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Jenna Fryer at the AP first reported this weekend that Pat Tryson, crew chief for Kurt Busch has been effectively shut out of the Penske shop because of his announced defection to Michael Waltrip Racing next season.

The story quotes Penske VP of Operations Mike Nelson as saying “It really breaks down to 2009 vs. 2010. He’s not there for the discussions that we have about 2010. That’s a lot of what we’re doing at the shop right now.”

Essentially Tryson is relegated to performing his duties through e-mail and phone calls, though he is allowed at Penske’s Tuesday morning meetings.

Personally I have all the respect in the world for Penske Racing. I think it’s a great organization with a lot of smart people in charge. This move boggles my mind though.

This move says to me: “we’re more concerned about what happens next season than our chance to win a championship this season.”

Certainly the #2 crew is capable of handling everything that needs to be done before races. Car Chief Jeff Thousand is a NASCAR veteran, with experience as crew chief for Rusty Wallace. He is largely credited with the team’s increased performance this season. So by all means leadership is not an issue.

What this does do is throw off the team’s flow. They are used to working with and communicating to a certain person and now that is limited. Let’s be honest there is only so much you can do telecommuting. Being the leader of the team from your living room is not easy.

Certainly I understand the position Penske is in. They have a team leader leaving and he will take with him the knowledge he has accumulated at the organization. If that includes information for next season that could be a detriment to them. I guarantee the non-disclosure he’s signed will do little to keep information from passing on.

All that being said, I think there should have been a greater effort made in closing him out of discussions and work for next year (at least some of which he is probably already aware of), while keeping him at the shop. The other option was just releasing from his contract. A change in leadership at this point in the year could be bad for performance, but this move wasn’t a whole lot better.

I believe Tryson is committed to the team, but now he can only do so much.

500 Posts!

On a completely unrelated subject, this marks our 500th post! As always thank you for all your support. We wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Here’s hoping for another 500.

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So I returned from another busy weekend of racing to discover (thanks to the Internet)  what many in the NASCAR media have been fronting for weeks; that all of NASCAR is finally starting to implode!  OH MY GOD!  WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!  SAVE YOURSELVES!  EVERYBODY PANIC!!!

A quick look around the Internet today and you would have seen the following  headlines: RCR is dropping to two teams, Kasey Kahne will be in a Toyota by August, Toyota is pulling their support from the NNS and CWTS, Red Bull is leaving Toyota, and there could be spec engines coming to the NNS and CWTS.

Whew!  That’s some scary stuff.  Until you actually read what was said by the important people. 

Richard Childress actually said he plans on having four teams next year, but some sponsorship stuff is still up in the air.  The Shell and Jack Daniels deals need to be renewed, but even if they aren’t, it’s not necessarily the end of the line for the #29 and #07 teams.

Lee White (head of TRD Operations) denied the Kasey Kahne rumor, but even if he’s lying, there are too many moving parts here.  Something smells fishy.  Why would an organization build Toyota’s for one team, and Dodge’s for the other three?  I know the COTs are similar, but there are some differences.  I’m just not seeing the logic here.

Also, while a cutback may be coming for next season, Toyota has no plans to change its involvement in the NNS and NCWTS for 2009.  And it appears that only Detroit is interested in the spec engine program, as the story itself says NASCAR executives have shown little interest. 

And finally, I don’t understand why Red Bull would walk away from Toyota and its funding to self fund a Chevrolet alliance through Hendrick Motorsports.  Red Bull’s problems have less to do with Toyota and more to do with what is going on inside Red Bull.  Getting Hendrick horsepower isn’t going to solve that, and it’s going to cost them some serious coin to switch.

So, now that we know the world isn’t ending, can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?  Maybe we are part of the problem (feel free to say if we are), but I feel like a lot of these Internet writers are trying to either fabricate a silly season or scare people out of their minds. 

Comparing the last few years, this season has been pretty light on free agent rumblings (sans Martin Truex Jr.), and the economy continues to be a major factor in the future of many teams, but these “almost” stories are crazy.  I understand that some of these sites depend on big traffic numbers, but creating a story where there is no story seems wrong.

And this might not be a new thing, but I don’t know when it became news for somebody like Tony Stewart to come out and say that if the situation were right, he’d add a third team for next year.  Couldn’t you really say that about every team?

 ”This just in: Robby Gordon may be a four car team in 2010 if three funded drivers approach him before February.”

Gimme a break.

Is the sport struggling some?  Yes.  Are the manufacturer cutbacks going to hurt the teams?  Yes.  Is it tougher then ever to find sponsors?  Yes.  Are teams going to have to get creative to fight through this tough time?  Yes.  Are we going to lose a few teams?  Yes.

But, even though many will try and convince you otherwise, is the end near?  No.

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by FanHouse Newswire

Filed under: Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Tony Stewart is off to such a strong first season as a team owner, he's already open to expansion.

The Sprint Cup Series points leader said Friday he'd consider adding a third team to Stewart-Haas Racing next year if the right combination was available. Although he promised his team not to expand too quickly, their success so far this season has made him consider his options.

"I wanted to make sure we had two cars that were competitive and had a chance to win a championship," he said Friday at Infineon Raceway. "I'm proud of the fact that I think we're at that point. So if the right situation came along, we would entertain it."

Tony Stewart Open to Adding 3rd Team originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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There has been much speculation over the last several weeks regarding where Martin Truex Jr. will race in 2010 and beyond.  This speculation has been fueled mostly by Truex’s own comments on a possible move, which started at the Talladega race in April.  The turmoil surrounding the DEI/CGR merger, and the lack of performance from the EGR teams this season appears to be a big motivator.  Since 2008, Truex has been rumored to be leaving DEI/EGR for Dale Jr.’s Cup team (that never materialized), Stewart-Haas Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, and most recently Michael Waltrip Racing.

Mike Mulhern was the first to break the news about Truex’s possible defection to MWR, and his story pondered whether the deal was actually already done.  Since Mulhern’s article first appeared we’ve heard that the deal isn’t necessarily done but that NAPA is very interested in securing Truex.  But there has yet to be an announcement from either side about the future and after talking about it initially, Truex has now become reluctant in answering any media questions regarding MWR and 2010.

Stepping back now from the rumors and speculation, I’m curious about what team would be the best fit for Truex moving forward.  I’ve got to believe that a possible move from EGR to MWR would only be driven by a more lucrative contract.  I say that because neither team appears to be better then the other in terms of performance and potential.  Truex and his teammate, Juan Pablo Montoya, currently sit 19th and 15th in the points, while MWR cars are 11th, 18th, and 32nd respectively.  The lone bright spot for MWR and a possible selling point for Truex has been David Reutimann and his Coke 600 win.  But the win in a rain shortened 600 on a Monday had more to do with lucky strategy than it did with actual team performance.  So jumping from the #1 team at EGR to the #55 team at MWR appears to be a lateral move at best.

The other wildcard in this situation is Truex’s long time sponsor, Bass Pro Shops.  There was much talk earlier this season after EGR shut down the #8 team that Bass Pro had an out in its contract if either Truex didn’t have two team cars, or his performance wasn’t up to par.  This appears now to be false, and according to press releases from 2007 and EGR’s Steve Lauletta, Bass Pro is signed through 2010.  This would certainly rule out the possibility of Bass Pro Shops following Truex to MWR, SHR, or any other team.

Only time will tell where Truex ends up for the 2010 season and beyond, but I’m of the opinion that Truex will indeed jump ship.  I feel like he’s had one foot out the door since the walls started crumbling at DEI, and I’m surprised he’s waited until now to possibly make a move.  Usually, drivers who aren’t interested in a move to another team don’t become the topic of so many rumors. And if he wasn’t interested in moving, it’s very easy to put down the rumors and speculation and just say “I like where I am, I’m staying.” 

On top of that, his performances this season have been less than inspired, and chances of a big contract brought to you by NAPA or possibly a better ride elsewhere may be enough to lure him away.