What’s in a Number?
August 19, 2008
Last weekend at Michigan, Tony Stewart announced that Ryan Newman would drive the #4 Chevrolet for the new Stewart-Haas race team next year. A day later, stories surfaced online that Morgan McClure Racing was “not happy” about Stewart taking “their number.”
Today, an update! Newman will drive a #39 next season rather than the #4.
The most likely scenario is that someone from Morgan-McClure either contacted Stewart and persuaded him to change his mind about using the #4, but Stewart could just as likely have heard about the consternation his choice of number had caused MMR and decided to make the switch. I hope Morgan-McClure didn’t request the change. That would seem a little selfish to me seeing as their Sprint Cup program no longer exists. They “might” come back some day, certainly, but Kyle Busch ”might” announce that he is giving up NASCAR Racing to join the ballet.
Whatever happened, Stewart showed some class in relinquishing his first choice of a number. Yes, Morgan-McClure ran the #4 for many decades and won quite a few races with it. Yes, they have a sentimental attachment. However, they have no more claim on the number than do I. They have not raced this year, and unless a fairly large miracle occurs, they will likely never race again. NASCAR owns the numbers, and they gave the 4 to Stewart-Haas Racing.
Newman ended up with a cool number anyway. He won his first ever USAC midget race in a #39. But the “14 and the 39″ just doesn’t flow as well as the “14 and the 4.”
Stewart was very nice to give up the 4, but I hope his actions don’t set a precedent for other teams who think they are “owed” a certain number.
Double Clutchin’-The G, B, And U From Michigan: Part Two
August 18, 2008
Busch>Edwards>Everybody Else.
If you wanted to sum up this season in NASCAR. you could use the formula above to sum it up and it would be hard to dispute. There have been 23 races this season and 13 of them have been won by the duo. And that’s just in the Cup. The two have also combined for nine wins on the Nationwide Series, which gives them a grand total of 22 wins in both Read more
Is it set, or will Ragan make the Chase?
August 17, 2008
With four Roush Fenway drivers finishing in the top five I’m sure David Ragan thought his third place finish at Michigan would finally put him in the Chase. Coupled with Hamlin and Kahne finishing 39th and 40th, respectively, the points should start adding up. Ragan even Read more
JGR Caught With Hand In Cookie Jar
August 17, 2008
Well, there are a lot of people upset with Joe Gibbs Racing right now, and it’s no surprise that most of those people are drivers and owners who have seen the rear end of Gibbs cars more than they would like to this season. JGR and Toyotas have been dominant in both series and that’s raised many eyebrows about how they got so good, so quick. Read more
Vickers Sits On Pole For Michigan, Stewart And Newman, Olympic Racing
August 15, 2008
The last time that Brian Vickers sat on a pole, was 2006. Big difference between now and 2006? In 2006 he drove for Hendrick.
Now Vickers, of course, drives for Red Bull Racing, and this is the first time that team has put a driver on the pole in their two season existence. But when the 3M Performance Read more
As Long as We’re Talking Schedules…
August 15, 2008
Just before NASCAR releases the 2009 schedule, Kansas Speedway decides to make public that they plan to ask NASCAR for a second date in the near future. I can’t imagine that it will happen next year since all three major touring series’ schedules should be just about wrapped up by mid-August, but stranger things have happened.
The question becomes should Kansas Speedway get a second date? Evidently, plans at the speedway call for the addition of a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on property as well as several other improvements. The area around the speedway, which was an expanse of cornfield in 2001, is now covered by shopping centers, restaurants, and hotels as far as the eye can see. There is no doubt that the Kansas Speedway has been a tremendous success.
However, putting a second date at Kansas would mean that parent company International Speedway Corporation would have to take a race from another of its tracks. That means that either Daytona, Talladega, California, Darlington, Martinsville, Michigan, Chicagoland, Richmond, Watkins Glen, Phoenix, or Homestead.
I think Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, and Richmond are untouchable, as well as Darlington since it only has one date remaining. The one date factor would certainly come into play for Homestead-Miami, Chicagoland, and Watkins Glen as well.
That leaves Phoenix, Martinsville, and California as the more vulnerable tracks: California due to its low attendance, Martinsville due to its comparatively low number of seats and its location in the already over-saturated southeastern U.S., and Phoenix because, well - do we really need two Cup races at Phoenix? (Personally I would say yes, but then I just enjoy going to Phoenix, race or no race.)
Of those tracks, I think California is the one most likely to lose a race date. In addition to being a short track, Martinsville is seeped in tradition. I think the whole Darlington fiasco resulted in NASCAR sitting up and paying attention to the fact that tradition still means a great deal to a great many fans. California has rarely sold out, the TV ratings are typically amongst the lowest of every season, and given all those factors, it is an unnecessarily long trip from Charlotte. Plus, why was that race ever scheduled for Sunday night? Holiday schmoliday, give me Saturday night anytime!
A second race at Kansas would be fine as long as ISC considers carefully which track will lose the date. Putting another race in the Heartland probably wouldn’t be such a bad idea, but eliminating another fan favorite race in order to do so would be foolish.
Minor Schedule Change for 2009 = Major Happiness in NASCAR
August 13, 2008
The 2009 Sprint Cup schedule has yet to be released, but there was an unofficial version posted online today. The preliminary schedule indicates that the Labor Day race at the Auto Club Speedway will move to the first weekend in October. The weekend that is currently slated for the fall Talladega race, to be exact. Talladega would move to the current fall Atlanta weekend later in October, and the Labor Day race, that historic weekend that many fans still rightfully belongs to Darlington, will move to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Read more
Logano to make Cup Debut at Richmond?
August 12, 2008
Just three short months after he made his Nationwide debut at Dover, Joey “Sliced Bread” Logano is evidently on his way to living the dream of every 18 year-old race car driver in the world. Joe Gibbs Racing has apparently decided to run Logano in several events at the back end of the 2008 season, preparing him to take over the #20 Toyota Tony Stewart will vacate at season’s end.
Richmond is reportedly first on the list. I’m not sure the last race before the Chase is the best time to let a brand new kid loose in a Sprint Cup race, but hopefully Logano will use the opportunity to gain experience and not notoriety. He will get his fair share of press no matter when he debuts in Cup, but possibly the powers that be at Gibbs are thinking that the Chase contenders will well overshadow the Logano story, thereby relieving some of the pressure of his first start.
Talladega, Dover, Atlanta, Charlotte, Martinsville, Phoenix, and Homestead would also be smart places for JGR to field a car for Logano. Next year’s Rookie of the Year will need as much experience as he can get on tracks such as these, and he will need to get a feel for how the Cup cars differ from the Nationwide cars at these venues. Logano has already proven that he can win at 1.5 mile tracks, but Atlanta is much faster than Kentucky, and Charlotte is always a place new guys want as much time on as possible due to the high-profile events held there.
Let’s hope that this isn’t another case of “too much too soon,” and that young Logano impresses everyone at the Sprint Cup level as much as Joe Gibbs Racing seems to think he will. If he doesn’t, and Joe and J.D. Gibbs were to decide to leave him in Nationwide for another year, they will have a tough time finding another qualified driver for the #20 so late in the season.
Double Clutchin’-The Good, The Bad, And The Glen
August 12, 2008
What was it that The Who said? Oh yeah, that song went a little something like this:
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
And I think they followed that part up with something about Read more
Left,Right,Left,Right… Kyle claims another victory!
August 11, 2008
It doesn’t seem to matter, Kyle Busch’s M&M’s machine is on fire. Stewart tried to get him in the closing laps, but it wasn’t to be. Busch now has the lead at the start of the Chase, but I don’t think he’s going to be the Cup Champion. I think the Chase will be won by… Read more