On Pit Road

What’s up with the Nationwide Series

2009-07-13T22:29:00.001-05:00

By Joe Dunn

They used to call them the Bushwackers, but it is no longer the Bush Series, so what do you call the Cup drivers in the NNS series now, and how can NASCAR help the teams. I heard one writer calling them the Widewackers, but I can’t swallow that one. Why don’t You, the readers give me your ideas?

The NASCAR Nationwide Series has been around for a long time, it used to be the Bush Series, the Bush Grand National Series, the Grand National series and the Sportsman Series. Whatever name you call it, it has been the proving grounds for up and coming Cup drivers. There has always been a sprinkling of Cup drivers in the show, but mostly at companion events, but never with the numbers we are seeing today. At Chicagoland there were 16 Cup drivers in the field, 11 of which are full time drivers, in the top 35 in points.

When NASCAR changed the rules to guarantee starting spots for the top 35 teams in the Cup series owners points, they added the top 30 in Nationwide to a similar plan. That means that top drivers in the cup series can basically be assured a starting spot in the show, bumping out the smaller teams and the teams that make most, but not all of the races. I like the old rules in the Bush Grand National Series better.

Back then, Nobody was locked in, everyone had to qualify, but there was a buffer for the top drivers in the series. For those who are new to NASCAR, or who don’t remember, here is how it worked. The first 36 spots were filled according to qualifying speeds, spots 37 thru 42 went to the driver highest in drivers points who failed to qualify in the top 36. The 43rd spot was reserved for a past champion and if none, the next driver in points. Now this sounds like it would not alter the slew of cup drivers in the show Except, no driver in the top 25 in Cup points could take a provisional in the race. I liked that system a lot better, it was much more fair for the Regulars in the show, and the series top drivers were still protected.

I find it sad that we see Champion after Champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series who is a Cup regular, usually with a top team in the Cup series. I know that they need some of these Cup guys to fill the stands and to draw sponsors, but enough is enough, give the series back to the guys that are dedicating their time to the series. How about Cup drivers in the top 25 in drivers points in that series, not earn driver’s points in the NNS.

Another tough deal coming for those less than full time, and less than top dollar teams is the new COT for the series in 2010. From what I have heard, NASCAR plans to run the car in 5 races, the two road courses, that won’t affect most of the part time teams, as they tend to avoid them, but when it comes to the super speedways, that will be another story. Over the past 10 years, the season opener for the Nationwide Series at Daytona International Speedway has drawn an average of 51 cars. With the new car being mandated there, the idea of filling a 43 car field may be a stretch.

Sure, the bigger and more well funded teams, such as Roush-Fenway, Richard Childress Racing, JR/Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing already have some of the new cars, but what about teams like ML Racing, Johnny Davis, Jay Robinson, Rick Ware or even Wayne Day? Will they be able to afford buying or building multiple COT cars for a handful of races? I think Not!

And if this goes according to plan, and the car replaces the current car in 2011, what are these teams to do with their stock of cars and parts? When the Cup series changed over, it was like a holiday for the ARCA teams. Used Cup cars were selling for pennies on the dollar, there are still cars laying around to be had cheap. But what about the Nationwide cars, they are the wrong wheelbase for ARCA, what series could use these cars? Perhaps this would be a good time for another lower class series to start up, but who has the funding to do that? NASCAR could do that to help these teams, but don’t hold your breath.

Like on the Cup side, NASCAR says that the idea of the new car is to have a safer, more affordable car for the series. But is there any doubt that the Nationwide teams don’t have the funding or sponsor money for such a wholesale change? With all of the financial challenges these teams face, I say it is time for NASCAR to step up to the plate and provide some real help. For too many years now, NASCAR has filled their coffers with sponsor money that could be more beneficial to the sport by going to the teams. At the Spring Nationwide Race at Nashville, the field included 19 cars that carried partial sponsors, one off sponsors or no sponsors at all. These teams are running ‘out of pocket’ for purse money and the hopes of finishing well enough to draw some kind of sponsor money in the future.

The future does not look good for the small teams that are the backbone of the Nationwide series, and that is without even thinking about the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Without some serious hard work coming from the big office in Daytona to help these teams the future of the series is hard to predict, but I’ll still be pushing for the underdogs cause that is the old time NASCAR way.

Learning from the Best

2009-07-08T00:35:00.001-05:00

By Trevor Bayne

Instead of learning from behind the wheel this past weekend in Daytona, I learned from watching one of the best restrictor-plate racers in history, Michael Waltrip.
I believe he told me that he has four wins combined at Daytona and Talladega, which is incredible.
Sometimes going to the race track and not being able to drive a race car can be a little frustrating or even boring. However, this past weekend watching Michael and learning from him was actually pretty enjoyable.
For those of you who don’t know Michael on a personal level, he likes to have a good time behind the wheel of a race car. He likes to joke, but he also likes to have a car that performs well on the race track. Sometime you think he is really mad on the radio, and the next second he is cracking a joke. I think he is one of the reasons that everyone who works at Michael Waltrip Racing enjoys their job.
I spent most of my time while at the race track on top of the spotters stand. I learned a lot on how cars can work together and move quickly through the field. I also learned when not to draft and how one mistake can wreck a bunch of cars quickly.
I think one of the most important things I learned from watching Michael was how he adjusted his drafting techniques after he received a little front fender damage early in the NASCAR Nationwide race.
I know going to the race track and watching instead of driving is something that a rookie like me must do, but trust me, I would much rather be behind the wheel of a race car.
Also, some of you might already know, but I received some big news this past week. When I first signed on to drive for MWR I was only scheduled to run eight races in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine. However, I guess I caught the eyes of a few people and Aaron’s, Michael and Gary Bechtel have agreed to put me in the race car for four additional races. That brings my total up to 12.
For all of my fans I will be in the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream Machine this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The race starts at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN. Wish me luck!!!!!

So Far this Year

2009-07-08T00:16:00.002-05:00

By Trevor Bayne

First let me take a second to introduce myself. My name is Trevor Bayne and I am 18 from Knoxville, Tenn. I have been asked by the wonderful folks from www.onpitroad.com to write a weekly blog about what’s going on in my life. So here it goes.
Let me start off by giving you all the low down on my life so far this year.
Well the past couple of months have been kind of crazy for me. At the end of last season, I thought my future was set. I was going to drive the full NASCAR Nationwide schedule with Dale Earnhardt Inc. However, when the economy took a nose dive, DEI was unable to fund a full-time team and I was left without a ride for the 2009 season.
However, as luck would have it, I happened to meet a man by the name of Gary Bechtel in Daytona. Some of you guys might know the name; he used to own Diamond Ridge Motorsports in the early 1990’s.
Meeting Mr. Bechtel has definitely been one of the highlights of my year so far. He was very instrumental in helping me get the Nationwide ride with Michael Waltrip Racing in the No. 99 machine. I owe that man a bunch!
So far, I have driven three races in the No. 99 car and have learned so much from Jerry Baxter (crew chief) and the rest of the Nationwide guys. Let me tell you, those guys love to have fun. They are the reason why people started racing in the first place, for fun, and they remind me of that every day. Being around those guys has been a blast. I think it helps that we have been able to get some solid finishes too.
My first race with them was at Nashville Superspeedway and I was able to grab the outside pole. However, we were caught up in a wreck and finished 28th. My other two races, Kentucky and Milwaukee, I started in the top 10 and finished 12th. I mean not bad, but you know we always want to do better.
My next race will be the July 11 race at Chicigoland Speedway. This race was actually added to my original schedule after Michael came to Milwaukee and saw that I could get the job done.
Well this weekend I will be in Daytona learning all I can from Michael while he drives the No. 99 Aaron’s Dream machine at the World Center of Racing.
For all my fans you can follow me on Facebook or go to www.trevorbayne.com to get all the latest news.

Garage Notes

2009-07-07T22:20:00.002-05:00

By Racin’ Roger

Around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Garage

All eyes were looking for Jeremy Mayfield to show up at Daytona, in fact there were spurious reports of Mayfield sightings. He was NOT there folks. My sources have said that although Mayfield is eagerly trying to make Chicago, he has no money and is hitting walls trying to find sponsorship. It’s now no secret that he is actively courting buyers of his team and equipment.

The 64 team of Larry Gunselman showed up as a late entry with the sponsorship of Fred’s Discount Stores, but the rained out qualifying sent the team home with empty pockets. They are already making plans to be at Chicagoland this weekend.

Three days after a spectacular last lap crash, Kyle Busch is still not talking to the press. Even the teams post race press release, normally carry a couple of Kyle quotes, carried only crew Chief Steve Addington’s comments.

As expected, Tuesday Michael Waltrip Racing announced the signing of Martin Truex Jr. as the driver of the #56 NAPA Toyota for 2010, with Michael going part time.

Nationwide garage

McDonald Motorsports has signed Michael McDowell to drive the 81 car at Chicago and Gateway. McDowell’s regular ride, the JTG 47 team has exhausted sponsorship for the season. McDowell remains in the top 10 in points and is searching for a way to stay in the series for the balance of the season.

Reports of trouble between Phoenix Racing’s owner James Finch and driver Mike Bliss. Monday the team announced Bliss’ departure, only to announce he is back on Tuesday.

Braun Racing has parted ways with Burney Lamar in the 32 car. He was replaced at Daytona by Brian Vickers, who will be joined by a combination of David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson and Brian Ickler wheeling the car through the rest of the season. A driver announcement for the Road Course in Montreal and the Phoenix race will be announced at a later date.

ML Racing returns to the Series at Chicago with driver Shelby Howard after missing the last two weeks.

The new Nationwide car will be a fixture for 5 races in 2010, and a lot of the smaller teams are pretty unhappy. Having to build at least 2 completely different cars for 5 races will put a lot of pressure on teams with shoe string budgets. Many wonder if Daytona, which normally pulls a bevy of contenders, will actually have a full field for the season opener.

Waltrip announcement a media fanfare

2009-07-07T21:32:00.002-05:00

By Joe Dunn

It was leaked out over a week ago, Michael Waltrip Racing would hold a press conference on July 7th with a BIG announcement. Speed TV even cleared time, pre-empting scheduled programming for this BIG story announcing Martin Truex Jr as the driver of the No. 56 NAPA Toyota for 2010. The second part of the announcement was that Michael will drive part time next year, at least five races in the 55.

Now, I have seen a few midweek team announcement get this much attention, like in May of 2007 when Dale Earnhardt Jr formally announced his signing with Hendrick Motorsports. That indeed was an event worth the live TV time, after all there were a lot of rumors, but no confirmation at all. That 2007 event also hinged on the career of NASCAR’s most popular driver. Until it was announced it was speculated that Junior would go with HMS, but the details announced that day set the future path of not only Earnhardt Jr but also his JR Motorsports.

Later, in 2007 was the BIG Budweiser announcement, on their move to the Evernham Racing team of Kasey Kahne. Kahne had been a Chase contending driver, on the rise in NASCAR and his link to Budweiser, one of the oldest sponsors in NASCAR was an event worthy of the TV time. And, in 2008, it was the announcement of 2 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, Tony Stewart signing on as a partner and driver at Haas CNC Racing, which was renamed Stewart Haas Racing. Those were all major announcements pertaining to top drivers, and neither Michael Waltrip or Martin Truex Jr qualify for that rating.

So what made the MWR announcement something so worthy of live TV? Was in the fact that Truex has a single win in the Cup series after 6 years and 135 races? Not to dismiss Martin as a driver, I have enjoyed watching him race since the first time I saw him show up at Dover with the hauler that had the ‘ Got Crabs?’ logo on it. He has won two Nationwide series championships, but that was 4 and 5 years ago. He moved to Cup as the ‘sidekick’ to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He looked his best in 2007, thanks mostly to Juniors crash and burn year with DEI.

Maybe the coverage is because Michael is a big star, nope, here is a guy that after 25 years and 742 races has registered 4 wins, all at Super Speedways and all driving for DEI when DEI was the Restrictor Plate king. So why did this announcement really get the live TV time? My only guess is that Speed, which uses Michael as a commentator for the NASCAR Camping World truck Series felt obligated to throw Mikey and NAPA ‘the bone’. After all, the fact that Truex was signing with MWR has been well known for weeks. Hey, we even knew a few days ago that Martin would be sporting the 56, the number his dad sported in 7 NASCAR Nationwide Series races between 1993 and 1998.

Will Truex be the Top Dawg at MWR in 2010? Martin’s talent truly is much better than his record shows. The equipment at DEI for the past several years was not championship quality and the Earnhardt- Childress race engines have not been setting the world afire, but that does not in itself spell championship contender in a MWR car. Look for David Reutimann to again be the ‘franchise’ driver for MWR in 2010. David may not make the Chase this year, but he is a lot closer than Michael could hope for.

My thoughts on the 2010 season for MWR, Look for Reutimann to make the Chase, Truex will come close but after a year of adjusting, 2011 will be his year. Marcus Ambrose in the 47 car should finish in the top 15 or better in 2010. And the farewell driver, Mikey in the ole 55 NAPA Toyota, look for him to be an also ran. Michael is a great pitch man, and has far exceeded everyone's expectations as an owner, but I fear that like his brother Darrell’s farewell tour in 2000 that resulted in two top twenty finishes, 2010 will be a further embarrassment to Michael and his team.

Low Budget Sprint Cup teams strive to stay in the game

2009-07-02T18:46:00.007-05:00

By Joe Dunn

In the shadow of the media blitz about Jeremy Mayfield and his temporary win in court on Tuesday, other small budget NASCAR Sprint Cup teams scramble behind the scenes to get their team to the track. Larry Gunselman and his team are a good example of one of those teams that is celebrating their own good fortune this week … they landed a sponsor for the race.

Gunselman Motorsports has secured a major sponsor with Fred’s Hometown Discount Stores for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. The Fred’s Inc. logo will adorn the hood and quarter panels of Mike Wallace’s No. 64 Toyota. “Decals are being applied at this very moment and our team is very excited to have Fred’s back on the car, this time, as a major sponsor and partner,” said Larry Gunselman, team owner. “With backing from Fred’s and with veteran racer and speedway specialist, Mike Wallace, behind the wheel, our team is going to attempt to do what Brad Keselowski did in Talladega, our team is going to do every thing in our power to win this weekend!” Fred’s Inc. http://www.fredsinc.com/ is headquartered in Memphis, TN and owns more than 600 stores and 300 pharmacies, which operate in 15 Southeastern states.

Gunselman Motorsports reports that they have been deluged with email from Mike Wallace fans wanting assurance that Gunselman Motorsports is fully committed to Wallace for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. In an effort to quell rumors, Larry Gunselman, team owner of the No. 64 Sprint Cup Team, went on record this afternoon stating that, “ The major sponsorship deal with Fred’s would not be a reality without Mike Wallace. Frankly, he was instrumental in helping our team put the deal together and his speedway record speaks for itself. I have not entertained the idea of putting any other driver in, because frankly, it was the not only Mike’s record, but his reputation as a speedway driver, that helped our team close the deal with Fred’s.

Gunselman, of Snohomish, WA who has been around Nascar for nearly 20 years, dating back to his first run in the NASCAR Camping World West Series (actually, it was the NASCAR Winston West Series back then) On September 30, 1990. Larry showed up at Tri-City Raceway in West Richland, WA with his own Pontiac and managed an 11th place finish. After 9 years, Larry had competed in 52 Winston West and 2 Winston Cup races.

The 64 team started the 2009 season with 3 drivers listed, Gunselman and the two Bodine brothers that started with him at Mach 1, Geoff and Todd. With a lack of sponsorship, the relationship with the Bodine’s faded and Gunselman Motorsports got hooked up with Michael Wallace as the current driver. Mike brings a wealth of experience to the team, having competed in a combined 633 races in Nascar’s top three series, since 1990, with 8 wins, 56 top 5’s and 130 top 10’s.

In 2004, Larry Gunselman founded Mach 1 Motorsports, an underfunded Cup team that made 26 of the 34 races on the schedule and finished 39th in points. Six different drivers drove the 98 car in 2004, including Geoff and Todd Bodine, Gunselman, Chad Chaffin, Derrick Cope and Randy Lajoie. The team dissolved at the end of the year but Gunselman remained in Nascar as a driver. Between 1996 and 2008 Larry competed in 115 races in Nascar’s top three series.

Judge rules in favor of Mayfield

2009-07-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

By Joe Dunn

Jeremy Mayfield let out a big sigh Tuesday afternoon as US District Court Judge Graham Mullen ruled in his favor, granting a temporary injunction against NASCAR’s suspension of Mayfield. Shana Mayfield broke out in tears as the judge rendered his decision. The ruling clears the way for the owner of the team to be changed back to Jeremy.

"The truth came out. That's what it's all about," Mayfield said after the decision was announced. He indicated that it may be too late for him to get his team to Daytona in time for the Thursday morning deadline for ‘post entries’ for the Coke Zero 400. However, he did hint that it would be enough time for him to serve as the driver for another team, the most likely in that case would be the 64 car of Larry Gunselmann.
The Gunselmann team shares the same shop with Mayfield Motorsports in one of the Stavola Brothers shops.

Although NASCAR said at first that they had no intention of filing an appeal, spokesman Ramsey Posten later said that they were still considering their actions. Posten also said that Mayfield would be subject to regular drug test and they would beginning this week at Daytona should Mayfield be there. The judges ruling also gave way for NASCAR to take hair samples from Mayfield as well as extensive and regular drug testing.

In his announcing decision, Judge Mullen stated that the damage to Mayfield from the suspension far outweighed any damage that NASCAR could validate. He said there was credence to Mayfield’s claim that if he were under the influence of methamphetamines, his crew members and others would have noticed. Mayfield had his crew members sign affidavits saying they did not see any evidence that Mayfield had used drugs. The judge also found that Mayfield has a likelihood of success on the merits of his case.

Kyle Busch Screws Up Again

2009-06-30T18:18:00.005-05:00

By Joe Dunn

When it comes to Kyle Busch, nobody can take away his incredible driving talents and his no fear style. But at the same time, he obviously has one of the worst reputations as a self centered brat, who is having too much fun with his Bad Boy image. So when he publicly apologized for his involvement in the wreck at Sunday’s Lennox 301, it shocked a lot of folks.

The big crash on a lap 174 restart ended the day for Martin Truex and David Ragan as well as ruining a possible good finish for Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton. The first replays showed Busch turning Truex and the finger pointing and blaming began. As the media pursued Kyle for the expected, ‘not my fault’, his response was quite different.

“I have to apologize to all those guys,” Busch said. “We got bottled up there in turn one – especially Martin and Jeff Burton and those guys. I meant nothing of that. The 88 (Earnhardt) spun his tires on the restart, I went to choose a lane, went to the middle, and the 42 (Montoya) and I got together a little bit. That pinched me with the 1 (Truex, Jr.) and I spun the 1 out and it was just mayhem from there.”

But after reviewing the incident, I have to throw the Black Flag at Kyle’s apology. No, not because I don’t believe it was sincere, if it weren’t, he would not have said it. I do, because he did not cause that wreck, and his apology let’s the other driver’s responsible off the hook. A look at the replay shows the sequence that happened and how it really unfolded. Nobody is denying that Dale Earnhardt Jr triggered the whole thing by spinning his tires on the restart, although Junior has not commented on that.

It is what followed the mistake by Earnhardt, that led to the wreck. Truex, who is obviously aware of the mistake that Junior is known for from his time as a teammate at DEI, backed off to avoid hitting the 88 car. Martin fully expected Junior to regain his composure and control of his car and he prepared for the second restart by Earnhardt. But the 88 car did not react quickly and Truex rammed his former teammate. Again, Truex had to back out of it in hopes that the 88 would finally get traction and move out of the way.

Leading up to all of this, Kyle Busch and Juan Montoya were side by side looking for a way to get around the mess created by the 88 car. During the maneuvering, Truex started moving down the track and Busch’s reaction was to go high in an attempt to pass the 1 car. At the same time Montoya was looking for room and started moving down, which blocked Kyle’s attempt to get around Truex. All would have been some normal ‘racin is rubbing’ had Truex not been forced to back off the second time. It appears that the fault of this one falls not on the guy who apologized and took responsibility, but rather on the two cars in front of him.

So, in the aftermath, it is Kyle Busch who once again takes the heat that he does not deserve apologized. “I hate it for all those guys because I know they’ve got ‘Chase’ contentions too. We were just battling for every spot out there today. Restarts are hectic, man. Everybody is fighting for every inch that’s out there because it’s so hard to pass with these cars.” And not a peep from the two guys that have zero chance of making the Chase, Earnhardt (19th) and Truex (24th) that really caused this wreck.

Kyle Busch is a spoiled brat, used to getting his way, and I have had my issues with Kyle in the past. It is frustrating covering races when you rush to the media center after a race to catch the Q and A’s with the second and third place drivers, only to learn that after finishing second, Kyle skips the appearance because he is having a tantrum. But this week, Kyle publicly fell on his sword for something that was not his fault. Perhaps by now he has finally seen the replays and understands that he did not owe the ‘sorry’, but it’s too late, he already assumed the blame. So another week goes by with another Kyle Busch Screw Up.

Garage Notes

2009-06-30T13:27:00.005-05:00

Around the Sprint Cup garage this week

By Racin' Roger

Michael Waltrip Racing has announced a press conference for next Monday that has drawn lots of speculation. The strongest rumor of course is that Martin Truex will join MWR in 2010 as the driver of the 55 car. Other talk centered on the possibility of Truex moving over in time for Chicago, but experience tells me that EGR would not agree to the early release.

Jeremy Mayfield heads back to court on July 1 in his quest to force Nascar to reinstate him. Should he fail at this one, look for his team to be sold within days. There is at least one prospective buyer in the waiting, but the identity is being closely guarded.

Danica Patrick’s name is swirling around with connection to a deal with Hendrick Motor Sports and a possible deal with JR motorsports or Stewart Haas Racing. Rick Hendrick adamantly denies all the rumors.

Looking ahead to the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in late July, lots of veteran drivers anticipate being greeting by Humpy Wheeler, who is expected to be announced soon as the new President of IMS.

Larry Gunselman Racing quietly withdrew from the Lennox 301 after rain cancelled qualifying. The rain out would have guaranteed the team of starting position based on 2009 attempts. The obvious start and park team made a deal with Furniture Row Racing that allowed Regan Smith to make the race in the 78 car. Smith finished 27th one lap down and marked his 50th race without a DNF.

From the Nationwide garage

Word is out that the double file restarts will begin at Daytona.

Still no confirmation from Nascar, but talk about the garage is that the NEW CAR for the nationwide series will debut at Daytona in February. Seems that Nascar will call for the new car at 5 races including Daytona and the two road courses for 2010, with the full schedule to follow in 2011. Lots of mixed reactions from the teams. Many of the smaller teams are very upset and some plan to bolt from the series.

Things look bad for the Milwaukee mile for 2010, as they have been unable to pay Nascar the required sanction fees for last weeks race. Rumor has it that the promoter still owes the IRL for the may race there. Beside the Memphis races being moved to Alabama, looks like the Mile’s dates may be moved also.

Bobby Hamilton took over the 81 car of McDonald motorsports at Dover and has been with then ever since, but as they head to Daytona this week, Hamilton is out and ARCA driver Patrick Shelta will be in.

Richard Petty Motorsports has a two race deal with McDonalds for Daytona with Kasey Kahne in the 10 car and Chicago with Reed Sorenson , in the 43 Cup car.
Michael McDowell, 11th overall and 8th among the Nationwide regulars looks ahead to Daytona as his last race of the season. The team has no sponsorship in place for the second half of the season with the exception of the two road courses with Marcus Ambrose behind the wheel. Ted Geschickter, co owner, says’ they are unsure if they have the ability to run any un-sponsored races.

With 10 to go, Jr looks to miss the chase

2009-06-23T23:27:00.002-05:00

By Joe Dunn

The Race to the Chase begins this week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts the 10 race battle to make the top 12 to be IN the Chase. Sitting 277 points out of 12th, and 20th in points, the chances for Dale Earnhardt Jr. appear to be slim to none.

2007 was Earnhardt’s last year with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his father, where Jr was the star for most of his 11 years there. But he left there on a sour note among accusation by his fans of unfair treatment by his step mother Teresa Earnhardt. Since he lost Tony Eury Sr as his crew chief after the 2004 season, his success has waned. The early complaints centered on his crew chiefs, until Tony Jr joined the team. The problems after that were constantly blamed on poor equipment, most notably engine failures. That, despite the fact that he exploded far more engines than his DEI teammates running the same engines. Then the final year was just all around bad equipment as DEI prepared for his departure to Hendrick Motor Sports.

2008 was supposed to be Junior’ breakout year, finally a chance to show his skills driving for the best organization with the best equipment in Nascar. When the Race to the Chase began, he sat 3rd in points with 1 win, 7 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s. Junior finished 2008 a disappointing 12th, last place in the Chase. The fans rallied for Junior and chalked it up to a transition year, yet there were scattered calls to replace yet another crew chief.

Well, here we are, 2009 16 races in and 10 to go to the Chase, and what is Junior’s position? He did finally get a new crew chief as Tony Jr was not too quietly relegated to the farm system and Lance McGrew took over as the 88 crew chief. Rick Hendrick promised everything that HMS owned was to be concentrated on the 88 team as a priority. Making the Chase according to Hendrick was a MUST. The team’s standings, compared to 2008? 20th in points, 724 out of first (277 out of 12th), Zero wins, 1 top 5 and 3 top 10’s.

Was Tony Jr, the problem? Looking at the stats does not support that. After 12 races with Tony Jr, Dale sat 19th in points 497 out of first (203) out of 12th. Dale had an average finish of 21.3 under Tony. Under Lance they have only competed in 4 races so far, but Dale now sits 20th in points with an average finish of 19.75. Better finishes, Yes, but no real improvement. Certainly not the improvements needed to contend for the Chase, let alone the Championship.

So, in my opinion, the answer is NO, junior will not make the Chase. The 88 team is too far behind to make up the difference over the next 10 races. When you are driving the best equipment available with no expense spared sitting 20th in points after 16 races it’s time to face the facts. Dale Jr will not make the Chase, and his chances of ever winning a Championship seem to grow dimmer as each year passes.

Garage Notes

2009-06-23T01:47:00.006-05:00

Around the NASCAR Garage this Week

By Racin’ Roger

Lot’s of news and hot rumors out of Sonoma over the weekend:

Savoring his win as an owner, Richard Petty let it be known that Richard Petty Motorsports relationship with Dodge may be ‘on the rocks’. despite the comments by Roger Penske about Dodge’s payments to his organization, Petty made it clear that RPM is lacking in support payments. Talk among the RPM folks is that the have only limited parts available for the new engine and that at least the 9 car of Kasey Kahne may be sporting the Toyota nameplate within a couple of weeks. Seems that only the 43 car is assured of remaining a Dodge for the rest of the season. RPM has filed a lawsuit for the late payments and the brand change may hang on a quick settlement.

Richard Childress has not been quite about his late payments from General Motors Chevrolet brand. With the current economic climate even RCR has sponsor concerns. As of now, only Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton’s teams are safe for 2010. Casey Mears may not be a highly sought after driver, but surely Kevin Harvick would be. With his current Camping World Truck and Nationwide series programs, the chance of Harvick following in Tony Stewarts steps is not a stretch.

Jack Roush is still ducking the questions about his plan to deal with Nascar’s 4 team limit for 2010, but Geoff Smith has stated that moving a team to Yates racing would be an easy fix. Look for Jamie McMurray to be making the move.

Sights and Sounds from Milwaukee:

Last week the rumblings in the Nationwide garage centered on GM’s announced cutbacks in support of the series. This week, word has leaked that Toyota is considering following the lead of Dodge, Ford and now GM and cut back on the TRD support for both the Truck and Nationwide series. This may not affect some of the smaller teams, but is sure to impact organizations such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing and Germain racing.

Again this week the Camping World truck series failed to attract a full field, if Toyota pulls the plug on the series it could be doomed soon. Time for Nascar to start brainstorming ways to fix them.

No word yet on the rumored meeting that Nascar was supposed to have last week with Nationwide team owners. In addition to the rumored body change, it appears there is now talk of a ‘Crate Motor” program for both Nationwide and the Truck Series. This has been a great idea at lower levels of racing and has proven to be a great cost cutting measure.

Garage Notes

2009-06-16T00:55:00.002-05:00

Around the garage this week:

By Racin' Roger

Heard from a couple of Nationwide teams that there will be a meeting this week with series director Joe Balash regarding the change to a COT type car for the series. Team reactions varied, with some talking of moving to another Series if the new car is a go. Some others had more drastic ideas. Seems there is talk of an owner's boycott later in the season if Nascar pushes the new car.

Lots of talk after the nationwide race at Kentucky Speedway as Kyle Busch quickly exited his car and headed directly to the garage, skipping the mandatory post race interviews. Nascar told the press that he was ‘excused’ but failed to say why. A promised audio of a pit road interview was never made available.

GM’s cutoff of support for the Nationwide series seems to have little to no effect on the smaller teams in the series. Other than KHI, JR motorsports and RCR, teams have seen very little to no support from GM over the past few years.

Speaking of the cuts from GM, seems that Nascar is already approaching other foreign car manufacturers with US plants. Among those mentioned were Honda, Nissan, BMW and possibly Volkswagon. The face of Nascar as we have known it for years may be totally different in a few years.

Bruton Smith says no Cup date at Kentucky in 2010, but assures everyone, there will be a Cup date there ASAP. His plans call for adding 50,000 more seats and moving Pit Road closer to the grandstand as he did at LasVegas.

Kyle Busch offered to vacate the 51 truck for Jonny Benson, the reigning Camping World Truck Series Champion who lost his ride last week. Benson is scheduled to take over this week at Milwaukee, but Benson's wreck at the track he owns, Berlin Speedway in western Michigan, on Saturday night may sideline him for a few weeks. Last report I had was that he is still in the Spectrum hospital in Grand Rapids where his condition was upgraded to Fair.

Bruton Smith Says ………..

2009-06-16T00:08:00.006-05:00

By Joe Dunn

Everybody knows that Bruton Smith wants a NASCAR Sprint Cup Race for Kentucky Speedway. And when he told reporters at the track Saturday that he would add 50,000 more seats and move pit road, it was no surprise. Still Smith remains mum on where he will take a race date from to put Kentucky on the Sprint Cup schedule.

But what was not addressed in his abbreviated press conference was some of the other ideas he has for the track. While answering questions from a reporter for the Owenton News Herald, a local paper, Smith posed his own question. One that revealed another look at his intentions. “Don’t you think this state needs gaming?” he went further to point out the close proximity to a Casino in Indiana and the benefit’s a casino would bring to the area. He began to say that the area needed another Hotel/Casino, but quickly caught himself, changing that to a Hotel only. Surely a spot on the Speedway property for a Casino would be easily found.

The area needs an airport according to Smith, one with at least a 6500’ runway and plenty of parking for planes. How many planes is he talking about? “We have one in Atlanta, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and the most planes they can park is 272.” said Smith, “After that, they have to wave them off.” He hopes that the local government will keep that in mind and listen to and heed some of his advise for the area.

Bruton never does things small, and adding a Casino and Hotel to the Speedway site would mean a year round operation for the facility. The man who pioneered the Race Track Condominiums would certainly consider one at a track with an onsite casino. His obvious pitch to the locals, would be benefits that mirror what his projects have created elsewhere. Texas Motor Speedway is one of his proudest accomplishments, as he talks about that area before he built the track. Speaking of local officials in Kentucky Smith said, “They could go to Texas, and Texas Motor Speedway, and look around. I built that place and it was nothing but weeds, there was nothing. They could look around there and see what‘s happening as a result of the Speedway”

He didn’t mention it in this conversation, but SMI is emerging as ‘The’ promoter in Drag Racing. The addition of the Dragway at Lowes Motor Speedway was an instant success, and unlike Nascar, the fan base in Drag racing is growing. Surely it’s location would make Kentucky an ideal candidate for SMI’s next Dragway, joining the ranks of top facilities including Bristol, Texas and LasVegas.

When the subject changed to the NASCAR Sprint Cup banquet, to be held for the first time, this year in LasVegas, a wide smile brimmed across his face. It was a long time coming and it is no secret that Smith was pushing for it. “ I can’t take the credit for the change, but I did push for it.” Smith chimed in. On the idea of changing the last race of the Chase to LasVegas, to coincide with the banquet he was pretty subtle. “ I’m working on that, but NASCAR is not going to ‘give’ me a race.” He remains tight lipped on the source of that race date, but he does indicate that he has no intention of simply ‘moving’ the track’s lone date to accomplish it.

On Charlotte, Smith puts the city high on a pedestal in the racing world. “Charlotte is the Hub of racing, if your racing anything today, whether in this country or Europe, chances are you will have to touch Charlotte.” But Charlotte is not the only thing on his plate and the United States is not the border of his dealings. He’s been talking with folks halfway around the world about racing. Bruton let it slip that he’s meeting this week with some Arabs from Saudi Arabia. “We may build a couple of Speedways over in Saudi Arabia.” said Smith “ We’re meeting this week and if we get a contract we’ll be building some speedways over there.”

Could Knoxville's Trevor Bayne be NASCAR's next “Young Gun”?

2009-06-09T17:33:00.006-05:00

By Joe Dunn

With little fanfare, Knoxville, Tennessee’s Trevor Bayne slipped into the seat of the unsponsored Michael Waltrip Racing No. 99 NASCAR Nationwide Series car Friday at Nashville SuperSpeedway. A Friday afternoon press conference introduced Bayne, with few media members knowing much about him.
Living in East Tennessee, I was aware of Bayne having watched him compete at Bristol Motor Speedway in the USAR Pro Cup series. Trevor was also a bit of a legend around the local go kart tracks, where he won over 300 races, and earned 22 titles. Three times Bayne earned the World Karting Association, World Champion title.
Obviously that success would propel him to move, which he did by running the Allison Legacy Series. At 13 years old, he became the youngest race winner as well as the youngest Top Rookie. Over two years in the series, he had 41 starts, 14 wins and 30 top 5’s. In 2005 Bayne captured the series National Championship. From there he went on to two years in the Pro Cup Series.
In 2007 Trevor signed a Developmental Driver contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. the plan was to run one more year in Pro Cup and 2008 in the NASCAR Camping World East Series, as a teammate to Jeffrey Earnhardt. 2009 was supposed to bring a full time NNS ride, but the downturn in the Economy hurt DEI and forced them to cut the NNS program. DEI did manage to get Bayne a car for Bristol, which was run by the Jimmy Means team. The MWR ride at Nashville was his second race in the series.
Without all the hype and fanfare that followed Joey Logano to Nashville last year, Bayne posted a qualify speed that put him on the provisional pole. He held that spot, until the 29th qualifier, Kyle Bush edged him to the outside of the front row.
I talked to several crew members on the 99 car both Friday and Saturday at Nashville and they all seemed very excited about this little known kid. When another big wreck coming out of turn 4 on lap 123 happened, Bayne had no escape, taking a battering from the front and the rear. Though the 99 crew worked feverishly to get the car back out, they only garnered 3 more laps when it appeared beyond repair. Despite the early night, everyone on the team was optimistic that a better run is ahead for the team next week at Kentucky.
The 2007 sensation was Joey Logano as he set the NNS on it’s ear with his instant success. That fanfare was bumped in mid season when Tony Stewart announced his departure from JGR. That information forced a rush on the development plans for Logano, pushing him into the Home Depot Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, ahead of schedule. Logano is an extremely talented driver, but that push has shown it’s drawbacks as Joey has struggled in the top series.
I like Trevor Bayne and in my opinion, he could be the future of MWR or another top NASCAR team. But my hope is that they don’t push him too hard or advance him ahead of his time. Under the guidance of his father, Trevor, like Jeff Gordon has climbed a methodical trail to earn success.
I’ll look for a better run for Bayne at Kentucky. In the mean time he and his closets supporters are working on getting a release from his DEI contract, with an eye toward a possible full time deal with MWR. He now has 8 more races to prove his worth.

Nationwide drivers line up to raise money for the Red Cross

2009-06-09T14:45:00.006-05:00

By Joe Dunn

This past Saturday (June 6) 18 NASCAR Nationwide Drivers lined up to help raise funds to help the Tennessee victims of a tornado that struck during the series last visit to the area.
During the April race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, a tornado struck just a few miles south of the track in the Murfreesboro area. The local Red Cross jumped into action to help folks stranded by the damage. While at the track that weekend, I was there when a track security worker got the call that her house was GONE. That struck close to teams and media members that were on hand.
Nationwide Insurance along with NASCAR and the Nashville Superspeedway teamed up to support the local American Red Cross Nashville Chapter. They conducted a pre race driver autograph session with 18 NNS drivers just outside the front gates to the grandstand.
This was a chance for fans to get up close and personal with a large number of drivers all at one time and one place. The scene was reminiscent of days long ago when Nascar drivers would willingly mingle with the fans. Those were the days that made Nascar the success it enjoys today.
Those days are long gone as drivers run and duck to avoid fans. The personal side of the sport that Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr advanced on a regular basis seems to be nothing but a faded memory of old time racing folks like myself. The scene Saturday at Nashville brought back old memories of the King sitting at a table and staying there until the last fan got his autograph. The days when drivers could be seen on race weekend in parking lots with show cars, signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans.
Last year and more so this year, Nascar is struggling with a dwindling fan base. Long sold out venues are scrapping the bottom to sell tickets. The once impossible happens as we speak. This morning I got an email from Bristol Motor Speedway, alerting me that they had tickets available for the ‘Night Race’, something I have not seen in more than 10 years.
Perhaps a lesson could be learned from this small effort put together last weekend. Could such sessions on a weekly basis be a driving force to increase fans? Imagine the fans at a Cup race having this opportunity. No, the fans were not ‘required’ to buy souvenirs, nor were they ’required’ to sign up in advance for the limited number of autographs. This was ‘old time racing’ back in front of the fans, and it was welcome with open arms.
In all the worry about the future of the sport, maybe it’s time for Nascar, the Tracks, the Sponsors and the Drivers to humble themselves just a wee bit and make this a weekly event at the races.
There were 18 drivers in line at Nashville, that’s about half of the regulars in the series. If just 10 drivers in a series would give up an hour of their time each weekend to do this, think about the extra fan draw for the races. Yes, if you build it they will come, but if you put the stars out there with the fans, even more will come. At that rate, it would mean each driver would have to appear roughly once every 5 races, or 7 times a season.
Even without a souvenir requirement, chances are those sales would jump too, especially for the drivers available each week.
How about it Brian France, Mike Helton, Bruton Smith, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and all the rest of the drivers? Would anybody be willing to go back to the old school for the sake of the fans and the sport? Today, unlike the old days, Owners, Crew Chiefs and even Crew Members like ‘Billy Bad Butt’ would be greeted with excitement and anticipation by the fans.
So what do you say Nascar? How about the fans, does anybody else out there think this needs to be part of Nascar’s future? Let Nascar know, let me know and I will pass it along.

Garage Notes

2009-06-08T15:39:00.002-05:00

This week from the NASCAR Nationwide Series garage at Nashville :

by Racin' Roger

Reaction to Kyle Busch’s smashing of the Sam Bass/Gibson Guitar, the Nashville trophy, Saturday night ranged from outrage to biting of tongues. Carl Edward refused to comment on the situation, but he did say that wouldn’t do that to his Nashville trophies. Brad Keselowski said “ I don’t win enough of those things to smash any”. A lot of heads were shaking that night.

With word of Roger Penske agreeing to buy the Saturn brand from General Motors, many wondered if Penske Racing would complete the final three years of their contract with Dodge. Although Penske did state that he hoped to get Saturn involved in racing, he qualified it by saying he had no immediate plans to involve Saturn with NASCAR. There did not appear to be a lot of ‘believers’ in the garage.

Bobby Hamilton Jr is the fourth driver for 2009 in the Pat McDonald 81 car in the NNS.
After running both Dover and Nashville, there is no word yet how long he will drive the 81 car. DJ Kennington, who drove 26 races last year and 6 this year in the car, is back running the Canadian Tire Series.

After struggling early in the race at Nashville, Shelby Howard, in the No. 70 Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy, finished in 12th, the third top 15 in his five starts for ML Racing. Crew Chief Brian Ross and his crew worked both days to tweak the new car for Howard. Going from 35th to 12th, it seems the hard work paid off.

JGR is planning for both Kyle Busch and Joey Logano to double duty this weekend at Kentucky (NNS) and Michigan (NSCS). As a back up plan Brad Coleman and Jeremy Clements will be standing by for Busch and Logano at Kentucky.

Despite getting caught up in a wreck that ended the night early for rookie Trevor Bayne, the 99 crew of Michael Waltrip Racing remained upbeat as they look ahead to the 18 year old wheeling the No. 99 Toyota this week at Kentucky. Latest word is that a ninth race has been added to Bayne’s schedule in the 99 car.

Restart changes this weekend?

2009-06-02T15:38:00.001-05:00

By Joe Dunn

The double file restart, with all the lead lap cars upfront, was hugely popular with Drivers, Fans and the Media at the All Star Race. They guys in the both ate it up like it was their first sight of sliced bread.
The following week, NASCAR held an unprecedented meeting with owners, drivers and crew chiefs to discuss various ideas to improve the sport. After the meeting, it was obvious that NASCAR gave their orders on comments regarding the drug policy, and they of course made sure that everyone knew that the discussed possible changes to the COT.
But what came out quietly at first following the meeting was the talk of the double file restarts. The TV media folks took center stage on it and slowly driver after driver spoke about it being considered. But NASCAR had little to say, until Sunday at Dover. NASCAR passed out an information sheet on the “double file restarts”. It states that all starts will be double file. The race leader will have his choice of which lane to use for the restart. The third-place car will always start in the inside lane. If that had come about before the big meeting, it might be something to discuss at the meeting. But coming out two weeks after the meeting, makes a statement in itself.
Commenting on the sheets, NASCAR Vice President Robin Pemberton’s comment says a lot. “Not today, but we’re working on some stuff and we’re real close, very close,”
Odds are that the change comes Sunday at Pocono. But what has not been mentioned is if this will happen in all three of the major touring series. Will the Truck series do it Friday night at Texas, or the Nationwide Series Saturday night at Nashville?
This new system will put the lap down cars at a disadvantage as far as getting a lap back the hard way, but they have come about with another twist to get a lap back besides the ’lucky dog’. Cars that are one lap down can choose not to pit, therefore regaining a lap during a caution. In the past they could do this and restart ahead of the leaders and then fight to keep from being put right back down. With this plan, those cars will start, double file behind the lead lap cars, but ahead of the lap down cars.
I like this idea, but I heard a lot of folks talk about this being like the Saturday Night short track restarts. It’s not the ‘Delaware’ restart that most short tracks utilize, but for NASCAR it would signal a huge improvement in the racing action. I hope they do this in all three of the major series and do it now. The NASCAR numbers have been dwindling over the past two seasons and are in dire need of a boost, this looks like a step in the right direction.
News about the garage this week:
Larry Gunselman, owner of the No. 64 entry in the Cup series announced this week that Mike Wallace will attempt to make the field at Pocono. Todd and Geoff Bodine parted with the team after the failed attempt for the Coca Cola 600. The teams entry a few weeks ago at Darlington was pulled at the last minute, but Todd showed up at the track to give Germaine Racing teammate Max Papis advise on qualifying.
I had a chance to speak with Todd, who explained that the entry was pulled because they felt that the car they had at the time, a former Bill Davis Racing Show Car, was just not capable of making the show. At that point, they were able to qualify for only 2 of the 9 races attempted. He said that they had purchased an old red Bull car and that he thought that car would have a better chance of making the show. I don’t know if the new car will be at Pocono, but hopefully Wallace will have a better attempt.
In the Nationwide series, Knoxville, Tennessee’s 18 yr old Trevor Bayne will start his first of an 8 race deal behind the wheel of the No. 99 Aarons dream Machine for Michael Waltrip Racing. Bayne was a pervious developmental driver for DEI, he ran the NASCAR Camping Word East series last year, finishing fourth in the points standings.
Mary Louise Miller, owner of ML Racing, the No. 70 Foretravel Motor Coach, Chevy has been so impressed with the efforts of their new driver Shelby Howard ( two top 15’s in his first four races) for the part time team that they acquired a new KHI car for this week’s race at Nashville.

Will crew chief number 6 fix Jr’s slump?

2009-05-29T01:31:00.003-05:00

By Joe Dunn

The racing world was not exactly shocked Thursday when Rick Hendrick announced a shake up in the 88 team that included replacing Tony Eury Jr with Lance McGrew as new the Crew Chief. Along with McGrew comes oneof Hendrick Motorsports top engineers, Rex Stump. Brian Whitesell will sit atop the box at Dover and McGrew will take over at Pocono..
Dale Earnhardt Jr, in his 11 year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has competed in 339 points races working with five different Crew Chiefs. Will this change be the right one?
Jr began in the series with his NASCAR Nationwide Series Crew Chief, Tony Eury Sr. Together they complied an average finish of 15.8 over 6 seasons in 183 races. In 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr enjoyed a lot of success and popularity with 6 wins, 16 top 5’s and 21 top10’s, finishing the season fifth in points. At the end of 2004, Tony Sr was bumped upstairs to director of competition for DEI, Pete Rondeau was named as his replacement.
From the beginning of the 2005 season, it was obvious that Jr was not happy with Rondeau, and made no secret that he wanted Tony Jr, his former car chief who had been moved to crew chief the 15 car with Michael Waltrip, so the switch after only 9 races surprised nobody.
Steve Hmeil was a manager with a lot of Crew Chief experience and Jr had a lot of respect for him, so Steve taking over the duties was better received than Rondeau. Hmeil remained as the crew chief for 17 races (average finish 23.4) but it didn’t take long before Jr voiced his demand to get Tony Eury Jr from the 15 car.
Through all of the noise, Jr was assured that Tony Jr. would be moved to his team for 2006. The announcement was the final straw for Michael Waltrip who was enjoying success with Tony Jr. Waltrip announced in August of 2005 that he would leave DEI after the season because of the move. A month later Tony Jr was moved to the 8 car.
Tony Eury Jr moved to Dale Jr’s team in September of 2005, and with the exception of 6 races in 2007, when Tony Gibson filled in as Jr’s crew chief while Tony Jr. served a 6 race NASCAR suspension for illegal wing brackets at Darlington, Tony Jr has remained as Earnhardt’s crew chief up to and including this weekend at Dover.
How Junior Nation reacts to this change is up to Dale Earnhardt Jr. In 2005, his fans declared that Jr’s problems were solely because of the crew chiefs. The cry was, put Tony Jr in and Dale Jr will win the Cup. In 2006, Jr. finished 5th in points. With two engine failures and a total of 4 races where he did not finish on the lead lap, his fans blamed the engine failures for not winning the championship.
Dale Jr had made it clear before the 2007 season began that he was not happy at DEI and was demanding an ownership stake in DEI to remain. The public battle between Junior Nation and Teresa Earnhardt began with a healthy dose of behind the scenes pushing from Dale’s sister Kelly. By the 10th race, Junior had an average finish of 18th with 3 DNF’s. The Junior Nation cry was that Teresa was intentionally giving the 8 team bad equipment. The next week, Jr announced his move to HMS, and Junior fans howled with predictions of an instant championship.
Well 2008 had come and gone and again no Championship. By late in the season, the fans started blaming Tony Jr. Junior finished the season 12th. After 12 races in 2009, the No 88 team is 19th 203 points out of the last Chase slot. With one top 5 and 3 top 10’s, the crew chief can not be blamed for all the troubles. For an 11 year driver, the numerous pit road errors by the driver are Juniors alone.
So, will Crew Chief No, 6 be the one to take Jr to that elusive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship? Only time will tell. Rick Hendrick made it clear that this team needs to improve and improve NOW, he expects this team to be in the Chase, but looking in from the outside, that hardly seems possible.
I think anything better than a top 15 finish in points is a real stretch. McGrew is a good, not great crew chief, and Jr is a good, not great driver. My call on the 88 team for 2009, between 15th and 19th in final points. Look for any chance of serious improvement to this team to come in 2010, but a NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in Juniors future? Not likely.

Baldwin and Riggs Part Ways

2009-05-26T15:09:00.002-05:00

By Joe Dunn

In what appeared to be last minute, low budget idea, Tommy Baldwin Jr. threw together a NASCAR Sprint Cup team, just in time to enter the 2009 Daytona 500. With some volunteer help and borrowed equipment, he showed up in Daytona and announced that Scott Riggs would be his driver for 2009.
Riggs was one of two drivers that found themselves out of work after Haas CNC enticed Tony Stewart to join the organization by offering him an ownership stake in the company. With fewer cars and an abundance of drivers, Riggs had few choices if he wanted to remain in NASCAR’s top series.
Riggs qualified 30th for the 500 and fought his way to an 8th place finish in the first Gatorade Duel, to make the field for the 500. Starting 17th, Scott fought hard to be competitive and finished on the lead lap with a respectable 25th place. For a brand new “Go or Go home’ team, the outing was impressive.
Heading to the West Coast in week two, the 36 car qualified 36th and finished 36th, 10 laps off the pace. Baldwin and the team had high hopes as the headed for Las Vegas, but they would fail to qualify, going home early. That story would repeat itself the next two weekends at Atlanta and Bristol. At Martinsville, qualifying was rained out and based on 2009 attempts the team started 40th and came away in 30th place. But the fact that the team was still not in the top 35 in owners points, a bad qualifying effort sent them home early from Texas.
Since Texas the team has made every race since Texas, but coming into Charlotte for the 600, sitting 41 in owners points, both sides agreed that it was time for a change., and it was announced that Riggs would be replaced.
Heading to Dover this week, Mike Skinner will be the new driver for the 36 Cup team, however the former Camping World Truck Series Champion has said that his first priority has his full time ride, the #5 Truck team owned by Randy Moss. When the two series schedules conflict, Patrick Carpentier will fill in for Skinner, and Brian Simo will handle the driving duties for the Road Courses at Infineon and Watkins Glen.

Jack’s Mum on Roush Fenway Downsizing

2009-04-22T21:30:00.001-05:00

Posted April 22, 2009 SpeedwayMedia.com

Back in November of 2005 NASCAR announced a new rule to limit the number of Cup teams that could be owned by a single organization. The new limit would be 4 teams maximum, which at the time only affected one owner, Jack Roush. The announcement also said that Roush's five teams would be grandfathered through 2009. This is 2009, so will a team and driver be gone at the end of the year?
I spoke with Jack at Phoenix over the weekend regarding this and the rumor that Jamie McMurray and the 26 car was on the rope to be cut at season’s end. “ I don’t know anything about that,” answered Jack, “ that’s why they call them rumors, nobody knows the truth.” When I asked him, he refused to comment further. In a post race interview following Greg Biffle’s win of the Nationwide race, Jack was asked again, and again he refused to comment.
So what is really gonna happen at the end of the season? Will McMurray and the 26 team be dissolved? Will another team get the axe, (Don’t count on that one) or perhaps one team will be moved to Yates Racing as was speculated a few years back? That idea was dispelled earlier this year by Geoff Smith, President of Roush Fenway Racing during the Media Tour, when he indicated that transferring the car to another organization, such as Yates, might make sponsors hesitant to stick around if the car is transferred.
"It's some vision that was misplaced about how to get new owners in the business," Smith said. "It's a difficult business to be in. Economically, it's very difficult even in the best of times. It takes a lot of capital to get people trained and engines developed. Frankly, it requires co-operative combinations to be able to make it work."
Another possibility does exist, but I am sure that NASCAR is hoping it doesn’t. After that announcement in 2005, Jack was quoted in an AP story about the change.
"I'm not sure what they're trying to do is legally right or is defensible in a court of law, but I want to be in this business," Roush said. "I don't want to jeopardize my sponsors and my drivers and our prospects in the near term, and too much distraction through an adjudication process would certainly not be in NASCAR's interest and would almost certainly not be in my interest and would very likely not have an outcome that I could be happy with."
Here we are three and a half years later, and still no answers to the questions. What I did not include in my other possible options was the lawsuit option. Yes Jack did say 3 ½ years ago that he would not do it, but that was then. Being the shrewd business man he is, Jack gives few clues, but he has never been known as a guy who allows anyone to run roughshod over him. I am sure that Jack has been and will continue to negotiate with Brian France and NASCAR to overcome this problem. However, based on NASCAR’s dismal failures on previous lawsuits of this nature (remember the no second race for Texas?) I’d bet that Roush will not be so shy to litigate as a last resort.

Shelby Howard Provides Dividends for ML Motorsports.

2009-04-22T21:26:00.002-05:00

Posted April 21, 2009 - SpeedwayMedia.com

Shelby Howard of Greenwood, Indiana got the call last month to replace Mark Green in the from ML Motorsports Nascar Nationwide Series #70 Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy. The call came on the heels of a parting of the ways between the team and Mark Green, who was in his third season with ML Motorsports.
Green had missed the last race at Homestead last year, but rallied back and made the race at Daytona in February. The team had skipped the west coast races, so they were looking forward to a good run at Bristol. When they failed to make the Bristol race, it was decided that a change was needed, and the call went out to Howard.
Team owners Mary Louise Miller and Stephany Mullen had known Howard from the times they competed against him in the ARCA series a few years back. Howard made his start in the ARCA/REMAX Series in 2001 at the age of 16, making him the youngest driver to compete in the series, he was also the youngest winner in the ARCA series in 2003.
Shelby got his first start in the Nationwide Series in October of 2003 driving at Kansas for Mike Curb in the 43 Dr Pepper car. Over five years, prior to joining ML Motorsports, Howard has competed in 11 races in the Nationwide series with a best finish of 18th. Last year, he drove for Thorsport Racing in the Camping World Truck Series, finishing 17th in points. When Thorson didn’t return to the series for 2009 it left Howard without a ride, again.
In his first outing in the Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy, Shelby managed to finish 32nd after a couple of untimely flat tires. Two weeks ago he showed a lot of promise with a 14th place finish at Nashville. The team, which only plans to run 18 races this year, will be at Talladega for the Aarons 312 on Saturday.
The run at Nashville proved to be a real morale booster for the team as a lot of smiles were visible during and after the race. The team returned to their shop in Warsaw, Indiana after Saturdays race to prepare for Talladega. It’s still a bit early to predict the results of the driver change, but hopes for a positive season are alive and well in Warsaw, Indiana.

Biffle the Victor at PIR

2009-04-22T21:17:00.001-05:00

Posted on April 18, 2009 - SpeedwayMedia.com

PHOENIX (Friday) Jack Roush was all smiles Friday afternoon as Carl Edwards clinched the pole for the Bashas' Supermarkets 200, NASCAR Nationwide Series race at PIR, but it was Greg Biffle who would eventually take Jack to Victory Lane.
Biffle ran up front for the entire race and took the lead on lap 97. He maintained that lead all the way to the checkers. But the lead did not dispel some late race concerns for the Biff. With 20 laps to go, crew chief Eddie Pardue decided to have Greg stay out. "You know there's that feeling you get when your leading the race with 20 to go and you look in the mirror and see the whole field pit behind you." remarked Biffle after the race. " You start to think, this is not good, but this tire we had here is good on the long run, and after giving it 5 or 6 laps under caution, it really comes back." The win was Biffle's 20th in the series and marked the 100th win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing.
Edwards started on the pole, but lost the lead on the first lap to Joey Logano, but that would not last for long as Carl retook the lead. Running up front for first half of the race, leading 79 laps, Edwards appeared to be the odds on favorite to clinch the win. But as luck would have it, a broken valve spring would ruin his chances for a win. The problem would send Carl to the garage where Jack Roush was actually seen under the hood working on the car. Edwards returned to the track and finished the race in 33rd place, 24 laps down.
Following Biffle across the for second was Jason Leffler, with Brad Kesolowski third, Logano fourth and Kevin Harvick fifth. David Regan, Brendan Gaughan, Justin Allgaier, Mike Bliss and Kyle Busch rounded out the top 10.
Jack Roush celebrated the victory with Biffle but he was visibly upset with the problem with the 60 car. The poor finish for Edwards moved him out of first place in the series to second behind Kyle Busch.

On Pit Road: How Much Harder Will the Economy Hit Nascar

2009-04-12T01:29:00.000-05:00

If the excess empty seats at Nashville Saturday during the Nascar Nationwide Series, Pepsi 300, is any indication, times are tough. The light turnout may have been effected by the Tornado that touched down just south of the track on Friday, causing extensive damage in the Murfreesboro area.
The light turnout was not for lack of effort by the track, who has implemented some new ideas that actually throw back to the ‘Good ole Days’. Nashville SuperSpeedway came up with the Fan Walk a few years back and that was a good draw. The Fan Walk, provided shuttles from the grandstand to the infield where a gated walkway between the garage and Pit Road allowed fans to get close to the teams a drivers, including a small area that allowed access to the drivers for autographs.
The Fan Walk is still in place and appeared busy as ever Saturday, but the new ALL ACCESS PASS is a throwback in time. It is a pass that allows the fans access to Pit Road and to the garage area after qualifying and before driver introductions. It reminded me of the old days of Nascar, when, like at the local dirt tracks, any fan can buy a pit pass and rub elbows with the drivers and crews. Nascar put a halt to that kind of access several years ago, with safety being the buzzword for it’s implementation.
Some of the Nascar tracks do still offer ‘Pit Passes’, but they are nothing like this idea. Most of them permit access to Pit Road, pre race, before the cars or the teams are in place. They make for neat photo ops, but bear no real resemblance of Access. Now at Nashville with the normal Nascar Nationwide Series, qualifying on race day, making it an impound race, the safety concerns was diminished greatly, as the cars were all secured on the front stretch.
Asked by the media regarding this new idea, most team members, crew chiefs and drivers expressed the importance of the ‘Race Fans’ to the security of their jobs. A common thought was that without the fans, many of these guys, especially in the Nationwide and Camping World truck series, could easily be running Late Models at local short track for little of no money at all. Of course, not risk being ’lumped’ in there with the other drivers, Kyle Busch had a whole different perspective on the ALL ACCESS PASS. When asked about it in a post race interview, he lamented about all those fans that showed up at his hauler, where he was unable to escape them. Not that being trapped by fans was bad enough, he eloquently told those who would listen about ALL those fans that showed up at his hauler, each carrying 3 suitcases full of diecast for him to autograph.
I was hoping that I could find a photo to attach to this story, with the convoy of suitcases headed to the 18 hauler, but alas, those nasty fans really gave me the slip.

On Pit Road: Stewart-Haas Comes Alive in Martinsville

2009-03-29T22:06:00.000-05:00

Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman started the 2009 season with a lot of questions of what the new team could accomplish. While Stewart got off to a good start, coming to Martinsville 7th in points, the 39 team with Newman has struggled, entering Martinsville 27th in the points.
Stewart continues to lead the Stewart-Haas Racing driver lineup in the championship point race, as his third-place finish kept him seventh in the standings after race six of 36. Newman made a big gain with his sixth-place run, vaulting nine spots to 18th in the standings. Stewart is 161 points behind series leader Gordon while Newman is 334 points out of first.
“We had a good day today. I’m happy for the Old Spice/Office Depot guys and I’m really happy for Ryan and the U.S. Army guys,” said Stewart as he proudly wore his owner hat. “I don’t know that it’s really gelling, because we’ve just been like this from day one. It’s just kind of figuring things out. Ryan’s learning a new package, I’m learning a new package, and it’s learning what each of us wants.
It appears to this writer that there is still more work to be done by the 39 crew as they lost positions on every pit stop at Martinsville. Newman was quick to make up those spots on the track, but one has to wonder what might have happened. Qualifying was rained out, relegating Newman to a 27th place start, for a driver that has averaged an 8th place start in 15 races at Martinsville, starting that far back at a track where passing is so hard was a disadvantage from the start. Despite starting in the back he meticulously moved his way up to the top ten, only to be dropped back after each pit stop. After the final caution on lap 474, he came out 10th, and fought to catch up to and finally pass Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get to 7th behind Mark Martin. A four lap, side by side battle with Martin ended on the last lap when Newman finally got by to take the 6th position at the flag.
Stewart appears confident in the SHR organization and remains upbeat about their success during their first season. “It’s coming. It just takes time. It’s like we say every Monday in our competition meeting. We’ve just got to build a database first. Once we get that established, then I think the second time we come around, we’re going to be a little better yet.”
At the pace SHR is improving, Tony Stewart in the 14 car appears to be a safe bet to make the Chase. With Newman and the 39 car in 31st in points just two weeks ago, the idea of a Chase berth was not even remotely a consideration. However, if the team continues to show the same commitment and improvement that has been displayed over the past two races, they may very well be the first team to make the Chase after such a slow start since the Chase began.

ON PIT ROAD: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not!

2009-03-22T18:53:00.000-05:00

The fifth race of the 2009 season is in the books and the new owners points begin at Martinsville. So how have the preseason picks turned out so far?

HOT

Jeff Gordon - Number 1 heading into week six, after a less than stellar 2008 many folks thought he was on his way down. Not Yet kids.
Kurt Bush - Number 2, after moving to Penske, this is his best start yet.
Kasey Kahne - After a couple of hot years, his performance the last two seasons was disappointing at best. With a strong start he’s currently in 6th.
Tony Stewart - After leaving JGR for a virtual no name team, he was expected to have a slow start. He’s proved a lot of folks wrong as he sits in 7th.
David Reutimann - Even with a strong late season surge in 2008, his chances of a full time ride this year was in doubt. He leads the MWR crew at 11th
Marcos Ambrose - Not considered to be a strong runner, Marcos had a top 10 at Bristol and stands 24th. Not a good place for the veterans, but for a new team it’s outstanding.
A.J. Almendinger - Running a car that is not fully sponsored, and still not slated for the entire season, A.J. is sitting 16th.

NOT

Dale Earnhardt Jr - Nascar’s most popular driver missed the mark last year, but he and his fans had high hopes for 2008, He’s 19th and struggling to stay in the top 20.
Joey Logano - The rookie hot shot picked to replace Tony Stewart in the Home Depot Chevy at JGR is off to a less than stellar start as he sits 34th and on the verge of being a go or go homer.
Ryan Newman - The Rocketman started on the outside of the front row at Bristol and hanging in there for a 7th place finish, but car trouble early in the season leave him in 27th.
Mark Martin - Mr. #2 was a solid threat with Jack Roush, moved from DEI to Hendrick in the hunt for that elusive title, after 5 races he sit’s a disappointing 31st.

As the teams ready for Martinsville the owners points accumulated THIS year begin to count, so who is ahead and who is behind.
Tony Stewart - Although he had the Past Champions Provisional to fall back on, he sits 7th.
A.J.Almendinger - Started the season with the 45 points at 41st, this go or go homer is now 16th.
Robby Gordon - was 34th from 2008, and now sits 30th
Mark Martin - had 21st place points from 2008, now sits in 31st
Sam Hornish Jr.- used the Bill Davis points to start the season is in at 32nd.
John Andretti - Using the 01 points from last year squeaks in at 33rd.
Joey Logano- Had Tony Stewarts 9th place points to get him started, now sits 34th
David Gilliland - Dumped by Yates, he hooked up with startup team of Kevin Buckler, he goes to Martinsville 35th in owners points.
Scott Speed - started the season with the locked in 35th in points, is now on the outside at 36th.
Aric Almirola - Swapped points with the 42 to start with 25th, is outside at 37th.
Paul Menard - with a new team that used the Yates points from the 38 team at 28th, now sits 38th.
Travis Kvapil - finished 2008 23rd in points, but after his points were given to the Hall of fame team, he was left outside to start the year. He is outside at 39th.
Dave Blaney -Finished 31st with Bill Davis in 2008, moved to start up team of Phil Parsons, the team sits 40th.