A Merry "X"mas from Racer X!

Here's hoping each of you have a great, happy, healthy and Merry Christmas. Hopefully, like me, you found your a die-cast of your favorite driver's car under the tree or something similar :) Be well and enjoy!

And for the heck of it, here's my crazy version of "The Little Drummer Boy" to brighten your holiday. I hope you like it hard :)

~X

• 7 Comments

JJ meets Taylor Swift

I am fairly certain that I am not alone. I am fairly certain I am not the first to express my displeasure with the current state of NASCAR racing, Jimmie Johnson as Champion, again. I am fairly certain I am not the first to complain about the prolonged reign of Rick Hendrick and his championship teams.

Hell, it's Saturday and maybe, just maybe Mark Martin will pull a rabbit out of his hat.

I should really appreciate this more, I think to myself. This is a great thing, Johnson as champion, again. He is displaying every attribute we purport to admire in racing. His skill is there for all to see. I am not being sarcastic in the least. No team so dominant can do what it does on autopilot. I've seen enough racing, and enough of Johnson, to understand that this isn't happening just because of Rick Hendricks’s money and Chad Knauss' cunning nature.

This is greatness. I should enjoy simply being in the presence of it.

But, I expect that I am like many. I feel as if there is something sterile in the air. Robotic lubricant. Something artificial. Taylor Swift. That's what it is.

I have often thought of racing in musical terms. Really, I mean this seriously. Formula 1 has always played out like a piece of classical music to me. The precision. The rote nature of it, so dependent on the learned process. Cold, critical. Like a pilot on ILS approach, or a violin player executing a Baroque piece just so. Any variation from the script is frowned upon.

Rally racing is more like jazz to my mind. Improvisational. The player had better be ready for anything. The course you are on is subject to change. The bandleader may drive you over a cliff.

And NASCAR? Rock and Roll. Brutish. From the loins with attitude. A fist pumping good time. Cutting the rug down at a place called the Jug with a girl named Linda Lu. And lemme tell you something.

Jimmie Johnson would get his ass kicked down at The Jug.

LOL! I love that line!

Anyway.

I think this is the thing that is rubbing the NASCAR faithful the wrong way. This is why NASCAR and their hired hands in the press have made sure to post no less than 10 different articles in the past week trying to assure us that this Championship is good for the sport. If there were no question, they wouldn't have to reassure us. Somehow, in our bones, we feel this sense of incompleteness. We feel.... We feel...

Nothing.

It's like some formulamatic pop song, with the perfect structure, the perfect microphone, the perfect room with the perfect reverb. The exact right drum loop at the right BPM and the made for prime time singer. Sonically, it is perfect. We should admire the way the engineer EQed the track perfectly to meet the needs of my speakers. We should admire the way in which the producer made use of the latest techniques in sound design. Scientifically, it is perfect. It represents the best that the industry has to offer.

But it doesn't move me.

Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knauss and Rick Hendrick have put together the best racing team in the world with the Lowes #48. I mean that seriously. The best racing team in the world is American, races on the NASCAR circuit and calls Concord, North Carolina their home. We should all be proud of that.

But Taylor Swift still sucks. She sells a lot of freakin' albums. But she still sucks.

• 9 Comments

Distant Interest

It's been so long I think I may have forgotten how to do this.

I could spin my wheels going into all kinds of explanations as to why I haven't been posting. It really comes down to inspiration coupled with new day to day circumstances. I used to spend the majority of my days in a cramped, hot office without much diversion or opportunities for creative productivity. Now since we've sold the shop, I am home working from my studio. This means I have LOTS of creative outlets at my fingertips, television, Pro Tools and whatnot. And it would-be no big deal if this wasn't also coupled with one of the least interesting stretches of NASCAR racing I have seen in 30 years.

I understand domination and motorsports. Jimmie Johnson didn't invent it nor did Hendrick. But something in the manner in which they have scientifically sterilized the entire process, systematically conquered the tracks and competition they face that has plummeted my interest to new lows. The cars are all the same, the winning teams are all the same. The drivers are all the same. The tracks are all the same. The races are all the same. Homogeny. No danger. The prospects of seeing something I haven't seen before happening are diminishing lap by lap.

But I am still a race fan. I still crave the excitement, the competition, the colors and screams. I still crave the idea of seeing something I have never seen before. So in the middle of this past summer when it was readily apparent that team Hendrick and most likely Jimmie Johnson were on their way to another title, I let my gaze drift overseas and started watching the Aussie V8 Supercars with great interest.

The V8s are most famous in this country for bringing us Marcos Ambrose. They are full bodied, rear wheel drive, V8-powered 3,300 pound touring (i.e. "stock" looking) cars. While there some things the V8s and NASCAR share, there is really no head to head comparison one can make. For one, the V8s run on road and street courses exclusively. The competition and passing can't come close to NASCAR's action. But there are some really interesting things going on Down Under which may serve as lessons for NASCAR, its governing body and us fans.

To be frank, I am looking forward to spending my late nights this weekend watching the race from Barbagallo in Perth more than I am Homestead. This has been the case for much of the past 5 months. I also realize that this may also best be explained by a Trent Reznor line: "There's nothing quite like the feel of something new." That said, here are some observations.

MANUFACTURERS RULE - Last season when Marcos Ambrose went from driving Fords to driving Toyotas it cause hardly a ripple here in the States. But man, back in Australia it was a real, real big deal. Ambrose was a lifelong Ford man and his defection was greeted with a chorus of boos from the blue oval faithful. In the V8s, I came to realize, the manufacturer alliance trumps everything else in terms of fan loyalty. The two manufacturers, Ford and GM's Holden brand, are represented in the stands more so than individual drivers. Don't get me wrong, Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup sell their fair share of swag, but the red Holden flags waving in the stands and the blue Ford shirts and jackets are dominant.

To put it in perspective, I heard a commentator comment on the crowd for a race in Townsville, offhandedly explaining the sea of red Holden flags as what could be expected in "a Holden town like this." Wow. Regional affiliation for manufacturers. Interesting.

The other thing that this translates to is brand identity in the cars themselves. There is no mistaking that these are much more production-based designs. Considering how bland the NASCAR CoT is in terms of identity, is it any wonder that there are actually Ford and GM-backed factory teams in the Aussie V8s but not here?

TIRES & FUEL - The Aussie V8s carry a lot of speed and a lot of weight. On some straights, these guys top out over 200 MPH. Some turns, like "The Chase" at Bathurst, are incredibly fast and demand a lot of the tires. And aside from a soft "option" tire that is mandatory at some races, the series uses the same tire at all events. Let me say that again: They use the SAME tire spec at every event. Oh, and they race in the rain, at incredible speeds. Not oval loads, I know, but still impressive.

Fuel is also pretty interesting. The series runs an E85 blend. That's right, E85 in a race car. The only real hitch here that has shown itself on the track is that drivers have to be careful of stalling out when leaving the pits. There are also pretty darn sophisticated fueling systems which can measure the fuel going in to the 100th of a litre. What this allows the series to do is mandate fuel loads. There are no races won on fuel mileage in the V8s. This is not to say that tire and fuel management isn't important. Those decisions make the difference there as it does in NASCAR. It's just different.

The point here is that anyone saying that we have to live with the tires and fuel that we have in NASCAR because of this, that or the other is talking shit. The answers are already there for all to see.

FRANCHISING - Watching lifelong racers like Bill Davis and Morgan McClure close shop is a real bummer in NASCAR. How many times have we watched as everything an owner has invested in NASCAR is reduced to what is sold at auction? It's heartbreaking and frankly unfair. While NASCAR has their ideological position on this issue, consider what happened this week to long-time Aussie V8 team Super Gas Racing (Tasman Motorsports). SGR found themselves in the position many race teams do, on the outside looking in as the technology curve passed them by. Their bottom-line wasn't working out financially. So instead of sticking it out until they were in jeopardy of going bankrupt, they decided to cash in their chips. Their "chips" being their franchise license, which they were able to sell for a considerable sum to a new start-up team. Considering that SGR has been in the Aussie series for nearly 20 years, the value of this license had appreciated nicely and helped to cushion the financial blow. They of course were also able to sell off their haulers and chassis to other teams as well.

The downside of franchising is also worth mentioning. In two weeks, the V8s run the final event of their season in Sydney and a group wanted to bring Marcos Ambrose in for a one-off run. But since the team didn't have a franchise and Marcos has no current V8 certification, he can't. They call this kind of entry a "wildcard" entry, and currently under V8 rules it isn't allowed.

TEAMS & SPONSORS - In the V8s, there are a couple of dominant teams. They, like many in NASCAR, supply chassis and engines to customer cars they compete against. But there is a limit to two cars per team, no bullshit. Team Vodafone (Triple 8 Racing) supplies a couple of other cars with engines and chassis, but their race day concern is only their two cars.

Their two cars are both sponsored by Vodafone. Like F1, teams can't mix and match their sponsors. I guess the one way of looking at this from a sponsor’s standpoint is that on any given weekend their company stands a pretty good chance of getting coverage. Even if one car runs badly, chances are the other one will be up towards the front. It's a strategy that must make sense to someone, because while Jack Daniels and Jim Beam have both decided to leave NASCAR, both alcohol sponsors have re-upped to sponsor their respective teams in the Aussie V8s.

SCHEDULE - I can probably go on for another 2000 words, but I will leave with this bit. There are only 28 races on the V8 Supercars schedule. They are paired up into two events per track, per weekend. While this idea doesn't work for NASCAR, the number of total races does. The sense of longing, the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" philosophy here is refreshing. You are NOT over-saturated with the product like we are with NASCAR. This is the biggest problem NASCAR faces; thanks to the incestual relationship it has with its sister company ISC. If only NASCAR would cut out about 6 races it would do the series a load of good.

What this also does is bring the emphasis back to the races, which in my opinion is the most important thing. A convoluted Championship-driven series ends up putting more emphasis on a 300 mile race at Louden than the Daytona 500. This is just wrong. The Bathurst 1000, which has to be one of the top 5 or 6 racing events in the world, is STILL the Aussie crown jewel. Until you win that, you mean nothing. It used to be that way with the Daytona 500, but I don't know if that's the case anymore.

I know, I know. If I like it all so much, why am I here writing to my NASCAR friends about it? Because there are many things that can be taken from the Aussie V8 Supercars that could improve the racing we love here in the States. None of it is perfect, this racing we love. But right now, in spite of the protestations of Brian France and everyone else in the garage, Jimmie Johnson winning a 4th consecutive NASCAR Championship is NOT good for the sport in any way. Hendrick domination is NOT good for the sport. Homogeny is killing it. There is no risk, there are no consequences and the thrill is becoming the occasional companion on race day.

Best wishes to everyone. I miss you guys. I will do my best to be around more....

X

PS - Qualifying is tonight from Perth. Check it out here: http://www.v8supercars.com.au/

• 10 Comments
• Marcos Ambrose, V8 Supercars

The Disappearing X

Hey all, long time no shout. Been here, there and everywhere, keeping busy. Part of what has been my daily routine for the past several years has changed as I sold my metal polishing business in August. My daily prowl through the blogs and regular posting routines have kinda been in flux. It's weird, finding a new daily groove.

But don't worry, I've been watching, reading and keeping up with our sport. I really have no solid opinions on this Chase so far that are out of the ordinary or beyond convention. It's a Hendrick thing to lose, especially for Jimmie Johnson. Otherwise, ho-hum.

Nothing quite follows up the excitement of Richmond and the tension of getting IN to the Chase. Then the brainiacs follow it up with Louden. Ok. Why not kick it off at California and REALLy get it all off on the right foot? Morons...

The problem, as I see it with the Chase, is that the focus is so heavily shifted onto these 12 drivers that everyone else (and their fans) ends up mailing it in. Malaise. *laugh* And if you consider that the two drivers who drive the headlines the most aren't in, well, you get what you got now.

Oh, but then I'm whining and all, so I won't go any further. Would I be more into it if Kyle was in? Sure. I'm not THAT self-deceptive. But the reality of it is that even WITH the Chase format and all of it's contrived excitement, football of the pro and college variety is still kicking NASCAR's ass come Labor Day. In my house, a racing house, college football rules the roost right now (Go Hurricanes!). But we watch because NASCAR still provides us with the best chance of seeing something we have never seen before.

I am sure I missed out on some heated debates on last week's stupid caution flag fiasco that NASCAR pulled at Louden. Spectacular irony.

So, I'll leave you with this: I am around. I may not be into my routine as of yet, but I'm around. Message me, shout at me and I'm here. Hope all is well with you and yours, get well Uncle Festus, root for anybody but JJ and have a great day...

X

PS - Riles, I pulled the trigger on my Tony Stewar Foundation donation today. Made it in honor of Rowdy.com... I will email you what I get from them when I get it. All the best...

• 1 Comment

Why Ambrose Rocks...

The finish aside, Marcos Ambrose once again demonstrated why he is quickly becoming the guy to beat on NASCAR's road courses. And ti really shouldn't surprise anyone that he is this good in heavy, full-bodied stock cars turning left and right. See, unlike the other road course specialists and ringers like Boris Said, Ron Fellows and the like, Marcos came froma racing formula that featured v8 power, 3300 pound stock cars. They are quick and a lot of fun to watch.

Many of you may have heard about the V8 Supercar series from whence he came, but probably never seen it. I am posting two videos here, both from the wonderful road course that is Mount Panorama, or Bathurst.

First off, Marcos winning the pole at Bathurst in 2005. Listen to the engine - Fuel injected v8:

Here's the start from Bathurst last year, Wild:

And this is why Ambrose kicks ass. No one is coming into NASCAR with this specialized skilset. Anyone ever think to ask him what it was like to switch from driving on the right side of the car to the left?

• 11 Comments

If Steven were MYkid....

I was watching the Nationwide race (if one could call it that) from Montreal today with my two sons, and I imparted this warning:

"If I ever own a race team and either of you were to drive for me, God help you if you drive like that moron Steven Wallace. Because family or not, I'd fire your ass."

The younger one chimes in, "But Dad, Mom would be SO pist at you!"

"Yup, but I'd live with it."

Laughs all around.

Truth is, I don't know how Rusty Wallace continues to do this. If it were anyone but his son, he would have been out of there 2 years ago. I almost feel bad for him.

Almost.

• 19 Comments

Fixing Fuel Mileage Races

I really don't have an opinion on this. I just think it's an interesting concept.

In the V8 Supercar series in Australia (from whence Marcos Ambrose came), they have an interesting regulation for some races. There is a "minimum fuel" amount that you MUST take. The effect of this is that these races are not decided by fuel mileage.

I realize this is a different series in many ways, and certainly the fuel cells and fueling mechanisms are a bit different. That aside, it works like this: In a 250K race, they may say that a team MUST take on a minimum of 100 litres of fuel. Their fueling systems are more intricate than NASCAR's dump cans, so they can monitor exactly how much fuel has been dispensed in a race. The minimum amount is obviously designed to be an amount that guarantees that ALL the cars can finish within the same pit window.

So, what do you think? I mean, forget about the technical hurdles and consider it philosophically. Would you like to see this kind of thing implemented in NASCAR in order to eliminate fuel mileage racing, or do you like things the way they are, with fuel strategy being so important?

• 10 Comments

Today's Nationwide Race

I gotta make this quick.

Today's race was fantastic.

My heart was literally pounding there at the end.

But, let me ask you this question:

Was there ever a more vivd
illustration as to why both Kyle Busch or Brian Vickers no longer drive for Rick Hendrick?

X Out. Have a great night...

• 14 Comments

The X-Files: Pennsylvania 500

Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
-The Carpenters

SHOWDOWN AT THE SUPREME SCALENE
Maybe it was because our expectations were lowered. Maybe it was because it was a Monday race. Whatever it was, the stars aligned at Pocono yesterday and turned the Pennsylvania 500 into one of the most manic and exciting races ever seen at NASCAR's Supreme Scalene. It was tense, four-wide and unpredictable there at the end with many players one wouldn't necessarily expect to be involved mixing it up for the win. It was fantastic, refreshing, and quite frankly not what one expects from a hot Monday rainy day make-up.

For the first part of the race, it seemed as if Superman Jimmie Johnson was going to pick up where he left off at Indianapolis. His car was flawless at the start, tearing off into huge leads seemingly at will. With his main points competitor and most-recent Pocono winner Tony Stewart relegated to the rear after a practice misstep, it seemed as if it was Johnson's race to lose. And it truly was. While eventual winner Denny Hamlin showed good pace early (been watching too many foreign races when I use the word "pace" when describing NASCAR), it is almost a given that when one sees the #48 out front and dominating early that it's going to be a long day for everyone save him and his fans.

Low and behold, the racing gods decided that they too wanted a good show for a change, so they stuck their fingers into his carburetor and sucked the power from the Lowes Chevy. Wounded? Yes. Three laps down? Yup. Out of it? No.

So while Superman was out back fixing his engine problem (deftly handled, as usual, by Chad Knauss and crew), the rest of the field was left to sort out what to do about strategy, fuel and tires. There were so many ways to play it this time given that at Pocono one can pit without losing a lap, making it more like a road course where catching a yellow immediately after you pit isn't such a bad thing. Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart all stumbled upon this stroke of racing luck at various times, turning their mid-pack days into gold.

As the race reached the 40 to go point, track position was set and the Lowes Chevy was back on the lead lap. Everything was right with the universe. Clint Bowyer was doing his best to stretch it on fuel and bring home a much-needed win for Richard Childress. JPM was stalking him with fresh rubber. Sam Hornish was having a career day in a stock car, running third. In the past, one would expect the Pocono winner to come from this group, dirty air being what it is at such a big, flat track. But the new wrinkle that is the double-wide restart came into play.

Perhaps like never before.

Six weeks ago the double file restart was introduced at Pocono. It was exciting back then for sure, but it seems as if this procedure has matured. Competitors have learned how to use it to their advantage in terms of restart execution and also how it plays into tire strategies. In years past, track position at Pocono would mean that a car up front would have the advantage over his pursuers regardless of the tire situation. But not so much now. The field compression on these restarts, with cars on fresher tires in back gaining and overtaking the cars in front, made for some crazy, spellbinding action. Quite frankly, this was some of the nuttiest racing this year that didn't involve restrictor plates. The frontstretch was a bevy of darting cars, in and out, setting themselves up for the high-speed turn 1. Back down to two wide until they hit the Long Pond Straightaway, where once again they would fan out and test their bravery through the tunnel turn. There were moves here by the Brothers Busch, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Superman himself, to name just a few, which were simply spine-tingling.

Seriously, is this Pocono? I saw them go THREE WIDE through the tunnel turn without wrecking! I don't know if I've ever seen that in 30 years of watching/listening to races at Pocono!

Of course, it couldn't hold for long, as in a blink of an eye there stood Bobby Labonte, scowled and red-faced and looking for a place to put his helmet. The final caution he was involved in with a host of others let the best car, the #11 of Denny Hamlin, gain the track position he needed to make his final assault on Bowyer. He cleared the #33 cleanly without letting his closest pursuer, Montoya in the Target #42, to catch him.

From there, it was a eight lap formality.

It was a long-overdue and deserving win for the young Virginian. While teammate Kyle Busch gets all the headlines, Hamlin has shown maturity and a steady drive towards consistency, quietly leading his team into the top 5 of the driver's points. And while Denny enjoyed his emotional victory, the real story may be over there at the Justice League Headquarters, where Superman once again demonstrated that there is no kryptonite yet found that can ground him. For given another 15 laps and perhaps a timely caution, it would be a fair bet that Johnson and company would have completed their comeback.

MAKING POINTS
Watching the teams in the ever-widening bubble contend with the pressures of making the Chase sure is interesting. Some teams, like Mark Martins #5 gang, seem to feel like there is no pressure. They are racing hard and taking what the race gives them regardless of the consequences. Other teams and drivers, most notably JPM, are thinking big picture all the time. Then there is the deepening sense of desperation that Kyle Busch and the #18 team must feel. Pocono certainly isn't a friend of theirs, which makes the tracks coming up all that much more important as they are tracks they should excel at.

For Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, the upcoming race at Watkins Glen must loom like a dark cloud. Currently, they are about 100 points to the good side of the Chase cutoff. Of their pursuers, Busch is the one in the best position to capitalize given his road course strengths. But who knows. 100 points is a lot to gain in a short amount of time without those in front of you having their own troubles. Looks like a nail-biting August for everyone involved.

NOTES
-Boy, it sure was fun seeing some fresh faces mix it up there at the end of the Pennsylvania 500. What made it really interesting to me was the absence of Hendrick power in the closing laps, at least as far as the win was concerned. Behind Hamlin, we had Ganassi, RCR, RPM and Penske's second car all in the hunt. It was especially great for Hornish. It wasn't all that far a stretch to imagine two former Indy 500 winners duking it out there for the win...

-I think it is time to re-design the caution light fixtures at these tracks. How many is that this year now?

-A Monday race while at work can mean only one thing: Justin.TV to the rescue! The website, for those who don't know, is a place where individuals can make their own live, streaming video channels. There is perhaps some copyrights being violated, but what else is new on the internet. Anyway, I tuned into a feed that was pretty darn on top of it in terms of lag. Really nice. And from Colorado. The local spots had something to do with carbon monoxide detectors being law there. Either way, highly recommended for viewers on the go....

-I really thought Bobby Labonte was gonna slug one of those rescue workers. He really, really wanted to get a shot at Ragan with that helmet, methinks...

-The more I watch him, the more Joey Logano reminds me of a young Jeff Gordon.

-JPM is the most honest interview in the garage. I loved how he called out the pit road reporter (whose name escapes me this morning) as the reporter was trying to stir things up between Juan Pablo and Kasey Kahne. Great, honest stuff. Keep calling it like you see it, Juan!

-I can't go on without mentioning Ron Hornaday's historic win at Nashville. I didn't see it but I read about it. I know the trucks are suffering. I know the field isn't all that deep. But 5 straight wins on any top level racing circuit is worthy of mention. The question is, can he make it 6?

-Spent part of my racing weekend watching the V8 Supercars from Sandown in Australia. Such a different series, but still some things NASCAR could learn from them and vice verse. They really do love Marcos Ambrose over there still as nary a race goes by without him being mentioned. The big bummer for me is that star Supercar ace Jamie Whincup has decided to stay put with his team for the next three seasons, which means he'll probably never make it over to the states for a NASCAR jaunt. Our loss.

-My fantasy team has me in a quandary in terms of rooting interest. As we know, I am a KyBu fan. So here's my line-up which includes JPM and Mark Martin. For my fantasy team, I need them to do well, while for the sake of Kyle Busch I need them to have problems. Such quandaries require beer. Argh.

• 10 Comments
• The X-Files

RCRs Donward Spiral.

I was reading on Jayski that there are reports that Jack Daniels will not be returning as a full time sponsor for the #07 Chevy currently driven by Casey Mears. Couple this with the recent turmoils over retaining Kevin Harvick and his sponsor Pennzoil and you get the picture that RCR is in one of the most challenging situations this organization has ever faced.

Richard Childress should be every race fans hero. He's a solid owner, a racer, who built his organization the right way, from the ground up. He has never sold off pieces of it to investment bankers or had to enter marriages of convenience. And while it is obvious that the recent times have been trying across all of NASCAR, Richard Childress has remained a respected figure in and out of the garage for doing things the racer's way.

The problem is, in NASCAR, respect alone doesn't win you races or championships.

In the years following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, RCR has lurked in and out of the elite circle of NASCAR race teams. There have been seasons where RCR looks like the third or fourth best organization out there. But as we've seen lately, performance has fallen to unprecedented low levels for this Championship organization. The mounting frustration is evident, especially with drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. It is easy to speculate that the expansion to four teams this year is the culprit, coupled with the bad economy. Perhaps. Maybe Childress has been more distracted with his many outside activities, like being on the board of the NRA to the development of grandson Austin' Dillon's budding racing career. But that's only an outsider's perspective.

The thing I find most troubling for RCR is that they are falling to a level previously occupied by the teams he poached his 2009 sponsors from. Ahhh, you remember this time last year, don't you? Bill Davis Racing and Petty Enterprises each lost long-time sponsors to RCR, CAT and General Mills respectively. These race teams were much like Childress in that they were run by racing lifers. Unfortunately for both of them, the loss of their sponsors to Childress was one of the body blows that led to their respective closures. The question is whether Childress could have imagined that a year later he would find himself in their very same position, fending off bigger sharks like Hendrick and Stewart/Haas who currently are circling his now wounded organization for HIS sponsors and drivers.

Even if he saw this coming, I doubt there is very much Richard Childress could have done about it. The economy has ripped through the garage like afirestorm. Manufacturer support is limited to a handful, and as it has happened to other great race teams over the course of NASCAR's history, RCR is being drained of it's resources race by race. The question is if they can find a road back or are we bearing witness to the slow death of a legendary racing team.

• 9 Comments
• Richard Childress Racing, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Austin Dillon, General Mills, Jack Daniels, cat