Nhaa ..  nhaa ..   nhaa  ... nhaa ...  nhaaaaaa  !!!   

How does it feel now ... JugHead ?!?!?!

LMAO ... 

 

Let me ask you a hypothetical question …  

 

You are a popular,  passionate, competitive and  energetic while being considerd  ‘hotheaded and sometime crude'  NASCAR Sprint Cup racing driver. You were brought up in a racing family with a dominate father who was a multiple time racing champion and were always expected to follow in his footsteps while still being your own man…   

 

You are loyal to a fault with your family.  Your siblings, while in the racing business as well, don’t seem to exude the personality and enthusiasm for the sport as much as you do.  You are as popular a driver as any of your peers, but, never seem get too full of yourself and appear to have a good head for the business side of NASCAR racing...    

You’re desire to win as a racer and prove to yourself that you ARE as good as your champion father never burns brighter than right now.  You make a BIG decision to change racing teams that involved abandoning the company he built. This is the hardest decision of your young life,  but  you want to win your own championship to prove to the world that you are not just living on your family name.  You  join a team and owner that you give you those things that you felt you couldn’t get from your family’s company.     

All this being said, here’s my hypothetical question … It's been nearly a year into this ideal environment, new owner, new car, new sponsors, new past Champion teammates ... eveything a race car driver could want .... .. 

 

How far has your loyalty to members of your family gone in your pursuit of a Championship and final proof to yourself that you are in the same league as your father and other geat NASCAR champions ?? Are you satisified with this loyalty and it's results ? 

 

Before you answer that question... let's step back a look at the bigger picture. Consider the numbers ….  you KNEW there would be numbers involved … remember what your 7th grade math teacher always said …  here they are* … 

 

3 ½ years …. 110 races ….  2 pole positions …. 3 wins …. 33 top 5 finishes ….    56 top 10 finishes    ….   0 Championships 

These aren’t bad numbers ….  A lot of drivers would be more than satisfied with them.  Sure... if they were satisfied with being consider a just good driver and not a Champion.

Being just a 'good' driver isn’t going to win you any championships that YOU consider yourself capable of.  Just ask the other 40-50 drivers.   Are they good enough for you ?  or ... do they just ####-YOU-OFF !!!   

Do you think of them when you remember all the times in front of prying microphones and cameras trying to explain to your 'Nation' just what happened .... why you didn't qualify well ... why you had a lousy pit stops ... why you got bad tires ... why you had a crappy handling car ... WHY YOU DIDN'T WIN !!   Do you think you've let your new owner down?   Do you think HE thinks he made a mistake in wanting YOU ? 

 

Do these numbers and those times make you think of whether or not ‘another’ career changing decision is needed …  to … say … your Crew Chief ?  You profess to be blatantly honest with all your team.  Are you really ?? 

 

 Are you just blinded by your unjustified family loyalty ? Look at the numbers !!   THEY don't come over your headset and tell you to "calm down": and "everything will be ok".    

 

Heh .. this isn't  an easy decision to make,  of course not.  But,   just imagine how you'll relieved you'll feel having made it standing up in front of the cheering crowds at NASCAR Championship dinners holding  up your trophy …  Your dad would have never let anything or anyone stand in his way ....    

 

8^)

 * These numbers were compiled from NASCAR.com and confirmed with racing-reference.info for the time frame under your present Crew Chief. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the latest revelation that Gillett Evernham Motorsports (GEM) may be looking into abandoning the long time NA$CAR racing manufacturer Dodge to go the newest kid on the block, Toyota,  this comes across as just another disheartening commentary for the state of American products.  

\Whether or not this is true is not a real question and Dodge can deny it until it's as blue as Petty's 43 was in the face, but.  it's just a matter of $$$.  With their pending purchase of Bill Davis Racing (BDR), an original Toyota team, it appears that this is just a formality now.   Stacking up the potential for wins with these two different cars under the same ownership makes it easy to see which direction to go.  And,  with what it's costing now to run a race team,  WINNING means surviving to race another week...

 With the present state of the American economy,  with American car manufacturers loosing $$ hand over fist and the emergence and dominance of  Toyota and Honda in all other facets of auto racing, is was small wonder  just how soon this would happen... 

 NA$CAR is very competitive as you all know.  Toyota gives these teams a better chance to be standing on the podium in Victory Land more often than Dodge does.  Sad but  simple.  Dodge was out of racing for a long period because of their lack of competitive engines and teams that wanted to commit to them in the post Richard Petty era ...

 All this being said,  we've already seen the Toyotas in the Nationwide series get caught with their hands in the horsepower cookie jar. They had it sub sequentially smacked by being forced to reduce it to come back in line with the Americans breeds. We've seen them trying some other unscrupulous measures to make sure they win races.  Heh .. why wouldn't a team want to be with Toyota ...  they try to win at all costs ...  and they have such a 'magnetic' personality !!  

 I guess you could call this progress and the evolution of NA$CAR... out with the old and in with the new.   I just hope that NA$CAR remembers their evolution  and makes DAMN sure that they are giving ALL of the American auto manufacturers that have stood the test of time and remained loyal the same 'breaks' as they have been giving new kids on the block ... 

 8^( 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well .. in the latest cartoon script that has been the 2008 NA$CAR Sprint Cup year ... JugHead and Archie (re  Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards) were in a shoving match at the end of the last race in bristol.  This violated one of the  NA$CAR rules in the the 100 page Section 12-4-A.  (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; hitting another competitor's car after the race had concluded).

 They both claimed that '.. HE staaaarted it ... " and commenced to spout off about how they weren't going to back down from any subsequent encounters on or off the track.  As punishment they were spanked by NA$CAR and placed on double-secret probation and sent to their rooms for the next six weeks.  I have been unable to find out WHAT will happen IF they should try anything again and if anyone knows, please send us all a link or doc.  The NASCAR offices in Daytona didn't return my request for clarification. 

Just in case you didn't see this ... here's a few reads you may not have seen ...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/racing/0
8/27/probation.ap/index.html?eref=si_motorsportsa>

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/
story?id=3555785

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20080827/FREE/808279984/1531/FREE

The 2008 Chase is sure shaping up Sports Fans ... 8^)

Just hope HMS is a player this year ....  Go #24, #48 and #88 !!

8^)

One of my favorite all time TV shows, the X-Files,  starring David Dukovney and Gillian Anderson used to uncover conspiracies that the governing body of this country chose to cover-up,  hide or misinform about.   Our favorite governing body, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR),  has lately been involved in what I would characterize as a "conspiracy to cover-up or mis-inform the NASCAR fan base or American racing teams and their owners".   

What is this 'nit-wit' talking about  ? .. I'm sure you're asking yourselves right now.  Well ..  in the lastest article by Lee Spenser, she outlines what was “conspired”  between Toyota and NA$CAR that appears to have maybe directly affected the outcome of races this year.  Heaven only knows how far it would have gone unchecked... IF it actually has been.   

Question:  Haven't all you Chevy, Ford and Dodge fans wondered just HOW 2nd year NA$CAR racing car company, Toyota had come so far in such a short time ?  I've questioned this before in this column.  It seems only yesterday we were reading about Mike Waltrip trying everything from moonshine to Jet-fuel to help his struggling Toyota team to make it to the Top 10.   

I guess Mikey never got the emails from NA$CAR on what else to do and how they were going to help him be run faster and jump higher with Toyota. It now seems that Joe Gibbs racing DID read them and took their suggestions to heart.   Maybe it was a matter of $$ and maybe it's just that some people, regardless of how honest and grandfatherly they look, don't have any problems with taking that concession and then taking it a bit farther to cross the line in the name of winning.   

Read this and make your own decision.  (Quoted from Lee’s article …) This is prefaced by some more information on JGR’s recent cheating scandal (also from her article) ..  pay attention to the red sections.  

<< …  “But that wasn't all the Gibbs engine department was working on. Crew members not only devised a specific slot to hold the spacer, but also invested the time in finding out the approximate length the spacer had to be to knock approximately eight to 10 horsepower off the engine during the dyno test.  

Once NASCAR inspectors discovered the spacer and reran the Camrys on the dyno, Toyota topped the chart with 640 horsepower — eight additional counts without the spacer. Before the spacer was discovered, Toyota tanked with Dodge at 632 hp. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets and Roush Fenway Racing Fords were all in the 634 to 636 range.  

Ford and Chevrolet both predicted Toyota's dominance. While only two Camrys won in 2007, there were early signs — particularly on the dyno — that the trends were leaning toward Toyota. However, with Ford winning the title and Chevrolet scoring 22 victories in 35 attempts. neither manufacturer felt it was appropriate to lobby for change.  Maybe there were informed NOT to !!??

As the engine dyno was revving in the background at Michigan, Nationwide race-winning owner Jack Roush gave a detailed account of the initial advantages Toyota was given to help the Camrys get up to speed when the manufacturer entered the sport in 2007.  

"(NASCAR) gave them a bunch of considerations from a parameter point of view, a dimension point of view that was outside the box in terms of what the Ford engine was," Roush said. "The pushrods are straighter. The camshaft is higher. The pushrods are shorter. The valve train is stiffer. The cooling system works better. All of those things were things that NASCAR uses discretion to approve that obsoleted the Ford engine and we can't make as much power as they do with the parts we have and right now we can't afford to obsolete all the parts that we have.  

"So NASCAR, in the interest of fairness and balance in the competition from a potential point of view, after they went to great lengths to be able to check the engines to find out what they were doing, decided that they needed to rein Toyota in and that's what they did. There's crying and complaining about it, but the problem was when they submitted the engine, Toyota had approved things that obsoleted, really, everybody else, and now we've all got the necessity to come back and re-design and obsolete our current engines in order to get competitive.  

"The error wasn't ours for getting behind. The error was in what Toyota offered and what NASCAR approved."  

Roush isn't the first competitor to take offense at the garage questioning whether other manufacturers had gotten behind. Brad Keselowski, the driver of the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet, who is currently third in the point standings, has heard the excuses all season long.  

"I think the frustration on the team side or the team side other than Gibbs, you know, everyone across the board, why we are so upset about this, so angry about this is we've been told now for six straight months from the media, from NASCAR, from anyone that (Toyota is) just better than us," Keselowski said. "We're losing races because they're just better than us. Denny Hamlin is just better than I am. Kyle Busch is just better than you are. His crew chief, is better than your team. Their shock guy is better than your team. And then you go and you see something like this and you go, 'Wait a minute.'  

"I started to believe it. I started to get beat down like everyone else did that, 'You know what? Maybe Joe Gibbs is just better that what we've got. Maybe Denny Hamlin is just that much better than I am.'    

"Then you see something like this and you go, 'Wait a minute. What was I thinking?' I can run with these guys and I've been beat up now for 12 months or six months or whatever it's been for no reason and that's very sad." >>  

I rest my case.  I appreciate Lee Spenser finally bringing to light what was suspected by myself and others who write here some time ago.  

8^( 

Well, I hate to say I told you so, but, I have expressed my opinion on the COT Toyotas more than once here.  I have always been especially su####ious of the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs.  I couldn't figure out HOW his cars seemed to come so far in just one year.  MWR cars didn't (although they tried their hand at cheating as well) ... Team Red Bull didn’t... others didn't.  Was their success really due to their drivers.. Busch and Logano?  Neither of these guys has any real history winning much at this level before this year.    

Cheating or whatever he calls it isn't new for Gibbs ... his illegal use of the IR list for his Redskins is legendary and was addressed by the NFL forcing him to stop.

Whether Gibbs or his son, J.D. actually knew of the issues just announced or not isn't the question.  HOW FAR it goes and how long it's been going on is.  I can understand that a SINGLE team may have tried to sneak some results by the NASCAR techies, but TWO team’s leads me to believe that it may be some sort of conspired effort.   I do have to admit, after reading HOW they did it seems pretty innovative.  Magnets attached under the gas pedal to stop the throttle from opening fully and showing true HP ratings.  Lower horsepower = no restrictions on the intake, no restrictions = more HP, more HP = more wins.  It's just the Gibbs Racing version of the NEW MATH!!    

A caution flag (I can’t believe I’m saying that!!) should have been raised a few weeks ago when NA$CAR recalled some of the Nationwide engines to determine HP ratings. Their finding indicated that they would have to adjust Toyota's intakes to bring them back to the pack.  Were their engines really that much better than Fords or Chevy’s?  In this time of competitive balance by NA$CAR, how did THAT happen ?     

Many questions come to mind:     

This issue was only in the Nationwide series. But, was this an indication that there was more to come if no one found out?   At that point whey didn’t NA$CAR pull some of the Sprint Cup Toyotas from the same owners and DYNO them as well ?      

Were JGR just testing the waters to see what was noticed or were they pissed off at NASCAR for cutting their horsepower?    

Has the #18 Sprint Cup car of Kyle Busch REALLY been setup that good and is he just the best driver this year to be able to run away from other cars consistently or has it been their ‘hidden’ horsepower than went undocumented ?   

How about this?  JGR crews screw up and actually stick the gas pedal magnets on the WRONG #18 car?  Wouldn't THAT have caused a mushroom cloud down at NA$CAR land HQ ? 

Who knows?   I guess we'll see.  8^)

 

 

 

 

Interesting question ...     

 

Those of you that have read my blogs over the past few years know that I am an Earnhardt fan,  the father and the son.   So this is hard to say … but, it’s still just my opinion.   

When Dale Jr. went to Hendrick Motorsports I really felt that he was FINALLY in a position to be able to win some races this year and be poised to make a great showing in the Chase.  He had all the resources of HMS, Jimmy and Jeff.  I was really skeptical that he was bringing his 'people' with him.  I wondered if it really was a good idea and if possibly they just weren’t ready for prime time.  Tony Eury Jr. really hadn’t proven anything previously other then he was Dale Jr’s. cousin !!   

But, after it was all said and done,  I went along with my ‘expert’ NASCAR friends that said the transition was better served with family and friends that he was comfortable with around him .. at least  for “right now”.    

When I met Rick Hendrick thru a mutual friend at a race earlier this year and got around to mentioning this to him, he just thought for a minute and said "whatever Junior wants right now is what we want".   I left it at that, but, I'm beginning to wonder what they all really mean by "right now".    

Since scoring their first victory in over two years at Michigan a few weeks ago, his 88 team has recorded just one top 10 finish in six races.  Prior,  they had 10 top 10s in their first 14 starts before their victory.  On Sunday, Jr. was in position for a top five result but then ran out of fuel late and dropped to 12th. Was this just bad luck creeping back in like last year or just bad strategy by his Crew Chief, Tony Eury Jr.   He seems to be regressing instead of peaking.   

This year his team seems to be making the same little mistakes they were under DEI …  He seems to start strong and then fade in the final 50-100 laps when the car isn't adjusted right for changing race and track conditions …  His team is constantly loosing him positions after pit stops…  Setting up his car, they seem to NOT be listening to whatever info the other HMS teams have to share, especially Chad Knaus .. so ..  His starting position almost always seems to land him a spot him in the middle of the pack.   When he DOES start in a good spot,  it’s not too long before he’s back in the pack.    

Maybe, just maybe  ‘right now’ for Dale Jr. won’t include his #88 crew and chief Tony Eury Jr. for 2009.  Tony is a genuinely nice guy and all that and he is Jr’s cousin,  but,  I wonder if it will include them if Jr. flops his way out  of  the 2008 Chase early.    

Ok .. ok..  I know Jr is still second in points and maybe I’m just being an alarmist … I’m sure the Junior Nation will collectively categorically deny any thought that Dale Earnhardt Jr. WILL NOT win a Championship in the coming years for HMS.  I just have to wonder it’s with his ‘Cuz and present crew.      

I guess my point is this ...  Is what he is getting  'right now' going to be good enough to make a significant showing in the Chase races this year and for years to come ?.  Will HMS give Tony Eury Jr. time to grow into the position like they’re giving Dale Jr. ?  Or … will they just “cut bait’ and go after a more proven crew chief to mentor their popular driver ?    

I guess we’ll see what ‘right now’ really means for 2009 and Dale Jr’s team in the coming weeks.   8^)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well. in this man’s opinion, Good Tire and Rubber Company should maybe consider looking into another line of work.  It’s a shame that too many times this 2008 NASCAR racing season, their name has been mentioned in vain when it comes to tire wear and endurance.  Regardless of what all the NASCAR talking heads say during the race … no matter how much all of the major racing team owners are s-l-o-b-b-e-r-i-n-g over how good a job NASCAR is doing and how great GoodYear is … ladies and gentleman … I’m here to tell you … it just ain’t happening !! 

 Goodyear advertises their product with a new slogan .. “Get There”.  I’m not sure what they mean by that, but,  I guess if you’re a NASCAR driver it means just 10 – 15 laps at a time before you have to change them.  Well ... at least if you’re racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008 with the Car of Today.

 

For over a hundred years Goodyear has been promoting their product for all levels of drivers. From little old ladies from Pasadena … to big rig truck drivers … to F1 speedsters … to NASCAR drivers.  Well … I guess 4 out of 5 ain’t bad .. like they say in the song.

Bottom line, I think that even though NASCAR and Goodyear have been in bed together for a few years now, they have to be talking in hushed tones in back offices that maybe .. just maybe .. they shouldn’t have squashed Hoosier Tire company from establishing some competition back when they had a chance. 

 

It’s funny .. they called those mandatory cautions that they had every 10-15 lapes at the end of the 400 today, “Competition Cautions” … seems to me that they are ANYTHING but competition promoting.  They should have called them … “We’re sorry that we screwed up and didn’t really pay attention to the horrendous tire wear we when we tested these P/O/S tires before” cautions … a little wordy .. but closer to the truth. 

 

All I know is that equipment SHOULD NOT decide a race when it can be helped.  Drivers driving as hard as they can in the BEST equipment SHOULD.  

 

The companies that provide equipment to NASCAR are putting their name and reps on the line and there is scant little room for error when there are lives at stake. They need to go a lot further than they have been going.  NASCAR needs to get off the pot and see if Goodyear can't provide a good product, then, they have to bite the bullet, eat crow or whatever other tired cliche you can think of and have a "Competition Caution" for tires as well.  I'm sure Firestone, Hoosier or many other racing tire companies would love to compete for the business. 

I can’t imagine what would have happened if a any driver had crashed and been seriously hurt or worse due to tire failure.  Then the finger pointing and name calling would have started.   

Opinions always welcome. 8^)

 

Cc: Brian France .. Mike Helton .. Robin Pemberton  

 

Dear NA$CAR guys, As an ardent NASCAR fan, I would like you to please consider the below revisions for you upcoming racing season:  

 

 1.  Ok .. you've had your fun ... It's time to standardize the cars … (BETWEEN SPRINT AND NATIONWIDE) either the COT everywhere or go back the COY everywhere. Having race teams try to support two completely different programs is costing the small teams more than NA$CAR anticipated.  YOU guys said that the COT would be more cost effective.  OK … go ahead and ask around .. you’ll see.  

  

 2.   You racers should have to run what they brung.  No more ‘special setups’ allowed for qualifying to get into the show.  You say you’re all about equality and consistency .. show it.  To setup the car JUST to qualify and then loose 8-10 laps just to return to race-trim seems ridiculous.  Having all these wannabes in the middle of the pack for the start of the race is going to cause trouble anyway.   

 

 3.  No more guaranteed spots in the top 35.  ALL racers qualify to race or they go home.  Stop worrying about the appearance of your product and worry that you have the best 43 cars out on the track.  It'll work out .. you'll see. (more on the number later).

 4. Do away with counting caution laps for whatever reason.  Have the cautions, ok … safety is first priority, but,  these are not what fans want to a see when they pay $200 to go and see your race or are glued to the screen … they want to see a RACE!!   

This may lengthen the race a bit … but,  so WHAT !!  If you cut down on the average 10 caution laps you have them run just to pick up a flung spring rubber or a piece of sheet then it won't be that bad. Heh … if the race goes longer ... great for us and great for you !!  It lets you  show more of your same informative  (sic ..) commercials !!  Do you really think a real race fan is going to change the channel and worry that they’re missing  their favorite reality show if it runs a little longer ??  Are you kidding ??  Most race fans can’t afford to attend races and they LIVE for the races every week !!  More is better for them !!  Wake up gentleman.    

                  

 5.  Pl-l-l-l-lease  NO more GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER finishes. These are real BS. I understand that you thought this was a good idea at the time ... but it isn’t !!  We HATE them !!! And .. doing just ONE is worse !!  There are just too many suspect things that can happen to allow for a particular racer (JG team member) to win.  Just let them RACE to the finish under a real GREEN !! …  what else do they have to do ??? … they’re in the cars anyway.   

 

 6.   Why 43??  For whatever reason you only qualify 43 cars.  Be a little dynamic about all this!!   For the small tracks 1 mile or less … only run 35.  That will expand the pit stalls and keep those stupid wrecks on pit road at places like Martinsville or Bristol.  Then … expand to 50 for the big guys over 1.5 miles … Daytona... Talladega and even Pocono.  

 

 7. As Americans ... try to be as consistent with you ignorance of infractions for the American brand cars as you are with them foreign ones. I realize those little guys probably greased you all with some sizable yen, but,  GM and Ford are having a tough time right now. You may have heard ... gas is pretty expensive right now.  Some of your teams are struggling.   

 8. Lastly,  at least try and to help the gold ol' boy teams from the U.S. of A. as much as you have some of the teams from Toyota.  It just seems funny to some of us how they've come so far in only one year without a little 'help' from you somewhere.

Chevys and Fords and Chryslers helped keep you guys in business for 50 years.  Have a Heart !!  Buy a little more American !! Gentleman ... I appreciate your time … Have a Nice Day.  feel free to let me know what you think. 

 Yours Truly,  

The RacingInsider@comcast.net  

Comments always welcome  8^)

 

 

 

 

With the departure of Dale Earnhardt Jr. from DEI last year and now that we hear the Mark Martin and possibly Martin Truex Jr. have their hands on the door handle, the big questions of this silly off-season might possibly be ... Will Dale Earnhardt Incorporated survive these defections ? Will the company built from the ground up by arguable the best NASCAR driver of all time be able to win without a marquee driver? Will they be able to attract a veteran mentor with all their shortcomings? Aric Almirola and Regan Smith are years away from being perennial Chase drivers. .. they offer no real draw as I see it.

It's been well documented that some of DEI's credibility was lost when Jr. walked out to Hendrick Motorsports. Despite of how much loyalty Jr. he had showed DEI and how much he lamented publicly leaving ... he has to be glad that he left when he did. His dad wanted him to be his own man and not live in his shadow. He HAD to go and he had to go THEN. He had to prove to himself that he WAS a real driver that could win championships.

Anyway, when the dust settles this off-season, DEI may be left without a big name leader to mentor those two young men. With the competition for sponsors and wins so hectic ... with stepping up this year from Rousch Fenway and Joe Gibbs ... with some of the marquee names free agents and ready to change teams and owners .... I just don't see DEI being more attractive.

I'm sure that Teresa Earnhardt may still be a 'nice' lady, (I met her once in with Sr. at Darlington) but as an owner she may be in over her head.

TEI just doesn't do anything for me. It's quite possibly only a matter of time ...

Opinions always welcome. 8^)