By Joe Dunn
With the announcement last week that Shell-Pennzoil is moving to Penske next year, more question than answers have surfaced. Among the them is how this will effect the future of Justin Allgaier with Penske and his chances of moving to a Cup road.
I caught up with Justin last Thursday On Pit Road at Talladega, during ARCA qualifying. He was anxious to talk about it, and to point out that he didn’t feel that it would impact him or the timing of his career. “I didn’t expect to ever see Kurt get out of the 2 car, so it’s gonna be a big change, but a good change.” said Allgaier “Brad getting behind the wheel of the 2 car is a big feather in his cap, and I think that’s pretty cool for him.” Allgaier reiterated the fact that Roger Penske had already said that he intends to keep Sam Hornish Jr in a Cup car. He also indicated that the 12 car would probably remain with the Organization. When I asked Allgaier about the future of the 12 car in Cup, he said “Obviously they like the 22 because it matches the 2 and the 12 very well.”, indicating that Hornish would move from the 77 to the 12.
About the possibility of him running a 7 cup race schedule in 2011, which would preserve his Rookie status for 2012, he responded, “ I think for sure we’ll have three cars full time. They (Penske Racing) have been adamant that they are very content with having three cars and right now would not be the time to have four. Do I see a seven race car, probably not, but there are always those question marks.”
Speaking about his future, Justin appeared to be quite comfortable with the idea of remaining in the NNS for at least one and possibly two more years. “I think the biggest thing for me is that Verizon has been a great partner with Penske Racing on our Nationwide program,” said Allgaier,” and we can’t do that on the Cup side.” He expressed that he really is comfortable with staying in the NNS car for another year or two and work toward a Cup ride as a progression with the organization. With a contract that extends beyond this year, he appears content with letting Penske Racing plot his career.
“Penske Racing is very good about signing long term partners… I want to be around Penske Racing for a long time.” Allgaier told me, “I would even be content with retiring at Penske.” He repeatedly said that he has his sights on a NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship, and if that meant staying in that Series for another two years, that would be good with him. I have seen a lot of young drivers in this sport move up quick, and sometimes that fast pace proved to be their downfall. Justin has one of the best attitudes that I have seen in a young driver who is showing a lot of promise in his sophomore year in the NNS. I have to look at him as the real future of Penske, so long as a Hendrick or Roush run at him does not occur. Allgaier is sincerely happy at Penske, but he is a genuine up and coming talent that surely has gotten the attention of other teams. However, based on our conversation, it would take a really big move to shake his confidence and loyalty in Penske Racing. I’d watch for this young man running up front in Cup in 2013.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
All Saturday Racing activity Cancelled at Talladega
By Joe Dunn
Due to the severe weather warnings being issued in the Alabama /Mississippi / Tennessee area, NASCAR has cancelled all activities at Talladega Super Speedway for Saturday April 24.
In the interest of fan safety, all activities scheduled at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday have been postponed due to significant threat of extended periods of severe weather. This decision was made based on advise from the National Weather service and the Talladega County Emergency Management Agency. Fans are strongly encouraged to take necessary precautions to ensure their safety, especially those guest camping on speedway property.
The Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race scheduled for Saturday will now be held Sunday following the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race. Any ticket for the Aaron’s 312 or the Aaron’s 499 will be honored at the gate Sunday. All Aaron’s 499 ticket holders have priority seating and should proceed to their assigned ticketed area. Aaron’s 312 ticket holders will be directed to open seating by speedway staff.
Gates open at 8am and the Aaron’s 499 will begin at 12 noon as originally scheduled.
Due to the severe weather warnings being issued in the Alabama /Mississippi / Tennessee area, NASCAR has cancelled all activities at Talladega Super Speedway for Saturday April 24.
Official Statement from NASCAR
In the interest of fan safety, all activities scheduled at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday have been postponed due to significant threat of extended periods of severe weather. This decision was made based on advise from the National Weather service and the Talladega County Emergency Management Agency. Fans are strongly encouraged to take necessary precautions to ensure their safety, especially those guest camping on speedway property.
The Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race scheduled for Saturday will now be held Sunday following the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race. Any ticket for the Aaron’s 312 or the Aaron’s 499 will be honored at the gate Sunday. All Aaron’s 499 ticket holders have priority seating and should proceed to their assigned ticketed area. Aaron’s 312 ticket holders will be directed to open seating by speedway staff.
Gates open at 8am and the Aaron’s 499 will begin at 12 noon as originally scheduled.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Talladega with Silly Season & Crazy Weather
By Joe Dunn
Here at Talladega Super Speedway it’s all abuzz as NASCAR, teams, driver’s and the media are all over the board on information and discussion.
Many folks arrived here Thursday morning with the Penske / Shell-Pennzoil announcement still the number one topic. And by Friday afternoon, we have some answers and we have some more questions pertaining to that deal.
Here is what we know so far. Kurt Busch announced that he has signed a 5 year contract to drive the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing South. Brad Keselowski is excited about his upcoming move into the legendary #2 Miller Lite Dodge. According to team sources, Sam Hornish Jr. will remain with Penske, possibly moving into the #12 car. It has not been addressed, but it is obvious that Mobil will be out at Penske come 2011. Although some media folks have rumored or suspected that Justin Allgaier may be leaving Penske, looking for a cup ride, he tells me otherwise. Justin has no plans to enter the NSCS in any form in 2011, but instead is intent on concentrating on pursuing a run at the NNS championship for 2011. Regarding his long term future with Penske racing Allgaier said, “ I could see myself retiring at Penske.” Asked about a possible 4th NSCS car at Penske for him, he indicated that Roger Penske has no intention of expanding beyond the current three cars in 2011 and Justin is fine with that.
The Shell-Pennzoil defection from RCR and the #29 car of Kevin Harvick, has put Harvick being pursued by the media corps here at ‘Dega. Taking a wide shot at media speculation of Harvick’s exit from RCR and talk of his “Burning Bridges” at RCR, Kevin struck out in a Friday afternoon press conference. He was highly critical of ‘unnamed sources’ and declared that if a source couldn’t own up to their statements, they weren’t worthy of the quote. Regarding his relationship with Richard Childress, he emphasized that he has had numerous discussions with Childress and their relationship is still strong. Knowing that Shell-Pennzoil will be gone, he would not comment on possible future sponsors. Asked about manufacturer loyalty (Chevrolet), would it be safe to assume any future ride would have to be a Chevrolet, Harvick responded, “That would be a fair statement.” Later in the garage area, Richard Childress expressed his confidence that Harvick would remain with RCR.
Also a lot more questions than answers about the future of Mobil and Budweiser in NASCAR. It’s a safe bet that Bud will not move to a Hendrick, or Hendrick associated team, and virtually zero chance of them moving to Joe Gibbs Racing, based on Joe Gibbs religious leanings. Talk of Mobil possibly moving to Hendrick bare little credibility based on HMS’ long association with Quaker State.
ARCA driver, Steve Arpin, who was announced last week to be driving the #7 JR Motorsports Chevy at Talladega and Richmond, turned heads as he bolted to the top of the leader board in NASCAR Nationwide Qualifying. He held that spot for a long time before being pushed out by Kevin Harvick. Later Carl Edwards would slide into second and then Ricky Stenhouse Jr claimed the number three spot, relegating Arpin back to starting 4th. Still, for his first ever start in a NNS car, Qualifying 4th at Talladega is an outstanding initiation to the series. Rounding out the top five in the starting lineup was Shelby Howard in the #70 ForeTravel Motorcoach Chevrolet for ML Motorsports. Howard’s effort turned a lot of heads on pit road and congratulations from other teams for Howard’s crew chief Chris Rice, were pretty obvious.
Following the NNS qualifying, the media center was abuzz with more questions than answers when it was announced that NASCAR and Track officials were scheduled to meet to discuss how to respond to the predictions of Sevier weather conditions for Saturday. Predictions of rain along with strong thunder storms and possible tornados brought a whole new urgency to the situation. By 3:45 pm (CT) Jim Hunter of NASCAR, along with Grand Lynch of Talladega Super Speedway announced that they had decided to go as scheduled for Saturday. They stated that the NWS had predicted rain, but also periods of Sunshine. Should the NNS race not be held Saturday, they would not rule out the possibility of a Double Header on Sunday, but there was also a chance that it could be moved to Monday. They both promised another update at 8AM (ct) Saturday.
Here at Talladega Super Speedway it’s all abuzz as NASCAR, teams, driver’s and the media are all over the board on information and discussion.
Many folks arrived here Thursday morning with the Penske / Shell-Pennzoil announcement still the number one topic. And by Friday afternoon, we have some answers and we have some more questions pertaining to that deal.
Here is what we know so far. Kurt Busch announced that he has signed a 5 year contract to drive the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for Penske Racing South. Brad Keselowski is excited about his upcoming move into the legendary #2 Miller Lite Dodge. According to team sources, Sam Hornish Jr. will remain with Penske, possibly moving into the #12 car. It has not been addressed, but it is obvious that Mobil will be out at Penske come 2011. Although some media folks have rumored or suspected that Justin Allgaier may be leaving Penske, looking for a cup ride, he tells me otherwise. Justin has no plans to enter the NSCS in any form in 2011, but instead is intent on concentrating on pursuing a run at the NNS championship for 2011. Regarding his long term future with Penske racing Allgaier said, “ I could see myself retiring at Penske.” Asked about a possible 4th NSCS car at Penske for him, he indicated that Roger Penske has no intention of expanding beyond the current three cars in 2011 and Justin is fine with that.
The Shell-Pennzoil defection from RCR and the #29 car of Kevin Harvick, has put Harvick being pursued by the media corps here at ‘Dega. Taking a wide shot at media speculation of Harvick’s exit from RCR and talk of his “Burning Bridges” at RCR, Kevin struck out in a Friday afternoon press conference. He was highly critical of ‘unnamed sources’ and declared that if a source couldn’t own up to their statements, they weren’t worthy of the quote. Regarding his relationship with Richard Childress, he emphasized that he has had numerous discussions with Childress and their relationship is still strong. Knowing that Shell-Pennzoil will be gone, he would not comment on possible future sponsors. Asked about manufacturer loyalty (Chevrolet), would it be safe to assume any future ride would have to be a Chevrolet, Harvick responded, “That would be a fair statement.” Later in the garage area, Richard Childress expressed his confidence that Harvick would remain with RCR.
Also a lot more questions than answers about the future of Mobil and Budweiser in NASCAR. It’s a safe bet that Bud will not move to a Hendrick, or Hendrick associated team, and virtually zero chance of them moving to Joe Gibbs Racing, based on Joe Gibbs religious leanings. Talk of Mobil possibly moving to Hendrick bare little credibility based on HMS’ long association with Quaker State.
ARCA driver, Steve Arpin, who was announced last week to be driving the #7 JR Motorsports Chevy at Talladega and Richmond, turned heads as he bolted to the top of the leader board in NASCAR Nationwide Qualifying. He held that spot for a long time before being pushed out by Kevin Harvick. Later Carl Edwards would slide into second and then Ricky Stenhouse Jr claimed the number three spot, relegating Arpin back to starting 4th. Still, for his first ever start in a NNS car, Qualifying 4th at Talladega is an outstanding initiation to the series. Rounding out the top five in the starting lineup was Shelby Howard in the #70 ForeTravel Motorcoach Chevrolet for ML Motorsports. Howard’s effort turned a lot of heads on pit road and congratulations from other teams for Howard’s crew chief Chris Rice, were pretty obvious.
Following the NNS qualifying, the media center was abuzz with more questions than answers when it was announced that NASCAR and Track officials were scheduled to meet to discuss how to respond to the predictions of Sevier weather conditions for Saturday. Predictions of rain along with strong thunder storms and possible tornados brought a whole new urgency to the situation. By 3:45 pm (CT) Jim Hunter of NASCAR, along with Grand Lynch of Talladega Super Speedway announced that they had decided to go as scheduled for Saturday. They stated that the NWS had predicted rain, but also periods of Sunshine. Should the NNS race not be held Saturday, they would not rule out the possibility of a Double Header on Sunday, but there was also a chance that it could be moved to Monday. They both promised another update at 8AM (ct) Saturday.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Could 21st Century sponsorship freeze out small teams
By Joe Dunn
If the new Shell-Pennzoil sponsorship contract with Penske Racing has a single big message, it is that sponsorship now extends way beyond a race team.
For years, smaller teams have struggled to acquire and keep good sponsors, and with the current economic situation, even larger organizations have been forced to take a new approach. The big guns, Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing began a number of years back selling primary sponsorships in race packages. The initial reaction was that the sport was in trouble, but what they showed was that they could keep their sponsor dollars up by spreading the sponsors name around the entire fleet. The primary sponsor was no longer prominent for every race.
The rock solid DuPont sponsorship on Jeff Gordon’s #24 Chevy would occasionally give way to Pepsi and then to some of DuPont’s product lines. When AMP Energy and the National Guard were signed to co-sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr it was clear that a single sponsor was not available to take on the task. This year, as AMP Energy is adorning the 88, we are seeing more incidents of the National Guard on the 24.
But the new Shell-Pennzoil/Penske deal is a step into the next generation. This time, not only will the sponsorship of Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Bush include the #22 car, but will include coverage on the other two Penske NSCS teams as well as the NNS teams. This deal also moves over to the IZOD Indycar series where Penske has three top level entries. This ‘all over racing’ part of the deal is not really new, Penske has had a long relationship with Mobil Oil that spanned the two series.
The new twist to this deal, what we have not seen before in NASCAR is that the sponsorship is also part of a package that includes Penske’s 306 retail automotive locations worldwide. The global business alliance provides an opportunity for Shell and Pennzoil to expand their presence not only within motorsports, but also as a preferred supplier of fuels, lubricants and related products to the Penske organization. Beginning in 2011, Shell and Pennzoil will be the “Official Fuel and Motor Oil Supplier” to the Penske organization in the U.S. and the organizations will look to extend their alliance with business development opportunities in several other countries.
The Shell-Pennzoil deal is not a new relationship for Penske or Kurt Busch. For Pennzoil, returning to Penske is a homecoming of sorts as Pennzoil first aligned with Penske as part of its IndyCar teams in 1983 and won the 1984 and 1988 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races with driver Rick Mears. In addition, Kurt Busch won his 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driving a Pennzoil-supported car for another team.
The loss of Shell-Pennzoil is a major blow to Richard Childress Racing, but not an unexpected one. The fact that Kevin Harvick has yet to be signed to a new contract beyond the 2011 season may have contributed to the loss, but the expanse of the deal with Penske appears to be something that could never have occurred with RCR.
This brings up the next big question about available sponsorships. The Kasey Kahne deal with HMS clearly has put the lucrative Budweiser sponsorship up for a bidding war. Based on the history of Budweiser’s departure from HMS in 1999 and the Pepsi contracts, there is virtually no chance of Bud going there. In recent discussions about the future of Bud, the RCR organization seems to have been forgotten, but could the exodus of Shell put Childress in the spotlight? That equation would most likely require a signed Harvick contract extension. Ty Norris of Michael Waltrip Racing was seen courting the Budweiser folks at Texas Motor Speedway, but MWR is off to a horrible start this year. David Reutimann, the premier driver for the organization, who flirted with making the Chase last year, sit 30th in points after 8 races. Michael Waltrip’s replacement Martin Truex Jr. is 16th, but he has a solid sponsor in NAPA Auto parts, so the prospects of Bud jumping to MWR appear to be slim at best.
If the new Shell-Pennzoil sponsorship contract with Penske Racing has a single big message, it is that sponsorship now extends way beyond a race team.
For years, smaller teams have struggled to acquire and keep good sponsors, and with the current economic situation, even larger organizations have been forced to take a new approach. The big guns, Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing began a number of years back selling primary sponsorships in race packages. The initial reaction was that the sport was in trouble, but what they showed was that they could keep their sponsor dollars up by spreading the sponsors name around the entire fleet. The primary sponsor was no longer prominent for every race.
The rock solid DuPont sponsorship on Jeff Gordon’s #24 Chevy would occasionally give way to Pepsi and then to some of DuPont’s product lines. When AMP Energy and the National Guard were signed to co-sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr it was clear that a single sponsor was not available to take on the task. This year, as AMP Energy is adorning the 88, we are seeing more incidents of the National Guard on the 24.
But the new Shell-Pennzoil/Penske deal is a step into the next generation. This time, not only will the sponsorship of Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Bush include the #22 car, but will include coverage on the other two Penske NSCS teams as well as the NNS teams. This deal also moves over to the IZOD Indycar series where Penske has three top level entries. This ‘all over racing’ part of the deal is not really new, Penske has had a long relationship with Mobil Oil that spanned the two series.
The new twist to this deal, what we have not seen before in NASCAR is that the sponsorship is also part of a package that includes Penske’s 306 retail automotive locations worldwide. The global business alliance provides an opportunity for Shell and Pennzoil to expand their presence not only within motorsports, but also as a preferred supplier of fuels, lubricants and related products to the Penske organization. Beginning in 2011, Shell and Pennzoil will be the “Official Fuel and Motor Oil Supplier” to the Penske organization in the U.S. and the organizations will look to extend their alliance with business development opportunities in several other countries.
The Shell-Pennzoil deal is not a new relationship for Penske or Kurt Busch. For Pennzoil, returning to Penske is a homecoming of sorts as Pennzoil first aligned with Penske as part of its IndyCar teams in 1983 and won the 1984 and 1988 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races with driver Rick Mears. In addition, Kurt Busch won his 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship driving a Pennzoil-supported car for another team.
The loss of Shell-Pennzoil is a major blow to Richard Childress Racing, but not an unexpected one. The fact that Kevin Harvick has yet to be signed to a new contract beyond the 2011 season may have contributed to the loss, but the expanse of the deal with Penske appears to be something that could never have occurred with RCR.
This brings up the next big question about available sponsorships. The Kasey Kahne deal with HMS clearly has put the lucrative Budweiser sponsorship up for a bidding war. Based on the history of Budweiser’s departure from HMS in 1999 and the Pepsi contracts, there is virtually no chance of Bud going there. In recent discussions about the future of Bud, the RCR organization seems to have been forgotten, but could the exodus of Shell put Childress in the spotlight? That equation would most likely require a signed Harvick contract extension. Ty Norris of Michael Waltrip Racing was seen courting the Budweiser folks at Texas Motor Speedway, but MWR is off to a horrible start this year. David Reutimann, the premier driver for the organization, who flirted with making the Chase last year, sit 30th in points after 8 races. Michael Waltrip’s replacement Martin Truex Jr. is 16th, but he has a solid sponsor in NAPA Auto parts, so the prospects of Bud jumping to MWR appear to be slim at best.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
NASCAR tidbits for Today
By Joe Dunn
On the day after the Monday doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway driver’s and teams hustle to get ready for a quick turnaround to Talladega Super Speedway. So what else is happening around the NASCAR world?
The first surprise of the day came as Mike Davis, PR rep for JR Motorsports revealed a twitter photo of Dale Earnhardt Jr in a clean shaven manner. Seems that a commercial shoot for Pepsi prompted the clean shave. Whatever junior’s reason for the beard, it was getting pretty scraggly and the new look is a welcome look for his many fans.
A handful of NASCAR Sprint Cup Teams were at the Brickyard this morning for Goodyear tire testing. Among those present were Tony Stewart, Kyle Bush, Reagan Smith, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Conway, Robby Gordon, Brad Keselowski, David Reutimann, Scott Speed and Max Papis.
During the lunch break at Indy, Kyle Busch joined Tony Stewart to announce the 2010 Prelude to the Dream. The 6th annual Dirt Late Model Classic at Stewart’s famed Eldora Speedway will again be televised by HBO pay per view. As in previous years, all profits from the HBO sales will go to charity. This year the money will be divided among four Children’s Hospitals, Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Cincinnati Children’s, Levine Children’s Hospital of Charlotte and St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Gillette Fusion ProGlide will be the title sponsor for this years event to be held on Wednesday June 9th. Another new twist announced Tuesday “The winner of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 has a standing offer to compete in this year’s Gillette Fusion ProGlide Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway,” said Stewart, who has three top-10 finishes in five Indianapolis 500 starts. “We’ll have a car waiting for him or her, and we’d love to have whoever puts their name on the Borg-Warner Trophy at Indianapolis come about two hours east and compete in a dirt Late Model to raise money for charity.”
The dirt Late Model stock car that will be waiting for the winner of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 will feature imagery from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Centennial Era campaign, which prominently features the famous wing and wheel logo of the venerable racing institution.
On the day after the Monday doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway driver’s and teams hustle to get ready for a quick turnaround to Talladega Super Speedway. So what else is happening around the NASCAR world?
The first surprise of the day came as Mike Davis, PR rep for JR Motorsports revealed a twitter photo of Dale Earnhardt Jr in a clean shaven manner. Seems that a commercial shoot for Pepsi prompted the clean shave. Whatever junior’s reason for the beard, it was getting pretty scraggly and the new look is a welcome look for his many fans.
A handful of NASCAR Sprint Cup Teams were at the Brickyard this morning for Goodyear tire testing. Among those present were Tony Stewart, Kyle Bush, Reagan Smith, Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Conway, Robby Gordon, Brad Keselowski, David Reutimann, Scott Speed and Max Papis.
During the lunch break at Indy, Kyle Busch joined Tony Stewart to announce the 2010 Prelude to the Dream. The 6th annual Dirt Late Model Classic at Stewart’s famed Eldora Speedway will again be televised by HBO pay per view. As in previous years, all profits from the HBO sales will go to charity. This year the money will be divided among four Children’s Hospitals, Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Cincinnati Children’s, Levine Children’s Hospital of Charlotte and St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Gillette Fusion ProGlide will be the title sponsor for this years event to be held on Wednesday June 9th. Another new twist announced Tuesday “The winner of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 has a standing offer to compete in this year’s Gillette Fusion ProGlide Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway,” said Stewart, who has three top-10 finishes in five Indianapolis 500 starts. “We’ll have a car waiting for him or her, and we’d love to have whoever puts their name on the Borg-Warner Trophy at Indianapolis come about two hours east and compete in a dirt Late Model to raise money for charity.”
The dirt Late Model stock car that will be waiting for the winner of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 will feature imagery from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Centennial Era campaign, which prominently features the famous wing and wheel logo of the venerable racing institution.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
NASCAR post race (non) coverage dilemma
By Joe Dunn
Fans have been complaining for a while about the lack of post race coverage on Fox, but those complaints seemed to fall on def ears till Phoenix.
Since SB Nation’s Jeff Gluck and AP’s Jenna Fryer didn’t travel to Phoenix for the race and instead relied on TV to do their reporting, they both brought that lack of coverage to light. Not wanting to let go of a story that drew a lot of interest from fans Fryer pursued to story going to the top of FOX for an answer. "It's something we should have been doing all along," Bill Brown, senior producer for Fox Sports, told Fryer, of The Associated Press. Overdrive on FoxSports.com will begin immediately after the network ends its broadcast coverage of Sunday's Sprint Cup race. The program will use Fox's entire nine-person broadcasting crew and consist of live interviews and analysis that will be streamed to its Web site.
Fryer was quick to report the story, showing the fans that her stand for the fans was something that Fox was taking seriously. Gluck jumped on the bandwagon and the Twitter world was afire with this great new product to fill a void that NASCAR fans were desperate for. Many wondered why this situation was never addressed before, and why fans were forced to sit through so much commercialized pre race programming, and then left in the dark when the checkered flag flew.
Last year, fans spoke up loud and clear about some of the pitfalls of ESPN’s NASCAR programming. The lead in that charge was John Daly and his NASCAR blog, the Daly Planet. I too spoke out on some of the issues with ESPN, and to my surprise, I was contacted by Andy Hall of ESPN who thanked me for my comments and promised that they were listening to the fans. ESPN showed that they were in fact listening as they began the 2010 season of covering the NNS with a whole new stepped up level of coverage. They did listen and they did improve. Hats off to the ESPN folks for the effort.
Now, back to the Fox response to this issue, they promised an online show, not on air TV coverage. As John Dally pointed out on his Daly Planet, Turner Sports has the exclusive online license for NASCAR, and Fox could not do this without Turner. Once everyone involved was enlightened to the licensing issue, the blame had somehow transferred to being Turner Sports. The Blame game became, don’t blame Fox, they tried to fix it but Turner stopped them.
Wait a minute here folks, Turner Sports is NOT the bad guy here. Fox Sports threw out an idea that they HAD to know, they had no business discussing. Fox has a TV CONTRACT with NASCAR, NOT and online contract. Fox owes the fans ‘ON AIR’ coverage of the post race activities. Since Jenna Fryer and Jeff Gluck decided to lead the way in covering the lack of Post race coverage by FoxSports, they need to stand up and call on FoxSports, not Turner Sports to address the situation. Stop enabling FoxSports in the underhanded efforts to shift THEIR blame to Turner Sports.
I want to point out that I am in no way endorsing Turner Sports and the way they have handled the Nascar.com site, or any of the other NASCAR online interactive features. The truth is that Turner Sports has done an awful job with NASCAR’s online programming. But, none of that has anything to do with Fox Sports refusal to give the fans the race coverage they deserve.
Statements from Fox Sports and Turner Sports after this story was originally posted
"Unfortunately, due to contractual limitations that we had hoped to overcome, we're unable to extend post-race coverage on FOXSports.com. Since this would have been a commercial-free undertaking, our goal was simply to have all parties agree that this would only benefit NASCAR fans, but obviously that didn't happen." Via Twitter feed
In response, Turner Sports noted: "NASCAR.COM continues to provide fans with the most access and comprehensive content and coverage of the sport, including free in-depth coverage every week of all the storylines going into and following each race.
"NASCAR.COM has also consistently partnered with other media companies -- including Fox's sister network SPEED TV -- to further enhance the offerings to NASCAR's loyal fan base. NASCAR.COM has proactively approached FOX over a period of time with a variety of collaborative online media options that unfortunately have been rejected."
http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/official/04/18/turner.proactive.online/index.html
Fans have been complaining for a while about the lack of post race coverage on Fox, but those complaints seemed to fall on def ears till Phoenix.
Since SB Nation’s Jeff Gluck and AP’s Jenna Fryer didn’t travel to Phoenix for the race and instead relied on TV to do their reporting, they both brought that lack of coverage to light. Not wanting to let go of a story that drew a lot of interest from fans Fryer pursued to story going to the top of FOX for an answer. "It's something we should have been doing all along," Bill Brown, senior producer for Fox Sports, told Fryer, of The Associated Press. Overdrive on FoxSports.com will begin immediately after the network ends its broadcast coverage of Sunday's Sprint Cup race. The program will use Fox's entire nine-person broadcasting crew and consist of live interviews and analysis that will be streamed to its Web site.
Fryer was quick to report the story, showing the fans that her stand for the fans was something that Fox was taking seriously. Gluck jumped on the bandwagon and the Twitter world was afire with this great new product to fill a void that NASCAR fans were desperate for. Many wondered why this situation was never addressed before, and why fans were forced to sit through so much commercialized pre race programming, and then left in the dark when the checkered flag flew.
Last year, fans spoke up loud and clear about some of the pitfalls of ESPN’s NASCAR programming. The lead in that charge was John Daly and his NASCAR blog, the Daly Planet. I too spoke out on some of the issues with ESPN, and to my surprise, I was contacted by Andy Hall of ESPN who thanked me for my comments and promised that they were listening to the fans. ESPN showed that they were in fact listening as they began the 2010 season of covering the NNS with a whole new stepped up level of coverage. They did listen and they did improve. Hats off to the ESPN folks for the effort.
Now, back to the Fox response to this issue, they promised an online show, not on air TV coverage. As John Dally pointed out on his Daly Planet, Turner Sports has the exclusive online license for NASCAR, and Fox could not do this without Turner. Once everyone involved was enlightened to the licensing issue, the blame had somehow transferred to being Turner Sports. The Blame game became, don’t blame Fox, they tried to fix it but Turner stopped them.
Wait a minute here folks, Turner Sports is NOT the bad guy here. Fox Sports threw out an idea that they HAD to know, they had no business discussing. Fox has a TV CONTRACT with NASCAR, NOT and online contract. Fox owes the fans ‘ON AIR’ coverage of the post race activities. Since Jenna Fryer and Jeff Gluck decided to lead the way in covering the lack of Post race coverage by FoxSports, they need to stand up and call on FoxSports, not Turner Sports to address the situation. Stop enabling FoxSports in the underhanded efforts to shift THEIR blame to Turner Sports.
I want to point out that I am in no way endorsing Turner Sports and the way they have handled the Nascar.com site, or any of the other NASCAR online interactive features. The truth is that Turner Sports has done an awful job with NASCAR’s online programming. But, none of that has anything to do with Fox Sports refusal to give the fans the race coverage they deserve.
Statements from Fox Sports and Turner Sports after this story was originally posted
"Unfortunately, due to contractual limitations that we had hoped to overcome, we're unable to extend post-race coverage on FOXSports.com. Since this would have been a commercial-free undertaking, our goal was simply to have all parties agree that this would only benefit NASCAR fans, but obviously that didn't happen." Via Twitter feed
In response, Turner Sports noted: "NASCAR.COM continues to provide fans with the most access and comprehensive content and coverage of the sport, including free in-depth coverage every week of all the storylines going into and following each race.
"NASCAR.COM has also consistently partnered with other media companies -- including Fox's sister network SPEED TV -- to further enhance the offerings to NASCAR's loyal fan base. NASCAR.COM has proactively approached FOX over a period of time with a variety of collaborative online media options that unfortunately have been rejected."
http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/official/04/18/turner.proactive.online/index.html
Thursday, April 15, 2010
On Pit Road: Silly Season all in one week
By Joe Dunn
This weeks craziness began late last week when the big story breaking Friday was Richard Childress Racing’s parking of NNS driver John Wes Townley. From there it just spiraled into late this week.
Townley wrecked the #21 Zaxby’s Chevrolet during practice at Phoenix International Raceway, and almost immediately after it occurred, it was announced that Clint Bowyer would be replacing Townley ‘as a precaution’. It’s no secret that young Townley has had a rough time since entering the series last year with RAB racing. Multiple crashes led to a reputation that the young driver could not escape, and RAB was struggling to replace wrecked cars.
The economic impact that has affected a lot of NASCAR teams hit RCR as Holiday Inn failed to resign for the 2010 season. Bringing the lucrative sponsorship of Zaxby’s secured the 21 car for young Townley, a deal many in the business scoffed at. It is no secret that Zaxby’s co-founder and CFO is John Wes’ father, so the call by Childress was a bombshell. The announcement from the team indicated that Townley was only being relieved on a temporary basis, but it didn’t take long before Jamie Little of ESPN announced on TV that she had been informed by a team member that Townley was in fact fired. A short time later, ESPN analyst Andy Petree echoed the point that Townley was gone. In short time, a statement from RCR confirmed that Townley was NOT fired, but a meeting with Townley was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss his schedule. It was rumored throughout the NNS garage that an RCR employee was fired for making the comment to Little.
While the media, including myself, was awaiting word on the Townley matter, early Tuesday JR Motorsports announced that Kelly Bires had been released from the NNS 88 car and NSCS regular Jamie McMurray was signed to run nine races in the 88 car. Shortly afterward, Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that Mike Bliss was released and Johnny Sauter would take over as the driver of the NSCS #36 Wave Toyota. Within minutes, Bliss revealed that he had signed a deal to return to Phoenix racing to take over the 09 car.
As writers and reporters scrambled to break these stories, even before all the facts were known, ESPN’s Marty Smith scooped everyone with the biggest news of the year. Smith announced that Hendrick Motorsports had signed Kasey Kahne to a long term contract beginning in 2011. No one had a clue and Rick Hendrick himself reacted with shock that Smith had uncovered the story. Taken so off track by the story, Hendrick still didn’t have all the details of how the transition would take place.
On Tuesday’s ESPN NASCAR Now, Smith was brought in to explain as much as he knew at that point of what was going on. Most of the media had to resort to simply quoting Smith on the facts. SpeedTv’s Race Hub show, had Darrell Waltrip on a phone call who resorted to unfounded speculation, which ended that report quickly and the show never again addressed what was obviously the biggest story of the day.
Finally Wednesday, Hendrick had a teleconference that broadcast live on Sirius Satellite radio, where Rick and Kasey answered as many questions as they could. Kahne is not scheduled to actually be in an HMS car, the #5, until 2012, at which time Hendrick announced that it was his responsibility to find a car/team/sponsor for the 2011 season.
So, with all this news, the Townley story has seemed to slip through the cracks. RCR did announce that Clint Bowyer would be in the NNS #21 car at Texas Motor Speedway, but promised updates on Townley’s status were never delivered.
That’s all for now folks, but keep your ears and eyes open as the Silly season is upon us in full force.
This weeks craziness began late last week when the big story breaking Friday was Richard Childress Racing’s parking of NNS driver John Wes Townley. From there it just spiraled into late this week.
Townley wrecked the #21 Zaxby’s Chevrolet during practice at Phoenix International Raceway, and almost immediately after it occurred, it was announced that Clint Bowyer would be replacing Townley ‘as a precaution’. It’s no secret that young Townley has had a rough time since entering the series last year with RAB racing. Multiple crashes led to a reputation that the young driver could not escape, and RAB was struggling to replace wrecked cars.
The economic impact that has affected a lot of NASCAR teams hit RCR as Holiday Inn failed to resign for the 2010 season. Bringing the lucrative sponsorship of Zaxby’s secured the 21 car for young Townley, a deal many in the business scoffed at. It is no secret that Zaxby’s co-founder and CFO is John Wes’ father, so the call by Childress was a bombshell. The announcement from the team indicated that Townley was only being relieved on a temporary basis, but it didn’t take long before Jamie Little of ESPN announced on TV that she had been informed by a team member that Townley was in fact fired. A short time later, ESPN analyst Andy Petree echoed the point that Townley was gone. In short time, a statement from RCR confirmed that Townley was NOT fired, but a meeting with Townley was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss his schedule. It was rumored throughout the NNS garage that an RCR employee was fired for making the comment to Little.
While the media, including myself, was awaiting word on the Townley matter, early Tuesday JR Motorsports announced that Kelly Bires had been released from the NNS 88 car and NSCS regular Jamie McMurray was signed to run nine races in the 88 car. Shortly afterward, Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that Mike Bliss was released and Johnny Sauter would take over as the driver of the NSCS #36 Wave Toyota. Within minutes, Bliss revealed that he had signed a deal to return to Phoenix racing to take over the 09 car.
As writers and reporters scrambled to break these stories, even before all the facts were known, ESPN’s Marty Smith scooped everyone with the biggest news of the year. Smith announced that Hendrick Motorsports had signed Kasey Kahne to a long term contract beginning in 2011. No one had a clue and Rick Hendrick himself reacted with shock that Smith had uncovered the story. Taken so off track by the story, Hendrick still didn’t have all the details of how the transition would take place.
On Tuesday’s ESPN NASCAR Now, Smith was brought in to explain as much as he knew at that point of what was going on. Most of the media had to resort to simply quoting Smith on the facts. SpeedTv’s Race Hub show, had Darrell Waltrip on a phone call who resorted to unfounded speculation, which ended that report quickly and the show never again addressed what was obviously the biggest story of the day.
Finally Wednesday, Hendrick had a teleconference that broadcast live on Sirius Satellite radio, where Rick and Kasey answered as many questions as they could. Kahne is not scheduled to actually be in an HMS car, the #5, until 2012, at which time Hendrick announced that it was his responsibility to find a car/team/sponsor for the 2011 season.
So, with all this news, the Townley story has seemed to slip through the cracks. RCR did announce that Clint Bowyer would be in the NNS #21 car at Texas Motor Speedway, but promised updates on Townley’s status were never delivered.
That’s all for now folks, but keep your ears and eyes open as the Silly season is upon us in full force.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Press Release: Morgan Shepherd
They say everything is bigger and better in Texas and the same is true for the Texas based company DealTaker.com! DealTaker.com will return to the track with veteran driver Morgan Shepherd and Victory In Jesus Racing along with a new fan base – NASCAR FANS!
DealTaker.com once again will be highlighted on the rear quarter panels of the money saving green #89/Chevrolet for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, April 17th. Shepherd will maneuver the 1.5-mile oval to compete in his 7th NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. “I am excited to have DealTaker.com returning to the car this weekend. I encourage all the fans to check out DealTaker.com to help save their families money and to support a company that is supporting our mission and racing,” stated Shepherd. As NASCAR fans are discovering, you really can save time and money at the speed of NASCAR by making a pit stop at the DealTaker.com web site
DealTaker.com once again will be highlighted on the rear quarter panels of the money saving green #89/Chevrolet for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, April 17th. Shepherd will maneuver the 1.5-mile oval to compete in his 7th NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. “I am excited to have DealTaker.com returning to the car this weekend. I encourage all the fans to check out DealTaker.com to help save their families money and to support a company that is supporting our mission and racing,” stated Shepherd. As NASCAR fans are discovering, you really can save time and money at the speed of NASCAR by making a pit stop at the DealTaker.com web site
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Will Phoenix win motivate the 39 team?
Ryan Newman arrived in Phoenix 22nd in NSCS points, and a very slow start to the season. But a daring two tire call on the final caution lead to victory and a jubilant Stewart Haas Racing team.
Newman has always carried the reputation of a sure footed and successful driver, but he had been lagging in a win drought that stretched back to the Daytona 500 in 2008. Always quite, respectful and upbeat, even during the early season struggles in 2009, he always had nothing but positive comments about the entire team. After winning his first race with SHR, Ryan acknowledged that he was frustrated by their lack of wins, especially in light of multiple wins by teammate Tony Stewart. But his excitement Saturday night put that all behind him.
Last year it was Mark Martin coming to Phoenix behind in the points and a rather unimpressive start in the #5 HMS car. Martin won the pole and the race. It was that win that began the climb in points and put him in a position to make a serious challenge for the Championship. Could this win for Newman have the same reaction for the #39 SHR team? I’d put a lot of stock in that happening, after a dismal start last year Newman managed to make the Chase, but lacking any wins, a serious challenge for the Cup suffered.
Newman was excited about the win and rightly so, and he shared that happiness with his crew chief Tony Gibson. “I thought we had a good car in practice, but I’ve got to thank Tornados for coming on board and helping us out with what Tony Stewart and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has provided for us,” said Newman, who became the first driver ever to pilot the No. 39 car to victory lane in Sprint Cup competition. “I’ve got to thank the fans and U.S. Army, Haas Automation, Sprint, Chevrolet and Coca-Cola. Man, we’ve been working so hard for those guys to get into victory lane. It’s been a long time coming for me, too. I’m missing my mom and dad right now. They’re back home taking care of my grandfather. Man, I couldn’t believe it. I saw the white flag and I’m like, I ain’t got that far to go!”
Newman was running fifth when the final caution flew and followed as all the leaders pitted for tires. The big question going in was 2 or 4. While leader Kyle Busch took on 4 fresh tires, Newman and Gibson debated which way to go. “I kind of threw Gibson under the bus because he wanted to put four on and I said, ‘Just give me two, I like the track position,’” Newman said. “I would rather block.” Starting second, on the bottom with four time champion Jeff Gordon outside, the restart was crucial. Newman beat Gordon into turn one, and slid in front of the #24 car exiting turn two. It was all over but the screaming at that point as Newman held off Gordon to take the win. “Every restart I’d been on the inside and I couldn’t get going.” said Newman, “But I held my line and got a good shot off of turn two and it was all we needed. Track position was real important. I think the two tires were a good call because the track cooled off and there was a little more grip with two tires. Two tires earlier in the day weren’t good enough. Gibson and everybody did a great job. We’ve come so far as a team. To get to this point, obviously, is a great thing.” In a post race interview Gordon said that he spun his tires on the restart and once Newman got ahead of him, all he could do was follow him.
For Gibson, the win was equally special as many of the No. 39 crew members have been with him for a number of years and followed him to SHR in 2009. “It’s pretty big,” Gibson said. “A lot of those guys were in tears in victory lane, because most of us have been together for nine years. We won with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., and it had been a long stretch since we’d won a race. We had come close, but we didn’t make it happen. So it was pretty exciting for those guys. And I’m more happy and more proud for those guys than for myself because I feel like those guys have followed me wherever I’ve gone. I feel like I owe it to them to see those guys hopping up and jumping up and down. It just brings back memories. It’s awesome.”
The win moved Ryan Newman up six places in the drivers points to 18th and are looking ahead to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend. Ryan had one win, three top 5’s and two poles at TMS, but he only has a average finish of 22nd there. Maybe that 22nd will motivate the team and their luck to pull off another win, like the 22nd in points did.
Newman has always carried the reputation of a sure footed and successful driver, but he had been lagging in a win drought that stretched back to the Daytona 500 in 2008. Always quite, respectful and upbeat, even during the early season struggles in 2009, he always had nothing but positive comments about the entire team. After winning his first race with SHR, Ryan acknowledged that he was frustrated by their lack of wins, especially in light of multiple wins by teammate Tony Stewart. But his excitement Saturday night put that all behind him.
Last year it was Mark Martin coming to Phoenix behind in the points and a rather unimpressive start in the #5 HMS car. Martin won the pole and the race. It was that win that began the climb in points and put him in a position to make a serious challenge for the Championship. Could this win for Newman have the same reaction for the #39 SHR team? I’d put a lot of stock in that happening, after a dismal start last year Newman managed to make the Chase, but lacking any wins, a serious challenge for the Cup suffered.
Newman was excited about the win and rightly so, and he shared that happiness with his crew chief Tony Gibson. “I thought we had a good car in practice, but I’ve got to thank Tornados for coming on board and helping us out with what Tony Stewart and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has provided for us,” said Newman, who became the first driver ever to pilot the No. 39 car to victory lane in Sprint Cup competition. “I’ve got to thank the fans and U.S. Army, Haas Automation, Sprint, Chevrolet and Coca-Cola. Man, we’ve been working so hard for those guys to get into victory lane. It’s been a long time coming for me, too. I’m missing my mom and dad right now. They’re back home taking care of my grandfather. Man, I couldn’t believe it. I saw the white flag and I’m like, I ain’t got that far to go!”
Newman was running fifth when the final caution flew and followed as all the leaders pitted for tires. The big question going in was 2 or 4. While leader Kyle Busch took on 4 fresh tires, Newman and Gibson debated which way to go. “I kind of threw Gibson under the bus because he wanted to put four on and I said, ‘Just give me two, I like the track position,’” Newman said. “I would rather block.” Starting second, on the bottom with four time champion Jeff Gordon outside, the restart was crucial. Newman beat Gordon into turn one, and slid in front of the #24 car exiting turn two. It was all over but the screaming at that point as Newman held off Gordon to take the win. “Every restart I’d been on the inside and I couldn’t get going.” said Newman, “But I held my line and got a good shot off of turn two and it was all we needed. Track position was real important. I think the two tires were a good call because the track cooled off and there was a little more grip with two tires. Two tires earlier in the day weren’t good enough. Gibson and everybody did a great job. We’ve come so far as a team. To get to this point, obviously, is a great thing.” In a post race interview Gordon said that he spun his tires on the restart and once Newman got ahead of him, all he could do was follow him.
For Gibson, the win was equally special as many of the No. 39 crew members have been with him for a number of years and followed him to SHR in 2009. “It’s pretty big,” Gibson said. “A lot of those guys were in tears in victory lane, because most of us have been together for nine years. We won with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr., and it had been a long stretch since we’d won a race. We had come close, but we didn’t make it happen. So it was pretty exciting for those guys. And I’m more happy and more proud for those guys than for myself because I feel like those guys have followed me wherever I’ve gone. I feel like I owe it to them to see those guys hopping up and jumping up and down. It just brings back memories. It’s awesome.”
The win moved Ryan Newman up six places in the drivers points to 18th and are looking ahead to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend. Ryan had one win, three top 5’s and two poles at TMS, but he only has a average finish of 22nd there. Maybe that 22nd will motivate the team and their luck to pull off another win, like the 22nd in points did.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Behind the scenes with NASCAR and series sponsors
By Joe Dunn
The weekend experience for the fans began early Thursday as the local Camping World store cleared space in the parking lot for displays by Nationwide Insurance, O’Reilly Auto Parts, NASCAR Foundation and Nashville Superspeedway. Show cars for the Monster Energy Drink #4 Chevy Silverado truck of Ricky Carmichael, and the Conway Freight #16 Ford Mustang COT of Colin Braun, were joined by the Nationwide Insurance display that included both a Ford Mustang COT car and a racing simulator that fans could participate in.
During the 3 hour event several hundred fans, traveling from near and far got to see the cars and trucks up close, participate in Q&A sessions with all of the 12 drivers attending and of course a full blown autograph session. Ray Dunlap from SPEEDTV was on hand to moderate the Q&A sessions and to introduce the drivers. These sessions were done in an open area of the parking lot in front of the store which allowed for free access for all of the fans to participate. Local radio and TV were on hand to do live ‘remote’ broadcast from the Fan Fest.
The Fan Fest was a new experience for store manager Rick Smith, “I’m real pleased with this, a larger crowd than I expected.” stated Smith, “ The weather is perfect tonight and this a beautiful crowd.” The Nashville Store is #12 in the Camping World system and one of it’s oldest retail locations. Smith was extremely pleased with the event and the Series sponsorship, “Camping World’s involvement in NASCAR has been a great thing, it has brought a lot of awareness for Camping World and events like this bring a lot of new faces into out stores.”
Among the drivers at the Camping World Fan Fest was Jennifer Jo Cobb, a rookie in the NCWTS. Because of a commitment at her hotel, the Courtyard, just down the road, she was forced top leave early. To be sure that any fans in line would not miss her, she left the autograph area and signed autographs for folks that were still waiting in line. She would not leave until she made it all the way to the end of the line. She then headed to the hotel, where her entire team assembled in the lobby to meet and greet fans.
Speaking of Suave for Men, the fans were not the only ones being treated this weekend. When I arrived at the media center Saturday morning, I was greeted by the folks from Suave who provided me, with a long overdue salon treatment that included a great haircut and style. No, I was not alone in this deal as numerous members of the media, as well as team members from JRM took full advantage of this promotion. It was all part of a Suave Men Racing promotion for the July race weekend at Chicagoland. It will be a head to head contest between the two JRM teams that weekend with the winner having a $40,000.00 donation made in their name, by Suave, to the Dale Junior Foundation. Check out the Suavemenracing facebook page for details.
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