HOF the Winner; Coleman the Loser

Hall of Fame racing has made a deal with Joe Gibbs Racing that will put Joey Logano behind the wheel for five races this season. The only downside to this arrangement is that Rowdy was not allowed to break the story.

Think about it…

The #96 will have higher visibility and more screen time, which will make DLP happy.

Logano gets additional seat time to prep for next year without JGR having to field a fourth car.

If Joey is the prodigy that many people claim him to be, HOF could see some improvement to their performance.

Gibbs is not going to want their future star to look like a complete hack, so you have to think they might throw more support, and better equipment Hall of Fame’s way.

This relieves a little pressure on HOF so that they can focus on cutting a deal for their future, or making a driver decision for next year.

Seeing Ken Schrader behind the wheel is never a bad thing. He’ll pilot the ride in the races that Joey is not entering.

I guess if there is a loser in all of this it is young Brad Coleman. Leading up to Michigan, he had the world on a string -- promoted from test driver to Cup regular before buying his first razor. He quit his Nationwide ride and started shopping for a Lake Norman McMansion. Now, he’s a test driver again, and I have to think that his ’09 seat in the #96 is far from secure.

~Cutler

• 8 Comments
• Hall of Fame Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Brad Coleman, Joey Logano, Ken Schrader, DLP

You Call These Guys All-Stars?

NASCAR, Daytona and Anheuser-Busch have re-vamped the eligibility requirements for participating in the Bud Shootout. Instead of pole winners from the previous season and past winners of the event, the top six cars from each manufacturer will make up the field.

Obviously, part of their motivation is to distance themselves from the pole award now sponsored by Coors. Daytona President, Robin Braig, also suggests that this might have been an attempt to stage a more traditional all-star event like you find in the stick-and-ball sports. Never mind that we already have one of those at Charlotte in May. That’s not even my objection to this new format, though. My objection is that they have set this thing up so that the cars are the all-stars instead of the drivers.

In next year’s Budweiser shootout, you will not see Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman because their Stewart-Haas cars will not have been among the six best Chevy’s from the previous season. You will, however, see Joey Logano and the 12’s eventual replacement. You’ll also see Michael Waltrip, David Reutimann, Elliott Sadler, and Travis Kvapil. Can we really call this race an “all-star” event with those types of names strewn throughout?

I have no real problem divorcing this race from its pole winner affiliation. (I do think that making it contingent on poles set it apart from Lowe’s All-Star race, but I’m willing to push the redundancy aside.) However, when you potentially put David Stremme in the race instead of Ryan Newman, doesn’t that undercut the validity of the “all-star” nature of the event. It would be easy enough to switch eligibility requirements to reflect the best drivers from the previous season. Yes, that means that you’ll have some guys in new rides, but at least they’ll be guys who deserve to be there.

~Cutler

• 14 Comments
• Budweiser Shootout, Anheuser-Busch, Daytona International Speedway, Michael Waltrip, David Reutimann, Elliott Sadler, Travis Kvapil, Joey Logano, David Stremme, Robin Braig

Pal Joey Speaks

We just got done cutting up the Joey Logano press conference from yesterday--we'll have highlights on the podcast today--but although it's a mistake to try to read too much into these things, I guess I'm going to try anyway. And for fans of the 20 car, all signs were good yesterday.

First of all, Joey expressed a great balance between confidence and humility. He talked about wanting to jump at the chance and about not being intimidated, having raced with a lot of Cup drivers in Nationwide this year. He discussed having been the new hot kid in the series many times before. He also said he'd have to earn his respect, make sure that he doesn't take any liberties with the other drivers early in the season, make sure he drives clean. And he talked about how he has a lot to learn. He's a sharp kid, and that reminded me a lot of how Denny Hamlin sounded back when he first started driving the Busch Series car for JGR.

Greg Zipadelli had a big role at the press conference and clearly played a big role in the decision. Both Joe and JD Gibbs said they leaned heavily on Zippy when deciding to bypass a veteran and go straight to the future with an 18-year-old driver. Zippy saw Tony Stewart come into the series, so that's a pretty good baseline, a pretty good basis for confidence. And Zippy's the one who will be looking for results with the kid, and apparently he's seen enough, through testing with Joey and watching him race, to think he can get them.

Yes, we've seen phenoms fail before. Some guys never quite live up to the hype, even if they turn out to be pretty good. But some guys do. I've got a feeling Joey Logano is going to be pretty good.

--BASS

• 3 Comments
• Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing, greg zipadelli, home depot

Bowyer is Gil Free, But Why?

I understand why Clint Bowyer is being moved to the #33. Clearly, you can’t have a driver who was just driving for Kellog’s (Casey Mears) start immediately driving for General Mills. For that reason, it makes perfect sense to put Mears in the #07 and move Bowyer over. What I don’t understand is why Bowyer’s team is not moving with him.

While I haven’t been able to confirm that Gil Martin and company will definitely say good-bye to Clint in ‘09, they mentioned it on Saturday’s TV broadcast without equivocation. There is also this quote from a story on SceneDaily.com, “RCR Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon said he expects that Bowyer's crew chief, Gil Martin, and crew members will remain with the No. 07 team with Mears while Bowyer will be with the new team.”

Last year, Gil Martin and Clint Bowyer ended their second full season ranked third. This year, they are poised to make the Chase once again. They went from a 19.7 finishing average their rookie season to a 13.8 last year and seem to be building towards something. You could have made the case that they were on their way to an Osborne/Edwards type relationship. Speaking of Osborne and Edwards. Let their history serve as a cautionary tale to the RCR brass. When the #99 guys were split up, both of them languished until they were reunited… and it felt so good.

I just don’t see the angle. Mears is going to be with all new guys anyway so what is gained by making Bowyer jump through the new Crew Chief hoop, too. Obviously, Richard Childress’ racing brain is far more advanced than mine, so there has to be an upside. Could somebody be so good as to point it out to me?

~Cutler

• 12 Comments
• Gil martin, Clint Bowyer, Richard Childress Racing, Carl Edwards, Bob Osborne, Casey Mears

Edwards & Busch: Pistols at Dawn

“Would he do that to me?” – Carl Edwards

“We’ll race him that way in the Chase” – Kyle Busch

Buck Fever take heart, the bump and run was alive and well in Bristol… at least once. That one incident, though, was enough to give Carl Edwards his third win in the last four races. Let’s not overlook the fact that it was Kyle Busch he bumped out of the way. The only thing that could be more entertaining than a duel between those two guys for the Championship trophy; is a nasty, bitter, downright acrimonious duel between those two guys for the Championship trophy. Both scenarios seem pretty likely.

Ryan Newman was the only non-Chaser to finish in the Top 10 which means that there wasn’t a lot of change to the Chase eligible rosater. Jeff Burton, who finished 42nd, managed to hold position. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. flip-flopped with Jumior moving up to third. More significantly, though, Kasey Kahne’s truncated evening dropped him three spots to 14th. Denny Hamlin moved up to 11th and Clint Bowyer to 12th. David Ragan is 12 points out of the Top 12 in 13th.

On one level, the battle between Kahne, Hamlin, Bowyer and Ragan will continue to be the most significant as we head to California and Richmond. On another level, the battle between Busch and Edwards will continue to be the most entertaining

~Cutler

• 26 Comments
• Bristol Motor Speedway, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan

Bristol Qualifying Musings

~If there was any doubt that the #99 team had their mojo going, Carl Edwards has earned his first pole of the year at Bristol. Not only did he turn in the fastest lap, but did so after brushing up against the wall. He’s the defending race winner, and has won two of the last three this season. If Concrete Carl can ride this wave for a few more weeks, Kyle Busch might start racing with his eyes locked on to the rear-view for the first time this season.

~Jeff Gordon had a good qualifying run. He’ll be starting third behind Edwards and, get this, David Reutimann. What’s even more fortunate for the #24, however, is where some of his fellow bubble boys will be starting. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer will start 21st and 22nd respectively and David Ragan will start dead last in a back-up car after crashing his way through qualifying. At a place where track position is so important, this might just be the advantage Jeffy needs to hold on to his place in the Chase.

~Buck Fever take note: Jeff Gordon is quoted on NASCAR.com a saying, "I think we need to get used to great racing here being side-by-side racing, rather than wreck-each-other racing. We've got more racing room here. There's still going to be bumping and banging, but it's not going to be like it was before, because it's not a one-groove racetrack anymore." Of course, Buck fears change. He is a Southerner after all. You know how many Southerners it takes to change a lightbulb? Six. One to change it and five more to sit and rock on the front porch talking about how much better the old one was. It’ll be alright, Buck. Rowdy Nation, I call on you to stage an intervention and talk Buck down off of the Bristol ledge.

~Ken Schrader grabbed the 7th starting spot for the #96 Hall of Fame Toyota. Wasn’t it Buzz Cutler who said HOF made the driver switch primarily to make sure they got in the show? To quote Bass Masters, “I’m just saying is all…”

~Dale Earnhardt, Jr. needed a provisional to find his way into the field. He posted the 43rd fastest time overall. While Junior’s Chase berth seems pretty secure regardless of what happens at Bristol, this is not a good omen. A short track is just not someplace you expect Junebug to struggle.

~My condolences to Rowdy member Todd and all of his Owensboro, Kentucky compatriots on Jeff Green’s failure to make the race.

~Cutler

• 1 Comment
• Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, Ken Schrader, Hall of Fame Racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Green, Owensboro, Bristol Motor Speedway

Is the 24 Done?

In the last seven races, Jeff Gordon has one Top 5 and two Top 10’s. After his 42nd place finish at Michigan and 29th place finish at Watkins Glen he sits in 9th place, a mere 82 points ahead of the 13th place drivers. (After Michigan he dropped from 500 points behind first to 638 points back, so 82 are far from a safe buffer.) Now, we head to Bristol where even a guy with five track victories can easily get caught up in somebody else’s mess. As a matter of fact, his number of Bristol DNF’s equals his number of Bristol checkers.

If you look at Gordon’s career statistics at Bristol, California & Richmond, you have to figure he’d be secure in his Chase eligibility. However, he’s underperformed compared to his own statistics all season. In 2005, the year he failed to make the Chase, he had already scored three victories by this point in the season. His average finish by the end of that season was a dismal, for him, 17.8. That was his worst average since his rookie year. At this point in the current season, he is tied for his second worst average since his rookie year with a 15.8.

On today’s Rowdy podcast, you will hear Dennis Michelson confidently predict that Jeff Gordon will not make the trip to New York at season’s end. I’d like to think that if anybody can hoist the car upon his back and find a way to win, it would be he. If that’s the case, though, why hasn’t he done it yet? I can’t help, but think that right now Bowyer and Ragan have a little more mojo working than Jeff. He best be hoping that Denny Hamlin continues to find new ways to shoot himself in the foot and that Kasey Kahne is on one of the downslopes of his rollercoaster season/career.

~Cutler

• 12 Comments
• Jeff Gordon, Bristol, Fontana, Richmond, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne

The "Southern 500" is Dead

Labor Day in Atlanta and the “Southern 500” in May. Is this NASCAR? Last week, we learned that Darlington Raceway would once again host the legendary “Southern 500”, but it would be held over Mother’s Day weekend as opposed to its once traditional Labor Day weekend. Yesterday, with the release of NASCAR’s 2009 schedule, we learned that Atlanta Motor Speedway would get the coveted Labor Day date.

NASCAR can talk all they want about returning the “Southern 500” to Darlington. They can trot out Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton to talk about how great it is to have the “Southern” back at Darlington. Atlanta Motor Speedway President, Ed Clark, can proclaim how proud he is to bring Labor Day racing back to the Southeast. In the immortal words of Eliza Doolittle, “Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words...”

You can call any race on the schedule the Southern 500, but that doesn’t make it so. That race was specifically Darlington on Labor Day. Do the NASCAR suits not understand that? Darlington is not going to get its Labor Day race back. When asked directly about that possibility, Mike Helton responded, “The ’09 schedule that you see [is] a result of realignment, and the realignment is a result of requests that came from Atlanta and Auto Club Speedway that initiated the chain reaction of everything [on the schedule] … Darlington never was a factor in this conversation.” So, Mr. Helton, et al, please, I’m begging you, stop toying with our emotions. The “Southern 500” is dead. Let us mourn its passing and get on with our lives. Don’t toy with us by pretending that it’s only a name; that the date, the track, the tradition don’t matter.

~Cutler

• 13 Comments
• Darlington Raceway, Ed Clark, Southern 500, Atlanta Motor Speedway, mike helton

Will the Big 3 Cut their NASCAR Ties?

After the housing industry, is there any that is feeling the current economic pinch more substantially then the automotive industry? We’ve all heard the “doom-and-gloom” pronouncements about the big 3 and their continued involvement in NASCAR. As Tim Duerr, Ford’s NASCAR marketing manager explained in a recent Toledo Blade article, “… [We’re in NASCAR] specifically to sell vehicles. We’ve tightened things up because of the economy, no question about that…” If folks aren’t buying cars, is there still a reason for Ford, et al to be in the sport?

Duerr went on to cite some internal research from Ford that suggests better than half of current Ford owners consider themselves racing fans, with more than 60 percent of the owners of F-Series trucks classified as NASCAR fans. Additionally, Ford’s market share among race fans is 100 percent higher than among non-race fans.

Perhaps the old saw about “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” is no longer the rule. However, we all know how fiercely loyal NASCAR fans are to their drivers, manufacturers and sponsors. So, maybe we can no longer expect the showrooms to be invaded Monday mornings, but when I read statistics like those cited above I have hope. Even if we are now relegated to “win on Sunday, sell one day” it seems like that eventual sale could well be influenced by what happens on the track. The manufacturer’s seem to have a compelling reason to stick it out.

~Cutler

• 9 Comments
• Ford, Tim Duerr

Do 3 - 12 Really Matter?

The end of yesterday’s race at Michigan, with Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch dueling for the checkers, was a microcosm of the season so far and a precursor to the Championship battle. When do we count out third through twelfth? Carl and Kyle have been the class of the field all season long. Momentum has shifted back and forth between the two since we got started back in February. They have combined for thirteen wins in 23 races and are the only two drivers with double-digit top fives. Only two other drivers have multiple wins and one of them, Kasey Kahne, is a mere 47 points in front of the 13th place also-rans. Is it possible that Jimmie Johnson could put together a run and win the next three races? Is it possible that he could even put together a run for the Championship? Sure. It’s freakin’ Jimmie Johnson. After the Brickyard, however, we all said that Jimmie was back and everyone else should be wary. What happened next? Carl & Kyle won the next three races.

If the Chase started tomorrow, Kyle would have a 60-point cushion and Carl a 20-point cushion over Kasey and Jimmie. Certainly, those are not insurmountable margins. Before I am willing to consider another driver for the Championship, though, I need somebody to supply one piece of evidence that the story will be any different in 27 – 36 than it was in 1 – 26.

~Cutler

• 7 Comments
• Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne