Beginning in 2010, no Nascar owner will be allowed to have more than 4 teams, and that presents an obvious problem for Ford owner Jack Roush, who currently fields 5 cars every Sunday. It is apparent to me, that unless something drastic happens between no and the end of 2009, Jamie McMurray and David Ragan will be the most likely drivers to be dropped from the house of Roush. Not that they won't have a job, but just not driving under the Roush banner any more.
A lot of things can happen between now and then, of course. Both drivers could win races and make the Chase, and possibly even a championship. If that happened, the decision as to which team to ax will be much tougher. As it stands now, though, McMurray has 1 win driving a Cup car for Roush, and Ragan has none.
I'm guessing arrangements are already underway to hand off which ever team Jack decides he'll have to get rid of. I'm guessing most likely, Doug Yates or the Wood Brothers will get the team, more or less intact. Both are already heavily dependent on Roush engines and engineering. With the continuing sponsor situation, I'm wondering if Yates will even be running 2 teams full time next year. I don't know what's on the horizon for the Wood Brothers either, but hope Little Debbie and the US Air Force will hang on for a few more years at least. Right now, the Wood Brothers have only made one race in 2008, with Bill Elliot driving at Daytona. Bill is scheduled to be in the car again in Martinsville, so the 21 car should get it's second start of the year next week.
Another Wood Brothers driver is waiting in the wings, of course. Actually there are 2. Jon Wood is working on a comeback to racing full time, after suffering problems last year. The other driver is everybody's favorite Aussie, Marcos Ambrose, who is scheduled to run a 2nd car for some races this year. Personally, I think that Marcos might be the future of the Wood Brothers for the next few years. The young Australian is one of the most likable drivers in the garage, always smiling, and he gives fantastic interviews. Marcos Ambrose seems to be a very talented driver, a former champion in Australia, and when he has a few wins under his belt, I think the sponsors will come in droves.
Jamie McMurray is a very likable young driver as well, and won his first Cup race in only his second start, filling for an injured Sterling Marlin at Charlotte in 2002. Since then, he has been winless at both Ganassi and Roush until he won the July race at Daytona last year. Winning was a major breakthrough for Jamie, but he's currently 36th in Cup points after 5 races in 2008, and will have to qualify his way in on time in Martinsville. David Ragan will not, being currently in 21st place in points.
It's still very early, and who knows what will happen, but as 2010 comes closer, these drivers have to be wondering about their futures.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Stick to the facts, Jack!
I'm fully aware that this is old news by now, but some of Jack Roush' statements regarding the penalty issued by Nascar after Carl Edwards' win at Las Vegas are just..., well, strange.
He's saying that he will submit his crew people to lie detector tests, if necessary. He's claiming there was no intent to do anything wrong. My question is this: Why do you only secure an oil tank cover with one bolt, if you can lose 100 points for having the cover come off?
Jack Roush used to be engineer at Ford. One bolt? That's secure? Give me a break. If you can save weight, why not run one lug nut per wheel to hold the wheels on? Paint some fake lug nuts on the wheels to fool the Nascar officials.
Instead of heavy welds, why not tape the fenders on the car? Why not glue the engine mounts? Why not make the driver's helmet out of cardboard?
Jack, you, or Bob Osborne got caught cheating. Just take your medicine and shut up, why don't you? Other drivers and crew chiefs get fined all the time. Now you're wiring your tank lids on? Why not just use a few more bolts? Even to a nontechnical person, you sound like the spoiled brat kid caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Take your punishment, and move on.
He's saying that he will submit his crew people to lie detector tests, if necessary. He's claiming there was no intent to do anything wrong. My question is this: Why do you only secure an oil tank cover with one bolt, if you can lose 100 points for having the cover come off?
Jack Roush used to be engineer at Ford. One bolt? That's secure? Give me a break. If you can save weight, why not run one lug nut per wheel to hold the wheels on? Paint some fake lug nuts on the wheels to fool the Nascar officials.
Instead of heavy welds, why not tape the fenders on the car? Why not glue the engine mounts? Why not make the driver's helmet out of cardboard?
Jack, you, or Bob Osborne got caught cheating. Just take your medicine and shut up, why don't you? Other drivers and crew chiefs get fined all the time. Now you're wiring your tank lids on? Why not just use a few more bolts? Even to a nontechnical person, you sound like the spoiled brat kid caught with your hand in the cookie jar. Take your punishment, and move on.
Some thoughts on an off weekend.
I'm actually glad we've got an off weekend here. It's not that I'm getting burned out, or that I don't look forward to the next race, but the Nascar community as a whole really could use the break. As many of you know, I read a lot of message boards. I've seem emotions and tempers run high this past weekend, particularly between Tony Stewart fans and Kevin Harvick fans. Long story short: Kevin was trying to pass Tony late in the Bristol race Sunday. Kevin hooked the apron of the track and got up into Tony. Tony hit the wall.
Kevin apologized. After the race, even Tony apologized. Havoc ensued on Harvick's message board. I found it all very amusing, but it made me think that now is an excellent time to take a break from Nascar.
Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick have been friends for a long time. Tony used to drive cars for KHI in the Busch series. When Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet to Toyota, that pretty much ended that relationship, and now Tony is driving some Nationwide races in a JGR Toyota. That's racing, and that's the business. I doubt seriously that Tony and Kevin are worst enemies by any stretch of the imagination.
Only 1 day after the dust up at Bristol, Kevin appeared on Tony's Sirius radio show to wax Smoke. I don't get Sirius radio, but from reading the accounts online, it was hilarious. Imagine Tony Stewart in a Speedo. I don't even want to, but it's obvious that these two guys are friends, on and off the track, and that the fans just need to grow up a little. If the drivers can let bygones be bygones, why can't the fans?
Operation Wax Smoke began almost a year ago, with the premise that if Harvick fans could raise enough money, or $100,000, Tony would agree to have his back waxed. The fans contributed, and finally Harvick himself wrote the check that put the total over $100,000. Tony lived up to his promise, and he got waxed. The proceeds go to Kyle and Patty Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp, which is a most worthy cause.
I actually read what appeared to be a death threat against Kevin Harvick, on his own message board Sunday evening. What is the average age of these fans? 12? It really makes me wonder.
Some other thoughts: TV ratings are up, for the most part for the Nascar races. What has changed since last year? Toyota winning races? Dale Earnhardt Jr. being competitive again? I have a theory, but I'll let you mull it over before I talk about it.
Will there every be any more big teams in Nascar besides the established few? I'm beginning to wonder. It was sad to see Bill Davis Racing have to close down the 27 team this past week for lack of sponsorship. Doug Yates is having a tough time finding sponsorship as well. DEI is still looking for sponsorship for the 01 car of Regan Smith. What's going to happen to Jeff Burton's team after AT&T is run out of the sport? Will Sprint even last long enough to make that happen? A small team that I've been personally watching is the 08 Dodge owned by John Carter. Burney Lamar has tried to make races, but has either been rained out or has not qualified fast enough to race. I noticed this past week that the 08 was not even on the entry list at Bristol. To me, that's sad.
What's going on with Kyle Petty? Kyle is off to maybe his worst start ever, and there's been talk of swapping the points between the 45 of Kyle and the 43 of Bobby Labonte. I doubt that it will happen, because General Mills, who is the principle sponsor on Bobby's car, probably won't put up with that. There is now talk that Kyle may step out of the car for some races, and they might bring back big brother Terry Labonte, who after all does have a champion's provisional. Bobby and Terry as teammates? Both driving for Petty! Wow, there's a thought.
I've liked some of the new commercials this year so far. Kasey Kahne doing his dance, etc. for Allstate is hilarious. So is the interview with him talking about showing up to do a commercial and having no idea he was going to have to dress up in that suit! Jimmie Johnson's Kobalt Tools commercial is hilarious too. "Jimmie, what are you doing?" "Welding, Chad." That is so funny.
I think one of the basic things we forget about in this new era of Nascar is that the drivers are all human beings. Most of them never really wanted to be as popular as rock stars or movie stars. All they want to do is race, and win races. Shows such as Nascar 360 and others show the drivers in their homes, with their families, or show them hunting or fishing, or playing with their toys off the track. I think these kinds of shows are vital to keep the drivers human, at least to the fans. The drivers make a ton of money, most of them have their own jets, and some of them even fly them. When you get right down to it though, most of them would be happy working on their late model car, getting it ready for the Saturday night fight at the local bullring.
And finally, what's up with the weather this year? California, Atlanta and Bristol have all been touched by the weather woes this year. I absolutely hate it when qualifying is rained out, for any of the series. It just hurts so bad to see a team haul 2 race cars across the country, just to haul them back home, with the cars never even seeing the track, as happened in California. I know it's just the luck of the draw, but that really hurts the small teams.
Here's to sunny, 70 degree temperatures at Martinsville! Oh, and I'll have 2 of those famous hot dogs too, please.
Kevin apologized. After the race, even Tony apologized. Havoc ensued on Harvick's message board. I found it all very amusing, but it made me think that now is an excellent time to take a break from Nascar.
Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick have been friends for a long time. Tony used to drive cars for KHI in the Busch series. When Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet to Toyota, that pretty much ended that relationship, and now Tony is driving some Nationwide races in a JGR Toyota. That's racing, and that's the business. I doubt seriously that Tony and Kevin are worst enemies by any stretch of the imagination.
Only 1 day after the dust up at Bristol, Kevin appeared on Tony's Sirius radio show to wax Smoke. I don't get Sirius radio, but from reading the accounts online, it was hilarious. Imagine Tony Stewart in a Speedo. I don't even want to, but it's obvious that these two guys are friends, on and off the track, and that the fans just need to grow up a little. If the drivers can let bygones be bygones, why can't the fans?
Operation Wax Smoke began almost a year ago, with the premise that if Harvick fans could raise enough money, or $100,000, Tony would agree to have his back waxed. The fans contributed, and finally Harvick himself wrote the check that put the total over $100,000. Tony lived up to his promise, and he got waxed. The proceeds go to Kyle and Patty Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp, which is a most worthy cause.
I actually read what appeared to be a death threat against Kevin Harvick, on his own message board Sunday evening. What is the average age of these fans? 12? It really makes me wonder.
Some other thoughts: TV ratings are up, for the most part for the Nascar races. What has changed since last year? Toyota winning races? Dale Earnhardt Jr. being competitive again? I have a theory, but I'll let you mull it over before I talk about it.
Will there every be any more big teams in Nascar besides the established few? I'm beginning to wonder. It was sad to see Bill Davis Racing have to close down the 27 team this past week for lack of sponsorship. Doug Yates is having a tough time finding sponsorship as well. DEI is still looking for sponsorship for the 01 car of Regan Smith. What's going to happen to Jeff Burton's team after AT&T is run out of the sport? Will Sprint even last long enough to make that happen? A small team that I've been personally watching is the 08 Dodge owned by John Carter. Burney Lamar has tried to make races, but has either been rained out or has not qualified fast enough to race. I noticed this past week that the 08 was not even on the entry list at Bristol. To me, that's sad.
What's going on with Kyle Petty? Kyle is off to maybe his worst start ever, and there's been talk of swapping the points between the 45 of Kyle and the 43 of Bobby Labonte. I doubt that it will happen, because General Mills, who is the principle sponsor on Bobby's car, probably won't put up with that. There is now talk that Kyle may step out of the car for some races, and they might bring back big brother Terry Labonte, who after all does have a champion's provisional. Bobby and Terry as teammates? Both driving for Petty! Wow, there's a thought.
I've liked some of the new commercials this year so far. Kasey Kahne doing his dance, etc. for Allstate is hilarious. So is the interview with him talking about showing up to do a commercial and having no idea he was going to have to dress up in that suit! Jimmie Johnson's Kobalt Tools commercial is hilarious too. "Jimmie, what are you doing?" "Welding, Chad." That is so funny.
I think one of the basic things we forget about in this new era of Nascar is that the drivers are all human beings. Most of them never really wanted to be as popular as rock stars or movie stars. All they want to do is race, and win races. Shows such as Nascar 360 and others show the drivers in their homes, with their families, or show them hunting or fishing, or playing with their toys off the track. I think these kinds of shows are vital to keep the drivers human, at least to the fans. The drivers make a ton of money, most of them have their own jets, and some of them even fly them. When you get right down to it though, most of them would be happy working on their late model car, getting it ready for the Saturday night fight at the local bullring.
And finally, what's up with the weather this year? California, Atlanta and Bristol have all been touched by the weather woes this year. I absolutely hate it when qualifying is rained out, for any of the series. It just hurts so bad to see a team haul 2 race cars across the country, just to haul them back home, with the cars never even seeing the track, as happened in California. I know it's just the luck of the draw, but that really hurts the small teams.
Here's to sunny, 70 degree temperatures at Martinsville! Oh, and I'll have 2 of those famous hot dogs too, please.
Monday, March 17, 2008
A Great Day for Richard Childress
Roll back in time to the middle of March, 2001. Richard Childress was still reeling with the aftermath of losing his best friend and long time driver, Dale Earnhardt. Richard was still struggling with the idea of racing again after the shocking loss of Earnhardt. He had put a new driver in the old 3 car, painted it white, and put the number 29 on it. Kevin Harvick went out and won Atlanta in only his 3rd Winston Cup start. But Richard had to be wondering what his future would be 7 years ago.
Scroll ahead to March 16, 2008, and we see Richard Childress standing triumphantly in Victory Lane with his driver Jeff Burton, who has just won the Bristol race. What's better than standing with your driver in Victory Lane? Knowing that all 3 of your drivers finished the race 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. That has to be a dream come true for any owner in the business.
Congratulations to Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer as well. Bristol is always a great place to get a good finish, and standing with your teammates in the top 3 spots is an awesome achievement. It appears that the DEI/Childress engines are working well, and that has to be pleasing to everyone involved.
Strangely, DEI did not fare as well as the Richard Childress Racing drivers did, but there was one very pleasant surprise. Aric Almirola finished 8th in his very first race in the 8 Army Chevrolet. He was the best finishing DEI driver, and what a birthday present that must have been for the young Almirola.
Once again, Rick Hendrick Motorsports stuggled. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson finished 11th and 18th respectively. Casey Mears had a tough day and finished in 42nd place. By sheer will or brute force, or possibly both, Dale Earnhardt Jr. once again managed another top 5, finishing in 5th place. HMS' newest driver once again finished ahead of his teammates.
There was some talk last night, mostly begun by a caller to Dave Despain's Wind Tunnel show on the Speed channel, that obviously was meant to stir up some controversy. The caller insisted that Hendrick was giving all the "good stuff" to Earnhardt Jr., and that Jeff and Jimmie were taking a fall in order to make Dale Jr. look good. Basically, Jeff in Jimmie are being given inferior equipment in order for Dale Jr. to appear to be a better driver than he actually is. The insinuation once again is that Dale Jr. has no talent, whatsoever, and the only way he's getting decent finishes is either because he cheats, or Nascar and Hendrick give Dale Jr. much better equipment than anyone else.
Such sheer lunacy as this is almost beyond belief, but sadly, there are a lot of fans of Nascar out there who believe that any time their favorite driver loses a race, it's because the drivers that beat him cheated or Nascar gave the infamous 'nod'. Any serious fan who has watched the sport for longer than a couple of years realizes just how ludicrous and idiotic this is.
Nascar is driven by sponsorship. Crew chiefs and sometimes drivers do try to cheat, but in the end they get caught and docked points. Sooner or later, the cheaters get caught. The penalties are stiffer now then they've ever been. Just ask Carl Edwards what happens when the tank comes off of your oil tank. I imagine that Office Depot and other sponsors of Carl Edwards were happy with his win, but probably not very happy with the 100 point penalty.
Sponsors invest money in Nascar for one reason, and one reason only. The want to get people to notice them. It's called advertising. The average sponsor shells out millions and millions of dollars every year to have their names plastered across the hoods or quarter panels of the race cars. If Nascar were to attempt to throw a race, it would be impossible. Other drivers and teams will not simply lay down to let a competitor win. Sponsors would riot. They would also leave the sport. People would also talk. The only place I ever hear talk of Nascar throwing a race is from the most predictable place: The fans.
Consider the sponsorships involved at Hendrick Motorsports. Do you really think it's possible that DuPont and Lowes would idly stand by while Rick Hendrick gave all the good equipment to Dale Jr.? There is absolutely no way, I repeat no way, that anything of the sort would ever happen. Racing is a business, and sponsors drive this business. When a driver is having a bad season, the sponsor starts getting nervous. They start asking themselves if their money is being well spent, or should the go find another car to sponsor? Or, should they just forget putting their money in to racing at all?
There is too much at stake for Rick Hendrick here. He cannot afford to throw 2 teams with 6 championships between them under the bus. Rick did not get to where he is by being stupid. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s drive and determination to win are very easy to see. He's got the longest drought going for winning points races among the 4 HMS drivers. He wants to win, and he wants to win badly. He's already won the Bud Shootout, and his Daytona qualifying race, but they were non-points events.
For some fans, the truth could be stranger than the fiction they've been dreaming up. It's possible that Dale Jr. is actually a good driver, with a ton of motivation, backed up by a competent crew chief and a good team. I know that is the last possibly theory that the Dale Jr. haters will accept, but sometimes, you've just got to take the blinders off and look at the truth.
Congratulations to Richard Childress. Yesterday was a long time coming, but you deserve it. You've got some great drivers, and yesterday, you put them in the cars that were the best when it counted. My hat's off to you, RC.
Scroll ahead to March 16, 2008, and we see Richard Childress standing triumphantly in Victory Lane with his driver Jeff Burton, who has just won the Bristol race. What's better than standing with your driver in Victory Lane? Knowing that all 3 of your drivers finished the race 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. That has to be a dream come true for any owner in the business.
Congratulations to Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer as well. Bristol is always a great place to get a good finish, and standing with your teammates in the top 3 spots is an awesome achievement. It appears that the DEI/Childress engines are working well, and that has to be pleasing to everyone involved.
Strangely, DEI did not fare as well as the Richard Childress Racing drivers did, but there was one very pleasant surprise. Aric Almirola finished 8th in his very first race in the 8 Army Chevrolet. He was the best finishing DEI driver, and what a birthday present that must have been for the young Almirola.
Once again, Rick Hendrick Motorsports stuggled. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson finished 11th and 18th respectively. Casey Mears had a tough day and finished in 42nd place. By sheer will or brute force, or possibly both, Dale Earnhardt Jr. once again managed another top 5, finishing in 5th place. HMS' newest driver once again finished ahead of his teammates.
There was some talk last night, mostly begun by a caller to Dave Despain's Wind Tunnel show on the Speed channel, that obviously was meant to stir up some controversy. The caller insisted that Hendrick was giving all the "good stuff" to Earnhardt Jr., and that Jeff and Jimmie were taking a fall in order to make Dale Jr. look good. Basically, Jeff in Jimmie are being given inferior equipment in order for Dale Jr. to appear to be a better driver than he actually is. The insinuation once again is that Dale Jr. has no talent, whatsoever, and the only way he's getting decent finishes is either because he cheats, or Nascar and Hendrick give Dale Jr. much better equipment than anyone else.
Such sheer lunacy as this is almost beyond belief, but sadly, there are a lot of fans of Nascar out there who believe that any time their favorite driver loses a race, it's because the drivers that beat him cheated or Nascar gave the infamous 'nod'. Any serious fan who has watched the sport for longer than a couple of years realizes just how ludicrous and idiotic this is.
Nascar is driven by sponsorship. Crew chiefs and sometimes drivers do try to cheat, but in the end they get caught and docked points. Sooner or later, the cheaters get caught. The penalties are stiffer now then they've ever been. Just ask Carl Edwards what happens when the tank comes off of your oil tank. I imagine that Office Depot and other sponsors of Carl Edwards were happy with his win, but probably not very happy with the 100 point penalty.
Sponsors invest money in Nascar for one reason, and one reason only. The want to get people to notice them. It's called advertising. The average sponsor shells out millions and millions of dollars every year to have their names plastered across the hoods or quarter panels of the race cars. If Nascar were to attempt to throw a race, it would be impossible. Other drivers and teams will not simply lay down to let a competitor win. Sponsors would riot. They would also leave the sport. People would also talk. The only place I ever hear talk of Nascar throwing a race is from the most predictable place: The fans.
Consider the sponsorships involved at Hendrick Motorsports. Do you really think it's possible that DuPont and Lowes would idly stand by while Rick Hendrick gave all the good equipment to Dale Jr.? There is absolutely no way, I repeat no way, that anything of the sort would ever happen. Racing is a business, and sponsors drive this business. When a driver is having a bad season, the sponsor starts getting nervous. They start asking themselves if their money is being well spent, or should the go find another car to sponsor? Or, should they just forget putting their money in to racing at all?
There is too much at stake for Rick Hendrick here. He cannot afford to throw 2 teams with 6 championships between them under the bus. Rick did not get to where he is by being stupid. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s drive and determination to win are very easy to see. He's got the longest drought going for winning points races among the 4 HMS drivers. He wants to win, and he wants to win badly. He's already won the Bud Shootout, and his Daytona qualifying race, but they were non-points events.
For some fans, the truth could be stranger than the fiction they've been dreaming up. It's possible that Dale Jr. is actually a good driver, with a ton of motivation, backed up by a competent crew chief and a good team. I know that is the last possibly theory that the Dale Jr. haters will accept, but sometimes, you've just got to take the blinders off and look at the truth.
Congratulations to Richard Childress. Yesterday was a long time coming, but you deserve it. You've got some great drivers, and yesterday, you put them in the cars that were the best when it counted. My hat's off to you, RC.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
To Err on the Side of Safety
"To err is human, to forgive, divine." - Alexander Pope.
If there is one new catch phrase in Nascar this week, it is the "Goodyear decided to err on the side of safety." I've heard this phrase about a dozen times at least since Friday, and I imagine we'll hear it a few more times at least today. This phrase has been used in conjunction with Goodyear's decision to bring the tire that they brought to Atlanta.
As has been mentioned, ad nauseum, Tony Stewart led the charge of criticism against Goodyear for last week's choice of tire. The tires had no grip, and according to Jeff Gordon, there was not one single lap he drove where the car felt comfortable. It was truly white knuckles driving all day, according to Jeff.
Racing is supposed to be exciting, not just for the fans, but for the drivers as well, isn't it? Well, there's exciting, and then there's exciting and equally frustrating.
As long as race cars have run around tracks, tires have been a major consideration. Some tires are more suited to a particular track than others. Since the dawn of racing, tires have blown out, lost grip, simply lost air, or just completely exploded. That is always an issue with any tire, whether on a race car or not.
It was just about unanimous among the talking heads this week: The tires that had no grip whatsoever made the drivers safer. I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm buying this theory. First of all, sliding around the track with very little control just plain sounds dangerous to me. Drivers were hitting the walls, wrecking cars. Many of the drivers complained that the tires were so hard, they felt very much like they were driving on ice. That's supposed to be safe?
Softer tires with more grip would have allowed the drivers to at least control the sliding, and give them at least an illusion of being in control. Tires with more grip would have worn out faster, but very few drivers get to stock car racing's most elite series without being able to tell when his tires are about to go away. Accidents do happen, and sometimes a tire blows without much warning, such as what happens when a tire runs over an errant piece of metal or other debris on the track. The result is usually a spin, and sometimes a crash into a wall or another car.
On these 'safe' tires, much the same thing was happening. Drivers simply couldn't control the cars going into the corners at Atlanta. Cars got wrecked. The end result comes out the same: Cars got wrecked.
To err on the side of safety is surely a noble goal, but I think many of the drivers would rather have a tire that wears out than one that's just about impossible to race with. I'm just not seeing where skating around on the automotive equivalent of ice skates is safer than just giving them tires that actually gripped the track a little better. Wrecks are going to happen in racing. That's just a fact. Why put the race in the tire maker's hands instead of the race driver's?
If there is one new catch phrase in Nascar this week, it is the "Goodyear decided to err on the side of safety." I've heard this phrase about a dozen times at least since Friday, and I imagine we'll hear it a few more times at least today. This phrase has been used in conjunction with Goodyear's decision to bring the tire that they brought to Atlanta.
As has been mentioned, ad nauseum, Tony Stewart led the charge of criticism against Goodyear for last week's choice of tire. The tires had no grip, and according to Jeff Gordon, there was not one single lap he drove where the car felt comfortable. It was truly white knuckles driving all day, according to Jeff.
Racing is supposed to be exciting, not just for the fans, but for the drivers as well, isn't it? Well, there's exciting, and then there's exciting and equally frustrating.
As long as race cars have run around tracks, tires have been a major consideration. Some tires are more suited to a particular track than others. Since the dawn of racing, tires have blown out, lost grip, simply lost air, or just completely exploded. That is always an issue with any tire, whether on a race car or not.
It was just about unanimous among the talking heads this week: The tires that had no grip whatsoever made the drivers safer. I have to admit, I'm not sure I'm buying this theory. First of all, sliding around the track with very little control just plain sounds dangerous to me. Drivers were hitting the walls, wrecking cars. Many of the drivers complained that the tires were so hard, they felt very much like they were driving on ice. That's supposed to be safe?
Softer tires with more grip would have allowed the drivers to at least control the sliding, and give them at least an illusion of being in control. Tires with more grip would have worn out faster, but very few drivers get to stock car racing's most elite series without being able to tell when his tires are about to go away. Accidents do happen, and sometimes a tire blows without much warning, such as what happens when a tire runs over an errant piece of metal or other debris on the track. The result is usually a spin, and sometimes a crash into a wall or another car.
On these 'safe' tires, much the same thing was happening. Drivers simply couldn't control the cars going into the corners at Atlanta. Cars got wrecked. The end result comes out the same: Cars got wrecked.
To err on the side of safety is surely a noble goal, but I think many of the drivers would rather have a tire that wears out than one that's just about impossible to race with. I'm just not seeing where skating around on the automotive equivalent of ice skates is safer than just giving them tires that actually gripped the track a little better. Wrecks are going to happen in racing. That's just a fact. Why put the race in the tire maker's hands instead of the race driver's?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
So,What's up with the Tires?
As pretty much anyone knows who watches Nascar racing, Tony Stewart has been very vocal over the last couple of weeks about his extreme displeasure with the tires on his race car. He said that the tires on his car last Sunday at Atlanta were the worst in his career. That's saying something. Tony has driven pretty much every kind of race car there is, and has won doing it. When Tony's upset with the tires, Nascar and Goodyear should listen.
Tony wasn't the only one upset with the tires. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon also expressed their disappointment in the tires. Goodyear seemed not to be impressed.
Goodyear's answer to the accusations made by the various drivers, was, basically, "So What? We did the best we could!"
Strangely enough, I actually feel for Goodyear. They are caught between a rock, and a, well, hard tire. Tires are alway a concern for the Nascar teams, and there is a very important reason why.
The racing tires provide a relatively tiny 4 patches of contact between the hugely expensive race cars and the surface of the race track. A team that builds a race car can make an engine that produces enormous amounts of horse power and torque, but none of that matters if the car is sliding all over the track. You can have the best engine in the field, but you won't win a race if you can't put all that horse power and torque to use where it matters. If you can't make the wheels spin faster, and put your car ahead of the other guy, none of that great technology under the hood or anywhere else on the car really matters. It's all about where the rubber meets the pavement.
One of the problems that Stewart and others had was supposedly Goodyear brought a different tire to the track than the tire the teams tested with. There seems to be some confusion on this issue. If, indeed, Goodyear did bring a different tire than the teams tested, then the drivers have every right to be extremely upset. Their cars were built around those tires, and then they have to put on something totally different? If so, bad show, Goodyear. I've read stories that told it both ways, so I really don't know the true story.
Would it be better to let the teams find their own tires to race with? That has been tried before. Back in the early 1990's Hoosier and Goodyear had a bit of a war. Some teams took one tire, and other teams took others. The final straw that ended the war was when Neil Bonnett crashed in turn 4 practicing for the Daytona 500 in 1994. Bonnett was running Hoosier tires. Most folks blame the tires for the crash. In truth, we'll probably never know. All we know for sure is that Neil Bonnett lost his life in that accident.
In truth, I don't want to see another tire war. I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if the teams researched and bought their own tires to run in the races though. I'm a firm believer in capitalism and the free market anyway. I say let the tire makers compete for the teams' business. It would be cheaper, and eventually much safer in the long run. The present dictatorship that Nascar and Goodyear holds right now seems rather ridiculous anyway, since basically the cars are now all the same. Give the teams some creativity and let them use whatever tires they want to. Let Goodyear, Hoosier, Firestone, and what ever tire company get into the business of making racing tires. I bet a lot of innovations will be found, and though I sincerely hope that Neil Bonnett didn't lose his life testing inferior tires, I feel that competition is always a good thing in racing, and in business.
Tony wasn't the only one upset with the tires. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon also expressed their disappointment in the tires. Goodyear seemed not to be impressed.
Goodyear's answer to the accusations made by the various drivers, was, basically, "So What? We did the best we could!"
Strangely enough, I actually feel for Goodyear. They are caught between a rock, and a, well, hard tire. Tires are alway a concern for the Nascar teams, and there is a very important reason why.
The racing tires provide a relatively tiny 4 patches of contact between the hugely expensive race cars and the surface of the race track. A team that builds a race car can make an engine that produces enormous amounts of horse power and torque, but none of that matters if the car is sliding all over the track. You can have the best engine in the field, but you won't win a race if you can't put all that horse power and torque to use where it matters. If you can't make the wheels spin faster, and put your car ahead of the other guy, none of that great technology under the hood or anywhere else on the car really matters. It's all about where the rubber meets the pavement.
One of the problems that Stewart and others had was supposedly Goodyear brought a different tire to the track than the tire the teams tested with. There seems to be some confusion on this issue. If, indeed, Goodyear did bring a different tire than the teams tested, then the drivers have every right to be extremely upset. Their cars were built around those tires, and then they have to put on something totally different? If so, bad show, Goodyear. I've read stories that told it both ways, so I really don't know the true story.
Would it be better to let the teams find their own tires to race with? That has been tried before. Back in the early 1990's Hoosier and Goodyear had a bit of a war. Some teams took one tire, and other teams took others. The final straw that ended the war was when Neil Bonnett crashed in turn 4 practicing for the Daytona 500 in 1994. Bonnett was running Hoosier tires. Most folks blame the tires for the crash. In truth, we'll probably never know. All we know for sure is that Neil Bonnett lost his life in that accident.
In truth, I don't want to see another tire war. I think it would be interesting to see what would happen if the teams researched and bought their own tires to run in the races though. I'm a firm believer in capitalism and the free market anyway. I say let the tire makers compete for the teams' business. It would be cheaper, and eventually much safer in the long run. The present dictatorship that Nascar and Goodyear holds right now seems rather ridiculous anyway, since basically the cars are now all the same. Give the teams some creativity and let them use whatever tires they want to. Let Goodyear, Hoosier, Firestone, and what ever tire company get into the business of making racing tires. I bet a lot of innovations will be found, and though I sincerely hope that Neil Bonnett didn't lose his life testing inferior tires, I feel that competition is always a good thing in racing, and in business.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
So Long, Dale Jarrett
Sunday, we will say "So Long" to a driver that has been driving since before many of us even began watching Nascar. His last race, as was his first, is at Bristol. It's a very fitting place to end a legendary career. I'm speaking of course about Dale Jarrett, or DJ as he is often called.
Dale came into the sport with a racing pedigree. His father is Ned Jarrett, a 2 time Grand National champion, which is what today's Sprint Cup was way back in the day, before Winston came along. Dale is a champion as well, winning the Winston Cup in 1999. Ned and Dale are one of those extremely rare father and son combinations that can claim the highest award in Nascar's most elite series. As a matter of fact, the only other such father/son combination to do so is Lee and Richard Petty.
DJ has won the Daytona 500 3 times in his career. He has 32 total wins in the Cup series, as well as 11 wins in the Busch series and even has 2 IROC wins to his credit. Sunday will mark his 668th and final start in the Cup series. Dale will then follow his father again in a new career: Broadcasting.
Dale has already called some races for ESPN, and has done an extraordinary job so far. So well, in fact, that he has replaced former driver Rusty Wallace in the booth for the Nationwide races this year. I like Rusty, but in my humble opinion, Dale Jarrett is a vast improvement.
Dale has long had a reputation among his fellow drivers as a clean driver. In his career, he has seldom charged to the front early in a race and fought off the challengers. Dale's style has usually been to hang back around the back of the pack, and let the others do the wrecking. When the time is right, he's still got a strong car and is ready for his push to the front. As was seen at Atlanta last week, he may be on the verge of retiring, but he's not afraid to fight to protect his track position. On the white flag lap at Atlanta last week, Dale tried gamely to fight off being lapped by Kyle Busch. This 'old man' has still got a lot of fight left in him.
Dale did not even have to be a racer to make a living. He is and was a great golfer, and before he got behind the wheel, he actually considered a career in the PGA. I imagine he would have been a champion there, if he had pursued professional golf.
Dale has always been a tenacious racer, but he's also always been known as a gentleman. For those of us who were watching Nascar at the time, I doubt any of us will forget his dad calling him home to the checkered flag in the 1993 Daytona 500. Ned was in the booth, and his son won racing's greatest race. What a moment that was. A lot of people actually thought that Ned was acting as his son's spotter during the last lap of that race. In truth, Dale couldn't hear his dad, but he had learned so much from Ned that he did virtually everything that his proud poppa was saying he should do. That was one of my favorite moments in Nascar history.
Dale has always been a gentleman doing interviews, but he has never been afraid to express his opinion. Even right before his last race, he has been critical of the Goodyear tires used at the Atlanta race. Jumping on the bandwagon of Stewart, Earnhardt Jr., etc.? Not at all. Dale didn't think the tire worked well, so when asked about the issue, he expressed his honest opinion.
Dale Jarrett has won in both Ford and Chevrolet, but the bulk of his wins were with Robert Yates Racing. First in the famed 28 Texaco/Havoline Ford, and then later in the Quality Care/ Ford Credit #88. Finally he won several races in the 88 UPS Ford. DJ has also won in the 21 Wood Brothers Ford, which was actually his first win, and in the 18 Joe Gibbs Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, one of which was his first Daytona 500 win.
Dale Jarrett, I want to congratulate you on your fantastic driving career. You are a true winner and champion. I'm looking forward to hearing you in the booth at ESPN and ABC this year, and far into the future. Your dad was a favorite of mine as a broadcaster, and you, no doubt, will be too.
As a matter of fact, you already are a favorite of mine, DJ. Go with God on Sunday, Dale. I will be pulling for you.
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