oldsoldier's Blog

Now that some of the tire dust has settled, let me add my two cents worth to the great debate.NASCAR screwed up when, after tire test revealed a wear problem, they just assumed the track would "rubber in" and the track would be okay. Well we all know what happens when we assume something. During the race, they did the only thing they could do, the race had started, the stands were (mostly) full, and the tires looked like they were running on a cheese grater. All in all, they did their best in a bad situation, but when Mike Helton goes on screen during a race, you know things are going down the toilet, but they kept anyone from getting injured. So now what?

Ray Evernham wants NASCAR to remove some restrictions from Goodyear, saying they may need to make a slightly bigger tire for the new car. Apparently, Goodyear is in the same boat as the teams as far as the new car is concerned, no changes to the body, no matter what. Anyone who has stood on the observaton deck at Penske South, and looked down on the race shop and last years cars, knows the reason for this. The teams had pulled and stretched the bodies so much they were more "Frankencars" than "stock cars". The left front fender was more than twice as wide as the right, just to give you an idea. Still race teams have some of the best mechanics and engineers in the country, and if NASCAR would give them just a little room to adjust the body, within limits of course, they can make the COT into a very good race car. NASCAR needs to let the teams and Goodyear experiment a little, and work together, and I'm betting NASCAR"s big problem will be solved. As much as NASCAR thinks it knows about the COT, the race teams know more.

And one last note, Tony George, the big boss at Indy was acting all high and mighty, saying it was NASCAR's problem and the track was not at fault in anyway. Well, as a fan of all types of racing, I seem to remember, 3, maybe 4 years ago, a Formula 1 race at Indy, that saw only 6 cars on the track when the green flag fell. Seems one of the two tire makers for F1, felt their tires would wear too much to be safe on Indy's abrasive surface, so they advised all teams running their tires to withdraw, and they did. There was such an uproar about the so called race, that a lot of free tickets were given out to get the fans to return the next year. So Mr Tony need not act so sanctimonious, as his track does have a history of being abrasive, almost as abrasive as he was in his statement to the press.

Okay, I've had my say, now I'm going to Jayski's to see who will drive what next year, bye now.

Just heard Matt Kenseth's interview after Michigan, complaining about the official causing him to lose two positions on pit road. His version was not what we saw on the screen, and it did not cost him the race as he implies. Then he complains about Dale Jr's tactic of running up, cutting his engine, coasting, and then restarting it and running up again. Yes he passed the pace car, but when NASCAR told him to stop he did. Kenseth would have done the same thing if he had been in the lead. But Kenseth was not in a position to win anyway, so what is he complaining about? I guess it hurts to have a Chevy win at Michigan, where Ford has dominated, and the carmakers are all in attendance.

I have heard some folks are upset about how Jr. won the race. Hey, he kept  himself in contention the whole race, and at the end he did what he had to do. This is the formula Richard Petty used for two hundred wins, and it is also part of what keeps racing interesting. Also, Jr's car was fast enough to pull away at the end, so what are they complainiing about?                                                 
                                                       
                                              On another note, while I would love to see Kyle Petty win again, or at least be competitive on the track, he does a great job as an announcer, Go Petty. Maybe Petty Enterprizes will be in the Winner's circle again soon, hope so.

Saturday night's race at Richmond should have been Dale Jr's return to Victory Lane, but actions by Denny Hamlin and team mate Kyle Busch, questionable actions at best, but according to NASCAR rules, illegal actions. Hamlin led most of the race, but when his right front tire started going down, and he was passed by both Earnhardt, and Busch, he decided to play spoiler. He could not pit and hope to win the race, and his partner, Busch was too far behind Earnhardt to catch him on the track. So Hamlin stayed on the track, an action unthinkable to any driver hopeing to finish the race, because his tire situation was certain to result in a wreck. But a wreck would bring out a caution, and allow Busch to catch up, so he stayed out. When he hit the wall, it didn't damage the car enough to bring out the caution flag, so Hamlin just stopped on the track. Earnhardt's lead was erased by the ensuing caution, Hamlin was directed to the pits, and held there for two laps by NASCAR, for creating an unsafe situation on the track.

Now Kyle Busch was directly behind Earnhardt on the restart and when the green flag fell the race was on, but Earnhardt was holding him off, running the highline that he prefers. Busch tried to pass on the inside, but couldn't seal the deal, even though Dale Jr. left him plenty of room to run there. Now every race commentator has marveled about Busch's car control, but he couldn't seem to keep from hitting Earnhardt's left side, just enough to put the 88 in a spin, then his storied car control returned as he kept his car tracking straight. Jr. hit the wall, the 07 slipped by Busch in the melee, and went on to win. Later Busch complained about an Earnhardt crewman, who expressed his displeasure in the pits as unsportsmanlike, an action that Busch had committed just the night before, when he complained about the driving tactics of Stephen Wallace, tactics much like he employed 24 hours later. Jr. was disappointed afterward, but refused to call anyone names. Later, Kyle made a rather snide remark about everyone on the track was afraid to wreck Dale Jr.

I am a race fan, I like Jr., but I also like Joe Gibbs' Racing, , and many times I've pulled for Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin, but their actions Saturday night were uncalled for. This kind of behavior doesn't help racing, and I hope someone in NASCAR or Joe Gibb's Racing will have a word or two with these two young stars. Win at any cost, doesn't cut it anymore.

Jack Roush is at it again, looking for the boogy man under the bed, but in Jack's case the boogy man speaks with a Japanese accent. A Toyota team, Michael Waltrip Racing, wound up with a sway bar belonging to one of Roush's teams by mistake, and he is yelling intellectual espionage. NASCAR, and other teams and drivers, all say this sort of thing happens in the garage area at the different tracks because of tight quarters, and the large number of people and parts in the area. But Jack says no, it is deliberate, Toyota is after him. When Toyota first announced it was coming to NASCAR, Jack has cried foul, knowing that Toyota would up the ante, and make other teams spend more and work harder, no other car owner complained. Jack says he has never stolen anything from another team, which may be true, unless you count all the sponsors that he has taken from other, smaller teams. But when you run 5 teams, you need a lot of sponsors. NASCAR has a limit of four teams per owner, but Jack has maintained 5, even though NASCAR has demanded he get rid of one for several years now. Any other team doing this would be dealt with harshly, but NASCAR hasn't done anything yet. And on top of all that, a sixth team sprang up across the street from Roush's shops with very little visible support, curious. Roush has forged alliances with other teams, Yates, and the Wood brothers, and somehow the other guys wind up on the short end of the stick. Yates' cars are running with no sponsors, something that can't go on for long, and the Wood brothers can barely make the races, but Jack's teams just keep running with multiple sponsors. Of course they get an assist from time to time from an illeagle part or lack of one. Carl Edwards, Jack's golden boy, won a race, and was found to have the lid  missing from the oil tank container inside the car, an aerodynamic advantage. They lost points and money on that one, and Jack couldn't even contest it, because they were caught red handed. A team that would leave that lid off, could very easily misplace a sway bar in the garage area, and it was Edwards car that the sway bar was from. Maybe Jack just needs to shut up with the accusations, and clean up his own act. And maybe Ford needs to look out for some of their other team owners, before Jack is the only card in their hand.

The news of Brett Favre's retiring may have obscured another similar announcment, Rich Brenner is retiring. As a retiree myself I certainly don't want to deprive Rich the pleasures it brings, but I'm going to miss the big guy. I've run into him at different events, the ACC Tournament and such, but mostly at NASCAR events, and I love his reporting. But what I really love is his commentary, Rich tells it like it is, and he doesn't pull punches. Charlie Harvell would be proud of him. Rich, you will be missed on the air, here's hopeing I still see you from time to time around town, and all the best from one old timer to another.

The red number 8 Chevy looked so good, it was a classic race car, and I loved it. When the 88 was introduced, I wasn't knocked out by it. It was okay, but it lacked something. Now on Valentine's day, it has gained what it seem to lack, the aura of a winner. Must be something about the light in Victory Lane, but that car is looking better all the time. Of course the grin on Dale Jr's face may have something to do with it, looks like the boy is back home again. On another note, Kenny Wallace, keep on standing up for the older guys, those in their 40s and older, who keep gettig passed over when the good rides are doled out. There is a lot of talent in the pits that could show these new guys a thing or   two.    Toyota has it's first Sprint Cup win, Mikey got all 3 of his cars in the show, Sunday looks like a good day for racin'.

Here's to Junior on his first of what I hope is many victories in Hendrick equipment. He has two more races at Daytona this week, and I would love to see him take both of them. Has anybody seen Teresa lately?   And congratulations to Michael Waltrip, for  his come back, bringing a new brand into competition is not easy, and MWR had a rough time of it, but hey, somebody's got to get the ball rolling. I appreciate NAPA standing by him last year.    Did Tony hit Kurt? I hope so, I don't mind  trading paint on the track, but when you are heading onto pit road where a lot of people not surrounded by roll cages are trying to do their jobs, that's not the way to play. And finally,  the COT looks like a winner to me. Maybe some more tweaking here and there, but I bet Cale, and David, and Richard could wheel it around the track and not complain at all. Have you seen last years cars up close? They were the automotive equivalent of Frankenstein. The left front fender alone had been massaged so much it was more than twice as wide as the right one.  With all the body modifications and other little tricks, keeping the cars anywhere near equal was iimpossible. I think the COT is going to be a great car for all concerned. Okay, I've had my say, bye now.

Yes. Teresa got her wish, Dale Jr. didn't make the Chase, and he still took the high road and didn't point any fingers. His frustration did come out just a little, when he said the DEI engines just wouldn't last when they put them in HIS car. DEI is not known for engine failures, but I believe Jr. had five this year, with 10 races to go. Just wait and see what he does with Hendrick engines.

 

This morning's Greensboro paper has an article about the 24 Hours of LeMans, by Dan Neil, of the LA Times. He starts out saying few Americans know what this race is, and later remarks that NASCAR will red flag a race if it's sprinkling in the leader's hometown. Well, I have followed the European sports car circuit since the late fifties, and I know a lot of people, who know LeMans. And sports car racing has rain tires, as does F-1, while NASCAR uses only slick tires, that are dangerous  on damp roads, much less in the rain. NASCAR tried rain tires on a road course in Japan, a few years ago, mainly due to the high cost of transporting all the teams over there.                                                 
        Worse yet, is Greensboro's own Ed Hardin, who writes about a sport he obviously doesn't like. He is critical of racing, teams, owners, drivers, and worst of all, the fans.Most demographic studies show that NASCAR fans follow current trends as far as education, disposable income, etc, and are knowledgable about their sport. Hardin, writes like we are a bunch of idiots, who just fell off a turnip truck. It seems to be the fashion of newspaper writers to have a disdain for the people who read their work, well, maybe that's why readership is down. When I want to find out about racing, I go to the internet, or tv, for Dave Despain on SPEED, or our own Rich Brenner, on FOX8, I get the real story, and I'm treated courteously. I guess the only thing a newspaper is good for is the obituaries. They might be writing their own soon( the newspapers, that is).

In his announcement this morning, Dale Jr. made it clear, it's not about the money, he just wants to be some where that he is appreciated. He and Kelly, were both careful not to blast Teresa, but one reporter may have hit the nail on the head. Has DEI become TEI? And the recent talks with Robert Yates Racing, an avowed Ford team, about merging with DEI, was this a subtle backhand to Jr, who's long association with Chevy, and his desire to stay with them is well known? In any case, my hope is that Dale Jr signs with one of the big three Chevy teams, and goes on to win many championships. As for what happens to DEI, I don't really care, it's all yours Teresa, run it into the ground, that's what you seem to want to do. It's my guess Teresa, won't be at the tracks much, because all those fans in red shirts and caps, might not take to kindly to the woman who ran "the Intimidater's" son out of DEI.  As has been said before , 49% of something, is better than 100% of nothing, and right now that looks like what Teresa has. I might also add, that as a stepson myself, Teresa has made the Stepmother's Hall of Fame, and given good stepmothers another mountain to climb.             So, here's to Dale Jr, and Kelly, God bless you both, and I look forward to cheering you on no matter where you may land.            The movie "DALE" was in Greensboro, Friday night, watching that made it clear how Dale Sr, felt about this, maybe Teresa should watch  it again!

There was an article about Wendell Scott in the News&Record the other day, and they missed the point. Scott wasn't a "black race car driver" , he was a race car driver who happened to be black. He raced because he loved racing, not to be the first black man in NASCAR, and it was this attitude that took him as far as he got. To be sure, there were road blocks, and some drivers and fans were not pleased to see him out on the track, But the drivers that shared that love of racing, and the true racing fans, respected Scott for what he did. I wish he had been able to do more, and today he might have. But diversity on the track should not be a manufactured process, it should be a man or woman, who wants to race so bad they can taste it, just like Wendell Scott. And when that person comes along, I hope a major team snaps them up, and puts them in a first rate ride. When some young man or woman cares more about being a driver than being the first of their race or sex, then you"ll have the next Wendell Scott, and it's way past time.               Incidently, there is a movie about Scott, called  Greased Lightning, with Richard Pryor as Scott. It's not Scott's real story, just a stereotypical exploitation that was thrown together, and Pryor, in no way did Scott justice.   Wendell Scott, was a fine man, and we as race fans should respect him as such.

First of all, congrats to J.G., it was a great race, and a great win. I would have liked to see Jr. do better, but the season is still young. Now, about the hit Carl Edwards made on Dave Blaney, it wasa blatent effort to take out the leading Toyota, and it continued a season long pattern. In just about every race so far, a Roush driver has taken out one or more Toyotas, Biffle got two in the same wreck! When is NASCAR going to call Jack into the big yellow trailer and lay down the law? My son and I have both noticed this, surely others have too, so why doesn't NASCAR seem to see it?  The Chevy teams, don't seem to worried about the competition, they just mind their own business and win, I guess Ford still doesn't have a better idea.

The COT  seems to have passed it's first two tests. The young drivers who complain about it have been spoiled by aero, and all the other things old time drivers didn't have. I'd like to see David Pearson, or Cale, or, Richard in one of  the COTs. Seems like they handle like the old cars.

Has anyone else noticed how many times Roush cars have taken out Toyotas in the races this year? Coincidence? I don't know, but it happens a lot, and we all know how Jack hates Toyota.  Biffle, Kenseth, Edwards, all have played a part in Toyota's on track woes, and it was a Roush connected car that took Blaney out of the lead at Nashville last Sunday.      Michael Waltrip's problems continue, apparently he is not getting enough rest. I hope he can find someone to help carry the load, and get himself back on the track .        DEI needs to take a look at who they have driving for them. Jr. is the only star they have, and if he should leave they would not have a viable "winner" on their team. Dale, Sr. started the team with Jr. in mind, and I'd like to see him stay there, but he has more options than Teresa does.                                                  
                                                       
                                             

If anyone wishes to express their feelings about what was said about NASCAR fans by the polititians in Washington state, send an e-mail to billflynn@clearchannel.com . Bill Flynn of WMAG radio will forward your message to Larry Seaquist, and Frank Chopp. Let's get behind this and let these people know how we feel. If they don't want NASCAR in their area, fine, but they don't have to call us names. Come on folks, stand up for the Carolinas, the home of the fastest growing sport in the country.