’s performance on the track has been inconsistent. He struggled through a handful of crew chiefs before settling in with Tony Jr, but that spot light to the championship continued to flicker. As his on track problems continued, he remained the ‘cool cat’, always showing respect and composure. With his move to HMS, hopes were high for that big change, but it did not come. When his fans began blaming Tony Jr. Dale stood up and defended his cousin/crew chief. It was finally Rick Hendrick’s decision to split them up. Still Dale kept his composure. He has spent the last few months learning to work with Lance McGrew, and it is paying off. Sunday was an example of that improvement.
So what happened Sunday? There are a lot of opinions out there about who was at fault and to what extent. Reutimann took the blame for the wreck, but was it as blatant as Junior called it? Trying to watch the replays, from nearly every angle, this wreck was just outside the frame. The only camera shot that really tells the story was from the 88 in car camera. You could see the 00 car along side the 88 all the way down the straightaway, heading for the turn Reutimann actually nosed ahead of Earnhardt. But as they started the approach to the turn, both cars moved down the track. You could see the smoke coming from the 11 car, and then Reutimann moved down just a bit and then moved up hitting the 88. It was not a hit in the rear as some people called it, it was a hit near the front, but because David was on the brakes, Dale moved past him and he started sliding up the track. This was unfortunately a racing incident.
Junior’s comments that “ the 00 can’t hold his line … went down in the bottom of the corner an lost it, hit me in the side and spun me out…David just run out of talent.” was a bit of an exaggeration at best. The 00 never went to the bottom, the replays show that Montoya was down there. As I said earlier, this was simply a racing incident. I feel bad for Junior, this looked like a real strong turning point for the 88 team, and to end the day like that is disheartening. These are two very talented drivers that are also very genuine Gentlemen.
This is not a slam at Junior for his reaction, simply my observation that the stress that is on him at this point in his career is so much, that he reacted in a manner that is so contrary to his character. I am sure that these two will talk this over, and not make it something that it is not. I wish junior all the luck and success that he and the team can muster for these last 9 races. This season cannot end soon enough for him, and I hope that the off season allows him to ‘chill out’ and get back to being the Junior the fans all know and love. With a fresh start in 2010, I anticipate a return to the front for Dale Jr and the 88 team. But until then, it’s off to the Monster Mile at Dover.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Successful Week….
By Trevor Bayne
Last week was my first race with CJM Racing at Richmond International Raceway. The car was good from the time they unloaded it! Crew chief Paul Wolfe was able to make changes that really fit my driving style. I started the race in the top-10 and never fell out of that throughout the entire run. The RideMakerz Toyota was hooked up and was really fun to drive, and I wound up finishing 7th, tying my Nationwide career best! I really want to thank the guys at CJM for giving me the opportunity; it was great to have the seat time, and fun to turn laps around RIR in a great machine!
When I was in Richmond I went to visit a VA hospital in the area. It was a really eye opening experience to see all these wounded heroes and veterans that have sacrificed so much to defend our country and fight for our freedom. I know I wouldn’t have the freedom to do the things I love to do if it weren’t for men and women like them. It was a really moving experience.
This week has been crazy trying to get myself ready for the wakeboarding competition this Saturday on Lake Norman. I hope the weather cooperates, although it’s not looking so good. My mom and some other family from Knoxville will be coming to town to watch me so I’m really excited about that!
As of right now, my next race isn’t until Texas, which has me out of the seat for a while. I’m not really looking forward to that much time out of the car, especially with “lake season” coming to an end! I’m hoping MWR can work out a deal to get me behind the wheel at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
I’m hoping to have my plans for 2010 locked down in the next couple of weeks. Just like everyone involved in this sport, the sponsorship dollars are hard to come by and are making deals tough to finalize. As always, I’m remaining optimistic that all things happen for a reason and there’s a plan for everything so I know it will all work out.
Check out my blog next week and I’ll let you guys know how I finished in my first wakeboarding competition! And reminder to everyone in the Charlotte area, that’s this Saturday at 8 am at Vinny’s on the Lake!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Driver Blog: Busy But Good
By Trevor Bayne
Sorry I didn’t get a blog to you guys last week but I have been super busy lately. It has been a good busy but this is something I am going to have to get use to.
Well Bristol didn’t go exactly as I had hoped. I mean I had a wonderful time seeing a bunch of family and friends but wrecking and finishing 24th wasn’t what I was looking for.
However, there were some highlights from that weekend. First I got to go to Cherokee Elementary School in Johnson City, Tenn. and talk to a bunch of kids about the importance of reading. I think the kids enjoyed the Aaron’s Lucky Dog more than they enjoyed seeing me.
After that I went and signed autographs at the Annual Food City Family Race Night. It was really cool to see a bunch of old fans that have been following me since I was racing in the Allison Legacy Series.
I think the highlight of the weekend was being on Trackside Live. I really enjoyed talking to all of the guys about racing, my future and I especially enjoyed cracking on Larry McReynolds about being an Alabama fan.
Last week, I wakeboarded most of the week. I am trying to get myself prepared for my first wakeboarding competition which is September 19th on Lake Norman.
Over the weekend I went home to spend some time with my family. It has been awhile since I got to spend some quality time with my mom. I really enjoyed myself but I was excited to get back to North Carolina on Monday and starting getting myself prepared for Atlanta this weekend.
Last night, I went to my first Michael Waltrip partnership summit. I really enjoyed hanging out with all the wonderful sponsors that support MWR. They have an awesome group of sponsors, and it was really cool to hear where MWR is today and where they are heading in the future.
Well, I head to Atlanta Friday morning but I don’t get to make my first laps on the race track until Saturday morning. This is going to be another one day show for the Nationwide teams.
I really appreciate all the fans that follow me on this blog and I hope to have some exciting news to tell you guys in the next few weeks about my future plans at MWR.
Thanks again for everyone’s support over the past couple of months. Remember to visit me on Facebook to get daily updates on my wonderful life.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
ESPN race coverage …no surprise, act 2
By Joe Dunn
Three weeks ago, ESPN tried a new ‘Experiment’ in covering the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway, they called it ‘Backseat Drivers’, I did a story about that idea when it was first announced (Back seat drivers, August 11) and expressed my hope that the telecast would in fact ‘Surprise’ me.
Well, the truth is that the telecast did not surprise me, or thousands of serious race fans across the country. ESPN billed the event as a one time deal, and after the race many sighed in relief that this horrendous programming error would never be repeated. I was not surprised, because given the ability to actually call a race that the fans could understand and enjoy is far beyond the crew selected. Of the four guys in the booth that day, only Dale Jarrett has the makings of a decent racing announcer. DJ is a very good ‘color man’ in the booth, and with more experience I have no doubt that he will someday be able to fill his father’s shoes in the booth. But DJ was simply not up to the task, that he tried so hard to accomplish, namely reigning in the other three to make the experiment enjoyable for the fans.
I was not surprised, that Rusty would go off on his I …, I …, I … story telling deals, that added nothing to the telecast other than the ability to hear himself speak. Rusty was a great driver, in his days, and the media loved to talk to Rusty because he was always good for quotes. He enjoyed being the center of attention, and that was just what he was supposed to be. He was a great representative for his team owner and especially for his sponsors. But when he retired from racing and moved to the other side of the microphone and camera, his job also changed. That is the part that seems to have eluded him as he still feels that he needs to be the center of attention. He proved that again at MIS as he attempted to hog the broadcast with his stories that did nothing to help the fans see or understand the actual race.
Ray Evernham was truly one of the most talented crew chiefs in NASCAR when he guided Jeff Gordon to multiple championships. His stint as a team owner started off with a bang, but dwindled, I think mostly because Dodge never was able to bring the winning equipment to the race. His move to the TV booth still awaits a final review as he searches for that comfort zone. He is definitely not ready for prime time as a NASCAR announcer, but we all need to give him time to acclimate himself to the job.
Andy Petree has come a long way in his time in the booth with his ability to explain some of the technical decisions that the teams make. But he still seems to have trouble finding his ‘cue’ to chime in at the right time. His flow has yet to be developed and he is constantly over run by the Rusty machine. I personally think that Andy’s best spot on the show would be to replace Tim Brewer. Brewer was an exceptional crew chief, and he is extremely knowledgeable, but his ability to communicate that information in an entertaining manner for the race fans is seriously lacking.
At MIS, Alan Bestwick did his best to take the broadcast to the infield pit studio and actually provide the viewers with information about the race that was going on at the track. He basically, with the help of the pit reporters, filled in the delayed ‘play by play’ that the fans needed to follow the race. The broadcast director seemed to be at a complete loss as to what camera shots to show, as the four guys in the booth seemed clueless to the word coordination. Without the saving grace of Bestwick and his crew, the broadcast would have been a total washout. It is this writer’s opinion, that the ‘Back seat drivers’ experiment was an all time low in NASCAR race telecast. Having been around NASCAR longer than TV coverage has, I rate this as the worst ever broadcast.
With all that said, I was really glad when I looked back at my notes to see that ESPN executives had stated before the MIS fiasco that this would be a one time only deal. Now we learn this week, that the format will return this Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for NASCAR Nationwide Series, the Degree V12 300. This time I won’t ask you to tell me, NASCAR or ESPN what you think of the broadcast, I will simply advise you to get your radios tuned to PRN.
Three weeks ago, ESPN tried a new ‘Experiment’ in covering the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway, they called it ‘Backseat Drivers’, I did a story about that idea when it was first announced (Back seat drivers, August 11) and expressed my hope that the telecast would in fact ‘Surprise’ me.
Well, the truth is that the telecast did not surprise me, or thousands of serious race fans across the country. ESPN billed the event as a one time deal, and after the race many sighed in relief that this horrendous programming error would never be repeated. I was not surprised, because given the ability to actually call a race that the fans could understand and enjoy is far beyond the crew selected. Of the four guys in the booth that day, only Dale Jarrett has the makings of a decent racing announcer. DJ is a very good ‘color man’ in the booth, and with more experience I have no doubt that he will someday be able to fill his father’s shoes in the booth. But DJ was simply not up to the task, that he tried so hard to accomplish, namely reigning in the other three to make the experiment enjoyable for the fans.
I was not surprised, that Rusty would go off on his I …, I …, I … story telling deals, that added nothing to the telecast other than the ability to hear himself speak. Rusty was a great driver, in his days, and the media loved to talk to Rusty because he was always good for quotes. He enjoyed being the center of attention, and that was just what he was supposed to be. He was a great representative for his team owner and especially for his sponsors. But when he retired from racing and moved to the other side of the microphone and camera, his job also changed. That is the part that seems to have eluded him as he still feels that he needs to be the center of attention. He proved that again at MIS as he attempted to hog the broadcast with his stories that did nothing to help the fans see or understand the actual race.
Ray Evernham was truly one of the most talented crew chiefs in NASCAR when he guided Jeff Gordon to multiple championships. His stint as a team owner started off with a bang, but dwindled, I think mostly because Dodge never was able to bring the winning equipment to the race. His move to the TV booth still awaits a final review as he searches for that comfort zone. He is definitely not ready for prime time as a NASCAR announcer, but we all need to give him time to acclimate himself to the job.
Andy Petree has come a long way in his time in the booth with his ability to explain some of the technical decisions that the teams make. But he still seems to have trouble finding his ‘cue’ to chime in at the right time. His flow has yet to be developed and he is constantly over run by the Rusty machine. I personally think that Andy’s best spot on the show would be to replace Tim Brewer. Brewer was an exceptional crew chief, and he is extremely knowledgeable, but his ability to communicate that information in an entertaining manner for the race fans is seriously lacking.
At MIS, Alan Bestwick did his best to take the broadcast to the infield pit studio and actually provide the viewers with information about the race that was going on at the track. He basically, with the help of the pit reporters, filled in the delayed ‘play by play’ that the fans needed to follow the race. The broadcast director seemed to be at a complete loss as to what camera shots to show, as the four guys in the booth seemed clueless to the word coordination. Without the saving grace of Bestwick and his crew, the broadcast would have been a total washout. It is this writer’s opinion, that the ‘Back seat drivers’ experiment was an all time low in NASCAR race telecast. Having been around NASCAR longer than TV coverage has, I rate this as the worst ever broadcast.
With all that said, I was really glad when I looked back at my notes to see that ESPN executives had stated before the MIS fiasco that this would be a one time only deal. Now we learn this week, that the format will return this Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway for NASCAR Nationwide Series, the Degree V12 300. This time I won’t ask you to tell me, NASCAR or ESPN what you think of the broadcast, I will simply advise you to get your radios tuned to PRN.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Labor Day Returns to the South
By Joe Dunn
Five years ago Nascar moved one of the oldest and most popular races, the Southern 500, a Labor Day tradition at Darlington Raceway. This move infuriated a lot of long time NASCAR fans from the south, and to make matters worse, they moved the race to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.
The move was all about NASCAR, and Brian France’s master plan to make NASCAR a major player on the west coast. Since the time that Roger Penske first opened the California Speedway in 1997, the track has struggled to fill seats. The lone race at California had it’s date changed from the original late June to late April / early May in an attempt to fill the stands, none of these dates did the job. So in 2004, the bright idea was to give California a second date. With the closing of Rockingham on the table, the first move was to switch the late November date to Darlington and give California the long popular Labor Day weekend.
After five years, the Labor Day ‘experiment’ has proved to be a dismal failure and the abundant vacant seats remain. So, in 2008, a new plan was evolved, since the west coast failed to support a traditional and popular race weekend, the idea for 2009 was to move Labor Day to Atlanta and move a ‘Chase’ date from Atlanta Motor Speedway to The Auto Club Speedway. Atlanta was a safe choice for Labor Day, as they too have suffered dismal attendance ratings for the past several years.
Giving Atlanta Motor Speedway the Labor Day date is a step in the right direction, and making it a night race gives it an even better chance to recapture the fans. Will the change really help AMS? Who knows for sure, but if the numbers at AMS don’t improve, look for one of those dates to migrate north to Kentucky Speedway in 2011. Of course, I am still among the thousands of folks who felt that taking the date from Darlington was a bad decision all along.
So now we have California and The Auto Club Speedway getting one of the ‘coveted’ Chase for the Championship dates. Will this suddenly attract throngs of new west coast NASCAR fans, filling the speedway to capacity? I would hope for the sake of the sport that it will do just that, but realistically, I don’t see that ever happening. Too many folks across the country and especially on the west coast, still see the sport as a regional sport from the old south. In their hunt for the big TV numbers, and what appears to be Briand France’s quest to be a Hollywood mogul, NASCAR has been continually alienating tons of the sports oldest and most loyal fan base.
NASCAR has been a “good ol’ boy”, redneck, beer drinking, and smoking crowd sport for 60 years. And as the Daytona honchos work harder to change the image, they further diminish the fan base. Bill France Sr. was one heck of a promoter and under his guidance the family business grew and prospered for years. Bill Jr, took over and he followed pretty much the same pattern of his dad. He ruled with an iron fist, but he knew tradition and happy fans were a major force in the growth and life of the sport.
When Brian took over the reigns, that atmosphere seemed to change. He rules with what appears to be a distance from the history of the sport and it’s individuals. When Bill Sr and Bill Jr were running the show, everybody knew it. They were very visible in the garage area at nearly every race. Seeing Brian in the garage area is sight that very few have witnessed.
So, as we all trudge through this coming weekend without a Cup race, I’ll be looking forward to Labor Day with hopes that it brings the fans back to AMS and revives some old fans of southern racing. I have had the pleasure of covering races at Kentucky Speedway and look forward to covering Cup races there. It is one of the nicest tracks around and with SMI as the new owner, the future looks bright. But I do not want to see that date come at the cost of an Atlanta date.
Five years ago Nascar moved one of the oldest and most popular races, the Southern 500, a Labor Day tradition at Darlington Raceway. This move infuriated a lot of long time NASCAR fans from the south, and to make matters worse, they moved the race to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA.
The move was all about NASCAR, and Brian France’s master plan to make NASCAR a major player on the west coast. Since the time that Roger Penske first opened the California Speedway in 1997, the track has struggled to fill seats. The lone race at California had it’s date changed from the original late June to late April / early May in an attempt to fill the stands, none of these dates did the job. So in 2004, the bright idea was to give California a second date. With the closing of Rockingham on the table, the first move was to switch the late November date to Darlington and give California the long popular Labor Day weekend.
After five years, the Labor Day ‘experiment’ has proved to be a dismal failure and the abundant vacant seats remain. So, in 2008, a new plan was evolved, since the west coast failed to support a traditional and popular race weekend, the idea for 2009 was to move Labor Day to Atlanta and move a ‘Chase’ date from Atlanta Motor Speedway to The Auto Club Speedway. Atlanta was a safe choice for Labor Day, as they too have suffered dismal attendance ratings for the past several years.
Giving Atlanta Motor Speedway the Labor Day date is a step in the right direction, and making it a night race gives it an even better chance to recapture the fans. Will the change really help AMS? Who knows for sure, but if the numbers at AMS don’t improve, look for one of those dates to migrate north to Kentucky Speedway in 2011. Of course, I am still among the thousands of folks who felt that taking the date from Darlington was a bad decision all along.
So now we have California and The Auto Club Speedway getting one of the ‘coveted’ Chase for the Championship dates. Will this suddenly attract throngs of new west coast NASCAR fans, filling the speedway to capacity? I would hope for the sake of the sport that it will do just that, but realistically, I don’t see that ever happening. Too many folks across the country and especially on the west coast, still see the sport as a regional sport from the old south. In their hunt for the big TV numbers, and what appears to be Briand France’s quest to be a Hollywood mogul, NASCAR has been continually alienating tons of the sports oldest and most loyal fan base.
NASCAR has been a “good ol’ boy”, redneck, beer drinking, and smoking crowd sport for 60 years. And as the Daytona honchos work harder to change the image, they further diminish the fan base. Bill France Sr. was one heck of a promoter and under his guidance the family business grew and prospered for years. Bill Jr, took over and he followed pretty much the same pattern of his dad. He ruled with an iron fist, but he knew tradition and happy fans were a major force in the growth and life of the sport.
When Brian took over the reigns, that atmosphere seemed to change. He rules with what appears to be a distance from the history of the sport and it’s individuals. When Bill Sr and Bill Jr were running the show, everybody knew it. They were very visible in the garage area at nearly every race. Seeing Brian in the garage area is sight that very few have witnessed.
So, as we all trudge through this coming weekend without a Cup race, I’ll be looking forward to Labor Day with hopes that it brings the fans back to AMS and revives some old fans of southern racing. I have had the pleasure of covering races at Kentucky Speedway and look forward to covering Cup races there. It is one of the nicest tracks around and with SMI as the new owner, the future looks bright. But I do not want to see that date come at the cost of an Atlanta date.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Alabama Motorsports Park - is it sinking?
By Joe Dunn
In late 2006, a group of investors announced plans for a huge racing and entertainment complex near Mobile, Al. Alabama Motorsports Park “ A Dale Earnhardt Jr Speedway” was touted as a multi - racing facility that would include a 1 mile paved oval, a 3/8 mile dirt track, a motocross track, a dragstrip a karting track and a 3mile road course with a projected open date in 2009. Also included would be an RV park, multiple music theaters, an arena, commercial, residential and light industrial activities.
Among the main investors named were Dale Earnhardt Jr, whose name would adorn the facility, his sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and brother Kerry Earnhardt. Our family business is racing and it's been our business for three generations," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Kelley, Kerry and I want to continue the family business with hopes that the next generation of Earnhardts will want to be involved in the sport. This new venture with the Alabama Motorsports Park provides yet another avenue in which the Earnhardt family can participate.
In 2007 the plans were cut back to eliminate, the dragstrip, the dirt track and the motocross track. Instead, the new plans called for the 7/10th oval, the 3 mile road course and a kart track. At that time it was estimated that construction would begin in early 2008 with an anticipated opening in the first quarter of 2010. However 2008 went by without a shovel in the ground.
In January 2009, Gulf Coast Entertainment, the corporate name, signed a purchase agreement with Dover Motorsports for the purchase of Memphis Motorsports Park. The Memphis track is host to both Nascar Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races, as well as the NHRA, O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals and AMA Dragbike Spring Nationals on it’s dragstrip. The contract called for Dover to remain to manage the facilities until such time as the Alabama facility would be ready to move the events there. This seemed to be a well organized plan with a lot of contingencies to get things done smoothly.
But somewhere along the way, things started changing, and it appears that the group described as ‘30 Investors’ is suddenly having trouble raising capital. In July of this this year, Dover Motorsports agreed to an extension on the sale of Memphis Motorsports Park. The AMP website states that the delay in the purchase is due to not having obtained enough funding for the purchase. A few weeks later, it was announced in Charlotte that Dale Earnhardt Jr was withdrawing from the group and removing his name from the track. Joining Dale in the exit was his sister Kelley and brother Kerry, leaving no Earnhardts involved.
Just days before Earnhardt’s announcement, GCE met with the Prichard, Al city council and made a deal for a 5% sales tax for all purchases on the property to be given to GCE. Some of the City council members expressed their dismay a few days later that the Mayor, Ron Davis, having been informed before the meeting about Dale Jr’s departure failed to disclose that information to the council before they voted on the tax issue.
So, what started out, more than 3 years ago as a grand racing facility with the family name of one of Racings greatest legends attached has whittled down to less than half of it’s original plans, the loss of the ‘Big Name’ and now heading into at least a 2-3 year delayed opening. Is this all because of the Economic slump the country has been in for over a year, or was this a grand scheme that never had the financial backing that the principles claimed? I don’t know the answers, but 2009 is not looking good for this venture. For the folks of west Tennessee maybe there is a reprieve coming and the anticipated loss of MMP may be only a fading thought. I hate to see a new venture fail before it starts, but I’m hoping that Memphis Motorsports Park stays where it is for many years to come.
In late 2006, a group of investors announced plans for a huge racing and entertainment complex near Mobile, Al. Alabama Motorsports Park “ A Dale Earnhardt Jr Speedway” was touted as a multi - racing facility that would include a 1 mile paved oval, a 3/8 mile dirt track, a motocross track, a dragstrip a karting track and a 3mile road course with a projected open date in 2009. Also included would be an RV park, multiple music theaters, an arena, commercial, residential and light industrial activities.
Among the main investors named were Dale Earnhardt Jr, whose name would adorn the facility, his sister Kelley Earnhardt Elledge and brother Kerry Earnhardt. Our family business is racing and it's been our business for three generations," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Kelley, Kerry and I want to continue the family business with hopes that the next generation of Earnhardts will want to be involved in the sport. This new venture with the Alabama Motorsports Park provides yet another avenue in which the Earnhardt family can participate.
In 2007 the plans were cut back to eliminate, the dragstrip, the dirt track and the motocross track. Instead, the new plans called for the 7/10th oval, the 3 mile road course and a kart track. At that time it was estimated that construction would begin in early 2008 with an anticipated opening in the first quarter of 2010. However 2008 went by without a shovel in the ground.
In January 2009, Gulf Coast Entertainment, the corporate name, signed a purchase agreement with Dover Motorsports for the purchase of Memphis Motorsports Park. The Memphis track is host to both Nascar Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series races, as well as the NHRA, O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals and AMA Dragbike Spring Nationals on it’s dragstrip. The contract called for Dover to remain to manage the facilities until such time as the Alabama facility would be ready to move the events there. This seemed to be a well organized plan with a lot of contingencies to get things done smoothly.
But somewhere along the way, things started changing, and it appears that the group described as ‘30 Investors’ is suddenly having trouble raising capital. In July of this this year, Dover Motorsports agreed to an extension on the sale of Memphis Motorsports Park. The AMP website states that the delay in the purchase is due to not having obtained enough funding for the purchase. A few weeks later, it was announced in Charlotte that Dale Earnhardt Jr was withdrawing from the group and removing his name from the track. Joining Dale in the exit was his sister Kelley and brother Kerry, leaving no Earnhardts involved.
Just days before Earnhardt’s announcement, GCE met with the Prichard, Al city council and made a deal for a 5% sales tax for all purchases on the property to be given to GCE. Some of the City council members expressed their dismay a few days later that the Mayor, Ron Davis, having been informed before the meeting about Dale Jr’s departure failed to disclose that information to the council before they voted on the tax issue.
So, what started out, more than 3 years ago as a grand racing facility with the family name of one of Racings greatest legends attached has whittled down to less than half of it’s original plans, the loss of the ‘Big Name’ and now heading into at least a 2-3 year delayed opening. Is this all because of the Economic slump the country has been in for over a year, or was this a grand scheme that never had the financial backing that the principles claimed? I don’t know the answers, but 2009 is not looking good for this venture. For the folks of west Tennessee maybe there is a reprieve coming and the anticipated loss of MMP may be only a fading thought. I hate to see a new venture fail before it starts, but I’m hoping that Memphis Motorsports Park stays where it is for many years to come.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Rice takes over Crew Chief duties at ML Motorsports
By Joe Dunn
Ed Mullins, President of ML Motorsports announced Tuesday that Crew Chief Brian Ross will be stepping down, making way for Chris Rice to take over the duties for the Warsaw, In part time NASCAR Nationwide Series team. Ross will remain with ML Motorsports in the shop, which will allow him to return to driving in local short track action.
Ross, who was the original driver for ML Motorsports when they began in 1999 in the ARCA series, has remained with the team ever since. For most of that time, he remained in the shop which allowed him to further his local driving career. He was moved up to crew chief in 2008, working with Mark Green and then this year with Shelby Howard.
Howard joined the team for the Texas race this past spring and has impressed team owner Mary Louise Miller. Shelby had known Ross from local racing in Indiana, but when Ross expressed a desire to step down, Chris Rice was a name all too familiar to Shelby. The two had spent time as driver/crew Chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during the 2007 season with Bill Davis racing and again in 2008 with Thorsport racing. Prior to that, the two were teamed up in the Hooters Pro Cup series for 2006 and 2007.
Rice brings a long list of credentials as a NASCAR crew chief in both the Truck Series and the Nationwide Series. In 2002 Chris joined Bill Davis racing as a shock specialist on the 23 Sprint Cup team, and was later that year promoted to crew chief for the 23 Nationwide car with driver Scott Wimmer. He spent part of 2006 with the KHI 33 truck with Ron Hornaday Jr,
Chris took over the Crew Chief duties earlier this year at the Jay Robinson 28 team with driver Kenny Wallace. Rice will be joined in the pits this week with Ross to transition the change. But Chris was not about to wait until race day to become involved. The ML team bought a couple of new cars this year and they have struggled for the last several races with the setup. Howard has struggled and fought with an ill handling car since the June Nashville race. Chris was off to another shop with the car this week to do a full read on the setup and look for the cure.
Although Rice has now left the Jay Robinson team, he has agreed to travel to Montreal with that team for the road course event there. The logistics of getting a new crew chief cleared for all the border crossing requirements would have put the team at a disadvantage. The ML Motorsports #70 Foretravel Motorcoach team, as a part time team, does not participate in the two road course events , so allowing Rice to travel with the Kenny Wallace team to Canada was not a problem.
Since joining the 70 team earlier this year, Howard has shown a lot of promise, but the team’s struggle with the car’s setup has been more than obvious. The remote location of the team, in central Indiana has cost the team in a lack of access to the various equipment, shops and test facilities in the Charlotte area.
I won’t look for instant success for the team at Bristol Friday night, it is after all Bristol where anything can happen. But hopefully a new set of hands can find the elusive set up problem that has plagued the team for the past 2 months.
Earlier in the year, rumors out of the Warsaw, In shop indicated that the team was considering running the full schedule for 2010. The owners were definitely impressed with the improvements after Howard took over the driving duties, but the problems over the past two months have proven to be a distraction. Add to that, the announcement by NASCAR that they would indeed introduce the new COT in the 2010 schedule, and the idea of a full time run looks dim at this point.
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Ed Mullins, President of ML Motorsports announced Tuesday that Crew Chief Brian Ross will be stepping down, making way for Chris Rice to take over the duties for the Warsaw, In part time NASCAR Nationwide Series team. Ross will remain with ML Motorsports in the shop, which will allow him to return to driving in local short track action.
Ross, who was the original driver for ML Motorsports when they began in 1999 in the ARCA series, has remained with the team ever since. For most of that time, he remained in the shop which allowed him to further his local driving career. He was moved up to crew chief in 2008, working with Mark Green and then this year with Shelby Howard.
Howard joined the team for the Texas race this past spring and has impressed team owner Mary Louise Miller. Shelby had known Ross from local racing in Indiana, but when Ross expressed a desire to step down, Chris Rice was a name all too familiar to Shelby. The two had spent time as driver/crew Chief in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during the 2007 season with Bill Davis racing and again in 2008 with Thorsport racing. Prior to that, the two were teamed up in the Hooters Pro Cup series for 2006 and 2007.
Rice brings a long list of credentials as a NASCAR crew chief in both the Truck Series and the Nationwide Series. In 2002 Chris joined Bill Davis racing as a shock specialist on the 23 Sprint Cup team, and was later that year promoted to crew chief for the 23 Nationwide car with driver Scott Wimmer. He spent part of 2006 with the KHI 33 truck with Ron Hornaday Jr,
Chris took over the Crew Chief duties earlier this year at the Jay Robinson 28 team with driver Kenny Wallace. Rice will be joined in the pits this week with Ross to transition the change. But Chris was not about to wait until race day to become involved. The ML team bought a couple of new cars this year and they have struggled for the last several races with the setup. Howard has struggled and fought with an ill handling car since the June Nashville race. Chris was off to another shop with the car this week to do a full read on the setup and look for the cure.
Although Rice has now left the Jay Robinson team, he has agreed to travel to Montreal with that team for the road course event there. The logistics of getting a new crew chief cleared for all the border crossing requirements would have put the team at a disadvantage. The ML Motorsports #70 Foretravel Motorcoach team, as a part time team, does not participate in the two road course events , so allowing Rice to travel with the Kenny Wallace team to Canada was not a problem.
Since joining the 70 team earlier this year, Howard has shown a lot of promise, but the team’s struggle with the car’s setup has been more than obvious. The remote location of the team, in central Indiana has cost the team in a lack of access to the various equipment, shops and test facilities in the Charlotte area.
I won’t look for instant success for the team at Bristol Friday night, it is after all Bristol where anything can happen. But hopefully a new set of hands can find the elusive set up problem that has plagued the team for the past 2 months.
Earlier in the year, rumors out of the Warsaw, In shop indicated that the team was considering running the full schedule for 2010. The owners were definitely impressed with the improvements after Howard took over the driving duties, but the problems over the past two months have proven to be a distraction. Add to that, the announcement by NASCAR that they would indeed introduce the new COT in the 2010 schedule, and the idea of a full time run looks dim at this point.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Driver Blog:An eventful week…
By Trevor Bayne
I had the weekend off; although I would have liked to have gone to Watkins Glen and get a little experience on a road course and maybe learn a little bit from watching Scott Speed and Marcos Ambrose. I really could have learned something from Marcos about running on a road course, after all he has won two in a row at the Glen.
However; I felt like my time was better spent in my hometown of Knoxville, where I hung out with family and made a few appearances at some of the local Toyota dealerships to promote me and the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine next weekend at Bristol.
I drove back to North Carolina on Monday, hung out with some friends and played a little NASCAR EA Sports and of course got in a little wakeboarding.
Wednesday I participated in some media training with Toyota folks. I found it useful and it gave me a lot of pointers for when I am being interviewed on camera. It also taught me how to handle the media after an on track incident, how to approach them and how to maintain my composure and keep my cool.
Thursday I’m heading to Michigan and am excited to turn my first laps at Michigan International Speedway on Friday. From what I hear, MIS is the type of track that has multiple grooves; you can run it from the white up to the wall. To compete for a win there, you have to have a car that has the complete package, horsepower and the ability to run both high and low on the track. I am pretty positive that my crew chief Jerry Baxter will bring a car that has the complete package; it will just be up to me to get the job done.
So far this year I have been able to qualify really well, sat on the pole in Indy, had another pole taken away from me by Superman, Kyle Bush in my first outing in Nashville, I just haven’t had the finishes to go along with them. This weekend I’d like to snag another great starting position, keep my nose clean and stay out of trouble throughout the race and hopefully bring the Dream machine home top-10 or better.
I just found out that next week I will be the first guest on Trackside, and I’m pretty excited about it. Hope you all can check it out, it airs on Speed Channel at 7:00pm on August 21st. For all my fans, you can follow my daily activity on my Facebook page, thanks everyone for your support.
I had the weekend off; although I would have liked to have gone to Watkins Glen and get a little experience on a road course and maybe learn a little bit from watching Scott Speed and Marcos Ambrose. I really could have learned something from Marcos about running on a road course, after all he has won two in a row at the Glen.
However; I felt like my time was better spent in my hometown of Knoxville, where I hung out with family and made a few appearances at some of the local Toyota dealerships to promote me and the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine next weekend at Bristol.
I drove back to North Carolina on Monday, hung out with some friends and played a little NASCAR EA Sports and of course got in a little wakeboarding.
Wednesday I participated in some media training with Toyota folks. I found it useful and it gave me a lot of pointers for when I am being interviewed on camera. It also taught me how to handle the media after an on track incident, how to approach them and how to maintain my composure and keep my cool.
Thursday I’m heading to Michigan and am excited to turn my first laps at Michigan International Speedway on Friday. From what I hear, MIS is the type of track that has multiple grooves; you can run it from the white up to the wall. To compete for a win there, you have to have a car that has the complete package, horsepower and the ability to run both high and low on the track. I am pretty positive that my crew chief Jerry Baxter will bring a car that has the complete package; it will just be up to me to get the job done.
So far this year I have been able to qualify really well, sat on the pole in Indy, had another pole taken away from me by Superman, Kyle Bush in my first outing in Nashville, I just haven’t had the finishes to go along with them. This weekend I’d like to snag another great starting position, keep my nose clean and stay out of trouble throughout the race and hopefully bring the Dream machine home top-10 or better.
I just found out that next week I will be the first guest on Trackside, and I’m pretty excited about it. Hope you all can check it out, it airs on Speed Channel at 7:00pm on August 21st. For all my fans, you can follow my daily activity on my Facebook page, thanks everyone for your support.
Back seat driver. Please surprise me
ESPN is tossing Marty Reid out of the booth this week for the CarFax 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway this Saturday. Instead, the race call will be done by a team of past champions. Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Ray Evernham and Andy Petree will be alone in the TV booth for the race.
The concept for this call is that the former driver’s and crew chiefs will relay the on track action with events in their past, or to offer their ideas about what the driver’s on the track or the teams should be doing. So as I understood from a press conference Tuesday with Rusty and Ray there will be no actual play by play. This is a new one time deal for ESPN with no further similar broadcast planned. The network big wigs are looking to shake things up and see how the fans / viewers like it. If this idea goes over good, you can be sure that it will be done on several occasions next year and possibly flow over to the Cup races.
After thinking about this idea and giving it consideration, my best comment is, Surprise me, Please Surprise me. I can recall when Rusty first went to the TV booth, just as I remember when DW first hit the booth. So I have to say that I hope that Rusty has gotten his “look at Stephen doing this, I think Stephen should do that” and more out of his system, it took DW years to stop . Dale Jarrett hit the TV booth 2 years ago and to my delight, he stepped into his dad’s shoes. Dale showed an ease about himself and completely comfortable calling a race. He instantly gained a lot of respect from fans and deserves to be more visible on the Cup broadcast. So, the surprise I am hoping for is that DJ takes the lead on this telecast and can keep the others focused on the race and the viewers.
Ray Evernham and Andy Petree both bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the broadcast team with tons of technical expertise. Ray is a natural speaker and his time on TV has shown him to be very at ease, Andy has come a long way in his time with ESPN , so both can make this a very positive program. But listening to Rusty and Ray speak about this upcoming broadcast, I have to wonder if anybody will do any kind of play by play, or if the viewers will have to try to decipher what is actually happening on the track.
When saving point about this broadcast, and Ray was quick to point it out, is the fact that Alan Bestwick will be in the Pit studio and will be able to steer the broadcast in that direction. Alan has one of the coolest heads in NASCAR broadcasting and should be able to help guide this whole experiment, by directing the flow between the broadcast booth and the pit reporters. In my opinion, one that is shared by many in the sport, Alan should be leading the play by play booth on a weekly basis.
Nobody knows if this will work out as an acceptable alternative, but I have to give credit to Rich Feinberg, Vice president of motorsports for ESPN . This whole idea is his baby, so if it flies he gets the credit and if it sinks he gets the blame. The economy has hit NASCAR particularly hard this year. Sponsor and advertising dollars are down as are viewer and attendance ratings. Give this idea a chance, check it out and if you like it, let ESPN know, if you don’t like it, also let them know. ‘Backseat drivers’ will be on ESPN-2 Saturday at 3:00 ET.
The concept for this call is that the former driver’s and crew chiefs will relay the on track action with events in their past, or to offer their ideas about what the driver’s on the track or the teams should be doing. So as I understood from a press conference Tuesday with Rusty and Ray there will be no actual play by play. This is a new one time deal for ESPN with no further similar broadcast planned. The network big wigs are looking to shake things up and see how the fans / viewers like it. If this idea goes over good, you can be sure that it will be done on several occasions next year and possibly flow over to the Cup races.
After thinking about this idea and giving it consideration, my best comment is, Surprise me, Please Surprise me. I can recall when Rusty first went to the TV booth, just as I remember when DW first hit the booth. So I have to say that I hope that Rusty has gotten his “look at Stephen doing this, I think Stephen should do that” and more out of his system, it took DW years to stop . Dale Jarrett hit the TV booth 2 years ago and to my delight, he stepped into his dad’s shoes. Dale showed an ease about himself and completely comfortable calling a race. He instantly gained a lot of respect from fans and deserves to be more visible on the Cup broadcast. So, the surprise I am hoping for is that DJ takes the lead on this telecast and can keep the others focused on the race and the viewers.
Ray Evernham and Andy Petree both bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the broadcast team with tons of technical expertise. Ray is a natural speaker and his time on TV has shown him to be very at ease, Andy has come a long way in his time with ESPN , so both can make this a very positive program. But listening to Rusty and Ray speak about this upcoming broadcast, I have to wonder if anybody will do any kind of play by play, or if the viewers will have to try to decipher what is actually happening on the track.
When saving point about this broadcast, and Ray was quick to point it out, is the fact that Alan Bestwick will be in the Pit studio and will be able to steer the broadcast in that direction. Alan has one of the coolest heads in NASCAR broadcasting and should be able to help guide this whole experiment, by directing the flow between the broadcast booth and the pit reporters. In my opinion, one that is shared by many in the sport, Alan should be leading the play by play booth on a weekly basis.
Nobody knows if this will work out as an acceptable alternative, but I have to give credit to Rich Feinberg, Vice president of motorsports for ESPN . This whole idea is his baby, so if it flies he gets the credit and if it sinks he gets the blame. The economy has hit NASCAR particularly hard this year. Sponsor and advertising dollars are down as are viewer and attendance ratings. Give this idea a chance, check it out and if you like it, let ESPN know, if you don’t like it, also let them know. ‘Backseat drivers’ will be on ESPN-2 Saturday at 3:00 ET.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Camping World Truck Series future looking dim
By Racing’ Roger
Despite the assurances of Nascar earlier in the season, the show of trucks at Nashville Saturday reinforces the doubt about the series future. For the teams that entered the race, qualifying was not a concern. The series which starts a maximum of 36 trucks had only 34 entries.
A look back at the 2009 season so far shows that of the 14 races to date, this was the fifth race that started short of a full field of trucks. Only 24 teams have made all 14 races so far, the other 43 teams this year have averaged less than 4 starts each. Only 17 drivers have run all 14 races so far, as teams have been relegated to renting out the teams for one off drivers. Last years champion had an early end to the season as Red Horse Racing was unable to secure enough sponsorship to keep Johnny Benson running the full season.
We all know that Ford and Dodge had pulled their factory support to the series before this season, and Chevrolet followed suit. A few weeks ago Toyota reduced their factory support also. The economy has hurt all of the NASCAR divisions regarding sponsor money, and as the funds disappear even NASCAR takes a hand in steering sponsors to the premier series. As sponsor dollars leave the Nationwide Series for the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide teams are drawing dollars from the Truck Series.
It looks like NASCAR is treating this series like the red headed step child, as they have forgotten about the Double File restarts for the trucks. The new pit rules for this year prove to guarantee more caution laps as teams are forced to do two pit stops in order to change tires and then return for fuel. This may have sounded like a good idea, but it equals boring.
Despite the assurances of Nascar earlier in the season, the show of trucks at Nashville Saturday reinforces the doubt about the series future. For the teams that entered the race, qualifying was not a concern. The series which starts a maximum of 36 trucks had only 34 entries.
A look back at the 2009 season so far shows that of the 14 races to date, this was the fifth race that started short of a full field of trucks. Only 24 teams have made all 14 races so far, the other 43 teams this year have averaged less than 4 starts each. Only 17 drivers have run all 14 races so far, as teams have been relegated to renting out the teams for one off drivers. Last years champion had an early end to the season as Red Horse Racing was unable to secure enough sponsorship to keep Johnny Benson running the full season.
We all know that Ford and Dodge had pulled their factory support to the series before this season, and Chevrolet followed suit. A few weeks ago Toyota reduced their factory support also. The economy has hurt all of the NASCAR divisions regarding sponsor money, and as the funds disappear even NASCAR takes a hand in steering sponsors to the premier series. As sponsor dollars leave the Nationwide Series for the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide teams are drawing dollars from the Truck Series.
It looks like NASCAR is treating this series like the red headed step child, as they have forgotten about the Double File restarts for the trucks. The new pit rules for this year prove to guarantee more caution laps as teams are forced to do two pit stops in order to change tires and then return for fuel. This may have sounded like a good idea, but it equals boring.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Five in a row for Hornaday
By Joe Dunn
He did what many thought was impossible, Saturday night Ron Hornaday captured the checkered flag in the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway he set a new record in the series. This was the first time that any driver has won in NASCAR’s top three series since 1971 when Richard Petty and Bobby Allison both did it that year.
With rain in the forecast qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway went off without much difficulty. That of course was after Jason Young the first driver out brushed the wall, resulting in no time recorded. Todd Bodine was the early pole sitter, but after a progression of changes, Timothy Peters in the # 17 Strutmasters/Red Horse Racing Toyota turned in the fastest lap of 30.122, 159.312 mph and earned his first ever pole in the series.
Peters held the lead for the first 34 laps when Ron Hornaday got by him to lead the way to the lap 35 competition caution. Hornaday held the lead until the 4th caution, for debris on lap 85. A round of yellow flag pits stops allowed Jason White to take the lead on lap 86, but it was short lived as Hornaday powered past him to take the lead back on lap 92. Once he was displaced by the #33 of Hornaday White quickly fell back in the field.
Rain brought the caution again on lap 102, but only three laps later, the field went back to green as the heat on the track kept the racing surface clear. With rain threatening all night it looked like a smooth finish coming when with 2 laps to go, on lap 148, Terry Cook had a tire let go and spun bringing out the caution. Todd Bodine, who had been in the top 10 also pitted for two rear tires, causing him to restart 19. That set up a green, white, checker finish, extending the race to 154 laps. Hornaday got a good start and established a comfortable lead to take home the win.
Brian Scott finished second, making this his eight top 10 finish this year. Colin Braun finished third, his second top 10 finish at Nashville. Johnny Sauter was the highest finishing rookie in sixth place. Bodine managed a 13th place finish, bettering his position by 6 places in the final three laps.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Austin Dillon, a lesson in patience
By Joe Dunn
So many up and coming young drivers in NASCAR are pushed to the limit to succeed at higher and higher levels at an accelerated pace today. The push sometimes means lost opportunities when the expectation fall short and promising drivers are released by teams. So it is refreshing to see the career of 19 year old Austin Dillon as he acquires his racing experience over several years and various series in an anticipation of establishing a Nascar career.
At aged 15 Dillon started 2005 running the Bandoleros and then moved up to the Legend cars, finishing the Legends season with 4 wins and 25 top 5 finishes. He continued with the Legends through 2006 and also attended the Dale McDowell Dirt Late Model Racing school. That led to a win in 2007 at the All Star Challenge at the Dirt Track at Lowes Motor Speedway. Austin went on to compete in 34 Dirt Late Model races, where he won 3 races and finished in the top 10 twenty five times.
In 2008 Dillon moved up to the NASCAR Camping World East Series where he had 1 win, 10 top tens out of 13 races and finished second in the series. This was also the year where he got his first chance to run in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In September he entered the Emerson Radio 250 race at Richmond International Raceway in the RCR 21 car, starting 31st and finishing 26th. Five races later at Memphis Motorsports Park, again in the 21 car he started 18th and finished 4th.
For 2009, Dillon has continued with the Dirt Late Model Racing and had run only one NASCAR Nationwide race, in April at Phoenix International Raceway. In the RCR 2 car, he started 35th, finishing 34th. This past weekend Austin returned to the series piloting the #2 RCR car once again for the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, In. Working with crew chief Dan Deeringhoff who got the car dialed in during the delayed practices Dillon qualified 26th. “I’m real excited about tonight, ORP is a really different track.“ said Austin after qualifying, “ We worked really hard today in practice. We couldn’t get where we wanted to, but we’ll come around here.“ With the adjustments Deeringhoff was able to make during the race, the #2 car had a respectable 18th place finish.
The team will head to Iowa Speedway for the U S Cellular 250 this weekend with a sponsor on the car. The RCR 2 car will carry the High Point University name on the car. That sponsorship means a lot to Austin, as he will attend the University this fall. When I asked how he will manage school and a driving career, Austin was really excited. “The University is real good about that. They will let me attend classes and still be able to race. That is one of the reasons for choosing that school, plus it’s a really good school, so it was an easy decision.”
He appears comfortable with the speed at which is training is moving. “We’re taking our time, trying to get as much experience as we can, we’re doing the right things right now to help further my career.” explained Dillon. “Right now, it’s all about sponsors, and when you get a sponsor you can run more.” He’s optimistic that the 2 team can land enough sponsorship to run at least 20 race in 2010. Comparing the transition from the Dirt Late Models cars, to the Nationwide cars, “It’s a totally different feel, I have been running the Dirt car for the last 8 days and coming over here in an asphalt car it’s a lot different. You brake really hard, your stopping in the center and you have to be real consistent. You have to be consistent in the dirt car, but here your not sideways. In the dirt car your running 850 horsepower and here your running less horsepower but you have to drive harder.”
This is a really strong individual effort by Austin, it is obvious that he goes out of his way to work with the crew chief and the team members. Other than a brief chat on the Pit Road wall, interaction with his team owner / Grandfather, Richard Childress was very low keyed. As a third generation driver, Dillon is getting a start at the game early and shows real determination and the drive to succeed in NASCAR, but more importantly he is showing a great deal of patience.
A wet and whacky weekend at Indy
By Joe Dunn
It’s not really unusual to get rain at Indianapolis around the NASCAR weekend, so the rain that delayed the Silver Crown cars at ORP Thursday night was no surprise. Friday was another story as the skies remained clear for the entire day.
With the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on tap for Friday, the track was dry and clear for an uninterrupted schedule. Morning practices, afternoon qualifying and a race that was a treat to the near capacity crowd. Colin Braun was the top qualifier and shared the front row with veteran Mike Skinner, but the up front battle soon became a battle of Skinner, Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday, Braun and Kyle Busch. Late race rushes by Aric Almirola and Dennis Setzer gave the near capacity crowd their moneys worth. As they approached the white flag, Hornaday had the lead by a nose over Skinner, but when they came around for the second white flag (?) it was Hornaday with the lead. Rick Ren jumped off the pit box to celebrate, only to wonder where the checkered flag was. It didn’t matter as Hornaday continued to lead for another lap.
We never did get an explanation about that extra flag, but it was 200 (or 201) laps of great racing that kept the fans on the edge of their seats all night. I still don’t know what the real future of the Truck series is, but I was not alone at ORP with a lack of confidence for the 2010 season. I hope I am wrong because these guys put on the best show for NASCAR fans.
Saturday morning brought rain to delay both Nationwide practice, at ORP and Cup qualifying at IMS. By mid afternoon the nationwide cars did get on the track for practice and qualifying began about 30 minutes later than scheduled. With the delayed qualifying at the Brickyard, the Cup regulars skipped Nationwide qualifying. In his sixth start in the No. 99 car of Michael Waltrip Racing, Knoxville, Tennessee’s Trevor Bayne watched his fast lap speed of 110.764 MPH hold out for the Coor’s light Pole.
Bayne got a good start and stayed out front for the first 36 laps, but when Michael Annett crashed in turn 3 bringing out the yellow flag Bayne was slowing the field going into one. As the pace car pulled onto the track between one and two, Bayne slowed to keep from hitting it and was hit from behind by Steven Wallace. The hit turned Bayne and NASCAR ruled that they both failed to maintain caution speed, and were relegated to the spots where they rejoined the field that had passed them. Neither was able to get back to the front, but the 7th place finish for Bayne was his best in the Series.
Shelby Howard celebrated his 25th birthday fighting an ill handling car all day. It was obvious that he was having a very difficult time trying to get the car through the turns, but the wheel chatter was wearing him out. Despite the problems and the crews inability to correct the problem, Howard hung in there and managed a 19th place finish.
Carl Edwards led the most laps and after regaining the lead with about 30 to go sailed to an easy win, with Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Steve Wallace rounding out the top 5.
At IMS, it looked like Juan Pablo Montoya was going to run away with the race, but a penalty for speeding on pit road, late in the race spelled disaster for the 42 car. Jimmie Johnson showed that Indy really is a follow the leader race as teammate Mark Martin was unable to get past Johnson and was force to settle for a second place finish.
Speaking of IMS, this is still NASCAR’s most unfriendly fan track with it’s very limited view of the racing surface. The flat and narrow track as well as the narrow pit road all work to make this basically a follow the leader track, with very limited areas to pass.
This week the three NASCAR series are spread out across the country. As the Cup cars head to Pocono, the Nationwide teams take on Iowa Speedway and the truck Series heads to Nashville, TN.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Meeting - NASCAR met with the Nationwide Series car owners Tuesday morning to discuss the new COT. With many owners opposed to the change, it appears that NASCAR will put off the debut of the new car from February until the July 4th weekend at Daytona.
Garage Notes
By Racin' Roger
Around the Sprint Cup Garage at IMS
John Carter and company showed up at IMS with Jeremy Mayfield’s equipment and Past Champion Terry Labonte. Tony Furr, former crew chief for Mayfield was on hand as a ‘Consultant’, but it was clear in the garage and on pit road that Furr is really calling the shots. Expected to be a start and park team, Labonte hung in there for the long haul finishing 6 laps off the pace in 33rd . They are not slated to be at Pocono this week.
Larry Gunselman withdrew their entry for the Brickyard with the 64 car. Mike Wallace said in the garage at ORP that he is looking forward to driving for Gunselman at Pocono. Look for Tony Furr to be there to help out with the 64 team.
The rain delays at IMS forced some Nationwide teams to use backup drivers for qualifying. Kyle Busch had already planned to skip the NNS qualifying, but the rain forced Carl Edwards, David Reutimann, Mike Skinner and Matt Kenseth to miss qualifying.
Around the Nationwide Garage at ORP
Shelby Howard, driver of the #70 Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy for ML Racing was celebrating his 25th birthday on Saturday. The celebration was short circuited by an ill handling car. Despite numerous set up changes before qualifying by crew chief Brian Ross, the car remained nearly impossible to turn through the corners. Howard fought the car all night and considering the poor handling, did a fine job finishing 19 only one lap down.
Richard Childress was on hand at ORP to watch not only Stephen Leicht in the 29 car, but also Austin Dillon, his grandson, in the 2 car. In only his fourth NNS race Dillon started 26th and finished 18th, 1 lap off the pace.
Carl Edwards was the star of the night taking his Vitamin Water Ford from a 42nd place start, to win the Kroger 200.
Around the Camping World Truck Garage at ORP
Still a lot of concern around the garage about the 2010 season. Nobody wants to speak ‘on the record’ but many are not optimistic that the series will be around much longer unless NASCAR pulls out a miracle.
Ron Hornaday’s wife and crew chief Rick Ren were more than confused Saturday night, as they watched their truck take the white flag TWICE. Nobody from NASCAR or ORP would comment, but the general consensus is that the race went an extra lap. Fortunately no major incidents happened on that extra lap to change the results.
Albuquerque, new Mexico’s Caitlin Shaw made her NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at ORP. Driving the #1 Red Horse Racing Toyota, she qualified 32 and stayed with the pack most of the race. Although she was off the pace, she managed to stay up to race speed and give the leaders plenty of room. She did finish the race in 24th place.
NASCAR Nationwide owners resist change to new car
By Joe Dunn
NASCAR officials met Tuesday morning with the team owners from the NASCAR Nationwide Series to set the final date and plans to implement the COT for 2010. Reports from the meeting indicated that many of the smaller team owners were adamantly opposed to the change and the idea of having to buy or build cars for a handful of races. Some owners have reported back to their teams that use the new car will likely not occur until the July race at Daytona. NASCAR had wanted to use the new car for the February race at Daytona, but too many owners opposed that idea.
NASCAR’s Robin Pemberton, after the meeting released the following Statement., “"We had a very productive meeting this morning (Tuesday, July 28) with the team owners from the NASCAR Nationwide Series about the rollout schedule for that series’ new race car. In the days ahead, we will digest what was discussed today and make a final decision on the rollout for next season with full anticipation of integrating the new car for the entire 2011 schedule."
The idea of this new car has been on the drawing board since the introduction of the COT in the Sprint Cup Series, but few of the NNS only teams have invested in the program. Johnny Davis, who runs three teams in the NNS, the 0, 01 and 04 teams is one owner who has been working on this new car and supports the change. Davis and Morgan Shepherd have been working for over a year on building a few of these cars, but they are in the minority.
Nascar was meeting Tuesday afternoon with the series crew chiefs.
NASCAR officials met Tuesday morning with the team owners from the NASCAR Nationwide Series to set the final date and plans to implement the COT for 2010. Reports from the meeting indicated that many of the smaller team owners were adamantly opposed to the change and the idea of having to buy or build cars for a handful of races. Some owners have reported back to their teams that use the new car will likely not occur until the July race at Daytona. NASCAR had wanted to use the new car for the February race at Daytona, but too many owners opposed that idea.
NASCAR’s Robin Pemberton, after the meeting released the following Statement., “"We had a very productive meeting this morning (Tuesday, July 28) with the team owners from the NASCAR Nationwide Series about the rollout schedule for that series’ new race car. In the days ahead, we will digest what was discussed today and make a final decision on the rollout for next season with full anticipation of integrating the new car for the entire 2011 schedule."
The idea of this new car has been on the drawing board since the introduction of the COT in the Sprint Cup Series, but few of the NNS only teams have invested in the program. Johnny Davis, who runs three teams in the NNS, the 0, 01 and 04 teams is one owner who has been working on this new car and supports the change. Davis and Morgan Shepherd have been working for over a year on building a few of these cars, but they are in the minority.
Nascar was meeting Tuesday afternoon with the series crew chiefs.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
New hire at ISC brings long family history of motorsports
By Joe Dunn
At the age of 5, he was performing on the track doing 180° spins in a ‘Corvette’ Go Kart, working with the Clown acts of his grandfather’s Auto Thrill Show. By the time he was in high school, he was driving on two wheels, wrecking cars in sidewinder crashes and doing the Human Battering Ram. He is Joie Chitwood III, named after his grandfather George Chitwood, who was professionally known as Joie. Joie Chitwood III was named this week as the new Vice President of Business Operations for International Speedway Corporation, the racetrack side of the France (NASCAR) family business.
Racing goes back a long ways in the Chitwood family, George Chitwood began his racing career at a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas in 1934. When he entered the Central States Racing Association series in 1937, driving a sprint car owned by the Lawhon brothers of St. Joseph, Missouri the CSRA press agent, Norm Witte, wrote a news release about him without knowing his first name: He saw the Lawhon Special with St. Joe, Missouri, written on it, and needing to get the story into the evening paper, he wrote down the name Joe Chitwood. When the story was typeset at the newspaper, the name came out 'Joie’ and the name stuck for the rest of his racing and later Thrill Show years. Joie competed in seven Indianapolis 500’s in the 40’s, he starting the Joie Chitwood Auto thrill Shows in 1943 and balanced between racing and the Thrill Show until 1950 when he retired from racing and made the Thrill Show a full time business.
Sons Joie Jr and Tim followed in dad’s footsteps working for and later running the Thrill Show. Joie Jr’s son, Joie III joined in the show as he was growing up. As a kid growing up in the 50’s and 60’s in rural western New York, I was one of those kids that anxiously awaited the county fair each year as the Chitwood show came to the town performing 4 and sometimes 5 shows during the 9 day fair. I never got to see Joie III perform, but I was disappointed when I learned of the show’s closing in 1998., after being enjoyed by an estimated 30 million people over it’s 55 year span.
Joie III served as Vice president and General manager of Raceway Associates, the firm that oversaw the construction of the Chicagoland Speedway from 1999- 2002. In October of 2002 he was hired as senior Vice President of Business Affairs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of IMS in December of 2004, a position he held until this latest move to ISC.
Chitwood replaces W. Grant Lynch, who assumes the title of Chairman of Talladega Speedway and Vice President ISC Strategic Projects. With his background in the auto racing and promotion field, I would look for Chitwood to be a real asset to the NASCAR world.
At the age of 5, he was performing on the track doing 180° spins in a ‘Corvette’ Go Kart, working with the Clown acts of his grandfather’s Auto Thrill Show. By the time he was in high school, he was driving on two wheels, wrecking cars in sidewinder crashes and doing the Human Battering Ram. He is Joie Chitwood III, named after his grandfather George Chitwood, who was professionally known as Joie. Joie Chitwood III was named this week as the new Vice President of Business Operations for International Speedway Corporation, the racetrack side of the France (NASCAR) family business.
Racing goes back a long ways in the Chitwood family, George Chitwood began his racing career at a dirt track in Winfield, Kansas in 1934. When he entered the Central States Racing Association series in 1937, driving a sprint car owned by the Lawhon brothers of St. Joseph, Missouri the CSRA press agent, Norm Witte, wrote a news release about him without knowing his first name: He saw the Lawhon Special with St. Joe, Missouri, written on it, and needing to get the story into the evening paper, he wrote down the name Joe Chitwood. When the story was typeset at the newspaper, the name came out 'Joie’ and the name stuck for the rest of his racing and later Thrill Show years. Joie competed in seven Indianapolis 500’s in the 40’s, he starting the Joie Chitwood Auto thrill Shows in 1943 and balanced between racing and the Thrill Show until 1950 when he retired from racing and made the Thrill Show a full time business.
Sons Joie Jr and Tim followed in dad’s footsteps working for and later running the Thrill Show. Joie Jr’s son, Joie III joined in the show as he was growing up. As a kid growing up in the 50’s and 60’s in rural western New York, I was one of those kids that anxiously awaited the county fair each year as the Chitwood show came to the town performing 4 and sometimes 5 shows during the 9 day fair. I never got to see Joie III perform, but I was disappointed when I learned of the show’s closing in 1998., after being enjoyed by an estimated 30 million people over it’s 55 year span.
Joie III served as Vice president and General manager of Raceway Associates, the firm that oversaw the construction of the Chicagoland Speedway from 1999- 2002. In October of 2002 he was hired as senior Vice President of Business Affairs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of IMS in December of 2004, a position he held until this latest move to ISC.
Chitwood replaces W. Grant Lynch, who assumes the title of Chairman of Talladega Speedway and Vice President ISC Strategic Projects. With his background in the auto racing and promotion field, I would look for Chitwood to be a real asset to the NASCAR world.
Monday, July 13, 2009
What’s up with the Nationwide Series
By Joe Dunn
They used to call them the Bushwackers, but it is no longer the Bush Series, so what do you call the Cup drivers in the NNS series now, and how can NASCAR help the teams. I heard one writer calling them the Widewackers, but I can’t swallow that one. Why don’t You, the readers give me your ideas?
The NASCAR Nationwide Series has been around for a long time, it used to be the Bush Series, the Bush Grand National Series, the Grand National series and the Sportsman Series. Whatever name you call it, it has been the proving grounds for up and coming Cup drivers. There has always been a sprinkling of Cup drivers in the show, but mostly at companion events, but never with the numbers we are seeing today. At Chicagoland there were 16 Cup drivers in the field, 11 of which are full time drivers, in the top 35 in points.
When NASCAR changed the rules to guarantee starting spots for the top 35 teams in the Cup series owners points, they added the top 30 in Nationwide to a similar plan. That means that top drivers in the cup series can basically be assured a starting spot in the show, bumping out the smaller teams and the teams that make most, but not all of the races. I like the old rules in the Bush Grand National Series better.
Back then, Nobody was locked in, everyone had to qualify, but there was a buffer for the top drivers in the series. For those who are new to NASCAR, or who don’t remember, here is how it worked. The first 36 spots were filled according to qualifying speeds, spots 37 thru 42 went to the driver highest in drivers points who failed to qualify in the top 36. The 43rd spot was reserved for a past champion and if none, the next driver in points. Now this sounds like it would not alter the slew of cup drivers in the show Except, no driver in the top 25 in Cup points could take a provisional in the race. I liked that system a lot better, it was much more fair for the Regulars in the show, and the series top drivers were still protected.
I find it sad that we see Champion after Champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series who is a Cup regular, usually with a top team in the Cup series. I know that they need some of these Cup guys to fill the stands and to draw sponsors, but enough is enough, give the series back to the guys that are dedicating their time to the series. How about Cup drivers in the top 25 in drivers points in that series, not earn driver’s points in the NNS.
Another tough deal coming for those less than full time, and less than top dollar teams is the new COT for the series in 2010. From what I have heard, NASCAR plans to run the car in 5 races, the two road courses, that won’t affect most of the part time teams, as they tend to avoid them, but when it comes to the super speedways, that will be another story. Over the past 10 years, the season opener for the Nationwide Series at Daytona International Speedway has drawn an average of 51 cars. With the new car being mandated there, the idea of filling a 43 car field may be a stretch.
Sure, the bigger and more well funded teams, such as Roush-Fenway, Richard Childress Racing, JR/Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing already have some of the new cars, but what about teams like ML Racing, Johnny Davis, Jay Robinson, Rick Ware or even Wayne Day? Will they be able to afford buying or building multiple COT cars for a handful of races? I think Not!
And if this goes according to plan, and the car replaces the current car in 2011, what are these teams to do with their stock of cars and parts? When the Cup series changed over, it was like a holiday for the ARCA teams. Used Cup cars were selling for pennies on the dollar, there are still cars laying around to be had cheap. But what about the Nationwide cars, they are the wrong wheelbase for ARCA, what series could use these cars? Perhaps this would be a good time for another lower class series to start up, but who has the funding to do that? NASCAR could do that to help these teams, but don’t hold your breath.
Like on the Cup side, NASCAR says that the idea of the new car is to have a safer, more affordable car for the series. But is there any doubt that the Nationwide teams don’t have the funding or sponsor money for such a wholesale change? With all of the financial challenges these teams face, I say it is time for NASCAR to step up to the plate and provide some real help. For too many years now, NASCAR has filled their coffers with sponsor money that could be more beneficial to the sport by going to the teams. At the Spring Nationwide Race at Nashville, the field included 19 cars that carried partial sponsors, one off sponsors or no sponsors at all. These teams are running ‘out of pocket’ for purse money and the hopes of finishing well enough to draw some kind of sponsor money in the future.
The future does not look good for the small teams that are the backbone of the Nationwide series, and that is without even thinking about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Without some serious hard work coming from the big office in Daytona to help these teams the future of the series is hard to predict, but I’ll still be pushing for the underdogs cause that is the old time NASCAR way.
They used to call them the Bushwackers, but it is no longer the Bush Series, so what do you call the Cup drivers in the NNS series now, and how can NASCAR help the teams. I heard one writer calling them the Widewackers, but I can’t swallow that one. Why don’t You, the readers give me your ideas?
The NASCAR Nationwide Series has been around for a long time, it used to be the Bush Series, the Bush Grand National Series, the Grand National series and the Sportsman Series. Whatever name you call it, it has been the proving grounds for up and coming Cup drivers. There has always been a sprinkling of Cup drivers in the show, but mostly at companion events, but never with the numbers we are seeing today. At Chicagoland there were 16 Cup drivers in the field, 11 of which are full time drivers, in the top 35 in points.
When NASCAR changed the rules to guarantee starting spots for the top 35 teams in the Cup series owners points, they added the top 30 in Nationwide to a similar plan. That means that top drivers in the cup series can basically be assured a starting spot in the show, bumping out the smaller teams and the teams that make most, but not all of the races. I like the old rules in the Bush Grand National Series better.
Back then, Nobody was locked in, everyone had to qualify, but there was a buffer for the top drivers in the series. For those who are new to NASCAR, or who don’t remember, here is how it worked. The first 36 spots were filled according to qualifying speeds, spots 37 thru 42 went to the driver highest in drivers points who failed to qualify in the top 36. The 43rd spot was reserved for a past champion and if none, the next driver in points. Now this sounds like it would not alter the slew of cup drivers in the show Except, no driver in the top 25 in Cup points could take a provisional in the race. I liked that system a lot better, it was much more fair for the Regulars in the show, and the series top drivers were still protected.
I find it sad that we see Champion after Champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series who is a Cup regular, usually with a top team in the Cup series. I know that they need some of these Cup guys to fill the stands and to draw sponsors, but enough is enough, give the series back to the guys that are dedicating their time to the series. How about Cup drivers in the top 25 in drivers points in that series, not earn driver’s points in the NNS.
Another tough deal coming for those less than full time, and less than top dollar teams is the new COT for the series in 2010. From what I have heard, NASCAR plans to run the car in 5 races, the two road courses, that won’t affect most of the part time teams, as they tend to avoid them, but when it comes to the super speedways, that will be another story. Over the past 10 years, the season opener for the Nationwide Series at Daytona International Speedway has drawn an average of 51 cars. With the new car being mandated there, the idea of filling a 43 car field may be a stretch.
Sure, the bigger and more well funded teams, such as Roush-Fenway, Richard Childress Racing, JR/Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing already have some of the new cars, but what about teams like ML Racing, Johnny Davis, Jay Robinson, Rick Ware or even Wayne Day? Will they be able to afford buying or building multiple COT cars for a handful of races? I think Not!
And if this goes according to plan, and the car replaces the current car in 2011, what are these teams to do with their stock of cars and parts? When the Cup series changed over, it was like a holiday for the ARCA teams. Used Cup cars were selling for pennies on the dollar, there are still cars laying around to be had cheap. But what about the Nationwide cars, they are the wrong wheelbase for ARCA, what series could use these cars? Perhaps this would be a good time for another lower class series to start up, but who has the funding to do that? NASCAR could do that to help these teams, but don’t hold your breath.
Like on the Cup side, NASCAR says that the idea of the new car is to have a safer, more affordable car for the series. But is there any doubt that the Nationwide teams don’t have the funding or sponsor money for such a wholesale change? With all of the financial challenges these teams face, I say it is time for NASCAR to step up to the plate and provide some real help. For too many years now, NASCAR has filled their coffers with sponsor money that could be more beneficial to the sport by going to the teams. At the Spring Nationwide Race at Nashville, the field included 19 cars that carried partial sponsors, one off sponsors or no sponsors at all. These teams are running ‘out of pocket’ for purse money and the hopes of finishing well enough to draw some kind of sponsor money in the future.
The future does not look good for the small teams that are the backbone of the Nationwide series, and that is without even thinking about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Without some serious hard work coming from the big office in Daytona to help these teams the future of the series is hard to predict, but I’ll still be pushing for the underdogs cause that is the old time NASCAR way.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Learning from the Best
By Trevor Bayne
Instead of learning from behind the wheel this past weekend in Daytona, I learned from watching one of the best restrictor-plate racers in history, Michael Waltrip.
I believe he told me that he has four wins combined at Daytona and Talladega, which is incredible.
Sometimes going to the race track and not being able to drive a race car can be a little frustrating or even boring. However, this past weekend watching Michael and learning from him was actually pretty enjoyable.
For those of you who don’t know Michael on a personal level, he likes to have a good time behind the wheel of a race car. He likes to joke, but he also likes to have a car that performs well on the race track. Sometime you think he is really mad on the radio, and the next second he is cracking a joke. I think he is one of the reasons that everyone who works at Michael Waltrip Racing enjoys their job.
I spent most of my time while at the race track on top of the spotters stand. I learned a lot on how cars can work together and move quickly through the field. I also learned when not to draft and how one mistake can wreck a bunch of cars quickly.
I think one of the most important things I learned from watching Michael was how he adjusted his drafting techniques after he received a little front fender damage early in the NASCAR Nationwide race.
I know going to the race track and watching instead of driving is something that a rookie like me must do, but trust me, I would much rather be behind the wheel of a race car.
Also, some of you might already know, but I received some big news this past week. When I first signed on to drive for MWR I was only scheduled to run eight races in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine. However, I guess I caught the eyes of a few people and Aaron’s, Michael and Gary Bechtel have agreed to put me in the race car for four additional races. That brings my total up to 12.
For all of my fans I will be in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN. Wish me luck!!!!!
Instead of learning from behind the wheel this past weekend in Daytona, I learned from watching one of the best restrictor-plate racers in history, Michael Waltrip.
I believe he told me that he has four wins combined at Daytona and Talladega, which is incredible.
Sometimes going to the race track and not being able to drive a race car can be a little frustrating or even boring. However, this past weekend watching Michael and learning from him was actually pretty enjoyable.
For those of you who don’t know Michael on a personal level, he likes to have a good time behind the wheel of a race car. He likes to joke, but he also likes to have a car that performs well on the race track. Sometime you think he is really mad on the radio, and the next second he is cracking a joke. I think he is one of the reasons that everyone who works at Michael Waltrip Racing enjoys their job.
I spent most of my time while at the race track on top of the spotters stand. I learned a lot on how cars can work together and move quickly through the field. I also learned when not to draft and how one mistake can wreck a bunch of cars quickly.
I think one of the most important things I learned from watching Michael was how he adjusted his drafting techniques after he received a little front fender damage early in the NASCAR Nationwide race.
I know going to the race track and watching instead of driving is something that a rookie like me must do, but trust me, I would much rather be behind the wheel of a race car.
Also, some of you might already know, but I received some big news this past week. When I first signed on to drive for MWR I was only scheduled to run eight races in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine. However, I guess I caught the eyes of a few people and Aaron’s, Michael and Gary Bechtel have agreed to put me in the race car for four additional races. That brings my total up to 12.
For all of my fans I will be in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN. Wish me luck!!!!!
So Far this Year
By Trevor Bayne
First let me take a second to introduce myself. My name is Trevor Bayne and I am 18 from Knoxville, Tenn. I have been asked by the wonderful folks from www.onpitroad.com to write a weekly blog about what’s going on in my life. So here it goes.
Let me start off by giving you all the low down on my life so far this year.
Well the past couple of months have been kind of crazy for me. At the end of last season, I thought my future was set. I was going to drive the full NASCAR Nationwide schedule with Dale Earnhardt Inc. However, when the economy took a nose dive, DEI was unable to fund a full-time team and I was left without a ride for the 2009 season.
However, as luck would have it, I happened to meet a man by the name of Gary Bechtel in Daytona. Some of you guys might know the name; he used to own Diamond Ridge Motorsports in the early 1990’s.
Meeting Mr. Bechtel has definitely been one of the highlights of my year so far. He was very instrumental in helping me get the Nationwide ride with Michael Waltrip Racing in the No. 99 machine. I owe that man a bunch!
So far, I have driven three races in the No. 99 car and have learned so much from Jerry Baxter (crew chief) and the rest of the Nationwide guys. Let me tell you, those guys love to have fun. They are the reason why people started racing in the first place, for fun, and they remind me of that every day. Being around those guys has been a blast. I think it helps that we have been able to get some solid finishes too.
My first race with them was at Nashville Superspeedway and I was able to grab the outside pole. However, we were caught up in a wreck and finished 28th. My other two races, Kentucky and Milwaukee, I started in the top 10 and finished 12th. I mean not bad, but you know we always want to do better.
My next race will be the July 11 race at Chicigoland Speedway. This race was actually added to my original schedule after Michael came to Milwaukee and saw that I could get the job done.
Well this weekend I will be in Daytona learning all I can from Michael while he drives the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream machine at the World Center of Racing.
For all my fans you can follow me on Facebook or go to www.trevorbayne.com to get all the latest news.
First let me take a second to introduce myself. My name is Trevor Bayne and I am 18 from Knoxville, Tenn. I have been asked by the wonderful folks from www.onpitroad.com to write a weekly blog about what’s going on in my life. So here it goes.
Let me start off by giving you all the low down on my life so far this year.
Well the past couple of months have been kind of crazy for me. At the end of last season, I thought my future was set. I was going to drive the full NASCAR Nationwide schedule with Dale Earnhardt Inc. However, when the economy took a nose dive, DEI was unable to fund a full-time team and I was left without a ride for the 2009 season.
However, as luck would have it, I happened to meet a man by the name of Gary Bechtel in Daytona. Some of you guys might know the name; he used to own Diamond Ridge Motorsports in the early 1990’s.
Meeting Mr. Bechtel has definitely been one of the highlights of my year so far. He was very instrumental in helping me get the Nationwide ride with Michael Waltrip Racing in the No. 99 machine. I owe that man a bunch!
So far, I have driven three races in the No. 99 car and have learned so much from Jerry Baxter (crew chief) and the rest of the Nationwide guys. Let me tell you, those guys love to have fun. They are the reason why people started racing in the first place, for fun, and they remind me of that every day. Being around those guys has been a blast. I think it helps that we have been able to get some solid finishes too.
My first race with them was at Nashville Superspeedway and I was able to grab the outside pole. However, we were caught up in a wreck and finished 28th. My other two races, Kentucky and Milwaukee, I started in the top 10 and finished 12th. I mean not bad, but you know we always want to do better.
My next race will be the July 11 race at Chicigoland Speedway. This race was actually added to my original schedule after Michael came to Milwaukee and saw that I could get the job done.
Well this weekend I will be in Daytona learning all I can from Michael while he drives the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream machine at the World Center of Racing.
For all my fans you can follow me on Facebook or go to www.trevorbayne.com to get all the latest news.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Garage Notes
By Racin’ Roger
Around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Garage
All eyes were looking for Jeremy Mayfield to show up at Daytona, in fact there were spurious reports of Mayfield sightings. He was NOT there folks. My sources have said that although Mayfield is eagerly trying to make Chicago, he has no money and is hitting walls trying to find sponsorship. It’s now no secret that he is actively courting buyers of his team and equipment.
The 64 team of Larry Gunselman showed up as a late entry with the sponsorship of Fred’s Discount Stores, but the rained out qualifying sent the team home with empty pockets. They are already making plans to be at Chicagoland this weekend.
Three days after a spectacular last lap crash, Kyle Busch is still not talking to the press. Even the teams post race press release, normally carry a couple of Kyle quotes, carried only crew Chief Steve Addington’s comments.
As expected, Tuesday Michael Waltrip Racing announced the signing of Martin Truex Jr. as the driver of the #56 NAPA Toyota for 2010, with Michael going part time.
Nationwide garage
McDonald Motorsports has signed Michael McDowell to drive the 81 car at Chicago and Gateway. McDowell’s regular ride, the JTG 47 team has exhausted sponsorship for the season. McDowell remains in the top 10 in points and is searching for a way to stay in the series for the balance of the season.
Reports of trouble between Phoenix Racing’s owner James Finch and driver Mike Bliss. Monday the team announced Bliss’ departure, only to announce he is back on Tuesday.
Braun Racing has parted ways with Burney Lamar in the 32 car. He was replaced at Daytona by Brian Vickers, who will be joined by a combination of David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson and Brian Ickler wheeling the car through the rest of the season. A driver announcement for the Road Course in Montreal and the Phoenix race will be announced at a later date.
ML Racing returns to the Series at Chicago with driver Shelby Howard after missing the last two weeks.
The new Nationwide car will be a fixture for 5 races in 2010, and a lot of the smaller teams are pretty unhappy. Having to build at least 2 completely different cars for 5 races will put a lot of pressure on teams with shoe string budgets. Many wonder if Daytona, which normally pulls a bevy of contenders, will actually have a full field for the season opener.
Waltrip announcement a media fanfare
By Joe Dunn
It was leaked out over a week ago, Michael Waltrip Racing would hold a press conference on July 7th with a BIG announcement. Speed TV even cleared time, pre-empting scheduled programming for this BIG story announcing Martin Truex Jr as the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for 2010. The second part of the announcement was that Michael will drive part time next year, at least five races in the 55.
Now, I have seen a few midweek team announcement get this much attention, like in May of 2007 when Dale Earnhardt Jr formally announced his signing with Hendrick Motorsports. That indeed was an event worth the live TV time, after all there were a lot of rumors, but no confirmation at all. That 2007 event also hinged on the career of NASCAR’s most popular driver. Until it was announced it was speculated that Junior would go with HMS, but the details announced that day set the future path of not only Earnhardt Jr but also his JR Motorsports.
Later, in 2007 was the BIG Budweiser announcement, on their move to the Evernham Racing team of Kasey Kahne. Kahne had been a Chase contending driver, on the rise in NASCAR and his link to Budweiser, one of the oldest sponsors in NASCAR was an event worthy of the TV time. And, in 2008, it was the announcement of 2 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart signing on as a partner and driver at Haas CNC Racing, which was renamed Stewart Haas Racing. Those were all major announcements pertaining to top drivers, and neither Michael Waltrip or Martin Truex Jr qualify for that rating.
So what made the MWR announcement something so worthy of live TV? Was in the fact that Truex has a single win in the Cup series after 6 years and 135 races? Not to dismiss Martin as a driver, I have enjoyed watching him race since the first time I saw him show up at Dover with the hauler that had the ‘ Got Crabs?’ logo on it. He has won two Nationwide series championships, but that was 4 and 5 years ago. He moved to Cup as the ‘sidekick’ to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He looked his best in 2007, thanks mostly to Juniors crash and burn year with DEI.
Maybe the coverage is because Michael is a big star, nope, here is a guy that after 25 years and 742 races has registered 4 wins, all at Super Speedways and all driving for DEI when DEI was the Restrictor Plate king. So why did this announcement really get the live TV time? My only guess is that Speed, which uses Michael as a commentator for the NASCAR Camping World truck Series felt obligated to throw Mikey and NAPA ‘the bone’. After all, the fact that Truex was signing with MWR has been well known for weeks. Hey, we even knew a few days ago that Martin would be sporting the 56, the number his dad sported in 7 NASCAR Nationwide Series races between 1993 and 1998.
Will Truex be the Top Dawg at MWR in 2010? Martin’s talent truly is much better than his record shows. The equipment at DEI for the past several years was not championship quality and the Earnhardt- Childress race engines have not been setting the world afire, but that does not in itself spell championship contender in a MWR car. Look for David Reutimann to again be the ‘franchise’ driver for MWR in 2010. David may not make the Chase this year, but he is a lot closer than Michael could hope for.
My thoughts on the 2010 season for MWR, Look for Reutimann to make the Chase, Truex will come close but after a year of adjusting, 2011 will be his year. Marcus Ambrose in the 47 car should finish in the top 15 or better in 2010. And the farewell driver, Mikey in the ole 55 NAPA Toyota, look for him to be an also ran. Michael is a great pitch man, and has far exceeded everyone's expectations as an owner, but I fear that like his brother Darrell’s farewell tour in 2000 that resulted in two top twenty finishes, 2010 will be a further embarrassment to Michael and his team.
It was leaked out over a week ago, Michael Waltrip Racing would hold a press conference on July 7th with a BIG announcement. Speed TV even cleared time, pre-empting scheduled programming for this BIG story announcing Martin Truex Jr as the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for 2010. The second part of the announcement was that Michael will drive part time next year, at least five races in the 55.
Now, I have seen a few midweek team announcement get this much attention, like in May of 2007 when Dale Earnhardt Jr formally announced his signing with Hendrick Motorsports. That indeed was an event worth the live TV time, after all there were a lot of rumors, but no confirmation at all. That 2007 event also hinged on the career of NASCAR’s most popular driver. Until it was announced it was speculated that Junior would go with HMS, but the details announced that day set the future path of not only Earnhardt Jr but also his JR Motorsports.
Later, in 2007 was the BIG Budweiser announcement, on their move to the Evernham Racing team of Kasey Kahne. Kahne had been a Chase contending driver, on the rise in NASCAR and his link to Budweiser, one of the oldest sponsors in NASCAR was an event worthy of the TV time. And, in 2008, it was the announcement of 2 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart signing on as a partner and driver at Haas CNC Racing, which was renamed Stewart Haas Racing. Those were all major announcements pertaining to top drivers, and neither Michael Waltrip or Martin Truex Jr qualify for that rating.
So what made the MWR announcement something so worthy of live TV? Was in the fact that Truex has a single win in the Cup series after 6 years and 135 races? Not to dismiss Martin as a driver, I have enjoyed watching him race since the first time I saw him show up at Dover with the hauler that had the ‘ Got Crabs?’ logo on it. He has won two Nationwide series championships, but that was 4 and 5 years ago. He moved to Cup as the ‘sidekick’ to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He looked his best in 2007, thanks mostly to Juniors crash and burn year with DEI.
Maybe the coverage is because Michael is a big star, nope, here is a guy that after 25 years and 742 races has registered 4 wins, all at Super Speedways and all driving for DEI when DEI was the Restrictor Plate king. So why did this announcement really get the live TV time? My only guess is that Speed, which uses Michael as a commentator for the NASCAR Camping World truck Series felt obligated to throw Mikey and NAPA ‘the bone’. After all, the fact that Truex was signing with MWR has been well known for weeks. Hey, we even knew a few days ago that Martin would be sporting the 56, the number his dad sported in 7 NASCAR Nationwide Series races between 1993 and 1998.
Will Truex be the Top Dawg at MWR in 2010? Martin’s talent truly is much better than his record shows. The equipment at DEI for the past several years was not championship quality and the Earnhardt- Childress race engines have not been setting the world afire, but that does not in itself spell championship contender in a MWR car. Look for David Reutimann to again be the ‘franchise’ driver for MWR in 2010. David may not make the Chase this year, but he is a lot closer than Michael could hope for.
My thoughts on the 2010 season for MWR, Look for Reutimann to make the Chase, Truex will come close but after a year of adjusting, 2011 will be his year. Marcus Ambrose in the 47 car should finish in the top 15 or better in 2010. And the farewell driver, Mikey in the ole 55 NAPA Toyota, look for him to be an also ran. Michael is a great pitch man, and has far exceeded everyone's expectations as an owner, but I fear that like his brother Darrell’s farewell tour in 2000 that resulted in two top twenty finishes, 2010 will be a further embarrassment to Michael and his team.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Low Budget Sprint Cup teams strive to stay in the game
By Joe Dunn
In the shadow of the media blitz about Jeremy Mayfield and his temporary win in court on Tuesday, other small budget NASCAR Sprint Cup teams scramble behind the scenes to get their team to the track. Larry Gunselman and his team are a good example of one of those teams that is celebrating their own good fortune this week … they landed a sponsor for the race.
Gunselman Motorsports has secured a major sponsor with Fred’s Hometown Discount Stores for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. The Fred’s Inc. logo will adorn the hood and quarter panels of Mike Wallace’s No. 64 Toyota. “Decals are being applied at this very moment and our team is very excited to have Fred’s back on the car, this time, as a major sponsor and partner,” said Larry Gunselman, team owner. “With backing from Fred’s and with veteran racer and speedway specialist, Mike Wallace, behind the wheel, our team is going to attempt to do what Brad Keselowski did in Talladega, our team is going to do every thing in our power to win this weekend!” Fred’s Inc. http://www.fredsinc.com/ is headquartered in Memphis, TN and owns more than 600 stores and 300 pharmacies, which operate in 15 Southeastern states.
Gunselman Motorsports reports that they have been deluged with email from Mike Wallace fans wanting assurance that Gunselman Motorsports is fully committed to Wallace for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. In an effort to quell rumors, Larry Gunselman, team owner of the No. 64 Sprint Cup Team, went on record this afternoon stating that, “ The major sponsorship deal with Fred’s would not be a reality without Mike Wallace. Frankly, he was instrumental in helping our team put the deal together and his speedway record speaks for itself. I have not entertained the idea of putting any other driver in, because frankly, it was the not only Mike’s record, but his reputation as a speedway driver, that helped our team close the deal with Fred’s.
Gunselman, of Snohomish, WA who has been around Nascar for nearly 20 years, dating back to his first run in the NASCAR Camping World West Series (actually, it was the NASCAR Winston West Series back then) On September 30, 1990. Larry showed up at Tri-City Raceway in West Richland, WA with his own Pontiac and managed an 11th place finish. After 9 years, Larry had competed in 52 Winston West and 2 Winston Cup races.
The 64 team started the 2009 season with 3 drivers listed, Gunselman and the two Bodine brothers that started with him at Mach 1, Geoff and Todd. With a lack of sponsorship, the relationship with the Bodine’s faded and Gunselman Motorsports got hooked up with Michael Wallace as the current driver. Mike brings a wealth of experience to the team, having competed in a combined 633 races in Nascar’s top three series, since 1990, with 8 wins, 56 top 5’s and 130 top 10’s.
In 2004, Larry Gunselman founded Mach 1 Motorsports, an underfunded Cup team that made 26 of the 34 races on the schedule and finished 39th in points. Six different drivers drove the 98 car in 2004, including Geoff and Todd Bodine, Gunselman, Chad Chaffin, Derrick Cope and Randy Lajoie. The team dissolved at the end of the year but Gunselman remained in Nascar as a driver. Between 1996 and 2008 Larry competed in 115 races in Nascar’s top three series.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Judge rules in favor of Mayfield
By Joe Dunn
Jeremy Mayfield let out a big sigh Tuesday afternoon as US District Court Judge Graham Mullen ruled in his favor, granting a temporary injunction against NASCAR’s suspension of Mayfield. Shana Mayfield broke out in tears as the judge rendered his decision. The ruling clears the way for the owner of the team to be changed back to Jeremy.
"The truth came out. That's what it's all about," Mayfield said after the decision was announced. He indicated that it may be too late for him to get his team to Daytona in time for the Thursday morning deadline for ‘post entries’ for the Coke Zero 400. However, he did hint that it would be enough time for him to serve as the driver for another team, the most likely in that case would be the 64 car of Larry Gunselmann.
The Gunselmann team shares the same shop with Mayfield Motorsports in one of the Stavola Brothers shops.
Although NASCAR said at first that they had no intention of filing an appeal, spokesman Ramsey Posten later said that they were still considering their actions. Posten also said that Mayfield would be subject to regular drug test and they would beginning this week at Daytona should Mayfield be there. The judges ruling also gave way for NASCAR to take hair samples from Mayfield as well as extensive and regular drug testing.
In his announcing decision, Judge Mullen stated that the damage to Mayfield from the suspension far outweighed any damage that NASCAR could validate. He said there was credence to Mayfield’s claim that if he were under the influence of methamphetamines, his crew members and others would have noticed. Mayfield had his crew members sign affidavits saying they did not see any evidence that Mayfield had used drugs. The judge also found that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case.
Jeremy Mayfield let out a big sigh Tuesday afternoon as US District Court Judge Graham Mullen ruled in his favor, granting a temporary injunction against NASCAR’s suspension of Mayfield. Shana Mayfield broke out in tears as the judge rendered his decision. The ruling clears the way for the owner of the team to be changed back to Jeremy.
"The truth came out. That's what it's all about," Mayfield said after the decision was announced. He indicated that it may be too late for him to get his team to Daytona in time for the Thursday morning deadline for ‘post entries’ for the Coke Zero 400. However, he did hint that it would be enough time for him to serve as the driver for another team, the most likely in that case would be the 64 car of Larry Gunselmann.
The Gunselmann team shares the same shop with Mayfield Motorsports in one of the Stavola Brothers shops.
Although NASCAR said at first that they had no intention of filing an appeal, spokesman Ramsey Posten later said that they were still considering their actions. Posten also said that Mayfield would be subject to regular drug test and they would beginning this week at Daytona should Mayfield be there. The judges ruling also gave way for NASCAR to take hair samples from Mayfield as well as extensive and regular drug testing.
In his announcing decision, Judge Mullen stated that the damage to Mayfield from the suspension far outweighed any damage that NASCAR could validate. He said there was credence to Mayfield’s claim that if he were under the influence of methamphetamines, his crew members and others would have noticed. Mayfield had his crew members sign affidavits saying they did not see any evidence that Mayfield had used drugs. The judge also found that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Kyle Busch Screws Up Again
By Joe Dunn
When it comes to Kyle Busch, nobody can take away his incredible driving talents and his no fear style. But at the same time, he obviously has one of the worst reputations as a self centered brat, who is having too much fun with his Bad Boy image. So when he publicly apologized for his involvement in the wreck at Sunday’s Lennox 301, it shocked a lot of folks.
The big crash on a lap 174 restart ended the day for Martin Truex and David Ragan as well as ruining a possible good finish for Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton. The first replays showed Busch turning Truex and the finger pointing and blaming began. As the media pursued Kyle for the expected, ‘not my fault’, his response was quite different.
“I have to apologize to all those guys,” Busch said. “We got bottled up there in turn one – especially Martin and Jeff Burton and those guys. I meant nothing of that. The 88 (Earnhardt) spun his tires on the restart, I went to choose a lane, went to the middle, and the 42 (Montoya) and I got together a little bit. That pinched me with the 1 (Truex, Jr.) and I spun the 1 out and it was just mayhem from there.”
But after reviewing the incident, I have to throw the Black Flag at Kyle’s apology. No, not because I don’t believe it was sincere, if it weren’t, he would not have said it. I do, because he did not cause that wreck, and his apology let’s the other driver’s responsible off the hook. A look at the replay shows the sequence that happened and how it really unfolded. Nobody is denying that Dale Earnhardt Jr triggered the whole thing by spinning his tires on the restart, although Junior has not commented on that.
It is what followed the mistake by Earnhardt, that led to the wreck. Truex, who is obviously aware of the mistake that Junior is known for from his time as a teammate at DEI, backed off to avoid hitting the 88 car. Martin fully expected Junior to regain his composure and control of his car and he prepared for the second restart by Earnhardt. But the 88 car did not react quickly and Truex rammed his former teammate. Again, Truex had to back out of it in hopes that the 88 would finally get traction and move out of the way.
Leading up to all of this, Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya were side by side looking for a way to get around the mess created by the 88 car. During the maneuvering, Truex started moving down the track and Busch’s reaction was to go high in an attempt to pass the 1 car. At the same time Montoya was looking for room and started moving down, which blocked Kyle’s attempt to get around Truex. All would have been some normal ‘racin is rubbing’ had Truex not been forced to back off the second time. It appears that the fault of this one falls not on the guy who apologized and took responsibility, but rather on the two cars in front of him.
So, in the aftermath, it is Kyle Busch who once again takes the heat that he does not deserve apologized. “I hate it for all those guys because I know they’ve got ‘Chase’ contentions too. We were just battling for every spot out there today. Restarts are hectic, man. Everybody is fighting for every inch that’s out there because it’s so hard to pass with these cars.” And not a peep from the two guys that have zero chance of making the Chase, Earnhardt (19th) and Truex (24th) that really caused this wreck.
Kyle Busch is a spoiled brat, used to getting his way, and I have had my issues with Kyle in the past. It is frustrating covering races when you rush to the media center after a race to catch the Q and A’s with the second and third place drivers, only to learn that after finishing second, Kyle skips the appearance because he is having a tantrum. But this week, Kyle publicly fell on his sword for something that was not his fault. Perhaps by now he has finally seen the replays and understands that he did not owe the ‘sorry’, but it’s too late, he already assumed the blame. So another week goes by with another Kyle Busch Screw Up.
Garage Notes
Around the Sprint Cup garage this week
By Racin' Roger
Michael Waltrip Racing has announced a press conference for next Monday that has drawn lots of speculation. The strongest rumor of course is that Martin Truex will join MWR in 2010 as the driver of the 55 car. Other talk centered on the possibility of Truex moving over in time for Chicago, but experience tells me that EGR would not agree to the early release.
Jeremy Mayfield heads back to court on July 1 in his quest to force Nascar to reinstate him. Should he fail at this one, look for his team to be sold within days. There is at least one prospective buyer in the waiting, but the identity is being closely guarded.
Danica Patrick’s name is swirling around with connection to a deal with Hendrick Motor Sports and a possible deal with JR motorsports or Stewart Haas Racing. Rick Hendrick adamantly denies all the rumors.
Looking ahead to the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in late July, lots of veteran drivers anticipate being greeting by Humpy Wheeler, who is expected to be announced soon as the new President of IMS.
Larry Gunselman Racing quietly withdrew from the Lennox 301 after rain cancelled qualifying. The rain out would have guaranteed the team of starting position based on 2009 attempts. The obvious start and park team made a deal with Furniture Row Racing that allowed Regan Smith to make the race in the 78 car. Smith finished 27th one lap down and marked his 50th race without a DNF.
From the Nationwide garage
Word is out that the double file restarts will begin at Daytona.
Still no confirmation from Nascar, but talk about the garage is that the NEW CAR for the nationwide series will debut at Daytona in February. Seems that Nascar will call for the new car at 5 races including Daytona and the two road courses for 2010, with the full schedule to follow in 2011. Lots of mixed reactions from the teams. Many of the smaller teams are very upset and some plan to bolt from the series.
Things look bad for the Milwaukee mile for 2010, as they have been unable to pay Nascar the required sanction fees for last weeks race. Rumor has it that the promoter still owes the IRL for the may race there. Beside the Memphis races being moved to Alabama, looks like the Mile’s dates may be moved also.
Bobby Hamilton took over the 81 car of McDonald motorsports at Dover and has been with then ever since, but as they head to Daytona this week, Hamilton is out and ARCA driver Patrick Shelta will be in.
Richard Petty Motorsports has a two race deal with McDonalds for Daytona with Kasey Kahne in the 10 car and Chicago with Reed Sorenson , in the 43 Cup car.
Michael McDowell, 11th overall and 8th among the Nationwide regulars looks ahead to Daytona as his last race of the season. The team has no sponsorship in place for the second half of the season with the exception of the two road courses with Marcus Ambrose behind the wheel. Ted Geschickter, co owner, says’ they are unsure if they have the ability to run any un-sponsored races.
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