No to Daytona

It comes up repeatedly throughout the season. Somebody, in this case it was Bass Masters, says, “I wish Daytona hosted the final race of the season.”

Before I get too far into this, I understand that the final race of the season is no more mathematically significant in determining the season champion than the second-to-last race of the season. In the entertainment industry, however, perception trumps mathematics. So…

Under no circumstances should the final race of the season be hosted by Daytona International Speedway! If the Championship comes down to the final race of the season, as we all hope it does, does anybody really want the trophy to go home with the guy who simply managed to avoid a big wreck? Plate racing is too flighty and tricked up to be given that much responsibility. How many times have we seen a guy win a plate race then never be found anywhere near Victory Lane for the rest of that season? You could also expect the guys in position to take home the Championship playing it really safe in an attempt not to get caught up in somebody else’s mess.

Homestead-Miami is certainly not my favorite racetrack, but it’s probably as good of a final venue as any other, clearly better than Daytona. Of course, if you want to talk to me about staging the year’s last race on the Daytona road course, then I might listen. That would be completely fair.

~Cutler

• 7 Comments
• Daytona International Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway

First Win the Easy Way

Rain wins and fuel-mileage wins are part of our sport and I’m okay with that. While neither might feature exciting duels to the checkered flag, they do require a certain amount of strategy and gamesmanhip. They also give the crew chief a chance to shine and the driver a chance to show off a different set of skills. I actually find the strategic machinations that they require entertaining. Why then, do I feel so unfulfilled by Joey Logano’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway victory?

Easy. It’s his first win. I want a driver to capture his first win by punting a teammate a’ la Vickers, or out dueling Carl Edwards a’ la Keselowski. Remember Kevin Harvick edging out Jeff Gordon to win at Atlanta or Jamie McMurray winning at Charlotte in only his second career start? With apologies to David Reutimann and Joey Logano, it just doesn’t feel right to gain initial entrée into the NASCAR Sprint Cup winners club because of weather patterns.

When Kurt Busch or Matt Kenseth earn victories due to rain, those are victories earned by Cup champions. They have earned the right for a “gimme”. When Dale Earnhardt, Jr or Ryan Newman earn a victory thanks to fuel mileage, they are simply adding to a victory total amassed the old fashioned way. Casey Mears, not so much.

I hope David Reutimann and Joey Logano earn enough victories over the course of their career that the manner in which they won their first one is completely forgotten. (I would wish the same for Casey Mears, but that’s just silly.) If they don’t, they will still be considered victors in NASCAR’s premier series, but won’t you feel just a little dirty referring to them as such?

~Cutler

• 6 Comments
• Joey Logano, David Reutimann, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., kurt busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray

Manufacturers: Why Do You Care?

Arguably, the greatest finish in NASCAR history is the 2003 Darlington race at which Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch got locked together in perfect parallel coming to the checkered flag. Watch that finish again, and towards the end of the clip, you’ll hear DW say, “It’s a good thing Pontiac’s got the kick-out on the nose...” In other words, a characteristic unique to a specific make of car contributed to the win.

Those days are dead. There are no characteristics unique to a specific make any more, a fact acknowledged by none other than Richard Petty on Sirius Speedway a couple of days ago. The King laid it out pretty straight, “The cars have got the same wheels, same brakes, same chassis, same basic body so all that stuff would be easy.”

So, why do we care if the teams are jumping aboard a manufacturer merry-go-round? Marketing aside, does it really make a damn bit of competitive difference? I can hear you out there saying, “But wait a minute Jerome “Buzz” Cutler, my noble swain. What say you about engine packages?” True, each manufacturer supplies a unique engine package to their teams. The teams then send that package through their own engine shop, and I submit that this is the step that makes the difference between victory and mediocrity. Is there parity between the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing? Clearly not... Are they getting the same basic engine from Toyota Racing Development? One would assume that they are.

I understand the emotional attachment some people develop to a certain carmaker. Some of you are die-hard Chevy folks. Others Ford. Maybe even some of you are Toyota aficionados. In these tumultuous times, I’m not sure that our favorite race teams can afford the same sort of emotional connection, especially when it affords no clear competitive advantage. So, I ask again, ‘why do we care if the teams are jumping aboard a manufacturer merry-go-round?’

~Cutler

• 11 Comments
• kurt busch, Ricky Craven, Darlington Raceway, Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota Racing Development, Joe Gibbs Racing, Ford, Chevy

A Rick Hendrick Fiefdom

Dean Martin once said about Frank Sinatra, “It’s Frank’s world. We all just live in it.” Obviously, Dino had never met Rick Hendrick.

If you look at the current NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, the top three drivers, and five of the top twelve, are owned by, or affiliated with Hendrick Motosports. As a matter of fact, only one of his drivers, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., is not currently in a Chase eligible position. Now, let’s review the Hendrick related rumors for 2010:

1. Red Bull will drop Toyota and switch to Chevy. They will then enter into an affiliate deal with Rick Hendrick similar to the one Stewart-Haas enjoys this year. If this comes to fruition then Brian Vickers will join the greater Hendrick stable. Vickers has four poles so far this season and sits in seventeenth place. The one and only time he found Victory Lane was in Hendrick equipment and one would assume that having a top-notch car would help him claim the breakthrough we’ve all felt was coming.

2. Hendrick will divest himself of financial interest in JR Motorsports enabling that organization to field an HMS affiliated Cup team for Brad Keselowski in 2010. Keselowski, of course, won the race at Talladega earlier this year and shows a tremendous amount of promise.

3. Stewart-Haas Racing will expand to field a third car in 2010. While this move could be an alternative to the JR Motorpsorts scenario outlined above, the third car is also rumored to be a place Kasey Kahne could land. If the Kahne version of the rumor bears fruit than Kasey might be able to find the consistency with which he has struggled and find his way back to the Chase.

If all three rumors magically come true, then Rick Hendrick will be NASCAR’s version of Yertle the Turtle – king of all he surveys. Just think about it, a ten driver stable that includes the following names: Gordon, Johnson, Martin, Earndhardt, Stewart, Newman, Kahne, Vickers, Keselowski, and, just for good measure, Scott Speed. It is not too difficult to imagine a season in which 75% of the Chase eligible drivers are Hendrick drivers. At that point NASCAR ceases to be run by the France family.

Admittedly, these are all still rumors, and unlikely to happen all at once, though they are clearly plausible. But worry not, intrepid NASCAR fans. Rick Hendrick may end up with roughly a quarter of the 43 car field, but under no circumstances will Jack Roush be allowed to field a fifth car. That’s where NASCAR draws the line!

~Cutler

• 7 Comments
• Rick Hendrick, JR Motorsports, Red Bull Racing, Toyota, Stewart Haas, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Scott Speed, Brian Vickers, Kasey Kahne, Roush Fenway Racing, Jack Roush, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Yertle the Turtle

Uncorking Sonoma

As regular listeners of the podcast know full well, I am a fan of road course racing. I’ve never had the opportunity to attend a race at Infineon or Watkins Glen, but they are definitely high on my list. As a matter of fact, since I’ve been to Martinsville, Daytona, Bristol, Richmond and Charlotte, they, along with Darlington, might even be next on my list. (Yes, I realize that means I place higher value on visiting one of those tracks than I do on Indianapolis Motor Speedway.) I understand that watching road racing live is a completely different experience than watching it on T.V., and if the live experience cures me of my love of right turns than so be it. That’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Each year, the two road races attract a slew of road-ringers. We’re talking about guys like Boris Said, Ron Fellows, P.J. Jones, Scott Pruett, Brian Simo, etc. While I like the energy these new faces bring to the sport, I never consider them to be race favorites. They have no consistent presence on the circuit and no consistent presence in the Cup car. Both disadvantages are significant enough to hamper their chances at victory.

There are some Cup regulars that are no-brainers when it comes to turning in more than one direction. Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Robby Gordon are clearly a step ahead of the rest of the field in this regard. You might even consider adding Marcos Ambrose to this list for 2009.

There are a handful of guys, however, that do better than hold their own on a road course, but for whatever reason don’t have the same reputation as those previously mentioned. I submit the names of Sadler, Newman, Bowyer, Hamlin and Biffle.

Sadler: 12.3 avg. finish on road course and 15.8 at Infineon. Four Infineon top tens in ten races.

Newman: has only finished out of Sonoma’s top ten twice in seven races.

Bowyer: only has three starts at Infineon, but has finished fourth twice.

Hamlin: his 11.5 road course average is third behind Tony Stewart and Mark Martin.

Biffle: like Newman is better in California then New York. The only time he finished out of Sonoma’s top fifteen is when he ran out of gas in 2003.

Another guy that might be interesting to watch this weekend is Patrick Carpentier. He’s subbing for Michael Waltrip so will have decent equipment and support behind him. He has a good amount of Cup experience and was improving nicely before getting bumped from the car last year.

During the race, might I suggest uncorking a bottle of Laurel Glen Sonoma Mountain Estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon from 2004? After all, its musky, rather wild nose combines black cherry, licorice, menthol and dark chocolate. I suspect that it will gain in refinement during its final months of elevage.

~Cutler

• 6 Comments
• Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Robby Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Elliott Sadler, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle. Boris Said, Ron Fellows, P.J. Jones, Scott Pruett, Brian Simo, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma

NASCAR's Responsibility in Mexico

I have watched Carlos Pardo’s wreck from Sunday’s NASCAR Mexico Series race at Autodromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla. It is a frightening thing to see. Even if you remove the visual drama of the exploding water barrels, the disintegration of Pardo’s car is a gruesome spectacle. Whenever there’s a sudden change in the car’s direction of energy, as there was in this instance, it spells bad news for the driver.

After watching the wreck from Mexico, I revisited Michael McDowell’s wreck from Texas of last year. If I were splitting hairs, I would say that McDowell’s wreck was slightly more of a glancing blow than Carlos’. Is that enough to explain why one proved fatal and the other featured a driver who walked away injury free?

In some ways, the Mexico wreck reminded me more of Jeff Gordon’s Las Vegas mishap from a year ago. Gordon hit the inside wall pit opening (where there was no SAFER barrier) just like Carlos Pardo. Again, Jeff walked away. The subsequent calls for SAFER walls on the inside were resounding.

While we’re at it, let’s talk about the wreck at Watkins Glen, which also took place last season. Perhaps, Sam Hornish, Jr’s wreck is the most similar to the one south of the border. Of course, being a road course I assume Sam was not carrying as much speed. This time, if memory serves, Bobby Labonte was a little battered and bruised, but not so badly that he didn’t walk out of the hospital the same day.

Carlos Pardo was very close to the wall and running up front at full speed. It was the perfect storm of wrecks. Race fans need to accept that while fatal crashes have been severely curtailed, it is unlikely that they have been totally eradicated. Despite all of the safety measures that NASCAR has implemented, stock car racing is still as dangerous of a sport as one can find. The question that must be asked, however, is whether NASCAR’s Corona Series does indeed feature “all of the safety measures.”

I did not cite the other three wrecks above out of some sense of morbidity, or sadistic pleasure, but rather to offer a point of comparison. Granted, comparing one wreck to another is a fool’s errand, but the difference in outcomes is staggering. The three wrecks that occurred in the Sprint Cup series resulted in no serious injury. The Mexico wreck resulted in death. (I have not been able to find any definitive information regarding the safety equipment/regulations associated with the Mexico series. In watching the video of Sunday’s wreck, however, I was unable to see any SAFER barriers.)

Would NASCAR sanction a Cup, Nationwide or Truck race at Autodromo Miguel E. Abed? For that matter would they sanction a Camping World East/West race at the track or its equivalent? Did Carlos Pardo have the benefit of all of the safety innovations implemented since 2001? If NASCAR is going to attach its imprimatur to a race, then they better damn well make sure that it carries with it a uniform level of safety regardless of the venue. (Didn’t they pull the Nationwide race out of Mexico City because of an insufficient venue?) If the infrastructure does not yet exist in Mexico to ensure such a level of safety, then NASCAR shouldn’t go to Mexico. Better yet, they should invest some resources in improving the infrastructure and then go to Mexico.

~Cutler

• 8 Comments
• NASCAR Mexico Series, Carlos Pardo, Autodromo Miguel E. Abed, Michael McDowell, Bobby LaBonte, Jeff Gordon, Sam Hornish Jr., Watkins Glen, Texas Motor Speedway, las vegas motor speedway

The Future of DEI

When I had the opportunity to talk to Steve Lauletta, President of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, earlier this year, he insisted that all of the companies that fed into EGR still exist in their own right. In other words, Lauletta was saying that despite the fact that the entire operation is run out of the Ganassi shop, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and Chip Ganassi Racing didn’t actually merge. At the time I thought that this was a case of semantics, not reality.

The reason I bring this up now is because Bob Pockrass wrote an article in the May 28th issue of “NASCAR Scene” in which he relates a conversation with DEI’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Jeffrey Steiner. Steiner talks about DEI’s three priorities. The first two are not related to competition: protecting Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s legacy and emphasizing profitability in all business ventures. Whatever. The third priority is the one that caught my eye, “… finding unique opportunities for the Earnhardt family – Jeffrey making sure we give him the best [racing] opportunities we can, as well as with Taylor Earnhardt on the equestrian side.”

My first reaction was indignant, ‘So DEI is gonna be nothing but a vanity company for the next generation of Earnhardts?!? They’re gonna be bought a chance to drive into mediocrity, a’ la Paul Menard.’ I was going to get all righteous and say, ‘If DEI only remained in existence for reasons of nepotism, then why bother?!?’, and ‘They’ll never be a real team if all of their drivers have the same last name!’ I mean come on; in its heyday DEI had Junior, but also Truex, Waltrip and, eventually, Mark Martin.

Then it dawned on me. DEI was created for the very reason that Steiner cited in “NASCAR Scene” – as a way to give the next generation of Earnhardts the opportunity to develop a racing career – one Earnhardt in particular. Wouldn’t I do the same for my child if I had the ability? I’ve never been categorically against nepotism. I hope that one day I am in a position to bestow a little of my own. The key is what one does with the opportunities one is given, not so much where those opportunities come from. So what is it that was sticking in my craw about this rebirth of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated?

I guess, it is that their fate was decided by their own actions, and they went from being a plate-track powerhouse to an also-ran to a team that ceased to exist. Now, DEI gets a do-over. It must be the ‘well-we-screwed-it-all-up-the-first-time-so-let’s-just-scrap-that-team-and-start-from-scratch’ attitude that’s plucking my last nerve.

I am willing to concede that the genesis of the team is less significant than what it eventually becomes. I just hope that if DEI starts a new race team for Jeffrey, that they seek to grow it beyond a free ride for the kids.

~Cutler

• 12 Comments
• Jeffrey Steiner, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Bob Pockrass, NASCAR Scene, Taylor Earnhardt, Martin trues Jr., Michael Waltip, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Steve Lauetta, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Like Senior, Like Junior

Last weekend, when Brad Keselowski added a Nationwide victory at Dover to his Cup victory at Talladega, he solidified his position as the most sought after driver for the 2010 season. (I am assuming that the Martin Truex, Jr. to Michael Waltrip Racing rumors are true. Though, even if they aren’t some people might still give Brad the nod over Martin.) What owner wouldn’t want to add this kid to their stable? There’s not one who couldn’t make room if he wanted to. I figure that “Hendrick Motorsports” has the inside track under the following scenario:

1. Rick Hendrick divests himself in any financial interest he presently has in JR Motorpsorts.

2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Elledge move their JR Motorpsorts team up to Cup.

3. Brad Keselowski stays behind the wheel of that newly minted Cup team.

4. Hendrick Motorpsorts provides mechanical/technical support and equipment to JR Motorsports in much the same way they currently do to Stewart Haas Racing.

If this scenario comes to pass, it occurred to me that Junior would own one Cup team while competing for a different Cup team. Who else in recent memory went down that road? None other than Junior’s Daddy, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who raced for Richard Childress Racing against the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated cars that he owned.

There is one significant difference, however. Senior was at the top of his competitive game when he split his focus. D.E.I. ran their first Cup race in 1996 with Robby Gordon behind the wheel. It was their only race that season. That year, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. won 2 races, had 13 top fives and 17 top tens. He finished the season ranked 4th. D.E.I. ran their first full-time Cup season in 1999 with Steve Park behind the wheel. That year, Senior won three races, had seven top fives and 21 top tens. He finished the season ranked 7th.

Even with Kelley overseeing JR Motorpsorts business dealings, I’m not sure that Junior is ready to be a Cup owner, at least not while he is also a Cup driver. Tony Stewart is the first owner/driver to sit atop the rankings in 17 years. Let’s not forget, too, that Smoke has two Championships under his belt. Ricky Rudd only managed one season with multiple wins when he was signing the checks. Of course, both of those guys owned the cars that they actually drove.

Before Junior considers becoming a Cup owner (and I have no inside information here) he needs to get his driver mojo back. Once that house is in order, then, and only then, should he consider building another one.

~Cutler

• 5 Comments
• Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd, Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorpsorts, Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, Robby Gordon, steve park, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

NASCAR Submarine Races

Clearly, this economy is putting a hurting on all of us. NASCAR is not immune. Television ratings are down. Race attendance is down. Creative approaches to surviving this financial hiccup are required. Ever industrious, NASCAR officials have announced an initiative that they hope will bring new fans to the track – Submarine Races!

Much as the ancient Romans flooded the coliseum to bring epic naval battles to the masses, NASCAR has decided to diversify its offerings. Either that, or it’s just rained a lot in Daytona.

The pictures below show the current condition of Daytona International Speedway.

• 9 Comments
• Daytona International Speedway, Noah

Live from Lowe's

It’s around 7:00 am Saturday morning. I’m sitting in the “suite” part of our room in Concord, NC while Bass is asleep in the “bedroom” part. Buck is down the hall in a room by himself. Who knows what he’s doing.

Yesterday was a long day full of kingly handshakes and patriots on golf carts. (Randy Moss still plays for New England, right? It’s hard to keep up.) The day started by meeting up with Greg Fornelli. Greg owns Stock Car Steel and supplies most of the race teams with most of their steel. His is an amazing story, and we got it on videotape. We’ll have it up for your viewing pleasure later in the week, but if you want to read ahead, check out this Marty Smith penned story from a few years ago.

We went with Greg over to Joe Gibbs Racing. We followed him through the back door and right into the Parts Department. Picture your own private NAPA store. George runs the place and agreed to take us on a little tour. We walked down a hallway and into a giant garage where about 45 race cars were lined up. Mostly we saw Home Depot and M&M’s cars, including Kyle’s Darlington car with the right side all scraped up. (I had to smile when I spied one of last year’s 96 cars in the far back corner of the shop.) This facility was a pretty far cry from Ralph asking Dale to pass him a wrench while they worked through the night to get their one car ready for Sunday. George explained that since the COT and the testing ban came into being, they’re not really building as many cars as they used to. Each team has a fleet of about 15 and they only build a new one when a car gets so banged up that it needs to be replaced. Needless to say Greg, remember he sells the steel, is not a big fan of either the COT or the testing ban.

Down another hallway highway, we entered some sort of high-tech machine shop. George casually pointed to one machine and offhandedly remarked that it alone cost around a million dollars. (It forms plastic pellets into molded car parts to use as prototypes.) Evidently, just like a car has corporate sponsor, race shops have technical sponsors that the average fan never hears about. This room was full of million dollar machines with the sponsor/supplier’s name hanging above them. These sponsors bring potential clients to the shop to show-off their machines and the practical applications of each. They give JGR the machines for free in exchange for using their shop as a showroom.

Bass and I talked to George about the culture around JGR. He basically said that you would have to drag him out of that company kicking and screaming even if he was relegated to cleaning the toilets. Here is a guy who had run his own business, yet is so loyal to the Coach that he wants to spend the rest of his life working at JGR.

As we were getting ready to leave, and I was re-joining the group after a pit stop, I was intercepted by Kelly. He had seen my shirt and asked if I was “with that website.” Evidently, he had come across Rowdy.com for the first time that morning. Clearly, kismet was at work. Kelly, if you are reading this, it was very nice to meet you, thank-you for explaining how the million-dollar-plastic-pellet-machine works, and I hope you become a Rowdy regular.

We said our good-byes to Greg and headed to the track.

I’ve walked through many a garage area and met many people who are part of the NASCAR traveling circus. Yesterday, however, was the first time I’ve ever walked through a garage area as part of a bigger family. We were with Pat. Pat is one of the guys from Street and Smiths/NASCAR Scene/NASCAR Illustrated who is helping Rowdy take over the world. Basically, we’re Pinky and he’s the Brain. He’s one of those guys that you don’t want to walk with if you have any sense of urgency about reaching your destination because every 5 to 7 feet he stops or is stopped for a handshake and conversation. We met countless people who work behind the scenes to make NASCAR what it is. PR Reps, Marketing Executives, Sponsor Liaisons, Salespeople, Media types, NASACR Execs, Manufacturer Reps, Racing Officials, etc. Yes, we also met Richard Petty who couldn’t have been more gracious. Though we didn’t exactly meet Randy Moss, we were close enough to tackle him on more than one occasion. About Randy Moss, let’s just say that Richard Petty couldn’t have been more gracious.

Oh yeah, there was a race last night, too. About the truck race I’ll just say this. It’s nice to know that Johnny Sauter is still “a weapon out there.”

~Cutler

• 6 Comments
• Lowe's Motor Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing, Greg Fornelli, Stock Car Steel, Randy Moss, Richard Petty, Pinky and the Brain, Johnny Sauter