DEI Sale Rumors Untrue - For Now
July 8, 2008
How ironic is it that, just as I was posting yesterday’s blog about the economic woes catching up to NASCAR teams, rumors were breaking that Theresa Earnhardt may be selling DEI? There has been talk for years that it was just a matter of time before Theresa decided to take off the ownership hat, and now it looks like the time may be imminent. DEI President Max Siegel today denied that the company had enlisted the help of a firm to help sell the team, but his language indicated that selling always remains an option even though the team is not on the block right now. However, there’s one thing I’ve noticed about NASCAR rumors - where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. Read more
Economy Woes Catching Up to NASCAR Teams
July 7, 2008
The first has fallen. Chip Ganassi Racing decided to close its #40 Sprint Cup Dodge team last week. The cut back leaves 71 employees roaming the garage for jobs, not to mention driver Dario Franchitti, who has reportedly not yet decided if he will take the Ganassi Nationwide Series ride he’s been offered. With the way things are looking, Ganassi may not be the only team headed for trouble. Read more
Double Clutchin’-Just Give Me a Race And a Radio And I’ll Be Fine
July 6, 2008
First of all, let me be honest and let you know straight up that this will not be a really in-depth analysis of the race, because I didn’t get the chance to see the race Saturday night. Due to the death of my uncle, I was coming back from Indiana while Read more
Thank You for Not Sharing.
July 5, 2008
Yesterday, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Mark Martin will run the full schedule in the #5 car in 2009, and again part-time in 2010. No surprises there, although Hendrick and Martin say they can’t figure out how the story broke so quickly as most of the deal was done through text messages.
What was uncertain, though, was how and if Brad Keselowski would fit into the new format. It was speculated early on that, since Martin had shared a ride this year at DEI with Aric Almirola, he would consider the same arrangement at Hendrick Motorsports. Read more
Welcoming Randy Moss To NASCAR
July 3, 2008
Because when I think NASCAR; I think Randy Moss. In what may be the strangest marriage since Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson; New England Patriots’ Wide Receiver Randy Moss, has decided to purchase himself part of a NASCAR truck series. Read more
Open Testing Would Have its Drawbacks
July 3, 2008
NASCAR is evidently considering going “wide open” with its testing policy. As it stands now, NASCAR mandates so many tests per year at their sanctioned tracks, and typically most teams show up for the tests. Teams can test any time they want at tracks that are not NASCAR sanctioned.
While there may be good things about the plan, I think it would completely hinder the process of trying to save the teams money. It would also drive the “haves” and the “have-nots” even farther apart in performance.
If NASCAR allowed teams to test at their own discretion, I can see a scenario like this: Multi-car, multi-million dollar budget teams will start testing weekly to gain a competitive edge. Eventually, all the big-budget teams will follow suit in order to keep up. In order not to burn out the weekend crews, new employees will have to be hired specifically for testing. More transporters will be needed. Teams will likely also have to employ separate drivers and engineers for the sole purpose of testing.
On the good side, this would create a lot more opportunities for people trying to break into NASCAR. On the bad side, the costs would be astronomical, and there is no way a small, single-car operation could keep up. Were a team like the Wood Brothers to try to keep this pace, their employees would all be asleep at the wheel, pardon the pun, by the time the most important part of the week came around.
More testing would also mean additional burning of fuel, a touchy subject right now if there ever was one. Why give any more ammunition to critics who are already calling us wasteful with the fuel supply?
More testing costs would inevitably mean teams asking for more sponsor money, and in this economy, along with asking for more fuel, how feasible is that? Until things start looking up, I think it would be wise for NASCAR to keep testing in-house.
Mark Martin Deserves A Little Respect. Okay, Maybe A Lot.
July 1, 2008
I read something this morning that troubled me greatly. It seems that the U.S. Army is all for Mark Martin moving away from the #8 Chevrolet next season due to his age. They evidently want Aric Almirola in the car full-time because, at 24, he more “fits their demographic.” Read more
Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From New Hampshire
June 30, 2008
Call him the Milli Vanilli of NASCAR, because not only did Kurt Busch win a race that he did not deserve to win, the drivers who were in control of the majority of the race were left doing the only thing that they could do; blaming the rain. If there’s a worse finish in sports than a race stopped by rain, I’m pretty sure that I’ve not been a witness to whatever it is. A rain-out robs fans of the best part of the race; the finish, and this race Read more
Monday Morning Crew Chief
June 30, 2008
Ten For The Weekend
1. The Unification High Is Over, Or Should Be — The Indy Racing League is now in charge of open-wheel racing in North America, but apparently has lost control of its races. The starts and re-starts at Richmond on Saturday night that led to a near-record 102 caution laps were an abomination. Another show in front of an excellent crowd gets undone. Read more
You Can’t Say Smoke Doesn’t Keep Us On Our Toes
June 29, 2008
Just when news breaks that the Tony Stewart/Haas CNC deal is done for 2009, Smoke decides to drop a bomb in an interview session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Asked if he would be interested in being considered for the 5 car that Casey Mears is vacating, Stewart responded that he would. He said that he doubted any driver in the garage would not seriously consider a ride with Hendrick Motorsports.
Of course, in the same interview, Stewart remarked that there were a few ARCA teams he hadn’t yet spoken with, either. It wouldn’t be a Tony Stewart interview session without a healthy dose of sarcasm. Read more