Happy Tuesday!
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Countdown to Daytona 5 Comments from the Peanut Gallery From Smilin' Jack Hi, Momma; Dang, it's good to see everyone back in the saddle. Couldn't help notice when reading about the reduced ticket prices and purses that Daytona increased all the prices of their drinks, food, etc. at the track significantly. Can't remember the exact amounts, but it seems that they'll still get their hands in our wallets one way or another. And Chip; Basically agree about the announcers but just can't quite handle Petty's presentation. Only a personal thing, but he just 'curdles my milk'. And it wouldn't hurt any if he'd look in the mirror and get rid of his tail feathers. Smilin' Jack. From arrallen Momma, I go along with everybody. Get Toyota out of NASCAR. Keep women drivers out of NASCAR racing (Keep them pregnant and barefoot if you ask me.) We should also keep northern and western drivers out of NASCAR. (This means you, Mr. Jeff Gordon.) Only good old boys should be allowed to drive and only if they got their experience dodging revenuers in the back roads of Dixie states. None of this B.S. COT cars, the drivers buy their car at their local red, white and blue automobile dealership, modify it themselves, drive it to the race and race it, if they can't drive it home then tow it. Close all tracks north of the Mason Dixon line and west of the Mississippi and none of this stupid road courses-left turns only rules. There, is everybody happy? P.S. I'm a northerner, rooting for a northern driver, go to a northern track and horror of horrors, I drive a Prius. P.P.S. I think Toyota should race the Prius, just think, 50 miles to the gallon means no pit stops-they just might win. From HM I agree 100% with Chip's comment on the announcers. By the way, even though Kyle Bush was in the top 10 a lot of the race, they hardly mentioned his name. I couldn't believe it, although I liked it. H.M. from Texas Bits and Pieces Budweiser Shootout overnight rating flat By SceneDaily.com DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night earned a 4.1 Nielsen overnight rating, the same overnight rating it posted a year ago, according to the SportsBusiness Daily. Both events were shown live on Fox. Daytona 500 qualifying, which last year was televised by Fox on the Sunday following the Budweiser Shootout but was pushed this year to Saturday afternoon because of the Super Bowl, drew a 1.6 overnight rating, down 24 percent from a year ago. NASCAR Hall of Fame adds staff: The NASCAR Hall of Fame recently added eight employees for the 150,000-square- Snap-on to Sponsor Sprint Cup, Nationwide Teams: For the 30th consecutive season, Snap-on Tools will sponsor Penske Racing. This year Penske will have teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (#2-Kurt Busch, #77-Sam Hornish Jr. and #12-Brad Keselowski) and the NASCAR Nationwide Series (#12-Justin Allgaier and #22-Brad Keselowski). Snap-on will also sponsor the Rusty Wallace Racing Nationwide Series team, featuring up-and-coming NASCAR stars #62-Brendan Gaughan and #66-Steve Wallace.(Snap- Roush Fenway Racing looking for 400th win: With the 2010 NASCAR season underway, Roush Fenway Racing is looking for its 400th overall win. The team enters the weekend with eight entries between the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series events and hopes to add to its 21 wins at Daytona International Speedway. Roush Fenway's 21 Daytona wins include 14 road course wins, five Sprint Cup Series wins and two Truck Series wins. One notable missing accolade, a Nationwide win. But that could change with veteran Carl Edwards behind the wheel of the #60 Copart/Fastenal Ford for his sixth full-time Nationwide season and two up-and-coming rookies in Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Colin Braun. Paul Menard will also be a factor in the Nationwide race as Roush Fenway's fourth full-time entry. Of Roush Fenway's seven drivers competing this weekend, three have won at the track including Matt Kenseth's Daytona 500 win just a year ago. Greg Biffle captured his first career Sprint Cup win at Daytona in July of 2003 and Edwards drove the No. 99 F-150 to victory lane in the Truck Series in 2004. ESPN Expands Daytona Schedule: ESPN has expanded its schedule from Daytona International Speedway this week and will now televise live the two-hour opening practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 3:00-5:00pm/ Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud Matt McLaughlin · Frontstretch. Bud Shootout The Key Moment: Kevin Harvick, on fresh tires, took the lead on the final restart right before mayhem occurred behind him, leading to a late caution in one of the most bizarre Green-White- In a Nutshell: The racing fans got their racing and the wrecking fans got their wrecks. All in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend the evening in the blizzard-ravaged northeast quadrant of the U.S. Dramatic Moment: When Harvick restarted the race on fresh rubber behind Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne, you just knew there were going to be fireworks. Fireworks and merriment, along with the expected NASCAR-rationed bit of bizarre quickly ensued. What They'll Be Talking About Around the Water Cooler This Week What the Hell is the name of this race, anyway? It seems like we've been through at least three separate beer companies so far. It surely has strayed from its original concept of the previous year's pole winners running 20 laps to kick off the season… This isn't racing-related at all, but I could go the rest of the winter without seeing a single snowflake and I'd be quite pleased. Saturday's storm was a soul-sapper for an old cowboy waiting for springtime, his pastures to change. (And dreaming of doggies and glasses of beer… for the record, my pet population remains at zero, but my glasses of beer were Olympic Quality.) I'm 100% on board with the idea of NASCAR allowing the drivers to police themselves when it comes to aggressive driving and bump-drafting at Daytona. After all, it's a long season, and there will be plenty of races left for the wronged to pay back any harm they felt was inflicted. The Daytona 500 may be the Big Daddy, but they all pay the same amount of points, right? Remember, this is stock car racing – not lawn tennis. Now, about that yellow line rule… We'll have to see how reliable they are, but those new Ford engines looked good in qualifying and the first segment of the Shootout. And thankfully, no Toyota NASCAR entries had to be recalled due to stuck throttle pedals – although it looks like Kyle Busch has a stand back excuse for the carnage you just know he's going to produce this season… Is there anything more boring than watching qualifying for a plate track with entrants taking more than a lap to get up to speed? My friend Andrew and I spent the morning coming up with a new acronym for the term NASCAR: Non-Addictive Sleep Causation Amidst Racing. (Get well soon, Adam!) As long as Michael Waltrip is still out there racing, even part-time, we don't have to worry about any races being run caution free. It's odd to see Waltrip in the No. 51 rather than the No. 55 car, though (and without a hapless motorcyclist crushed under his front end). I'd suggest a change to No. 52… as in, Waltrip has managed to score wins in .0052 of his career Cup starts. What in blazes happened at Daytona Saturday afternoon in the ARCA race? It was as if the majority of the field had taken leave of their senses. Danica Patrick's much-hyped and scrutinized debut wound up with a sixth place finish in a stock car – or, if you prefer, sixth survivor. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and their respective spouses are both expecting new additions to their families this year. Something tells me this isn't a coincidence, just Rick Hendrick paying heavy bonuses to make sure his domination of the sport continues into the next generation. Mark Martin might want to renew his Viagra sponsorship if he hopes to meet team orders… I hear Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is planning to open a new Whisky River Saloon/Eatery in Florida. Great. That's just what he needs – another distraction from his day job. With Super Bowl ad buys having become so expensive in an uncertain economy, it seems some big players decided to run some well done ads during the Shootout instead. NASCAR's new tagline seems to be, "I Believe In NASCAR." Cool. But I believe in the Tooth Fairy, too, and I'm not counting on those quarters to pay for my dentures down the road. As for the local affiliate ad buys, things weren't quite as adventuresome. It was the usual mix of ambulance chasers, commemorative coin dealers, fortune tellers, and fitness fairies. Hey, I do race commentary, not advertising. If the "I Believe In NASCAR" thing works (which I believe it decidedly will not) so be it until they start burning heretics like me at the stake. Wow, it sure was great to get reintroduced to our cartoon pal Little Digger and to hear Darrell Waltrip spit the gruel out of the old age home's menu long enough to chant, "Boogity, boogity, boogity" again, wasn't it? No, in fact, it was not. It was like having a root canal without an anesthetic. The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune In retrospect, not stopping for fresh rubber with six laps to go was a credible option for Greg Biffle, but an apparent flat tire and the subsequent wreck ended his Saturday night on a down note. In fact, it was an awful evening for the Jack Roush entries that showed such strength early in the event – only to have that late-race wreck decimate the herd. Biffle, Edwards, and Kenseth ended up 15th, 16th, and 17th, respectively. Speaking of which, Carl Edwards looked untouchable early, leading a race-high 42 laps, but got shuffled out at the wrong time before getting swept up in that crash. Kurt Busch showed some promise early in the event, but wound up with a wild slide through the grass, his hood bending back across the windshield of the No. 2 car and a hard hit in the outside wall. To top it all off, he had to suffer the indignity of racing a car with yellow wheels, so the big wreck was possibly karmic payback. Read my lips: Unless it's a drag race, the natural order of things is for race cars to have black wheels. And this whole experiment with using dried elephant dung rather than steel for hood pins to save weight? I'd circular file that one. Tony Stewart hit the wall while wrestling for the lead. Ninth place still pays pretty good, but it's not going to keep His Obesity in Whoppers for the season. For detractors of four-time champ Jimmie Johnson (and I have heard from a record number of you this offseason, which confuses me… no, he's not the most colorful guy in the world, but I'm fairly certain he's not the Anti-Christ either – even if he won't throw his wife a Twinkie) a thirteenth place finish might be the first sign he has feet of clay. Let me remind you, though, Johnson doesn't start racing until the final ten weeks of the season. Hate Brian France for that, not Jimmie, even if the only other people birth-named James who spell their first name "Jimmie" are gay bartenders in Malibu. The "Seven Come Fore Eleven" Award For Fine Fortune Kevin Harvick was at home earlier in the week with the flu. He rebounded quite nicely with a win in the Shootout, which ought to pay for a few doses of Tamiflu. Kasey Kahne wound up second in his new Ford. The fact Harvick and Kahne, both of whom are rumored to be in their last seasons with their respective teams (which were admittedly in disarray in 2009), took first and second place in the Shootout may be the first shuffle in the Silly Season debate of 2010 – both had been looking at taking a third seat at Stewart-Haas Racing for 2011. All three of the Joe Gibbs entries finished in the top 10. I guess those new gas pedals are working. Worth Noting · At 51 years of age, Mark Martin is the oldest Daytona 500 pole winner. Harry Gant is an affable guy, but my intuition tells me he better get used to his "oldest driver to ever…" records falling as long as this cat keeps racing and winning. · Ryan Newman was running the Haas Automation colors Saturday. Still can't find a full-time sponsor for 36 races, huh? That's kind of worrisome, because the Army might be the last company still hiring in this economy. What's the Points? No points are awarded for the Shootout. Drivers don't start sweating top 10 points finishes rather than wins until next week. Overall Rating (On a scale of one to six beer cans, with one being a stinker and a six pack an instant classic) – I'll shock some people and give this one a solid four cans. It beat shaking a fist at the window railing against the blizzard. Next Up: The new qualifying rules have largely stripped the Twin 125s of their importance, but they still tend to be rather dramatic. Of course, by Thursday I fully expect my frozen bones to have been gnawed clean by Wooly Mammoths. Hey, Vice President Gore, we need to have a talk about this whole Global Warming Crisis… Five Points to Ponder… Bryan Davis Keith · Frontstretch. ONE: Was Jamie McMurray the right signing for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing? Well if the Budweiser Shootout is any indication, the answer would seem to be a resounding YES. Wheeling a race car that was loose and nearly an out of control, McMurray stole the show even from race winner Kevin Harvick, scoring an impressive third place finish in his debut race in the EGR No. 1 car. But how much can be gleaned from McMurray's run? It's already well known that Jamie Mac knows how to get around the plate tracks; two of his three career Cup wins have come in restrictor plate races. While it certainly was impressive to see him wheeling a wicked car around the high banks this past Saturday night, let's not forget that race was for 187.5 miles…a far cry from the 500-miler on tap for this coming Sunday. Whether or not McMurray, or any driver for that matter, will be able to wrestle cars that strung out for 500 miles remains to be seen. Furthermore, the same holds true for Speedweeks as for anytime NASCAR tackles a plate track…it offers no true indication as to how a team's season will unfold. Not only has the Daytona 500 winner in each of the last three seasons gone on to do nothing in the rest of the Sprint Cup schedule, the races are so dramatically different from the others on the circuit that a team that nails the setup can't transfer it anywhere else. Besides, it's not a secret that EGR has a solid plate-racing package…just look at Martin Truex Jr. at Speedweeks last year. McMurray delivered a solid performance in a form of racing he always has done well in, and in a car that has run well at Daytona. Until he and the No. 1 car hit the intermediates and downforce tracks, the jury still remains out on whether or not a reunion with Chip Ganassi will help Jamie Mac hit the potential level he's never really had since his breakthrough in 2002. What's more, BASS Pro Shops doesn't seem to be sold on the idea either. Did you notice how they suddenly have an associate sponsor presence on both Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman's cars as well? TWO: Is it time to revisit the Daytona 500 qualifying procedures? It's been time to revisit this ever since the top 35 reduced the Gatorade Duels to putting only four cars in the Great American Race. Not only does it minimize the significance of the Duels in terms of strictly limiting the number of cars that actually can race their way into a race (funny how that gets left out), it also takes away incentives for teams to race at all in those 150-milers. Take a look at Joe Nemechek, who because he ran a single fast lap, is locked in no matter what he does in the Duels. Now, chances are he will not be parking the No. 87 on Thursday, because his second car (the No. 97 of Jeff Fuller) has to race its way in and he'll likely play the good teammate. But if Fuller wasn't in the race, what real motivation would there be for him to race hard? Sure, a better starting position, but does that really matter at all in a 500-mile plate race? Face it, the only two positions that offer hardware are decided already. And for that matter, what motivation do the drivers locked in already have to lay it all on the line on Thursday? The cars outside the top 35 will race hard and put on a good show, but there's something wrong about watching races with 54 cars in them where less than 20 actually have something to race for. Kind of like that whole Chase thing… THREE: Is all well in the Hendrick Motorsports camp? To call Hendrick's performance in the Shootout underwhelming is putting it lightly. Outside of Tony Stewart, no cars running Hendrick equipment were ever a serious player in Saturday's night race. Even worse, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman, who each are less than two seasons removed from winning the Shootout and Daytona 500 respectively, ran like junk in the back of the field all night. Newman even struggled to keep up with the draft during the race's second segment. Now, it's certainly possible that this is nothing more than a case of Hendrick rolling out cars from the back of the garage to fill the Shootout field while spending all their time and efforts polishing the 500 cars. But is it also possible, just maybe, that amid all the off-season posturing about Johnson's upcoming fatherhood, Mark Martin's aww shucks attitude and coming up short despite having the best Hendrick had to offer all year, and Dale Jr. being priority one, that staying ahead of the curve with regard to plate packages slipped through the cracks? It's probably nothing, a minor hiccup. But maybe the Hendrick camp missed one here. Or, maybe Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi and Roush Fenway all put a heavy emphasis on Daytona, while Hendrick Motorsports was busy working on the rest of the season. Whatever your thoughts, Saturday's results were provocative in that the Hendrick camp was off. Not just Junior, but all of the Hendrick team. When was the last time that happened? FOUR: Should Danica be taking JR Motorsports' guaranteed spot in the field? All right, the (lack of) suspense is over. Danica Patrick will race in the Nationwide Series event at Daytona. Surprise! And she'll be in the race, thanks to the owner points that Brad Keselowski accumulated last season. While ESPN and NASCAR stand to make loads of money thanks to Danica's NASCAR debut, one driver could pay a heavy price for her racing…none other than JR Motorsports' full-time driver, Kelly Bires. As this is being written, no entry list for Saturday's Nationwide debut is available, so there's no way of knowing whether or not JR Motorsports will enter a second car to allow Bires to attempt the race…and a full schedule. But even if JRM does, with Danica locked in, Bires will face the unenviable task of racing into the show, which is historically one of the most competitive fields seen throughout the Nationwide Series season. Sure, Bires will be in a de facto Hendrick car if he has to race his way in. Meaning, all the necessary horsepower and then some will be there. But one loose plugwire or one cut tire, and Bires will have an ugly DNQ marring what can and should be a title-contending run for the prospect. All because Danica and the marketing machine that made her decided to make an all-too predictable spectacle out of whether or not she'd actually race at Daytona. Come on, did anyone ever buy there was a chance she wouldn't? FIVE: Should NASCAR take any lessons from Saturday's ARCA race? Late in the going of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, with ARCA officials facing a time limit for their race (because NASCAR really needed the Zac Brown concert to go off on time…and they wonder why fans are leaving the sport in droves), the yellow flag did not fly despite a late race incident that spun out multiple drivers. Instead of simply throwing the yellow and conceding the race to finish at pace lap speed, they did the unthinkable…they actually let the drivers race to the finish. With the drivers that spun well out of the racing groove, ARCA let their race unfold. NASCAR's been making a huge issue about getting back to their roots. I get the feeling that back in the day, a simple spin, a brush with the wall, a hot dog wrapper were not enough to justify throwing the yellow flag. Want to remember what old-school races used to be like? Take a lesson from your ARCA counterparts. The Yellow Stripe Danny Peters · Frontstretch. Ten Wishes For 2010 -- Some of Which May Actually Come True It's amazing how the shortest off-season in professional sports can feel so long — it seems like an age ago since we were watching Jimmie Johnson race to a fourth straight title in Miami. I, for one, was even more geeked for the Budweiser Shootout than I was for the season-premiere of ABC's LOST! (In the interest of full disclosure, I was pretty damn geeked about that, much to the infinite chagrin of my LOST hater friends). But I digress, so soon into my first article of the season… It was great to see some on-track action, albeit in the form of a largely irrelevant 75-lap sprint. So, as we head into the critical Duel 150s this Thursday — and the season-opener this weekend — here are ten wishes for the 2010 season, in no particular order. A phenomenal Daytona 500 After last year's damp squib of a race (no pun intended), what the NASCAR racing public needs is a Daytona 500 that lives up to the famous old moniker, "The Great American Race." Yes, the NASCAR season is arduous and relentless, but after such a difficult year in 2009, this season needs to start right: really, really right. Let's hope the governing body's edict of "Have at it boys" plays out on the track, and if the early evidence is anything to go by, that might just be the case. Regardless, the sport needs a barn burning, fender rubbing, wheel smoking 500-mile race that showcases the sport in the best possible light and kicks the season off on a high note. Earnhardt Jr. finds Victory Lane (heck, finishes in the top 5 occasionally) I'm sure I'll be battered for this in the comments section, but to my mind, one of the single biggest things that could happen to NASCAR in 2010 is for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get rid of the funk that surrounded him all of last season, and to run like the top class driver he is. Will it happen? The jury's out, but Mr. Hendrick has clearly done everything he can to give Junior a chance to succeed. Certainly, the pre-season comments appear optimistic (but you'd be deeply worried if they weren't) and there seems to be a sense of now or never for NASCAR's favorite driver. If his results even vaguely start matching his stratospheric popularity, things will be okay for the driver of the No. 88 Chevy in 2010. Martinsville keeps both dates This one may already be a "behind-the-scenes done deal," but if I could have one wish granted this season, it would be for Martinsville to keep both of its dates. Host of some 122 Sprint Cup races, Martinsville held the sixth race in the inaugural Cup season (1949) and has maintained a permanent place on the schedule ever since. It was a question we discussed in our pre-season previews here on Frontstretch. A new champion After four years of relentless, seemingly effortless dominance from Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and Co., there's no reason to suspect 2010 will be anything different – especially in the Chase. For the No. 48 bunch, the regular season is little more than a preamble before the serious business of the final ten races. It's hard to argue against Johnson being a worthy champion, although there are plenty that will try citing the "flawed" Chase points format. There's little doubt in my mind that the last thing NASCAR needs is for Johnson to beat teammate Jeff Gordon to a fifth crown. NASCAR requires new blood at the Champions table and it's time the pretenders started stepping up when it counts. More parity, less Hendrick dominance The unprecedented 1-2-3 finish for Hendrick Motorsports, not to mention the JV team of Stewart and Newman both making the Chase, spoke volumes about the strength and dominance of the sport's top team. But in 2010, we need this to change — other teams should step up and challenge. Richard Childress Racing requires a rebound in the worst way after slipping from all three cars in the Chase in 2008 to 0-4 (not even close) in 2009. Roush Fenway must show significant improvement; the Biff and Cousin' Carl may have made the Chase, but neither looked like a bona-fide contender. Kasey Kahne and Kompany (sorry, couldn't resist, I mean Richard Petty Motorsports) also need a major uptick in performance. It's fair to say the days of an Alan Kulwicki winning the Championship are done and dusted, and that you have to be a mega-team to get it done, but one day someone has to knock Hendrick Motorsports off its pedestal. Such is the nature of the sport. Here's hoping that happens, or at least starts to happen, in 2010. First time and unexpected winners There is nearly nothing better than seeing a first time winner in Victory Lane on the Sprint Cup circuit: the wide-eyes, the garbled interview, the sheer and utter delight from driver and crew. In 2009: Brad Keselowski, David Reutimann and Joey Logano all got to drink the winner's champagne for the first time. Here's to hoping that in 2010 there's another batch of new winners. Every sport needs variety, new names to hype, and in some cases, ones to obsess to the point of tedium about. Seeing newbies celebrating in the winner's enclosure always, always provides just that. Someone new makes the Chase Upward of 20 drivers will take the green flag at Daytona with realistic expectations of making the elite Chase field of 12 following the Richmond race cutoff in early September. Predicting who those drivers will be is something of a dark art, given the way that fortunes fluctuate wildly year after year. Just ask 2009 preseason favorite Carl Edwards about his zero win uphill struggle last season. How great would it be to see Marcos Ambrose make the field? Or to see the "aw shucks" interview with Reutimann as he reflects on grabbing a Chase berth? And while I'm on that topic, can you imagine Mikey's filibuster length speech if the amiable Reut made it? Attendance trends up After swathes of empty seats, the length and breadth of the circuit, it's key that the fans return to the track in 2010. Some of the absences can be excused by the adverse economic conditions that shrouded the entire country, but it would be hard to argue that some of the vacant perches weren't the result of a perceived paucity in on-track action and quality. To some extent, it's contingent on the track promoters to entice fans back to the tracks with special offers and free food, that kind of thing. It's no longer a question of "print the tickets and they will come". Regardless, significant additional dips in at-track attendance will not be so easy to brush of — and in the humble opinion of this NASCAR columnist — a long-term harbinger of doom for the sport. Side-by-side racing One of the biggest gripes we heard last year was the processional nature of the racing, particularly at the cookie-cutter circuits. Much hope is being placed on the return of the rear spoiler replacing the much maligned and ridiculously ugly wing. Yet for all the voices of positivity there are those who posit the return to a spoiler won't make as much difference as people hope. Time will tell on this change. The good news is that at some tracks the racing can't get much worse, so little changes could make an incrementally big difference. Not every race can be like the legend from Maine, Ricky Craven, beating Kurt Busch at Darlington in 2003 after all. Resolution for Mayfield And finally, here's hoping for resolution and closure on the Jeremy Mayfield issue. I resisted writing much on the topic last year, largely because after a point the machinations just got so tedious, with all the "he said, she said" malarkey. I mean enough already of the, "My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw….", if you'll forgive me the Ferris Bueller reference. As with the Mauricia Grant situation, the sport needs to draw a line under the incident and move on. Sadly that seems unlikely to happen, but I can but hope a swift resolution appears from the carnage we've already seen. So there are my ten wishes for the upcoming season. It'll be interesting to see, come November, how many have come true. Enjoy the Great American Race this weekend, folks. Despite a successful 2009, Ask.com leaves NASCAR Majority of official sponsors renewed for 2010 season By Sporting News Wire Service This time a year ago, Ask.com was preparing to make the splash of the season at Daytona. It had a custom-made motor coach, pretty girls dressed in red and white to act as Ask Ambassadors throughout the speedway, and up to 30 new 15-second ad spots. The eager search engine had seemingly thought of everything for its first year of an official partnership with NASCAR and a team sponsorship at Hall of Fame Racing. But as the industry rolls into Daytona this week for the start of the 2010 season, the major question will be: What happened to Ask.com? Despite trumpeting successful results from its sponsorships and advertising in NASCAR last year, the Barry Diller-owned company opted not to return this year, allowing its NASCAR partnership and team deal to expire after one year. A change in leadership -- CEO Jim Safka did the NASCAR deals last year but was replaced by president Doug Leeds in October -- led to changes in marketing. Ask.com spent about $15 million on its NASCAR sponsorships and activation last year, industry insiders said. Its official deal with NASCAR was in the low seven figures, while the team sponsorship cost Ask.com $4 million. "We had a great year last year, but for 2010, we've undergone a strategy change," Jared Cluff, senior vice president of marketing said. "We're working pretty heavily on the Web site right now, so our marketing this year will be toward the latter half of the year." The majority of NASCAR sponsors whose deals were up last year renewed, including Dodge, Unilever, DuPont, DirecTV, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble brands Gillette, Old Spice and Prilosec OTC. NASCAR also added Screenvision and Drive4COPD as new partners, with Screenvision being the official cinema ad agency and Drive4COPD, a group that drives awareness and screening for lung disease, serving as the official health initiative. DirecTV's renewal is accompanied by a new HotPass product for 2010 that is expected to remain free but come with a new consumer promotion that will be announced this week in Daytona. Among the sponsors that didn't renew for this year: P&G brand Duracell, Best Western, Yardman/Cub Cadet, and Kellogg's, along with Ask. "We're happy with a 75 percent renewal rate, especially given the economy," NASCAR's Jim O'Connell, vice president of corporate marketing said. "The important thing about the sponsors that renewed is that most of them are fully integrated into the sport with teams and drivers and they're activating nationally, which helps NASCAR reach new fans." The Ask.com departure, though, was tough to swallow because it held a prominent place on NASCAR.COM as the official search engine, it advertised heavily, and the business results were good. "We saw double-digit increases in usage among NASCAR fans," Cluff said. "With the fan cards that our Ask Ambassadors passed out at the track, we saw a 27 percent conversion rate to the site, so fans were coming back from the track and going to the site. That's a remarkable stat." Cluff didn't rule out the possibility of an advertising play in NASCAR during the back half of the season, but those plans have not been finalized, he said. O'Connell said NASCAR is pressing forward in several categories such as consumer electronics, a larger technology partner and a quick-service restaurant. Sony was formerly the electronics partner but left last year, and in-depth talks with Panasonic didn't produce a deal. AMD was formerly the technology partner but vacated in 2007, while the quick-service restaurant category has been open since Checkers/Rally' NASCAR's official partner count stands at 36. What other drivers? NASCAR Nationwide race at Daytona to be all about Danica Patrick Richard Huff/nydailynews. Danica Patrick revealed to no-one's surprise Monday she's going to enter Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide race at the Daytona International Speedway. While that's great news for Patrick - and some positive news for a sport in need of attention - it is terrible news for everyone else in the race. If last Saturday's telecast of the ARCA race at Daytona - Patrick's first in a stock car - is any indication, the other drivers, win or lose, will be an afterthought. That's not a knock on Patrick, at all. During last Saturday's event Patrick proved she could race stock cars, that she deserved a spot in the field, and that she could remain in control on the track. The TV coverage showed no such control. Indeed, Saturday's telecast of the ARCA event on Speed was so targeted on Patrick, that the broadcasters occasionally had to remind themselves there actually were other drivers in the race. And then the conversations were brief, and quickly back to Patrick. Lap after lap, Darrell Waltrip, one of the best in the booth, weighed in on Patrick, down to the way her eyes moved, or didn't, while she drove. She was so focused, Waltrip said. Yeah, so too was the telecast. At one point, my wife walked in the room and watched for a moment. After hearing Patrick's name - repeatedly - she turned and said, "Why do they keep talking about her, she's not winning?" Good question. Patrick will drive in the Nationwide series for JR Motorsports, the management team and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. "I think Danica proved to everyone that she can compete in stock cars at a high level, and right now seat time is extremely important," JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt said in a statement. "She has worked extremely hard during the past two months for this opportunity. There's no doubt that Patrick can drive, as she's proven on the Indy series. She's also shown to be an outstanding spokesperson for her sponsors, thus, the multiple Godaddy.com commercials during the Super Bowl. She also comes into the NASCAR fray at a time when the sport needs some storyline to elevate the discussion of racing beyond the die-hard fans. Heck, even her rivals on the track realized she was the focus. A press release on the performance of ARCA driver Patrick Sheltra started off noting she was the focus, and then touted his results. Saturday's ARCA race was a test for Patrick on the famed superspeedway. Could she handle the big cars? She did. She stayed out of trouble, wasn't involved in a big wreck that took out some cars and damaged others. And, she seemed to have some fun. "The ARCA race was a blast, and I'm not ready for my first Daytona Speedweeks to end just yet," she said in a statement. "I want more racing." Bob Parsons, the head of GoDaddy.com, said Patrick has "what it takes" to race and she was "sure to give the fans an exciting show just like she did in the ARCA race." Given the way the ARCA race revolved around Patrick, Parsons made a wise investment in sponsoring Patrick, provided, of course, fans don't get sick of the ongoing fawning in the TV booth to the detriment of other drivers. If that happens, Patrick's stint in NASCAR will have been a misused opportunity. Danica is a big story, but not the only story.
Danica's Nationwide Debut Means Bires Is The Odd Man Out Patrick Baldwin/thespotters It's official. Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR Nationwide Series debut this Saturday in the Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona. You're not shocked? Truth be known, neither am I. Considering her performance in Saturday's ARCA race, and the hype surrounding the race, it made sense to ride the wave of excitement for one more weekend on the sport's biggest stage down in Daytona. The question is-what car would she be in? We've heard for quite some time now that there wasn't room in the inventory for Patrick to run at Daytona. Nor did JR Motorsports have the financial means of putting her into a third car. The owner/president himself, Dale Earnhardt Jr., reiterated during Media Day that it would take $150k or more to prepare a third car for Patrick thus making the likelihood of her racing at Daytona a long shot at best. But there it was, sitting in my inbox ready for release…the Danica Patrick Nationwide race announcement. I knew it was coming. The press release itself didn't catch off me guard or surprise me. Instead I found myself asking the question-who would be the odd man out? Smart money says there is no way Dale Earnhardt Jr. would step aside and give up his seat so that Danica could race Saturday. The likelihood of that happening is slim to none considering the draw Earnhardt brings to the race not to mention obvious sponsorship obligations. With that being the case, Kelly Bires took on the unenviable position of being the odd man out. As everyone can see I will not be running Daytona. Very bummed out about it! I will be ready to make a statement in Fontana (via Twitter). As you can imagine, the announcement didn't exactly sit well with Bires' supporters. In fact, Bires posted another message on Twitter a few moments later asking folks to calm down a bit: Let's be positive here everyone. JRM has given me a great opportunity to race. I know everyone's mad, but the bashing is unacceptable! Regardless of his plea, the controversy still exists. Is this about Danica's desire to get better at the NASCAR level or is this about selling advertising and impressing sponsors? Now that Kelly Bires is without a ride this weekend and plans to run the entire 2010 Nationwide schedule and contend for the championship are out the window, was this the right move by JR Motorsports? ThatsRacin.com Opinion Johnson's advice: 'Let 'em run what they brung' By Steve Waid - ThatsRacin.com Contributor For NASCAR legend Junior Johnson, 78, life is pretty good right now. He'd agree for many reasons. He would also say that, after his long tenure in NASCAR as a driver and a team owner, he is aware of what is happening in racing today and is more than willing to express his opinions about what is right and what is wrong. Nothing new there. He's been doing that since he was a very young man called away from plowing a field to race at North Wilkesboro – and a career began. Now, Johnson has been selected as one of the first five inductees at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and will be enshrined in May. His son Robert, after posting five wins in his rookie season in late model stocks, will run a full United Auto Racing Association schedule in addition to five Whelen All American events this year. He will race for the resurrected Junior Johnson & Associates out of the JKS Motorsports shops in Lexington, N.C. Robert is a sophomore at Forsyth Country Day in Lewisville, N.C. He started racing at just about the same age as his father was when he became a car owner and whiskey hauler. A delighted Junior will be heavily involved in his son's exploits. And the elder Johnson has been named the grand marshal for the Daytona 500 for, among other things, recognition of his status in NASCAR and his selection to the hall of fame. His record in NASCAR includes a win in the 1960 Daytona 500 in which he raced an underpowered Chevrolet prepared by Ray Fox. It is widely recognized that Johnson first discovered the power of the draft en route to his improbable victory. He won 49 more races as a driver. As an owner he won 132 races and six championships, three with Cale Yarborough (consecutive from 1976-78 until that record was broken by Jimmie Johnson) and three more with Darrell Waltrip. Throughout his career Johnson was aggressive as a driver and equally so as an owner. As an owner, "aggressive" meant "innovative, He was part of an era when teams had, at the least, some liberty to produce cars that may have at least looked somewhat like their street compatriots and were allowed, by NASCAR rules, some leeway in preparation. The sanctioning body always provided – sometimes controversially – different legislation for the various manufacturers. Today, given the new car and the stringent rules that have come with it, that no longer exists. To which Johnson takes exception. "I don't think NASCAR should have ever tried to re-invent itself, and I think that's what it has done," he said. "In my opinion, that could have been very wrong. "Look at the cars of today. Nobody wants to see a Chevrolet, a Ford, a Dodge or anything else that all look alike, measure alike and are just pretty much the same car. The only way you can tell a difference is to look at the name on the car, if you care to. "I'm just not sure about that. I'm not sure the fans have ever liked that," he said. "Maybe it would have been much better to 'let 'em run what they brung.' " Johnson offered an opinion as to why it has all come about. "I think I know one reason why NASCAR did it," he said. "It's dictated what the car will be and that's the way it wants it. There's no disagreement. That's it. And it makes inspection so much different. "It's easier. There are fewer arguments. I can understand that. It makes it simpler for NASCAR and it holds the upper hand. "But I'm not sure that has worked even though I understand what NASCAR tried to do. Look what it's doing now with some changes (most notably the rear wing replaced by a spoiler and larger carburetor plates). "It looks like NASCAR is headed back in another direction. It looks like it is trying to find, somehow, the way it used to be." But, Johnson was asked, is that the right thing to do? "Well, there used to be a saying that what won on Sunday sold on Monday," he said. "I'm not sure the manufacturers want to go back to where it was, but I think it's headed in that direction – or it seems to be. If it comes to that and all the changes involved, how could the manufacturers complain? "To me, overall, it might be much easier to go back in that direction to help racing, among other things. That might be what NASCAR is doing right now. "Understand, I'm not saying NASCAR or anyone else has the answer. But NASCAR has to keep trying. I think that is obvious." Workaholic Knaus able to take time off this winter Snowboarding, scuba diving among off-track activities By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM He won't be taking any time off for a long while now. But yes, it's true. Workaholic crew chief Chad Knaus actually did take some time off after helping his No. 48 team for Hendrick Motorsports, which includes driver Jimmie Johnson, secure their unprecedented fourth consecutive Cup championship last November. With the 2010 season-opening Daytona 500 looming Sunday, Knaus long ago went back to work. But he talked recently with NASCAR.COM about what he does on those rare occasions when he lets himself put down his wrench and get away from the shop. Q: Did you get away at all in the offseason? How much time did you take off? Knaus: I took off about a week, a week and a half, and went to Mexico. I wanted to go scuba diving and snorkeling and that kind of stuff, but it was rainy and cold. So I left there and went to Colorado and went snowboarding for five or six days. So that was pretty cool. Q: When you do that, are you able to shut it down as far as work goes? Do you even maybe find that necessary to do once in a while? Knaus: It's pretty easy. I've done a good job of trying to find that balance. What we do now, with help from my office administrator, anyplace I go we make sure ahead of time that they've got good Internet access. What I can do is get up first thing in the morning and check e-mails, make sure nobody has got pressing questions or anything like that, and I can knock all that out in 30 or 45 minutes. And from that point, I'm free. I feel comfortable in not keeping tabs on what's going on at the shop beyond that. Nobody at the shop is falling too far behind because I'm not there to make a decision. And it gives me a little bit of a sense of accomplishment before I go out for the day to have fun. Q: Are you a pretty good snowboarder? Knaus: Yeah, I'm pretty good. Q: Any special moves you can share with us? Knaus: (laughing) Nah, well, I'm not that good. It's not like I'm ready for the X-games or anything like that. I'm just learning how to do some small jumps and things like that. But I can go down a hill no problem and not fall. I have fun with it. Q: And your other passion away from the track is scuba diving? Knaus: Yes. I absolutely love doing that. Q: How long have you been diving? Knaus: Probably five years now. I usually try to go once or twice a year. Q: What's the best place you've been? Knaus: I've been to a lot of neat places. Honestly, every place I've been has been so unique. ... I want to keep going. I want to go to Belize. There are some cool dive sites there. I want to go to Haiti. There are some cool places there. But it's all about timing. Q: What's the coolest thing you've seen while diving? Knaus: Oh, geez. I've been through like a huge field of sea rays. This was when I was in St. John. What appeared to be sort of a beachy floor right in front of a sea wall, the dive instructor went down and started paddling his fins -- and all of a sudden all these sea rays started to move up and around in the sand. Then about 20 of them just popped up right in front of us. We've seen sea rays, deep-sea turtles, manta rays, a lot of neat stuff. Q: Any sharks? Knaus: I haven't been on a shark dive. I have seen sharks. I went on a dive in the Exumas (a chain of small islands in the Bahamas) and there were some sharks down there. I didn't get real, real close to them. They were sleeping, so that was fine. They could just hang out there and relax all they wanted to as far as I was concerned. Sharks, you know, as they're resting they still have to move so they can breathe. But they were moving really, really slow and kind of chilling down there, so we just let 'em be. Q: Does Jimmie do any of this stuff? Knaus: Jimmie has been on a shark dive. We've never been diving together. We've been different places about the same time, but never together. Q: And you probably don't want him snowboarding? Knaus: No, Jimmie's a real good snowboarder. You have to realize that Jimmie gets hurt real easily all the time, doing all kinds of stuff. Golfing ... just about cutting his finger off while running the 24-hour [Rolex] race. So what's the worst thing that could happen when he's snowboarding? Tom Higgins Scuffs Jarrett goes low, hangs Martin out, gets 2000 win EDITOR'S NOTE: In the run-up to the 2010 Daytona 500, Tom Higgins reflects on key races from each decade. This installment, the fourth of a five-part series, is about the 2000 race, won by Dale Jarrett. There is a saying in golf that's probably as old as the game itself: "It's not how you drive, it's how you arrive." The meaning, of course, being that no matter how a player manages to negotiate a fairway, the key thing is to knock the ball onto the green close to the pin, leaving an easy putt. Dale Jarrett knows the adage well. As a youth he was rated such a talented golfer that some predicted a great future for him on the PGA tour. However, heredity and environment kicked in. Dale opted instead for stock car racing, the sport of his father, the popular NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett. Good choice! On Feb. 20, 2000, the younger Jarrett won NASCAR's biggest event, the Daytona 500, for a third time. Only the greats Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough have won the classic more often. Petty lists seven triumphs in the race, Yarborough four. The legendary Bobby Allison won it three times. Dale Jarrett drove the 2.5-mile "fairway" quite well during the first 100 laps in the race a decade ago. He led 85 of those laps after starting from the pole in a Ford fielded by Robert Yates Racing. Then Jarrett relatively backed off to save his car for the "arrival" late in the race. There was understandable concern about the machine lasting 500 fast miles. An accident late in the final practice session 24 hours earlier had damaged the car severely. Jarrett's crew, led by Todd Parrott, had worked virtually through the night to make repairs. Running conservatively after the halfway point worked. Jarrett led only four of the last 100 laps, but they were the final four. Controversy marked the race, mainly between Jarrett and Mark Martin, who then was also driving a Ford. A caution flag on Lap 157 bunched the leaders for a typically tight Daytona finish. When the green flag showed, underdog Johnny Benson was the leader in a Pontiac. He was trailed by Martin and Jarrett. With 15 laps to go, the Ford team leaders agreed on a strategy for Martin and Jarrett to pass. The two, hooked closely in the draft, were to go high through Turn 2 on Lap 187 lap. But Jarrett dove low. Martin, left alone in the high groove, was furious, and said so in no uncertain terms. "I had every intention of going with Mark," Jarrett said. "But then I saw Jeff Burton bearing in on me with Bill Elliott right behind him. "I was getting ready to lose my position for sure. I had no choice." Meanwhile, Benson gamely held onto the lead, bidding for a monumental upset. Then, a multicar crash developed behind the lead pack, forcing another caution flag. The restart came on Lap 196. Benson figured the yellow flag had soured his hopes, and sure enough. "I knew what they (Jarrett, Burton and Elliott) were going to do," said Benson. "I did everything I could to prevent it. But it didn't matter where I went on the track, they were going to do the opposite." Said Jarrett: "I knew Johnny was going to try and block me. As soon as I saw him move up the track, I turned hard left. Jeff Burton gave me the push I needed to get by on the inside." Still another crash on the 198th lap forced another caution. As the leader, Jarrett was assured the victory in a race he had won in 1993 and '96. Finishing second through fifth were Burton, Elliott, Rusty Wallace and Martin. Benson dropped back to 12th. "When I got into Cup Series racing I had the dream every driver does of having a Daytona 500 trophy," said Jarrett. "To have three of them is incredible." Jarrett's triumph grew even more thrilling and fulfilling for him as he rolled toward Victory Lane. Stepping out to greet him was Richard Petty, who was a highly respected rival of Ned Jarrett in the 1960s. "Being congratulated by Richard gave me chills," Dale said. "What a thoughtful thing for him to do." The younger Jarrett, now 53, retired from driving after the 2008 season, listing 32 victories and the 1999 series championship. He now works as an analyst on ABC and ESPN race telecasts and is involved in several businesses. Engagement softens Kyle's bad-boy image David Newton/espn. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rowdy is a romantic. He really is. Kyle Busch may be a bad boy on the track, but put him on one knee in his motor coach with 23-year-old Samantha Sarcinella in front of him and things come out of his mouth that you wouldn't imagine. Among them, "Will you marry me?'' Yes, NASCAR's bad boy is engaged. He popped the question late Thursday night during his first night in the new motor coach that he and Sarcinella designed. He says the ceremony likely will take place sometime before the end of the 2010 Sprint Cup season. But it's not so much that the reigning Nationwide Series champion is engaged that comes as a surprise as all the thought and preparation -- and, yes, love -- that went into it. "I wanted to do it at some point down here,'' Busch said Friday as a gentle rain washed out what was left of the first practice for Daytona 500 qualifying. "I figured in Victory Lane would be too much about me and not her. "The motor home is a brand-new motor home that we designed. It's the first home with me that she's been a part of. It means a lot to her. We picked out everything inside of it. It's our own creation. The last one I had, I built that one and she came into it. This one is her feelings and thoughts.'' Feelings? Thoughts? From the same 24-year-old who slammed a so-called "priceless'' Sam Bass guitar in Victory Lane to celebrate a Nationwide Series win at Nashville last season? The same person who forgot the name of his previous girlfriend during his speech at the 2006 Sprint Cup banquet in New York? You bet. I told you last year after watching Busch visit the Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis that there was a side to this guy we don't get to see at the track, a side that destroys all images of the young hothead that fans have come to love and hate. This took it to another level. When I suggested he was a romantic, Busch smiled, raised his eyebrows and said, "I am.'' Let's rewind to how the engagement took place. Busch began thinking about proposing two months ago. He had good friends Scott and Amanda Speed take the woman of his dreams to a jewelry store under the pretence of looking for something else to get a feel for what kind of ring she might like. They took the information back to Busch, who then came up with the design. Yes, he did that too. "I design all kinds of race car parts,'' Busch said, shrugging off the surprise that he can do something that doesn't involve a wheel and a gearshift. Girls, you can pause to wipe the tears from your eyes. Once Busch had the ring he began planning the actual moment. He decided to propose to Sarcinella before the two went to bed Thursday night so they could spend their first evening in their new home away from home engaged. Sarcinella had no clue. She was in her workout clothes when Busch called her to the living room and went to one knee. "Yeah, I got down on one knee, talked to her about how it's our first night in our motor home together, it's a big commitment,' Sniffle. Busch wouldn't say how big the rock was. Let's just say it was about the size of a lug nut. "I'm 24,'' Busch said. "I thought about it. ... Is there any other person that I can think of I'd want to be with? There isn't, of course. Is she the right one? She is. ... There was thought behind it. It wasn't, 'Oh, what the hell! Let's do this!' '' Yes, Rowdy is a romantic. A big one. Just don't expect him to give opponents a break in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout or next Sunday's Daytona 500. Remember, he considered doing this in Victory Lane. Hard Turn Jeff Owens/scenedaily. Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin feud continues to simmer Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin were not on the best of terms when the 2009 season. Now, fans are wondering if their feud will carry over into the 2010 season. "I saw him a couple of times face to face," Hamlin says. "We didn't talk life or anything like that." Keselowski says they ran into each other three or four times during the off-season, including on New Year's Eve. "Then I came into the motor home lot last night and his bus was parked right next to mine," he said. "There is some kind of dark, mystical force that keeps drawing us together." Hamlin made it clear at NASCAR Media Day that he still doesn't like Keselowski and continues to take shots at him. Hamlin says he's done with it, too, but still keeps taking shot as his rival. "Last year was last year, and I feel like I've probably give him more press than what he deserves," Hamlin said.
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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