Happy Hump Day. Today In Nascar History Nov. 4, 1990: Only two drivers lead laps of the Checker 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Rusty Wallace leads the first 50 before his engine expires, and Dale Earnhardt leads the last 262 for the victory, winning by 0.67 seconds over Ken Schrader. 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 Comments from the Peanut Gallery From Darrel Dear NASCAR Mom even thought I am much older than you. :) I guess I need to make my comments about Talladega and the restrictor plate racing. First as was said on "This Week In NASCAR" by all three. "There are two things that can be done. Live with what there is now or no longer use 2 1/2 mile tracks". I have one other. Since they all say that things went well till the last 50 laps or so including the mid race driver rest time (single file riding around the track), maybe the race should be shortened to 200 laps or may be 100 hmm why not just the last 50 laps . Chip, as to the roof flaps that are to prevent a car from flipping when it reverses it was said that above 200 mph they do not raise. Another reason to slow the cars down. To a non-racer, nose to tail racing is very very boring. To a racer that understands the planning, and strategy involved it is not boring. How can the average non-racing spectator that has spent a lot of money to watch cars go around in a circle nose to tail, be educated to understand what a racer knows. From RD Momma, I agree 100% with Chip. Which brings me to the subject of Wind Tunnel and Dave Despain. I respect Dave and way more often than not agree with him. When Dave and Ken Schrader were critiquing the race and all the negative posts and call in comments, they agreed the race was no different than other Dega races. They either didn't see the same race I did, or they didn't see it at all. It was nothing like the races of the last few years. rd from Lou Hi Momma, Kudos to Chip for bringing to light something that should have been very obvious to NASCAR's engineers. That is the action of the spoiler and roof flaps when the car gets turned around backwards at high speed. In my opinion NASCAR stopped being NASCAR when they started allowing the race teams to build their own cars from the ground up. The racing was much better when they had to use the manufacturer' My opinion also is that NASCAR is being run like a dictatorship. This is quite obvious with all the inconsistencies of the penalties for the same rules infraction by them. Of course at my age I am foolish enough to believe that all things can be right or wrong with no in-between or extenuating circumstances and the penalty should be the same, but that's just me.
The Old Man of NASCAR, Lou Elliott From EAB Question: After a red flag situation, why don't they count the warm up laps like they do before the start of a race rather than caution laps? This would give more laps to race. Well said one and all. I have a story below that pretty much sums it up. It is by Ed Hinton from ESPN, and I have to say, Ed to me is the only one that calls a spade a spade. I had something to the effect of the drivers getting together and "teaching" NASCAR a lesson on making all these damn rules. Guess I was right. EAB: that sounds like a great idea, but great ideas and NASCAR pretty much never go together in the same sentence! For me, the solution to Talladega and Daytona? Hold your britches on, this too makes too much sense. Take the restrictor plate off. Throw it in the lake, put it on EBay, whatever! Then, build a 6 cylinder engine for the two tracks. No matter how hard they try, you can only get so much power out of a 6 cylinder. And before you say it…yes, I know it would cost money…but it would be worth it to see the racing on the track…with NO plates. Bits and Pieces Two-Day Goodyear Tire Test For 2010 Daytona 500 Wraps Up: On Monday and Tuesday [Nov 2-3], 17 drivers with 18 cars were in attendance for a two-day Goodyear tire test at Daytona International Speedway in advance of the 2010 Daytona 500. The list of drivers testing tire compounds for Goodyear included #17-Matt Kenseth, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #26-Jamie McMurray, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #2-Kurt Busch, #18-Kyle Busch, #6-David Ragan, #77-Sam Hornish Jr., #12-Brad Keselowski, #00-David Reutimann, #47-Marcos Ambrose, #78-Regan Smith, #44/43-A.J. Allmendinger, #82-Scott Speed, #96-Erik Darnell, #98-Paul Menard and #09-Sterling Marlin. Drivers toured the legendary 2.5-mile tri-oval shaking down Goodyear tires in both single car and drafting sessions. Penske Racing's Kurt Busch said the drafting sessions consisted of 15, 20 and 30-lap runs. Tickets for the 52nd annual Daytona 500, which start at $55, as well as other Speedweeks 2010 events, are available at www.daytonainternat Make-A-Wish helping boy meet Dale Jr.: Life hasn't always been easy for 4-year-old Bryce Tory, a Simi Valley youngster born with a congenital heart defect. But on Sunday, Bryce was all smiles when he learned his ultimate wish, to meet his favorite professional race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Texas this week, had been granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties. The foundation surprised Bryce and his parents, Yvonne and Dave Tory, on Sunday with a party at MB2 Raceway in Newbury Park to announce the news. Bryce and his family will be given a police and firefighter escort as they leave their home in Simi Valley for the airport on Thursday. Once in Texas, they will catch a helicopter ride to the racetrack to meet NASCAR driver Earnhardt Jr. and possibly see his #88 race car.(see full article at the Ventura County Star) More layoffs after 2009 season?: Teams have predicted that the unemployment lines following the season finale at Homestead will exceed the numbers we witnessed following 2008. Under NASCAR's four-car rule, Roush Fenway Racing loses one team under its roof and another across the street at Yates Racing. While employees have been told there will be movement in the ranks with the potential of a Richard Petty Motorsports/ Delphi continues relationship with Hendrick Motorsports: Delphi announced that it will continue its associate sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas. Delphi will be the primary sponsor for two Sprint Cup races with driver Mark Martin in the #5 Delphi/GoDaddy. #08 team to attempt Texas: The #08 Carter/Simo Racing team will make the trip west to Texas Motor Speedway to compete in the Dickies 500 on November 8th.(Carter/ Roush Fenway's Donnie Wingo named Wypall crew chief of the race at Talladega By SceneDaily Staff Donnie Wingo, crew chief for the No. 26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford driven by Jamie McMurray, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Bob Osborne, crew chief for Roush Fenway's Carl Edwards, Todd Berrier, crew chief for Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton and Fox/Speed analyst Jeff Hammond, along with representatives from the sponsor, serve as the panel for the challenge. In addition to a $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage on his pit box the following week. The crew chief with the most weekly wins will be honored as the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year and will be presented a $20,000 check at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports' Dale Earnhardt Jr. eager for return to Texas Motor Speedway By SceneDaily Staff Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finished better in the fall race at Texas Motor Speedway than he has in the spring race in three of the four seasons since the track added a second NASCAR Cup date, which should breed more optimism for the team that finished 20th at Texas earlier this season as they head into Sunday's Dickies 500. Earnhardt Jr. earned his first career victory at the track, in 2000, and has seven top-10 finishes, including three top-fives, there. He has an average starting position of 9.1 and an average finish of 13.9 there. A week after announcing that Lance McGrew will remove the interim portion from his crew-chief title, the group is excited about heading to the 1.5-mile Texas track. McGrew says this is a chance for the team to turn a strong run at an intermediate track into a top finish at one. "We've had some good runs on intermediate tracks but just haven't had the finishes we need to have," he said. "I like going to Texas. It's a fast track. Corner speed at Texas is crucial. You are going to fight tight off of turns 2 and 4, so your driver has to be able to get in the throttle, accelerating off the corners to go fast." Earnhardt Jr. also seems happy to be returning to the track. "I like racing at Texas," he said. "It's a fun track. The fans always seem to be excited about us coming out there. We've had some good success at Texas, too, so that helps a lot and makes us get excited about coming back. I just like the enthusiasm that the crowd has and the people that are from in and around that area have for racing, so it gets me excited." McMurray Counterjabs Chase-Bashers Larry Woody | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com Jamie McMurray proved the Chase-bashers wrong. They said drivers who didn't make the Chase would have no incentive during the last 10 races. Well, McMurray seemed to have plenty of incentive last Sunday when he blazed his way to victory at Talladega. They anti-Chase crowd whined that the non-Chase drivers would be ignored and overlooked. Last I saw of Jamie he was celebrating in Victory Circle on national TV, basking in the bright lights and giving media interviews left and right. McMurray's victory verified what I've said all along: Just because a driver doesn't make the Chase doesn't mean he should stop racing. He can still get gobs of attention and publicity the old-fashioned way; lead laps and win races. As far as incentive goes, I've always thought that the non-Chasers might have more of it than the 12 title contenders. Nowadays in NASCAR, missing the Chase is like missing the playoffs in the NFL – do it too many times and you'll be unemployed. Racing to keep your job seems like incentive to me. That's partly the situation that McMurray finds himself in right now. He's a free agent in search for a new ride for next year. Winning a race – and especially a big race like Talladega's – looks good on his late-season resume. It says two things about Jamie: One – He hasn't forgotten how to drive race car. Two – He's no quitter. Frankly it has seemed as though some of the non-Chase drivers' hearts haven't been in their recent races. They act like they've thrown in the towel and are just running out the clock. That attitude won't go unnoticed by prospective future employers. McMurray on the other hand is racing as though he's in the thick of the championship battle. He's racing hard and racing to win. Let's be honest: The battle is over in terms of the championship. Nobody's going to touch Jimmie Johnson in these final three races. Especially if he continues the non-racing prevent defense he used at Talladega. That means that the other 42 drivers – Chasers and non-Chasers alike – are all in the same boat: just racing to win a race and to heck with the points. They're all destined to finish SBJ (Somewhere Behind Jimmie). But as McMurray proved, there's still a way for them to make a splash. Win. The Mainstream Is Stagnant Jim Pedley | Managing Editor, RacinToday.com Let's see what's in the Morning Memo today: As ESPN zipped away from its broadcast of Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway at non-restrictor- I wondered if perhaps the scores of people which the cable network sent to Talladega might be asked to put in a little overtime, that dinner plans for the guys and gals in the booth and in the pits might be moved back, say, an hour or so. I was thinking that if it were Earnhardt on the verge of breaking one of racing's unbreakable records, I would not be sitting home worrying that one of the television production trucks roaring out of Talladega that night might get airborne and crash into the catch fence on the front stretch. No, were Earnhardt putting a lock on four straight, "Time" magazine would be readying a cover story. The New York Times would not be sending stringers to the final races. Oprah would be asking Dr. Phil how Martha Stewart plans to decorate Rachel Ray's house for the big Homestead-Miami party. The Food Channel would be sending Iron Chefs to the Homestead parking lot to prepare Delicious Dale Delights. Dan Rather would be looking into race fuel's impact on sea turtle mating habits. Amp Energy stock would lift the market back into a bumble and the National Guard would be turning away recruits. But as it is, it is Jimmie Johnson going for four in a row and you had better get out of the way if your are standing in front of Dr. Jerry Punch's limo after this weekend's race at Texas Motor Speedway. It's not just ESPN, of course. It's the mainstream media and the sporting public in general who are greeting one of American sports' great accomplishments with historic indifference. Irrelevant sports like the NBA and NHL get more broadcast and print pub than the Chase. Geez, tennis and the WNBA get more respect out of those two newspaper guys on PTI than a sport that is actually a sport – probably because they are newspaper guys and, hence, incapable/unwilling to understand an athletic event which doesn't feature balls rolling around in grass. The reason for all of it is, of course, is Jimmie. The guy who is magic on a track is antimatter in the Q ratings. It will be interesting to see if the piece about to come out in "Sports Illustrated" by Joe Posnanski will fuel even a bit more interest. My thought is that a big, tall tree is about to fall in the American sports forest and nobody is going to hear it. Memo to self: Get ready to hear from Bristol. — The rankings Here is the Morning Memo list of the 10 all-time great American sports achievements: 1. Brett Favre's consecutive- 2. Wayne Gretzky scores 2,857 points in the NHL. Every defense player wanted his head on their wall too. 3. Henry Aaron hits 715 home runs and he does it without the help Big Pharma. 4. Ted Williams bat .400 for a whole season. No room for a bad day much less a slump in that number. No BALCO, either. 5. John Wooden wins 10 straight NCAA basketball titles. That is fabulous for a beer-league coach. 6. Major League Baseball players' record for lies to Congress and the public. We will never know the exact number but pretty sure it's a beauty. 7. Jimmie Johnson wins four straight Sprint Cup championships. They all came during the most competitive time in NASCAR history. 8. Nolan Ryan's 5,714 strikeouts. He did it against the best of the best, year after year. 9. Pete Maravich averages 44.2 points per game in a college season. Hey, games are only 40 minutes long. 10. Lance Armstrong wins six straight Tours de France. If, that is, he was not juiced while doing it. If he was, then sub him out for No. 6 above. Memo to self: Get ready to hear from the Richard Petty fans. — Positive or Negative? So, is the fact that Robert Hight was all but eliminated from contention for the NHRA Funny Car champions when racing began at the U.S. Nationals in early September but has come on over the last five races to put a virtual lock on the title now an argument in favor of the Countdown or against it? Memo to self: Get ready to hear from John Force. — Self-serving memo: Hey, sign up to win the trip to Las Vegas by clicking on the graphic on this page. It's Vegas, for goodness sake, and it's free. Personal memo: I'm pulling for you like crazy, JH. The Voice of Vito Vito Pugliese · Frontstretch. Talladega Troubles Self-Imposed By NASCAR Three days following this past Sunday's most recent unmitigated disaster at Talladega, most of the pundits have by now offered their assessment of what transpired over the weekend. Some dismissed it as just another plate race, others say it is nothing we haven't seen before, and some are content to brush it off using the most convenient cop-out in our lexicon these days: "It is what it is." Having had a chance to let these heightened emotions settle and my elevated Italian blood pressure subside, I've had a chance to read all of the quotes, review the race again, and have reached my own conclusion: Things have gotten way out of frigging control. By now, we are all familiar with the paradox of racing at Daytona and Talladega. You take off the plates, and risk creating a morose scene of a 3,400-pound car cart-wheeling through the grandstands, killing hundreds of people, while oil, fuel, fire, and 230-degree engine coolant showers those who were fortunate not to be crushed by a sub-sonic stock car landing in their laps. The other option is what we have had to endure the previous 22 years: restrictor plate racing that puts the drivers in harm's way by increasing the likelihood of a major wreck, confining the casualties to the track instead of the stands. This weekend, though, everything seemingly came to a head. In the aftermath of hours of single-file racing, followed by the violent accidents of Ryan Newman and Mark Martin, as much as NASCAR's yes men took to the airwaves and other forums, trying to quell the upheaval with consoling words and assurances to the contrary, most everybody else that follows the sport is no longer willing to tow the company line. NASCAR has painted themselves into a corner after this weekend, and is just about out of both options and excuses. It reminds me of that scene in Planet of The Apes, when Charlton Heston gets the fire hose turned on him by his captor, Julius, screaming, "It's a mad house…A MAD HOUSE!!!!" So what has brought us to the breaking point that so many fans and drivers feel that we are at with what used to be one of the most anticipated races of the season, but has now become the most reviled? Restrictor Plates: Contrary to popular belief, these were used long before Bobby Allison's Miller Buick nearly tore through the catchfence by the flagstand in 1987. Originally used to harness the big block horsepower of 426 Hemi Dodges and Plymouths, as well as Ford's BOSS 429-based hemispherical engines, it was always seen as an economical, fast, and simple way of reducing power at Daytona and Talladega. But there was another option that was exercised in the early 1970s as well, when the speed of the wild-winged Mopars was getting a little out of hand; run a small block sporting fewer cubic inches. So with unrestricted engines today cranking out nearly 900 horsepower out of 358 cubic inches, might it be time to look at a smaller engine altogether? Faster cars do not always promote better racing; for proof, just take a look at Formula One. There's a reason why airplane racing hasn't quite caught on yet on a major scale… To me, it's clear the big problem at the superspeedways, as well as the intermediate tracks, is that these cars are simply going way too fast. While a restrictor plate can cut the power on a bigger engine, it is still a big engine, and whatever horsepower a smaller plate reduces, the engine tuners usually regain it again by the next race. Decreasing the size of the hole into the engine is one thing; decreasing the size of the engine altogether is something that needs to be explored. Aerodynamics: When Bill Elliott ran his record 212.809 mph lap at Talladega in 1987, he did it in a Ford Thunderbird that looked remarkably similar to the red one my buddy Kevin's mom had. What on God's green earth do these cars resemble today? I am not just talking aesthetics, I am talking about what design cues do production cars have that might actually be advantageous to help pull the reins in a little bit? I always like looking at photos of old race cars, and there were a few traits shared over the course of 25 years, from Petty's Plymouth or Earnhardt's Monte Carlo. Stock noses, grille openings, stock hoods, and trunk lids, body panels with creases and contours in them that look like the ones in the cars you and I might actually consider buying… instead of the ones NASCAR races now. But take a look at some of the photos circulating following the Nationwide CoT test at Talladega on Monday of Justin Allgaier's No. 12 Penske Dodge Challenger R/T. That is the direction the Cup cards need to be headed, post-haste. A stock SRT-8 Dodge Challenger has 425 horsepower, and tops out at 173 mph. That is with a stock body, ride height, 20" rims, and 4,100 pounds of lard to lug around. Not everything has to look like a bar of soap with headlight stickers on it. Modifications: It used to be that crews and crew chiefs would take a car to the wind tunnel and try to come up with novel ways of tweaking their cars to find the right balance of drag and downforce. At the same time, they'd conjure up a suspension setup that balanced mechanical grip with trying to keep the correct attitude on the front, all while trying to hide the spoiler from the air. That is still the case today but to an even a lesser extent, as there is virtually no room to work within the current rules. Everything is now measured not with a ruler, but a micrometer. Today, you get state-issued springs, mandated shocks, and remember, don't get too frisky with those end plates on that big dumb wing! As bored as Tony Stewart was riding around in cue Sunday, the teams and crews must be equally dispirited and uninspired when constructing these machines. On-Track Rules: In a publicized Tweeting exchange between Toyota drivers Michael Waltrip (who I have now deemed CincoCinco) and Denny Hamlin (UnoUno – OK, I'm done), the banter back and forth was regarding the heavy hand that came down prior to the race even being started Sunday morning in the driver's meeting. Waltrip understood NASCAR needing to officiate, but Hamlin wanted some say in how he conducted his car. Whether they agreed with it or not, though, the message was clear Sunday from NASCAR: No hard bump drafting down the straights, no pushing (Draft Lock, using ESPN's nomenclature) Sterling Marlin once drawled after a memorable Talladega Demolition Derby in 2001, "These cars need to be runnin' 200 mile an ire. But I guess we'll jes load 'em up, take 'em to Daytona, and wreck 'em again." I have admittedly never driven a car in oval track competition. My experience to any sort of organized racing has been confined mostly to drag racing and autocross, though after 16 years of driving through snow on the moon-scaped roads of Michigan, I'm sure I could give Smoke a run for his money at Eldora. That being said, everything I've detailed above is working in concert not to prevent a wreck, but to virtually guarantee that one occurs every single time. To keep score at home, you can't lean on the engine, you can't tweak the body, you can't really work the suspension, and now you can't drive the car and do things to get away from the other guy. One-time legendary race car builder Smokey Yunick was concerned that his car was not going to be fast enough to be competitive for a race. His driver at the time, Glen "Fireball" Roberts, told Yunick, "Don't worry – superior driving ability will solve the problem." That is no longer an option. If everybody has pretty much the same car, and everybody gets the same engine from one of five major team vendors – isn't everybody going to run pretty much about the same? The whole reason the wrecks happen in the first place is the duration these cars are running in close proximity to each other. There is nothing to break up the packs and separate the fast cars from the average cars – and don't say that 18-gallon fuel cell, because that just makes them pit quicker and is empty long before the tires wear out. In previous years, we've been content with discounting "The Big One" or airborne stunt as just a part of superspeedway racing. This weekend, though, seems to be the breaking point. NASCAR is out of bullets, so to speak, with trying to control 43 cars from racing in competition at nearly 200 mph. It's time to change the magazine, reload, and start from scratch. Throwing on a smaller plate and issuing some arbitrary rules about racing hard an hour before the race starts is simply not going to cut it anymore; not by the drivers, and not by the fans. Sunday, as Ryan Newman's No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet ground through sheet metal and roll bars, it went airborne and flopped onto its roof on two separate occasions that were eerily similar to the manner in which J.D. McDuffie lost his life at Watkins Glen in 1991. When Martin's No. 5 Chevrolet violently tumbled over on its side coming to the checkered flag, Robert Richardson was screaming towards him in his No. 36 Toyota, while out of the smoke came the car he drove for the majority of his career, the No. 6 of David Ragan. By either dumb luck or divine intervention, it deflected the No. 36 away from his inverted Chevrolet, preventing it from striking the driver's side door at 180 mph. It took the death of NASCAR's biggest name, and one of the greatest drivers in history, to finally make legitimate strides in racetrack construction and the implementation of ground breaking safety devices. Is it going to take the death of yet another driver – or grizzly injuries to some fans – until they finally make the move to rethink how to race at two of NASCAR's signature tracks? As a member of the media, I have had the opportunity to meet these drivers, speak with them, and spend some time getting to know them professionally. They do not deserve to be put in the position they are consistently subjected to, simply for the sake of "putting on a show." What I am trying to say is what so many fans are no longer asking, but rather demanding that NASCAR heed: forget your race for a minute, and help keep our guys from getting killed. This is supposed to be organized competition, not some Figure-8-School- It has become nothing more than a mad house. Did You Notice? Thomas Bowles · Frontstretch. NASCAR's Burning To The Ground, And Why The Truck Series Stays Sound Did You Notice?… The out-and-out rebellion going on in every aspect of NASCAR right now? It started from the drop of the green on Sunday, when the drivers' single-file Talladega parade for most of the race was the closest thing to a driver protest I've seen in 20 years of following this sport. Then, in the past 48 hours, virtually every television show, newspaper commentary, internet article, and fan email and comment (to me and others) have tilted overwhelmingly negative towards a race that smelt and looked like a farce. Let's put it this way: If NASCAR were a piñata, we'd be at the point where just one more hit makes it break into a million pieces; and frankly, if it wasn't for a handful of SPEED shows trying to stem the tide (in what some say is a forced preaching of the NASCAR company line) that fatal whack could have already happened. Just like every other major racing writer out there, I've gotten my share of fan emails, complaints, comments about Sunday in which so many have sworn off the sport for good. It's something that should have me all up in arms, ready to carry the torch for a majority those who feel that change is needed. Perhaps, that time will come. But right now, you want to know how I feel? Sad. Just really, really sad. So much has been written about the atrocity that was Talladega this weekend, so I don't want to rehash the same views from the same columnists all over again. You witnessed it firsthand, you've sifted through the aftermath (if you still care), and by now you've clearly taken a side. But no matter who you believe, what you think went wrong, or how you want things fixed, there's one undeniable point we can all agree on: NASCAR is officially in decline. And it sucks. I know every sport has its peaks and valleys, but that statement is especially hard to take for so many that watched it rise. I know for me, there was a point from 1993 through about 2005 that Sundays were unquestioned, dedicated NASCAR time. If it was absolutely impossible to be in front of the television, the race would be taped and I'd watch it the second I got home. Nothing to me was more exciting then the last ten laps at Bristol with Dale Earnhardt battling Terry Labonte, Ernie Irvan's flat tire giving Jeff Gordon his dramatic first win at the Brickyard, or even Jeremy Mayfield knocking the Intimidator out of the way to win Pocono in 2000 (yes, believe it or not even the Triangle had great races then, too). I would root for my favorite driver, but even if he got knocked out early I'd be riveted to the television until long after the checkered flag had fallen. As so many of you know, NASCAR wasn't just a sport – it was a way of life. That's not to say we haven't had some agonizing lows during that time, too. Still just a fan, I remember mourning with so many millions of others when a driver I hated (but still respected) died on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. For the next few days, it was like I lost a family member as my family itself wondered in amazement how someone could become so attached to what, in theory, is just cars driving around in circles. But if anything, I was more loyal to NASCAR than ever before, crying tears of pain at Rockingham the following weekend, then of joy in seeing Steve Park in Victory Lane and then Kevin Harvick, Earnhardt's replacement, at Atlanta two weeks later in just his third career Cup start. Looking back, that Sunday was one of the best races we've had all decade, if not the best. As it always had, the sport hit a major pothole … only to bounce back better than ever. And once the growth seemed like it would never stop, my love for it grew to where NASCAR became like a drug. Those who have it bad know exactly what I mean; no matter what was going on in your life, races could be a three-hour respite where you were guaranteed to enjoy yourself no matter what. Sure, I followed the stick 'n' ball sports, but it was almost like those that followed the NFL, NBA, and MLB were missing a type of unquestioned loyalty our fan base had more than any other. We didn't just follow our driver — we would take a bullet for him. Sponsors weren't just glorified; associating one like Tide with a driver like Ricky Rudd would automatically generate millions in revenue. People wouldn't care whether they liked a sponsor or not; if their driver partnered up, the house would need to have that product. No ifs, ands, or buts about it … It was an experience unlike any other, and I when I started working for SI and doing television at the track in 2006 it was like a dream come true. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world, and I remember for the first six months I was like a kid in a candy store. Was that really Bill Elliott I just interviewed? Did Richard Petty just walk by me in the garage area? With so many people either out of work or hating their jobs, I felt so blessed to have a career path I not only wanted for years, but one that seemed set for a lifetime. Three years later, I'm not so sure anymore. Fondness replaced by both fear and fright, I watch so many aspects of a sport I love fall apart both behind the scenes and right in front of my eyes. It's like looking at a beautiful mountain that was steps outside your house for years, then watching it burn to the ground right in front of you while ashes fall on your head. And there's nothing, absolutely nothing you can do about it. Yes, journalism, if done correctly, has the power to effect change. But in the end, our power in this genre can only go so far as we're not political commentators; instead, we write about the entertaining competition of cars racing around in circles. And if those in charge of those cars don't see the need for change – ignoring the rising calls of everyone from the tire changer in the garage area to the fan who pays $40 for a nosebleed seat in Daytona that's not walking away for good – there's nothing anyone can do but watch the fire spread. Through it all, I yearn for a simpler time, when the sky was the limit instead of falling on our heads. Remember when … · The top 5 finishers were from five different teams? · You can tell by just looking at the cars which ones were Ford, Chevy, and Dodge? · When a team fell two laps down, they had to earn it back the hard way – by passing the leader – instead of using a Lucky Dog or a wave around rule to get back in contention as if nothing ever went wrong? · Cars could pass each other on the track, not just on pit road? · A team could go all 36 races with just one sponsor, instead of using seven to make it through just half that schedule? · Double-file restarts and fake debris weren't needed to manufacture excitement to a product that already had it? One of the quotes that stuck in my head beyond the Talladega mayhem Sunday was Ryan Newman's honest longing for the good old days. "We're supposed to be racing," he said. "I think we lost a little bit of that luster." He's not the only one who believes that. Did You Notice? … While the Cup and Nationwide Series brace for massive layoffs at the end of 2009 (again), the Truck Series is quietly rebuilding itself? Richard Childress Racing is now expected to field not one but two trucks in 2010, joining Turner Motorsports and fully-sponsored DGM Racing fielding competitive entries in the coming season. With just one full-time team expected to go away (Roush Fenway Racing), odds look good they'll begin to fight back against a litany of start-and-parkers that, at times, have taken up to 12 spots on the 36-truck grid. The answers, as we've discussed here before, are simple: · A rules package where the competition can actually pass each other on the race track, not in the pits. · A smaller, compact schedule with more short tracks included. · Drivers of all ages battling against each other competitively. Old stalwarts Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday are going up against "young guns" Colin Braun and Brian Scott each week, with a few "in betweeners" like Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton mixed in. · Not enough full-time Cup drivers infiltrating the series to knock the veterans out of the top 5 every week … but just enough to both pique fans' interest and give them something to hate (i.e. – Kyle Busch). · Despite Ron Hornaday's dominance this year, no one team is looked at as having a definitive technical advantage over anyone else. Looking at the Talladega field, no more than two trucks from any one car owner were entered, and just one (Colin Braun) was from the Cup Series powerhouse quintet of Joe Gibbs, Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush, and Roger Penske. That leaves the gap between rich and poor small enough that on any given day, any truck planning to run the distance can finish in the top 10 if they play their cards right. There's a lot the sport can learn from watching the Camping World Truck Series continue to grow. Did You Notice?… Some quick hits before we go … · What a great move to put Brad Keselowski in the No. 12 Dodge before the season is up. It's not like Penske was going anywhere with David Stremme, so why finish out the year when their 2010 full-timer is already available? If I were that team, I'd also bring a full-time crew chief candidate on board before Sunday and pull a three-race trial to see if they'd be a good fit for 2010. · Lance McGrew as Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief next year? Seriously? Look, like I've said plenty of times before, Lance is a great guy and everything … but this partnership isn't working now. If I were a Junior fan heading into 2010, I'd be trying to talk myself off a ledge. This team needs to have its head wrench on a short leash, with a replacement in mind should Junior struggle in the first 3-4 races. Whether it's his fault or not, if you're keeping the driver you can't just let confidence erode to the levels it has at the end of this season. And I don't think this move is one that's going to wind up giving the No. 88 a solid start. · We've rehashed purses in this space plenty of times, but this one absolutely takes the cake. Bobby Labonte got underfunded TRG Motorsports' first top 10 finish on Sunday at 'Dega, while Paul Menard crashed hard in the first 15 laps and wound up 42nd. But check out the cash each driver got for their trouble: Labonte: $90,300 Menard's 42nd-place payday was actually 19th-best out of the 43 cars that competed. I don't care how you explain it, it's one of those things that doesn't make sense and has to be corrected. What incentive does a small-time team have to go the distance when they don't get rewarded when they do finish well? NASCAR better be worried about drivers' power Ed Hinton/espn. If the boss won't talk Don't take a walk Sit down! Sit down! -- Early 1900s union organizing chant A case could be made that a de facto drivers' union is operating in NASCAR as we speak. To wit: the sit-down strike on wheels they staged Sunday at Talladega. Oh, they won't admit it -- they don't even think of it for what it is. But they've shown they know how to knock NASCAR to its knees: strip the show away. No show, no NASCAR. At least not for long. Lay the events bare, vulnerable to the chronic criticism of all non-racing enthusiasts that it's all just a matter of cars going around in circles ad nauseam except for the occasional wreck. Make it all so blatantly clear that even the loyalists, the longtime aficionados, come to agree with the naysayers -- cars going around in circles, all right. Forty years ago, their notoriously tougher predecessors had walked out on the inaugural race at the track that opened as a white elephant and remains so today. They call it a "boycott" now, but they struck at Talladega, showing Big Bill France he couldn't assume they were all damn fools who would run on tires sure to come apart. Apparently there is no one left in all of NASCAR's administration who absorbed that lesson. So it is in the process of being re-taught -- although not nearly as formally or forcefully as it was taught the first France generation by Richard Petty, the Allison's, Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, et al. But this group strikes a lot more smoothly. They don't vacate the factory and leave it wide open for The Man to bring in nonunion labor. They use the old 1920s tactic of sitting down right there on the job, right in the factory, occupying the premises without producing for The Man. So when NASCAR started pushing them around, they didn't take it anymore, in their way, than the raw-knuckled crowd had in 1969. "I guess they don't think much of us anymore," Ryan Newman said, his tone dripping with black understatement after being pinned in his upside-down car. I don't care how rich and famous this generation of drivers may be. Nobody likes to be treated and talked-to disrespectfully. Nobody. Ordered not to bump-draft -- the only tactic they had left to make Talladega racing any semblance of a show -- they sat down on the job, buckled in, and rode around, and around, and around, and around, and around … and finally they wrecked because a few of them needed to get something done -- such as Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon struggling to gain points on Jimmie Johnson in the Chase. Without that, there might have been no show at all. Zero. And the fans went wild … with rage … at lack of show. Two years ago, after a similar sit-down strike over NASCAR's mandate of the COT at Talladega for the first time, I heard from deep inside NASCAR that officials knew the drivers were riding around and around that day, and that there wasn't a damn thing NASCAR could do to stop it. Word, I heard, had gone surreptitiously around the motor coach compound on Saturday night: ride around. On Sunday, after the meeting with NASCAR officials that so outraged the drivers, this demonstration was much more blatant. They didn't even pretend to make a show of it. They rode around single file. It was a picket line, missing only the hand-painted signs. No show, no NASCAR. Not for long. Call them spoiled if you will. Call them wealthy beyond any reason to complain. But 40 years and many millions of dollars can't change the human instinct to resent being treated like damn fools. And that very wealth is what makes them so much more powerful than their angry predecessors. If every one of these drivers quit right now, for keeps, I can count on one hand the number who would ever have to work again for a living for the rest of their lives. They don't have to race. NASCAR does. NASCAR had better remember that. NASCAR had better heed the black tones of Newman, Gordon ("I'm kind of glad we ran out [of gas] when we did because we were at least able to get back out there and destroy our car") and Martin ("Nothing," he snapped at a question about what he saw before he went tumbling). My e-mail has been running the same as every one of my colleagues', at every media outlet I know: 100 percent outrage over the debacle at Talladega on Sunday. One stands out, because it is from a former motorsports editor of mine at another publication, now retired on the West Coast. He just might be the most sophisticated and savvy race observer I've ever known. Here's a fraction of his take: "Newman's, Martin's and even Gordon's sarcasm were the only honest, watchable moments in the entire endless [unprintable phrase]." NASCAR had better recognize the dictatorship is over. Finished. NASCAR had better yield, somewhere, somehow, on plate racing -- or, as Johnson boldly suggested as the only alternative, tear down the banking at Talladega and Daytona. And NASCAR had better yield on the Car of Tomorrow, bring back springs instead of bump stops, bring back spoilers instead of wings, bring back air dams instead of splitters. Then the drivers can race, if only just a little. Keep up the despotism, the intransigence, and no, these rich, soft -- and very shrewd -- drivers won't strike. But they can sit down, ride around, and end all semblance of a show. A Gut Feeling Something's up With Danica Patrick By Jerry Bonkowski/autoracin I have what I fondly refer to as a "gut meter" in my stomach. No, it's not a reference to the round mound of blubber that sits around my waist (which, by the way, since I believe in full disclosure, I'm working on getting rid of). Rather, my gut meter is a hunch machine, and more often than not, it has about 98 to 99 percent accuracy. That same gut meter has been in high gear the last couple of weeks. Something is up, something big, it's telling me. It can't tell me exactly what, but it's promising big news in the near future – be that the next day, week or however long – but that news is coming, I can feel it. Is it not a coincidence that my gut meter is going crazy and we're also coming up on nearly one month since Danica Patrick was supposedly going to finally make the big announcement of which team she was going to race for in 2010 and beyond? Wasn't Patrick supposed to use the IRL finale at Homestead around Oct. 10 to disclose her future plans? Didn't she even promise it herself for roughly a month beforehand – and then her self-professed deadline for an announcement came and went with nary a whimper. And then, throw in the Danica mania of her possibly moonlighting in NASCAR next season, and what have you got? Patrick has been waaaaay too quiet of late to not make things seem highly suspicious. Somewhere, somehow, she's going to finally spill the beans on her plans for 2010 and beyond. My guess, a very carefully orchestrated "surprise" announcement next week at Phoenix International Raceway, site of NASCAR's second-to-last Sprint Cup race of the season. The pieces of the puzzle seem logical: Patrick, a native of Illinois, has lived in the Phoenix area for the last few years. Her primary sponsor, GoDaddy.com, is headquartered only a few miles from her home. PIR is owned by NASCAR's sister company, International Speedway Corporation. And if Patrick wants to make the biggest splash possible – while at the same time deflecting attention away from Jimmie Johnson's quest for a fourth consecutive Cup championship, which he by no coincidence can clinch at PIR next weekend – what better place to do so than that at that same PIR? Patrick is not the type to bypass major media attention, particularly when it comes to making such a significant announcement as who she'll race for next season, both in the IRL (most likely her current team, Andretti Green Racing), as well as whatever team she'll race for next season in NASCAR (most likely a handful of both Camping World Trucks and Nationwide Series races). There have also been reports over the last several weeks that she might make her NASCAR debut next Friday in the Trucks race at PIR, although that's appearing less likely – unless her name suddenly finds itself onto the official entry list later this week. (But then, come to think of it, has anyone heard from or seen Patrick since Homestead last month? Could she be secretly testing somewhere, trying to get acclimated to a Truck? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?) Patrick might try to make an announcement at NASCAR's season finale at Homestead in a couple of weeks, but I'm willing to bet NASCAR wouldn't want that to happen. Even though her coming to NASCAR would be huge news, do you think the sanctioning body would want it to happen at Homestead, given how it would take away from the significance of that weekend when the champions of the Trucks, Nationwide and Cup series are crowned in their respective season finales? Sorry, but I just don't see Patrick simply faxing out a press release sometime during December announcing her plans. No, she'll want to milk such a significant revelation for all it's worth, particularly if she can have a huge media throng on hand. Well, if Johnson further extends his lead in the Sprint Cup points standings after this Sunday's race in Texas, and can easily clinch the championship next week at Phoenix, you can make book that there's going to be a huge media contingent on hand at PIR to record history when he officially locks up title No. 4. If Patrick is the smart, savvy businesswoman that she supposedly is – in addition to being a good driver – she'd be foolish to miss out on putting herself into such a huge spotlight. She'd have her adopted hometown to support her, not to mention a huge TV audience on ABC and print and broadcast reporters from across the country all on hand to report the news. All she needs to do is show up – and the rest will take care of itself. If by some rare chance my gut meter winds up being wrong, the only other place I could potentially see Patrick making her long-awaited announcement( But I still think Phoenix is going to be the right place at the right time for Patrick. Heck, I've already made my reservations for Phoenix. My gut meter told me to. And I learned a long time ago, even if it may just wind up being nothing more than indigestion, to always listen to your gut. Keselowski's aggressive style will temper over time by Jeff Hammond/foxsports. As I'm sure you've read by now, Brad Keselowski is replacing David Stremme in the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge starting this weekend. This is one of those things where you have to say: Why not? Keselowski has an opportunity right now to get additional Sprint Cup Series experience and work with the team he was going to drive for beginning in 2010. This move makes good sense and it's too good to pass up on. Now, with Keselowski making his full-time move to Cup earlier than planned, we are probably going to hear more and more about him being "too aggressive" on the racetrack. I can see where certain people can say that, and I think that is something that will be addressed now that he is up racing in the Cup Series on a regular basis. A lot of drivers go through this and have a phase where they are characterized as being overzealous. I think it's easy to get caught up in the moment as you try to prove to everybody that you belong to the point where you get yourself in trouble. Maturity will help temper some of that — and that'll come as he gets more time on the track. And let's face it, he's not the only young driver that's been accused of this. Similar issues have come up with Kyle Busch, Keselowski's new Penske teammate Kurt Busch, and many others had a period where they have been too aggressive as well. It's all relative to the youth and experience that is in front of him right now — he's excited to be here and he wants to race with these guys. Folks, this is only the beginning. As we saw last week when Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Steve Addington would be replaced as Kyle Busch's crew chief, teams are starting to shake things up in order to get results for the future — and we'll see more of it between now and the end of the year. Everybody understands that if you want to beat Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus, you are going to have to change your game and/or team because nobody has been able to do it with their current combination in the last three years, and now is the time to make necessary changes. Team owners have the opportunity to treat the final three weeks as big test sessions where everything gets evaluated and they can mess around with the formula in the hopes of finding the right mix. Of course, this is unfortunate news for Stremme. I know he wants to race, but at the same time it really comes down to Roger Penske and his organization looking at the big picture. I'm sure if another organization has a need for somebody with experience, Stremme is now available for the final three races of the season — which gives him an opportunity to experiment and look around for a ride for next year. Who knows? Maybe the chemistry wasn't there for Stremme at the No. 12 team and a fresh start could allow him to showcase his talents. Look at the situation with Bobby Labonte. Every time he got taken out of the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing ride and he jumps into the No. 71 TRG car it's like he's a different driver — and he's gotten better results when he's in the No. 71 so far this year. Sometimes changing rides, even in the middle or end of the season, can prove to be very beneficial for both the driver and team. Top Ten… Jeff Meyer · Fronstretch. Things Fans Decided To Do After 20 Laps At Talladega 10. Realized that the fans in Fontana might be on to something and checked out the "shopping" under the grandstands. 9. Looked for the No-Doz vendors Tony's crew chief spoke of over the radio. 8. Decided not to buy AMP Energy drinks when they realized the race was staged the way it was as a marketing ploy to get people to buy AMP Energy drinks! 7. Changed the frequencies on their scanners to listen to truckers on the Interstate … or classical music, whichever. 6. That "Honey-do" list that she's been bitchin' about. 5. "On second thought, honey, I'd love to go fall shoe shopping with you and your mother!" 4. Look for one of those wet T-shirt contests going on that everyone is always talking about in the infield. 3. Made plans to change their "NASCAR room" into a "golf room" and wondered how much they might get on eBay from all their NASCAR junk. 2. Switched channels to see what games were on, even if it meant watching the Lions. 1. Looked for the vendor rumored to be selling "Brian France Sucks" (front) "Mike Helton Swallows" (back) T-shirts. (Unfortunately, the vendor ran out of stock by lap 100) 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 |
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