It's no secret that Jack Roush loathes the fact that a foreign automaker has arrived in the largest American racing series. He was very vocal just a short time ago by literally saying that he will "declare war" on the Japanese auto giant (1).  Now his xenophobic views on Toyota's entry into NASCAR is taking on a visible form, by way of one of his drivers putting Toyota in his crosshairs.

Greg Biffle, in his #16 Ameriquest Ford Fusion, has splashed three Toyotas so far this season. The first kill was confirmed on David Reutimann's #00 Dominos Pizza Camry at California. Then he took out not only Reutimann again, but also Brian Vickers' #83 Red Bull Camry at Atlanta.

The #16 of Greg Biffle took out two Toyota Camry's with one pass... and the #9 of Kasey Kahne was just collateral damage of that battle.

This begs the question: is this premeditated or just coincidental? If you ask me, I'd say coincidental.  But these incidents are starting to look more and more suspicious as the weeks go by. A car from Roush-Fenway Racing took out three Toyota cars in two races this season after Jack Rouch's declaration of war on Toyota... let the conspiracy theorists chew on that one!

How many more Camry's will be run over by the #16 this season? I don't know. The rate in which Greg Biffle is going, he'll have more kills of Japanese machinery on a NASCAR track, than what Major Richard Bong scored in the air over the Pacific during World War II (2) .

Whenever Volkswagen or Mercedes-Benz decides to jump into NASCAR, look out!  Jack Roush will storm the beaches of Normandy against them as well.

(1) In case you've been living in a cave, "Militant Rouch Delares War on Toyota": http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/2007-01-24-notebook_x.htm

(2) Major Richard Bong (September 24, 1920 - August 6, 1945), was a fighter ace that scored the most aeiral kills for the United States in World War II. He was a Medal of Honor and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient for gallantry in the line of duty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bong 

The NASCAR world is alight with Juan Pablo Montoya.  With his Indianapolis 500 win, Formula 1 Series accomplishments and his recent 24 Hours at Daytona triumph... it's hard not to congratulate the guy.  Now we find this international sensation within out midst at NASCAR.  No question his jump from open wheel racing and quick grasp of our beloved sport has captivated the fans and the media alike.  In fact, it's because of the media that I'm starting to see a trend.

One thing that is starting to get out of control is NASCAR's hard push to let us all know that Juan Pablo Montoya is here.  Every week we are bombarded with JPM (let's call him JPM, so my fingers won't ware to the bone from typing is name so much).  He was plastered all over the racing world when he jumped ship to NASCAR.  He was extremely well covered when he won the Busch Series road course race in Mexico City a few weeks ago. If you wander on over to NASCAR.com, you'll even see that he has his own column that tracks his current standings and statistics called "Where's Juan". He is starting to get accolades from the media with claims that he (even though there's two other teams) is the only reason that Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates is seeing a small resurgence. (Source:http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/6591982)

The media circus around Juan Pablo Montoya is starting to turning fans off (rather than on) to the Colombian phenom.

There is a name for the huge JPM push, and it's called NASCAR's vaunted "Drive for Diversity" program.   NASCAR is prone to force-feeding their fans whenever a driver, who is not a Caucasian male, decides to make a go at stock car racing.  Be it a female, Asian, African-American or even a foreign national, NASCAR and the media is on top of pushing them to the exposure limit.  Last year, a Craftsman Truck Series regular named Bill Lester qualified for the Golden Coral 500 at Atlanta Motorspeedway.  The media frenzy over the event was both rabid and persistent.  But Bill Lester said it best when he said "Look, I appreciate all the attention, but I'm just a race car driver".  Did that stop circus parade?  It sure didn't.  In fact, the story was wasn't over until the DirecTV 500 at Martinsville, two-weeks later.

WA State Rep. Larry Seaquist believes that this a typical NASCAR fan... unfortunately so do a lot of people.

So what would be the first thing that comes to mind from minorities that considers NASCAR on their palette for taste in sports?  I'll tell you, it's stereotypes like "Redneck", "Hillbilly" and Confederate Flag waiving hellraisers.  And I would touch bases with you about Darrell Waltrip's contribution towards the problem with his infamous "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity".  I'll just save that topic for another blog.

Darrell, we're going to "Boogity" away from your catch phrase... for now.

So the whole purpose of media exposure of the "Drive for Diversity" program is to open to doors to potential fans with different ethnic and cultrual backgrounds.  That progress is limited because of NASCAR's current image that most non-fans precieve.  With these kinds of opinions that still fester in the American culture, how in the world can they attract a broader fan-base?  NASCAR has started their attempt to loose those images across the board, and their "Driver for Diversity" yielded some satisfactory results in the demography.

NASCAR FANS

Gender distribution

Male 60%

Female 40%

Ethnic diversity % of NASCAR fan base (18+): 1999 2006

Trend Hispanic 3.6% 8.6% +139%

African-American 4.9% 9.1% +86%

(Source: NASCAR case study 2006) 

Look don't get me wrong, I am all for ethnic diversity.  I don't care if you're white, yellow, black, brown, green, male, female, an alien from outer space or a talented chimpanzee.  If you can drive a stock car and do the job with dignity and class, then you're more than welcome in our sport.

Let him drive!  I would root for the #74 Chiquita Bananas Chevy

I can totally empathize with NASCAR's goal of cultural diversity.  But in order to do that, NASCAR's first need is to stop the media with their "Infatuation of Saturation"... meaning quit pounding us with the media machine.  Perhaps then we can enjoy the talents of extraordinary individuals like Juan Pablo Montoya, rather than be sickend by his name.  Secondly, they need to work on disassociating themselves with the American South without disassociating themselves from their rich traditions.  That would be a fine line to walk without loosing the fans that's been with them for decades, but it can be done.  In my opinion, once those goals are achieved then NASCAR will have finally arrived as a true powerhouse in big-league sports.

NASCAR (the equivalent to the parents of a household), basically gave one of their kids in the #55 team a heathy spanking.  NASCAR docking them -100 Championship points, banned a member of their team indefinitely and dug into their deep wallets for cash.  For some this was an adequate punishment.  You, me and Joe the Ragman down the road had more NEXTEL Cup Championship points going into the Daytona 500 than what Mikey had.. and we don't even race!

But for others, it just wasn't enough.  The statement that echoed louder than anything else was that NASCAR didn't ban or disqualify them because they run a Toyota Camry.  That's a statement that may, or may not, have some merit.  How would Toyota look if (and this is hypothetical thinking), the "poster boy" of their product missed the biggest race in all of NASCAR?  In turn, how would have NASCAR looked to the rest of the world's auto industry if they kicked out a car, from the only lone foreign auto maker, from an American auto race?  That's what lit up the NASCAR conspiricy boards, not the actual scandal itself.  But the question still hangs, "Did NASCAR cater to Toyota that week?", "Did NASCAR play favorites to their new found friend... Toyota?

That, my friends, is up for you to decide.

NASCAR's Most Popular Decision

"Mr Owl, how many debris cautions does it take to get the #8 back on the lead lap of a NASCAR race?" the kid asks.

"I don't know", replied Mr Owl.  "You'll have to ask Mr. Brian France". 

Any of you remember those old Tootsie Pop commercials?  Well, the kid asked Mr. Owl another one, but that one was off-camera.  Mr Owl didn't know, and neither does most of us.  Isn't funny how when that old #8 driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr is either a lap down and ready for the "Lucky Dog", or is about to get lapped by the leader, how a caution flag comes-a-flyin'?  I know you do.  Even non-fans of NASCAR  knows some things up when world gets a spike in CO2 levels from the collective sighs of relief from his fans.  You ask yourself why does it seem like a convenient coincidence?  Who's the most popular driver in NASCAR right now?  Who's line is longer at the merchandise hauler?  What is the predominate color in the stands at the tracks?  If you said Bill Elliot and his color red, then you're 10 years off the pace with the rest of the field.

Besides red, the only color that the "Earnhardt Nation" loves to see is yellow!

Do you think that NASCAR contemplates the following questions: "What if we didn't let that caution didn't come out?  What place would Junebug finish?  What implications would it have on his points standings? Can he still make the Chase?"   Some of you do think this way. 

When Dale Earnhardt Jr missed the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup in 2005 along with his sidekick Jeff Gordon, the reverb from it was felt not only on Mars, but in NASCAR's TV Nelson Ratings every week.  Take in grasp the magnitude of the Earnhardt Jr's popularity and the financial impact his fans have on NASCAR, would you want to gamble by not having him in your playoffs?  Many speculate that this is the case when that mysterious (and invisible to the camera's eye) piece of debris is found, it's caution time.  Does NASCAR cater to the #8 team?  I don't know, but it's funny how things turn out sometimes.

(sidenote) My fellow Jr fans are going to flame me on this one.  Being that I'm a resident of of Earnhardt Nation, they will call me "Traitor" or "Mr Benedict Arnold".  I don't care.  You have to see this sport in different way in order to truly love NASCAR  But to do that you have to first drop the silly and biased notion that Dale Jr is "God and Creator of NASCAR".

A Happy Hendrick is a Richer NASCAR

One thing that has really caught my attention these past few years is the growing number of folks in various messages boards with a weird complaint.  Their rants are in regards to Rick Hedrick's organization allegedly putting NASCAR on their payroll.  Their case in point (of many) was in 2005 at the MBNA 400 at Dover when the #5 and the #48 teams had unapproved shocks on their cars.  If you pull up any old video tapes of that race, you'll notice how high the left side of the car was up in the air.  What this did was cause the tires to obtain more grip on the track.  Various teams were in screaming foul in response after the race post-inspection.  Their chief complaint was that NASCAR did not strip the eventual winner of that race, the #48 and his cohort the #5 of second place nor did they dock points or give them a monetary fine.  Almost immediately afterwards, fans were on the anti-Hendrick Motorsports bandwagon.

Jimmy Johnson's NASCAR dominance comes with a backlash from racing fans everywhere.  This is because of alleged favoritism and cheating scandals.

Not only were they not penalized but NASCAR let another "questionable" advantage by Jimmy Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, slip by.  The only action taken was that the type of shocks that were used in the race was banned from NASCAR, case closed... or is it?  Chad Kanus has a soured history with trying to manpulate the NASCAR rule book.  He's been fined numerous times and even suspended from NASCAR races.

When the dust settled, a lot of race fans claimed that nothing happened because Rick Hendrick is putting NASCAR on his shopping list.  In addition, most non-Johnson fans have claimed that since Hendrick Motorsports "buys out" NASCAR, whenever #48 wins a race is because NASCAR was paid in full. Obiously their accusations are false because of lack of substantial evidence.  But it still sticks in the back of your mind because of Chad Kanus' history and the dominance of Jimmy Johnson on NASCAR's circuit. 

 Is Rick Hendrick buying out NASCAR for the sake of sucess?  You tell me.

What's My Take?

Sports has been around for centuries, and so has cry babies.  At the end of some events in history, people were ran through with a sword because of poor sportsmanship.  In the 1990's though 2000, people claimed that teams like the Chicago Bulls, Nebraska Cornhuskers, San Francisco 49rs, New York Yankees and  the Dallas Cowboys all had their share of power to manipulate the system.  When these teams became successful, it rubbed the fans of rival teams the wrong way and the accusations started flying.  But when the dominance of those teams faded... the whining pendulum swung the other way.

 Cry babies = another word for fans who are on the warpath, looking for scapegoats to blame for their team's problems

I don't believe that NASCAR plays favorites to anyone except the fans.  Think of how much creditability they'd loose if they did?  With hopes of building new tracks in the Pacific Northwest, outreaching to our northern and southern neighbors with events, and expanding on their fan-base... it would be too risky to even think about let alone do it. 

In the eyes of all major-league sports, NASCAR would be comparable to pro-wrestling if they did play favorites to one team over another.  If they did, NASCAR might as well join the growning trend of this nation, and that's a company merger between them and the WWE.  Imagine that: The WWE Cup?  The winner at the end of the season will get a shot the heavyweight champ at Wrestlemania.

If NASCAR really played favorites to some teams, what would be the difference between the two?

The fact is that all of these complaints stems from your team not winning.  You would rather take your frustrations out on your successful rival (or the sport as a whole), than come to grips on what the real root of the problem is.  Times will be hard, and your team will eventually hit the gutter.  But a true fan of any sport would choose back their team up 100% through thick and thin, rather then drown in their own tears.

Big thanks to Tom Jensen of the SPEED Channel and his correspondence e-mail's with me on this issue.  His feedback was the inspiration of this Blog page.

Well, it's never too early to wind-up the old rumor mill. There's always the potential for a driver to get a boot in the rear as he/she heads out the door, or they just might move on to greener pastures.  So here's my early, off the cuff, cruel-hearted predications for each race organization:

Hendrick: Casey Mears has probably two years to get it right. Otherwise you'll see another driver defect from open-wheel racing and jump into a #25 fire suit every Sunday.

This is Casey's best chance to live up to his family's name.  Or else it proves that he's on the backside of their gene-pool.

Gibbs: JJ Yeley is probably on the bubble.  If he has another season like he did last year, you know... where the number of wrecked cars almost exceeded the number of finished races, then he'll get a dismissal.  Watch for a possible vacancy in the #18 before or after Homestead-Miami if he repeats his 2006 performance in 2007.

If I wrecked a lot of cars, I would want to look cool too.

Ginn: They're starting to run well, but it's still early.  Sterlin Marlin, Joe Nemecheck and Mark Martin certainly won't carry the team through 2010.  I expect at least one of them to join Mark Martin in the retirement chair here soon... eating cream pea soup while watching "Matlock" re-runs.

Matlock, a great representation of elderly America.

Rouch-Fenway: Jamie McMurray is another one who might see more action in the Busch series then NEXTEL Cup next near.  The win in 2002 at Lowe's is looking more to be a fluke than anything else.  I don't expect Jack Roush to allow his patience to wear anymore thin with McMurray behind the #26.  Roush-Fenway has some talent in the Busch series that may be of better use then Jamie right now.  Unless his self-motivational sessions in the off-season pays off more than a lone top 10, then I expect the #26 to change hands soon.

"Gee, I know I can drive... I just have to believe in myself first"

DEI: If you have absolute power over a multi-million dollar company, would you want to share?  I don't think that Teresa Earnhardt does either.  I also think that we'll see the death of DEI at the end of 2007.  Dale Earnhardt Jr will push his teammates Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer or Jeff Burton to victory at the 2008 Daytona 500 while driving the #3 Budweiser Chevy.  Meanwhile Shane Huffman will drive the #8 Bob's Steak House Chevy to his first of many 38th place finishes.  He will be right behind teammates Martin Truex Jr and Paul Menard who rounds the top 30.

He's probably spinning in his grave right now.

Yates: I foresee no changes here.  They've pulled a complete 180-degree turn back towards the same direction where the competition is heading.  The "Candy Men" will be a force to reckoned with by this time either next year or 2009.

Signs of things to come?

MWR: Toyota will either (a) drop the notion of racing in NEXTEL Cup because their drivers, with their sponsors, made only 21 of 36 races this season... (b) look into converting other established race teams to switch their respective makes of cars... or (c) continue to ride the storm that has already produced a tornado (Michael Waltrip's fuel additive scandal), and a severe thunderstorm (Dale Jarret using up his provisionals).  I don't see a change here unless the storm turns into a hurricane.

Poor Mikey.  If I was in your shoes, I'd make that face too!

Red Bull: Does anyone remember the #32 Tide car?  It raced the entire season last year, but the team closed up shop and folded at the end... deja vu for the #84, perhaps?  A.J. is now 0 for 4, and Brian Vickers has the only top 10 so far.  It will be interesting to see what happens here at the end of the season.

Don't see much of the #84 on Sunday's, now do we?

RCR: Please see DEI above.
 +   ++=  

Could this be RCR's roster in 2008?

Bill Davis: Jeremy Mayfield has seen better days, that's for sure.  I predict the same scenario will play itself out just as it did when he spouted off at the mouth at Penske and at Evernham.  Then he'll be out of yet another job.

Jeremey, before you say it... don't.

Penske: This just in: It wasn't the Dodge Charger's old nose that was causing the car to be unbalanced... it was Kurt Busch's ears and Ryan Newman's lack of a neck that was the issue.  Kurt trimmed his ears before the 2006 season and he won at Bristol last March.  Ryan Newman didn't win a single race because he didn't fix his neck.  The only change at Penske this year will be a certain collar size on shirts, not a driver.

If he ever asks you:  "Are you looking at my neck?"   The proper response is: "What neck?"

Evernham: No changes here, I assume. Except the Allstate commercials (we hope), because we get the point already!

 Jeff Green is kicking his agent in the rear.  For once in his life he could have had women chasing him around but nooooo... Kasey stole the bit!