Can Kyle Petty dig himself out of the hole?

Kyle Petty, who drives the 45 Wells Fargo Dodge has a new crew chief, Stewart Cooper, formerly of the 38 Ford team. Billy Wilburn, Kyle's former crew chief will now head up the test team for Petty Enterprises.

Bandages keep being applied, but will the bleeding stop? Last week, Kyle Petty stepped aside for Craftsman Truck series regular Chad McCumbee to step into the 45 and try to qualify for the race at Texas. Chad wasn't any more successful at Texas at getting the 45 Dodge into the race than Kyle Petty was at Martinsville.

Changing crew chiefs during a season is always a risky task, but it would appear that Kyle Petty has little to lose at this point. So far, Kyle is on the entry list for Phoenix, and with his new crew chief, who knows? Miracles can happen, and frequently do in Nascar.

As far as I have been able to determine, Chad McCumbee will return later in the season when Kyle steps aside to perform his TNT broadcast duties. Regardless of whether he qualified or not at Texas, Chad got some very valuable time behind the wheel of a Nascar Sprint Cup car. Chad practiced and attempted to qualify the car, but as it turned out, the car didn't perform any etter for Chad than it has for Kyle.

The pressures for any Nascar team is tremendous. Not only do they have to qualify, they have to perform on the track in order to keep and attract sponsors. In a lot of cases the driver is crucial to team performance, but he or she is only one cog in the wheel. The team has to perform well, both in the shop and in the garage to prepare the car for competition. The engine tuner has to adjust the engine to it's maximum performance, riding a razor's edge between maximum horsepower and torque and destruction of the engine itself. The crew chief is a crucial cog, as he or she makes all the important decisions as to how the car itself is set up. Too much wedge or too little? Harder springs or softer? Tire pressures.... what about tire pressures? Tire pressure in today's Nascar can make the difference between a winning car and a losing car. It can also make the difference between a car that makes the race and a car that goes home. A car that goes home means a team goes home. Money is lost, and the pressure just builds more for the next race.

While I'm not a huge fan of the new Cup car, it does provide some interesting challenges for the drivers and the teams. Jeff Gordon had an absolutely awful day at Texas, with a very ill handling car causing an early crash. Jeff basically said after the race that he's never driven anything quite that bad, and this is the guy who's won 4 Cup championships and 81 Cup races. That's saying something. When Jeff Gordon has this many problems during a race weekend, what do smaller teams experience? In some cases, such as Kyle Petty's team, they experience grief.

A lot of other small teams know the feeling. John Carter's 08 team has not made a race yet this year. How much longer the small teams can stay competitive is a question I'm not willing to speculate upon, because the stakes for all of these people are just too high to contemplate.

Nascar's new car was supposed to make racing more equal, and in a way it has. The new car has basically made racing more equal among the big teams, but has left many of the smaller teams out in the cold. I don't see this as a solution, but just an added problem to teams like Petty.

Just a few thoughts after Texas

Looking ahead toward Phoenix. I notice that the Gene Haas organization has kicked Jeremy Mayfield out of the 70 Chevrolet, in order to bring back Johnny Sauter. I'm thinking that Mayfield probably deserved more of a chance, but that's just me. Jeremy has actually been to Victory Lane in the Cup series, not lately, but he's been there.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't get a top 10 finish this week, but after finishing 12th at the Samsung 500 at Texas, Jr. remains in 4th place in points. Jeff Gordon had a terrible weekend, spinning early and basically using the rest of the race as a test session. Jeff's day didn't get any better, even after trying a lot of different setups. When a 4 time champion and 81 race winner is having problems getting a handle on the new car, I take notice. Something is happening here, and whatever it is, it's not very pretty. Jimmie Johnson finally got a good finish with 2nd place in the race, but only Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson are in the top 12 in points after last weeks race for Rick Hendrick Motorsports.

Petty's situation seems to be up in the air still, but at least the rumors have subsided a little. I think Petty is playing to keep Bobby Labonte as the driver in the 43 for not just 2009, but the rest of his driving career. Kyle Petty's name is on the entry list for Phoenix, so I assume that unless some last changes are made, Chad McCumbee is out of the 45 for now. I wish Kyle luck.

2008 bodes not so well for great racing so far. The new car just doesn't seem to competitive, at least in some teams' hands at some track. Better competition has not been a goal that Nascar has realized so far with the new car. So far, Nascar doesn't seem very inclined to change the rules to allow the car to be more competitive. So much for racing, but I guess this is just part of the politics of Nascar.

Was that a boring race at Texas or was that just Me?

I watched virtually every moment of the Samsung 500 from Texas Motor Speedway today, and I yawned a few times. I got an average night's sleep last night. I wasn't particularly tired. I was actually pretty jacked up about watching the race.

But I yawned a few times.

Edwards and Busch leading by 6 seconds makes for a little bit of a .... excuse me, yawning again... boring race.

Congratulations to Carl Edwards for winning yet another race, and this time his oil tank cover was on tight! I enjoy the back flips, but that was one boring race.

Nascar, in creating the car of tomorrow, has the created the car of boredom. The car just won't handle. The drivers hate driving it, for the most part. Kyle Busch won the first COT race last year at Bristol. When asked about the car? "It sucks." Kyle informed us.

Maybe Nascar needs to pay attention to comments such as those. The new car does indeed "suck", as Kyle so eloquently puts it. The drivers don't like them, and they don't handle very well.

Nascar seems to want to play with and tweak the system on a yearly basis. First the Chase, then the Lucky Dog, or the free pass, if you prefer, now the Car of Today, which used to be the Car of Tomorrow. Most of this began when Brian France, the grandson of Bill France Sr., took the reigns of this nations second most popular sport. Brian, the free pass is probably a good idea, if not very fair. I don't like 40 something cars coming at a sitting duck stalled sideways in the backstretch of any track any more than, well, the duck for instance. The Chase? keep tweaking, you're not there yet. The COT? to use Kyle Busch's words, "It sucks."

Take the fenders off these cars if you want to really get people's attention. Put supercharged I-4 engines in the car if you want to make a statement. Why not? Mr. France, with all due respect, you've already made a lot of old time Nascar fans pretty mad.

Mr. France? Quit tampering with a product that your grandfather and your father made great. You've had about 1 good idea out of every 10, that I can see. Just leave the sport alone, and the fans will flock to it.

I would like to add to this post, if I may. Under the Brian France administration, safety has increased exponentially in Nascar. My hat is definitely off to Mr. France for making the sport safer. The Hans device, and safer barriers have made the sport much safer, and I salute Brian France for making sure that these rules are in place now.

One has to wonder though. If Hans devices had been mandated by Nascar in 2000, or even 1999, would Kenny Irwin still be with us? Would Adam Petty? Would Dale Earnhardt be sitting on top of a DEI pit box? I guess we'll never know, but the newest France administration in Nascar has stressed safety, over all else. I applaud Mr. France for that.

What makes a Nascar fan?

Fans of any sport are as diverse as is the world itself. On another site, I recently conducted a poll, and the responses were fascinating.

From casual watchers of races to folks that eat, breathe, and dream Nascar, the spectrum is full. Allen B. from Pennsylvania says he reads the TV schedule, so he will know when to tune in for the races. He doesn't watch Speed Channel, or any of the pre race shows. Allen just loves to watch the races. He rarely reads the racing news sites between races. Allen's favorite driver is Matt Kenseth, but years ago he was a Davey Allison fan.

Susan L. of Wyoming is a stay at home mom of 4. She reads all the sites, watches all the shows, and participates on about 5 message boards. Susan has downloaded over 4000 pictures of drivers, cars, and other racing related stuff. She collects diecasts, shirts, hats, and even a helmet or two. Her husband could not care less about racing, he prefers football. On Sundays, she and usually 2 of her kids are in her bedroom, cheering on their favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, while her husband watches a game in the living room. Susan says she didn't become a fan until 2000, when she was having a difficult pregnancy which meant she basically could do little for a couple of months but lie around and watch TV. She started watching races just for something to do. "After about 4 races, I was hooked" Susan said. She brought home her youngest daughter from the hospital wrapped in a Jeff Gordon blanket. "My husband says I'm a total fanatic, and it's true. I just can't get enough Nascar now. In the off season, I watch tapes of races that I've taped over the years, just to get by."

Jason W. of Alabama goes to as many races as he can. He's been to Talladega 12 times, Atlanta 10 times, and Darlington 6 times. He's been to Daytona once, and plans on going again in 2009. This year, Jason and his buddies are planning a road trip to Indianapolis. "I've always wanted to go to Indy" Jason says. "I always watch the Indy 500 on TV, but I'd rather see the Brickyard 400." Jason says he scans the Nascar headlines pretty much every day. He likes going to the races with his friends, who are all recovering alcoholics. "I've been in the infield at Dega quite a few times, and it's kinda scary, but it's funny. Sometimes me and my buddies are the only sober people within about a mile." Jason is a part time youth pastor, and says he never goes to the track without his Bible. "I've probably saved a few souls over the years at the race track," Jason explains. "It's just a part of my faith. I don't preach to anyone, but sometimes people are looking for help, even at the track. I'm there." Jason's favorite driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr. "I was a fan of his dad, until he died, and now I'm a Junior fan. He's the real deal, and I'm proud to be a Dale Jr. fan."

Carrie N. is in the US Army, and stationed in Europe. She doesn't get to watch all the races, but says she watches as many as she can. In the evenings, she logs onto her laptop and checks out all the racing sites and many message boards. Her husband is also stationed overseas, and Carrie says he got her watching Nascar in 2001. "My husband, who is a Master Sergeant, cried the only tears I've ever seen him cry the day Dale Earnhardt died. I was shocked, and I didn't know what could possibly hurt him so badly. I started watching the races, and now I understand" Carrie told me. "The emotions run deep with the drivers as well as the fans." Carrie is a Kevin Harvick fan. Her husband is a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan. "We pull for each other's drivers, it's all really friendly" Carrie says. "Sometimes we'll bet each other a dollar on who finishes better."

Jill H. is a college student in Oregon. She's been watching Nascar for only a couple of years, and has never been to a race. "I hope to get down to Cali sometime and see a race there. Either that or Vegas" she said. "I post on a couple of boards, and read Jayski every day. I can't believe I never knew about Nascar until I got into college. A lot of my friends kept talking about it, so I watched a race, and I was hooked." Jill's favorite driver is Kasey Kahne, but she's got a soft spot in her heart for Kyle Busch. "He's just so misunderstood. I think he's a good guy, but he just rubs people the wrong way."

Zack R. lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He says he does construction work, and every year for the last 4 years, he's saved up his money and his vacation time to make the trip to Chicago for the Nascar race. "This is my vacation every year. This is when I let my hair down and party a little. It's just a way to decompress. I love racing, and watch all the races when I can. One day, I'd like to go to Indianapolis for the Brickyard," Zack tells us. He reads ESPN and Nascar's site every day, and Jayski a couple of times a day, before he goes to work and when he gets home. His favorite driver is Tony Stewart. "Tony's just real. He's a hard charging race car driver, and I like his style."

Annette was born and lived in Kenya until she was 6, and then her parents migrated to New Jersey. Annette is not her birth name, but her Americanized name. She didn't learn to speak English until she was about 7. Annette now lives in California. "I have been to every single race at Fontana," she says. "I don't know how I got into racing, but it's an important part of my life now." Annette follows all the races, and reads all the news. "I'm a mother of 4, and a grandmother of 11, and every single one of my children and grandchildren hear more than they want to about Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr." Annette tells me. "Two of my children are Nascar fans, and about half of my grandchildren are as well. People turn their heads when they see an old black woman wearing her Dale Earnhardt Jr. jacket and hat. This year, I took one of my sons and 4 of my grandchildren to Fontana for the race. The rain was terrible, but we stayed and saw the entire race. I was not happy about Dale getting wrecked, but we all had a wonderful time."

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Jimmy C. lives in South Carolina. He watches all the races, and is a Dale Jr. fan. He writes a blog. He reads all the sites every day, and goes to as many races as he can, which isn't nearly enough. He lives with 3 cats, who frequently drive him crazy, but he loves them all the same.

Jimmy C can be reached at jimcinsc@gmail.com

Dreaming of pointy toed boots and ten gallon hats

This week the Nascar circus moves on out to Fort Worth, Texas. Good old beef barbeque and Lone Star beer. Texas has seen some very exciting races over the years, and Sunday's race promises no less than in the past.

Texas is a special place, for a lot of people. One Nascar Sprint Cup driver that will always have a special place in his heart for the Great State of Texas is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Texas Motor Speedway is the track where Dale Jr. finally hit the big time, first in the Busch series and then in the Winston Cup series. Texas is the site of Dale Jr.'s first wins in both series.

Junior hasn't won at Texas since 2000, but he's got to be taken into consideration. Anyone who has won any race there must know their way around the track. Jeff Burton won the very first race there in 1997. Matt Kenseth has won there. Greg Biffle has won there. Ryan Newman has won there, as have Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Elliot Sadler, and Carl Edwards.

Jeff Burton won again at Texas in the spring race last year. The only driver ever to win driving Hendrick equipment is Jimmie Johnson, who won in November last year. Will this be the race that a Hendrick team finally breaks through and wins in 2008? Interestingly enough, this is one of the few tracks at which Jeff Gordon has never won a race.

This weekend provides the promise for a full load of Nascar fun. We've got Trucks, we've got cars, we'll have triple duty drivers, we'll have double duty drivers. Can anyone finally complete the 3 race sweep this time?

Texas would be a great place to do it.

What do the recent changes mean for Petty Enterprises?

This has to be a week where the lights are on late at night at Petty Enterprises' new shop in Mooresville, NC. First came the possible addition of a business partner that will change the way that the Pettys have always done business. Now we find that Kyle will step out of the 45 car for Sunday's race at Texas in favor of Chad McCumbee. Today we find out that the Petty operation has suffered an even bigger blow, the loss of General Mills as a sponsor to the 43 car, and the possibility that Bobby Labonte might be leaving the team after 2008.

Medallion Financial Group, who makes it's bread and butter business model financing medallions for taxi's, and making business loans, has confirmed that the company might partner with Petty Enterprises to build a hopefully winning racing team and a lucrative business. It's not a secret that Petty has been struggling to keep up with the mega teams over the last few years. With and influx of cash, it's possible that Petty Enterprises might become a winning racing operation again. Unfortunately, within a day or two of that announcement, we find out that General Mills, a long time sponsor for Petty, is leaving after 2008 in order to sponsor a new team for Richard Childress Racing.

Add to the mix the failure of Kyle Petty to qualify for the Martinsville race last week, and times appear to be changing for the Pettys. Throw in the possibility that Bobby Labonte may leave PE for Childress or another team, and this could spell disaster for the organization in Nascar with the most wins ever.

I don't doubt that the 43 team will be able to find sponsorship for 2009, no matter who's in the car. Having a champion in the car would help though. Just having the name Petty attached to the race car is not a sure bet for sponsorship. The 45 Dodge of Kyle Petty has had to really scramble over the last few years to keep the car sponsored for a full season. The 43 has the Petty fame behind it, but can it last forever?

A lot of fans today don't remember watching Richard Petty race, especially back when he was winning every other race every week. Unfortunately, the same is also true of prospective sponsors. The influx of cash that a possible business partner will surely help, at least in the short term, but how long can Petty Enterprises survive?

PE runs a two car team, and has for several years. Another legendary Nascar team, the Wood Brothers, has for most of it's existence run a 1 car team. 20 years ago, 1 and 2 car teams won a lot of races and championships, but that day is long gone now. It's becoming increasingly rare for a team without the fully allotted 4 cars to win races anymore. I think that's a shame, but that's another column. Facts being what they are, I would hate to see a team with all the tradition of Petty Enterprises fall to the status of "strokers." Backing the the 1970's, a "stroker" was a car that never really had a chance of winning. They just filled the field. Ask Richard Childress what a stroker was. He can tell you, because he was one practically his entire driving career.

The Wood Brothers have already fared worse. With generally only one entry per week, they have already missed a lot of races this season. They keep bringing in drivers like Bill Elliot, who has been trying to retire for years, just to make races. To a fan who watched David Pearson win a lot of races in the famed 21 car, as well as Neil Bonnett, and yes, even Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett, the demise of the Wood Brothers over recent years has been not pleasant for me to watch.

I hope we see the Petty operation survive. We need all the tradition we can, because basically that's what Nascar has always been: Tradition. Traditions have been falling by the wayside like clear cut lumber over the last few years, so that makes it even more important to keep true traditions like Petty Enterprises around and involved in Nascar.

Bobby Labonte to RCR in 2009?

Right now it's a rumor, but apparently a strong one. General Mills, long time sponsor of the 43 Petty Dodge announced it's new affiliation with Richard Childress Racing beginning in 2009. Bobby Labonte has long been rumored to be moving with the sponsor, but that has not been confirmed. Yahoo and ESPN are basically saying it's a done deal, but RCR says that the driver for the 33 General Mills Chevy will be named at a later date.

I would not make any assumptions until Richard Childress makes it official. Scott Wimmer, who runs for RCR in the Nationwide series, and now has a win for RCR in that series, has long been rumored to be headed for the 4th RCR Cup team. Whether that's the plan that Richard Childress has in mind, I don't know. On the face of it, it would make sense to announce the sponsor change so early in the season if the driver was one that was not already under contract until the end of 2008 with another team.

Bobby Labonte brings some obvious pluses to the table as well. He's won quite a few races, and is the 2000 Winston Cup champion, so he will have provisionals to use if need be. Bobby also has a relationship with Richard Childress, having been driving Busch and Nationwide races for RCR for a couple of years now. Bobby Labonte makes sense in a 4th Childress ride.

One question that arose when I read today's news about the sponsorship change was this: Jeff Burton's 31 RCR Chevrolet currently has AT&T as a sponsor through the end of the year. If Sprint is still the series sponsor in 2008, that's going to be a problem once again, just as it was last year. There is going to have to be a new sponsor for the 31 car if Sprint is still the series sponsor, or we will get to see another ugly court case between AT&T, Nascar and Sprint for the right to use the logo on the car and team uniforms.

We know that General Mills will be with the 33 car next year, but remember, there's nothing official about the driver yet, no matter what Yahoo says.