Bid Early, Bid Often!

There's only 3 days left in this installment of the TireDawg (aka Garz Karz) Victory Junction Gang Camp charity diecast auction. Remember folks, this is a one of a kind, hand painted diecast, done in exquisite detail. Whether you're a collector or not, this is all for a very worthy cause, and I hope you'll give with your heart. All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Victory Junction Gang Camp, where the money will be put to very good use.

TireDawg has been making custom diecast for a long time, mostly for profit, but he will be turning out approximately one custom per month for auction, and he will make sure the proceeds go to the VJGC. Please remember that this is for a great cause, and chances are your favorite driver contributes to the Camp as well.

You can find the Auction Here!

Here is a list of drivers who contribute to the Victory Junction Gang Camp:

Aric Almirola John Andretti Johnny Benson Greg Biffle Dave Blaney Brett Bodine Todd Bodine Clint Bowyer Jeff Burton Ward Burton Kurt Busch Kyle Busch Brad Coleman Derrike Cope Ricky Craven Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kerry Earnhardt Carl Edwards Bill Elliott Christian Fittipaldi Larry Foyt Dario Franchitti David Gilliland Jeff Gordon Robby Gordon David Green Jeff Green Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Kevin Harvick Dale Jarrett Jimmie Johnson Kasey Khane Jason Keller Matt Kenseth Terry Labonte Bobby Labonte

Carl Long Sterling Marlin Mark Martin Jeremy Mayfield Jamie McMurray Casey Mears Juan Pablo Montoya Jerry Nadeau Joe Nemechek Ryan Newman Steve Park Kyle Petty Richard Petty Tony Raines Ricky Rudd Elliott Sadler Hermie Sadler Scott Riggs Ken Schrader Mike Skinner Reed Sorenson Jimmy Spencer Tony Stewart David Stremme Brian Vickers Kenny Wallace Mike Wallace Rusty Wallace Darrell Waltrip Michael Waltrip Scott Wimmer

There's a Reason why the Earnhardt Nation is so Charged Up!

I know, a lot of people give Dale Earnhardt Jr. a lot of grief, but statistically, Dale Jr. is having his best year ever. I want to thank my friends at RacingReferenceInfo.com for providing accurate stats for all things Nascar.

Dale Jr. so far has had an average starting position of 9.4 in 2008. That's the best of his career. Previously, his best starting position was 10.9, which was 2004. Dale Jr. won 6 races that year, but this year, after only 19 races, Dale Jr. is enjoying the best starting average of his career.

In 2008, Dale Jr.'s finishing average is 11.5, also the best of his career. His next best came also in 2004, with an average finish of 12.1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is truly on track for the best performance of his career, even if he does not achieve 5 or 6 wins.

18 Cup wins, 83 top 5's, and 133 top 10's adds up to a lot for a guy that only has 310 starts in the Cup series. No driver wins every week, and Dale has had a rather phenomenal career, despite his lack, so far, of a Cup championship. Dale Jr. has won 2 Busch Series championships however. In the former Busch series, now named Nationwide, Dale Jr. has also won 22 times out of 104 starts.

For all of you who say that Dale Jr. can't drive a race car, think again. As this year proves, after his move to Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Jr. just gets better and better. He's also going to be harder and harder to beat.

There's a reason other than the statistics why we in the Earnhardt Nation are proud. Despite being the most popular driver since 2002, Dale Jr. has remained a humble driver, and respects other drivers and his fans. Dale Jr. is a whiner? Not hardly. Dale Jr. gets the nod from Nascar? Grow up and examine the facts. Do you really think that 42 other drivers, each with contracts to different owners and sponsors, are just going to lie down for one other driver? Would Lowes lay down for Home Depot? Would Amp lay down for Red Bull? If you think so, then dream on. There's way too much money involved here for that to even be imaginable.

2008 seems to be the year that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has arrived. He's won a points race, and two non-points races, and all I can say is what I remember the great Benny Parsons saying during a race or two. "Boys, he's coming! He's coming!"

Dale Jr. is on his way.

Yawn.

Last night, I finally figured out why non Nascar fans find racing boring. It was evident early in the race that nobody had anything that could run in the same zip code, much less area code of the 18 car of Kyle Busch. I got so bored I went outside and looked up at the stars, or as many as I could see in the cloudy South Carolina sky.

Back in the 1960's, Big Bill France went to great lengths to try to make the racing equal for all manufacturers. His son, Little Bill did much the same thing in the 1970's through the 1990's. Now Brian France has the reigns of Nascar, and he's monkeyed with the sport quite a bit. I'm not so sure I'm a fan of the lucky dog pass. I agree that the cars probably don't need to be racing back to the yellow flag, when a car is sitting helpless, sideways on the track. If it means greater safety for the drivers, I'm all for it. If the head and neck restraint system, commonly known as the HANS device had been mandated before the 2001 racing season started, Dale Earnhardt probably would have grumbled about it, probably a lot. But he might still be alive. Had it been mandated before the 2000 racing season, Kenny Irwin and Adam Petty might still be with us.

The new car, formerly known as the Car Of Tomorrow was meant to be safer, and also level out the playing field. It would appear that the playing field is not, in fact, level however. Kyle Busch won his 7th Cup race of 2008 at Chicagoland last night. I will congratulate him for an astonishing year, and am willing to recognize that the Wild Child does indeed have talent. But I have to ask you, how much talent does it take to run out front, virtually every race, with no competition around to make it interesting? Crew chief Steve Addington is an absolute genius, and Kyle must be the best driver in the history of the sport, or is there something else going on?

Toyota debuted in Nascar's elite series for the first time last year. They had a very dismal year. For 2008, Toyota somehow convinced long time GM race owner Joe Gibbs to switch from Chevrolet to Toyota. Head engine guru Mark Cronquist took charge of the engine program, with a lot of help from Toyota, and he's apparently a genius too. Nobody, from any other automobile manufacturer, with anyone at the wheel can keep up with the 18 car of Kyle Busch.

What's strange about this is that neither can his teammates. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin are both winless this year in the Cup series. Supposedly they have the same engines, the same chassis as Kyle does, but they can't keep up. Tony is leaving after 2008, going back to Chevrolet with Stewart-Haas Racing, to be an owner and a driver. Why leave when Toyota is so good, so suddenly?

Tony is a 2 time Cup Champion with over 30 wins to his credit, and each victory in Nascar has come in that famous orange number 20 Home Depot car. Tony is known as a late starter, not usually winning until the season is well under way. But Tony looks like a chump when he's trying to chase down his teammate, the next Dale Earnhardt, the next Jeff Gordon, the next, dare I say it? Richard Petty? I've heard all those names used in comparison with Kyle Busch.

Next Dale Earnhardt? Heck no. Richard Petty? Forget about it. Jeff Gordon? Nope. Not enough class. If Kyle Busch would just grow up, I might be able to admire him. But I can't admire a person who consistently acts like a spoiled brat. Even his older brother, Kurt, doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with him. Kyle seems to rejoice in the boos he receives at the track, making his sarcastic bows, and basically irritating fans over virtually every other driver out there.

I'm a Kyle Busch fan. He's not my favorite driver, but I've been watching this sport since about 1971. I've watched the King battle the Silver Fox. I've seen Cale battle Bobby. I've seen Earnhardt battle Jaws. I appreciate people that can drive these cars on a track with 42 other cars. I'm a fan of all of them when it comes right down to it. They've all got way more talent at driving than I will ever have. So I can say I'm a Kyle Busch fan. I never want to see any of these people get hurt. I've seen too many drivers die, both on the track and off. Fireball Roberts. Alan Kulwicki. Davey Allison. Neil Bonnett. Kenny Irwin. Adam Petty. Dale Earnhardt. I've seen a lot of near death experiences too. Bobby Allison. Ernie Irvan. Steve Park.

What these guys do is incredible. The fact that they can do it at all is amazing to me. I never want to see any of these guys carted off on a stretcher. It's happened before, and it will happen again, but I hate to see anyone get hurt in this sport. I wish I could say I like Kyle Busch, but I can't honestly say that.

He started his professional career with Rick Hendrick, and had a decent, but not very distinguished career there. He was let go last year to make room for Dale Earnhardt Jr. This year, apparently is the year of Kyle. He's won in all 3 series this year. He's gathered a few fans, but irritated many more with his sarcasm. If I had to guess, the average Kyle Busch fan is about 13, and likes to sass their parents. Darrell Waltrip is much older, but he probably sassed his parents too.

I hope that in it's infinite wisdom, Nascar will find a way to truly level the playing field. This sport is too important to me to just walk away from it, but I'm afraid if I see many more races like I watched Friday and Saturday night, that might be just what I'll do.

Please don't forget to check out the Tiredawg's auction to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. You can find the auction here! To read more about the Victory Junction Gang Camp, just click Here! This is a very worthy cause folks, and Tiredawg is doing this out of the goodness of his heart. He does great work, as you will see. Please do all you can to support a great charity, started by Kyle and Patty Petty in memory of their son Adam. Own a one of a kind tribute diecast that depicts the famous colors of both Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. All the proceeds will go to the VJGC, and Kyle, Patty, and the King himself will appreciate it!

The Kyle Busch Factor

Last night, Kyle Busch set his Toyota on cruise control and literally loafed his way to yet another win in the Nationwide series. After the race, a few other fans and I were chatting on the Dale Jr. Pit Board, and it was brought to my attention that there is a way we could all pay our proper respects to the New Boy Wonder! A fan who goes by the handle AlwaysL8 thought that instead of the usual beer cans being tossed onto the track, which I have never been a fan of, by the way, we should all present Kyle with our posteriors. Yes, a full moon salute, and I imagine if 150,000 fans all presented Wild Thing with such a salute, he might just faint on the spot. It's an interesting theory, to say the least. Providing Kyle with a little 'hind sight' might do wonders for his attitude in general.

Just in case he doesn't win again for a while, why wait until he does his burnout and his sarcastic bow? There's always driver introductions before the race, and we could all pay our respects then. What could please Wild Child more than to be presented with a full moon as tribute for his racing prowess?

It's a lot of fun to think about, but as usual there is a possibly more serious side to this little blog. Kyle literally cruised to victory last night, and as talented a driver as he is, he passed other cars on the track like he was driving a Ferrari through the Boston Marathon. We all get the point. Kyle's good, but is he really that good?

Last night, in the pre race show on ESPN2, analyst and Nationwide team owner Rusty Wallace brought up the point that the Toyota engines that Joe Gibbs Racing are using are making 22 more horsepower than his Chevrolet engines. From the way that Kyle Busch easily passed cars and drove away from the field, I'd say that figure might actually be on the conservative side. But 22 horsepower is plenty enough of an advantage in a sport where specs are checked to the thousandth of an inch.

Not too long ago, Nascar used to regularly review the statistics of each race, and if, say, the Chevrolets were winning a lot of races, they'd give the Fords some small advantage, such as a degree or two of rear spoiler. The new car just as the wing now, at least in the Cup series, but is it really right for Toyota to have such a blatant horspower advantage? I'm willing to give JGR head engine builder Mark Cronquist his due, but does Nascar really want one car manufacturer to flat out dominate the sport? Bill France Jr. would not have liked that very much, were he still with us. Brian France apparently doesn't have much of a problem with the advantage, and nobody is really in a position to tell Brian what to do, except when we as fans vote with our ticket money and TV viewership. I'll still watch all the Cup races, but I'm seriously thinking about skipping the Natiowide races for a while. Watching the 18 or 20 car win practically every race just gets so boring after a while. I watched last night's race, and saw the 18 car obviously in it's own zip code compared to the rest of the field. I'm not saying Kyle isn't a good driver, but as Clint Bowyer said last week, a monkey could win in those cars.

Racing at Chicagoland can be very exciting. I just hope the Cup race tonight is better than the Nationwide race last night.

Please remember to check out Garz Carz and his auction on E-bay! The information is in the post below.

And Kyle? this moon's for you.

Help some unfortunate Kids out this Weekend!

I am lucky enough to have a great E-bay auction to help present to you today. Our Pit Board buddy, Tiredawg makes wonderful diecasts. He paints and decals them by hand, and as you can see, he does wonderful work. This is a half and half, 43 and 3, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, the only two drivers who have each one 7 Winston Cup Championships. This beautiful diecast can be yours with a winning bid, and all monies will be contributed to a great cause, Kyle and Patty Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp. Tiredawg will even ship it to you for free. What a deal! You just can't get anything quite like this anywhere else. It's an one off design, and there's not another one like it in the world. Keep in mind that you are going to be helping some kids who have had a very rough life, if you buy this car.

Victory Junction Gang Camp works wonders for the kids that get to attend. They have fun. The get to have dreams realized. Kyle and Patty and Richard are hands on, and many Nascar drivers donate not only money, but their time to the camp. It's all about helping kids with sometimes terminal illnesses, folks. Sometimes, this experience is a highlight of a young child's life. Tiredawg has offered to donate his considerable talent to help fund this wonderful organization, and I think we all need to get behind the Dawg and help him in his endeavors. Tiredawg is a husband and a father with his own children, plus some very photogenic pets, and he's a good friend to all of us that read the Dale Jr. Pit Stop. Tiredawg did a great job on this car, and he's willing to donate his time and money made to a wonderful cause, and I hope you will join me in supporting him.

Tiredawg's auction link is Here. Bid early, bid often, and remember that your money will go to a very worthy cause. To see more of the Dawg's great work, please click Here.

Friends, please do what you can to support Tiredawg in this endeavor. He works hard, and he manages to create great one off diecasts, and he's willing to donate his time and money to the VJGC. Please help to support a guy who is doing the Lord's work. In my opinion, he's a true saint, and he deserves all our support.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. One year later

He's relaxed. He smiles. He wins, he's Dale Earnhardt Jr again! Fans rejoice, and all it right in the Earnhardt world, isn't it?

It's hard to tell. Dale Jr. wants a championship, and that's going to be hard to accomplish with the winning streak that Kyle Busch is currently on. But the facts speak for themselves. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in second place in points.

Kyle Busch has won 6 races, that's true, but Kyle tends to do stupid things too. I don't know that it's just because of his young age, or the fact that he just drives like an idiot.

In 2008, Dale Jr. has not blown an engine during a race. He's not finished badly except when his teammate or the 18 car took him out. The part about the 18 car could be said about a lot of guys though, in 3 different series.

One year after Dale Jr. drove for DEI, he's won 2 non points races, and one points race. His Nationwide driver, Brad Keselowski has also won a race. Things are good at JRM and for Dale Jr. right now. Over rated you say? Has your driver won 18 Cup races and 2 Busch series championships? If not, then shut up until your driver can claim the same trophies. I don't care who you are in Nascar, but Dale Jr. has an enviable record.

One of the great charms about Dale Jr. is that he's down to earth. He is what you see, and he'll tell you the truth. He's just like he was back when he made less than $400 a week changing oil at Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet, in Newton, NC. From all accounts, Dale Jr. learned his job well, and did it to the best of his ability. When he graduated to racing, his first job at DEI paid exactly $400 a week. That allowed the young guy to live in a doublewide trailer, right across from the company his father built, DEI. He eventually built a house there, but he did literally live across the road from the shop.

When his dad died in 2001, Dale Jr. was a lost soul for a while, but not for too long. He managed to win a lot of races, without his dad. He managed to get JR Motorsorts off the ground, without his dad's help. He managed to hook up with a winning team, Hendrick Motorports, and he has won there.

To those haters out there, listen to me. Dale Jr. did exactly what his father would have done: He went to the racing. He didn't wait for the racing to catch up with him. A careful scholar of Dale's career will tell you the same. Dale and Dale Jr. always went where the racing was.

Dale Jr. is a true racer. He's won a lot in both what's now called Nationwide and in the Cup series. He's a two time champ in what's now called the Nationwide Series. He's won 18 times in the Cup Series. He's the real deal. Over Rated? Get over it. Get a life.

Dale Jr. is the real deal.

A New Start for DEI?

If you've gotten this far in your daily Nascar reading, you no doubt have seen the news that Teresa Earnhardt is interested in selling, either in part or whole, the business begun by her and her husband back in the 1980's. From at least one account, she is willing to sell the entire company and walk away for somewhere in the neighborhood of $115 and $130 million. Teresa would continue to own the rights to Dale's name, and the "Intimidator" branded merchandise. Reportedly, DEI's Max Siegel, President for Global Operations is trying to put together a group of investors to buy Teresa out.

I think this might be a very good thing for DEI, and for Teresa. Given the right group of investors, and a return to the company's roots; racing, DEI could become a super team. Teresa is still looked upon with scorn by many in the Nascar community after he falling out with step-son and the sport's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr. last year. She has reportedly said that she just wants to get away from the racing part of the business, and out of the limelight forever. I can't say that I blame her.

The list of possible investors is infinite, but there are a few that might be interested. Dale Jr. might be one of them. Last year during negotiations with DEI, he asked for, but was denied controlling interest in the company that his father and step-mom built. Dale Jr. certainly still is interested in being a part of the company where he got his racing start. His father once said that he started DEI so that all of his children could find a place in racing, if they so wished. Today there are very few faces at DEI named Earnhardt, save Teresa and Kerry, and Jeffrey, who drives with DEI backing in one of Nascar's development series. Kerry did drive a Nationwide car in the Nationwide race last week at Daytona, and ran a good race. Kerry has said that he would like to go back to racing full time, and I hope he can. I hope he can do it for the company that bears his father's name.

My friends, the speculation is flying wild today, as it should be. Speculation is a lot of fun, and they don't call it Silly Season in Nascar for nothing. I want to caution you, dear reader, not to believe everything you read, whether it's here or anywhere else. I don't trust "insiders" any more than I trust the man in the moon when it comes to "done deals." Don't raise your expectations too high until you see the official announcement.

Though the ailing Tony Stewart is supposedly going to buy out or at least into Haas Racing, and take Ryan Newman with him, I'm waiting for an official announcement before I put all my eggs in that basket too. I know that is probably the most likely scenario, but last year most of us thought that Dale Jr. would end up with Richard Childress or Joe Gibbs too. Rick Hendrick and Dale Jr. must have had some good laughs listening to and reading all those rumors that were flying around last year.

I've had the probably silly thought that Tony Stewart might want to be a part of the investment group that buys DEI. Nah, just couldn't happen, could it? Or what about Rick Hendrick? DEI gets Hendrick equipment, Dale Jr. gets a stake in DEI, JRM and DEI work in conjunction in the Nationwide Series and in driver development. Nah, never happen, or could it? If any or all these scenarios turned out to be true, it wouldn't be the most shocking thing I've ever seen in this sport.

Either way, it has been evident that DEI has lost some of their competitiveness over the last few years. Richard Childress partnered with DEI last year on the engine program, but thus far, DEI remains winless, and has only been a serious threat to win in no more than 2 or 3 races. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had about as many blown engines as you can count on two hands last year, and was hardly ever a threat to win. And he didn't win. This year, Dale Jr. has been a threat in nearly every race he's run, and has won a points race at Michigan as well as the Bud Shootout and a qualifier race at Daytona in February. Dale Jr. has not blown an engine in a race all year. He's 2nd in points, and appears to be in serious contention for a championship. If DEI could have given him that kind of equipment and backing, he never would have left.

I'd love to see DEI run strong again, like they did in 2000 through 2004. I'd like to see people named Earnhardt involved in the ownership, whether it be Teresa or Dale Jr. I'd like to see the name stay Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, out of respect for the old man. I hope all this isn't wishful thinking, but I think it's time for a change.

I think it might be time to leave the widow Earnhardt in peace as well. She may not have always made the best business decisions when it came to the racing side of the business, but that was always her husband's job anyway. When Dale died in 2001, she never skipped a beat, and kept the roof on the building, kept the teams running, kept the sponsorship coming, and held it all together. All 3 of DEI's teams won after the death of Dale, and Teresa deserves a lot of credit for making that possible. Dale may have put the right people in the right places, but Teresa kept them there, at least for as long as she could.

Teresa was Dale's life partner, his business manager, the strongest force in the Great One's life.

I think she deserves a little peace.