Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, NASCAR Fans, NASCAR Tracks, NASCAR
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Filed under: Tony Stewart, NASCAR Tracks, Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR
NASCAR is always one call away from controversy. This is a lesson that has been glaringly apparent over the last couple of weeks. One penalty gets them into trouble, and another doesn’t. Why that is, is really a matter of perspective.
Take today for instance. Clint Bowyer, fresh off his own controversy with NASCAR, was in the lead in the final 20 laps. Somewhere around lap 17 NASCAR threw a caution for debris on the backstretch. Bowyer was understandably not happy. He complained that the debris had been on the track for most of the the run.
Now exactly why NASCAR threw the caution at that moment is something I can’t answer, but the fact is, it didn’t help Clint Bowyer’s cause. Still it’s hard to argue the caution shouldn’t have been thrown. What if, for instance, that debris had gotten blown out onto the racing surface and Tony Stewart (or some other driver in contention) ran it over. It could have cut his tire down (it wouldn’t have been the first time a driver had his tire cut down by debris) and ended his day – and his shot at the championship.
For years drivers have enjoyed screaming about the ‘phantom caution’ or the ‘competition caution’ when it hurt them, while decrying NASCAR for not throwing a caution when they had their day ended because of debris.
From where I sat, the debris on Sunday looked worthy of a caution. Certainly it looked bad given who the leader was, and it’s probable that the piece of debris was on the track for most of that run. That doesn’t mean though that caution shouldn’t have been thrown.
I write this not to say I think NASCAR is right in every situation. I think there are definitely cautions that have been thrown in the not too distant past that are up for debate, but often NASCAR is left with a situation where they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
As the sanctioning body of this sport NASCAR is often forced to make discretionary decisions. They won’t be perfect every time. And in the case of debris what one perceives as bad enough to throw a caution for is in the eye of the beholder.
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I know it’s a little early to start talking about the potential changes to the 2011 schedule, but why not? With California in our rear-view mirror and Atlanta now right in front of us, this season’s schedule presents us with two potential casualties for next year.
The ongoing saga of Kentucky Speedway looks to finally be coming to a close. After years of litigation and rulings in NASCAR’s favor, the former owners of the race track just had the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit turn down their request to reconsider the case. With that, the United States Supreme Court remains their last option for appeal. The court receives nearly 10,000 petitions to hear cases every year and selects generally fewer than 100 of those cases. That staggering number means this last ditch effort is a long shot.
Even still the group of former owners is fragmented (one side wanting to continue, the other not wanting to continue), so the process could continue. If that happens Kentucky Speedway will likely have to wait one more season, as NASCAR has held to not giving a race to the track so long as they are tied up in the court system.
Should this thing come to a close though, Bruton Smith and the rest of the folks at Speedway Motorsports are going to have a tough decision to make: which track loses its date?
From the get go it’s fair to assume Bristol, Las Vegas, Infineon, Charlotte and Texas probably won’t lost their dates. Smith has said in the past New Hampshire wouldn’t lose a date, but who knows. The other viable and perhaps most likely candidate is Atlanta. There was a lot of talk about this last year and I think it remains on top of the heap.
Not too far away from Kentucky is Kansas Speedway owned by the International Speedway Corporation. The track along with Penn Gaming is planning on building a hotel and casino on-site. Last week they gained approval for the project (and a gaming license) from the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. Now that the project is moving forward, ISC has to make the same decision SMI does: who loses that second date?
In January ISC’s Chief Operating Officer Roger VanDerSnick told USA Today the financial fortunes of Auto Club Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Michigan International Speedway would all be evaluated as they try to decided where Kansas’s second date would come from. In other words, they’re the most vulnerable. Martinsville, Richmond, Talladega and Daytona all also have two dates.
The specter of Martinsville losing it’s second date has been on the minds of everyone since Darlington lost its venerable Southern 500. I suspect though with NASCAR’s attempt to recapture the past, this move would not be their brightest. I picture fan revolt, the likes NASCAR has never seen.
So with that who should lose its date? Phoenix still does pretty well and certainly provides compelling racing. Michigan, though the racing isn’t always the greatest, does a great job packing the stands – that was quite evident last year. That leaves us with California, which has lackluster racing, ratings and attendance.
Despite Gillian Zucker’s best efforts at propagating the great things about her track, it just isn’t resonating. Check out NASCAR.com writer Joe Menzer’s take on California and Zucker’s “optimistic” attendance figures.
We still have time for time for things to change and NASCAR is a ways from creating the 2011 schedule, but changes could very well be upon us. With that said what do you think? Should Kentucky and Kansas get dates? Where should they come from?
The frenzy surrounding Danica Patrick in the weeks since she has begun her ascent to the highest level of American motorsports has been nothing short of a spectacle. When Patrick walks down pit road (or anywhere for that matter) a crowd almost constantly surrounds her, her pit stall is four and five deep and the huddled media jostles for a sound bite from her anytime she gets out of her car.
The media darling is certainly a popular presence in the garage right now. And why not? With her comes higher ratings and more page views. People want Danica, so Danica is what they’re going to get.
So you’d think a woman who loves attention and basking in the the lights of a TV camera would be more willing to talk following a race, something that just about every other driver manages.
Not Danica though. She got out of her car and stormed to her team hauler refusing interviews from ESPN (that pesky network that pays a lot of money to be there) and all others who tried. If you were willing to wait the half-hour afterward she did give those sound bites.
This isn’t even my gripe though. This is classic Danica (the sport’s first taste of her). The way it was handled by her representatives is what gets me. I’d expect a little more organization and order out of people who should be used to dealing with this (her frazzled looking, and dare I say acting, PR representative looked like this was a first for her).
The unfortunate part of all of this is not that media people are waiting (boo-hoo right?) but that it’s making the job for those who work in the sport that much more difficult. The poor teams that are parked next to her in the garage or on pit road (not to mention her own team) have to fight past (even larger) throngs of reporters and fans to do their job. In the case of her own team they now have to wait even longer to load their hauler and leave. Already difficult tasks now take a little longer.
I would think her top-notch representation would be a little better prepared to deal with a lot of people and a temperamental driver. In the future (because her finishing badly is likely to happen with frequency as she continues to learn) instead of making her team and a lot of other people wait, why not have a post race press conference (after the winner and second and third place finisher press conference of course) in the media center? It’s a win-win for everyone. Her representation gets rid of the fan element, she gets to fume for a while, and then gets to take questions in an orderly fashion. I’m sure NASCAR and the tracks would be pleased to set it up.
Filed under: Nationwide Series, Danica Patrick
It was announced Wednesday that effective immediately, Todd Parrott would be replacing Drew Blickensderfer as crew chief for Matt Kenseth. The Crown Royal team finished eighth at Daytona, and I think the move has surprised some fans and maybe even some media folks. But with what happened last season, and what it took the 17 team to finish eighth at Daytona, the move might not be so shocking.
It’s been well documented that Kenseth and Blickensderfer got off to one hell of a start in 2009. In their first two races together, the duo scored two wins; Daytona and California. After those first two though, the team struggled for most of the rest of the season and failed to make the Chase. It was the first time in the Chase era that Kenseth wasn’t a part of NASCAR’s playoffs.
Fast forward to the 2010 season and this weekend’s Daytona 500. In the race he’d won just one year earlier, Kenseth struggled mightily with the handling of his car. He did however manage to bring home a top ten finish with the aid of a few green-white-checkered restarts and some good pit crew work. But, as they say, it was no picnic.
Over the course of the race, the 17 team made a number of changes to the car to help the handling including wedge adjustments, air pressure, track bar, a shim change, spring rubbers, and finally, a shock change! Not exactly how you hope one of these races goes.
In the Cup Series, especially for a team that expects to contend for the Championship every year, the setup of the car has got to be pretty close when the green flag drops. To make that many changes during the race, including two new front shocks is not good. By the time Sunday rolls around, the setup should only require small tweaks to keep up with the changing conditions during the race. Wholesale changes, like those that it took to get the Crown Royal Ford competitive, make Blickensderfer look incompetent.
I believe last year’s performances, together with how the Daytona 500 played out for Kenseth & Co. spelled the end for Blickensderfer. It was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.” Something tells me the meeting with Mr. Roush this week was not so pleasant. And crew chief changes after a situation like this are not necessarily something new for “The Cat in the Hat.”
The whole thing really is a shame too, because as bad as it looks for Blickensderfer, he is not an incompetent crew chief. You don’t win in the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series for Jack Roush if you don’t know what you’re doing. But obviously something just wasn’t clicking between driver and crew chief and it was time to make a change.
This weekend at California Speedway While this weekend’s stop in Fontana, CA is usually not an anticipated one for fans and the teams (see California Doesn’t Deserve A Cup Date), I think this Sunday’s Cup race will be an intriguing one to watch.
The Daytona 500 is always a bit of a crap shoot, and often, teams that might not be contenders can find a way to run well. You can thank the restrictor plates for that.
But this race should be a fairly good litmus test for who might really be strong this year. Plenty of teams think they’ve made the necessary changes to compete again (see RCR, RFR) and this weekend will be their first opportunity show it.
California will be the first of many speedway races that will be run this season, and it’s tracks like this that will make or break a driver’s season. If you can’t run well at places like this, you can’t expect to finish well in the points.
Is Dale Jr. actually on the rise? Will the down teams from last year come back? Will Jimmie run away with a fifth straight Cup? Sunday’s Auto Club 500 will be our first opportunity to start piecing together the puzzle that is the 2010 season.
Oh to be a track promoter right now. Yeah I know times are tough and people aren’t buying tickets like they used to, but a gift has landed on their doorsteps. That gift is of course Danica Patrick and you better believe every track operator on the Nationwide schedule is crossing their fingers she graces their facility.
With the very careful rollout of Patrick, JR Motorsports and her handlers are doing their best to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. How well Patrick does on track at the moment though is irrelevant.
In attendance at JR Motorsports Thursday was New Hampshire Motor Speedway GM Jerry Gappens. He was a man on a mission too. With a lobster in tow he was looking to attract Patrick to race at NHMS in June. Gappens certainly isn’t alone.
How excited do you think Gillian Zucker, president of Auto Club Speedway, is? She might have the sports’ newest and most exciting driver debut at her facility. That’s a boost California (the speedway) could certainly use. Where better to debut Patrick (if they choose to do so) than in the second largest media market with no other distractions?
Now I know many of you are already getting sick of Danicamania (get used to it), but aren’t you the least bit interested in how she runs? I know I am. I’ve heard the Disney World test was promising. Certainly the ARCA test will be at least a little bit of an indicator.
This interest in Patrick can only increase interest in the sport. As I see it, that’s not a bad thing. While I can’t say I agree with his analogy Jerry Gappens thinks so too.
“I think she can do for our sport what Hannah Montana did for Disney,” [Gappens] said. “I’ve got a 9-year-old daughter [Ella] who already was like, ‘Danica Patrick is going to race at your place?’ I told her I was going to try [to get her to], and she was very excited about that.
Hannah Montana? I don’t know about that, but more eyes can’t be bad. More ticket sales can’t be bad either.
I’ll be honest I’m a Danica skeptic, but I hope she does well. She has a lot of detractors, but she will definitely bring some fresh blood into the sport.
Can the reality meet the hype? We’ll have to see. But until then track promoters are certainly going to be taking this to the bank.
It’s a home game this week, as both the Nationwide and Cup cars take to the 1.5 mile Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord. But while the season starts winding to a close, ATIW keeps chugging along. If you don’t know what this post is, until further notice, we will be answering any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Justin:
Are wheels weighed by NASCAR? Never heard anything about teams lightening wheels so I’m assuming the answer is yes.
I’ve never seen a wheel weighed personally, but the rule book says they must weigh a minimum of 27 pounds uncoated and without valve hardware. – T.C.
2. From Ricky:
What really makes me mad is the fact that Dave Blaney is a great racer, and yet he drives a Start & Park car… I remember the spring race at Talladega where he led quite a few laps….and then he got spun out and parked it! I believe if he would have stayed out there he would have had a good chance at a good finish! I was so angered by the situation! The whole deal of Start and Parks angers me. If you are going to race in NASCAR’s top series, then race! Don’t go out and be whimps and park it. What do you think about this? How did you feel when Blaney put that car up front, then parked it just because of a lousy spin? I really thought that was a bonehead move… I am a big fan of Dave Blaney. Please help cool heads prevail and tell me… WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!
The answer is they were taking the money and running. That’s the whole purpose of the start and parks. Instead of running the risk that they’ll wreck their equipment by running the whole race, they make a few laps and take the guaranteed money. For their intended purposes and the strength of their equipment it really wasn’t a bonehead move. Whether you agree with it or not, they’re becoming a fact of life. Trust me though, NASCAR is not a fan. – Journo
3. From Dot:
Regarding burning and scraping tires. How do you know when to stop scraping? What happens if you go to far? Regarding loose/missing lugnuts. If one is loose or missing (and missed by the official), wouldn’t the other ones hold the tire on?
Scraping a tire after a race run is done to get any excess rubber and garbage off the tread so an accurate tread depth reading can be made. The tire specialist only scrapes that excess off. I’m not even sure you could go too far and scrape any of the tread off. And yes, if there are only four lugs tight they will probably hold the tire on for a while. But would you really want to take the chance that they don’t hold? I know I wouldn’t. – T.C.
4. From Jason:
What is the typical amount that a business pays to sponsor a truck in the Camping World Truck series? I’ve read things like $20 – 30 million for Cup and $15 – 8 million for Nationwide. But I have never heard any number for the truck series. Thank you!
For a full season with a decent team you’re looking at $2 million to $5 million. As far as your Cup Series number goes, many are below that $20 million mark. – Journo
5. From David:
Why do the tires have red stripe on the side wall?
Tires have colored tape on the sidewalls for the tire carriers. They use that mark to line up the stud holes when they are indexing a tire during a pit stop. See more about this here. – T.C.
6. From PrincessStewart14:
It has been reported tonight, by Marty Smith, Jim Utter and Jeff Gluck to name a few, that Tom Logano had his hard card pulled for ‘gesturing at Greg Biffle postrace’ [via Marty Smith on Twitter] What are some other things NASCAR would take your hard card? Just what they would deem bad behaviour or harmful?
NASCAR could probably take a hard card for whatever reason they wanted. Hard cards are technically owned by NASCAR, and they can use the taking of one as punishment. I’m sure John Darby, Joe Balash, and/or Wayne Auton could probably answer this one better then I can. – T.C.
7. From Michael:
Whatever happened to Fatback Mcswain?
You know that’s a good question and one I don’t have an answer for. Does anyone know anything about Fatback’s whereabouts?
8. From Jeff in SoCal:
Ok so I have to say it! The Nationwide series race was way more entertaining than the Sprint cup race at Auto Club this week. What gives? Also what would you guys do to tighten up the field in a very cool(love how huge it is), yet boring race track?
I think because we saw more cautions during the NNS race, the field was bunched up more. When that happens, there is bound to be more side by side racing and more action. Double file restarts have helped too. And I have no idea how to fix the racing at Auto Club Speedway. Maybe tear it down and start over again? – T.C.
9. From Stephen:
I listened to AJ Allmendinger’s post race interview with ESPN at California and to me it sounded like he was trying to throw someone under the bus for his lack of preformance, but he never really came out and said who. I got the feeling that he was trying to say that Kahne gets the better engine’s. Do ya’ll have any insight on what Allmendinger was trying to get at?
I’m not exactly sure what you’re referring to, but it’s very possible he was referring to the engine situation at RPM. With the trouble’s they’ve had of late, plus the move to Ford, it’s not doing him, or any other member of the team, any favors in the performance department. And certainly Kahne is going to get the best engines, he’s the only member of the team with a shot at the Championship. – Journo
10. From Ric:
I’ve seen drivers / crew / TV personalities put on and take off the steering wheel. It looks like they just throw it on, no trying to align anything. There must be something to slide the steering wheel into the correct spot.
The steering column has splines on it, and the wheel itself fits onto those splines and has a quick release. Teams will help their driver line up the wheel prior to the race. Sometimes you will see drivers pull to the inside during pace laps, and what you are seeing is them setting their wheel. A tape mark at 12 o’clock tells a driver if the wheel is straight. - T.C.
11. From Neon:
Just as the drivers in Cup have their personal motorcoach delivered to each race, which of the crew chiefs have their motorcoach on the premises? Owners or other crew members?
Most owners have motorcoachs, some crew chiefs do and some team executives do to. Ultimately the guys most likely to have them are the ones who make the most money. You have to figure you’re probably spending $500,000+ on a coach, $30,000+ a year on a coach driver, and then thousands of dollars more on fuel, and upkeep. With the small number of spaces available it’s a pretty restrictive thing for those who are not drivers. – Journo
12. From Larry:
What does the announcement, by Con-way Freight, that they are moving to the Nationwide Series, with Colin Braun, do to the rumored sponsorship of Johnny Benson, in the Truck Series?
This means that Johnny won’t be sponsored by Conway. Beyond that I unfortunately can’t really offer any more insight into the situation. Does this mean Johnny won’t be back to the truck series next year? Absolutely not. Beyond the initial rumors of him going to Kyle Busch’s team next year though I really haven’t heard anything else. – Journo
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!