David and Ricky Beat Goliath 

          Somewhere Robert Yates has a (-25pts.) eating grin on his face. After all, to hear most talk, his organization was in trouble. The whispers and media queries, where was Robert Yates Racing going? Well, between the #38 and the #88, Robert and his crews showed us where they were headed- to the top. With the pole and the outside pole, RYR is proving that you should never count an owner down, unless you want him and his teams to come out swinging.

           Last years departure of Elliott Sadler raised a few eyebrows. David Gilliland was tapped to replace Sadler in the #38 for the final 15 races of the season. Although he didn't explode onto the circuit, Gilliland did capture the pole at Talladega. (He also won the Busch race in Kentucky.) I've watched David at lower levels and he is really good. Last year was for getting comfortable, this year he will shine.

Then Dale Jarrett announced that he would leave at the season's end to go to Michael Waltrip Racing, this caused all kinds of RYR rumors. Gilliland may not have the record yet, but Ricky Rudd comes to the team with 875 starts, 23 wins, and 373 finishes of 10th or better. With a rookie stripe (Gilliland is still officially a rookie, though he is not eligible for ROTY.) and a seasoned veteran sitting on the front row, RYR is showing no signs of slowing down.

 

     

      

            "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.  

 

I was going to write an article about Tony's powerfully orchestrated win in the Shootout. I have been very busy today between qualifying, cleaning my Grandmother's house, and my concert earlier this evening, so I am behind. I decided to check all my favs and see what they've been talking about, when I visited Tsfanpc's site. If you want to see a very well written Tony story, this is it. The article is titled, "Now Did You Really Doubt He Would Win?"

This reinded me of an even more important article she wrote that EVERYONE should read. I check out her blog everytime I log on, and this article touched me and really made me think. PLEASE, I BEG YOU, READ THIS ARTICLE, it will make you realize what's really important. It is right below the Tony story, if you scan through. The title is, "Somethings Are More Important Than Even NASCAR". Tsfanpc's blog is first on my favorites for anyone who wants to link.

To Tsfanpc- my prayers are with you, and keep writting, you are very good at it. P.S I hope to be that person, too!

Tony Did Warn Everyone

     Tony Stewart did say that he couldn't believe that anyone would give him a live show with free reign over content. I was excited to hear what he had to say. I am a huge Tony Stewart fan, some say I'm obsessed, but they all know the racing comes first. I am the first to admit when Tony has pulled a stunt, in fact, I may be a little harder on him than others.

     

I was a Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan and, when Tony entered Cup racing, I did not like him. Who was this punk, open wheeler trying to take over? After Dale's death I stood behind Kevin Harvick.  He was able to make us feel better about moving on. I nick-named him "Ghost Rider" because it seemed as if Dale was somehow his co-pilot. Even Kevin mentioned that it was as if Dale was there the whole time. I, however, still felt a void. For some reason, the passion I had felt for Dale Sr. just wasn't there. That's when it dawned on me that I really like a good driver, but I really like a bad boy. Re-enter Tony Stewart.

     

I began to study his records and driving style. Soon I realized that Tony Stewart was in a league of his own. Then I had an epiphany- many of the reasons why I didn't like Tony were the same reasons I loved Dale Sr. This is when I also realized that I had been a hypocrite. I finally understood that I could no longer judge a driver based on personal feelings or unfounded bias. Many of the greatest in this sport were not always favorites. When Dale Sr. was on the track not only did fans boo, but the drivers were unhappy as well. Tony Stewart, it seems, is just carrying on where Dale left off. The difference is, Dale didn't run his mouth publicly as much as Stewart.

     

This brings us back to "Tony Stewart Live".  What a driver does off track is not important, unless it begins to affect his on-track performance. The problem lies in the fact that, no matter how hard we try to make it only about the racing, personal opinion and rumor will continue to flourish. Some of us are able to separate the personal, but shaky judgments will always be around. So why on earth would a driver want to add fuel to the fire that is fan opinion? Some drivers have sat back while an image was built for them. The bad boy images of some of the greatest had nothing to do with who they were personally, yet they allowed those images to grow unfettered because it was simply good for business. With Tony, though, what you see is what you get. The radio show is not an image stunt on Tony's part, it is Tony.

     

Like it or not, a lot of NASCAR fans thrive on controversy, and Tony seems to be a master at capitalizing on this. Why, then would any fan expect Tony to somehow become an angel just because he's on live radio? When Tony announced the "Live" show, the fan buzz was about getting to know the "real" Tony Stewart. Well, you got the "real" Tony and now you're tearing him apart for that. I don't necessarily agree with some of Tony's remarks and, quite frankly, some of them are tasteless, but it's his show. Last time I checked it wasn't the "What People Think Tony Should Say" show.

     

My philosophy as a Tony Stewart fan is "For Better or Worse", which should be any fan of any driver's motto. From the fan forums I've read, you would think that Tony Stewart being a jerk came as a total surprise. I wonder where all those fans have been ship wrecked for the past 8 years. Besides, everyone is a jerk at one time or another, that doesn't make us horrible people.  Why then does it become public forum when Tony does it? Do you start a public forum when you overhear a guy or girl at the next table say, "I can't believe we got the fat/ugly chic"? Or how about when one of the guys says, "I'd do her", about someone's wife? How about you ladies coveting another's husband? I myself even said it about Rob Thomas; in fact, I went as far as to say I'd take his beautiful wife, Marisol, if I was a lesbian. Does that make me a jerk? Maybe, but it's just a remark. The problem is that we tend to blow remarks out of proportion when the person is in the public eye. Do you want Tony to feel free to express himself or do you want a scripted show? Do you listen to the whole show or just try to find something to bitch about? The biggest question is, if you don't like what he's saying why don't you change the channel? We're not talking A.M. radio, last time I checked you have a few hundred more stations to listen to.

     

I guess what I'm trying to say is, "get over it or get out". It should be about having a little time with Tony and his guests. Boys will be boys, and Tony has just proven again that he is a real person, faults and all, and he will always be the Tony fans love to hate. I am tired of the so-called "politically correct", but mostly hypocritical world we live in. Relax, forum freaks, I believe in your right to an opinion, but don't call yourself a fan if it only takes a few off color remarks for you to bail. Remember, Tony did warn us.

 

    

Dale Jr. has made a public statement that he will not re-sign with DEI unless he gets a 51% ownership of the company. I know he's good, but is he asking for too much? i'm not touching that with a 8 foot pole. Also, the best quote about the DEI situation came from an odd source- Tony Stewart. Tony is quoted as saying, "What's DEI without Dale Jr.? A museum." He's got a point. I only see this situation deteriorating as it goes on, now I'm starting to think this re-signing may not happen. For now the speculation continues. Stay tuned for further details as they become available. (This will become a popular phrase when it comes to Jr.)