Roger Penske to buy Saturn
June 5, 2009
Roger Penske has come to a tentative agreement with GM to purchase the Saturn division. Roger is 72, and this latest deal shows the drive and energy this guy still has. But is this deal really a good deal for the American car industry?
CNET’s “Cartech” blog mentioned rumors that Penske’s plan is to bring in Korean cars and distribute them into USA. If this is the plan, it’s not exactly a “turning around” of Saturn, but more like a way to salvage dealerships. I wonder what the Autoextremist will have to say and prognosticate about this.
One way or the other, you can’t argue with Roger’s success and business wizardry. The man will figure out a way to make this work.
Here’s today’s story via the AP:
Roger Penske never made it big as a race car driver. As a businessman, however, he regularly leaves the competition in the dust.
Referred
to in racing circles as “The Captain,” Penske is the most successful
team owner in Indy car racing history and his automotive empire
includes hundreds of car dealership franchises, a truck leasing
business and a successful NASCAR team.
Now the 72-year-old Penske
is taking on perhaps the biggest challenge of his career: turning
around the Saturn passenger car brand after reaching a tentative
agreement to buy it from General Motors. Given Penske’s competitive
streak and record of success, people who have worked with him and raced
against him expect he’ll pull it off.
Double Clutchin’-The Year In Silly Driver Awards
November 23, 2008
Well, Jimmie Johnson won his third-straight championship by doing what he had to do at Homestead: not crashing. Carl Edwards won another race by having just a touch more fuel than everyone else did and he did his part to at least made the first part of the race interesting. Now, with the final race of the season out of the way and the end of the NASCAR season upon us, it is now the time to give out the awards for this season. These were thought out over a great deal of time (about 30 seconds) and it is my sincere wish that all of the drivers honored will be deeply touched by these awards.
Plastic imaginary trophies can be found at finer K-Mart establishments nationwide:
The Cale Yarborough Award For Racing Excellence: Jimmie Johnson
The “Is This Guy A Racer Or A Pro Wrestler?” Award: Carl Edwards
The Bill Belichick Award For Coaching Ethics: Chad Knaus
The Michelle Wie “Not Ready For Prime Time” Award: Joey Logano
The Alex Rodriguez Award For Outstanding Playoff Performance: Kyle Busch
The Phil Hellmuth Biggest Brat Award: Kyle Busch
The Tampa Bay Rays Surprise Of The Season Award: Clint Bowyer
The Best Driver That No One Has Ever Heard Of Award: Greg Biff…What’s his name again? Biffle? Okay, yeah, Greg Biffle, that’s it.
The Phil Fulmer Award For Coaching Excellence: Tony Eury, Jr.
The “My God, If I Have To Watch Those One More Time, I’m Going To Stab Out My Retinas” Award: The Kasey Kahne All-State commercials
The “If My Wife Looked Like His, My Racing Would Fall Off As Well” Award: Jeff Gordon
The Hank Williams, Jr. “Pretty Good, Never Gonna Be His Dad, And That’s Okay” Award: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
The “These Guys Caused More Crashes Than Michael Waltrip” Award: Goodyear Tires
The Jan Brady “I Hate My Sibling” Award: Kurt Busch
The “What Do You Mean I Didn’t Win” Award: Carl Edwards for winning two more races, having four more top fives, and five more top tens than Jimmie Johnson, but ending up in second place in the points.
The “I Thought That All I Needed Was A Hot Wife To Run NASCAR” Award: Dario Franchitti
The Willie Mays “Please Retire, Because I Can’t Stand To See You This Way” Award: Bill Elliott
and finally…
The Casey Mears Award For Being An Average Performer On A Great Team:
Goes to…Rocky Kitts and Double Clutchin’. Seriously, a big thank you to Josh and the team here at Fast Machines for giving me the license to blog a little NASCAR this season and to be as serious or as silly as I wanted to be. I know that my style isn’t entertaining to all, but hey, you can’t be all things to all people. I’ve had a great time here this season and hope that you readers have as well. There have been better NASCAR seasons, that’s for sure, but this season still gave us some great moments to remember and hopefully next season will once again find us all talking about the end of another tremendous NASCAR season.
Last person out out of the garage make sure that all the tools are turned off, unplugged, and placed in their proper spots.
Thank you and God Bless to all. Even you Kasey.
Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And ABC
November 12, 2008
First off, apologies to all for no posts in a while; the reasons for my absence are numerous and personal, but I’m happy to be back with you for the last bite of the NASCAR season. I’m going to do this post in reverse today so let us get this party started:
The Ugly:
ABC. Oh my God, are you kidding me? With 39 laps to go in the race ABC decides to switch to ESPN2? I know there are a few of you out there who wonder what the big deal is; I mean, every one has cable; right?
No, they don’t. One of the things that I’ve liked about the last part of the season is the fact that the races are on ABC. That means that I can go to visit my dad on Sundays and watch the races with him. Cable isn’t offered in the boondocks where my folks live and a satellite really doesn’t fit into their budget, so the only races that he gets to watch are the ones on free tv. So when the race was switched to cable, we (along with those who had tivoed it) were pretty much screwed.
Folks, I was so mad Sunday that I was throwing things. I know that this wasn’t really NASCAR’s fault, but it really felt like it was another example of how far away from its core audience NASCAR has gotten. Like I said, maybe that’s not fair of me, but I was more than a little irritated. Plus, it was a definite sign that whether we want to admit it or not, NASCAR is still seen as a red-headed step-child in the sports industry. If that had been an NFL game, there’s no way that it’s not allowed to play out. This was the next to last race of the season, you’ve got the points leader in first and the number two guy (Carl) primed to make one last run at the lead and possibly the championship. There was every indication that something good was about to happen, but God forbid that America’s Funniest Home Videos be knocked off the air.
I mean, who wouldn’t rather watch a guy get hit in the balls by his kid on video for the millionth time, than what could potentially be the deciding race of the season?
Bill France wasn’t happy about the decision, but he was diplomatic, saying:
“We didn’t like it, that was not what we had anticipated but we have talked to them repeatedly in the last couple days,” France said. “There were lots of circumstances that we have to consider. They have their own issues they had to manage around. Unfortunately we got the short end of that.”(Nascar.com)
No, Bill, it was a lot of your fans that got the short end of that. Onto the bad.
The Bad:
This isn’t really bad, but I didn’t know where else to put it. The wreck involving David Gilliland and Scott Speed was tremendous. I can’t remember the last time that I saw a car actually stuck on top of another car. Bad luck for both guys, but it was a great visual and luckily no one was injured.
And oh yeah, Scott Speed is as weird as he was advertised. I’ve never seen a guy look that happy about being involved in a crash. If this guy can learn to race the NASCAR circuit, he could really be good for the sport. He’s got a lot of qualities that I think could make him very popular; and even more unpopular with NASCAR fans.
The Good:
Jimmie Johnson took this victory at Phoenix, and with that he has all but finished his quest for a third straight championship. Sure, Haley’s Comet could change course, plummet to Earth and take out Johnson before the race, but it’s not bloody likely.
Carl Edwards. Carl may not win the championship, but there’s no doubt that this season was his coming out party. Carl will go into next season as one of the top candidates to dethrone Johnson as the champ, along with Kyle Busch and he’s become the new “it” guy of NASCAR. Carl has brought a lot of energy to NASCAR this season and I expect him to be bringing that same kind of energy for years to come.
Great races by Jamie McMurray and J.P. Montoya (that makes it more NASCAR-ie, doesn’t it?) on Sunday. Both of these guys have been impressive in the last few races (I guess racing for sponsorships can do that), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either one of them be next season’s break-out driver. Of course, in McMurray’s case, that’s been said before, but maybe this will be the time for J-Mac to fulfill his potential.
That’s it for this issue, folks. One more race to go and we can tie a bow on the NASCAR season. That can mean only one thing:
The first ever Double Clutchin’ Year in Review Driver Awards! Coming soon to a blog near you.
Be afraid Michael. Be very afraid.
Also, in case I forget to mention it later, thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read these posts and who have offered your own opinions and observations.
Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From Atlanta
October 28, 2008
Well, Atlanta has come and gone, and although Carl Edwards won the race, did the backflip, and had a pretty good day, Jimmie Johnson still managed to finish second and in the process he made winning his third straight championship an almost certainty.
Carl’s post-victory interview was priceless. How good was it when he climbed out of his car and was greeted with the “Do you know who finished second?” question and he answered, “No, who finished second?” The look on Carl’s face and the “Are you kidding me!” that followed when he found out Jimmie was behind him, were tremendous.
Jimmie Johnson had as much business finishing second in that race as Britney Spears’ mother did of writing a parenting book. Now onto the G, B, and U:
The Good:
Good racing by Carl, who once again showed that he’s not afraid to bump somebody if it means the difference between a top five finish and a win. Edwards bumped Denny Hamlin on lap 310 and held the lead for the rest of the race, and did all that he could to shorten Jimmie Johnson’s lead. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough, because…
Jimmie Johnson is the devil. He has sold his soul to the same Sports Satan that ensured that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots would dominate the NFL for most of the last decade. Johnson overcame being down a lap early in the race, and at the end of the race he was making more passes than a college student at a strip club. Johnson is going to win his third straight championship, something that only Cale Yarborough has done, and with that accomplishment he’s going to make it impossible to ignore his name when talking about the most impressive achievements in NASCAR history, or the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. He is also the man whose winning of another championship is going to bring up a lot of discussion about the way that the points system in NASCAR is set up. Is Johnson great? Or is he just a good driver who is taking advantage of a flawed system? I don’t know the answer to the first question, but I have this answer to the second one. All the other drivers are racing under the same rules as Johnson and we’re not talking about any of them. So, if he’s got a secret to winning the Chase it must be one hell of a secret, because no one else has been able to duplicate his formula.
The Bad:
“My name is Juan Pablo Montoya, you have wrecked my race car. Prepare to die.”
Anyways, moving right along. Montoya had a great, great, car Sunday, and I was cheering for him to break through with a win at a traditional track. It was not to be however, as Montoya was first hit on pit row by Clint Bowyer and was then unable to avoid the crash between Dave Blaney and Jeff Burton. Montoya ended up with a 40th place finish, but there is no doubt that this was one of the better races of his NASCAR career and one that he and his crew can hopefully build off of for the remainder of this season and into the next one.
Speaking of Jeff Burton; until he had the wreck with Blaney, you would have had a hard time finding him on the track with X-Ray glasses. Burton has had very mediocre races (17th and 18th spot finishes) since winning two weeks ago, and has taken himself out of what was a legitimate shot at a championship. This season may have been Burton’s best shot at a championship and I have to wonder if the driver’s legendary cautious streak kept him from being able to really pull the trigger the last couple of races. Maybe he got tight, I don’t know. Burton is a very good driver, but he’s never struck me as having a great deal of killer instinct, and I’m not sure that he’s got the time left in his career to develop it in, in order to get that championship.
In a move that should make Shrub haters smile just a little, the 18 car was confiscated after the race and is being taken to North Carolina to have its measurements checked. Although NASCAR.com says that its not expected that anything will be found, it’s still going to be fun for some people to kick President Kyle while he’s down.
The Ugly:
Is it just me, or were there a whole bunch of NASCAR fans dressed up like empty seats on Sunday? I haven’t seen a number that shows the race’s attendance (I’ll look around) but I have read several articles like this one, that suggest that the Atlanta sports market is really struggling right now. It doesn’t really single out NASCAR as being the only sport hit by the economic crunch, but it just goes to show that right now there are many people who are having to choose not to go out to the track, not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t afford to. NASCAR has followed the lead of many other sports in becoming more and more expensive over the last 10 years or so, and in the process they have made it really difficult for many of their fans to experience a race or the racing experiment live at even the Nationwide level, and that’s a shame. Plus, with the financial difficulties that many local tracks are having, one has to wonder where the next generation of NASCAR fans are going to come from.
That’s it for the Good, Bad, and Ugly for this week. Next week is Texas, and I’ll say one thing about Texas; I may not be a Cowboys or Longhorns fan, but I love their cheerleaders. Keep it between the lines folks and enjoy the races.
Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From Martinsville
October 22, 2008
Some late posting this week due to sundry reasons that kept me from posting earlier. So, with apologies given, let us go right into things and talk a little bit about Martinsville.
The Good:
Somebody should really think about just handing Jimmie Johnson the deed to Martinsville. For the fourth time in five races, Johnson took the checkered flag and this time he did it in dominant fashion, leading 339 of 504 laps, and in the process he put an exclamation mark on the Hendrick conquering of Martinsville. (When you place four drivers in the top six, you officially own a track.) Johnson ran away from teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. during a green-white-checkered finish and extended his points lead to 149 points over second-place Greg Biffle.
In a recent interview, racing legend Cale Yarborough had this to say of Johnson:
“I’ve watched Jimmie”, Yarborough says. “He’s the kind of driver that likes to run up front. That’s the way I drove. I can see a lot of Jimmie in me.”
One of the biggest compliments that a legend like Cale can give a modern driver is the “I can see a lot of him in me” statement, and it’s nice to see that Yarborough has respect for the guy that is probably going to tie his record of three straight championships.
Also, it was a good run for DE(damn, I almost wrote DEI, I’d better not do that)88. I wasn’t as much impressed with Junior’s second-place finish as I was impressed by the inspired way that he drove on Sunday. He bumped, he pushed, he took spots away from people, and he always seemed like he was driving for first. I’ve been critical of Junior sometimes for racing too soft at times, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t compliment him for running a hell of a race at Martinsville. There’s no shame in coming in second to someone with a car like Jimmie had, and I’m sure that most Junior fans had to like what they saw out of their guy.
Some love for Casey Mears, too. Casey has been in the Hendrick doghouse all year it seems and it was nice to see him step up with a good sixth-place finish in one of his final races as part of the clan.
The Bad:
Kyle Busch’s tires are worse than my English (apologies, I rite an speek in da Suthun dilect sumtimes), and whatever was wrong with his tires infected Tony Stewart’s car as well, as the two went on to finishes of 29th place and 26th place respectively. Boy, if you had told me a couple of months ago that once the Chase started that Kyle would free-fall like he has, I would have called you a politician. I haven’t seen anyone collapse like Kyle since I watched the Red Sox come back on my Yankees a couple of seasons ago. Only difference is, watching Kyle’s collapse is much funner (yes, funner) than watching that one was.
Scott Speed finished the race still running. That’s all that can really be said about that. Lackluster race for the newcomer in finishing 35th, but it’s way too early to send him back to where he came from.
The Ugly:
Not as much about the race itself, but more about the problems that occurred because of qualifying being rained out. Rich has a column here where he talks about the amount of rain-outs that have happened this season and his suggestion for a better way to do things. There’s no doubt that Jimmie Johnson benefited from having the first pit stall and his teammate Mr. Gordon whined a little that he really wished that qualifying had happened. Gordon thought that he had a car that could have won the poll. Based on Gordon’s history of winning polls at Martinsville (he’s won as many polls as there are days of the week) he very well might have done so. Honestly, though, with the way Johnson was running I don’t think that it would have made a difference, as he was in the zone and had a great car. But who knows? Maybe if Johnson had been further back in the pits he would have found himself in heavier traffic for more of the race that he was and someone else would have had a shot at the victory.
Really though, isn’t it just another Gordon excuse?
But read Rich’s column here, if you haven’t already. He has what I think is a pretty good idea about qualifying, and it’s an idea it seems to me is a pretty practical one.
Until next time,
Rubbin’ may be racin, but rubbin’ in the wrong place may leave you with an itch that won’t go away. Something to think about.
Enjoy the races.
Brian Vickers And Crew Get Fined
October 22, 2008
NASCAR took the sledgehammer out of the shed and brought it down squarely on the head of Brian Vickers and his crew after finding a pretty glaring problem with Vickers’ car upon inspection. The problem? The team went Woodstock on the car’s sheet metal and dipped it in acid so it would be lighter.
Yeah. No one was going to catch that. Except, of course, they did catch it, and Vickers and the Red Bull team received a pretty hefty punishment. From ESPN:
NASCAR docked Brian Vickers 150 driver points and fined crew chief Kevin Hamlin $100,000 because the Red Bull Racing team dipped its sheet metal in acid to make it lighter than required. Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz also was docked 150 owner points, while Hamlin and car chief Craig Smokstad were both suspended indefinitely. Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye said the team accepted responsibility and would not appeal the penalties.
Vickers was in (sic) the process of having his best career finish, but now it looks like he’s going to lose not only the position, but with the loss of his crew chief and car chief, it’s likely to be a long four remaining races.
They should of dipped it in Red Bull instead. Then we could find out if that stuff really does give you wings.
Oh and this is for Karl; Vickers dropped from 15th spot to 17th spot.
So sorry for the missed info.
Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From LMS
October 14, 2008
It’s fitting that the Bank of America 500 took place in the former home of Mid-Atlantic wrestling. The race was over-shadowed for most of the week by the fight between Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick, but when the lights came on, it was the grizzled veteran Jeff Burton who took the checkered flag. How did the rest do? Let’s find out, shall we?
The Good:
Great job by Jeff Burton. Burton led for the final 57 laps and used a gas and go strategy to help hold off a very game Kasey Kahne for the victory. Burton continues a career that has shown him to be one of the best drivers that the mainstream knows nothing about and aren’t interested in featuring. Now that he sits behind only Jimmie Johnson in the points standings, it may be only a matter of time before Burton takes the respect that he’s not been getting. Burton is as consistent as the sun coming up in the morning and it’s that same consistency that’s going to keep him in the running for the main prize until the final checkered hits at Homestead.
OMG we had a Kurt Busch sighting. This was easily Kurt’s best run since Daytona (yes, I know that he won a race because of the rain, I’m choosing to ignore that), and it had to feel good for him to edge out little brother. I’m amazed by how the last couple of seasons have gone for Kurt. A few years ago he was easily one of the top guys in the sport and it looked like he was only going to get better. Of late though, he’s been nothing but a footnote in little brother’s biography. He’s shown himself still capable of winning a race or two but has lacked any kind of consistency from week to week. Maybe this finish can be the start of some positive momentum.
The Bad:
A Kevin Harvick fan somewhere got their money out of that Carl Edwards voodoo doll. Edwards watched his once-promising Chase standing slide south in a hurry. The culprit of Edwards’ 33rd spot finish was an ignition problem that ended any hopes of winning at Charlotte and that forced him to fourth in the standings, behind JJ, Burton, and Greg Biffle. Edwards still has a shot to get back his momentum, but he’s probably going to need to help himself and to get some help with bad finishes from the guys above him. As consistent as Johnson and Burton are, that kind of help isn’t likely.
“If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all”, is probably the way DE88 feels after his tire blew one lap before he was ready to come into the pits. Junior remarked that there was no warning and the tire just went. I can’t remember another year when random tire explosions have played such a big part in seemingly every race. This was the second week in a row that Junior had a good car and was taken out of contention by random acts of lady unlucky (lady luck’s ugly sister, I know her well). Being a Junior fan this season was kind of like being back in high school and dating a preacher’s daughter. You wait and wait and figure that eventually something good is going to happen and eventually you’ll be given a reason to smile, but as time goes on you begin to realize that the only thing that you are going to get is a steady diet of disappointment. But it’s not because of the driver, because Junior has driven very well this season and it’s still my belief that he’ll find a way in these last few races to grab a victory somewhere.
The Ugly:
I’ve feeling nice this week, no ugly. This wasn’t a great race by any means, but by that same token it wasn’t a terrible one. There were way too many cautions, but a strong finish helped out down the stretch. Expect a whole lot of excitement at Martinsville on the 19th and if you absolutely have to pick a winner, you might want to consider one of the Hendrick boys who have absolutely owned this track with JJ winning three of the last four races there, and Jeff Gordon has seven wins at this track. Who knows, maybe this will be the first win at Martinsville for the newest Hendrick driver.
And Carl Edwards better hope that voodoo doll is worn out before his next backflip. If it’s not, he might end up in the second row.
Rocky Kitts writes about NASCAR for fastmachines and about other sports that are less important at threestrikesandout. He can be reached by email at wwwthreestrikesandout@yahoo.com.
More On Kevin And Carl And Dale Really Shouldn’t Be Talking
October 10, 2008
I would like to thank the drivers of NASCAR for giving us a race last Sunday that has given me a plethora of new material all week. It is very appreciated. Much more appreciated than the note that Carl Edwards apparently left on Kevin Harvick’s plane. The one that said, “I was really trying to screw up every one’s day. Love, Carl.” (ESPN) Good rule of thumb Carl; the only thing less appreciated than a note on your windshield saying that some dummy bumped into your door, is a smart-aleck note put on your plane by someone who knocked you out of a major NASCAR race by causing a wreck.
That’s how noses get broken.
From this whole little incident I’ve learned one very important thing, and that is this: Kevin Harvick may be the best quote in NASCAR. What did he said this time? When asked about how the crash affects Edwards’ championship hopes, Harvick dropped the heavy lumber:
Reminded that Edwards is in the thick of the Cup race, trailing two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson by 72 points, Harvick responded, “So are we.”
After a brief pause, Harvick, who is 171 points out of first, added, “I could give two s—- about who Carl Edwards is and what he’s in the race for.” (ESPN)
Seriously, the only way this could get any better is if the two of them agreed to settle it all inside a big blue cage after the race at Charlotte. Hell, it’s North Carolina, find Ric Flair and have him special referee the thing and give all the money to charity.
In other notes, while Kevin Harvick may be my favorite quote in the business, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. answered some questions about Talladega’s finish and in doing so, he gave some answers that he probably should have thought a little bit harder about before he let them escape his lips. When asked about the controversial call that disallowed Regan Smith’s pass of Tony Stewart; Earnhardt had this to say:
“I feel like the rule is pretty clear. What is unclear is what being forced below the yellow line is,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “In my opinion, (Smith) was forced below the yellow line.
“The two did make contact. He was on the inside of Tony. In my opinion (Smith) wins the race. I feel like Tony did what he had to do. In the car, everyone would have done what Tony did and everyone would have done what (Smith) did.
Okay, fair enough, he thinks that Regan should have won the race. He goes on to say that he had won a race previously when he was forced below the line and that’s part of why he sees Regan’s side. But, things get a little more dicey the more that Junior keeps talking:
“This is Regan Smith. If it’s a guy who’s won seven championships, maybe it’s a different discussion. This guy ain’t got a job next year as far as he knows,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He crossed the finish line thinking he won the race and he ends up finishing 18th.
“You can tell him all day long everyone in the garage knows who won that race and this that and the other to try to make him feel better, but it won’t happen. It’s tough.” (The Charlotte Observer)
Ouch. That’s not good.
For starters before any driver should comment on the finish of a race that didn’t involve them, I believe they should ask themselves the question: If I had won, would I say the same thing that I’m saying now? Of course not. Junior has his opinion and that’s fine, but if he was sitting in Tony Stewart’s seat I think that he wouldn’t be giving that victory back either.
As for the second quote? Are you stupid? Do you really want to come right out and say that the stars get the breaks and that’s just the way it is? Do you think that NASCAR really wants its most popular driver to come out and fuel the fire of conspiracy theorists everywhere? The last thing that NASCAR needs is to have its credibility brought into question by its biggest star in a year that hasn’t been one of the easiest in recent memory. Especially when you’ve just admitted that you were the beneficiary of one of those breaks.
I’m sure that was not what Junior was intending to do with this statement. I’m sure that he just wanted to stand up for a driver that he thought got wronged and that he just wanted to give an honest answer. If that’s the case he should have just told Regan himself that he was sorry about what happened and then he could have went and talked to someone in NASCAR management behind closed doors about clarifying the rule for future races. A good statement would have been something along the lines of:
“As someone that has benefited from being able to pass after being forced below the line, I think that it would be good if NASCAR clarified the rule for future races so that no one gets screwed.”
That would have been acceptable. As it is, I wouldn’t be surprised if Junior gets a good talking to and may find his wallet just a little lighter next week.
What’s also acceptable is me ensuring that there will be no confusion this week by picking Tony Stewart to win, assuring that there will be a different driver in victory lane. My absolute dream of a race for this weekend would have Harvick and Edwards running first and third with Kyle Busch between them in the second slot with two laps to the finish.
If that scenario happens, I only have one question: Who’s lucky enough to be in fourth?
Harvick And Edwards Scuffle In Garage
October 9, 2008
There is nothing quite like it when NASCAR and WWE collide.
Two old-school drivers (IMO) Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick chose to discuss their disagreements about last week’s Talladega race like reasonable men. Then, when that failed, they started beating the hell out of each other. From SI.com:
Witnesses said Edwards and Harvick scuffled Thursday in the Nationwide Series garage at Lowe’s Motor Speedway after Edwards walked into Harvick’s garage stall and the two engaged in a heated argument.
Harvick appeared to try to walk away but, witnesses said, Edwards reached for his shoulder to turn him back around. Harvick then shoved Edwards, who stumbled onto the hood of Harvick’s car, and the two had to be separated.
Witnesses claimed a member of Harvick’s crew had Edwards in a headlock as numerous people tried to separate the two. (Sports Illustrated)
Well, Harvick was the most vocal driver after Talladega when it came to exhibiting his displeasure with Cousin Carl causing the big wreck that eliminated Harvick and several other Chase drivers from the race. Harvick commented after the race that Edwards had raced like a pansy by hugging the back of the line until late in the race in order to try to avoid getting knocked out early. The irony of course, is that when Edwards did decide to involve himself in the race he caused as much damage as an ex-wife at a family reunion.
So, do we now have Edwards vs Harvick as well as Edwards vs Busch? Honestly, if you had asked anyone a couple of months ago which of those feuds would be the most important to the Chase they would have overwhelmingly said the latter. However, with Carl sitting at second and Kevin holding down the sixth spot, any on-track incidents between the two of these guys could be huge in deciding who walks away with this year’s championship.
Just a hint to Carl though. I’d rather tick off ten Kyles than one Kevin Harvick. Kyle might bump into your car while you are on the track. Kevin might bump you off a bridge while you are driving home.
Carl, if it were me, I’d carpool for the next couple of days. You know, just to be on the safe side.
Carpentier Released From Gillett Evernham
October 7, 2008
Well, Gillett went ahead and cut Patrick Carpentier.
Sorry, that was bad. I’ll try to do better in the future.
Anyways, according to ESPN, Carpentier has been released and the 10 Dodge will be driven by the great Mike Wallace this weekend and A.J. Allmendinger the rest of the season. Carpentier was already going through the out door at Gillett, but this quick jettison was probably brought on by a disagreement between him and team director Mike Shiplett. From ESPN:
“I think it’s a complete lack of respect,” Carpentier wrote. “I never was shy to take the blame when I thought it was my fault, but here, everybody knows that it’s like driving in a straight line. The driver just has to keep the steering wheel straight. He should have taken a time out and calmed down before he spoke.”
“I know [Shiplett's] criticism didn’t make any sense,” Carpentier wrote. “What is worst is that he seems to have forgotten pretty quickly races like Dover or in Atlanta where I’ve qualified a car that he himself didn’t think was fast enough to earn a place on the starting grid. I realize now that some people have a really short memory span in NASCAR.”
I tried to look at PC’s website myself but I got a nice little picture of a car, some contact info, and no active links, so either my computer is junk (probable) or he’s off-limit (possible) for the next little bit.
Carpentier’s best finish this season was 14th at Daytona in July. However, he did lead three laps at Kansas and I guess that’s worth something.
