How Much Privacy Should NASCAR Drivers Have?

Much has been said about how difficult it is for NASCAR drivers to lead comparatively normal lives, such as living safely in their own homes, being members of or being the heads of families, being able to go to the local restaurant and having a bite to eat without being mobbed by the media or fans, or being able to go to the grocery store and buy a gallon of milk without being molested.

Let me go on record as saying that I’m certainly for drivers, crew, owners, and even music and movie stars to have the ability to do all of those things.  When you get right down to it, we’re all human beings, and we all need a little space and privacy at times.  We all need a place to feel totally safe and secure in.

Personally, the only way I get by in public is to wear a mustache, glasses, and often go unshaven and wear a baseball cap when I go out to buy a gallon of milk.  So far, that disguise seems to be working, because I am seldom mobbed, unless you consider the cats in my yard, and sometimes even in my house.  Thus far, I have been successful in escaping my throng of fans when appearing in public.   Unfortunately, the same can not be said for my ability to escape the attention of the South Carolina Highway Patrol when I’m driving a teensy bit over the speed limit, or the local tax collector when I neglect to pay taxes on my almost brand new eleven year old pickup truck.  Even the mustache didn’t work that time.  The Highway Patrol  trooper was kind enough to only give me a warning.  “Teensy” was not exaggerating.  I was going “46 and a half in a 45 zone.”  It says so on my warning ticket.  Notice to all travelers:  Speeding is a fruitless pursuit in the state of South Carolina.  Plan early and take your time when you head to Darlington next year.

But as usual, I digress.  This column is about NASCAR drivers, not me.  When any driver signs a contract to drive in any of NASCAR’s series, there should be a disclaimer:  “I,  (YOUR NAME HERE) agree to the most intensive examination of my life, family, ancestors, pets, personal automobiles, favorite movies, TV shows, Internet sites, adult beverage, food, and bathroom habits, etc., etc., that only a CIA operative or NASA astronaut could appreciate.  For the rest of my life.  Plus 50 years.”  Hmmm…  Would Jeremy Mayfield have signed that disclaimer?

Seriously, though.  I don’t mind listening to drivers lose their cool on their radio links to their crew chiefs and spotters.  How many of you have not lost your temper at least once in the course of doing your job?  I know I have.  I have probably lost my temper  two or three times already just writing this column.  Needless to say, however, it’s all part of the job when it comes to the drivers.  They are, after all, in the heat of battle, and sometimes things just slip.

When a driver agrees to give an interview, and voluntarily puts his mouth in front of a microphone and his face in front of a TV camera, that’s a little different.  The driver may not have his emotions under control, but he has to know that his actions will be seen by thousands, and most likely millions of people.  If a driver can make it all the way to the big leagues, such as is NASCAR, a driver should have plenty of experience with composing himself and controlling his emotions.  I say this with one exception, however.

Putting a microphone in the face of a driver who has just 10 seconds before crawled out of a smoking heap of ruined sheet metal, the result of an indiscretion by the guy that was his buddy last week, is simply asking for controversy.  I think that discretion should be the rule here.  Give the driver time to go back to the hauler, clean up a little, and compose his thoughts before asking for a live interview.  Heated words reported around the world might be fun for fans, but probably not too good for racing relationships.  Give the guys a chance to cool off, for goodness sake.

The drivers in NASCAR are professionals.  They didn’t get there by accident.  They got there by virtue of their God given talent.  They’re not babes in the woods, but they are human, strangely enough.

Just like you and me.

How much privacy should a NASCAR driver have?  So far as being able to live his life like a normal human being when he’s away from the race track, I am all for drivers being able to live a normal family life, or at least as much as they are able to.   Fans sometimes get carried away in their attempt to meet drivers in informal settings, and I hope that fans will understand that this type of situation is both uncomfortable for drivers and their families.  After all, how would you feel if total strangers came up to you and wanted to talk to you or ask for your autograph when you were minding your own business?  How would you feel if you were having a quiet dinner with your spouse and kids and suddenly a total stranger walked up to your table and started taking pictures of you and your kids?  I wouldn’t like it very much, and doubt if you would either.

Again, how much privacy should a  NASCAR driver have?

As much as they can get away with.

Danica Patrick's finally Ready to Jump Into the NASCAR Pool

It's not news anymore, but Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick will soon make her first foray into NASCAR, which of course, is arguably the toughest series in which to race in the world.  If not the toughest, it certainly earns the most money.

Danica Patrick coming to NASCAR could be a great boost to the series, which has shown signs of lack of interest among it's fan base.  TV ratings have been down in 2009, as have ticket sales.  NASCAR, like most other entertainment activities in America, has been hurt by the downturn in the economy as of late.  People with less or no disposable income simply can't afford the travel costs, ticket sales, or even the subscription for cable or satellite TV that is required to watch many of the races.

A spark is needed to reignite the NASCAR fan base, and Danica Patrick could be just the ticket.  It's been a long time since a female driver has raised as much emotion and banter among racing fans.  Danica has a fiery personality, and isn't afraid to say what's on her mind for the most part.  In other words, Danica Patrick could be perfect for a sport where many fans complain that no one has the guts to speak their mind.

Danica has already generated a boost in the IRL series TV ratings, and it's a safe bet that she will do the same for NASCAR when she makes her debut in the #7 JR Motorsports owned Go Daddy Chevrolet at California in 2010.

Former Sprint Cup team crew chief  Tony Eury Jr. will be Danica's crew chief in the Nationwide series, and one has to wonder if Tony Jr. has jumped from the frying pan into the fire, since he has to know that all the racing world will be watching him as closely as they did when he was his cousin's crew chief,, that cousin being JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.  I don't doubt that Tony Jr. is the man for the job, but it's likely to get pretty stressful in the spotlight he's going to be under.

Personally, I welcome Danica to NASCAR, and I hope she finds much success in its various racing series.  I don't expect her to win races right out of the gate, but I expect her to learn a lot in both the NASCAR Nationwide series and the ARCA series.

I hope that soon Danica will be contending to win races, and then winning races.  I hope to see her doing the same in the Sprint Cup series soon.

Whatever happens, Danica Patrick will be good for NASCAR.  I hope NASCAR is just as good for Danica.

Charting the Changes: NASCAR Sprint Cup in 2010

As always, there will be changes between the 2009 Sprint Cup season and the 2010 season.  Times are changing, and even the moon and the tides can't stop it.  Though there seem to be few earth shattering changes as of now, history will tell the entire story.

First of all, Jamie McMurray will indeed be the odd man out from Rousch-Fenway racing for 2010, as the company has to shrink to 4 Cup teams from it's previous 5 teams.  Jamie will be driving the #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy for Earnhardt-Ganassi in 2010, reunited with his old boss Chip Ganassi.  Will Jamie succeed in this ride, vacated by Martin Truex Jr?  Only time will tell.  I'm wondering if the EGR program will be able to put another team in the Chase next year besides Juan Pablo Montoya.  Jamie is capable of winning races, but he's going to have all the parts complete to do so.

In the #12 Verizon Dodge will be Brad Keselowski, recent Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide driver and Cup winner at Talladega in the spring race of 2009.  Brad will have Jay Guy has his crew chief, and as much as I like this young driver, I imagine he will have some automatic adversaries on the track, namely Denny Hamlin, and probably a dude named Kyle as well.

In the #56 NAPA Toyota, we will see Martin Truex Jr., coming from the #1 EGR Chevy.  Martin will be basically replacing team owner Michael Waltrip in the NAPA car, though Mikey will likely run a few races in his familiar 55 machine when he can find sponsorship, and quite frankly, when he feels like it.  Martin Truex likely will be exactly what MWR needs in 2010, which is a proven winner, hard charger, and a new guy on the block trying to impress his friends.  Truex is a great acquisition for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Bobby Labonte received a major shock in 2009 when it was announced that he would be removed from the driver's seat of the #96 Ford for 7 races in favor of rookie Eric Darnell because Darnell had a deal for those 7 races.  Old friend Slugger Labbe called up Bobby and helped get him a ride in the #71Ford, and darned if Bobby didn't start running some pretty good qualifying laps and even some good races in that Ford.  Bobby will be driving full time in 2010 in the TRG car next year, with Slugger continuing to sit on top of the pit box.  Apparently, there is some talk that the team may change to Chevy or even Dodge, so that's all up in the air right now.  It's good that Bobby landed on his feet again, so it would seem.

Eric Darnell will replace Bobby Labonte in the 96 car, if indeed that team continues to exist in 2010.  We'll see.

There are more changes to chart, and I will put those up in a later column.

Old Vs. New Points: 2009 Final Report

There is one thing I should have probably explained before I embarked on this series of old vs. new points.  Strategies can and will change depending upon the way NASCAR hands out points.  All we're dealing with here is raw data, and I can't even begin to guess how strategies would have changed if this year's crop of drivers had been racing under the old points system.  Obviously, had we been under the old points system in 2009, teams would have tried different things to grab points.  In other words, the following is for comparison purposes only, and no one, especially me, can predict how certain teams would have run had the Chase system not been in effect.

That being said, let's get to it!

Under the old points system, or under the current Chase system, the final outcome would have been the same.  Jimmie Johnson wins the 2009 Sprint Cup championship either way.  The main difference is that it would have been closer under the old points system, and 2nd place would have been different as well.

Under the Chase system, Jimmie won by 141 points over second place Mark Martin.  Under the old points system, Johnson still would have won, but by only 66 points over second place Jeff Gordon.  Also under the old points system, Mark Martin would have finished in fifth place, 394 points back.  In third place under the old points system, we would have had Tony Stewart, only 4 points behind Jeff Gordon.  Stewart instead found himself finishing in sixth place, 243 points out of the lead under the Chase system.

Under the old points system, fourth place would have gone to Denny Hamlin, 350 points out of the top spot.  Under the Chase system, Denny finished in fifth place, 317 points back.

I do these comparisons mostly because I think it's fun, not to suggest that NASCAR has blundered by instituting the Chase system.  The powers that be, in this case NASCAR, have decided that this is the way that points will be awarded, and that's the end of it.

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Rick Hendrick, and all the crew that prepares and services the 48 Lowes Chevrolet each and every week of the racing season.  Congratulations to Hendrick Motorsports for a superb job in winning yet another championship, and making history with Jimmie Johnson's fourth consecutive championship. 

Congratulations also go to Kyle Busch, winner of his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, and to Ron Hornaday, winner of the Camping World Truck Series championship.

I want to personally congratulate the fans that stuck it out through tough economic times, who bought tickets, paid ridiculously high prices for motel rooms and for a tank of gasoline, and parked their butts in the seats in the grandstands for 2009.  You, the fans, are what make this sport what it is, and without you, there would be no NASCAR.

Here's to 2009, and here's to getting for the start of the 2010 season.  I'll be here throughout the off season, and can't wait until we hear them rev 'em up again at Daytona in February!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Joy of NASCAR

I watch the TV shows on SPEED TV and other networks, and see the fans in the background while the talking heads, namely John Roberts, Kenny Wallace, and Jimmy Spencer talk about the racing that is to take place this weekend.  If you look closely, in the background, you can see kids.

Kids will be wearing shirts and hats featuring their favorite driver's picture or number.  Maybe it's not even their favorite driver, because it could be their parent's favorite driver.  It's hard to say.

On race day, during the race itself, the camera often pans into the crowd and you see kids there.  You see grandparents.  You see people who look just like you and me, in other words, young and good looking.  You see people of every color, of every ethnic group, of every religion, of literally every background you could think of.

Sports often bring families together, for many different reasons.  NASCAR is one sport that can be a common point for families that span many generations.  Take Bristol for instance.  Some fans there inherited their seats from their grandparents.

Grandpa might have been a Petty fan.  Not Richard, but Lee.  Yeah, that far back.  Lee won championships and was one of the first legitimate stars of NASCAR before anybody had ever really ever heard of Richard.  Ned Jarrett came along and won.  Pearson, Yarborough, Allison, and a guy named Earnhardt came along.  Don't forget about guys like Waltrip, Bodine, Irvin, and a host of others.  We've been blessed as NASCAR fans.

Why have we been blessed?  We've had some of the best, and most entertaining people in the world become our heroes in a sport that literally can be either win or lose, but more importantly, life of death.  Yes, people do die doing this for a living.  A lot of good people have died doing this for a living.  A lot of good people have lived to tell about after it was all over, thank God.

I see kids on race day, eyes wide, fingers in their ears as 43 impossibly loud race cars rumble by on the pace laps.  When the green flag drops, fingers won't do it for 500 miles, much less 400.  (Parents, ear protection is important.)  They're watching cars go so fast that it seems impossible that they can possible stay on the track.  These cars are often reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour and even more, and they're racing only inches apart from each other.  That's pretty exciting for any kid to watch.  Heck, it gets my heart racing, but I've only been watching this sport for 35 years.

When the green flag drops, my heart almost stops for just a second or two.  As the cars come up to speed, I'm watching, seeing who got a good start, who didn't, who's going into turn 1 with the advantage.  No matter how long I've watched this, I get goosebumps when those cars rev it up and go for it.  They are 43 warriors with only one goal, and that is to be the first car to take the checkered flag. 

For me, racing is an ultimate high, the ultimate joy, the highlight of my week.  Even in the off season, it's fun to see who goes where, who signed with whom, and what paint scheme changes will be coming next year.  Racing is not for everyone, but for those who become enchanted by it, racing is nothing but pure joy.

NASCAR is freedom.  NASCAR is doing the seemingly impossible.  NASCAR is, above all, fun.

One and Done: NASCAR's Season Comes to a Close

Congratulations to Ron Hornaday, who already knew he was the 2009 Camping World Trucks Series champion coming into Friday's race at Miami.  Congratulations are in order as well to Kyle Busch, who will win the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship just by virtue of starting today's race.

It would appear that Jimmie Johnson will be crowned with his fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship on Sunday, and it appears that unless he has the most horrible of races, Johnson will make history by becoming the first driver to every win four Cups in a row.

It's impossible to say that Johnson is a lock for the championship, because, as he well remembers from his third lap crash at Texas, anything can happen before the checkered flag falls on NASCAR's 2009 season.

Jimmie Johnson has succeeded in performing one important duty this weekend:  He has won the pole for Sunday's Ford 400 at Miami-Homestead Speedway.  Starting at the front of the pack was one of crew chief Chad Knaus' main concerns going into the last race of the season.  It's a lot more difficult to get caught up in someone else's accident if you're way out in front of everyone else.

Mark Martin must be thinking that yet another chance for that elusive championship is slipping away, and he can only hope for the very worst luck for his teammate Jimmie Johnson.  I doubt that Mark is doing that, but somewhere, deep down, he must be thinking it.  Mark has come so close before, yet has never grabbed the Cup.

Sunday's race will be the last NASCAR race of the season, and before the end of the day, a new Sprint Cup champion will be crowned. 

If that champion's name isn't Jimmie Johnson, the entire racing world, including this fan, will be shocked.

Shocked, I tell you!

The End of the Season for Some and a New Beginning for Others

The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup racing season is nearly over, and for me, it seems like the year has flown by.  With only one race to go, it appears that Jimmie Johnson will most likely win his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup, and make history in the process.

For many fans, this is somewhat of a sad time, a time to reflect back on what could have been, what maybe should have been, and to know that we won't see the cars back on the track until February, 2010.

For many, this can be an exciting time though.  The end of the 2009 season marks the beginning of one of the most frantic times for the teams; the off season.

Much of the usual silly season silliness has shaken itself out, with a few drivers going to new teams for the 2010 season.  Now is the time for drivers and crew chiefs to begin to feel each other out, to get to know each other.  For many owners, now is a time for finding a new sponsor for next year's races, hopefully a sponsor that will keep the team running the entire year.

For many fans, now is the time to begin to dare hope that 2010 will be a better year for our favorite drivers than 2009 was.  I know, because I speak from experience as a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan.

Dale Jr. was not the only driver that seemed to have only one kind of luck in 2009, which of course was 'bad.'  Fans of Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch and many others understand that 2009 just wasn't the greatest of years for certain drivers.  Jeff Gordon fans must be wondering if indeed Jeff will ever win that 'Drive For Five' that has eluded him thus far.

There are teams that won't win the Cup in 2009 that I am impressed with, however.  The 14 and 39 cars of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman come to mind.  Basically, this team was completely overhauled in the last off season, and both teams have performed superbly in 2009.  The 47 car of Marcos Ambrose was another pleasant surprise this year.  Bobby Labonte, who just announced that he would be driving the underfunded 71 car next year, pulled off some amazing qualifying efforts and finishes in that car this year. 

From now until that last few minutes before the drop of the green flag at Daytona in February, this so called off season will be one of the busiest of the year for many NASCAR teams.