I am done with everyone trying to defend Michael Waltrip's behavior. If the team cheat wasn't bad enough, he spins Jr. for no apparent reason. The racing "bumps" that spin, I understand, but this was not "just racing". I don't know if Mikey has Daytona brain freeze or what, but spinning another driver, especially Jr., wasn't a smart move. If he comes out and says he didn't see him, then we'll really know how much he will blame his team instead of himself. If he had no idea Jr. was there, then he needs to fire everyone on his team that had a view and a radio. With crew chiefs and spotters, how does this happen? I believe it happened because Mikey wanted to join that train and wasn't waiting to get a boarding pass. If you can squeeze in, take it, but with where he hit Jr.'s car there could not have been anyone stupid enough to tell him, "Clear." I am sure of one thing, if Mikey doesn't take the rap, he should be ashamed, yet again.

            So, he made it in and all is forgotten? No, "I'm sorry" to Jr., just self pity. Oh, poor Mikey, his team cheated and they took it out on him, oh, woe is Mikey. He's lucky they let him in the race. I have respected many drivers, including Waltrip, but it will take a lot more than a spot in the 500 to forget this week. Pity?  The ones who need pity are the members of his teams and Toyota. Personally, I think Michael has way too much on his mind, but a clear conscious isn't part of that.

The fines have been passed down, it's official,  until NASCAR decides it needs to "re-address the issue". Robin Pemberton let Toyota off the hook. (One Toyota driver was it, why were there murmurs about Toyota, anyway?) Waltrip's crew chief, David Hyder, and the team manager, Bobby Kennedy, were suspended "indefinitely". I understand the crew chief, but if NASCAR is going to imply that the team manager should have known what his team was doing, then why not assume that Michael did, too. Another good point on that is- if your going to dock Buffy 100 owner points and Michael 100 driver points, why no suspension? If they really want to make a point about cheating, make the driver sit out a race. I wonder if Michael wasn't the star of the Toyota show, would he be racing on Sunday? I am not trying to imply that NASCAR is favoring Toyota; but they do want this to work because it will make money, it could've been any new manufacturer, and Dodge was the same coming in.

I have heard it from both sides, this is NASCAR trying to mess up Toyota by messing with Mikey, and it's NASCAR trying to help Toyota by not suspending Mikey. Any way you want to take this story, the bottom line is, NASCAR fines need to be consistent. If you assume the driver knew, it's not enough, you have to prove it. Other members of the team are not so lucky, they can fall under the "we believe he had knowledge" or the "he should've known" categories. I will say that the nice little donation David Hyder will be making to the drivers fund of $100,000 will definitely make other crew chiefs think twice before they reach for a "foreign substance" again.

To sum it up, Robin Pemberton said the official that initially found the substance, which was in the intake manifold, said he had never seen anything like it before. Michael Waltrip was given a chance to replace the intake and the substance was found again. Pemberton went on to say that it was unlike anything NASCAR had seen in recent years. It was noted that the substance was not any kind of oil, like Michael had earlier claimed. Pemberton stated, when asked how long "indefinite" was, "it's a very long time." He added that it would be up to the team to re-apply for credentials, implying that they will not return soon.

So are the days of our NASCAR lives. That's why I love this sport, it never gets boring. NASCAR has sent Waltrip's car back to their R&D Center, so we should know before too long what the famous "foreign substance" really is. For now the guesses have been from jet fuel to the stuff under the catering trays. I just hope Michael didn't have anything to do with this.

            "Silly Season" does not give justice to what happened in 2006. The drama surrounding announced driver changes was phenomenal. Mark Martin had already been through the retirement phase, which he opted out of to help Roush Racing. He then announced that he would not retire at the end of the season, as most thought, but that he would only race a limited schedule in 2007.

            We had Jeremy Mayfield being told that, not only would he be replaced, but for the rest of his employ he was not welcome at team meetings. (I refuse to delve into the details, but the Mayfield/Evernham fiasco became very messy, court papers and all.) In August Mayfield was replaced with Elliott Sadler. (With Sadler's departure, David Gilliland was named to drive the Yates' M&M's #38.) When Sadler took over the Evernham #19 Dodge seemed to have no problem racing back into the top 35 in owner points. This led to speculation that some of the rumors regarding Mayfield's performance at the end may have been based in truth. As Mayfield sat on the sidelines, some wondered if he would find a ride.

            Of course, the big story was the drivers moving to Toyota teams. We had Brian Vickers announce that he would move to Team Red Bull in 2007. Michael Waltrip Racing was able to score big for Toyota when Dale Jarrett announced that he would race for them in 2007. (Ricky Rudd would be named to drive the #88.) The pot became sweeter when it was announced that UPS would follow. The hype surrounding Waltrip and Jarrett has over shadowed the man that, I think, has shown the most promise in the Toyota- Dave Blaney. Bill Davis' decision to change manufacturers could prove quite rewarding for the team and for Dave Blaney. (Bill Davis Racing is also where Jeremy Mayfield landed.)

            Casey Mears was tapped to fill the driver's seat of the Hendricks #25, left vacant by Vickers. Bill Elliot came out of retirement, Ward Burton fans found out where Ward is, and Mark Martin found someone willing to give him the part-time ride he wanted. Martin announced that he would leave Roush Racing at seasons end to join Ginn Racing (formerly MB2 Motorsports). (Joe Nemechek who was in the #01 will race a number many have avoided-#13.) Then we have the rookies, who I will discuss later.

            The 2006 "silly season" may officially be in the books, but, in reality, it never ends. As we open a new season, expect changes to continue as teams try to find that magic combination that makes a team championship material.  

Tony Did Warn Everyone

                                                      Jr.'s Future

    I promised that I would do a full article on different scenarios of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s future, then I realized that, to list them all, I would have to make an encyclopedia set. I tried to find out what seem to be the most popular theories and rumors, of course this is all speculation, he could just retire! (Relax Jr. fans, it's a joke.)

    Let's begin with the one that has all Earnhardt fans (Sr. and Jr.) saying their bedtime prayers- Jr. leaves his fathers company to drive his fathers #3 for RCR. I guess the #1 question would be- is Richard Childress even willing to bring the #3 out of retirement? I think recent comments point towards no. Retiring the #3 was Richards  tribute to Dale, it showed respect and I don't know if he will ever put it on the track again. Would Richard look at this as something Dale Sr. would have wanted?  What about putting him in the #33? Is Richard even interested in Jr.? Is Jr. even interested? Only time will tell.

    Another scenario that has Jr. fans drooling is that he will break away and start a Nextel team of his own. Although Jr. informed us that he is," just a millionaire", this is feasible, just highly unlikely. Jr. has the contacts and the sponsors to start a team, but does he have the time? Nextel Cup is a whole different story for a team owner. His other teams and commitments aside, what about his personal life? He already is stretching himself. If Jr. owned a Nextel team, would his driving begin to suffer? I believe, if he had the right people around him, he could do this, but they'd have to start now. Money could prove to be a problem, too,  a new team, even with the name, isn't exactly a sure thing and sponsors may shy away. Would Jr. be willing to put a hell of a lot of money up in the beginning? Would others? Only time will tell.

    Now to DEI. In the wishful thinking category, we have Jr. taking over at DEI, not going to happen. I have addressed this possibility before,  I believe it's a bad idea and I don't think that's what Jr. really wants. Jr. really is DEI, though, (the company was built up around him) and he deserves to have a share of it. Does he want to take over? I doubt that. Does he want a fair share in ownership of a dynasty that his father always said would be his legacy to Jr.? Yes. This leads us to the "renewal zone". Will Theresa and Jr. be able to reach an agreement on a new contract? This is the one question that all the speculation hangs on. Unless Jr. announces other plans at the same time he answers this, the answer will either stop the rumors or create a thousand more. I voiced my reservations about the stability of DEI in Critical Condition, and, with the new CEO, I will have to re-evaluate them this year, but I wonder if it might be in Jr.'s best interest to get out while he can.

    And- what about Budweiser? World wide, the most recognized active car is the #8 Budweiser car. We really have no idea what they're going to do. Will they stand behind their driver and the image they have created with him? Will they stand behind the company that made that image possible? So many questions, so little answers.

    With so many factors that can affect the possible outcomes, we really cannot possibly guess the exact way it will end, but I, personally, think he will renew with DEI. Again, only time will tell.