15 years ago: Missing Neil Bonnett

The above photo shows a very relaxed Neil Bonnett catching a quick nap at the track.  15 years ago today, we lost Neil Bonnett.  He died in Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway during practice.  Nearly 7 years later, the man who considered Neil to be his best friend died in almost exactly the same spot, on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

Neil Bonnett had a passion to race.  He worked hanging high steel in Birmingham, Alabama before and during the time that he got into racing.  Neil later said that there were plenty of guys that wanted his steel hanging job, but nobody wanted his racing job.  Walking around on steel beams hundreds of feet off the ground was safe enough, but strapping yourself into a race car and going nearly 200 mph around an oval track was just way too dangerous for many.

Neil had a great career as a driver.  In 362 starts in the Winston Cup, Neil won 18 races, finished in the top five 83 times, and in the top ten 156 times.  Neil also won 20 poles during his career.  Neil won at places like Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Ontario, California, and even the Daytona July race.  He won multiple times at Charlotte, Atlanta, Rockingham, and Richmond.  He won a Talladega race, and he won at Dover.

Neil seldom ran complete seasons, in other words, there were only a few seasons during his 20 year Cup career that he ran the complete schedule.  Neil finished 4th in points for the 1985 season, and had two wins that year.

Neil Bonnett drove while he was hurt many times.  Late in his career, he asked a doctor to bolt his broken sternum back together so he could race the next week.  For Neil Bonnett, racing was everything, and everything was racing.

As an avid hunter and angler, Neil Bonnett and Dale Earnhardt were a natural fit for each other.  The hunting stories these men could tell, if they were alive, would be priceless.  We only know about a few of them.

Turn 4 at Daytona is hallowed ground for me.  Two of my heroes died there.

Just a Cartoon for you this morning.

The cartoon shown above is by Mike Smith for the Las Vegas Sun.  About a million or more fans could be the guy on the left.  Here is the actual link.  The guy on the right, obviously, is Mike Helton.  Though it's hard to feel sorry for NASCAR, I sometimes do feel sorry for Mike.

Kudos to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Though I've often been critical of Dale Earnhardt Inc., which is now part of the new Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team, I have to say one thing:  The company with the name 'Earnhardt' on the door certainly hasn't lost any of the old magic when it comes to making cars go around the track fast at Daytona International Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr. won only his second Cup pole on Sunday, turning out a lap at 188.01 mph.  Truex had the only car in the 188 mph range.  This accomplishment actually means that Martin will start on the pole twice, once in the first Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race on Thursday, and of course the Daytona 500 itself on Sunday.  Whatever the outcome of the qualifying race on Thursday, Truex will start on the pole on Sunday, barring any major mechanical problems between Thursday and Sunday, or if they should have to go to a backup car for some reason.  Either way, Martin Truex Jr. is the pole winner for the Daytona 500.

Juan Pablo Montoya was 4th overall on the speed charts on Sunday, scoring an impressive 187.743 mph.  JP actually sounded a little disappointed after his qualifying attempt, feeling that he should have been able to get more out of the car.  Mr. Montoya, let me tell you, 4th out of an all star studded 56 car field at Daytona is not bad.  Not bad at all.

Making his first Daytona 500 Cup start ever is the 8 Chevrolet, driven this year by Aric Almirola. Aric turned a lap at 187.649 mph, which was good enough to put him 7th on the speed charts.  This is a great beginning at Daytona for Almirola.

Obviously, the EGR cars go very fast around the track on their own, but we have yet to see them under racing conditions.  None of the 3 EGR cars were in the Bud Shootout, and haven't as yet had a chance to do any drafting practice, which will come on Wednesday.  Many things can change under racing conditions, so the fact that the cars are fast doesn't mean it's easy to predict great finishes in the qualifying races or the 500 itself.  The important point though, is that the engine builders and the car builders have obviously done their jobs, and given the drivers some very fast cars.

The success of the EGR cars does not appear to be all engine though.  2 years ago, Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress Racing combined their engine programs into what is now called Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies.  In other words, EGR and RCR use the same racing engines.  Whatever qualifying speed that the EGR cars found, apparently didn't carry over to the Childress cars.  Clint Bowyer was the fastest RCR car on Sunday, turning a lap at 186.726 mph, good enough for 22nd fastest overall.  Bud Shootout winner Kevin Harvick ran a lap at 183.602 mph.  It appeared that Kevin didn't have full power on his qualifying attempt, however.

I understand that there are many different philosophies regarding qualifying.  Some teams, and indeed some drivers place a much higher emphasis on qualifying than do others.  Richard Childress has in the past appeared to put much less emphasis on winning poles than do other teams.  I'm only guessing, but I'm thinking that to Childress, it makes sense not to stress the equipment in order to win a pole, because that equipment might not last the entire race.  Winning races is what pays the bills, not winning poles.

Many drivers do want to start on the pole.  That strategy makes sense as well, considering some of the carnage we saw during the Bud Shootout back in the pack, or as SPEED TV's John Roberts aptly termed "bar fight on wheels".  With some of the craziness we've already seen in the Bud Shootout and the ARCA race on Saturday, most of the drivers would rather be in the front of the field, not in the rear.  Hanging around the back of the field and trying to make a charge at the end can be a difficult task, though Kevin Harvick managed to accomplish just that when he won the Bud Shootout on Saturday.

Another team I am very impressed with is the new Stewart-Haas Racing entries of Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, who were 3rd and 10th fastest in qualifying, respectively.  It's beginning to look like there's going to some new numbers to watch on the track in 2009, and those numbers are the 14 and the 39.

It was encouraging to see Bill Elliot and Terry Labonte locked into the show on Sunday as well.  Bill has had a fast car, being quickest in both practices on Saturday.  I guess the Wood Brothers still have some of that go fast magic as well, but then they've got the driver who's set speed records at not just Daytona, but at Talladega as well.  Can you say 212 mph?  I know a lot of people hate restrictor plates, but seriously, just how fast can these cars go without taking off and flying over the fence into the stands?  Restrictor plates are a necessary evil, and they are here to stay.

I'd like to also give kudos to Bobby Labonte and Travis Kvapil, who drove the two of the other fastest Fords on Sunday.  Travis had to qualify on time, which he did, locking himself into the 500 by putting out a lap that was 8th fastest overall on Sunday.  Bobby did a great job as well, being 11th fastest.  Labonte seemed as excited as I've seen him in quite a while.  Bobby's 96 Ask.com Ford is technically owned by Hall of Fame Racing, but it's very closely aligned this year with Yates Racing.  I find it impressive that the Wood Brothers and Yates Racing were faster than the Roush Fords on Sunday.  Of course, like I said before, that's just qualifying.  We all know the Roush guys will be in it to win it during the qualifying races and the 500.

Here's some breaking news for you:  Once again the Hendrick cars are all fast.  All 4 cars were in the top 12 on the speed chart, and Mark Martin will start on the outside pole next Sunday.  Not bad for a guy in his very first start in a Hendrick owned Cup car.

NASCAR's 2009 Season Starts with a Bang, or is that a Crash?

Several crashes, in fact.  The 2009 Budweiser Shootout did not fail to disappoint in terms of excitement.  If you wanted some bang for your buck, you certainly got your money's worth on Saturday night at Daytona.

Not surprisingly, several of the Shootout rookies went out of the race early with crashed cars, including Joey Logano and Scott Speed.  A late race crash took out last year's winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Bobby Labonte was taken out in that same crash.  By the time the final green, white, checker restart green flag waved, nearly half the field had been sidelined by crashes.  By the time the checkered flag waved, crossed with they yellow even once again, fully half of the starting field of 28 cars were lying in smoking, bent heaps.

Though there were many feats of incredible driving on Saturday night, two in particular stick out in my mind.  The first was during an early melee' which found Jeff Gordon picking his way through a hand full of wrecking cars, missing several by inches.  Viewed in slow motion on the instant replay, one has to be amazed and impressed at how many steering corrections Gordon made in the space of about a second and a half to avoid being a casualty of one of several Big Ones.  My hat's off to Jeff for finishing that race with a more or less intact car in 4th place.

The second great example of driving skill was shown at the very end of the race.  Kevin Harvick, who had been involved in an early scrape with the wall, who at least once lost the draft and was running far behind the pack early in the race, made an amazing charge during the final laps, and squirted to the lead.  Just as Harvick cleared Jamie McMurray, all heck broke loose behind them, bringing out the crossed checkered and yellow flags, making Kevin Harvick the 2009 Bud Shootout winner.  Harvick drove through cars that were slipping and sliding, bumping and banging, and somehow slithered through nearly impossible gaps between cars.  Harvick's performance was an incredible piece of driving, and I offer heart felt congratulations for bringing home the win.  Owner Richard Childress was understandably all smiles in victory lane after the race, knowing his team is off to the best start he could ask for so far in 2009.

Kudos go out to brand new team owner Tony Stewart, who led the Shootout at one point and brought home the number 14 Chevrolet in 3rd place.  That's a pretty good finish for a brand new team in its first race.

There was only one engine failure during Saturday night's race, which I find encouraging.  I personally was expecting at least 3 or 4 engine failures, but the only power plant that let go was the 43 Richard Petty Racing Dodge, driven this year by Reed Sorenson.  Though the Daytona 500 will undoubtedly be tougher on engines than was the 75 lap Shootout, it appears that most of the teams have their engine programs well in order so far this season.  Jeff Burton, driver of the 31 Caterpillar Chevy, blew an engine in Shootout practice, but since there was basically no testing prior to the Shootout, many of the teams were known to be experimenting with different engine packages, and some of these experiments are bound to fail.

All said, it would appear that the drivers, the crew chiefs, and the engineers learned quite a bit on Saturday night, and they now have a full week to prepare for the Big Show.  As I write this, in a few hours qualifying will begin, with 56 cars attempting to fill a 43 car field.  Unfortunately, we've already had one casualty, as the number 60 Dodge fielded by Carter-Simo Racing never completed a full lap at the minimum 175 mph speed.  Apparently battery and carburetor issues could not be repaired to the point that allowed 74 year old driver James Hylton to complete a lap above the minimum speed.

The Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying races  will be on Thursday afternoon, and I have a feeling there will be a lot of NASCAR fans calling in sick that day or developing sudden illnesses that morning.  I have to hand it to NASCAR, I truly had some doubts about this new Bud Shootout format, and though my favorite drivers didn't win, I got way more excitement than I bargained for.

The Debut of Stewart-Haas Racing

February always brings a time of new promise for everyone who's involved in NASCAR.  That includes not only the drivers, but the crews, the owners, the sponsors, and yes, even you, the fans.   If you are reading this column, then there is a very good chance that you are a NASCAR fan, and as a fan, you are a very important part of the sport.  Think about it, without fans, these would just be a bunch of guys driving the family cars around in circles in a cow pasture somewhere.

But, since I digress, as I often do, one of the most exciting changes in the Sprint Cup series for 2009 is the brand spanking new Stewart-Haas Racing team.  SHR, co-owned by Tony Stewart, Joe Custer and Gene Haas has a brand new look and some serious attitude in abundant supply going into 2009.  

Tony Stewart is not only a new driver for the team, he is also a majority owner.  Tony has always been known for his determination to win, and now that he owns a piece of the company, he will likely be more driven than ever to win.  Tony Stewart will be driving the 14 Chevrolet sponsored by Office Depot, Old Spice, and Burger King.  The '14' number didn't happen by accident.  Tony Stewart's hero A.J. Foyt drove that number during his days as a NASCAR driver.  A.J. Foyt will be at Daytona to celebrate Stewart's debut as a team owner, and if that doesn't get Tony fired up, nothing will.  As if Tony Stewart needs much of anything to get him fired up!

The other entry in the Stewart-Haas Racing effort is no other than former Penske driver Ryan Newman.  Ryan has won an incredible 43 poles in his 260 starts in Cup racing.  He also has 13 wins, including the 2008 Daytona 500.  Ryan is a college graduate with a degree in engineering, and though he's rarely emotional on camera, he obviously has some serious skills as a driver and competitor.  Because he is not outspoken, he tends to fly under the radar, so to speak.  Ryan goes about his business in a quiet, but determined manner.  He seems to be the perfect complement to Tony Stewart's often blustery personality.  Ryan Newman is from South Bend, Indiana, the state which is also the home of Tony Stewart.  Whether this had anything to do with these two drivers forming the new team is not entirely known, but I wouldn't doubt that it is more than a coincidence.

Tony Stewart is obviously no slouch in the performance department either.  Tony is your 2002 and 2005 Sprint Cup champion, and has 33 Cup wins to his credit.  Tony is a champion in the Indy series as well, and has won championships in many other series.  Tony Stewart has won races in all three of NASCAR's top series and charges just as hard on a dirt track in front of 1,500 fans as he does on a NASCAR track in front of 225,000 fans and millions of TV viewers.

Stewart-Haas also brings some serious talent to the pit box as well.  Tony Gibson, who lately was the crew chief for Mark Martin and Aric Almirola at Dale Earnhardt Inc. will be the crew chief for Ryan Newman in the 39 US ARMY Chevrolet.  Tony was also a crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for several races at DEI.  Having listened to Gibson talking to his drivers on the radio over the last couple of seasons, it's obvious that he's a cool operator, much as his driver is.  The ability to never lose one's cool often determines whether a race is won or lost.  The combination of Gibson and Newman should be about as good as they come.

Tony Stewart will have a man for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect on top of his pit box for 2009.  His name is Darian Grubb, and he is a Daytona 500 winning crew chief with Hendrick in 2006.  At the time, he was filling in for the suspended Chad Knaus, and during that time he helped Jimmie Johnson win not only the Daytona 500, but also the Las Vegas race 2 weeks later.  In 2007, Grubb was on the pit box when Casey Mears won his first race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Concord, NC.  Darian probably would have been Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief in 2008 had Dale not brought Tony Eury Jr. with him from DEI.  Being a crew chief for Tony Stewart has to be a situation that is exciting to both Tony and Darian.  Grubb will bring a wealth of experience from his years at Hendrick Motorsports to the new Stewart-Haas Racing team.  This fact, as it turns out, is important on so many levels.

You see, Stewart-Haas Racing, as has Haas Racing in the past, will be using Hendrick equipment.  Stewart-Haas will not just be leasing engines, they will enjoy a ton of technical support from Hendrick in 2009.  Technically, the 14 and the 39 cars should be every bet as good as the 5, the 24, the 48, and 88 cars in 2009.  With crew chiefs Gibson and Grubb in charge, this new team could do great things in the new season.

With the combination of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman as drivers for the new team, expectations are high, and I personally doubt that with the combined talent of the drivers and crews, accompanied with Hendrick support, that Stewart-Haas Racing will have a very successful first year.

And Another Owner Falls by the Wayside

Last night it was announced that Bill Davis is now a minority owner in the Penske Racing team, which means that Roger Penske has bought the owner's points for the Bill Davis 22 team, and will retain the number for possible further use.

This is another sad day for NASCAR.  Davis has been an owner in NASCAR since 1988, beginning in the then Busch series, and eventually moving on to Cup and Truck teams.  In the old Busch series, Davis had 11 wins in 12 years as an owner in the series.  His first driver was Mark Martin, who got the first win for team Davis in 1988 at Rockingham.  Other Busch series winners for Bill Davis were Jeff Gordon and Scott Wimmer.  Gordon won 3 races for Davis in 1992, and Scott Wimmer won 5 races for Davis in 2002 and 2003.

In the Cup series, Davis began as an owner in 1993 with Bobby Labonte as his driver.  In his 16 years as an owner in the series, Bill Davis as an owner participated in 722 races and managed to get 5 wins, 28 top 5 finishes, and 104 top 10 finishes.  Bill Davis drivers also won 8 poles during his tenure as owner.  All of the victories in the Cup series were with driver Ward Burton, who got his first win for Davis at Rockingham in 1995.  Other wins were at Loudon, New Hampshire, 2 wins at Darlington, and of course the memorable Daytona 500 victory in 2002.

In the Truck series, Bill Davis has won an impressive 24 times as an owner, including winning the championship in 2008 with Johnny Benson.  Mike Skinner has also been a long time Davis driver and winner.

One thing that I personally wonder about is that Bill Davis has used Toyota products exclusively since the beginning of 2007.  Will including the Davis stable at Penske Racing open the door for the 2, the 12, and the 77 to move to Toyota in the future?  I believe it's a valid question.  I have no idea what Penske's commitment to Dodge is, but I believe it's a valid question to ask.  Apparently, Penske NASCAR entries will all be wearing the Dodge badge this year, but one wonders about 2010 and beyond.

In other news, maybe not so recent, but one wonders what benefit Verizon, who bought Altel earlier this year, will get from not being able to put their logos on the 12 Penske Dodge which will be driven by David Stremme in 2009?  Since Sprint sponsors the Cup series, the name change will not be allowed, and obviously the 12 car will have to have a new sponsor sooner than later.  Is this exclusivity clause that exists with Sprint and NASCAR good for the series?  Running off sponsors at this time does not seem to make sense to this writer and fan.  Sponsors are very difficult to procure in 2009, and eliminating all the other phone company business seems detrimental to the sport.  Is there really no room in the Sprint Cup for competition among phone companies?

2009 looks to be a very interesting season, if for no other reason the ability of NASCAR teams to attract and keep sponsors.  Times are admittedly tough, so how long will sponsors hang in there to get their name plastered all over TV 38 weeks out of the year, including non points races.  

What's happening at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing?

I suppose the simple answer to this question is a ton of uncertainty is happening.  At present, it would appear that only 2 cars out of the combined teams now have sponsorship for 2009.  The number 1 Chevrolet of Martin Truex Jr. appears to have full sponsorship for 2009 with Bass Pro Shops.  Juan Pablo Montoya appears to have at least partial sponsorship from Target, Big Red, and other associated gum brands.

The 15, which won 2 Daytona 500's with Michael Waltrip at the wheel, will not run in 2009 unless a driver and sponsor can be found.  With the latest driver, Paul Menard now driving a Ford for Yates Racing, apparently the 15 will be on hold in 2009.   The 8 of Aric Almirola as of now has announced no sponsorship for 2009, though supposedly the plan is to attempt a full Cup season in the car.

The really big news as of right now is that the 41 is no longer 'owned' by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.  Jeremy Mayfield has registered the 41 number for at least the Daytona 500, and Jeremy Mayfield is the owner of that team.  They're also running Toyota's, and so far as I know Earnhardt Ganassi isn't running Toyotas this year.

I sincerely hope that the 8 car of Almirola picks up some sponsorship in 2009.  It would be a shame to see a number with such a storied history be eliminated from competition in 2009 because no sponsor can be found.  This is still an Earnhardt owned car, and the quick decline from prominence on the track is disturbing.

The 2009 season is shaping up, and there are a ton of changes.  Some of these changes are probably good for the sport, but probably an equal number are not so good.  

Here's hoping for a good 2009 season.