Junior has the Intimidation Factor

It started with Teresa Earnhardt in the Wall Street Journal saying, "Right now the ball's in [Junior's] court to decide on whether he wants to be a NASCAR driver or whether he wants to be a public personality."  

It didn't take long to make that explode into a rumor that Junior would ditch the #8, and be piloting the Chevy #3 made infamous by his father. There is not a gear-head alive that doesn't miss seeing the #3 black Monte Carlo intimidating the rest of league in their rearview mirror. And Junior has made it clear that he wants to drive the #3 before the end of his own career.  

It's all just marketing. It's what NASCAR is all about. The scenario revolves around Junior's contract coming to an end with DEI at the end of 2007, owned and operated by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. She goes on record with some laundry in hopes to motivate June Bug to get focused. Junior replies with his contract negotiation.  

The negotiations are huge. Not only is it a company in Juniors name sake, he is fully aware that he is that whole team. #8 pays the bills in that garage. #8 wants a stake of his own team. The Earnhardt name needs to be marketed, and every marketing plan has an image. That image is Junior. Period! Negotiation over.

You have to give Teresa credit for trying. For playing the game. It's fun when you think about it. 

The truth is Junior will stay in the Red. The money, and the Budweiser. Richard Childress Racing has promised Junior that the only time the #3 will make a public appearance; he would be behind the wheel. (Racing for RCR of..., cough. I mean, of course.) But that is further down the road for June Bug. Right now, it's business. Junior will get a piece of Dale Earnhardt Inc. when he signs with them in the next few weeks.

There is only one driver in the league that is negotiation free. You can struggle, but it is a hard right turn. Just the notion of Junior packing up all that Budweiser money and being greeted with open arms on any team in the league makes any negotiation factor a void. When you have the most popular driver in the league, and his name is Earnhardt, you have nothing to negotiate with. You can try, but the 'Intimidation Factor' alone is deal breaker.

Very few rookies drive into the top series of NASCAR with much more then the respect they deserved just by getting there. All the hard work you put into your career got you a ride, but not a meal ticket. With the exception of anyone with the name Earnhardt, you will be caring your own bags till you're strong enough to lift some hardware over your head. Just ask the #24 how long it had taken him to gain the respect of the NASCAR Nation. So, how can it be that someone comes into his first year in the league and be referred to as Mister?

It's not what you know; it's who knows you! Mr. Montoya may not know much about the world of stock car racing, but the world, and all forms of racing knows Mr. Montoya. This is no ordinary rookie. Juan Pablo Montoya is not just any driver leaving any old series for the bright lights of NASCAR. This is a former Indy 500 Champion. He also won the Cart FedEx Championship Series his rookie year. This is a driver who has been notorious for stealing poles, stealing wins, and straight stealing notoriety. Sounds exactly what NASCAR wants to steal.

And that series he left for NASCAR? Just the most expensive form of racing in the world. When Montoya announced he was leaving the good life of Formula One, to the roller skate race of NASCAR, the world was shocked.

Everyone but his new boss, his new sponsors, and NASCAR at least. Ganassi Racings new star is not only bright, but his spark has already been witnessed in every market except America. The rest of the world has already introduced themselves to Juan Pablo Montoya, and now NASCAR, and his sponsors want him to introduce them to the rest of the world.

Montoya finished his F1 career with 7 wins, 13 poles, and finished 3rd in the league: twice in his career that spanned from 2001 to 2006. In his rookie year he got his first win, grabbed 3 poles, and made the podium an impressive 4 times.

Now we are 32 days away from the start of another rookie year from Juan Pablo Montoya. One in which the learning curve is high, but his expectations might be higher. He will be considered a huge threat on tracks like The Glen and Infineon. And his test-times at Daytona were amazing. Making those smiles coming from the faces of his sponsors and all the NASCAR executives, well, priceless. That yellow stripe on his bumper is going to shine. And everyone will get paid to shine it.

2007 NEXTEL CUP

The first sign of the 2007 Nextel Cup Season is the phone ringing. I get the same call, around the same time of every year. The other end of the line is a dear old friend, and we repeat the same dialog from the year before. There is sign of life in Daytona.

This is the week that everyone in the NASCAR Nations phones starts ringing as well. It's time to get back on track. Not only is the off-season short, it's basically non-existent. The Daytona 500 is not only the Super Bowl of the Nextel Cup season; it's the first race of the season.

In a single word, Daytona is a 'Dream.'

In three words, Daytona is a 'lot of work.'

Why is the biggest race of the year, the first race of the year? The short answer is history, but the truth is in the logistics.

Since 1959, 'The Great American Race,' has been held as the biggest event in Stock Car racing. It holds the largest prize purse, along with the highest prestige. To win the Daytona 500, is to have your name go down in history. Just to make the race is a cornerstone in any driver's career. To succeed brings longevity. To fail, still brings fame.

But like every dream, it takes a ton of work just to get there. The preparations for the Daytona 500 can sometimes be measured by a lifetime. Most of the small details take almost 3 months to work out. In simple terms, that means there is no off-season. The best have no time to rest.

Most drivers do sneak in a vacation, but every top team in NASCAR keeps the garage lights on year round. Once the season starts, there is no room for error in making week-to-week adjustments. You have to prepare for every track on the schedule. You need to work out the logistics of ever-single race.

Besides tradition, and making it the most unique season of all professional sports, The Daytona 500 doesn't fit anywhere else on the schedule. The biggest race of the year, takes the most time to prepare for. 3 months, or a lifetime at least.

So it's that time of the year again. The team haulers have pulled up to Daytona for testing. The cars will be unloaded, and the drivers will be strapped in. A bit too early to make predictions of the green flag of the 2007 season, but it's already getting too late to be behind in testing. Whichever way you look at it: the 2007 NASCAR season, and the phones have come to life.

"And if I don't see ya, in a long, long while
I'll try to find you
Left of the Dial"

~The Replacements

Lust for Life 2.0

Deserving #48

 The doubters, the diggers, and the dumb don't believe. Hands down, the #48 won the Cup. It takes nothing less then perfection in this league to even come close. And that is exactly what this team brought to the track every week. Sure, your going to find the wall some weekends, but everyone else will too. It is how you race the week after you wreck. It is how you put your car in the top ten for the closing laps of every race. How you give your team a chance to win 36 times. It's perfection, or planning every minute for it. Jimmie Johnson was Mr. Perfect all year.

17 of the first 21 races, he finished in the top 10. DAMN. 3 races into the season, he had 2 wins, and a 2nd place finish. They ended with 5 wins, and an average finish of 9.7 for the season.

The #48 dominated the Superspeedways all year. Not only did JJ win the Daytona 500, he won the Aarons 499 in Talladega. He came really close to winning the second Dega race as well, till Vickers decided to clean the #48, and the #8 in the last lap. His worst finish, in one piece, on a restrictor plate track this year was 9th in the Firecracker 400. (24th place resulted after his wreck with Junior in the 2nd race at Talladega.)

But it was the Brickyard that made it so convincing.  After winning the 2 biggest races in the year, they only have one thing left to do. Out of the ten races in the Chase, he finished 2nd or better in 5 of them. This was, as close to a perfect season you can get in the top level of NASCAR.

Congratulations Mr. Perfect. The 2006 Nextel Cup belongs to the #48 team.