Just watched the story of JD and Melissa Gibbs little boy Taylor having lukemia. What a touching fathers day story. He is in remission now and we all pray for him.
To know while they were going through this in their private lives, JD had to manage JGR and make the decisions for the company which would impact the families of his 450 employees.
His sense of duty to them was part of their decision to switch to Toyota for the long term survival of the company and the future of all of his employees families too.
So happy fathers day JD, God bless you and your family.
Tony is my guy and He is currently 12th and on the bubble 499 points behind the leader. His finish average this year is 14.7, with no wins, 4 top 5's, 6 top 10's, 2 DNF's.
This is his lowest average finish in his NASCAR career. I guess he will have to resort to point racing for the remainder of the chase. He can not afford anymore DNF's or early race crashes.
However this is his prime time and when it gets hot and the tracks get slick Smoke kicks it into a different gear.
Tony likes racing at MIS with 8 top 5 finishes and 12 top 10's in 18 starts. He say's there are plenty of grooves and you can race from the white line all the way to the wall.
Tony's quotes about MIS: "The drivers can really help themselves out if they don't have a car that's working right. You can move around on the race track and find a spot that helps your car do what you need it to do."
"I####uy gets going and gets his car balanced, then he'll tend to run away," Stewart said. "That's just the characteristic of that kind of track. It's fast, it's flat and momentum is so important there, that i####uy is off just a little, he's off a lot. The drivers like it from the standpoint that if you can find a way to get around it a little better, then it'll help them in the long run. You end up racing the race track instead of each other."
Tony's primary chassis at MIS is #209 which he ran at Charlotte 5/25/08 starting 31st and finishing 18th. His backup chassis is #203 which he ran at Fontana 2/24/08 s6*/ f7th, Atlanta 3/9/08 32/2nd and Texas 4/6/08 24/7th.
All of the Gibbs drivers are using their Charlotte cars as their primary this week. Bet Kyle likes that #193 - s1/f3. Denny #208 - s16/f24.
Well Joe Gibbs Racing is sure off to a fantastic start this year! No one thought they would with the switch to Toyota. I wasn't real happy with that decision (been a fan since the start when they drove pontiacs) but I can understand. They were always the number 3 chevy team behind Hendrick and Childress and they couldn't affect change (the tail wagging the dog). Now they are the premier toyota team and when they speak toyota listens. There really isn't any differance now with the COT they all have to fit the same template and the only differance is the grill and decals.
Hiring Kyle Bush was a great decision and a great fit for the team. Tony, Denny and Kyle have very simular styles and abilities. They all are out to lead and win the race. Not like some of the millionare field fillers out there on the track who are content to run in the rear every week and collect their check and go home. I'm sure that is why JJ Yeley was replaced when Kyle was let go from Hendrick and became available. Wonder if Rick has had any second thoughts about hiring Dale Jr and firing Kyle? But Jr does fit the Hendrick team well. We will see who wins the next championship first JGR or Hendrick.
I am a male who is a life long Ohio State football fan. (GO BUCKS) and a NASCAR fan. I like the Cleveland Browns so I know the agony of defeat but they are still my boys. A huge JGR fan going back to Bobby Labonte - 18 Interstate Batteries, Tony Stewart - 20 Home Depot, Denny Hamlin - 11 FedEx and now Kyle Bush - 18 M&Ms.
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I am getting older and I guess more opinionated too. But I am always willing to listen to others ideas and hear other opinions. Promise I will not personally attack, berate or hate because of differing opinions even if you are wrong. 8-) We can always agree to disagree without making it personal.
