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.
So many want to blame NASCAR and Toyota but who really is to blame?
Back in the 1980s the Big 3 and the UAW handed the foreign auto makers the market on a silver platter. Some of the Big 3 started marketing foreign cars with their names on them. Then they allowed their dealers to sell foreign cars from their dealerships.
What a SWEET deal. NO - planning and developement expense, land acquisition and building overhead, hiring sales and maintenance staff (they were already there and trained by the Big 3). And then there is no UAW with the bloated contracts which added thousands to the cost per vehicle. So they didn't start out with a level playing field.
The next BIG 3 blunder was during the first gas shortage (and actually today too) they refused to alter their lineup of products until the competition was already producing smaller fuel efficient vehicles. They insisted on producing their big gas guzzlers where they were making the most profit (SUV's today). Leaving themselves to play catch-up.
They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Do we even have to mention quality? They have made great strides in recent years, but why did they wait so long and only after they were getting their a**es kicked?
There really isn't such a thing as a 'American' car anymore. I am not a Toyota lover or owner. The last 3 cars I bought were 'American' (GM), two were built in Canada and one in Mexico. When I go to the dealer to buy genuine GM factory parts they are made in china. And they are importing whole engines to put in “American” cars.
I am not anti-union. I've been a union member for over thirty years and I know that they have gotten fat and complacent. You want to talk about people rolling over in their graves, let the founding fathers of the labor movement see what has happened to them.
The top leaders (executives?) of the unions act like C.E.O.s with all the luxuries and have forgotten where they started and who/what they are working for. They used to go out and orgainize all of the plants and the contracts were almost identical amoung the Big 3 , a level playing field.
Now all they want to do is tell people they are unpatriotic if they buy a 'foreign' car even if it is made here.
I'm sure you all have noticed how the COT cars are dog tracking. They are kicking the rear end out to the right to help the COT turn and get some side downforce. You give these guys a grey area in the rules book and they will take advantage of it. It's been like that from the begining. It's why the engineers and crew chiefs lay awake at night thinking of ways to get a advantage. That's what they get the big bucks for isn't it? I don't think it is cheating unless they are bending the rules. Besides, is it cheating if you don't get caught? Surely I jest, HeHe! What do you think?
Do you think NASCAR is going to address this soon? All of the fox commentators were talking about it Saturday night and they said NASCAR is looking at it. Probably be a new rule with a limit on how far out they they can kick the rear end.
They won't be able to do that on the road courses, have to turn both ways.
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.
---- 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.
