Happy Thursday! Today In Nascar History 10/22/1961- Joe Weatherly wins at Bristol, his 8th win of the season and 12th of his career. Quote of the Year There's an unwritten rule in NASCAR: Thou shalt not take on Dale Earnhardt Jr. --Terry Blount/espn Vote for your driver! www.chexmostpopular Bits and Pieces US F1 eager to let Kyle Busch take the wheel in 2011: US F1 sporting director Peter Windsor is so enamored with Kyle Busch, he keeps very informed on what the Sprint Cup driver is doing "on a daily basis almost." Windsor would like to eliminate "almost" in 2011. "If he wanted to drive for us in 2011, we'd certainly be keen on that," Windsor says. "I think there'll be a lot of speculation about that as time goes on. If I was Kyle, I'd be saying to myself, yeah, those guys all talk the talk, let's see what they do, let's see what the car's like. Let's see what the race shop is like. Fair enough. We're going to do a good job. I know when Kyle gets to see it, I'm pretty sure it'll get his pulse rate going." Busch already has shown some interest. Windsor says he met with the driver's business team after being approached about the team. Though he hasn't met Busch yet, Windsor is convinced the 58-time winner in NASCAR (16 victories in Cup, 28 in Nationwide, 14 in Camping World Trucks) has the talent to complete the difficult switch from stock cars to open wheel. "I've watched him a lot and have massive respect for him," Windsor says. "I know people who know him very well. I believe Kyle can win a world championship in Formula One. I think he's got exactly the right talent, the right approach. I'd love to see him in a Formula One car. If he wants to jump in our car next year for doing some demonstrations here in the States, he's very welcome to do that." Busch's contract with Joe Gibbs Racing won't expire until after next season, and there've been no indications he is planning to leave. But Busch, 24, did express interest in F1 when asked shortly after US F1's launch in February. "It's definitely something I wouldn't shoot down," the Las Vegas native said. "If I could win a championship (in NASCAR) in the next two or three years then I wouldn't mind going doing (F1) for a few years and coming back. I think I'd still be young enough that if I could win a championship by 25, go run Formula 1 for a few years and be back (in NASCAR) by 28." Windsor wants to make US F1 a destination for young American upstarts such as Busch by employing only American drivers. But when the team makes its March debut in Bahrain, Windsor says its two drivers probably will be foreign born.(USA Today) #44 crew to donate winnings; new sponsor: Richard Petty Motorsports' #44 pit crew for driver AJ Allmendinger has so far claimed two Tissot Pit Road Precision awards and finished runner up in the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge in May when it worked as the #43 Petty team. Now the crew wants to play a role in something more important than racingbattling breast cancer and helping kids. The crew voted last week to donate a majority of the prize money it earned through the Tissot awards and pit stop competition to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Victory Junction. #44 Jackman Ed Watkins: "You rock and roll every Sunday supporting the race team and AJ in giving him fast pit stops. But this gives us an opportunity to support the community. We wanted to do something in the fight against breast cancer. We also wanted to find a way we could give underprivileged children a chance to attend the victory junction camp and experience the great campus the Petty's have up there." Allmendinger' Jeff Gordon Foundation pledges $2.5 million: The Jeff Gordon Foundation commemorated A Decade of Caring -- its 10th anniversary -- with friends and supporters at VanLandingham Estate on Oct. 14th where Gordon announced his Foundation will be donating and pledging $2.5 million this year. The Foundation's funding will support several initiatives including the development of the Pediatric Pulmonary Lab and Community Outreach Program at the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital, the establishment of the Jeff Gordon Pediatric Cancer Research Fund at Riley Hospital for Children and the funding of the Phase I Long-Term Follow-Up Program focused on the effects of treatment on the health and quality of life of cancer patients. "Looking back at the past 10 years it's amazing to see the tremendous growth of the Foundation and the number of children that we have been able to help," Gordon said. "I am also pleased that we are able to provide such a large commitment this year even in these difficult economic times." Since its inception in 1999, The Jeff Gordon Foundation has awarded nearly $10 million to the country's top childhood health organizations. To assist the Foundation this year a campaign called TEN Match was created to gather support and to celebrate the Foundation's 10-year anniversary. For every donation of $10 or more, Gordon will personally match the contribution. Through generous donors, great strides in the support of pediatric cancer research and treatment and the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital continue to be made. (JGF) Ambrose heading back to Tasmania in off season: Like many drivers, #47-Marcos Ambrose spends days or weeks at a time away from home, working away from the track. As the season winds down, the Aussie knows a trip to the homeland is just what he needs to recharge from the hustle and bustle. Following the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ambrose will go to Tasmania for two months. "The idea of going back to Australia is for my kids to see family and friends," Ambrose said. "For me, I will also use the time to get my body in shape and get my head back in the game. I will think about what I need during the year and how I am going to be better. It's all about reinvigorating myself and doing a good soul search about who I am, what I am all about and what I need to do to be better." (MWR) Gordon's Crew Wins Tissot Pit Road Award in Charlotte: Jeff Gordon's crew won the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gordon's #24 crew, which also won the pit road award the previous week in California, has five Tissot season victories and has moved within one win of the lead. The Tissot leader with five races remaining in the 2009 campaign is Greg Biffle's #16 crew with six pit road wins. Along with the $5,000 prize money for each weekly Tissot win, the crew with the most wins following the 36-race Cup schedule will collect a $100,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the crew and driver. Gordon's DuPont/Transformers Chevy Impala SS spent the least amount of time on pit road during the 334-lap, 500-mile race (271.888 seconds). The quick pit stops helped Gordon to a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR Banking 500. Gordon's pit crew consists of: Clay Robinson (front-tire changer), Mike Houston (front tire carrier), Tim Ladyga (rear-tire changer), Jeff Knight (rear-tire carrier), Jeff Cook (jackman), Caleb Hurd (gasman), Jamie Frady (catch can) and Andy Kruep (eighth man). The pit crew coach is Greg Morin.(Tissot) Vaseline colors for Truex at Martinsville: Vaseline MEN Lotion returns as primary sponsor of the #1 Chevy this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Vaseline Men made it's NASCAR debut as primary sponsor of the #1 Chevy driven by Martin Truex Jr. at Dover International Raceway on Sept. 27. Vaseline will have an onsite tent manned by brand ambassadors to help educate NASCAR Fans on the importance of skin health and Vaseline Men Lotion at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. (EGR) Kurt Busch's wife wins: #2-Kurt Busch's wife, Eva Busch, was the star of the show in her foray into the horse show arena. Eva, riding her Arabian show horse, "C.J.," claimed two blue ribbons, winning both her classes and taking the highest overall score in Saturday's "Lighten Up Dressage" at the Latta Plantation Equestrian Center in Huntersville, N.C. "I'm so proud of Eva," said Kurt. "She came home the big winner in her first-ever competition. That's really impressive." "Yeah, and it really helps to have the great equipment when you're competing out there," Eva said with a chuckle. (Tom Roberts PR) Sirius to broadcast RCR festivities: SIRIUS NASCAR Radio's "Tradin' Paint," with Rick Benjamin and Chocolate Myers, will broadcast live from Richard Childress Racing Thursday, Oct. 22, from 11:00am - 3:00pm/et as RCR celebrates its 40th Anniversary. Anticipated guests on tomorrow's show include: Owner Richard Childress, drivers Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Casey Mears, plus RCR development drivers Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon and Ryan Gifford. Tomorrow evening, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio's Claire B. Lang will host her nightly show, "Dialed In," from 7:00-10:00pm/ #55 Jackman injured in pits UPDATE 2: Michael Waltrip Racing jackman Tony Cardamone was taken to a local hospital after colliding with another crew member during a pit stop for #55-Michael Waltrip during the NASCAR Banking 400 on Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, team and NASCAR officials said. The nature of his injuries were not specified, but he was awake and alert when he was taken to the infield medical center.(SceneDaily) UPDATE: Michael Waltrip Racing jackman Tony Cardamone was taken to a local hospital after colliding with another crew member during a pit stop for Michael Waltrip during the NASCAR Banking 400 on Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, team and NASCAR officials said. An MWR spokesman reported that Cardamone suffered a high ankle sprain and will be out for the remainder of the season.(SceneDaily) UPDATE 2: Michael Waltrip, driver/owner of the #55 NAPA Toyota was asked: What is the update on Tony Cardamone who was injured last Saturday night at Charlotte?, Waltrip said: "After a visit to his doctor yesterday, he was diagnosed with a hair-line fracture of his ankle and has torn ligaments. He won't be able to jack the NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota for the remainder of the season. I called Tony Saturday night after the race and asked him how he was. All he wanted to talk about was the messed up pit stop. The NAPA team was running good up to that point. We were fast and on the lead lap. We had a chance to get a good finish. He hated that he fell. I had to remind him that his ankle was broken and to get over it. I just love his type of attitude and it's the attitude all my NAPA guys have. They are awesome."(MWR) Matt McLaughlin Mouth's Off Matt McLaughlin · Frontstretch. Whither Art Thou, Ford Motor Company? Whither Now, Ford Motors? Lately, the Ford Motor Company, the corporation that put America on wheels, has been on a bit of a roll. The new Taurus has been such a hit that dealers in trendy California, typically a bastion of import buyers, can't keep them on the lot. It's a repeat of the rollout of the then-risky 1986 model that redefined midsize cars in America, one that went on to be the best-selling car in America for many years. The SHO variant of the Taurus is a darling of the Walter Mitty types, who dream of being a race car driver while ferrying Junior and Buffy to Gymboree. These are the same folks who, a few years ago, were developing ulcers trying to decide between a Camry and an Accord without a thought towards a domestic car. The new F-150 with its "man-steps" is selling well. The upcoming new diesel engine in the Super Duties is a technological tour-de-force that fascinates me, even if it has to inject what amounts to piss into the exhaust system to meet emission standards. (Look it up. "Urea" is a polite term.) The Fusion and Escape Hybrids have become the darlings of ecologically concerned domestic buyers and Polar Bear huggers to the point even Al Gore, his hysterical old self, takes his Starbucks runs in a Mercury Mariner Hybrid when the Lear Jet is down for service — and so does the Prez when he's home in Chi-Town. Meanwhile, the new Mustang is just flat out gorgeous to the point I've calculated payments on one more than a few times. And the Ford execs who color outside the lines have bought to fruition several niche models like the Raptor off-road pickup, the Cobra Jet race cars, and the Shelbys that keep us car guys programming the number of the local Ford franchise into our cells and playing the Powerball lottery. Ford's market share is up, and the latest JD Power numbers indicate that Ford has equaled, if not surpassed, Hondas and Toyotas as far as reliability and owner satisfaction. (Lately, Toyota has been revealing their feet of clay to give the home team a little breathing room. Can I interest you in a used set of floor mats?) Yeah, in the bottom of the ninth Ford has hit an out-of-the-park grand slam that would make Ryan Howard weep with envy, even if the game still isn't over. Perhaps most importantly to the war-winning, pickup driving, tattooed, beer drinking backbone of the American population, the sort that made the name Harley equal to Locklear for desirability, Ford forewent the dole when the current administration was handing out government bucks — our tax dollars — to car companies like Halloween treats to fat kids. Ford was confident enough they had the product in the pipeline to swear off the government handouts that make GM and Chrysler look like the Welfare Mothers of the Universe… and they did. That gave them some important street cred amongst those with concerns their great-grandkids are going to be paying off the debt for short-sighted investment types of our generation. Before we go forward, let me admit a certain degree of affection for Ford. My first car was a silver '70 Mustang Mach One 428 Cobra Jet four speed, slathered with the requisite shaker, spoilers, and slats. (And there's not a day that goes by I don't daydream of finding that car under cover in the back of a barn, in the same shape I had it when my dad sold it out from under me because I got caught street racing for the third time.) My first new car out of college was a 1982 Mustang GT. Along the way I've owned Bosses, a Shelby, numerous GTs, and such Blue Oval oddities as a 428 four speed Ram Air Ranchero and a 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator Cobra Jet that could lift the front tires on cheater slicks. (I had "Mercury Poisoning" lettered in gold leaf on the rear decklid, and more than a few Mopar and Chevy guys succumbed to the disease on Front Street.) I'm not a dyed in the wool Ford fan. My current fleet includes a GMC half-ton pickup, my '76 455 Trans Am, a '63 Nova SS convertible, a '70 SS Nova clone, and a '72 big block Chevelle. (I just haven't bought a new GM vehicle since my brand new Z28 left me and my soon-to-be ex-girlfriend walking in the pouring rain after my sister's wedding.) Over the years, I've owned Road Runners (one a six pack), Chargers, and Darts. Hell, once when I was broke, I bought a Toyota Celica that was serving as a doghouse for 150 bucks, then drove it for three years and over a hundred thousand miles while I got my financial house in order. Yes, we all have our shameful pasts we need to fess up to. So to sum it all up, I'm a car guy. If it's got a big engine and it lights my fire, I'll survive on bologna sandwiches and generic beer a few months to own it. But if I were to bet the 401k (what's left of it) on one of the Big Four right now, I'd have my chips down on Ford. But let's look at NASCAR racing. (Gentle readers, you know eventually through a roundabout way I always return to topic like a retriever with wanderlust always returns to the porch.) The 2009 season started off great for the brand. Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500, which is sort of like Don Knotts winning a prize fight. He followed that up with a win at Fontana the following week, making Roush look like they were on top of their game. But since then, Ford has been blanked in 29 straight races. They've won zero, zip, nada Cup races (their worst slump since 1982-83) even while Chevy has hogged the limelight and Toyota and Fiat-Chrysler (as unholy an alliance as has ever been seen since Pamela Anderson married Tommy Lee) have enjoyed their moments in the sun. In years past, the sort of domination that GM is enjoying this year would have had NASCAR rewriting the rules on an hourly basis to try to restore parity. Ask Bill Elliott. By now, the Fords would be allowed to run superchargers and the Chevys would be forced to tow 30 foot travel-trailers behind them. But in the brave new world of the Car of Sorrow, the bodies of the cars are so similar, even NASCAR can't justify tweaking spoiler or roof heights to equalize the racing to the least common denominator. So what's gone wrong for Fords? In Cup racing, Ford has basically put all their eggs in one basket, Roush Fenway Racing, and its affiliate, the once proud Yates Racing. Sure, we still have the Wood Brothers part-time effort with Bill Elliott, but when the cards are on the table, Ford's NASCAR efforts center on Roush. So as Roush's fortunes rise and fall in NASCAR, so do those of the Blue Oval faithful. That's a far cry from an era where Robert Yates Racing, Junior Johnson, the Wood Brothers, and the Elliott single-car team all carried the flag to great heights. When Fords seemed all but dead in the water way back when, privateer Ernie Elliott's high swirl cylinder head work simply caught the GM teams asleep at the wheel in what would be a renaissance for their brand (Remember 1985?) Some would argue that there was some aerodynamic chicanery (the seven/eighth scale Thunderbird that allowed Bill Elliott to rally back from three laps down without a caution at Talladega) or rear end geometry (Junior Johnson's cambered rear ends) that also gave Ford what Roger Penske used to call "an unfair advantage." Be that as it may, you had three or more organizations fighting not only their crosstown automaker rivals, but each other for supremacy back then — which greatly increased the frequency of innovations. Likewise, GM has put the majority of their eggs in the basket of Rick Hendrick and friends, though RCR still soldiers along like a three-legged dog chasing pheasants. Next year, Dodge will have just one supported team — Roger Penske — and Toyota has shifted their focus to Joe Gibbs Racing, while Michael Waltrip and company remain nothing more than an amusing sideshow. So let's face it: Hendrick, Roush and Gibbs are the key players here, and that's not good for the sport. As one of the organization's ships come in on an annual basis, the tides of the others tend to go out. This year, it's Hendrick's time to dominate? Why? In watching the races with the new cars, it seems the Rick Hendrick bunch have figured out something with the front end geometry that allows them extra speed in the corners — even with the coil springs wound up so tight the splitters are dragging the track. That allows those Chevys to carry extra speed through the corners, and it was clearly evident at Charlotte down the straights the Hendrick engines were in a class of their own. Johnson could outrun Matt Kenseth in a straight line so handily it appeared the 17 car was dragging an anchor. In the good old days of which I am so fond, there would have been two or three organizations affiliated with the various carmakers looking for new tricks to avoid having their asses handed to them again next week. But as I mentioned above, Ford has only Jack Roush. I'm sure Roush is about to launch into one of his accusatory rants that Hendrick and his boys are not only cheating, but screwing sheep in acts of pagan worship to the demons that run NASCAR today — but that's not going to help any. Horsepower would, and both Ford and Dodge actually have new engines ready to go — but the teams seem hesitant to use them for fears of reliability, one of the unintended consequences of the testing ban. Well here's a hint, guys… you ain't beating Rick and friends for the title this year. So go ahead and throw the dice on the new engines in an attempt to salvage a little dignity with an eye towards next year. Work out the bugs now, so you can come hard out of the gate in 2010. And while you're at it, screw around with the front end geometry to try to find out that secret HMS has. Because it's over for 2009: You've had your asses handed to you in a hat with a big red bowtie on the TV panel. Compounding the problem for Ford is off song seasons by some of their top pilots. Carl Edwards, last year's most prolific winner, has yet to win a race. Greg Biffle, who has won at least one race per season since 2003, has yet to hoist the hardware this year, either. Since winning the first two races of the season, Matt Kenseth has enjoyed just four top 5 finishes in 29 races. UPS may be sold on David Ragan, but he hasn't delivered. In the first year of the Chase, Kurt Busch won the title driving a Roush Ford. All four of Roush's teams made the Chase. (Though Jimmie Johnson finished just eight points out of the hunt.) In 2005, all five of Roush's drivers finished in the top 10 in points, despite Kurt Busch having been handed his walking papers with two races left to run. Roush won three of the last four races in a quixotic attempt to wrest the title from Johnson some way or another. But since then, it's been an all-Chevy and the all-Jimmie Johnson show at year's end. Ford's showrooms might be crowded, but the stands at NASCAR races are increasingly barren. Because of that, we need a good Chevy-Ford-Dodge rivalry to reignite interest in some fans for the good of the sport. Meanwhile, if you know of a certain silver and black Cobra Jet Mustang with wads of Kelly Murphy's Dentyne chewing gum stuck under the glovebox, I'd love to hear from you. It's Do It Or Lose It Time Larry Woody/racintoday. It's soul-search, gut-check, look-in-the- If they don't make a move – and I mean a MAJOR move – they can kick it in cruise control and just go through the motions the rest of the way. They're out. Game over. Any driver who's outside the Top 4 with four races to go doesn't have a prayer. And, frankly, if Jimmie Johnson keeps turning it on the way has the last two races, it's over anyway. Jimmie the Jet will be long gone. Everybody else will be racing for crumbs and leftovers. Mark Martin stumbled last week and unless he regains his balance at Sunday his title dream may be over. Jeff Gordon has been hot, but he needs to at least maintain at Martinsville to remain in contention. That leaves 4th-place Tony Stewart as the only challenger with a serious hope of catching Johnson unless someone 5th and on back can make a miracle charge. That's not likely, given the sputtering, erratic performances of most of the Chasers so far. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the story of the Chase at this juncture has been how utterly non-competitive it has been. Everybody anticipated sparks and fireworks and instead we've got a lot of "racers" driving like Miss Daisy. I recently wrote about how stunning has been the lack of effort – or at least lack of results – among the non-Chase drivers. Some fan immediately chimed in about well Matt Kenseth has done. He noted Matt has actually run in the top five at times. Wow. In the top five. Stop the presses. I think that mind-set tells it all. I remember a time when a driver would be peeved to finish fifth; now they seem proud of it. Bobby Allison was once asked about finishing a close second in a race. Bobby growled that the second-place finisher is merely the first loser to cross the line. Today too many drivers are racing for points and top-fives instead of racing to win. That's what's got NASCAR in the fix it's in: boring races, low attendance and dipping TV ratings. No disrespect to Matt Kenseth, whom I've always liked, but who cares about a top-five finish? I don't think many fans sit around debating about who was the greatest top-five driver in history. Likewise, who cares who finishes 5th in the final standings? Who finished 5th last year? Who knows? Who cares? There's too many drivers satisfied with fifth place, and that's the problem. Unless a lot of them undergo an attitude adjustment, and soon, that's where they're destined to finish. They'll spend the final four races running out the clock while choking on Jimmie Johnson's dust. For everyone 5th on back, their already-faint hopes have come down to this weekend. It's Martinsville or bust. Earnhardt's Hendrick status now uncomfortably numb Pete Pistone/cbssports. You would think with Jimmie Johnson well on his way to a fourth straight Sprint Cup title all would be well in the Hendrick Motorsports world. Well that's not the case. While Johnson rolls along on another patented Chase performance with Hendrick and teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon riding along in the top five of the standings, much of the team's success is being overshadowed by the continued disappointment of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The second year of Earnhardt's tenure at Hendrick has been nothing short of a disaster. Rather than building on the solid start Earnhardt had in the first half of last season, the 88 squad has unraveled into a sticky mess. Things looked to be on track only a few weeks ago when Earnhardt notched a pair of top-10 finishes and had several stints when he ran at the front of the pack. New crew chief Lance McGrew finally seemed to be making inroads on turning the team's fortunes around after taking over for the beleaguered Tony Eury Jr. in May. But since finishing ninth at Bristol at the end of August, Earnhardt's best performance has been 17th at Atlanta. Runs of 35th, 36th and 38th have been more the norm for Earnhardt, and last week in Charlotte he reached a boiling point. "I'm about at the end of my rope," Earnhardt said. "I feel like I don't have any control, you know? Rick Hendrick put me in a great position but I haven't made the most of it. For whatever reason we're just not getting it done." Earnhardt, airing his frustration, began speculation about what Hendrick would do this time to right the 88 ship. That includes whether McGrew is the right fit to call the shots on top of the pit box, or if things would be better served with yet another crew chief in 2010. "My philosophy has always been if you can fix something rather than start all over, then I'd rather fix it," Hendrick said. "When I see the car as the best car out there in my group in two or three races and have crappy luck, it's almost like, 'Hey, let's focus on the little things that can make us better.'" However it seems there's much more wrong with Earnhardt's situation than what a few minor tweaks or adjustments will cure. Watching Earnhardt's body language during his media conference in Charlotte last weekend was to see a man who visibly looks like he's given up. Listening to in-car communication between Earnhardt and McGrew doesn't provide any indication the two are on the same page with several discussions of whether planned strategies or adjustments to the car were right or wrong. Clearly, Hendrick needs to find someone who Earnhardt trusts, and will take advice from and whom he will listen to when the inevitable move to replace McGrew takes place. The $1 million question of course is just who fits that bill? Earnhardt had someone perfect for the job in Tony Eury Sr. back when he was winning then-Busch Series races and championships as well as notching Sprint Cup victories while at DEI. But "Pops" isn't interested in signing back up for the Cup schedule grind and is perfectly satisfied at his current Nationwide role with Hendrick and JR Motorsports. That leaves the pickings pretty slim and one can only wonder how this whole sorry mess would have played out if Earnhardt hadn't insisted on bringing Eury Jr. with him as crew chief when he joined Hendrick. Had Hendrick been able to align one of his own team members with Earnhardt, someone familiar with the team's culture, background and vast resources (someone like say Darian Grubb), the learning curve for Junior would have been shortened in a big way. Grubb has since been scooped up by Tony Stewart, a combination that has paid immediate dividends. Quite frankly Rick Hendrick's bench is a bit thin for a new replacement. Whoever comes in will have their work cut out for them to be sure. And as Earnhardt quickly races toward what could be his third and final year at Hendrick he has his career and legacy pretty much on the line. Will he be remembered as one of the sport's top drivers who can still challenge for wins and a possible championship or simply the son of a NASCAR legend who had a middle-of-the- If Earnhardt can't make it with the powerhouse that is Hendrick Motorsports, where can he flourish? Some believe he will eventually turn his JR Motorsports Nationwide Series operation into a full-fledged Cup team and end his career there as an owner-driver. He will certainly have the ability to call his own shots in that situation and perhaps that's how Junior is most comfortable. It's evident he's anything but comfortable right now. The question is can Rick Hendrick do anything to change that before it's too late? JJ Jeopardizing Fan Base Randy Pemberton/speedtv. Jimmie Johnson undoubtedly is cruising to his record-setting fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship if someone or something doesn't derail him in the next five weeks. However, what's good for Johnson and the record books isn't necessarily good for NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson Is As Sly As A Fox By Rick Minter | Senior Writer Some Thursday observations: Of all the terms being tossed around regarding Jimmie Johnson's surge toward what's looking like a record fourth straight Sprint Cup title, "irony" is one of the first words that comes to mind. In the same autumn that David Pearson was snubbed in the voting for the inaugural class of the official NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, a driver who is the modern day version of the Silver Fox is dominating the Chase. Listening to Denny Hamlin describe Johnson's style on this week's teleconference sounded for all the world like drivers of decades ago giving their take on Pearson. Hamlin pointed out that one big reason Johnson is so good is that he often has the best car. That was true in Pearson's era, especially in the days when he drove the Mercurys prepared by Leonard Wood, the Chad Knaus of his era. But Hamlin also said that Johnson is a smart driver, who makes few mistakes and spends the bulk of the race taking care of his car and working with his crew chief to continually tune it for the finish. That's the same thing people used to say about Pearson, and that's how he earned the "Silver Fox" moniker. "When (Johnson) has to push it in the end, he's got the car there for it," Hamlin said. "He's got the mindset to win those races, and that's what makes him the best." — In every NASCAR championship battle that Tony Stewart has ever been a part of, he's always said that he won't throw in the towel until he's mathematically eliminated. It would be fairly easy for him to do that now, since he's 155 points behind Jimmie Johnson with only five races to overcome the deficit. But ol' Smoke knows that it really isn't over 'til it's over. In his weekly press release, Stewart recounted an event early in his career, one that many point to when making the argument that a driver should continue to try hard until there truly is no more hope. "When we won the USAC Silver Crown Series championship in '95, we were the third driver of three that had a shot, mathematically, to win it," Stewart said in retelling the now-familiar story. "There were two drivers, Jack Hewitt and Dave Darland, that were neck-and-neck in the point standings, and we were kind of the third wheel. "We were only included in the group media sessions because we were mathematically in the hunt. Both of those drivers ended up having problems in the (final) race, and we won the point championship by two points. "You realize when you use that experience, knowing that as long as you're mathematically in the hunt, you still have a shot." — Carl Edwards may not be fast these days, but he seems to still have class. Edwards, who won a league-leading nine Cup races last year, was many people's pre-season pick for the champion. But he hasn't won a race this year and really hasn't been a factor in the Chase. A blown engine at Lowe's Motor Speedway left him 341 points behind Johnson, and since the most a driver can make up in one race is 161 points, he's essentially done as far as the championship is concerned. But his post-race comments at Charlotte seem to indicate that while he doesn't have much speed on the race track he's not taking out his frustrations on his team or the media. He tried to make the best of a bad situation, calling his engine woes a "mercy killing" to an outing that had gone sour from the start as his No. 99 Ford was simply too slow to be competitive. "You're going to have nights like this," he said. "That's life. That's racing." He pointed out his team doesn't have bad races very often, and he said he felt bad for his crew chief Bob Osborne, who is charged with making the car run fast. "Bob is down on himself right now," Edwards said. "He's all upset because the car was slow, but Bob's a smart guy and I've got a lot of faith in him." As with many other racers having endured a disappointing event, Edwards appeared to maintain a "we'll get 'em next time" attitude. "We'll just go to Martinsville and go strong there," he said. A Look at the Past Ricky Rudd delivered NASCAR's most heroic win at Martinsville For those who say NASCAR drivers are not athletes, they didn't watch the 1998 Napa Autocare 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Remembered by many who watched that afternoon as one of their favorites, It had everything fans want -- drivers overcoming unbearable circumstances and a driver who had the ride of his life -- so happy he couldn't even speak. With September temperatures reaching mid 90s and reaching a miserable 150 degrees inside the cars, many drivers had a difficult time dealing with the heat and driving the tough racetrack. Even the winner had a relief driver standing by. When the green finally fell, many drivers were feeling the effects of extreme heat and the rough and toughness of Martinsville Speedway. Ted Musgrave was the first to feel the heat. He was subbing for an injured Robert Pressley and Steve Grissom stepped in to relief Musgrave. Musgrave said " I have a blistered butt," refuring the extreme heat on the seat. Another driver who nearly passed out was rookie Kenny Irwin Jr. Irwin gave up his No. 28 Robert Yates Ford to Kenny Wallace. Wallace drove the car to a 27th-place finish. Grissom finished 15th. Outside pole-sitter Ricky Rudd had a problem as well. The cooling fan in Rudd's No. 10 car broke on lap one. Rudd would have to deal with the heat, with no cooling system whatsoever. Rudd, who had Hut Stricklin standing by, was woozy and feeling the effects. "At lap 20, I said no way. At lap 100, I said no way, you need someone in this car." Rudd said. However, Rudd was fast. He passed Jeff Burton on lap 405 to take the lead. Rudd was trying to make history. Before this race Rudd had won a race every season since 1983. That's 15 consecutive seasons with a win, the most in NASCAR history. Rudd hadn't yet won in 1998, and had his best opportunity to continue the streak at Martinsville. Rudd was burning inside the racecar but continued on. Crew chief Bill Ingle kept giving Rudd ice packs and spraying cold water down his back during pit stops. Rudd was still feeling it. As the laps were ticking down, the lead was stretching for Rudd. Rudd crossed the finish line and his Tide Ford crawled to the center of the front stretch for victory lane. Rudd was exhausted. Yet, there was another heroic day for another driver in the field. Rich Bickle, a driver from Edgerton, Wisc., was having the run of his life. Bickle was the man in control of Cale Yarborough's No. 98 Ford and gave it a whale of a ride. Many fans and drivers had a soft spot for Bickle, always known as a great driver who never really got a great opportunity in the NASCAR Cup Series. He won the snowball derby five times, and his Cup career was a wrong way to look at Bickle's ability. An emotional Bickle stood by his car and said, "This is winning for me, thanks," as tears of joy were falling from face. The hard work had paid off for Bickle and many people that afternoon felt good for him. As strange and memorable as Bickle's interview was, it was nothing compared to Rudd's victory lane interview. ESPN kicked it over to Dr. Jerry Punch, who was in victory lane with Rudd -- only Rudd wasn't seen. It took the viewers a minute to realize the Rudd was lying down on his back with cold cloths around him and his suit, off. Rudd had a white shirt, a Tide hat and an oxygen mask on. He had blisters on his back, butt and arms, but yet that didn't keep him out of the car. "It was pretty much unbearable," Rudd said. "Talk about playing psychological games with yourself, I was playing them today." Rudd may not remember the last 100 laps, but fans certianly do. It was one of the most herioc wins in NASCAR history, and it will be imprinted in people's minds forever. Turning Junior around is Hendrick's job By David Newton/ESPN. CONCORD, N.C. -- These should be the best of times for Rick Hendrick. His drivers hold the top three spots in the Sprint Cup standings with five races remaining. He is almost guaranteed a ninth championship, whether it's Jimmie Johnson with a historic fourth straight, 50-year-old Mark Martin with his first or Jeff Gordon with his fifth. Yet before Saturday night's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, there was Hendrick talking about what arguably will be the greatest challenge of his career. Saving Dale Earnhardt Jr. "We're not talking about Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin," the owner of Hendrick Motorsports said as darkness fell on the track. "We're not talking about how many races we've won [11] this year. We're talking about the 88 car." Nobody should be surprised. Hendrick isn't. Flash back to June 2007 when Hendrick signed NASCAR's most popular driver. He told the world the pressure was on him to give Earnhardt what he needed to win races and contend for championships. As far as most were concerned, there were no more excuses for Earnhardt. No more blaming Dale Earnhardt Inc. for not having the best equipment. No blaming stepmother Teresa Earnhardt for whatever went wrong. "If he's winning, it's because of his talent," Hendrick said at the time. "If he's not, it's because of my not giving him good stuff." Now let's flash forward to Friday at LMS. Earnhardt was emotionally drained, "at the end of my rope," as he proclaimed. The 51-race winless streak that was about to become 52 and a position of 22nd in points had him groping for answers. It was painfully sad. It was like he was crying out for help. At least one person close to Earnhardt says he was. "It's … killing me to see what he's going through," said Tony Gibson, Ryan Newman's crew chief and the crew chief for Earnhardt for 12 races in 2007 at Dale Earnhardt Inc. "It's not fair. He doesn't deserve that at all. "He's a great friend of mine and it hurts to see him going through this. Tony Eury Jr. is a great friend of mine, too. Both of them got the wrong deal there. Tony Jr. just needed better supportive guys around him to make that work." Hendrick probably doesn't want to hear that. He separated Earnhardt and his crew chief/cousin, Eury, in June after a 40th-place finish at LMS that the owner called pitiful and embarrassing. He did it despite his philosophy to fix something instead of change it. He moved Lance McGrew into the pressure cooker. He committed to throw every resource at turning things around. Prior to Saturday's race, in which Earnhardt was 39th, he committed to sticking with McGrew for the rest of this season. He hinted that McGrew might remain in that position in 2010, again reminding of his philosophy to fix instead of tear apart. As far as Gibson is concerned, Hendrick tore things apart when he replaced Eury. It's only one man's opinion, but it's the opinion of a man who has known Earnhardt for more than seven years. It's the opinion of a man who has been by Earnhardt's side through the good times, such as 2006 when he finished fifth in points and was only 78 out of the lead with two races remaining. "Tony Jr. was his only support guy [at HMS]," Gibson said. "He was his last rock there. When they kicked that out from under his bucket, he's got nothing." What Gibson is saying is that not everybody on Earnhardt's team, which for the most part didn't come with Eury from DEI, is behind him. He's right. I've witnessed examples of it. Eury wasn't made available to discuss the situation, but he was quoted on FoxSports.com last weekend as saying he knew things wouldn't get better when he was removed. "Tony Jr. was the right guy for that job," Gibson said. "You had guys who didn't believe in Tony Jr. and maybe Tony Jr. didn't believe in some of his guys. You've got to believe in your coach. If you don't believe in your coach, you're screwed. I don't think that was the problem." Gibson wasn't taking a shot at Hendrick. He understands the man that supplies engines and chassis to his driver was doing what he thought was best to turn Earnhardt's season around. But Gibson said he believes wholeheartedly Hendrick made the wrong decision. And he believes it would be equally wrong to leave the current team intact next season. There's no reason to think otherwise. Earnhardt's average finish was 21.3 in 12 races with Eury. It is 23.8 in the 19 races since McGrew took over, though there have been some unfortunate racing circumstances that could have made things better if they had not occurred. "The situation Dale Jr. is in right now … you've got to start completely over," Gibson said. "It's like lug nuts on a wheel. If four of them are working good and one of them has a thread screwed up on it, it's going to continue to screw the other four up." Gibson said he believes that more than ever after watching Earnhardt in Friday night's television interview on ESPN's "NASCAR Now." He saw and heard the same frustration that other media saw in Earnhardt earlier in the day. "He just needs a change, a whole package change," Gibson said. "Listen to his voice. He's asking for that. I've been around him for a long time. I know." He also knows what Earnhardt meant when he said his crew chief needed to be a dictator, somebody like Tony Eury Sr., to turn things around. Eury Sr. helped Earnhardt to two Nationwide Series titles and 16 of his 18 Cup wins. He was a father figure, somebody Earnhardt would listen to without constantly arguing back, as he did with Eury Jr. And even when Earnhardt argued with Eury Sr., he didn't take it the wrong way. "A lot of the stuff he says, they take it personal," Gibson said of Earnhardt's team. "It's like a coach yelling at a football player after missing a punt. You have to separate that. "Right now, they're in a position where they can't separate it." Ask any crew chief in the garage and he'll tell you complete support is essential to success. It's why Johnson is so dominant. It's why Kurt Busch continues to run well even though crew chief Pat Tryson is leaving after the season. "It's huge," Tryson said of that solidarity. "If guys don't like each other, if guys are bad-mouthing each other, it tears the team apart." And confidence is destroyed. Earnhardt apparently has lost his and doesn't know how to get it back. That puts the onus on Hendrick. Hendrick is frustrated but not panicky. He insists he's never had a driver who didn't lose confidence. He reminds that Earnhardt has more pressure than most. "I've got more pressure," Hendrick added. Every team has pressure. Jay Frye, the general manager at Red Bull Racing, has done everything but bring in a witch doctor to turn around the fortunes of Brian Vickers since the Chase began. But even Frye admits Earnhardt is a special case. "If anybody can turn him around, Rick Hendrick can," said Frye, reminding that Earnhardt's season wouldn't look quite so bad if it weren't for bad luck. Those are what-if games. Earnhardt is tired of if, if, if. Dr. Jack Stark, a sports psychologist who works with HMS employees, isn't surprised. He said the loss of confidence is unique to NASCAR more than any other sport because drivers identify "how well they do on the track with their own personal life." "It's amazing how fast they can lose confidence," said Stark, not commenting on Earnhardt specifically. "They have a hard time separating themselves from what they do and who they are. "They're like, 'I'm a race car driver and I drive. That's who I am and what I do. So if I don't do well, I'm not very confident, I'm not very happy, life sucks.'" That sounded like the Earnhardt we all saw and heard on Friday. "He has no confidence in himself because nobody else has confidence in him," Gibson said. That doesn't mean it's too late. Everybody from Richard Childress (who won six championships with Earnhardt's father) to Hendrick to Gibson says Earnhardt can become a championship contender. "I don't know if you've ever heard the song that Hank Williams Jr. sings, 'It's tough living [in the shadow] of a very famous man,'" Childress said. "But Junior can still drive a race car. He can compete. He can win. And he will win a championship someday." Gibson believes that as much as he believes the decisions that got Earnhardt in this dark place were wrong. Hearing him speak so passionately would make the most pessimistic Junior Hater agree. But time is running out. Earnhardt is 35. "It's going to have to be the right situation and the right group of guys who believe in him," Gibson said. "Give Dale Jr. what Dale Jr. wants, what he needs to drive the race car, and he'll be fine." If not, Earnhardt will keep sinking lower and Hendrick will be answering questions about how he plans to turn the No. 88 team around before the shine is off another championship trophy. NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK
All times Eastern Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 |
knowyournascar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To post message, send an email to:
knowyournascar@yahoogroups.com
-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To post message, send an email to:
knowyournascar@yahoogroups.com
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment